Jobs

Well, I have been thinking hard---what exactly do I want to put on a blog? The answer is...I don't really know. Since my babies are young men now I don't have all the fun and cutesy things to write about anymore(although they are very humorous so I shall be commenting on their remarks occasionally!)

So today I was thinking about all the different jobs I have had since a teenager and wondered if everyone has had as many as I did, although I find it hard to believe anyone has(except for my one girlfriend whom I think holds the world record!)

I shall try to keep them somewhat in order starting with the ole babysitting one every girl seemed to do for money when I was young (in Victoria, B.C.). Remembering the .25 an hour was fun when one compares it to today's going rate of upwards $5-$6 an hour--maybe even much higher now as I have been out of it for years. I guess it must be all relative though it certainly does not seem to be. I remember one family screwing me majorly by paying me $2.25 for watching their 3 kids for almost a solid 24 hours. Boy was my mom mad!! I didn't have the guts to say anything at the time, I just remember looking down at the money and thinking how little it was. I did get sent back to them by my mother and did receive a pittance more but not much. Needless to say-they lost their babysitter after that episode.

My first real job (also in Victoria) was working at a car wash as a car cleaner and cashier. Whew...the lessons learned at that job were unbelievable! It was a car wash like the old Rocket one on MacLeod Trail in Calgary where your car is cleaned inside by staff and outside by the large roller type deck mops. When you came out of the car wash you(staff) had to drive the car into one of two long bays that had huge posts along the center. Since I was my mother's daughter-having a drivers licence was out of the question-BUT I did know how to drive(HAH!). That is why wrapping the car around the post was just something I did not expect.My soon to be first real boyfriend managed to salvage things with only scratches costing about $125.00..got to remember this was aprox 1972. I was in grade 11 at the time with a really neat teacher and a great course about Canadian law and our rights---which has helped me SO MUCH over the years.At the car wash I was then sent to being a cashier and sometimes had extra money in the till-.25 or .50 and one time had less money in the till-about $1.25. My wonderful jerky boss figured that it was my responsibility to pay any underage and to charge me for the damaged car. This is when the awesome teacher gave great advice as he was so darn knowledgeable on Canadian law.My boss backed off big time when presented with my new found info and confidence and had to suck up my mistakes.(sorry boss). I do remember my first real job paying me $1.35 an hour and I felt rich....until I saw the job at Woolco in the Town N Country Mall that payed more. So off I went. to be continued.