What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 01:42 PM

Hi, Alice:

Good for you! It surely took a strong commitment to strike out, free-lance in order to be there for your son. I raised two sons on my own starting when they were 8 and 14, but I was blessed to live on the property where I worked, so I was just a walk up the hill for them during the summer, and when they got home from school.

Your posting reminds me of a great song the Bob Franke wrote with a line I'll surely misquote (but get with the right meaning,talking about being a Father: "It's not tje job I do best, but it's the best job I do." :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 09:46 PM

I've been making a living as an entertainer, on and off, for twenty-seven years. I started as a folkie, worked as a comic for several years after the folk venues disappeared for a while, sang country music for a few years after I got fed up with trying to squeeze laughs out of rooms full of angry drunks, and now I'm back home. I'm a folkie again.

While between genre's I've worked in a warehouse, a deli, a video store and countless other retail situations. While building up a new market I will usually temp. I have, as a temp, been a delivery driver, maitenance worker,landscaper, mail-room clerk and I can't remember what all else.

It's a living.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Bobert
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 09:21 PM

Chapter 1: Jail house teacher, Drug treatment facility director, Social Worker in Adult Services (20 years total)

Chapter 2: Auto shop owner and wrench turner. Specialized in Karmann Ghia restotations. (5 years)

Current Chapter: Owner of independent car rental company and landlord. (10 years)

Next Chapter: Retired, landlord, bluesman riding around the country with my wonderful wife, P-Vine, and the family dog in my 1963 Chevy car carrier with a 1963 Karmann Ghia on the back and pulling my 1953 Spartanette 30 ft retirement trailer... See alot of you folks then!

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: GUEST,HobNob
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 10:38 PM

Being retired since 1990, I mostly just LOAF around til around NOON and after a short nap just kinda LAZE around till the 6PM and then just REST UP til bedtime...

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 10:43 PM

i use too kill animuls , but nowe i werk in a curry ship.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Michael in Swansea
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 07:07 AM

29 years Post Office/British Telecom. My current job title is "Fulfilment Designer". I thought that was something Anne Summers done.

Michael

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: JedMarum
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 10:08 AM

In real life I am a musician/performer. Feels good just to say it!

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Jeri
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 11:00 AM

Teenaged couch potato
Lifeguard (for one summer)
Air Force Aerospace Ground Equipment Technician. (4 years) (For those who might not know what this is, it's a person who fixes aerospace ground equipment.)
Air Force Public Health Technician (18 years)
Now, I score essay answers to standardized tests on a somehwat sporadic basis, and am otherwise...
...a middle-aged couch potato. Honestly, I get bored stiff with the couch-potato non-routine and I'm tending toward guitar-potatohood. Grab the thing when I'm bored and see if I can figure out a song and (the challenge) play it the same time through more than once in a row.

What I want to do when I grow up is whatever I want to do. Music's always a part of my life, but I doubt I'm ever going to make any money doing it.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: alanabit
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 11:52 AM

I left school with a few "O" levels in 1972, worked in a department store, was a waiter and barman for the next few years and in between was a Tax Officer at the Inland Revenue for fourteen months. I worked in the kitchen of Borocourt Hospital (in reality a home for the mentally handicapped) between 1976-79. Then it all changed. One summer, a group of volunteers came and one of them, a young man from Cologne, became my best friend. He invited me to spend the summer with him in Cologne and to try out my luck as a busker. To my surprise, I not only went, but I was actually successful beyond my wildest imagination that first year. I spent the subsequent summers travelling Europe and in between I worked in an iron foundry (briefly), drove a bus and took a Creative Arts degree. I have lived a precarious existence travelling around Europe for most of the time since my move here permanently in 1984. About the time my family began, it became apparent that neither my voice nor my back could stand up to constant busking. I gradually moved into teaching English because it ís a much easier way of earning money. I don't see it as the end of the story though. Like Stephen Rich - and interestingly enough other folks I admire like Pete Morton and Don Partridge - I view it as a period of respite while I prepare for the next chapter. The music goes on!

