I used to have to make her salads.
Yup, that is correct. I had to make my boss her salad every single day.
I would go into the kitchen where there was a chef present, but I had to override the chef (because clearly my salad making ability was off the charts why do you think I got the job) and make my boss her salad.
Same salad every day. Lettuce, veggies, chicken/ham/hen (cyanide) …and a small amount of dressing.
The last month I was there, I was mid-lettuce-slicing when I see her storming into the kitchen.
Hands waving in the air.
“Why didn’t you print out those forms I sent you?!” She yelled from two feet away.
I stood there, lettuce in hand.
“Um, what forms?” I asked nervously.
“The forms in the email I sent you! I told you it was urgent you printed them out for me!”
“Um, well, I didn’t get any emails in the past few minutes.” I said…awaiting my own execution.
She turned around, storming back to her desk to go locate the email she sent me and prove me wrong.
Well I was fast on her trail…two-stepping behind her in my high heels…lettuce still in hand.
I got to my computer and hurriedly opened my Outlook , “Sweet Jesus let there be no emails in here…oh sweet Lord in heaven let there be no new emails..” I was whispering under my breath the entire time, cursing out every Microsoft Outlook God there was.
“Well, that IS funny…” I hear her calling from her office.
I continued to whisper to myself, “Oh sweet heaven Lord and Mary Magdalene I am about to get it holding a round of Iceburg…”
She continues in a high pitched squeal, “ I guess I NEVER DID forwarded you that email!”… A small bit of cackling on her end “Now…where is my SALAD?!”
I stayed in that position a full six months longer than anyone should have stayed. But I did it in hopes that I would move up the chain of command. And alas eventually I did move…physically move of course, to another town.
I am constantly puzzled by this question of “enjoying one’s job”.
Originating from the entertainment industry I am to believe that no one actually ‘enjoys’ their job…they simply put up with getting shit on, until they can shit on someone themselves.
Asking around though, I come to find out…there are actual people out there who do “enjoy” their jobs. (What? How? Who? When? Where?)
People like teachers…and nurses…and firefighters. People who “help” other people.
I don’t understand this. In fact I have no concept of it.
I thought the whole point of working was like that 1980’s Loverboy’s song, “Working for the Weekend’.
Everybody’s working for the weekend
Everybody wants a little romance
Everybody’s goin’ off the deep end
Everybody needs a second chance, oh
You want a piece of my heart
You better start from start
You wanna be in the show
Come on baby lets go
Although I like to interchange the word “heart” with the words “fax machine” and the word “romance” with the words “lunch break”…but hey…that’s just me I guess.
Who are all these people out there every day going into work…because they ‘want’ to?
Do you enjoy your job?
Does not everyone get yelled at while carrying around two cucumbers and sliced Cornish hen?
July 7th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I think it is a lot harder for people with desk jobs and office jobs to enjoy what they are doing, versus those that get to be standing up or moving around during the day.
I think being a teacher may be one of the hardest jobs, but also the most rewarding.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
As you may have guessed, I don’t enjoy my job. Why? Because of situations like this:
Boss: We’re making calls to all media on that list we created for the client on Monday, right?
Me: No, we are not.
Boss:. . . . silence . . . Ummmm ok, why not?!
Me: Well, don’t you remember the convo we had yesterday (less than 24 hours ago) when we agreed not to make calls until we received feedback from the client?
Boss: Oh. Ok, let me call (Not, “Oh sorry for not being able to remember anything and for giving you a heart attack for no reason”)
Problem is, I have yet to figure out a job that I actually will enjoy . . .
Or, when my boss gives us an assignment at 3:30 and then realizes at around 7 that we are doing it wrong, because he can’t explain SHIT, and we are stuck in the office until 9 doing it the right way.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
BTW, totally meant to reverse the order of those last 2 paragraphs
July 7th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
I totally agree….I wouldnt like being a teacher…or a nurse….or an attorney….so what job WOULD I like???
July 8th, 2009 at 10:58 am
So I held the following positions:
-waitress/Walmart employee (worst summer of my life)/bartender/Stop and Shop Deli (quit after 3days b/c they had me touching raw chicken w/o gloves)/Friendly’s waitress (3 days quit b/c it was creepy)
-AmeriCorps volunteer (mostly loved it)
-8th grade science teacher (LOVED it the most)
-Veterinary Technician (freaking HATED it)
-Taught at risk High school kids how to prepare for life after high school (mostly loved it)
-Pharmaceutical Sales (didn’t love it)
-Now: Probiotic sales (no love for it)
I loved being an 8th grade science teacher. I looked forward to pulling into the parking lot at 6:30AM (note: I despise waking in the morning). I loved creating my own classroom, curriculum, bantering with the kids, and feeling like I was contributing to society. Until I didn’t. My principal was a raging alcoholic and going through menopause, the parents were relentless, a couple of my students had borderline personalities (as did their parents), and I was teaching 150 kids, 30 in a classroom, 5 times a day and I only had 5 microscopes. Oh and of course salary: $29,000 starting. I think you can love something, for the most part, but you have to have the ability to work through all the other crap. And teachers really only get 6 weeks off not the whole summer. I think about going back but I still haven’t figured out what i want out of life.
July 8th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Personally if I were a full time blogger like, um, the Queen Dooce Herself, I would LOVE my job… But lets be honest, I’ve got a WAYS to go for that… If it even EVER happens…
But back to the point, what about being contenet with one’s job. As far as jobs go mine is fine. I make ok money, I do something I don’t hate, there are a lot of challenging days and a lot of days where I coast… But the bottom line? I don’t wanna work at all… I don’t think there’d be any job out there that would “please me”.
July 10th, 2009 at 7:36 am
I enjoy what I do…I have a desk job, but I work for a hospital, so I think that puts me into the nurses/firefighter role since I am helping people in the long run, although I don’t have any direct contact with patients. I work for people that have direct contact with patients.
Go work for a hospital…great benefits, show up knowing you are going to make a difference, and get paid somewhat competitively. Just know that the word “bonus” is not in anyone’s vocabulary.