In L.A.

I've been kind of busy lately, on the move again. A quick update: After spending a week with Katy in Vermont I drove to New York and caught a plane to L.A. I've been hanging out here for a few days and will be gone for awhile. This is an interesting city, really different than any where else I've been. New Years in New York should be fun. More on that later...

I should Have Taken A Water Taxi

Boston got slammed today
(this picture is after the plow)
I was supposed to have an interview at Zoomoozik, an online record label, but it got canceled because of the oncoming blizzard. Unfortunately for me they only told me an hour or so before the interview and hence I didn't leave from Somerville (my cousin's) to go to Roslindale (my brother who lives closer to an interview tomorrow) until 2:00 pm when the snow started coming down at about 2 inches an hour. What proceeded was probably one of the most unenjoyable, messy, and crazy traffic jams I have ever witnessed. Don't get me wrong, I've been in some bad traffic before, such as an 8 hour wait for a Phish festival (IT), but that at least was justifiable. People here are bad drivers and without people directing traffic, the normal timing on the traffic lights became useless. At the Mass av./Melnia Caste intersection there were about 30 cars, many facing in unexplained directions, completely jammed in the middle of the intersection. 40 Minute waits at intersections like this turned a normal 40 minute scoot from one end of Boston to the other in to a 6 hour plus affair! At least in Minneapolis/St. Paul they recognize that they are gonna get hit and they deal with it much better. Maybe I can win the longest drive with least amount of gas award (1/8th a tank of gas used...I have an 11 gallon tank).

Being Jewish

In following with my last posting I wanted to write another relevant and recent entry about identity. This is my first posting from Boston where things have been going pretty well. I've got some interviews at some interesting places and I have done yet some more random temp jobs including registering people at a mental health conference, being a typist for a deaf women at a school meeting in a troubled area of South Boston, and spending the last two days doing market research at Wendy's about the Stack Attack (pretty much the same as McDonald's double cheese burger $1 deal but just a name that reminds people better that what they are really eating could be named heart attack).

At the 1st job, the mental health conference, there were two other temporary workers. We formed an awfully strange threesome for participants to be greeted by: Noni, a very large black women, Rob, an old out of luck, unattractive, and stereotypical bony Jewish guy, and me: a short young guy from Vermont. Now don't get me wrong, I love being Jewish-the tradition, the food, the jokes, the history, the community, the fact the religion focuses most on being a good person than believing in one particular thing (i.e. Jesus as our savior, surrendering to Allah, or even God-I'm still not sure where I stand there), and the list goes on. But admittedly there are a lot of bad stereotypes about Jews as an ethic group: big noses, greedy with money, and overly neurotic to name a few. This guy Rob embodied all of these and was on top of our shoulders the whole time. For example, I validated some one's parking and he would ask 3 seconds later in a loud annoying voice: "Did you validate their parking? Make sure you validate their parking." At one point Noni turned to me and asked what was wrong with the guy. Honestly, I didn't know and even know I don't really know this guy, on the surface, he is what gives Jews a bad name.

As I mentioned above, the jokes are a good part but only when, as Seinfeld notes, they are told by Jews. The other day a friend from home and I were discussing a recent date I went on in which I conferred that I had not told the girl I was Jewish (she was not). He replied, I think and hope jokingly: "that's like not telling some one you have aids." Now besides the obvious ridiculousness and non-nonsensicalness of this comment, I hear things like this (maybe not as ridiculous) some what often from some friends. While he still contends that the parallel of the non-disclosure of information is clear, I didn't, and usually don't, get too mad. However, it is some what surprising because even though people are joking, what types of things would they say if I wasn't there? The whole "don't Jew me" thing really bothers me but comparing a Jewish identity with having aids? I just don't get it.

Being short

I just got back from a Ween show tonight. I didn't really know too much about them but I had a good time. They have more versatility than most bands I have heard: anything from rock to country, jazz, punk rock, jam-band, Irish folk, and all points in between. Plus, it was way better than the last show I saw at Higher Ground (Umphrey's McGee just didn't have it), even though the crowd seemed to disagree. But I feel like most people think that the band has so much energy and is playing such a killer show at most of the shows they go to. This is just not possible because some shows have to be better than others, energy can be faked, and the crowd even more easily so. The only thing that really sucked about this show (besides a few terrible smelling people in the crowd) was the Security. Security is always annoying but this was really unwarranted. I was searched three times, had to bring back a bag of chips back, had to show my 21 wristband it seemed throughout the night, and was blocked several times.

