Category: Work Stories

21/08/2024 Work Stories

Conformism

I had an exchange with a colleague the other day which made it clear to me that even if I’m not using various social media, specifically LinkedIn, other people most definitely are. Said colleague had checked out my profile, which I haven’t touched in about five years. He was still impressed enough to ask me to do a spot of work with him, which is nice. But I realised I could have advertised my wares much better.

And there’s also a professional organisation I ought to have joined long ago which checks people’s LinkedIn profiles to assess whether to admit them or not. It was time to conform and do the thing. Updated profile is here.

26/05/2007 Miscellaneous, Work Stories

Three Day Weekend

A three day weekend is a chance to blog! It seems my free time has dwindled to nothing recently, which is OK for the most part, except right towards the end of my week, when I simultaneously want to sleep and have enough fun to reward me for my hard work in the last few days.

Why am I so busy? Two jobs, dear readers, will make one very busy indeed. I already mentioned the job at Davis Media Access. About a month after that I landed myself a part-time position doing grant admin work and other bits and bobs at the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. Both jobs are rewarding in completely different ways, and in both cases I’m learning genuinely useful stuff – for instance, last week I learned an awful lot about pomology. I’m also knocking myself into shape with some exercise.

My heaviest day is Thursday. I’m up at 7:30, on my bike by 8:30. By 9:00 I’ve normally cycled the five miles to CAFF. It’s a pleasant ride. I’ll record it on video sometime. I work at CAFF from 9am-2pm, then I cycle back to Davis for a 2:30 game of squash with my friend Tony. If my legs still work at 3:30pm I can get home, shower, change and bike to DMA by 4pm. I work there until 9pm, although I often don’t get out on time, and if I’m lucky Courtney has dinner waiting for me sometime around 9:30pm.

By doing this I get my 40 hours out of the way in four days, theoretically leaving me three days for fun and relaxation. However, Sundays are currently special project days at DMA, so most weeks I nip in there for four or five hours to get stuff done. Fridays are my Co-op volunteer work days, so that’s two hours on the meat counter, and I’ve started doing a radio programme from 3-4pm also on Fridays on the lovely, endangered KDRT 101.5FM. I’m going to try to make more time to keep my online life a little more up to date.

After much pressure from Eyelashjam I finally caved and joined Facebook. I’m now a little put out that he’s unresponsive to my request to be one of my boyfriends in an open relationship with a bunch of other lads and lasses. Maybe he was put off by my pseudonym. I concede that the idea of getting it on with a dead cabbage-headed Frenchman may be a little grim.

06/03/2007 Work Stories

Coming out of Chokey

Last night was my last official night in charge of the Varsity, so now I’m free of those particular obligations, frustrations and quirks. My replacement is a thoroughly nice bloke, and it’s been quite fun showing him the ropes – not least because it’s reminded me of all the bits and pieces I no longer need feel responsible for. My workmates wrote me a cute little card (best line: “Even though you’re going to hell you were a good person.”) and last night’s event was fun.

A group of undergrads rented the place to premiere a movie they’d made. A post-rock tinged band called Buildings Breeding started the night (they had a song in the movie) and I was impressed with what I heard. They list the Beatles, Velvet Underground, Beach Boys, T-Rex, Bowie, The Sundays, The Shins, The Cardigans, Belle and Sebastian, Elliott Smith, Silversun Pickups, Modest Mouse and Band Of Horses as influences, and most of those show in their music. They’re playing at SXSW in Austin soon, and I’ll be interested to see what happens to them after that.

I didn’t get to see the movie, titled Repeat, but from what I saw it looked above average. I’ll be checking out the DVD soon. Maybe I’ll be able to rope in a few of the folks who made the movie to crew for me on future video projects.

Now my time in cinema exhibition has finished I’ll be teaching video cameras and digital editing at Davis Media Access, which is another big reason to be cheerful. I may have another iron in the fire besides that, but I’m going to remain coy about it for now, just in case.

10/10/2006 Work Stories

Death Threat

Last night at the Varsity we showed Michael Winterbottom’s movie, The Road to Guantánamo, in conjunction with a local human rights group. The day before the screening one of the members of the group received a threatening phone call. Here is a transcript of that call:

Yeah, you commie socialist pig. Let me tell you something. I’m going to tell you something right now. You ought to take it right to the end. You’re putting up with these socialist people in Guantanamo Bay. I’m going to kill every one of you.

We informed the police and they sent a couple of officers to oversee the event. Needless to say, no-one died as a result of this rambling incoherence. I wonder what that loser did last night instead of massacring a bunch of Amnesty International members? Maybe he spent the night drinking everclear and pulling wings off flies. Pinko flies, darnit.

20/02/2006 Davis, Work Stories

Three Dollars

Quickest customer of the day in Mishka’s:

She: I’m gonna get a latte.
I: Certainly, what size?
She: A $3 one.
I: OK.

I ring her order into the cash register and look at her expectantly.

She: How much is that?

29/07/2005 Work Stories

Birthday Cakes

Wednesday was my last day in the coffee shop until late September. Fortunately it was marked by oddness.

At about 8am a distracted looking man in a cheap suit and tie came in and started examining the contents of the pastry cabinet.

“Can I help you?” I asked.
“Do you do birthday cakes?” He enquired.
“No, I’m sorry. This is a coffee shop, not a bakery.” I replied.
“I need a birthday cake.”
“I’m sorry, we don’t sell birthday cakes.”
“What about that cake there? The mocha crunch cake.”
“I’m sorry, we only sell that by the slice.”
“Have you got a whole one?”
“I’ll have a look, but we only ever have one in stock at a time.”

I went to the freezer to check. There was half a mocha crunch cake, already sliced into convenient portions.

“No, sir, I’m sorry, we only have half a mocha crunch cake.”

At this point he appeared to give up on finding birthday cakes in coffee shops.

“Well, where else can I get one?” he demanded.
“You could try the Village Bakery just down the road.” I suggested.
“Will they have birthday cakes?”
“I’d imagine so. It’s a bakery.”
“I need one today.”
“Good luck, sir.”

I feel sorry for his children.