CLASSES & JOBS

Two of my most favorite hobbies are knitting and crocheting. I learned how to do both through do-it-yourself websites and friends showing me. The reason I love it so much is because of all the different kinds of yarn you can use to make practically anything you want. Marled, worsted and fluffy yarns in every color imaginable. Making hats and scarfs are much more simple than people would think. When I first started making things, I never thought I would get good at it.

And now, I make scarfs and hats for everyone. I can make different designs and line them with fleece. I can make ski hats and beanies and mittens. I absolutely love seeing how something is going to turn out. Every project is different and takes on a life of its own. Having a hobby is important for our health and well-being. Why? Because hobbies help us reduce stress, be creative, and keep ourselves busy.

No way to keep from laughing when I ran across this statement recently: “I had difficulty with this book, but I was paid to recommend it to you.” –Anon. by request
This brings up a question-why do paid endorsements work? I’m not arguing that they do, but I am wondering aloud how and why they work so well. Of course, some would be right to question who really gets the promotion-the company being advertised-or the featured celebrity? Hollywood stars have reached some mythical larger than life status and, like Frankenstein, their stardom has taken on a life of its own-bigger than the star or the image-if that is possible.

My speculation regards the desire of each one to be unique in some way. Each of us wants to make our mark, to prove somehow we were here and that we counted for something. Each of us, I am convinced, cherishes a secret assurance that no one else is as good at (fill-in-the-blank-here) as we are. The category changes from person to person, but it exists in everyone. So, this said, where does the desire to “fit in” come from? Most would not debate the point that we want to be accepted and valued on some level. Being part of a whole rather than excluded from it is important to a sense of validation as a person. These two opposites seem to be impossible to fit into one human, but it is my belief that they exist to varying degrees in each of us. I just can’t help but wonder why they subsist, since they appear to be so mutually exclusive. Thoughts, anyone?

I admit it. Try as I might to be healthy and save money, I am a total sucker for fast food. I rarely have the time or the skills to cook anything more complicated than Spaghettios or Ramen Noodles, and even those don’t turn out too pretty at times. I would rather pay more money for something fast, and save myself the time and frustration of making a big meal that is only for me. Call me lazy.

So imagine my surprise when I pulled up to the pay window at one of my favorite Mexican fast food restaurants, and instead of them telling me the price I hear this, “Today is customer appreciation day, so every twentieth customer gets free food! We’ll have that out to you in a second, free of cost”. Wow! In all my life I have never had that happen, unless there was a mistake on the order and I wound up with someone elses’ food. But absolutely free, no strings attached? That just upped my loyalty to that food place!

Have you ever gone to a service just for the price? You think, “Oh, they must be the best because they’re the most expensive?” That was what I was thinking when I chose a certain store. I won’t name names, because this is purely my opinion and I don’t want to change any one’s mind, so we will just call this the Eye Place.

My first experience went well, until the expensive glasses were delivered with the lenses popping out! Then came the other problem - They didn’t have the contacts I need in stock. So naturally, I went somewhere that did. Wal-Mart (I swear that place has everything!). Wal-Mart’s Optical Center called them to get my prescription, and after being ignored and put on hold for twenty minutes, the Eye Place wouldn’t prescribe me the same brand I’ve worn for two years!

So I went there in person and waited an hour to talk with the Optometrist for a whopping whole two minutes. I was completely flabbergasted by how he was acting! He argued me on every point, and then finally this exploded out of his mouth, “You know, the frustrating part about telling someone what is best for them is when they go behind your back with another service!” I wanted so badly to laugh and say, “Buddy, some day you’ll realize you aren’t the only service out there!” But since his face was turning every shade of red, his hands were balled up in fists, and he didn’t look to be breathing, I decided to just thank him and leave.

Ever since then, I’ve talked to a lot of people that weren’t happy with the Eye Place. I wish I would have known that before I had invested all of this money and frustration! Lesson Learned? Bigger price tag doesn’t always mean better service!

This pre-dates my college years a bit, but it was my first experience in the working world - besides babysitting and lawn care. I tended the young child of a lady who worked as a secretary in a law firm. Being a first time Mom, she would often call to see how things were going while she was away. As a result, she knew my phone demeanor. Normally that would not make any difference, all that matters to be a good babysitter is how you are with children, but this time it lead me to a new experience.

A family emergency came up and she was unable to find a replacement at work. The result was that she asked me to fill in for her. I was only 13, but I am not sure anyone realized that. The lawyers agreed, and the day before she had to fly home I was trained on a few receptionist duties. One of these tasks included making coffee. Sounds simple, right? I do not come from a coffee-drinking home, so it was new to me. I tried to pay careful attention to her instructions.

I came to work every day. I made the coffee - just like I thought she had shown me - answered the phones, and thought I was doing a pretty good job. On my second-to-last morning I overheard one of the lawyers, “This stuff is awful! I’ll sure be glad when our regular gets back! Until then, maybe I should start making the coffee myself…”

How many of us have had a critical moment when we simply had to purchase an item and experienced a wave of utter thankfulness for those stores that are open 24 hours? This post is dedicated to all those people who staff such retail locations. I remember one time in particular when they saved my sanity as well as my grade.

I was nearing the end of my long journey to get a college degree. This particular art class had been a real joy. It was of personal interest to me to learn about famous artists, architects and sculptors. The information I gathered from this class and all I had learned made it a real pleasure, Until I tried to finish a gigantically huge project in just one night… I always felt like I had no choice but to procrastinate such projects-I was so busy holding down a part-time job, taking classes, writing papers, reading the assigned materials and studying for tests-when could I fit in those big projects? But we all know what that feels like.

This was an assignment where we had to have 10 or 12 themed art posters complete with typed information, good graphics, pictorial illustrations of each art concept, and they darn well better look good! You know how it goes-you’ve had those projects yourself. I had gathered all the materials, but still had to assemble each and every one of those posters. It was between 2 and 3 a.m. and I ran out of glue! Thankfully, at that point in my college career, I had my own transportation. I hurried down to the store, cursing the time it was costing me. In hindsight, though, I should have been counting my blessings that I knew just where to go to get the small item I needed that made all the difference to my final grade.