I normally don't mind being short (besides feeling weird around tall girls) but one place I can't stand it is at shows. I am all the more aware of it and I always have a hard time standing over people. I'm not asking tall people to break their backs but when security guards on several occasions excused themselves to get by me and then simply stopped directly in front of me you would think they would know that all I could see was the back of their necks. And if I say anything I look like a cranky small guy. So I just sit there and take it making faces at any one next to me who is observing this atrocity. If I was really tall I would make an effort every once in awhile. I know if you're reading this you're probably thinking that no one cares about any body else at shows but that's not true of me. I even offered any one who wanted a ride back to downtown after the show because it was poring and I believe in the concept of pay it forward.
(actually the reality is that at the last show no one would help my friend and I out with a ride so I felt I had to make up for this. But Pay it Forward is still a good idea (check out Wikipedia if you don't know what this is)

Break from a Break

So I'm back from Thanksgiving after a large 20 person family gathering in Vermont. It was quite the event and some what stressful having so many people around needing so many different things and everyone offering me advice for the future. But now it's over and it's back to work. Well, sort of. I'm now working at the UVM admission's department. Now this job may sound like it is better than the last few but it's not much better except that it pays and it's easy. What I do for 8 hours a day is alphabetize (I also attempt to practice my Spanish with the hot Peruvian girl who works with me as well as try to find the secrets out to getting in to college or helping my buddies from home out when I find their files, just kidding...I actually got in trouble for asking some "sensitive" questions to the admissions officers, but I digress).
This job is better than the alternative of not having a job. I went one week with nothing and almost lost it (I found myself doing home art projects and playing game cube). I couldn't tell the difference when the weekend and weekday. I was (and still am) going nuts being stuck at home. Here's a good recent example involving my dad (as usual): I'm talking with my friend Maria who's in Japan and were skyping (which I just got in to and is very cool and free by the way). My dad remembers her (she's visited and just as a background point her parents are Swedish diplomats) and upon hearing her voice he tells me I should see if her parents can get me a job. I explain to him that even if I could get a job in diplomacy it wouldn't be for the Swedish government. He then counters with the fact that the Swedish were very good to the Jews in the 1st and 2nd World Wars. Wow, check mate I guess.

So I've decided to leave for Boston (again) and live with my brother, wife, and two nieces until Katy comes to visit in mid December. I've decided I need to stop being so indecisive and worrisome about my future. What ever happens happens and better that it start today rather then in a few months.

Just one last note. I'm really into Pandora right now and if you haven't heard of it, go check it out: http://www.pandora.com/
It really does a good job with suiting your tastes and its some how free. Although I'm guessing if it gets more popular and people find out about it, there will be some law suit because it doesn't seem completely legal to me.

Funny News

I can't believe this is real news:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/11/16/intv.cannonball.run.cnn
these guys are so stupid.

Hard to really tell the difference between real news and dumb news.
Also, via Khraiglist
http://www.kasperhauser.com/khmc/archives/000151.html

Does any one know how to just post videos or picture of a website in here?

Hangin' Around

(does any one know which song the title of this entry refers to?)
I just got back from Boston for my third trip in three weeks. Maybe the third time is the charm. I had probably one of the best interviewing experiences I have had yet. This place really seemed chill and we basically set around and had a nice discussion on a couch for two hours. They also told me I could take my tie off and gave me a small tour of the area after the interview. I don't know if I'll get the job but it's nice to feel like some employers really do care about people whether they hire them or not.

Since I've been back in VT without any temp. work (last week I was doing interviewing for the UVM Rural Studies Department on buying local food) I've had a lot of free time. I play way too much golf, which is the most expensive habit ever but since it could snow any day and most places are closed, I am just a bad golf addict who gets some cheap end-of-the-year deals. I miss playing more tennis but belonging to clubs is expensive, especially without a job. I have also been watching a ton of old movies lately that most people have probably already seen. A few quick thoughts on some of the films I've seen:

