Now on to more enjoyable things. Currently I'm (still) looking for a job. (Wait, that's not enjoyable) I've gone around to companies and asked about employment, but some of them won't even give me an application (case in point: Home Depot, who a week after denying me an application, nationally announced the closing of many of their stores) and others tell me to fill it out on-line . . . and maybe they'll get back to me in 3 weeks. Sheeesh.
I was remembering some of my past careers and how much fun or how horrible they were. They could be categorized as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugggggly! (Seriously. One actually makes me cringe every time I remember it) So here's a couple that come to mind . . .
THE GOOD
The summer after my freshman year in college I applied at the Santa Barbara Zoo to be a camp counselor. I ended up loving the job so much that I continued doing it for three summers. There was nothing uncool about this job (and if it paid more than $8.50/hr I'd still be doing it, darn it). It was outside all day, a beach front view across the street, I hung out with 5-7 year olds (who say & do the funniest things!), there was lunch time and snack time, cool animals to look at all day, arts & crafts . . . I could just go on and on! One incident sticks out though. I was the all-knowing counselor and noticed a 5 year old kept sticking his finger up, and I mean way up, his nose. I finally turned to him and said "Nick, stop picking your nose." He'd pull his chubby little finger out and hide it behind his back. Minutes later there it was again - up his nose and digging around! Again I told him "Nick get your finger out of there or you'll give yourself a bloody nose!" to which he promptly replied, "But dairs a spidur in my nose." Riiight. The all-knowing counselor said "No, there isn't. Now hurry up or we'll be late for lunch." As we walked along the concrete path to where everyone else was sitting, little Nick sneezed hard . . . and there on the path was a little snot ball with eight legs. No Joke.
Another job I had was working at the Santa Barbara Wharf. This was back in the day before it had burned down and the Sea Center had to be rebuilt. The old Sea Center had an outdoor Touch Tank where we would show the public many different creatures the divers had brought up from the ocean floor below: small sharks and octopus, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, crabs, starfish, sunstars, scallops, etc. The public were not allowed to touch every thing, but as an employee I was. We were trained in how to handle the delicate and spiny. My favorite past time when things got too hot was handling the scallops (imagine a large clam) and making them spit water up from the tanks like a water gun! 80% of the time you hit your target.
THE BAD To Be Continued . . .
