Jackalope

I was a premed student before I became too ill to continue with college. I have a bizarre autoimmune disease that's a cross between rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The lupus symptoms hit first, and since every lecture hall is lit with loads of fluorescent lights (ie, raining scads of UV light down on me), I would get ill, then drop out for a semester. I'd go back to school, and within a week or two get really ill again...

Plus, I had an 8am class that wasn't handicapped accessable. I finally had to drop it because I just couldn't face that gigantic flight of stairs down the hillside in the mornings.

When Rhupus isn't beating on my ass, I'm a professional musician playing english, irish and french tunes. I mostly play fife these days, because my hands can't make the stretch for a big irish flute. I also bought myself an ugly little banjo-ukelele a couple months ago. It doesn't hurt my hands to play it, and it's fun. Sounds good with my partner's melodeon playing.

I'm married to a rocket scientist turned computer network installation guru. He's still got a job because the biotech industry needs enormous data centers set up. We both did some slave labor for NASA as grad students, working on designs for mars environment suits. As far as I know, NASA completely ignored our final report, but the Mars Society is using some of our ideas.

What else? I've been drawing ever since I could hold a crayon. My specialty has been anglo-saxon and irish illuminated manuscript knotwork designs for the last 15 years or so (before it was popular). I've now designed tattoos for several people, including a really spectacular one based on the Sutton Hoo gold belt buckle. I've got quite a bit of work myself, but I fear the winged lioness on my shoulder will never be finished if we don't find a drug that will keep Rhupus from kicking my ass.

--Lee

MollyMac

I'm a charity development officer currently developing the humanist ceremonies service of the British Humanist Association.

geraldmania

This was a great idea for a thread, Megusic.
Kudos Strawberry. Looks like you're mapping out a colorful little existence for yourself.
Lee, you've got to be one of the most hilarious people I've ever seen on this thing.
I myself am glad to temporarily be a corporate whore while I've temporarily moved in with my folks to save $$.
Does anyone know anything about starting a small theater? I've done several plays and know better than to expect any monetary compensation from it. But I would like to start up a small music, theatre, poetry, coffee, etc., establishment on the side. Does anyone have any ideas or know a good town conducive to such a thing? Just wondering.
-
Gerald

BigBlue2

Analyst/Programmer (currently unemployed), usually working on back-end systems in Banks and/or Insurance firms.

Puck

Part time house painter. I'm good at it, but getting too old to be putting myself in high places with no support. Im at the age where I'll break instead of bounce.

I've been in the construction trades all my life. 4 years elect. work, 2 roofing.

I'd be an artist if I could draw more than a stick figure, a musician if I could carry a tune, a dancer if I didn't look like a geek, a scientist of some kind if I could book learn.

So mostly, I wash dirty clothes, mop floors, cook and clean in general. And hang about here.

Oh, and I'm a mother and grandmother, so I can tell you that parenting is the biggest job of all. Enjoy every moment of their life, every stage they go through, because one day your gonna look back and think it went too fast and you can't go back and enjoy it once they are on their own. Oh, and do the best you can, because they come back as young adults and remember things you did and didn't do!

southernhybrid

I'm an RN with over 25 years of experience in home health. Currently I only work one or two days a week doing home health visits or supervising the nursing care in a small assited living facility. The rest of the time I'm a spoiled, domestic princess and it's nice work if you can get it.

Feather

I pretend to learn physics as a graduate student at the University of Florida.

I had a great first semester! Go me!

Manta

I am a female Dilbert. Pushing too many papers around at a bank.

College? why yes....I went...and graduated...degree? History. Go figger. I've spent the past 17 years at a bank though.

Later this year I plan on teaching diving. Scuba diving that is. The school that provides the classes also is supposed to help me find a job... We'll see how THAT goes...otherwise I have a few networked contacts that might open a few doors...

Isn't the internet grand

-k 'blub blub'

MzNeko

I'm a proofreader for a company that does (among other things) typesetting both for businesses and for individuals - not usually novels or anything like that, but flyers, signs, advertising, invitations, contracts, manuals, memorial programs, announcements, presentations, letters, greeting cards, etc.

I think it's great - they pay me to read and nit-pick!

Before that was six or seven years of misery in various forms of retail customer service jobs - women's clothing, candy/popcorn store, copy store. It is my sincere hope that I will NEVER have to speak the words "Hi! Can I help you?" ever again.

However, there was one job along those lines that was okay. I worked for a month as a receptionist at a boarding kennel. That was actually fun. Sadly, it didn't pay well very well and rent must be paid.

Catseye

Halfway through an MA in Gothic literature. I've been working in a nursing home as a care assistant over the past year, during the university holidays.

Most people I know seem to be going through a phase of telling me 'What use is a degree like that? You should do something useful!' one minute, and 'I could never work in a nursing home. You're a better person than I am!' the next. (I'm not some selfless saint working in a hellhole due to some inherent goodness - I'm just broke - but, heh, people who criticise my beloved degree subject can believe it if they want to ) The job isn't as bad as a lot of people seem to think. Helps not to be squeamish, though...