Quadrophenia: This is the Who's 2nd rock opera (the other being Tommy). It's not that great of a film but the last 10 minutes makes it all worth it. This very distraught drugged out British kid takes steals this scooter and rides high along a cliff for a few minutes before sending the bike (not himself) over the edge and into the ocean all while "Love Reign O'er Me" is playing. The song is already epic (Townshend said it was one of the best song's he ever wrote) and this just made it all the more powerful.
The Big Chill: I knew the soundtrack would be great but did not expect it to be so perfectly integrated with the movie. Lot's of stars in this quality movie but a little hard to follow all of the dialog and who is who.
Boys N the Hood: Really enjoyed this film and can understand why it was entered into the American Cultural Archive or what ever it was. The sad ending was so similar to the ending of many similar films (Clockers and a Bronx Tale) but the soundtrack is great and so are Ice Cube and Lawrence Fishburne.
A River Runs Through It: After seeing this movie and the Natural (among others) I really respect the talent and versatility of Robert Redford. It's a pretty good movie even if it's a little slow. Mostly, it really made me want to visit Missoula.

We'll that's about it for me except that I am really going crazy living at home. I get in the most idiotic fights with my dad. Last night we argued about whether a trip I was thinking about going on that is unisex was also homosexual (I think he was joking though) and today he really wanted me to sand our kitchen table. The problem is that I have an irrational fear of sanding. It is like bad chalk on a chalkboard to me. I don't know why but anyways, he thought I was being ridiculous. Hasn't any one else experienced a lot of discomfort hearing and feeling that terrible sand paper rub up against other surfaces?

success

...well, sort of. I was back in Boston this past week back on the job hunt. I finally got offered some jobs but both kind of sucked. One was being a travel consultant working 5 out of 8 hours a day on the phone, making $30,000, and pushing travel insurance sales on people. I also had to do a group interview for this job which sucked because people are already so fake in interviews and then you have to compete and kiss ass to other people who are trying to take your job. But the good thing was that I never really thought this job was so great and so I didn't care about the interview and did well because of that. It felt great to reject a job and tell them that I didn't take it because even though naive recent college graduates are going to take low-paying exploitative type of jobs more often than not, I could at least send a message that they should pay more. For that wage I could be slaving away in the non-profit actually doing some thing good in life. The other job was recruiting for professional staffing group for also $30,000 but with commission. But commission sucks too because whether you are a car salesman selling "lemons" or a job recruiter placing people at waste management plant and either way, the incentive is always more about yourself than the people you are supposed to be helping (as well as competing with your co-workers). Ahhh ethics and morales, what good are they in the real world?

The other thing that has been frustrating with looking for jobs is how no one takes the time to even write back to tell you didn't get the job. It wouldn't be that hard and you can always make up some bullshit reason. The people who get back to me, and usually very quickly, are people that can make money off me, like recruiters and staffing agencies (hence the commission).

So I'm not that desperate yet. It's only been two months and I can hold off probably 3 or 4 more before I accept some thing not so great. I just wish my Macalester diploma held more esteem around here. In the Midwest things would be different perhaps than my latest interviewer asking me, "oh, so you went to MAC-a-lester, what was that like?" (this is the way we pronounced the name at a group gathering before a tennis match and Tobin or Alex would say 'a-lester' after we said MAC!) I mine as well have gone to Champlain Community College in Vermont and not have thousands of dollars in debt hanging over me like a dark swarm of bees about to dive in. Wow, sorry about the depressing entry (this has truly turned into "dear diary.")

Spam and why I hate NYC

Via the New York Times, why I hate NYC.
Also, via Seinfeld:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sBG-JAe24KQ

I don't know exactly how spam is generated but I had to save this one:

Subject: I'm pretty sure your house is haunted
Sender: Ghost Control

The Herb Files: Far from the tree?

When I was growing up I really did not get along with my father. In fact, neither of my brothers did either. It explains in part why I chose to leave home my senior year and study abroad in Belgium. Now, as I have been getting older it has begun to hit me long after it hit both of my older brothers. We all turn in to our parents at some point. It is a tough cookie (or in our case maybe matzah ball) to swallow but acknowledging it no matter how far you've fallen from the tree is important. I'm not saying that it is all necessarily a bad thing; certainly my dad has many admirable characteristics. But I'd like to think that I will fix the mistakes when I raise my kids that my dad made with me but everyone probably thinks that and then makes the same mistakes. I will say though that I must have gotten some of my goofiness from Herb. We both some times ask ridiculous questions and dress poorly among other things...

