BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?

Subject: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 09:15 AM

I know that we have a doctor, a lawyer and an indian chief on Mudcat. I was the Director of a Museum for thirty years before I retired a couple of years ago. So, as I often ask folk musicians, "What do you do in real life?"

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 09:28 AM

Of course, I should add that some friends of mine like Art Thieme, Gordon Bok, Rick Fielding and Chris Shaw are folk singers in real life...:-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 09:45 AM

Hi, Jerry:

I help manage a large impossible software project.

But sometimes it doesn't seem any more real, just more compelling,

A

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Edain
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 09:52 AM

I'm a student, although I intend to become a Geologist

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 09:55 AM

Hi, Edain: I have a B.S., an M.S. in Geology from the University of Wisconsin and two years toward a Doctorate from Columbia University...

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: black walnut
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 09:56 AM

Early childhood music teacher - for children aged three months to three years, with their parents or caregivers. If babies aren't 'real life', nothing is.

~black walnut

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: C-flat
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 09:57 AM

I spent most of my working life in the wholesale/retail business which was enjoyable and occassionally profitable. These days I work for an old friend in the credit/finance industry and have the luxury of knowing how much income I will have month to month.
Somehow it's never enough!

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: catspaw49
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 10:05 AM

In 3D I was an automotive mechanic and shop owner and then sold auto test equipment for Sun Electric Corporation. I left them as a Divisional Director in '86 and taught school for a few years before going back on the road for Airtex UIS. I hated being on the road again because I was now married and missed Karen plus we had our first child, Tristan. Michael came along so we talked it over and decided that one of us should be home with the kids and we agreed on me. So now I'm a househusband. I have also been working on my medical degree for about 5 years now from Ugotit University.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: allanwill
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 10:26 AM

Used to (half) own a pub, where we had live bands Friday nights, Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Unfortunately for me, these bands were the heavy metal, grungie types - you know, the ones where the singer(?) sounds like he is having a series of five-minute throat clearing sessions.

Currently work for a sports bookmaking agency - it's legal in Oz, and in fact most of our customers are US, hence I have to work midnight to 8.00AM Oz time to fit in with afternoon USA.

Spaw - is that U-got-it University or Ugo-tit?

Allan

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 10:36 AM

I am currently unemployed. I graduated university last September. I want to work for an airline based at a London airport in the customer services department. This is proving quite difficult to get into. I have check airline websites and been into the local job centre. If anyone out there knows how you get into working for the airlines please PM me and let me know!!!

cat

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Deckman
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 10:37 AM

Hi Jerry ... nice to see your name pop up! I've been a builder most of life, tho I did teach school for a while in the 60's. I started out building houses (very boring) then I found my niche in custom remodeling. I got tired of falling off roofs so I've been concentrating on decks and garden structures the last ten years! I love it. CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: catspaw49
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 10:40 AM

That's U-Got-It University, as in I've had it!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Allan C.
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 10:57 AM

Two years ago I quit my previous job (of nearly ten years) as a supervisor of a photocopy and graphic design shop for a state college in order to move to West Virginia and to take care of my aged mother. A history of prior jobs, as posted in a thread called, "Brief Mudcat Biographies" includes, but is not nearly limited to:

...gas station attendant, movie theater usher, personnel clerk (USAF), apple picker, photographer's assistant (it was also a florist shop), junior executive trainee at a poultry plant, electronics salesman (remember Lafayette stores and catalogs?), furniture salesman, sporting goods salesman, beertender, bouncer, waiter, donut baker, construction gopher, concrete pump operator, surveyor's helper, water treatment plant operator, gardener, carpenter, youth employment program supervisor, hospital aide or geriatric aide or CNA or nursing assistant (depending upon the hospital nomenclature and the level of training I had at the time), highschool custodian, nightwatchman, 7-Eleven clerk, dishwasher, baker, office services aide, photocopy technician, and... a photocopy supervisor.