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 12:51 PM

Alanabit & Stephen: Over the years I've come to believe that life is a process of preparation. The other day I was out mowing my lawn (I bought a push lawnmower, not a gas mower, and people stop and stare at me when they're walking down the street because no one uses them anymore... 'cept me.) A woman and her Grandson stopped for a minute and the woman said, "You're almost done with your lawn." I told her that there is no such thing as being "done with your lawn." The most you ever can do is momentarily get it under control. Life is like that, too. And it's best not to try TOO hard to get it under control, either. Mostly it's just an illusion. When I was in my twenties, I used to say to people, "If someone told me five years ago that I'd be doing what I am today, I'd have told them they were nuts." That statement has pretty much held true for me for most of my life, even though my place of employment was stable for longer periods of time. It was about the only thing that was. Many times in my life, I've had a powerful feeling that I was being prepared for something I couldn't yet imagine, because I wasn't ready for it yet. That premonition has oten turned out to be true. It may make life seem a little uncertain, but it sure makes it interesting. Besides, life IS uncertain... might as well enjoy the ride. It sounds like you and Stephen are. And most of the rest of the people who have responded to this thread.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: NH Dave
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 04:36 PM

Teen aged almost farm kid.

Unenthusiastic college student - it beat the draft/Universal Service

Enlisted, Regular Army, three years, Aircraft Electronics Maintenance.

Regular Air Force, 23 years, Aircraft Electronics Maintenance, Itinerant Teacher, Airlift Support, Aircraft Electronics Maintenance Shop Chief - ran into Jeri in her hospital work, discovered The Press Room.

Electronics Sales and Maintenancs

Substitute Teacher and Scored School Assesment Tests - same work as Jeri, just earlier. Shared my opinion that the Human Resources person was a flaming idiot, not invited back.

Sales again.

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Nancy King
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 09:26 PM

After college I worked for a small organization in Washington doing political research. Nice people, learned a bunch of labor songs. Got married in 1965, and we moved to San Francisco, where I was an office-person and statistics-recorder for a research project on employment of the elderly for a couple of years. Then came back to Washington and did more political research (different organization, not so good).

When my first kid was born I quit and then spent about 10 years being a full-time Mom, which I rather enjoyed. It soon became obvious, however, that I would have to be able to support myself, and having no marketable skills, I went back to school and got a library science degree. I then went to work for the Library of Congress, specifically the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, which is the outfit that supplies braille and recorded books ("talking books") and special playback equipment to anyone who is unable to read regular print because of a visual or physical disability. Far and away the best service the Federal government provides, IMHO. For the first 5 years there I did acquisitions, then became the librarian for blind and physically handicapped American citizens living abroad. I absolutely loved that job -- got to correspond with people all over the world, helping them with book selection and equipment.

Unfortunately the pay wasn't all that great, and there was some pressure to make more money, so when Montgomery County, MD, public libraries offered me a 20% raise to go work in their Special Needs Library, I couldn't refuse. It would be OK, I told myself, because I would still be working with talking books, and would also be serving homebound readers in the county. It was OK for a while, and then my position was eliminated due to budget cuts, and they sent me off to a regular branch to be a regular librarian, which I have been doing for 10 years now. I don't like it nearly as much as working with the special needs folks, but it pays the bills. Only 5 or 6 more years to retirement, I hope!

At various times during all of that, I did a lot of volunteer work for the Folklore Society of Greater Washington, organizing concerts, festivals, getaways and the like, and editing the newsletter for a couple of years. Haven't been able to do much of that recently because I've been buried in family obligations, but hope to get back to it at some point. I also was manager of a folk group, The Boarding Party, of which my then husband (now ex) was a member. That was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed getting to go to gigs and festivals in various places in the US and Europe (that's how I managed to visit Hull!).

I guess I wasn't too good at being a wife (two divorces -- hmmmm -- maybe it was choosing mates I wasn't good at...). As for being a Mom, I didn't think I was particularly good at it while I was actively involved in it, but my two sons have turned out to be such terrific people (and fine folksingers!) that I guess I must have done something right!

Cheers, Nancy

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: rangeroger
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 10:01 PM

Over the years I've had to work with the occasional person, who when they talk about what they have done in life, I figure they would have to be 200 years old to have done it all. Now, I realize I'm that person.Then reading this thread shows me that there are a lot of us that have done a lot of things in life.

When i graduated from high school in 1963 I wet to work at Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino as a Psychiatric technician. If you saw the guys in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" wearing the long sleeve white shirts with black bow ties, that was me.In 1965 in order to beat the draft,I enlisted in the U.S.Navy as a Hospital Corpsman.Beacame an Operating Room Technician with 'Nam service in '68.Got out in Nov.'69 and worked as a stock clerk at the marine PX in san Diego for a couple of months. Went back to work at Patton in early 70. tried to get into a Nursing program but was meeting some obstacles.Moved back to Chula Vista in 72 and tried to get into a Nursing program there. ran into more obstacles. Seems there was a quota on male nursing students at the time.Too many vets returning with more experiance than their instructors.