Last weekend at a larger family gathering at my brothers in Boston he needed to change his pants so he just took them off right there in front of everybody to my mother's dismay. Everyone burst out laughing and while I thought it was pretty funny too, my former college roomates would be quick to notice I've done the same thing. I would like to think my slightly less hairy legs and boxers (as opposed to tight underwear) make it more acceptable.

There's one the thing though that I can't relate to with Herb. Any one who's ever been to a restaurant with him will never forget the experience. Some times I can be picky with food but he is just over the top. In the past I've heard him ask questions like: "how does the fish compare with the soup?" or his favorite joke question: "do you accept cash?" On our recent trip to Boston we stopped at a Chinese place in New Hampshire where Herb spent probably 4 minutes with the incomprehensible waiter trying to determine whether the coke, since they did not have bottles or cans, had chlorine in it. After not determining anything there was another 3 minute conversation about whether they had fountain drinks or a soda machine and whether these two were different. When they didn't have Sam Peligrino (which he usually gets) he got the fountain soda and then exclaimed, after performing his usual smell test, (as if the chlorine is the expected taste): "I'm not tasting a lot of chlorine, this is unusual." Later on in the meal: "It's funny, this lobster doesn't taste like lobster." So baring that my taste buds don't change too much and I become paranoid about chlorine...

Traveling and New Baby

So I am now an uncle: again. Born yesterday at 9.4 pounds in the early morning, I have a new niece: Sara-Havah (http://esther.rosi-kessel.org/). I did not get to see my first niece until months after she was born. This was a weird experience and kind of scary because it made me think of having my own baby.

I haven't had the chance to blog in awhile because I've been traveling quite a bit. Coincidentally, I was probably not too far from Jacobs field when the Sox were there last weekend and last night two hours before the game visiting the hospital we actually drove right by Fenway. Pretty frustrating considering I couldn't go see any of the games. Only at the lovely Metrodome are the tickets cheap enough that I have been able to see some play off games.

Last weekend I drove to NYC to visit some friends and to pick up a friend to drive to Pittsburgh with me. Every time I go to New York I have mixed feelings. Coming from a small place like Vermont, I'm always impressed that the big lights and huge skyscrapers are only 5-6 hours away. But then again, I'm driving, which is nice until you get anywhere near New York and then it's brutal. I still don't understand why I sat in 2 hours of traffic at 10 on Thursday night. I also hate how every one is trying to scam you and get your money there (making any less than 500,000 and you are considered lower-class). I had a real New York day there while waiting for my friend at the New School. I got a free shave and a massage from some nice girls who directed me in to their shaving van (they were on Segways...Dave Arbit and I once proposed we take a Segway tour of the Twin Cities), I then listened to a lunch-time Bach cathedral performance, saw some people modeling on the street, listened to an author talk at Barnes & Noble, and met up and had lunch with a different friend. That type of day makes me want to move there and I might if I find a job there (although I would probably not survive very long in that city).

I then went to Pittsburgh, another 6 hour drive and met up with our friends the University there. It was my first time at Pitt. It's actually a pretty cool town even though it seems everyone is just paying their dues until they can leave the place. Just as would be suggested geographically, it's kind of a mix of St. Paul and an East Cost city. I could see how Pitt. would be a fun kind of grimy city to live in. Check out the "Cathedral of Learning" at the University, it's really crazy and strange that I had never heard of it.
http://www.getting-to-the-point.com/graphics/photos/economy_4.jpg
Anyways, I'm back home now and pretty excited that the Sox are going to the World Series. Time to resume looking for work and being bored...stay posted

Sports Fever and the Job Search

I hope I'm not posting too often for any one who reads this but I've got a lot of free time on my hands and some things I've been meaning to write. Scooping ice cream at Ben & Jerry's has been possibly been one of the worst and most degrading jobs I've ever done in my life. I think I might quit even though it is just temp. work. I almost lost it yesterday when one of my scoops I was making fell off and landed on my shoe in front of the customer.

But today's a new day and I'm really gonna sit down and look for real work since it appears no other jobs are coming through. On as side note, Herb had a hamburger for breakfast at 9 this morning, which he reasons is normal because it was already cooked. I never can quite understand how you can eat hamburgers and hot dogs with cokes at 9 in the morning (maybe if I was really hung over and not in my own house). Lots of times I ask my dad for advice about the job's I'm applying to and he'll tell me things like: "You're not gonna get that job. They're looking for a black man," or "yeah, I think they're really looking for a woman." The no experience thing I can understand but the rest?

