And it goes a little sumthin' like this...
Why am I so weird and start my posts with ridiculous nonsense like that?!
It's cold and rainy and another glorious day in the great state of OH-10. The hubs and I have been in a lil' bit of a funk lately and we've both, on separate occasions, pointed our fingers at the nasty weather we've been stuck in all winter. (FYI, I would take snow over rain any day!)
To cheer us up a little tonight, and to shut up my sweet tooth that has been OOC the last week or two, I suggested we go get some ice cream. We jumped in NJC's truck and headed to the always-delicious ColdStone Creamery. After ordering we sat down to enjoy our 300+ calorie bowls of guilt.
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| Uhm... Love it Cake Batter Batter with Whipped Cream? Yuh. |
In the midst of inhaling this, I noticed that the 4 employees there were well under the age of 20. I'm gonna say that the manager was, hrmm, 18? The other three were probably high school sophomores... which made me think, "Not a bad first job... Tee shirts, jeans, tennis shoes, being required to put no effort into doing your hair because it had to be in a ponytail and visor, and ice cream." My husband chimed in, "Wouldn't it be nice to work in a place where customers were always in a good mood? No one ever goes to get ice cream and is like, 'You're such a bitch! Let's go get ice cream!'" Good point. Actually, this probably wouldn't be a bad job at any point in your life... Unless, of course, you're trying to pay bills and other adult things.
My first job? I was a 'produce clerk' at our local grocery store, Pick'N'Save... or as I fondly called it, Pick'N'Slave... (Not a funny thing to joke about, espesh on MLK jr day... geesh, I'm awful!) My tasks included cutting up and packaging fruits and veggies, stocking the floor and our cooler, flirting with my assistant manager who was 21 when I was 16 (creepy now that I think about it but he totally flirted back!), mopping up customer's disgusting spills and muddy footprints and, my favorite, rummaging through our stock to find all the rotten produce (then taking said rotten produce and underhand pitching it to creepy assistant manager and watch him smash it against the wall using a broomstick). What did I learn from this job? Being a young girl totally had its benefits when trying to change my schedule, grocery store produce departments probably aren't as clean as you'd like to think they are, and kumquats are a real food.
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| What does that even mean!? |
After my two-year stint at the PNS (haha... think about that one), I moved on in the world and became a server at the country club in town. This job was fun. I worked with my best friend, was able to eat some pretty delish gourmet food, and made some bomb tips! (Too bad I didn't listen to my dad and put some of that money into my savings!) Pretty typical serving job; memorized the menu, put on a pretty all-too-often fake smile for the guests, and wore a tuxedo shirt and bowtie. Lessons at the good ol' Willow Bend Country Club? A smile and acknowledging people as "Mr/Mrs." can really pad the tip, not all prime rib tastes as good as Chef Jerry's, and the gossip really is juicier in da club.
I had a couple little gigs between here and my next semi-long-term job. I was a temp at a factory in town and then I was pulled back into the wonderful world of food service at Lonestar Steakhouse. Now there was a fun job! Free Coors and a bunch of college kids runnin' the show! Throw in the tips and more bomb-ass food and it was heaven for a poor 20 year old! I worked at LensCrafters for about a year and although that was a boring job with a group of much much older people, I was able to save my parents tons of mullah on glasses and eye exams!
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| Sweet free glasses from Lenscrafters. |
After I realized that drinking, boys, and college don't all mesh well together, I moved back in with my parents after three years away. It was at this point that I (kinda) got serious about jobs and education. I was able to land a job as a nurses' aide at a nursing home while going to school for my RN degree. This, my friends, was the most rewarding and educational job. It taught me patience, basic nursing skills and, most importantly, how to treat people... my co-workers, patients, and families with respect. I was able to carry these lessons into my career that has become my passion. (There is a huge appreciation for my nurses' aides each day and I feel I would take them for granted had I not been in their shoes at one time.) I would never trade the experience I've had being a hospice nurse. I find myself maturing and learning so much about myself and others every single day I work. Most helpful tip I've ever received? "Treat every patient and family as if they are yours... your father, sister, spouse." Try it. I bet you'll be able to relate and connect with people you come into contact with every day...Best.Job.Ever.
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| STNA days at the Nursing Home! (With muh gurl, Jade.) |
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| Nursing School graduation :) |
All things considered, I've been pretty lucky with my experiences in the working world. I think each job, even though I didn't take most of them seriously, has taught me at least one valuable lesson I've been able to drag along with me as I continue on in my J.O.B... and for that, I'm thankful.
*Holy long blog! My apologies. Also of note, "Working for the Weekend" has been going through my head the entire time I've been writing this which is weird because I work every other weekend so that doesn't really apply to me... Hmm...
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