Wage Slavery

A history of trying to pay rent and buy groceries. 

Sometimes, I like to look back at my life and laugh.  I usually get a good hoot out of recounting all the different jobs I’ve had.  The list got a really good boost in New York, as we signed our lease just a few days before 9/11 and had to forge our way in the big, scary City in the middle of a painful recession.  But even before that adventure, the list had some nice character to it.

• Wage Slavery
  • High school job in Quitman, AR (1990-1991)
  • College jobs in Arkadelphia, AR (1991-1997)
  • Haunted house in Austin, TX (1997)
• Wage Slavery 2: Will Work for (a Chance to Steal) Food
  • Taco Bell in Austin, TX (1997)
• Wage Slavery 3: Rats!
  • Summer camp and house sitting in Marble Falls, TX (1998)
• Wage Slavery 4: Rockstar
  • Pussy-rock band in Arkadelphia, AR (1998-1999)
• Wage Slavery 5: The Gone Cats
  • Working HVAC with my dad in and around Quitman, AR (1999)
• Wage Slavery 6: Just say no (to salespeople)
  • In Fort Worth, TX:
    • ISP sales (1999-2000)
    • Taco Bueno (2000)
    • Papa John’s (2000)
• Wage Slavery 7: Gang aft agley
  • In Fayetteville, AR
    • A change of plans (2000)
    • Psychiatric technicians for adolescent sex offenders (2000-2001)
    • Another change of plans (2001)
• Wage Slavery 8: Turning tables in New York
  • Waiting tables and discovering Ishmael in post-9/11 NYC (2001)
• Wage Slavery 9: Sadly temporary
  • Temp and short-term jobs in NYC
    • Foot messenger service (2002)
    • Stuffing envelopes (2002)
    • State senate campaign (2002)
    • Proxy soliciting for the HP/Compaq merger (2002)
• Wage Slavery 10: The Avenue I’m Taking You To
  • Ushering at the Ford Center in NYC (2002-2003)
• Wage Slavery 11: Weed Picker
  • Harvesting wildflowers in NJ (2003)