Wednesday, July 14, 2010

So Very Bored Today

I have vacuumed. I have mopped the floors with Simple Green. I have gone to the library and picked up good books for G and for me. Another Jo Nesbo. I have read the local newspaper. I have purchased $118 worth of groceries: yogurt, orange juice, bagels, peaches, pizza dough, cheese, soy milk, cereal (2 kinds- one with pecans and "clusters"), a tiny watermelon, some pork, applesauce, granola, deli ham, pasta and pizza sauce. I have eaten a deli ham and cheese sandwich with radishes from my garden. I am thinking of having a glass of iced tea.

I often find grocery lists that other people have made and lost. Other people buy stuff that's different than what I buy. The above list is pretty standard for me. I think I could live on cereal and milk. I'm getting bored with the yogurt and fruit lunches I take to work.

A nap sounds good right about now.

I read a blog today that recalled all the jobs this person had in her life (she has done this before; made a list of jobs - long term memory loss?) Anyway here is mine for your amusement.

Babysitter for a mom returning to work who fed the baby prunes. Need I say more?
Department Store clerk (high school): Paint (didn't know anything); gloves (no idea what black calfskin was); sports (asked a teen what size athletic cup he needed); Undergarments; sold out of Playtex girdles one evening when I had the price incorrect. I think every girdle wearer in Cleveland came by to buy two. Men's Shirts: this is where I remained until I left for college. I was cute and older guys liked to make me squirm and blush
Cleveland Water Department: I was given a job as a favor to my dad, a police officer. We did nothing usually but one day all the file cabinets fell over (I was NOT in the file room) and then we had lots to do. I often wondered if I should have applied again?
Department Store. Again.
US Post Office: Christmas postal delivery. Lots of sitting around and being paid while drinking coffee. Some delivery of mail. Two winters.
American Greetings; Greeting card packaging/night shift. My only union experience. I worked too quickly and had to "use the restroom" for 20 minutes at a time to get my hourly rate down low enough. Pretty soon I was slacking off like everyone else. I'm sure those jobs are now done in China.
Cashier at Lums Bar and Hotdogs: which turned into waitress when someone called out.
Retail in local department store while husband finished college. Boring until I threw up one morning and everyone BUT me realized I was pregnant.
Treasure Island; a JC Penney big box: Product Marker. I opened boxes and put on price stickers and it was by far my favorite job ever.
Treasure Island: Mark down clerk. I wrote off broken and damaged things and tossed them in the compacter. Worst job I ever had. Wanted my old job back so badly!!!
Math & English Department Aide: Marked tests, helped in classrooms, did bulletin boards, typed tests and eventually worked one on one with students in remedial math and English. Loved it.
Newspaper Advertising Pasteup: local paper. I did a number of things and everytime I tried to quit I got a raise and a new job title. This was my first time working with people younger than me and I found I liked it very much.
Sampler Publications: Yes, the magazine Country Sampler! I could have been a rock star but made bad choices and worked in data entry instead of the art department (television).
McDonald's- for my husband. His managers asked me to go home and stay there.
The Library- for 9.5 years and the longest I have worked anywhere. Loved that job. But not the people I worked for.
The Greenhouse- this is where I am now. Used to be I couldn't wait to go to work. I think now it's more the wear and tear on the old bones and joints. This is a very physical job outdoors. That takes a toll.

My favorite jobs are the ones where I am left on my own. Teach me how to do something and then let me do it. I will never let you down. Any job offers out there???? Some have suggested substitute teaching. I can't see them leaving me alone with teenagers and I certainly wouldn't teach small children but it is tempting. I could possibly teach them to spell. The old fashioned way. Remember? Definition. Sentence. Spelling Test. Lord what a hoot that would be and how they would hate seeing me arrive in their classes.

2 comments:

Terry Grant said...

Good post! Your resume is as eclectic as mine, though different. Maybe I will do a blog post about my job history. First, I better check and see if I've already done it! I have been listening to the feature on NPR about summer jobs that influenced you the most. It has had me thinking about jobs I had.

Annie said...

You are one industrious lady, I can understand why you just keep on working now, you really wouldn't be happy at home.
I had a very short work history and I'm sure I'd be in the same job had I not become disabled early on in my life.

I chuckled my way through your list....the baby whose mom fed the prunes, tee hee!

: )