The good thing about having time right now is that I can watch all of the post-season games which is really exciting because I normally had too much work at MAC. I some times think of needing a fix as I wait to watch the next Red Sox game. My friend Benjy told me: "when you're a sports fan, you're joining the ranks of a lot of illogical people." I definitely think this is true. I've been a sports fan my whole life and even though I've never really understood why. I have no allegiance to Boston except that I live 4 hours away and most of my family is from there. But looking back, my family is really from the former Soviet Block, so why not root for Lietuvos Rytas? It's not like any of the players from Boston are even from there (or any other team for the most part). But the BoSox also spend a shit load of money on players who don't come through their system, many of their fans are Massholes, and they also have more support than any other team in the country. I usually root for the underdog and the Twins could definitely use more fans than the Red Sox. And yet I'm still more of a Red Sox fan. It's probably because childhood sports memories reign much more important than recent allegiances and whether I'd like to admit it or not, I'm susceptible to the usual fan based success that the Red Sox have had. Anyone who say's they like being a fan of some shitty team like the Devil Rays is full of it. In fact, at any given Red Sox-Devil Rays duel in Tampa there are probably Red Sox fans than Tampa fans.

Minus all of the money and annoying fans, even in college I never really felt that much of an allegiance to Macalester sports and I played four years of tennis and 2 and a half years of diving. But that's probably just because the sport's programs at MAC are terrible. Some times I feel bad for old people who have been fan's of teams like the Cubs who haven't won in so long and they are so faithful to their clubs. After 60 years or what ever of treating baseball as religion these people wither away and die without so much even a thank you note or any thing recognizing their support except the occasional player thanking the larger general mass of fans. But that's what being a fan is, you can't take it too seriously. You just gotta have fun and enjoy it for what it's worth because in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter.

Lastly, I know this entry is already too long, but a quick related story. I played golf with my dad's friend's son against our dads the other day in a tight competition. It starting raining, we played through (as gold addicts do). Then it started lightening outside (is that a verb?) and we were on top of a hill so we decided to go inside in the middle of the hole. We all got to the club house except my dad. Finally, 10 minutes later and soaking wet my dad comes in and says: "I got a bogey."

Child Pornography

I've been wondering for quite some time about what my stance is on online privacy. On the one hand, it's nice to be able to be who you are on things like face book and in your blogs without having to block people with passwords and constantly watch what you write on friend's profiles. Isn't that the point of an online diary? On the other hand, the recent developments of social networks on the internet may have created more problems than they have solved. Employers regularly go behind potential employee's backs to decide whether they want to hire a person who has a picture on face book in which they are holding a bear. It's easy to say that I just wouldn't work for snakes like that who judge my potential performance (whether it be in an academic context or job context) because of what I write on people's walls or what I look like in a picture. On the other hand, even before the internet promoted such openness employers found other ways to do this. If I really wanted to write all of the crazy shit that goes on and what I really think about things I would have an anonymous web log like many people do. I'm writing about this right now because a recent event involving web openness has really had me thinking more critically about this.

So a few days ago I received a recent letter from my former camp employer telling me that she had found a picture of a naked male on my face book page and that, as she noticed, I had recently become friends with a 12 year-old camper. Thus, I may have inadvertently violated some serious federal laws by distributing child pornography to a minor. Now I can see how this was incredibly offensive to her as well as people reading this blog but let me explain what really happened. I have a ridiculous friend who does stupid things when he is drunk (more so than most drunk people). In this case, a friend of his took a picture of him doing the "mangina" (see http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=man-gina) and I commented on the picture stating that it was disgusting. Even though neither my friend nor I posted the picture, because I commented on it, it came on to my recent activity page that every one sees on face book. Because I have my profile on limited access to campers and other young people I don't think any one saw this but I just can't believe how things like this can happen. Some how I get mixed up in allegations of gay child pornography when not trying. Guess I better straighten up and be more careful from now on.

How many blue cars?

