(That's me, second from the right.)I was thinking today about all of the jobs I have had. And the list is long, friends. Longer than it should be.
My past occupations include (but are not limited to):
-Lemonade-Maker Extraordinaire (Hot Dog on a Stick)
-Fashion Consultant (Gymboree, Limited Express, Foxmoor)
-Flower Lady (2-day deal, pushing a shopping cart full of roses around Albertson's wearing a Rockette-type outfit...what I'd do for a buck!)
-Short Order Cook (Snack Bar, Hobble Creek Golf Course)
-Dish Washer (Joe's hole-in-the-wall Diner, I lasted only 3 hours)
-Waitress (The Pantry in Price, where tips are a foreign concept)
-Health-Nut Bartender (Lindburg Nutrition's juice bar)
-American Sign Language Interpreter (This is the only job I really tell people about)
...and the list goes on and on from there. But as I reflected on what my favorite job of all time was, the winner would definitely be:
-Karaoke Singer (Pizza Hut)
I know, I know, you're all very jealous. How in the world did I land such a sought-after position? Well, pull up a seat, friends, and I'll tell you my tale.
Pizza Hut was located in close enough proximity to my high school that my friends and I could hop into Holly's convertible orange bug, get in and out with an order of cheese sticks and back to school between the first and last bell. Pizza Hut was where the surfer boys ate lunch. Who, may I ask, wouldn't want a little eye candy during lunch? It was like a double bonus. Non-cafeteria food, Jake Nilges, and Aaron Ritenour. Sweet.
During one of these lunchtime expeditions, one of the gals in our pack noticed a flier advertising a karaoke contest on Friday night. Who, may I ask, wouldn't want to sing a little karaoke at Pizza Hut on a Friday night? We were THERE!
I know I was not the only contestant that first fateful Friday. I don't even remember if I won a free pizza. None of that mattered. What I do remember is that I started out easy, with a little "Crazy For You". The crowd went wild! I was in my element! I was doing what I was born to do, baby! I could NOT wait until next Friday.
I worked the crowd with "Let's Hear It For The Boy." After the winners were announced, the manager, Michael, asked me to sing a duet with him, "All Cried Out." (How could he have known that my friend and I practiced harmonizing that song in the school bathroom every chance we got? The dynamics in there were SO rad!) We rocked the house! They begged for more! He asked if I would be interested in singing a couple of nights during the week for a paltry sum. My people needed me! Money was no object. I could not say no.
So, for two glorious weeks, I took requests and sang for Chinese businessmen and senior citizens on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I was well on my way to becoming discovered and put on Broadway when the Pizza Hut High-Up-Muckity-Mucks decided to cut back and stop paying me my .27 cents/hour. My karaoke career came to a crashing halt.
But, oh, what a dream while it lasted!
