Monday, September 15, 2008

Leave Your Brains At Home



1. I'd like to note, as an avid Jack Sparrow fan, the title of this post has nothing to do with the pic.

2. It has everything to do with my new job search.

3. Because we've had unexpected medical expenses out the wazoo the last few months and gas is eating us alive, and because people don't come out to eat and leave good tips when they need that money for their gas tank, I'm not bringing in enough from my current job.

4. Instead of working extra night shifts and making sure my family never sees me, I'm looking for a day job. Part time. Receptionist.

5. Given that I have a college degree, experience in running my own business, and 16 years of customer service under my belt, I'm over-qualified for that position but I want a job where I can depend on the hours and the check and leave it at the door when I go home.

6. I need all my mental energy for writing.

7. I was explaining my job search to the Scientist and he asked what a receptionist does.

8. I told him.

9. His response: "Wow. That would be perfect for you. You wouldn't have to think."

10. Well. Thanks. I think.

11. Of course, working during the day (even part time) means the rest of my day has to be super structured so I can manage dinner, homework, housework, family time, and writing.

12. I am soooo not the Queen of Structure so this will be interesting.

13. I'm hoping interesting isn't a euphemism for Hey Look! She's Crashed And Burned!

14. Yesterday, my little Sunday school class started an animated discussion of pockets and eagerly lined up to show me their respective pockets and any treasures contained within.

15. One little girl was wearing a dress and was quite disappointed to be pocket-less.

16. I remember how much I loved pockets in dresses when I was little...once I figured out what they were.

17. My mom sewed many of my dresses for me and one Sunday, I was wearing a new creation (purple, flowers, ribbons...very girly) with pride. I marched around my Sunday school class, showing everyone my new dress until I discovered, with HORROR, that my mother had inexplicably neglected to finish sewing the dress.

18. There were holes in the seams on both sides of my hips right where any particularly observant child would be able to spot my Wonder Woman underoos.

19. Yes, I wore underoos beneath my girl dresses. I've always been a super hero in disguise.

20. Anway, I clamped my arms tightly to my sides and refused to move them for the rest of the morning. Not for games. Not for crafts. Not even for snack. I was a stick with legs.

21. My mom got an earful from me the second we left the building. (How could you forget to sew the dress? My secret identity could have been revealed to everyone!) She explained pockets to me and from that point on, I insisted on having pockets in every dress she made for me.

22. Well.

23. Either that entire segment was fun and fascinating to you, or your eyes have rolled back in your head, and you are now contemplating sticking toothpicks into your sinuses just for something interesting to do.

24. READER QUESTION: What was your secret identity as a child?

7 comments:

  1. CJ,

    Hope the job search proves fruitful and you land a position close to home with a great boss and nice clientele in no time.

    My secret identity? Girly girl inside and out. I hid hearts and flowers beneath my feminine exterior. At least I wanted hearts and flowers. Unless the pretty patterned pairs were on sale, I usually ended up with plain white. Neat thing was, sometimes the manufacturer added one pair of pink, blue or lavender in the package with the boring white ones. And, yes, that pair definitely got more wear.

    ReplyDelete
  2. hmmm.. probably GI Joe or the flash. I was such a tomboy as a child. It really is a shame I grew up in a household where I had to wear skirts and dresses. My legs are sooooooooo scarred from all the running and tumbling I did. I RAN EVERYWHERE until I was like 10, literally, I got an award at camp for the fact that I ran everywhere.

    I once climbed to the top of a corn shed(very high barn), walked through a muddy field, and jumped into the middle of a giant lake o' mud so that i could join my cousins' boy club.

    They didn't let me join. My older cousins, who adored me, took revenge for me. Especially when I showed up at my grandmother's doorstep covered in mud, missing a shoe and all teary eyed cause I KNEW my mother would spank me.

    There is a tape somewhere floating around in the family with my aunt & grandmother telling the story. There are a lot of missionaries in our family, so they always taped family gatherings to send to the missionaries(including our family, hence the reason I know the tape exists lol)

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  3. OK, first off... don't let anyone ever tell you that posting a picture of our boy Sparrow is ever wrong. You could post about laundry or toe jam or the nature of the universe and his picture would be quite welcome in my book.
    My secret childhood identity? Hmmm... Does this count? I used to pretend that I was the female Clint Eastwood. My bike was my horse and I squinted at everything and pretended that I was amazingly cool under pressure.
    When my parents would ask me to rake the lawn, I would pretend that I was a princess-turned-slave-girl. Instead of raking leaves on a suburban lawn, I was combing dandruff from a giant's hair and planning my escape back to my kingdom.
    Now WHAT would a psychologist say about THAT? (BTW- these are first time admissions... at least I was bright enough to know that the world was not ready for the inner workings of my mind.)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with Danielle. Considering that Jack Sparrow is the best character in a decade or more, why do we need any reason to post a pic of him?

    Best of luck with the job hunting!
    I hope when it comes you'll find yourself about to write there during down time.

    As for your identity question...
    ...if you can't figure this one out... ;)

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  5. and i LOVE pockets. That's why the sides of my pants always have extras. A la cargo jeans.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey CJ,

    Your posts are always entertaining, even if you were talking about toe jam! LOL.

    Hope the job search goes well. I used to work full time for a major company up until my daughter was 2 and a half. Talk about stress. I was very glad to be laid off even though I just found out I was pregant with my son. It all turned out well - except that I lost a salary in the $50,000 range and now make $13,000! But my part-time job as a church secretary is perfect. An unstressful job and time for errands etc before the kids are home from school. Of course, we are majorly in debt - but I try not to think about that part. One of these years, I will have to go back full time, but I'm putting it off as long as possible!
    My excuse is a stressed out mother would not make for a happy family.

    Best of luck in the search!

    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  7. Of course, working during the day (even part time) means the rest of my day has to be super structured so I can manage dinner, homework, housework, family time, and writing.


    That's not as hard as it sounds, actually. I've been doing it for two years. Full-time job, three children & a husband who want time with me, part-time college, and writing. I actually finished two novels in the midst of all this--more than I could accomplish when I was a stay-at-home mom. Go figure.

    Good luck with the job search. Perhaps you'll find one of those really boring jobs that don't give you much to do, so you can find time to write. Gotta take it where you can get it. ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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