My gig here with Mom is over. I had to place her in a nursing home a couple of weeks ago. Now I am in the process of readying her household goods for storage while packing my own goods for my return to my house in Charlottesville, Virginia sometime in August. Necessity dictates that I will be having to seek new employment. My old job no longer exists and I am extremely unsure as to what line of work to pursue next. My main goal is to avoid any jobs associated with french fries.

Meanwhile, I will continue to hang out here on a daily basis, (as I have been doing all along, although I rarely post anymore,) enjoying the company of old friends such as many of you have become.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: GUEST,MarkS
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 11:17 AM

Sell machinery into corrugated box plants. If you ever held a box in your hands, chances are I had something to do with it somewhere along the line!

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: artbrooks
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 11:19 AM

I retired last September after 32 years with the (US) goverment, military and civilian service. Now I'm a mostly-full-time student and househusband. I read a lot of science fiction and drink a lot of coffee.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Edain
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 11:20 AM

Jerry, I've just done A Level Geology along with maths, physics, computing and general studies and aim to start a degree this autumn, either a BSc or an MSci depending on my A Level grades

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Lane
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 11:31 AM

A Fire Chief

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jeanie
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 11:31 AM

I've got two very different jobs, both of which I love doing: I teach drama and I'm a freelance technical translator, mostly of Patents.

- jeanie

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Troll
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 11:48 AM

I retired with 30 years from the post office and am now a folksinger working for Disney in Japan. It is a six month contract. Dunno what I'll do next. Maybe nothing.

troll

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 12:00 PM

I make pots. After 27 years of selling a necessary but extremely unpopular commodity that nobody really wanted to buy anyway, I retired/resigned about a year ago and am now in search of the perfect ceramic form. I take my attempts to area art/craft shows and people actually pay me money for them! Amazing!

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Willie-O
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 12:03 PM

Internet help desk, for the past 18 months. Probably not for too much longer. All the stories are true about the dumb questions, but that's easier to take than the dumbass corporate bullshit involved in getting along in a huge evil convergence driven juggernaut. It is not an environment that encourages individual or creative thinking.

I'm applying to go to school in the fall for a one-year technical writing program.

I also do as many gigs as I can find time for. Seems a lot more real than the other, actually.

W-O

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: GUEST,Melani
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 12:19 PM

I run the Library Associates' office at San Francisco Maritime Library, and hang around the Maritime Park the rest of the time, though my husband keeps telling me this is not real life. Oh well.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: RichM
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 12:24 PM

Worked for nearly 30 years in federal public service, in accounting. Last job was training people to use new computerized accounting systems.

Now retired: househusband, occasional busker, and in 3 bands that play wherever we can: retirement homes, hospitals, small festivals, special events.

Highest profile gig so far: bouzouki player with the Lyon Street Celtic Band, on Canada Day (July 1)---outdoors at a local museum, and paid by the government!

Got a free flag out of it, too.

Rich McCarthy

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 12:33 PM

I run a small steering wheel manufacturing company, which fortunately takes up very little of my time. With the rest of my time I read books about spiritual philosophy and/or Bob Dylan and various folksingers, play chess, watch the occasional video, collect and work on model kits (mostly WWII airplanes), meditate, do yoga...chat on Mudcat (obviously)...play computer games (way too much sometimes), mostly historical wargames like Civil War General or Carriers at War or whatever...

and...

I try to understand what is the meaning of life and what is my proper place in it. That about sums it up.

I used to play music and write songs a lot, but that hasn't been happening much for about a year now.

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 12:40 PM

Thanks for the responses. There's probably another thread in here about the weirdest jobs you ever had. My two were doing psychological testing on the first monkey in outer space, and being a navigator on an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean.. I see some others have had weird jobs, as well. If you were ever a teenager, I know that you had at least a couple..:-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Bullfrog Jones
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 12:56 PM

