re: the earlier ask meme, i kind of wanted to elaborate on the "people get weird about liquor stores"

i worked for about a year in a liquor store in a shopping plaza that was within walking distance of my apartment. it was a fun job--i like customer service just fine, when it's a setting like that, small family shop with no bullshit Big Corporate Rules like not sitting down or not reading when there's no one around. i like taking care of a shop and helping people get what they need.

anyway another guy who worked there and was sort of the second-in-command was a super nice guy, father of two, whose primary job was driving a school bus. i'm sure he was an excellent school bus driver--sometimes kids would come in with their parents and recognize him and be really excited, and he'd say hi and know everyone's name and maybe have a lollipop for them, and it was obvious that he was a beloved part of the school system

one day when he wasn't there a woman came in with her little daughter. the daughter asked if mike was there and was sad that he wasn't--and her mother murmured something to me about it maybe being a little weird and inappropriate that the school bus driver also worked in a liquor store, she always felt a little weird about that--obviously he was fine, he was a good guy, but.....

which

like

what the fuck

it did not surprise me, but. what the fuck.

it was apparently lost on her that she was the one a) shopping there in the (*gasp*) liquor store, and b) bringing her child along with her to the (*gasp*) liquor store. i guess that's okay for her, but not for the school bus driver (who didn't even drink). also lost on her that c) she was talking to someone else who (*gasp*) worked at a liquor store and was presumably being exposed to the same alcohol cooties

(.........to be strictly fair there were DEFINITELY some weird and unsavory stories from that job, but they were not contagious)

(I should add: this is very much also a case of people being weird about teachers and anyone else connected with schools)

i can't deal with a hot vintage tv star poll where vintage goes up to the year 2000

eta: oh sorry 2004

get 2 know me meme

tagged by @thatswhatsushesaid

tagging: whoever feels like doing this, i lose track of who has or hasn't done one recently! please please consider yourself invited

Do you make your bed?

Yes--my husband is motivated, so we both do it.

What’s your favorite number?

Hm. Probably 2. 20 and 21 also have good vibes.

What is your job?

i'm a program coordinator at a little neighborhood community center for refugees and immigrants. i do a bit of everything, including substituting when any of the english teachers can't come. i really love it.

If you could go back to school, would you?

ugh i think about it, but there just isn't a degree program nearby that hits what i want to learn/do more than what i'm already doing. at this point it turns into a question of investment--will the time and money and annoyance turn directly into work that i want to do? it's tricky because the world of adult English/literacy/basic education, which is what i really love, doesn't have a lot of defined certifications/requirements in new york (unlike K-12 public education), so it's hard to say if any given master's program would really translate usefully into a clearer career path than i have now. there are certainly things i'd like to learn more about (many!) but also i'm lazy and going back to school a few years ago kind of sucked. i'm too old for homework. fuck homework.

Can you parallel park?

um. i mean. i have done it once or twice. i avoid it whenever possible.

A job you had that would surprise people?

i used to make tiny glass needles and poke cells to read their electrical currents! also i worked in a liquor store for a while, which sometimes makes people get a funny look

Do you think aliens are real?

is there, has there been, will there be, something that you can call life somewhere else in the universe? seems quite possible. are they zooming around looking at us right now? i doubt it.

Can you drive a manual car?

no. i've had a couple of sessions working on it in a parking lot.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

all pleasure is guilty, we must atone

Tattoos?

nah, there isn't anything i really want on me

Favorite color?

deep reds, all kinds of blue, earth tones

Favorite type of music?

my spotify playlist is really heavy on the 30s - 70s, mostly 60s. folk, rock, motown, johnny cash, linda ronstadt, blues, some gospel

Do you like puzzles?

i love jigsaw puzzles! i can't have them Because Cats

Any phobias?

no

Favorite childhood sport?

no

Do you talk to yourself?

always

What movies do you adore?

um um um okay some top favorites. Seven Samurai. After Life (the 1998 Japanese movie). Star Trek IV: the One with the Whales. Master and Commander. Bedazzled (original 1967). Spirited Away.

Coffee or tea?

tea. i am too weak for coffee.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

artist, teacher, naturalist, veterinarian

I’m awarding myself a Super Basic Sewing Machine badge for taking in this donated “it has all the parts, 100%, it works fine” sewing machine, diagnosing which parts were missing, finding them online, replacing them (okay I’m still waiting on one thing), and teaching myself how to sew one (1) very funky seam.

(okay while i may be complaining about the suitability of some of the Random Gifts we were tasked with distributing among neighborhood families, at least we got to give the world's toughest 11-yr-old girl a mini skateboard. if anyone tries to give her crap about getting a skateboard she can hit them with it.)

(yes she would have liked the real pointy darts. no we were not giving her real pointy darts. she doesn't need ranged weapons, melee is scary enough.)