MEMES - WHAT ARE THEY? WHAT JOBS HAVE YOU DONE & WHAT JOBS DO YOU WANT TO DO?

Many thanks to Melisa Wells, the author of "Remembering Ruby" for inspiring this blog post. I had no idea what a meme was when I first read her blog. I have since googled it, and I cannot find it at dictionary.com or Websters. However, I did find some insight into finding out what a meme is. One spot defined it as "any unit of cultural information". But that didn't seem to completely jive with what I had seen. So, onward I kept looking and basically found an explanation that went like this: In the context of blogging, a meme is a list of questions and answers that you may have seen somewhere and decide to answer for yourself. Then, someone else comes along and sees it on your blog and then decides to answer those questions themselves on their blog. So, in a way, the list becomes viral, mutating a bit as it propagates.

Now that I have an understanding of what I am doing, allow me to propagate this meme:

What jobs have you done in your life? What jobs would you like to do?

JOBS I HAVE HAD

BABYSITTER: This is the first job I remember having. I was a fun babysitter because I actually liked to do active things with the children I was watching. We would play hide and seek all throughout the house, run around outside playing tag. Later on, as the homework grew more and more, started looking forward to their bed time more so I could get my calculus done! The hardest thing I ever had to do while babysitting was asking for a raise. I remember my mom telling me that doing this would "build character" -- she liked saying that! So, up the block I marched to the Meerow's house to ask for $1.50 an hour. By the end of my babysitting career, I was waaaay up to $3.00 an hour.

MOTHER'S HELPER: Fire Island, NY. This is a bit of a misnomer as I was actually helping out the parents. I guess, since Mr. Fogel would stay in NJ and work during the week, I was really helping out Mrs. Fogel who stayed with the kids at their summer house on this beautiful stretch of real estate just off the Long Island shore. No cars allowed on Fire Island. I would watch primarily Maggie during the morning, taking her to the playground by the bay. Then, I would put her down for an afternoon nap and Mrs. Fogel would take her for several hours when I had free time. The family treated me like an older daughter. I was always included in their activities -- if the family went out to dinner or to the movies, I always was invited. I would get spending money during the week to spend on Maggi and me for treats. And I even think they gave me spending money for my free time. It was really nice. At night once in a while I would stay home with the kids, but most nights, I was free to hang out with my other mother's helper friends from all over the country. I usually worked for just over a month. At the end of that time, Mrs. Fogel would give me an envelope full of cash, usually $500 - $600. This was a really neat opportunity; I lucked out because the Fogel family that I worked for felt like my family. Other mother's helpers that I knew definitely were treated more like hired help and they were not as happy.

WAITRESS: I think I started working at the Park Ridge Diner during my junior year in High School. I can't remember exactly, but I remember my mom dropping me off and me running inside the diner to inquire about a job. They knew me well as my mom and I ate there regularly! I worked the weekend shift -- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. I would get off occasionally, but mostly I would meet up with friends after work. My station was, at first, "counter and deuces". This was the worst because it was a lot of people AND to go orders, but the checks were not big ringers. I really remember despising making any kind of ice cream ANYTHING. Scooping the ice cream, making the shakes...ANNOYING! To go orders really stunk. It was the first time I realized how much work went into the order PLUS you had to box it up. Then, the person would come to the end of the counter to pick it up and IF THEY TIPPED, they thought $1 was plenty! No fun. But the restaurant was clean, the food was good, and the owners were nice. Bonus points that it was in my home town where I knew everybody.

NORTHEAST REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER: This was my part time job while at Cornell University. The climate center (for the 12 northeastern states) is located there. I would pretty much send out data for those needing it. Typical inquiries came from lawyers who needed certified data about past weather data. People would call asking how much snow had fallen on a certain winter afternoon because they were being sued for not having their walk way shoveled. One summer, when I stayed up in Cornell, I had the pleasure of entering Caribou Maine's weather data since the 1800s into our archiving system. BORING. But it was some nice extra cash and it didn't look too bad on my resume when I graduated.

US MAIL CARRIER: This was sweaty. First, the background: my father, my uncle, and my cousin all work for the US Post Office. I checked in with the Post Master at my local post office one spring and asked about working as a "summer casual" (I think that was the term.) I don't think my dad working for the Bulk Mail Center hurt, but I can't say for sure. Before I knew it, I was off to Patterson NJ to get my Government Drivers License. I had to master driving an LLV -- Long Life Vehicle. These are those rectangular shaped cars the Postal employees drive that have no windows in the back and in which you sit on the wrong side of the car. To pass my test, I had to drive in reverse, weaving through cones without knocking any over using only mirrors! That wasn't so hard...there was a trick to it (can't remember now) and it ended up being easy. As the new, part timer, I got stuck with all the crappy routes in my home town: anything with hills, gates and dogs. It amazed me how many people left their dogs out roaming around, growling (it is understandable -- I was a stranger coming onto their territory) at me. I didn't have to deliver the mail to those locations, so I wouldn't if I felt threatened. Then they would call the Post Office and wonder where their mail was. DUH! I walked 8 - 12 miles a day and kept nice and trim during Cornell's off rowing season.