Up until now I've always had pretty interesting jobs --- I started off at The Roundhouse in London doing different things when it was an alternative theatre/music venue in the early seventies, then I was House Manager on the original Rocky Horror Show in the Kings Road. After a brief (but interesting) spell as road manager for The Nolan Sisters (a kind of female Osmonds)I settled down at Capital Radio (London) where I worked up from Technical Operator to Promo Copywriter to Producer to the giddy heights of Assistant Head of Fm Production. Along the way I got to work with some of the great (and not so great) names in British radio like Kenny Everett, Alan Freeman, Chris Tarrant, Tony Blackburn and David Jensen, producing outside broadcasts from places like Cannes, Seattle, the top of the Telecom Tower and the Centre Court at Wimbledon. After 22 years at Capital I took redundancy a couple of years ago and now I have the most boring job ever. When I tell people about it I can see their eyes start to glaze over. Last year the beloved and I started our own company doing telemarketing for accountants and solicitors. What we do is call businesses in ..... hey, wake up!!!!
Ah well,l at least I'm finally working for myself!
BJ

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: kendall
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:02 PM

I'm retired from the US Fish & Wildlife service, and, most of my time is taken with doing just what I want to do.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Tig
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:09 PM

Which bit of me?

At the moment you can have the choices of Supply Teacher in primary schools (I prefer the infants and nursery children), aromatherapist, badge maker or Mum. At one time you could also add Folk Columnist to the local paper but that went by the wayside.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Janie
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:09 PM

I have 2 1/2 jobs. I'v been a social worker of some type or other for 30 years. I went back to graduate school at age 40 to get my MSW and am now a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I provide psychotherapy to adults and couples at a Community Mental Health Center, as well as some case management for people with severe mental illness. I also grow commercial cut flowers on a relatively small scale, selling at farmers markets, doing weddings, restaurant tables and a (very) small subscription bouquet service. I am my husband's bookkeeper for his medicinal herb business. (Also wife, mother, maid, cheif bottle washer, and lawn maintenance person---Geez, no wonder I have insomnia) Thanks for asking.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Tweed
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:16 PM

I had a small custom leathershop in central Indiana. After starving at that for a couple years I got a job digging tunnels under roads and railways with Armco Steel. Rough work but it was good pay for that time. A 6'2" guy doesn't fit real well inside of a 42" diameter pipe;~) Went from there to forming concrete basement walls and then on to millwrighting at the co-ops and feed mills in the rural areas. Learned to weld and cut steel and climb up high to my work station, much better and more air than the tunnels. We got married and moved to sunny Florida in '79 and I finished concrete slabs for new houses for a while. The contractor went bust and I got a job rebuilding concrete mixers for redi-mix trucks, probably the hardest job of the lot! Skinning the outside wasn't so bad but cutting out the old skin from the inside of the mixers was awful. No overtime pay and my coveralls kept catching on fire in there. It was so bad the whole crew quit the guy and he folded up shop. Went on to a pump and tank company (underground service station tanks and lines installation)and have stayed put for twenty one years. They stuck me in an office about eight years ago and I wish I was still on the outside, but I'm not as young as I used to be. Seems like it was just the other day..... Now I work from 8-5, come home fairly clean and fool around with building a blues music website of sorts, and play my guitars since I'm not too tired to play 'em these days;~)

Tweed

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:29 PM

Jerry Rasmussen and Edain:

All right, you've got all those degrees. But what do you _DO_?

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:42 PM

Edain says that he's a student. Me, I do whatever I feel like doing, as I am retired. I studied Geology because it was interesting. The further I got into it, though, the less I enjoyed it. I tried to get the riots at Columbia University going, but was a little before my time. The year after I quit school, the riots sprouted up, full force. After all that schooling, I was never a geologist, but the education opened my mind to any books I could get my hands on, and led me into the Museum field, which opened up all the collections. It also gave me a chance to teach kids, which I loved. I taught them about nature, astronomy, weather, Native Americans, Colonial life, farming and hopefully, how to see and appreciate the wonder of the world around them. They probably taught me about the wonder, more than I taught them. I also ran a folk concert series at the Museum for 27 years, booking several Mudcatters before there was a Mudcat. The degrees in themselves weren't all that important to me. Satisfying my curiosity was, and still is. What do I do now? Mostly music on my own and leading the Gospel Messengers. And enjoying people. :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Gray D
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:43 PM

Sorry, Jerry, but I don't think you've got the question quite right.