Changed my major to Psychology and graduated from San Diego State in 75.Went to work for the San Diego County Probation Dept.in 76 as a corrections officer in low security rural work camps. In 81 took a demotion in lieu of layoff and became a Park ranger for the county.

In March of 91, I quit the county and moved to Idaho to help caretake my sister's place there. First summer there I worked as a seasonal ranger at Heyburn State park on Lake Couer d'Alene. That winter I went to work as a lift operator at Silver Mountain Ski Resort in Kellogg, Idaho. Eventually became the snow-making and grooming supervisor until I was fired on Christmas Eve '97. Had never been fired from a job before in my life.

In Jan of 98, on a friends recommendation, I started work as an apprentice electrician. went back to school at North Idaho College Workforce training center to get the classroom hours required for a State License. Finished my 4th year this last June and now only need 2000 more hours of work time to be able to take the State Journeyman's test.

I'm making more than twice what I was making at the ski resort. I enjoy the job so much that I wonder why I didn't get into this 30 years ago,and when I get my Journeyman's license my pay will only go up.

Which means I can start succumbing to G.A.S. again. Oh,boy.

rr

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: alanabit
Date: 28 Jul 02 - 04:25 PM

Thanks Jerry. I'll be thinking about what you wrote. I'm having one of those years where there are more questions than answers!

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 01:09 AM

Alanabit: I have the feeling that things are coming together that you can't see yet. P.M. me when they do. I always like to hear good news! :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Ebbie
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 02:12 AM

For some reason I forgot to mention the most important work I've done: as a tutor, both in English as a Second Language and in Basic English. I loved it, even thought of setting up my own business. But with free Adult Education available down the street, it didn't seem likely I could make a living at it.

I liked tutoring second-language English- it's neat to see people become comfortable, even proficient, in their adopted language. But for pure satisfaction, teaching basic English can't be beat- tutoring an adult who can barely sign his or her name and in the course of a few weeks seeing a whole new person emerge is fantastic. As one man marveled, Where is the hard part?

A great many people who are now 40-plus years old dropped out of school only because they hadn't learned the basic things they needed 'way back when. Many of them have never had one-to-one tutoring. The man who said that about the "hard part" didn't even realize that there were rules to help in reading- he thought everybody just kind of knew and so he just kind of guessed. And he certainly didn't imagine that he would find it to be fun.

In most cases, I think, there are actual learning disabilities, because, I think, most of us just find ourselves to be good spellers, test takers, fast readers- it's not necessarily something we set out to be. With a learning disability, even a mild one, everything is tons harder. The neat thing is that as adults people learn differently and are easier to reach.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Ebbie
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 02:12 AM

For some reason I forgot to mention the most important work I've done: as a tutor, both in English as a Second Language and in Basic English. I loved it, even thought of setting up my own business. But with free Adult Education available down the street, it didn't seem likely I could make a living at it.

I liked tutoring second-language English- it's neat to see people become comfortable, even proficient, in their adopted language. But for pure satisfaction, teaching basic English can't be beat- tutoring an adult who can barely sign his or her name and in the course of a few weeks seeing a whole new person emerge is fantastic. As one man marveled, Where is the hard part?

A great many people who are now 40-plus years old dropped out of school only because they hadn't learned the basic things they needed 'way back when. Many of them have never had one-to-one tutoring. The man who said that about the "hard part" didn't even realize that there were rules to help in reading- he thought everybody just kind of knew and so he just kind of guessed. And he certainly didn't imagine that he would find it to be fun.

In most cases, I think, there are actual learning disabilities, because, I think, most of us just find ourselves to be good spellers, test takers, fast readers- it's not necessarily something we set out to be. With a learning disability, even a mild one, everything is tons harder. The neat thing is that as adults people learn differently and are easier to reach.

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 01:22 PM

You don't know how problematical the question is!

