It Just Keeps Coming At You
My son Jake is getting used to the grind. He’s working every day, Monday through Friday and there are days when he has to work overtime, without anyone telling him it’s going to happen until it does.
He likes routine and hates change. He’s a lot like his Mom that way (kidding).
But he gets irritated, and texts Kathy when he’s frustrated.
She lets me know when she gets the text and then I text him something about absolutely nothing to get him to not focus on the fact that he’s mad.
And I think of all the jobs I had as a kid or young adult that weren’t great:
1). Stock boy - it was a job that was degrading at times because every once in awhile the customers were real as***les.
I remember when an elderly man came in. He was holding an apple pie. “How much is this?” He asked. I looked closer. “2.99,” I said.
“For this?” He asked.
I didn’t know what to say.
He threw the pie on the ground and drove his foot into it.
“That’s a rip off.”
He stormed off.
2). Telephone Wire Installation
My brother got me the job. I wasn’t great at it because I’m a mechanical midget, but every time I had a rough install, John would come and do it so I wouldn’t get in trouble. The problem being we installed phones in the summer at a chemical plant. We had to wear long sleeve shirts and Tyvek with a respirator on our hip. I smelled rotten eggs every morning. “What’s that smell?” I asked a safety guy. “Don’t worry about it. The gas that’ll kill you has no odor. You won’t even know you’re being dosed.”
3). Concrete Hose Man
This was a great job because I was being paid as a union laborer before they cut the legs out of unions. I worked really hard and the pouring would begin at 6 a.m. and go until the concrete was gone. I was always hungry! I hated thinking about going to the job when I’d get home at night, but I’d feel great as we were pouring. Just busted my ass.
4). Night Fire Watch
We were working on a job in Baltimore and I had started my day in the office at 6 a.m. - at 3 in the afternoon our company was alerted to the fact that we needed to have someone stay, through that very night, as a fire watch.
“One of us has to work 24 hours straight,” my boss said. “And I know who it’s not going to be.”
I worked from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. - stayed awake the entire time!
Got my paycheck the next week and was paid for just 8 hours. “I thought it was a mistake,” the payroll guy said. I wanted to kill him.
5). The All-Time Worst Job
Telemarketing
For two months I was out of work.
Took a job making cold calls to people out of the phone book.
“Do you have cracks in the foundation walls in your basement?” Was my opening line.
“F**k you,” was the most common response.
Then I’d make 20 more calls that hour.
Actually booked 3 appointments in those two months. One of those 3 had the work done so I got a $20 bonus.
Never felt quite so humiliated.
I texted Jake:
“Hang in there, buddy.”
“I’m good,” he answered.
It’s a grind.
He likes routine and hates change. He’s a lot like his Mom that way (kidding).
But he gets irritated, and texts Kathy when he’s frustrated.
She lets me know when she gets the text and then I text him something about absolutely nothing to get him to not focus on the fact that he’s mad.
And I think of all the jobs I had as a kid or young adult that weren’t great:
1). Stock boy - it was a job that was degrading at times because every once in awhile the customers were real as***les.
I remember when an elderly man came in. He was holding an apple pie. “How much is this?” He asked. I looked closer. “2.99,” I said.
“For this?” He asked.
I didn’t know what to say.
He threw the pie on the ground and drove his foot into it.
“That’s a rip off.”
He stormed off.
2). Telephone Wire Installation
My brother got me the job. I wasn’t great at it because I’m a mechanical midget, but every time I had a rough install, John would come and do it so I wouldn’t get in trouble. The problem being we installed phones in the summer at a chemical plant. We had to wear long sleeve shirts and Tyvek with a respirator on our hip. I smelled rotten eggs every morning. “What’s that smell?” I asked a safety guy. “Don’t worry about it. The gas that’ll kill you has no odor. You won’t even know you’re being dosed.”
3). Concrete Hose Man
This was a great job because I was being paid as a union laborer before they cut the legs out of unions. I worked really hard and the pouring would begin at 6 a.m. and go until the concrete was gone. I was always hungry! I hated thinking about going to the job when I’d get home at night, but I’d feel great as we were pouring. Just busted my ass.
4). Night Fire Watch
We were working on a job in Baltimore and I had started my day in the office at 6 a.m. - at 3 in the afternoon our company was alerted to the fact that we needed to have someone stay, through that very night, as a fire watch.
“One of us has to work 24 hours straight,” my boss said. “And I know who it’s not going to be.”
I worked from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. - stayed awake the entire time!
Got my paycheck the next week and was paid for just 8 hours. “I thought it was a mistake,” the payroll guy said. I wanted to kill him.
5). The All-Time Worst Job
Telemarketing
For two months I was out of work.
Took a job making cold calls to people out of the phone book.
“Do you have cracks in the foundation walls in your basement?” Was my opening line.
“F**k you,” was the most common response.
Then I’d make 20 more calls that hour.
Actually booked 3 appointments in those two months. One of those 3 had the work done so I got a $20 bonus.
Never felt quite so humiliated.
I texted Jake:
“Hang in there, buddy.”
“I’m good,” he answered.
It’s a grind.
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