Doing the music is real life, surely?

You should have asked "What do you do the rest of the time?".

By the way, slight thread drift, we used to have a Prime Minister here who ran away from the circus to become an accountant. Tells you all you need to know about him.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:51 PM

I start spurious political threads, copy and paste long articles from other online publications (claiming them as my own).

I start offensive threads that I know will gain lots of responses.

I personally insult mudcat members.

Sometimes I write useful replies and answer lyric requests.

That's it really

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:51 PM

GrayD: Of course, I could have worded the thread, "What do you do for a living." That sounds too boring. When people ask me how long I'm going to keep singing, "I say, as long as I can afford to lose money." For a lot of people, earning a living is a sentance to eight hours of doing something they hate, five days a week. That may be real, but life doesn't really begin until you walk out the door at the end of the day. I was blessed in that I enjoyed my work days, most of the time.

Now, this being Mudcat and all, we could try to define "Real.":-) But, if there's any confusion and you want a more mundane question, how do you earn money to keep you in food, clothes and shelter? (Some of the more talented Catters are able to make a living making music.) Then tell me what you really love about your life...:-)

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 01:58 PM

Guest: Not offended...

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Sorcha
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 02:59 PM

Mom----(cook,maid,laundress,char,psychologist,driver,Dr.,nurse,policewoman,garbage lady,pet therapist,negotiator,personal shopper,general support staff,banker,accountant,etc,etc,etc,)

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: John P
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 03:05 PM

I'm the general manager of Dusty Strings, a company in Seattle that builds musical instruments and operates a large acoustic music store. I also play in a band called Telynor and am the the guitar and cittern accompaniment guy for a fiddler named Lauryn Shapter. I recently did a stint as the board president and camp director for a music camp on the Oympic Pennisula.

I've been mostly lucky in my employment, spending long stints in bookstores and selling crafts at the Pike Place Market. Worst job ever was as a plater operator for a company that put chrome plating on plastic car parts and thought personal protective equipment was too expensive to be entrusted to factory workers, especially those too young to know better than to work around poison gasses.

John Peekstok

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Don Firth
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 03:08 PM

From somewhere in the early Fifties to 1966, singing folk songs was what I did in real life. Made a modest but thoroughly enjoyable living that way. In 1966 I hired on at the Boeing Airplane Company as a production illustrator (something like drafting) and among other things, I worked on some of the original drawings for the 747 Jumbo Jet. I got caught in the big lay-off in the early Seventies (when Boeing's workforce went down from 102,000 to about 35,000 and someone put up a sign on the Seattle city limits saying "Will the last person who leaves please turn out the lights?").

Fortunately, I had the voice, the knowledge, and the necessary licenses by then, so I got a job right away working as an announcer in a classical music radio station. Over the next eight years or so, I worked at several radio stations:— as a rush-hour traffic reporter, as a disc jockey (one short stint as a rock-jock), as a producer, newscaster, and news director, and my last broadcasting job was for about three years as a classical music announcer. I also produced and voice a lot of commercials (sorry about that).

Deciding that radio was too chancy and competitive, I went to work for Ma Bell as a telephone operator (from broadcasting to narrowcasting). The pay was pretty good, the bennies were good, the physical surroundings were pleasant, and most of the supervisors, both male and female, were descendants of Simon Legree. I hauled on the oar in that galley for eight years! Now that's endurance!

In 1988 I got a job working for an accounting firm under contract to provide services to the Bonneville Power Administration (so I was indirectly working for that same outfit that Woody Guthrie worked for). I didn't work as an accountant; I was a technical writer in the BPA's residential weatherization project. Instead of trying to promote the use of electrical power, we were trying to talk people into conserving it. I also kept track of a database of people who inquired about the Washington State home heating oil conservation program (a separate program from the BPA's) and answered questions on the phone. Kind of a fun job. When the contracts ran out, I decided to retire and devote myself to some serious writing.

