I had two job interviews on Saturday. If I accept them both, clone myself and simultaneously work at both locations I can earn a combined sum of fourteen dollars an hour. The two positions are at two affiliated record stores, one of which is managed by a friend that I wouldn't mind working for- if I could survive on eight bucks an hour. I can't. He said I would be a great asset to the business, but offering me less than a living wage is a bit insulting and it left me feeling sour.The other store offered me six dollars an hour.
Six dollars is what I made at my first 'real' job (dishwasher) twenty- four years ago. Things are considerably more expensive in 2007 than they were in 1984 and I think my next salary should take that into account. I was speechless when I heard "six" but I'm sure my expression spoke for me, daggers and scowls is all I had by way of reply. The manager told me that everyone wanted to work there ( is everyone an aggressively pierced poseur kid who lives at home and thinks working in a record store will launch their indie rock career?) and that experience wasn't really what they were looking for, contrary to what I had been told the previous night.
Twice in one afternoon I was told that I am worthless. Saturday sucked.
Saturday night was...fodder for a later post.
Sunday was much better. First, there was my weekly radio show:
XTC- Dying/Sacrificial Bonfire
Alan Parsons Project- Don't Let It Show
Eleanor McCovey- Whisper & Prayer
Billie Holliday- Don't Explain
Cat Stevens- Life
Steeleye Span- The Blacksmith
John Prine- Grandpa Was A Carpenter
Loreena McKinnett- All Souls Night
Marianne Faithfull- Guilt
Atomic Rooster- Stand By Me
Chieftains & co.- Millenium Celtic Suite
Jefferson Airplane- Thunk
Eleni Mandell- Man In The Paper Hat
Pentangle- Night Flight
Mitch H. Price- Love Roller Coaster
Moody Blues- Ride My See Saw
Faces- Stay With Me
Pretty Things- The Sun
Stranglers- Ships That Pass In The Night
Fred Frith- Balance
The Kinks- You Don't Know My Name
Ray Davies' younger brother wrote and sings the lead on this song. Ray's brother's name is Dave. My name is not Dave.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer- Still You Turn Me On
Claanad- Love and Affection
Fairport Convention- The Way I Feel
Bruce Cockburn- The Strong One
Neil Young- Looking For A Leader
Clash- Lost In The Supermarket
Roy Buchanan- Tribute To Elmore James
Anuna- Peperit Virgo
Afterwards, my maternal uncle took the Twin and I to see his property in the country.
It's beautiful and the work he's done is amazing. There's an extensive bull-dozed maze of roads designed for motorbikes and ATVs; there are hills, loops, mud jumps, all perfectly suited for raising off-road hell- I knew my uncle was good at building things, but I didn't know he'd built an entire universe in the middle of nowhere. He rocks!
This is where my uncle is going to build his house.
The Twin is smarter than me. He wore a helmet.
I was scared at first. I figured I'd hit a tree and split my head open. I was half-right.Vroom! Bam! I hit a tree after 10 seconds. Nothing hurt but my pride, though. I rode for hours without mishap, really grooving on the speed, sounds and sights.
Before we left I was jumping the mudpit, all four wheels in the air- man-what a thrill! I'll be sore tomorrow, but it'll be worth it.
My uncle rode his bike and led us on a scenic backwoods trip that wound up down at the river.
Twin: "Having fun?"
Me: "Hell yeah! This is better than sex!"
Twin: " How's that?"
Me: "This thing doesn't call me 'Dave' when I ride it."
A perfect day. Only one thing to make it better... 17-14, Patriots lose!
A Perfect Season has to include the Super Bowl. Ha ha ha ha ha ! Ha ha ha ha ha!Ha!
10 comments:
ATVs are the awesome! Just wear a helmet, don't go too fast (anything around 40 mph is starting to get bad), and avoid water, mud, and questionably stable rocks. Oh, and don't carry passengers if the vehicle wasn't built for any. :P
And, yay, Giants!
You weren't told you were worthless, you were told they were cheap and absurd. Take it as it is, a reflection on them.
did grandma ever buy you comic books?
in the current pro business climate lots of people are forced to work 2 jobs.
any chance of some re training to open up new fields?
I don't think they were trying to tell you that you were worthless. It's just hard to make a profit for some businesses.
Local small businesses often have a very tight budget - when I was working for the coffee shop, I only made 5.25 an hour! We really needed more hands on deck (there were only two of us), but another worker was hard for the management to cover financially.
Anyhow, good to see you!
YY- Oops, I already broke all those rules- except passengers. Sometimes ya gotta be bad.
C- Thanks,I like your way of thinking.
BP- -Yes, of course she did. There are songs about it.
- The radio is my second job and I'd hate to give it up to work a shit job with no hope of escape, ever.
- Not unless it's paid training.
Beth- I know. I ran stores for ten years...I also know that if they hired me I'd pay for myself with my exemplary work...you pay $6, you get shit. Pay a living wage and I will bust my ass.
I'm sorry the jobs didn't work out. You are worth something and someone is bound to recognize that sooner than later.
Me: "This thing doesn't call me 'Dave' when I ride it."
LMAO!
Was that a great Superbowl or what! It was wonderful to see Brady eat turf so many times.
Finding a job is hard... i feel really lucky that I am working, but I was really worried for a while. And if you ever think you're worthless, think of your grandmother, she would tell you different!!!
Hey Dave! Loved the free wheeling pics. I've only done that once, in the desert, and it was hellaciously fun except for the sand up my nose, in my teeth, and in my ears.
Damn, $6 was what I earned at a child care center right after the divorce in '95. They only let me work 38 hours a week, so they wouldn't have to pay me benefits since I wasn't a "full timer". In WA state, our minimum wage is the highest in the country, I think it's $8.05 or $8.10, but the cost of living here is absolutely outrageous. There's no way a person could live on that here. God, if I could make my salary in some other state, I'd be living well.
Sorry about the crap salary offers. That's really discouraging. I sure hope we get a blue White House after November.
Oh, I had intended to say that worth has nothing to do with salary -- wehn I was making that $6 an hour, I was taking care of 12-18 month old babies. Don't tell me that caring for children is worth only $6 an hour. It's damn well worth more than that. Bastards! OK, rant over.
I'm just sick about the 2 jobs..that sucks...
but the outdoors pictures rocked..that looked like so much fun..but wear a helmet schmuck!
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