Friday Five
1. What was your first job?
Camp counselor for troubled youth. I was 16 and got involved because I was a member of this peer-counseling group at my high school. What they didn’t tell us in advance was that kids were coming to the day camp who were in the child protective services system — most of the kids were way cool and totally fun, but some of the behavioral problems were a bit much for a group of 16-year-olds to handle.
But I really built a rapport with my kids and a bunch of others. We played a lot of sports — and I am NOT athletically inclined — so I volunteered to sit out with the kids who were afraid to play or just not in the mood. Sometimes we did arts-and-crafts, but more often, we just talked and hung out and had a good time. Those kids had seen such sadness and violence and loneliness — and I was in charge of the 8- to 10-year-olds — and I became kind of a big sister, a confidant, a constant for them.
I always wonder where those kids ended up. And if those girls ever hated cheerleaders (who were practicing their routines in the next quadrant while we worked) as much as I did. 😉
Oh, but the irony? When I was 22, I went to work for child protective services in my county — in the P.R. department. And when I was 27, I went to work for a foster care provider. Talk about your first job setting you on a career path!
2. How much did you make?
I think it was $5 an hour. Which is substantially more than my first three retail jobs, which respectively paid $3.90, $4 and $4.10. *sigh*
3. Describe your least favorite co-worker of all time.
Town Crier. Aptly named for doing a lot of whining and gossip-mongering but not actually doing WORK. I remember her for when she must have been low on meds (she openly told us she was on them). She shoved me into a bathroom stall in a rage and she tried to accost a very pregnant friend of mine — all over ridiculous situations that involved us, oh, ASKING her to do her job. The head cheese (get the pun) loved her and therefore, we were the ones who were frowned upon for tattling on her. And people wondered why we were unhappy!
4. What is your dream job?
Something that combines editorial mastery and event planning and blogging. 🙂
5. What do you currently do and do you like it?
Something that combines editorial mastery and blogging. 🙂 LOL. Sure, I like it. I really care about it, which I know I have with all of my jobs, but this is the first place that hasn’t driven me to come home and touch up my resume every week. 🙂
On iTunes: Pussycat Dolls, “Don’t Cha (Remix)”
Friday Five">Friday Five
‘Cause I’m feeling all meme-y and such this week.
1. What made you happy this week?
Knocked a lot of crap off the to-do list. Felt kind of empowered.
2. What made you sad?
Watching “ER” last night — it was Noah Wyle’s last show! *sniffle*
3. What made you angry?
The student loan company seized my tax refund. Bastiges!
4. What are you looking forward to in the next week?
My birthday! And a manicure — hooray! LONG overdue! Also, I want to figure out what to buy myself for my day — I like to do something special for myself. Maybe upgrade to Tiger if I can justify the expense.
5. What are you not looking forward to?
Memorial Day weekend travel. 🙁
On iTunes: Ivy, “Let’s Go to Bed”