RETAIL ASSOCIATE for ABRAHAM & STRAUS (A&S) in PARAMUS NJ: This is the first job I had right out of college. I knew I would be moving down to TN to try out for the US National Rowing Team in the fall. So, I took this job knowing I would only be there for a few months. I liked to shop, it was a no-brainer. Plus, my family liked the discount I had. A little too much. Most annoying feature of this job: constantly having to remove clothes from the fitting rooms. Best feature: the employee discount 30%!

PERSONAL ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY OF TN at CHATTANOOGA: I can't remember the college professor's name, but at the time I was rowing down in Chattanooga. I was told if I worked for a non-profit organization, the Olympic Job Opportunitunities Program (OJOP) would match my salary. So, UTC came to my rescue and the business department had a lot of tasks for me to do. I did a lot of filing. I sat in and administered exams, making sure nobody cheated! And pretty much any other office clerkish kind of stuff balanced out my day of work. I finally figured how to get the copyier to do everything I needed -- sorting, colating, stapling... It was a boring job, but the matched funding from OJOP made my living expenses in TN bearable. I basically lived off of this, my savings (graduation cash from Grandma), and grants from the US Rowing.

WRCB - CHANNEL 3 CHATTANOOGA TN: This was my first paying TV job. I worked weekend mornings doing the Today Show Weather Updates. I worked out a deal where I got paid $125 for any day I was on TV. That was pretty good cash, especially since it was in a career I definitely knew I wanted to pursue... This part time job (again, I was rowing full time) would lead me to my first full time job in the business -- thanks Channel 3 WRCB! (Hello to Chief Meteorologist Paul Barys who is still working there!!)

WAFF - CHANNEL 48 HUNTSVILLE AL: When the rowing thing didn't work out, I paddled downstream on the Tennessee River to Huntsville, AL. This was my first full time job in the TV business. I worked weekends. This is where I will stop telling you what I got paid! I worked with a nice staff on the weather team: Chief Meteorologist Jay Prater and Morning Meteorologist Dan Schmidt. I worked the weekend shift and filled in on all shifts. This was my first experience with having to wear a pager. Anytime severe weather struck, we were on the air. We actually had permission and control to dump out of programming and do a breaking weather update (that WOULD NEVER HAPPEN IN A LARGER MARKET!) Weather is a big deal down there -- Huntsville had been devastated by tornadoes in '74 and again in '89, so the local meteorologists were given a lot of leverage. I knew how to go get the camera and set it up in the weather office. It was only a matter of picking up the phone and calling Master Control and telling them I needed to go on the air. Our team would go on the air for HOURS when a band of severe weather would blast through. Our viewing area stretched from the Mississippi to the Georgia state lines. We would tag team the live coverage. I learned so much on that job; it is where my interest in severe weather got sparked.

WGRZ TV - CHANNEL 2 BUFFALO NY: Onward to Buffalo! I was off to cut my teeth learning about Lake Effect Snow (LES.) This was, perhaps, one of my favorite places to work. Again, I worked the weekend shift and was the back up person for all shifts. I worked with Kevin O'Connell and Eric Wilson -- a really FUN team to work with. It was here where I really got to spread my wings and go LIVE sooooooooo many times. I love going on live shots. Every week, during the week, I was live somewhere covering an angle to the weather or just doing a community live shot. I even got to slide into a huge vat of jello for a local fundraiser, live on the air. Grape stomping, tobogganing, ice skating, swimming, anything -- nothing was impossible to do live at WGRZ in Buffalo. They were very proactive at making live TV fun and their behind the scenes folk are second to none. This is also where I met one of my best friends -- Sherry Burns. She is currently the Art Director for WGRZ. You should check our her blog.

WFXT - FOX 25 BOSTON MA: At this point in my career, I was feeling "If I have to work weekends for the rest of my life, I might as well be doing it in a larger market". Leaving Buffalo for Boston was difficult because I really liked what I was doing, but I was itching to move up the ladder. The fox station in Boston was only a few years old when I arrived. Subsequently, they were only doing one show a day. This was a far cry from the busy schedule I was used to in Buffalo. So, twice a week, I had my shot of delivering the weather live at a new time slot: 10pm. But what Boston lacked in TV appearances, it sure didn't in the kind of weather they had. I had a blast dealing with Nor'easters. Even a tropical storm or two took a swipe at us -- I got to go live, covering Floyd as it brushed by the Cape. Boston was a tricky weather market with it's rapid change in topography -- the flat Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket sticking way out in the ocean vs. the mountains just west of "495" diverting traffic around Boston to the west. Some say they engineered that road to coincide nicely with the rain / snow line. It was in Boston (admittedly, kind of bored with my job for lack of shows) where I started doing a LOT OF SCHOOL WEATHER VISITS. This culminated in an idea I had to do a monthly seminar called "WEATHER SCHOOL FOR TEACHERS". I was finding out that so many teachers had to teach weather units for their classes, but had no background in meteorology. So, with chief meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz, we created a book for our program that was held in our studios once a month. I was in charge of inviting area teachers. We had no problem filling up the seminars! I really enjoyed this -- I felt like we were really giving back to the community and the people who attended the seminars were smart and wanted to be there. Teachers ask THE BEST QUESTIONS. Since it was my 7th grade math teacher, Mr. Millard (who now teaches at Immaculate Heart Academy in Paramus NJ) who really inspired me to work hard in school, I felt so good to be helping teachers out when it came to weather. Good times.