All this time I've been singing, certainly not as much as I did in the Fifties and Sixties, but I've participated in folk festivals, sail and chantey festivals, song circles, a few small concerts here and there, and, of course, "hoots." I also read voraciously and I watch a fair amount of TV, selectively and without guilt.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Don Firth
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 03:13 PM

Nope, it was 1986 that I went to work as a technical writer.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 03:19 PM

Parent,(Also kids taxi) half a partnership with Ms V, then special needs school teacher(but teaching and prep etc takes up most time)

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Deda
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 03:19 PM

I'm an Admin Assistant during the week, for some consultants who evaluate programs in the fields of mental health, human services, etc. On weekends I teach Latin to homeschool kids, and when the local university is in session I tutor Latin students from beginning through Virgil, Cicero, Catullus, whoever they happen to read. I used to teach Latin full-time but I wasn't really able to scrape together a decent living, and the amount of energy I had to pour into the work, even though I loved it, just wasn't justified by the piddling amount of money I got.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 03:22 PM

Sorcha: Yeah, I'd guess that's a list of about 20% of your jobs. Some of us were luckier and worked in a job that you could leave at the end of the day...:-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 03:26 PM

Jerry: you started the ball rolling with Doctor; Lawyer & Indian Chief. I haven't yet noticed any suggestion that we go for the whole of the old button counting rhyme, was that the intent ?

Tinker; Tailor; Soldier; Sailor; Rich Man: Poor Man: Beggar Man: Thief; Lawyer; Doctor; Indian Chief (at least in one version!)

Nigel (Banker)

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 03:36 PM

O.k., Nigel.. I suspect that we've got a lot of folks who tinker around, although not in the old meaning of the word. I know we've got someone in the Air Force(at the time of the rhyme, I'm not sure there was an Air Force,) I know that we have some sailors, there might be ONE Rich Man(It' ain't me, Babe,) Certainly some Poor Men(but not in spirit,) Maybe a thief or two at some time in their lives, and I'm counting on Little Hawk being our Indian Chief.:-) Thanks for the complete rhyme..

I looked up the definition of a tinker, by the way.. First definition is"A Traveling mender of metal household utensils" (My Grandfather was a tinsmith in Denmark, but I don't think he went from house to house.) The second defintion could be Spaw:"A person who enjoys repairing and experimenting with machine parts." The third definition is most of the rest of us guys:"A person who is clumsy at his work: a bungler." :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 04:15 PM

I'm recently unemployed! Not a bad thing, but I'm looking for work I can do from home via computer. In the past I've been a math teacher, chemist, veterinary assistant and have designed a few web pages. Since I have a patent (actually my boss was just very unselfish to include my name on a polymer patent) I've thought about technical writing. PM on the way to Jeanie. Anybody else that has ideas, please PM me.

This morning I helped with the nursery at church. I'm soooooooooo glad I'm an empty nester! The hardest job I ever had was the full-time mother of preschoolers!

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: mooman
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 05:32 PM

I'm a biologist by training and worked for my first six years postgrad as a forensic scientist. I'm now Scientific and Environmental Director of the major European medical technology association in Brussels. My specialisation these days is risk management and safety of medical technology equipment and processes for which I also work in relevant ISO committees internationally. I also help the European Commission write Directives on the safety and efficacy of new technology medical products since they don't seem to know how themselves.

But all of this, while useful and interesting, is still a distraction from my real love which is music.

All the best

mooman

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: mooman
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 05:36 PM

P.S. For instrument nerds my postgrad research was on the relationship between the microscopical structure and properties of different woods....hence my intense interest in all "wood" threads!

mooman

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: Joe_F
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 06:48 PM

I am a freelance copyeditor specializing in mathematical manuscripts. It seems best not to argue about whether that counts as real or as life.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life?
From: CarolC
Date: 07 Jul 02 - 07:06 PM

What is this "Real Life" of which you speak?

Here's some stuff I used to do in my Surreal Life... wildlife rehabilitation worker, veterinary assistant, interpretive naturalist, museum exhibits technician, zookeeper, backpacking outfitter sales person, weaver/textile artist, whitewater rafting sales person, and some other assorted stuff.

The most important and satisfying job I've ever had is being a mother.