In “Just a Geek”, Wil Wheaton talks about an inner dialogue which he calls proof to everyone that quitting Star Trek wasn’t a mistake (or proof to everyone to his friends…). I’m sorry to say that I too have an internal voice which I call proof to everyone that it was a good idea to do a music degree.
For quite a while, proof to everyone was trying to get me a job in administration because “I would like to get into Arts Administration and to do that you need office experience!”. This is something I did very briefly before being made redundant and becoming a drain on society, and to be perfectly honest, I loved it. Sure, it wasn’t the most stimulating job in the world, but as far as ‘jobs you take while you’re waiting for something better to come along’ go, it was a damn good one. Good company, comfy chairs, long breaks, internet access, loads of time for reading and most importantly, flex-time. The annoying thing is, I really didn’t appreciate it at the time and now I know I will NEVER get another job like that.
The thing is, I know it’s not something I wanted to do. It was so frustrating to see people I’m smarter than as my boss- not that I would deny people the jobs they’ve worked all their lives for, it’s just it’s nice not to be treated like an idiot. Ya dig?
The thing is, proof to everyone has done something very strange lately. For some reason, he (yes, my internal dialogue is a he) as decided to listen to all those annoying people who assumed you only do music so you can teach other people music and apply for teaching! What is strange about this is that he and I had pretty much agreed we weren’t going to do this because of the annoying people, but proof to everyone assures me I do in fact very much want to be a teacher. The more I think about it, the more I realise this is probably true.
So, all being well, one of the three Colleges I’ve applied for will be able to accept me, and by this time next year I could be out on teaching practise. I have all my fingers crossed! Well done proof to everyone!
I’ve been trying to figure out why I find work so annoying and so exhausting! The only time I remember this happening before was when I worked in Tesco… briefly. The problem is, it’s a job where I can’t be myself. I don’t know the people I work with all that well, and likewise they don’t know me all that well.
When I started working in the cinema, I was surrounded by boys. Personally I find it a lot easier to hold a conversation with men than women. As soon as I say anything along the lines of Xbox or Star Wars, you gain a rapport with a bloke. Even if they have no interest in these things whatsoever, they tend to relax and let you be yourself. When I worked in Currys, the majority of the other staff were techies, and being a geek is nothing to shout about.
In a Jewelery shop, the majority of the staff are girls, and girly girls at that (Except, I discovered, one girl who is a techie but only works part time). It may sound ridiculous, but I’m kinda worried about outing myself as a geek, and there’s really not much I feel passionate about that wouldn’t make me look like a freak if I talked about it. Without passion for anything, going about your daily business is just exhausting. Trying to be someone else constantly isn’t normal, and I really miss having a job where I can just relax and be myself! I keep thinking I must seem so boring to the people I work with.
The problem is, even if I do out myself I don’t see it making much of a difference because there’s no one I can really relate to. On the other hand, maybe I’ve completely misjudged everyone and geeking out at work might make it far more bearable!
For months you struggle to find your place within a new company only to find that thanks to the idiot you replaced your boss has lost all faith in humanity and has no interest in letting you learn anything but the bare minimum. And just becuase it’s a temporary contract you’re even less likely to be trusted with anything other than just enough for you to do your job. You’ll be assumed to be an idiot unless by some miracle you can prove otherwise and everyone will explain to you every little thing you need to do whether you know it or not. The only escape is death…. or another job I suppose….
Day after day, thousands of twatty penniless kids descend on the cinemas of the world and lock themselves in an endless battle with staff and security. Where I work there are two weak points- the two exit doors on each side.
Every screen hopper goes through the same stages before attempting to sneak in: Standing innocently beside the games machines, picking up a listings leaflet, going to the toilet, checking out both doors, standing and looking over the railings at the stairs and finally trying to sneak in.
Tips for sneaking into the cinema:
1. Come when it’s busy and not when you’re the only people in the foyer.
2. Buy popcorn… or anything for that matter
3. Don’t dress like a market stall threw up on you
Today I spent the whole day popping popcorn in the closed concessions counter which was very clearly closed. There was a closed sign and a barrier the whole way round the counter, yet people still crawled under it to come as ask if it was open! It’s amusing that people think we would make them go to so much effort to buy some popcorn!
People are nice though! A woman said I made her day just because I helped her out on the phone! Plus, the manager asked me for advice about food and drink deals! How fun?
When Star Wars was released four people were on to closing time in one concessions counter on a friday night after 2 hours with minimal customers and we were still getting out of work half an hour later than normal. Now, 3 years on from Star Wars there is a new owner, new managers, new closing procedures and an extra concessions counter. This is why I’m so angry about the fact that last night I closed a concessions counter on my own on the first Tuesday of the Dark Knight when nearly every screen sold out. As well as that, there was one girl closing the other counter while two guys cleared the crap out of 12 screens on their own. Shockingly enough it took us 2 and a half hours longer than it should have! The new manager is generally fantastic (like the polar opposite of our ex-manager!) but when it comes to making a rota, she really hasn’t a clue what she’s doing. Tuesday night is now the busiest night of the week and the morning after there were twice as many staff and less than 1% of the customers. It’s so unnecessary and it adds so much stress to the job. The company won’t lose any extra money because we’d be finished in half the time and we’d be happier to start with!
On the plus side, new hot guy in work! Yay
Blog Posts | Vicki | 
03/01/2010 12:35 am | 
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