WSI - WEATHER SERVICES INTERNATIONAL - BILLERICA MA: Now that I knew I could make it in a "top 10" market, broadcasting the weather, I really wanted, more than anything, to land a chief meteorologist position. These things are not easy to come by! So, I was faced with a decision -- stay on weekends in Boston (not bad, but not what I wanted) or make myself available for a "chief job" when one opened up. So, I took a job working for one of our weather vendors. WSI is a company that provides software and graphics to TV stations. It was my turn to work on the other side of the business. I handled forecasting duties for a lot of markets, including Canadian clients! It was fun. Plus, I got to keep my foot in the door for the broadcasting side of the business. At the time, WSI was handling the on air weather hits for Fox News Channel, so I made several appearances on there, too. Most importantly, it was a great job but I was not under a contract. So, if a chief meteorologist position came my way, I was free to take it. PERFECT.

WBRE TV CHANNEL 28 WILKES-BARRE PA: That chief job I had been holding out for came my way via the NBC affiliate in Wilkes-Barre PA. It was a step back in market size, but a step up in position. It gave me what I was craving -- the chance for me to hone my skills as a chief meteorologist -- managing a team of people. I had AWESOME HOURS! These are the EXACT OPPOSITE hours as what I have now -- literally! Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is very diverse -- no shortage of seasons there. 4 seasons is a "must have" item on my check list. I worked with Josh Hodel (who took my job when I left) and Vince Sweeney. We really had a fun time working together. The weather was extreme. At least once a year multiple places in the viewing area could be counted upon to get a 20"+ snowfall total. Plus, the Susquehanna River has the reputation for running high above its banks and that happened twice on my watch. It was a challenging job and one that I was proud to have.

WUSA TV 9 WASHINGTON DC: And now I am here! The morning shift is the last of my frontiers...while I had filled in on the shift before, I had never worked it full time. Mornings are a different animal. We know that people are busy and probably not sitting down and watching us. Instead, you are running around, brushing your teeth, packing lunches for the kids. It's no wonder that our team tells you the time and temp so often -- they don't do that at night! My weather hits are more frequent, but usually shorter in time. I have to find a way to deliver the weather constantly, in a way you will remember what I said, but not get boring with the repetitive nature of the broadcast. It is a challenge. And like Boston, living here in the DC area is diverse. We go quickly from coastal plain to the mountains within an hour. Just up where I live in Frederick, you can see the Appalachians. I like the weather here because we still get 4 seasons, even if winter is rather benign. The one thing I fear, as my body acclimates to the milder winters, is that I am becoming a weather wimp!

JOBS I WOULD LIKE TO DO:

AUCTIONEER! I have been saying this for a while, but there is an auction school out in Montana THAT I REALLY WANT TO ATTEND! The Western College of Auctioneering offers a 10 day class. I would love to become a certified auctioneer and someday have my own auction house. I enjoy going to auctions and learning about old stuff. Plus, I enjoy a good "sleeper" - - a deal that people don't realize is a great deal! Not being shy can't hurt.

INN KEEPER: I was pleasantly surprised by Ben when he mentioned in passing once that he wouldn't mind running an inn one day. This could be perfect as he likes to cook and is good with a budget. I just like to chat! But beyond that, I do enjoy home improvement. I don't mind cleaning and I dabble in design -- if only by watching "Divine Design with Candice Olsen"...but I can dream, right? Plus, with all the stuff I am acquiring at auctions, a big old inn would be the perfect repository.

LAMP SHADE MAKER: HA HA. But seriously -- I love making lamp shades! I met this artist from Woodstock NY named Holli at Brimfield (a big HUGE yard sale thing in MA) who makes custom lamp shades out of all kinds of products. I have since purchased multiple shades from her. Since I can't seem to pass up an old lighting fixture at auction, I have a nice collection of those. So, maybe, I'll turn them into amazing works of art (NOT)

Okay, I shared. Now it's your turn -- WHAT IS YOUR DREAM JOB? Leave me a comment and have a great weekend!