I work for a consulting firm, for the last 5 3/4 years (to the day) I've worked as a "Web Wrangler" (Web master/ designer/programer etc.) for the USGS. Several weeks ago I was told that my company wanted me to work on a different contract. I was sad to leave the USGS, fine bunch of people, with real "fire in the belly" for their work. They gave me a lovely going away luncheon on Friday. When I got back to the office after the luncheon, there was a message to call the home office. Seems that some sort of monkey wrench (missing signatures, waivers) had developed in the contract I was moving to, and would I mind taking Monday off. I didn't have a choice, since the USGS folks had already reallocted the funds that would have been my salary. So I'm waiting at home for word as to whether I have a job or not...

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 02:15 PM

Now I know why you're wincing!

I read these postings, and one of the things that I wanted to comment on was how important the people you work with (and for)are. Often, they make the difference between going into work with a knot in your stomach, or looking forward to telling someone what you did over the weekend. The best job can be Hell if you have a lousy boss or some obnoxious person you have to work with, and the lousies job can be reasonably enjoyable if your're working for and with the right people. I'm glad that you had a stretch of time with good people to work with, Wincing. I was Director of a large Museum for many years, and had a great staff... intelligent, creative, positive people who I enjoyed as co-workers and friends. When I retired a couple of years ago, there was a complete shake-up, and within six months almost all the old staff was gone. We all bemoaned what was lost, but I reminded people that we got away with a great working relationship for thirty years. I consider it a blessing to get five years. I've also worked on an assembly line for Fisher Body, doing mind-numbing, repetitive work and had a good time doing it because I was working with friends, and the repetitiveness of the job freed our minds to horse around and have a lot of fun. The ideal job is one that's creatively challenging, well-paying with good people to work with. Those kind of jobs are hard to come by. I don't think that you find them by chance.

Who knows, Wincing... maybe you'll get an even better job and have to change your Mudcat moniker to Dancing Devil! :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: alanabit
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 03:24 PM

Interesting what you wrote Ebbie. I teach English and I prefer teaching groups. I taught a lot of one to one at the beginning and found it very wearying - although I liked all the students. I certainly agree that teaching adults is easier. I find I can use peforming skills in the classroom and both engage people and help build up their confidence. That is certainly the most rewarding part of it. I'll also say that after over twenty years of busking, holding the attention of a classroom of motivated adults is a doddle!

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: GUEST,Sarah
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 12:12 PM

Worked in publicity for medical equipment company (two years)

Journalist on local newspaper (three years)

Mother (started that 11 years ago)

Publicity for local authority (14 years and counting)

OK its interesting, it pays the bills, but its not what I AM!

Cheers Sarah

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 12:31 PM

Good for you, Sarah:

When I first took a job at the Museum where I worked, the Director gave me some well-meaning advice. He said,"Make the Museum your life." I kinda muttered, "uh-huh" in my best teenager imitation, secretly saying to myself, "Not on your life!" I think that making your job your life is a dangerous thing. Maybe Mother Theresa could do it, but most people I've seen who made their jobs their lives neglected family, husbands or wives, friends and everyone around them. Then, when they retired, suddenly that had no life. It's a rare person who can say "my life is who I am." Maybe musicians can say that a little more honestly than most.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 12:33 PM

Good for you, Sarah:

When I first took a job at the Museum where I worked, the Director gave me some well-meaning advice. He said,"Make the Museum your life." I kinda muttered, "uh-huh" in my best teenager imitation, secretly saying to myself, "Not on your life!" I think that making your job your life is a dangerous thing. Maybe Mother Theresa could do it, but most people I've seen who made their jobs their lives neglected family, husbands or wives, friends and everyone around them. Then, when they retired, suddenly they had no life. It's a rare person who can say "my life is who I am." Maybe musicians can say that a little more honestly than most.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What Do You Do In Real Life - Part Two
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 02:58 AM

I've always found it intersesting how much importance we put on what kind of job someone does. Itis very much tied to how define ourselves and others. When you meet someone for the first time one of the first questions to come up is about what one does for a living. Regardless of what straight job I may have been doing at any given time, I have always answered the question with,"I'm an entertainer". The looks that people have given me over the years when I've said that would tend to indicate that I might as well have said, "I have sex with frogs". It used to annoy the heck out of me. I've found that, as I get older, the looks become more peculiar and mystified and, as a result, hilarious. Now, when at a party or some other sort of crowded situation, I almost look forward to the question so that I can give the answer and evoke the look. It's almost as much fun as making an audience laugh. It's sadistic I know, but I've got to have SOME fun. *G*