7 Random Jobs

Our friend, Rachel Heldt, did this on her blog and it sounded like a lot of fun. So, I am stealing her thing. These are 7 random jobs I have held ~ you might not have known I was so worldly (HA!):

1. I worked at a country club in Sandy, Utah in the snack bar by the pool/golf course. My mom was my boss...that downfall aside (HA - kidding, Mom!), it was a fun job. It paid something like $10 an hour ~ which is awesome money for a 13/14 year old. I used (wasted) some of my money on my one and only pair of Girbaud jeans (all the rage in 1989/1990!). I got to eat ice cream every day ~ who doesn't love THAT! Mom and I became experts at making fry sauce, too ~ it's a Utah (Mormon) thing. I remember helping some kids at the window on the pool side when the menu sign fell and almost chopped a little boy's foot off! That was traumatic ~ I still remember the little boy's face...poor thing.

2. I worked at the Gap in Scottsdale, AZ. Enough said. :o)

3. I worked in a shoe store in Akron, OH. I can't remember the name of it, but it was just like DSW Shoe Warehouse. That job wasn't good because I spent every last dime on shoes! Boy do I love shoes! I learned that I cannot work at a clothing store or a shoe store ~ I don't make any money when I spend it all on the merchandise!

4. I worked in a pizza joint in Urbana, OH. I liked the people I worked with ~ except that the owner was a creepy pervert that hit on me and pinned me up against a table in the kitchen. I quit the next day.

5. I worked for a photography studio (Images) in Piqua, OH. This is the best job I have ever had. Terry did most of the senior portraits at my high school and was the established "go to guy" for family portraits in the area. I was his only employee and he let me develop all of the black and white portraits. I put together portrait books, filled negatives and proofs. We had tons of fun joking around and he taught me SO much about photography.

6. I worked at a dry cleaners in Littleton, CO. I hated this job and I was so tired of getting yelled at by old men that thought they should get all their yucky cleaning for free.

7. I worked at Red Robin in Littleton, CO. This was a second job, part-time in the evenings and weekends. I was a hostess and didn't start my shift until 5:00p ~ the latest shift among the hostesses. So, what this meant was that I was "nominated" to be the Red Robin Bird on Thursdays and Fridays. Nobody enjoys being the bird. The big costume is hot, it smells (yes, like dirty feet), you can't see except for what is straight in front of you and little kids try to kick you in the shins and/or pull the tail. Oh, it's also great fun when the teenagers are around...they either act like complete jerks or they make a game of trying to figure out if it's a girl or boy in the suit...that doesn't do much for one's self-esteem :o) Since the bird is so hot, I would get sweaty and my hair (which was VERY long at the time) would be detroyed...so much for looking nice to go out after work. Even now when I see the Red Robin, I feel terribly sad for the person in it ~ I know they must have drawn the short straw that night. Sometimes I just want to walk up and give the person a hug :o)

And...of course...I spent the last 13 1/2 years with AT&T/Lucent Technologies/Avaya Inc. I had several jobs within the company...some better than others.