Thursday Thirteen #8

Thirteen Things about Michael These are Thirteen Jobs I have had! 1. Paperboy! Yes, growing up in SE Pennsylvania, the small towns had local papers and kids got after-school jobs as delivery carriers. It was awesome being 7 and making money and being able to buy Atari games at will. 2. Christmas Tree Lot Worker – a temp job when I was 14. It was my first opportunity to taste beer as well. Unfortunately they had bought Moosehead which is never the first beer you want to sample. Yuck! 3. Grocery Store – My first real job was for Kroger. I started when I was 16 as a bagger. In about 5 months I made cashier and a year or so later I moved up to front office supervisor. I stayed with Kroger for over three years when I moved to Florida. 4. PBX Operator – When I moved to Orlando, my first job was a telephone operator at a 1506 room Marriott Resort. Mainly I answered and forwarded calls, but we also hand-delivered faxes and messages. I met comedian Yakov Smirnov and The Righteous Brothers this way. 5. Valet Parking Attendant – At the same Marriott resort, I transferred out to Valet to spend more time with a girl I’d met in one of my classes at Valencia Community College. It was fun, but so many “cool” cars mean so little now that I have driven them. Here I parked the vans used by the Christian ensemble “Truth” and I got fired for the first and only time in my life. We’d had to deal with an extremely arrogant and rude guest so we blocked his car (which he would not park himself or let us park for him) with other cars. I was a scapegoat for the bellman or doorman who called him in his room and called him a name. As we did not know his name (as we did not check in his car) we could not have called him! 6. Merchandise Clerk – Planet Hollywood – I spent a Summer working at the “World’s busiest restaurant” the Planet Hollywood in Orlando. Here I saw George Foreman, Kerri Strug, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and a few other celebs. 7. Yogurt Clerk – Freshens Yogurt – It was a transitional job through the fall of ’91. The coolest thing was the pumpkin pie yogurt. 8. Freelance Photgrapher – My photojournalism class got me going working for local bands in the Orlando area. I probably shot 5 or 6 bands, some multiple times. I got offered marijuana in the dressing rooms of the Hard Rock Café, I got me name on a CD insert, and I got published by the Debbie Gibson Fanclub Magazine and the Orlando Sentinel (on separate occasions). 9. Video Store Manager – I did cumulatively about 5 years for Blockbuster. I was in my element as I love movies and I only got invited outside to engage in a fight with one person who did not want to pay his late fees (it was mom’s account and he wanted to use it, but any balance had to be paid first). I worked a lot of stores helping fill needs and make improvements and I eventually became a district trainer teaching classes on customer service and suggestive selling. I still have my Bubba Gump Shrimp watch for winning the Forrest Gump presale contest. 10. Retail Manager – I worked three and a half years for Family Christian Stores. I liked the work, but I had a sword hanging over me a lot of the time I was there. Eventually their focus shifted so far to money from ministry, I chose to leave on my own, but I loved being in the lead on new books and music! 11. Accounting Clerk – USA Today – the Nation’s Newspaper – Mom worked for them (she was a founder) and I worked long-term temp in accounting, circulation, and marketing. 12. Drug Rep – I found a job with a company that inventories medicines at hospital pharmacies and helps them get credit for outdated drugs. I enjoyed the travel, especially the NYC trips and Baltimore (got to drive up to Philly to see family). I visited FL, SC, NY, NH, MO, MD, PA, and GA and I was in NYC when the Yankees played the Mets in the world series in 2000, and the hospital I worked in SC was once run by my father-in-law! 13. Promotions Intern – WHTQ 96.5 The Classic Rock Station – in Orlando I did a year helping at special events and trying to break into the business. It never happened, but it was fun!

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