Wednesday, July 26, 2006

The roads I have traveled

I was thinking today about all the jobs I have had through out my working career, and you know, it was frightening. You can take that to the bank mister! Want to see my resume? And don't you all be thinking, fudge..she's all old and shit, okay I am but I don't want to see you thinking that. Well, if you tuned in and wanna stay for a sec I'lls tell you what.

1965 - 2006 Snippets of my working career:

I can't remember the dates so I will just put it down as I remember.

Ist. Job: Aetna Sewing Factory - in my home town right after I quit school.

Job Description: I clipped off threads from garments that were sewn and got them ready for shipping. I stood in one place at my station (on a cement floor) with a little clipper scissor and snipped my days away. I remember John Kennedy died on my lunch hour, and we were really sad, even tho we were Canadians.

Reason for leaving: I couldn't clipping stand it no more. Hey how much can .50 cents an hour buy ya?

2nd. Job: Dental Assistant - in my home town after I quit the sewing factory.

Job Description: Sucking shit out of peoples mouths with a little hose. Preparing fillings, xray lab work, taking appointments, and making sure there was enough magazines in the front office.

Reason for leaving: Dental boy, wanted me and the other assistant to test his expertise in a new dental technique..Hypnosis. I flew the coop.

3rd. Job: Waitress

Job Description: Serving meals, cleaning tables, making coffee, milkshakes, and generally annoying most of my customers. If they complained they had a dirty fork, I gave them a napkin and told them to wipe it off.

Reason for leaving: I was hitting the "bright lights".. I was going to work in the CITY!!

4th Job: Chocolate Factory girl

Job Description: Assembly line work, taking chocolate bars off the conveyor ready for packaging. You might think working in a chocolate factory is a good thing..wrong.. it's hard work ..and hard work was not was I was looking for.

Reason for leaving: Hard work was not I was looking for. heh

5th. Job: Sewing Factory worker...again

Job Description: This time I actually got to sew. I sewed that nice little U fly line in your husbands, brothers and fathers pants. Don't thank me. It was my pleasure.

Reason for leaving: I took a secretarial course in the evenings, and was trying to get out of the blue collar type jobs.

6th. Job: Front Desk

Job Description: I worked in a Dry Ice Plant. I did all the typing in the office, telex ( do you remember that!)..and phones. Met some cool guys too...(I was still single then)

Reason for leaving: They moved part of the operation to Montreal.

7th. Job: Secretarial - Brokerage firm

Job Description: I have no idea. They sat me down at a desk and said, there is the file cabinet, and you will be filing anything dropped in your tray. Nothing was ever dropped. I sat in front of my typewriter all day wondering what to do, while most of the staff was out having their hair done, going out to meetings etc. it was strange. Sometimes someone from another department would get me to file something, but that was about it. At this time the Dry Ice Company decided they still needed someone in the front office in Winnipeg and asked me to come back.. I did. So let's just say that was a mix of job 6&7.

8th. Job: Switchboard Operator at a Detroit Diesel Trucking firm.

Job Description: Picture Lily Tomlin....plugging her cords into the big ole board. That was me. That thing mystified me, but I got the job done. This was my first real job. I was brought up through the ranks from Switchboard operator to accounting, which served me well through out the rest of my career. Who knew, the girl who could never pass a math test, did so well at accounting. I loved it. I guess I just like to be able to balance an account..the high ..it's better than crack ya know.

Reason for leaving: After 8 years is was getting old, and there was no place to go. I needed more of a challenge.

8th. A) At this time I also had a evening job at a gondola Pizza ( I think this is a Winnipeg Co) two nights a week slinging pies. Not a bad gig, free supper if you worked 6:00PM-12:00PM. The only part I hated was cleaning the washrooms before I left.. hey, it was part of the job description. (a little side story) you know how they make a lettuce salad at Gondola, they take the head of lettuce and smash it on the table with supreme force, pick up the pieces and put in a plate. How rude. I finally had to quit, I couldn't see myself working for people who abuse lettuce.

9th. Job: Secretary/Accounting/Marketing at a Dairy company

Job Description: Mimeographing...remember that..I hadn't even heard of it until I got there, tallying the market in where the milk market was going in our area, sending out reports, typing etc. in a office that was so ancient it defied description.

Reason for leaving:
When I first applied I thought the old wooden desks were so quaint, well, yeah, so was the entire staff. It wasn't my bag. I moved on.

10th. Job: A Grain Marketing firm. The most wonderful company I ever worked for.

Job Description: Accounting and more accounting. They encouraged me, and I took courses on their dime to further my education. This was the best time of my life, I met so many wonderful people and finally felt that this where I belonged.

Reason for leaving: 12 years passed, I had reached the highest point I could go in our department. My boss, who did not want to loose me, was very hesitant to let me apply for jobs in other departments and always promised me more and more, but it never came. I got mad.

11th. Job: Appliance Sales Person...figure that one out!! HHHHaa

Job Description: Gord was just setting up a shop to sell appliances to off-set his repair business and I decided I was going to be his number 1 Salesperson!! He was not happy. I was making pretty good money at work, and this was going to cut into the budget if it failed.

Reason for leaving: Okay you guessed it..it failed. My ass was up for sale two years later!! But is was a great two years I loved it, even tho it was hard going, much better than working for the man. So, eventually we quit selling appliances, because it was at a time when all the big box stores flew into town, and the little guy couldn't compete.

12th. Job: Radio Station Receptionist

Job Description: Take calls from every looney in the world that have steel plates implanted in their brains. I loved this job with all my heart. I liked that every day was different and you never knew what was going to happen next. I could have done without the bomb scare, but I guess that comes with the territory.

Reason for Leaving: I was filling in for Maternity Leave for the Receptionist and they tried hard to fit me in to another position. So I worked part time for them for a few years and then packed it in when I couldn't get enough hours.

13th. Job: A Merchandising Company

Job Description: Organizing and hiring merchandisers through out Canada to put product on the shelves of your local Wal Mart, Zellers, etc. That was a shit fricking show. I hated this job with all my might. The office was in a dingy hole in the basement of a office complex. My boss was a total freak-out, he scared the crap out of me.

Reason for leaving: See above

14th. Job: A Lumber Company

Job Description: Receptionist. I have never in my whole life worked with so many bitches/buggers in my life. It's hard to describe. They were mean and lean. It was a sad company in so many ways, they had been in business in Winnipeg for more than 40 years and they were still trying to do business the old way and it wasn't working. The staff were in constant turmoil. I left after a few months...and it's not my fault the building burnt down and week later. But, bycriminy...if ... but I didn't..heh

15th. The lucky number...ten years later...

Job Description: Office Manager at a Electrical Contractor firm. I love my job, it suits me at this time of my life. The stress factor is not there, and I have a mutual respect with my boss and his company. I almost didn't take the job. The owner is a tenant of ours in our building and his "at that time" receptionist got sick and asked Gord if I was doing anything. I wasn't.. I was just sitting in front of the TV eating bon bon's and hoping it would never end. So, when I was asked if I was interested in a part time position, I hesitated..hmmm I sorta liked doing sweet fart all. But, of course Gord got me off me arse and I took the job...and here I am now working full time.

So now you know much more about me that you should. Except for the fact that Bing Cherries give me diarrhea.

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