Summer Job

Library Lady

I just started a summer job at the library. Daughter #1 was kind enough to point out for me that I am:
    1-a middle-aged woman
    2-single and ALONE (you might wonder how I know she said this in
       capital letters; just trust me on this one, okay?)
    3-I have five cats, and now,
    4-I work in a library

I suppose she's insinuating that this makes me some sort of cliche. But, as I'm sure life will eventually point out to her, aren't we all?

I've had a bunch of odd jobs the past few years. It's a very Island-y thing to do. A lot of work is seasonal, and many of us are trying to pursue some artistic career that may not pay very well. You've got to grab the opportunities as they come.

I worked at the high school till last year. I've done some subbing at a nursery school and a little private duty nursing as well. But I'm digging this library gig. It's kind of like being a kid in a candy store (yet another cliche).

I almost took a job in a jewelry shop, another area in which I have a personal interest. But messing with the merchandise there could turn into a very dangerous, very expensive disaster.

Daughter #1 worked in a book store last summer. This is another place that seems quite harmless on the surface. Yet for certain people, such as my daughter and myself, it could actually be quite insidious (by the way, the fact that we both love books almost more than life itself has nothing to do with us being related. We are, she informs me repeatedly, nothing alike. Any similarity in our personalities, eye and hair color, sense of humor, or interests, is purely coincidental).

By working there, she got a discount on any books she purchased, and this is where the trouble started. I'm not sure what percentage of her earnings she recycled back into the store, but all I'm saying is I know who paid for her gas last winter, and it wasn't her.

I won't, of course, have that cash flow problem working at the library. I may be exposed to constant temptation, but at least all of it's free.

As for D #1, she wisely realized that she needed to earn more and spend less. So this summer she's got some heavy duty babysitting jobs lined up. She loves kids, says she can't wait to have her own.

I say, bring on the babies. Because, unlike jewelry and books, prolonged exposure to other people's children does not generally lead to an uncontrollable desire to posses one of your own. Especially not when you're an 18 year-old independent young woman with college and a career and your whole life in front of you.

But I better be careful; I wouldn't want to make her sound like a cliche or anything...

Comments

[GiGi @ Incrementum]

I think it's great that you can jump around from one experience to another. I find as much magic in a person who follows a career for years as I do for people who have all types of jobs from schools to jewelry shops to book stores. I almost wonder if the latter have more to say about their experiences than the former!

[Nothing Fancy]

I LOVE the library too! What a great place to work!

Hope your daughter's babysitting jobs turn out great. But you've got it pegged...those kiddies will be on her nerves by the end of the summer...I'm just saying...

[LPC]

Hahahaha. Look, I think odd jobs are a great idea. Homogenous straight-line careers are kind of like unicorns, they may exist but I haven't seen too many. But do be careful about the babysitting. My daughter babysat like crazy when she was in high school. And then in college. And now, degree in hand and a job to start on Monday, she says things like, "Maybe I will just have my kids early." Eeek. But I always wanted kids too, so there is always the possibility that desire for children, like hair color, is genetic...

[Sprite's Keeper]

I could never work in a library or a bookstore. It's too tempting to get lost in a book when having to deal with customers. I worked in a bookstore for one summer and quickly realized the customers were too annoying because they were constantly wanting me to ring something up and wouldn't wait until I finished the chapter. Geez..

[San Diego Momma]

What bliss. The working in the library and the odd jobs. I find it fascinating fodder. The most interesting people I know try a little bit of everything.

[Jan]

So, what you're basically saying is that you embarrass your daughter because she thinks you're a crazy cat lady?

CONGRATULATIONS!

[Jenn @ Juggling Life]

I would never work in a book store. I did enough damage to my pocketbook by running the book fair at the school. I am helpless in the spell of books.

[Nancy McDonnell]

My own daughter used the 'ALONE' thing on me before as well...and she's 10. God help me later on when she really knows everything! :-)

I love it. You are going to be the sexy librarian...on an island, no less. Sounds like a good gig to me!

And you might even have the capabilities to waive your late fees. Even better.
:-)

[Mama Badger]

Hey, now. There's nothing wrong with being a cat lady...

I followed much the same path your daughter is on. No worries. After years of baby sitting, I was "enamored" enough to know I wanted to wait to have all the things the people I was babysitting for had before I had my own kid. You learn more than just changing diapers!