Today I went to Chicago for a job interview. Between waking up at the crack of ass and arriving when the plane was boarding (it was direct flight), waiting for the pickup, having the interview, and coming back, I probably had about 10 minutes of extra time where I just sat around. I'm sure for professionals who travel all the time this is nothing but it's crazy for me that I could leave my house this morning and be back in the afternoon all the way from Chicago. They also picked me up in a stretch limo, although only on the way there. On the way back I had a "limo" but it's funny how that can just mean a nice car nowadays.

The job is an newspaper auditing job with 100% travel in the North East. I think the interview went well but you never know. The last question the guy asked me was how many blue cars there are in the nation. I felt like I was at an interview for Google trying to come up with some creative response but all I could say frozen on the spot was, I don't know, you'd have to do some research. Anyways, it's all just a game of both sides trying to figure each other out. I never would have pictured myself even thinking about a decision like this 3 or 4 months ago. Funny how people end up where they do...gotta pay the bills (living at home and being fed nice meals every day can be expensive).

Sox Clinch Division

Watching the end of last night's game and then hearing that the Yankees lost made my day. I could not be happier that the Yankees stranglehold on the division is finally over. Interestingly enough, the Sox might have been better off choking away their lead (despite the loss of momentum) because the Yankees have struggled against the Angels this year. However, the Angels are some what beaten up with a few injuries to key players. The new best record rule would be some what of an advantage for the Sox to win but at this point it's more important to rest Ortiz (knee) and make sure everyone's healthy.

God, I love this time of the year. No only is it playoff season for baseball but it's also fall, my favorite season. I have not been in Vermont for more than 5 years the last time I saw fall here. It is such a brief and amazing season that by Thanksgiving (I think I was home about once during college) the leaves are already all dead. What's great about Vermont is that the temperature is always nice and crisp and the air is fresh making it perfect for golf/tennis and hiking.

On a side note, I started scooping Ice Cream for Ben & Jerry's at their factory in Waterbury for the temp. agency. This is probably the furthest commute (40 min.) for the lowest pay ($9.00) and most work I've ever done in my life. These buss loads of incredibly wealth old people from all around the world show up in groups of 50 all wanting this deliciously unhealthy ice cream. Many of my co-workers are high school students coming after school... I don't think I can do this for long

The Herb Files: small pox

So every once in awhile I feel it be might be a bit humorous to write a short post about my father: Herb. My dad's a pretty good guy and he certainly is not your typical dad. He has an interesting personality with more neurosis than most Jews (he believes that drinking coke-cola three meals a day, from a can (not bottle, this is important), in a glass (again, important), and using a straw and ice, is the only way to go. Mowing the lawn in the pitch black at 11:00 at night is common and pronouncing my brother's name Jonah "Jonerrrr" causes general hilarity among friends who like to imitate him.

There's a lot of funny stories I'd like to tell about Herb like the time he asked my mom at dinner why they called the restaurant "Hooters" its name and how he makes sure to always tell me not to speed even when I'm not driving, but just the other day he gave me a new laugh. I was going to hang out with my friend Ryan who has the chicken pox and my dad overhearing my phone conversation like he often does exclaimed, "I don't want you hanging out with any one who has small pox." I explained to him that he had chicken pox and not small pox and he countered, "it doesn't matter. You're not insured right now. I don't want you hanging out with any one with any diseases right now until you have health insurance." I took my chances and I got in the car to go see Ryan anyways...luckily I already had chicken pox, or a vaccination for it, or was that small pox?

The beginning of some thing beautiful

I've been encouraged for a long time to create my own blog (probably since when I first got the nickname TrainWreck (this story to come...) from friends. From hence forth, my wacky adventures (personal complaints) and fun stories (things that only my friends will probably care about) will be posted for the public to see. I am excited about this because it really couldn't have come a better time.

So things didn't work out with the Peace Corps. Loopholes are always getting me but on the plus side I am a newly turned college graduate living at home unemployed. I wonder what percent of us find ourselves in this situation? I'm actually employed as I am working at a temp. agency doing random tasks. So far I've worked at a shoe store (no I didn't have to wear the referee shirt, it was Reebok, which btw I might add is a very socially responsible company, no just kidding), a medical health records group, and to top it all off for most random, an assembly man at a military goggles factory in Essex Jct., Vermont. I find it some what ironic that I was going to serve my country as a member of Peace Corps but because things got screwed up I ended up helping to construct military gear for people who also serve our country. Look what a college degree can get you these days!