Careers and catch-up

First and foremost I must apologize to all who actually (for some strange and bizarre reason) enjoy reading my little electronic scrawls. I know it has been some time since I have written anything but with time being a precious commodity that seems to only grow more scarce the older I get, the less of it I have for writing. So to you, I am sorry.

For the rest of you bitches, you better leave some love! :-P

Lately I’ve been playing different scenarios through my overactive mind and have come to the same end in all of them no matter what course of action seems to have been taken during these moments of contemplation. That inevitable end, the ultimate realization if you will, is that I am both uneducated, and inexperienced enough to attain my goals in life. With that being said I feel that is time to embark on yet another new career path. For those of you who have known me for years know that I have worked in a variety of fields, most of which have been niche markets. I seem to have a knack for finding the obscure and less conventional industries in which to work. I have been a call center tech (what gay man hasn’t) from there I worked for an airline as ground crew, then with my ex started a company which was then absorbed by our largest client, then downsized, and went into (of all things) real estate appraising briefly. Now I am currently employed as a “Senior Control Room Operator” for an industrial laundry service where I both oversee the operations of the cleaning department but I also run our mini petrochemical refinery, waste water pretreatment, and our 4 largest washers all for the discomfort of a currently un-air conditioned office in June.

With that brief recap out of the way, I have been exploring my aptitude and desire for certain career paths over the last few years. Going to school to get a degree in chemistry for example since it was always one of my favorite subjects and the rewards could be astronomical (morally speaking) if I were to find a cure for some random disease like ghonacyphaherpilaids. Of course the immediate monetary compensation for doing such work (from what I’ve gathered) would be meager at best. I have also considered nursing however the prospect of spending my clinicals cleaning the poop out of old man jenkins’ bed does not sound appealing in the least but helping people in general does and so does the healthy salary and job security that accompanies. There was also the brief second that I toyed with the idea of becoming a writer. However again we run into the situation that the immediate monetary compensation is less than desirable unless of course I could concoct some brilliant work of fiction rivaling that of J.K. Rowling. But then if my works become famous while I’m still alive there is always the risk of a deranged fan kidnapping me, tying me to a bed, and breaking my legs with my own typewriter (imagery courtesy of Kathy Bates in Misery). Then there is also the recurring theme that keeps being paraded in front of me, of entrepreneurship. One of my dearest friends Cory and my ex David are hatching plans left and right about ways to start a company expand it and keep it afloat. Having been down this road with my ex before, I know I am not good at starting things up, I am however pretty damn decent at running them once things are started. I have informed both of these dear gentleman that all they have to do is tell me when and where I am starting work and what I will be doing and I will be more than happy to assist them and the company in any shape form or fashion possible. I do however have a feeling this will be coming sooner rather than later which will be a good thing however once it comes, it could mean another pause in my higher education. All in all, there is a lot for me to think about here.

There is however one option which I haven’t broached in this little dribble of mine. That being: moving back to Oklahoma, getting a job with one of my brothers somewhere for a year and then continuing my education there where both tuition and cost of living are drastically cheaper. My parents have already offered to have me move in with them till I can find a job and get on my feet enough to get a place of my own. However the idea of moving back in with my parents is almost as appealing as having a root canal done with a 2” paddle bit by a blind dentist on crack. At the same time if I can find a job in Oklahoma City (the job market there is excellent or so I’m told) I can move in with my ex and his boyfriend as a roommate. A viable option considering I LOOOOVE his house and it’s not that far from my parents.

All I know is I have a lot of thinking to do about all this but this week that thinking will have to wait. This week is technical rehearsal and opening for Cabaret at The Toledo Rep (www.toledorep.org). What this means is that I work my normal 12 hours then RUSH to the theatre to contend with lights, directors, stage managers, actors, and of course, crew for a few hours then return home just in time to crawl in bed and do it all over again. This is causing some problems at home which I’d rather not throw the details of to the wolves.
On that note I must bid you farewell for now, and I expect some comments or emails with advice from those of you reading this.

~Preston