Question of the Day | 06/04/2008 12:00 am

What is the best job you've ever had?

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Way back at the dawn of time, I was a teacher’s aide at Head Start and loved it, loved it, loved it. I believe it was the first or second year of the program. As my kids grew older, I began to work what were considered “men’s jobs”. I worked as a coil fabricater in a large electrical shop, cooked on a crew and lightering boat in the Gulf of Mexico and that was the best paying job available to a lot of women who worked hard at the time. My last job was at a nuclear medicinr pharmacy in east Texas and my boss made that the most satisfacory job ever. In event, it made it possible to attend to my after hours job, traing my jumping horses, one at a time. I’ve been a horse show judge, announcer, jump designer, teacher of many little girls (horse crazy) and savior of four failed racehorses. when I die, if given the choice, I hope I meet up with my dogs, cat and horses. Surely that would be called heaven.

By Anne Hayes on 06/04/2008 6:14 pm

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Anne…at ‘the dawn of time’ ha! I had and showed horses too, love time ago. One foal given to was in the lines of Northern Dancer and kept her at Flag in Up Farms…owned by Monty Roberts, the original Horse Whisperer. Everyone came there from Christy Brinkley to the Queen of England…nice place…not far from Michael Jackson’s Never Never [wanna go there] Land. I’m a big animal lover too. Used to spend all the time at the barn riding and grooming my horse. Did you read Seabiscuit? One of my favorite books…read 6 times.

By To the beach ~~~ on 06/04/2008 10:25 pm

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Ann, I totally agree about the choice of the end. Only you may be flying over jumps there, I prefer to have the the hooves remain closer to the ground. Looks like you may have an advantage!

By Peggy Sue on 06/05/2008 5:46 am

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I was a former high school business education teacher who had to leave the profession when my husband entered the military service during the Viet Nam war. Though I loved teaching public school kids, my best job was teaching women who were over 30 and on welfare how to type and take shorthand. They were in my class because they wanted off the welfare rolls. This was in Honolulu and Trenton, NJ in 1969 via the Federal Manpower Program which I believe is no longer in existence. Too bad.

By Barbara Stirman on 06/04/2008 7:30 pm

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This really is a great site filled with very creative and talented people. This question helps fill in more information about many participants - thats cool! The teachers here are super. My favorite job has always been the arts - the mediums changes but the work is the same. Photography has provided the most recognition including a feature on the Oprah show where the whole show was 100 years in photography. They sent a crew to photograph me photography someone. Sort of funny like the Norman Rockwell image of him painting his self portrait. My latest medium is glass and I feel like I have fallen in love all over again. And I am combining photography with glass. A job that is forever fun!

By Peggy Sue on 06/04/2008 8:59 pm

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Peggy Sue—-Do you have a website with your work we can see? Is the avatar one of your pix? fabulous.

By To the beach ~~~ on 06/04/2008 10:27 pm

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Frenchy, I have enjoyed reading all these posts and particularly getting a glimpse into your life. Where in France will you be moving? Yes, I have several sites- k9prints.com - artistphoto.com and another that should be up totally in a couple weeks varietyinart.com. Love to continue reading your information. The image is of my gelding and one of my carrousel horses. And I too adore the avatar from Chef Zee.

By Peggy Sue on 06/05/2008 6:08 am

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Peggy Sue— Aix-en-Provence. My son is a US-French citizen went to HS in Aix, grad school in Paris and has lived in Europe since. Now that I know—love your avatar even more. Am a horse nut too and that is an absolutely genius image. Wonderful websites….Kelly Project…just super. Love it. Nice to be reminded that there’s people in the world like you..

By To the beach ~~~ on 06/05/2008 1:28 pm

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Great question! I have enjoyed reading all the varied and interesting answers. We are an interesting group, yes? 1.) Worked for 20 years in the Music Recording Industry, what they call a “Traffic Manager” at various recording studios in L.A. Highlight would be: working in 1985 on the “We Are the World” recording sessions. It was my function to coordinate all the recording time (which was donated) and, in general, keep the sessions moving: arrange for the piano tuning, instrumentation, technical and booking info for the staff, catering, and whatever else needed to be done. It was immensely rewarding, and I have always been proud to have been a part of it. 2.) Left the music “biz” to give all my time and attention to my two beautiful daughters. 3.) Began working at my husband’s company in admin, just to help out, and Lo and Behold: 18 years later we are still working together, side by side. We own a wholesale tropical plant nursery in Los Angeles. I, too, tell people that I get special perks because I am “sleeping with the boss”.

By Peg O my heart on 06/04/2008 9:36 pm

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I worked in rock n roll …. I was a production secretary. That was a long time ago … way before autism … it was in the 80’s early 90’s … can’t say that I did not have some good times … I was young working part time for production companies …. I had two little ones at home and would never be gone longer than 2 days … and I worked .. it was all about time and travel management … everything had to flow …. making everything flow was a way better feeling that hangin’ with “the band”!. “Hangin’ with the Band” was a perk sometimes … not always .. but once in awhile it was a joy! :)

By Liza D 08 .... beta on 06/04/2008 10:17 pm

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Peg O My Heart…music, tropical plant nursery, sleeping with the boss, daughters…!! You do have the perfect life. I had a client who is the top surgeon at Stanford (darling man and his wife too) and he has a Palm Tree Farm….the entrance to Stanford is a mile lined with gorgeous Canary Island palms….walked that steet so many times…always loved to see palm trees so elegant and whimsical. Lucky you! My friends son-in-law is very well known rock start and couldn’t be a nicer, more down to earth man, very good husband to her daughter…and such hard work always traveling all over Europe and Asia etc for shows. Sounds glamorous until you listen to them….lots of work. I can see why ticket prices are so high.

By To the beach ~~~ on 06/05/2008 2:31 pm

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Frenchy - Yeah, no complaints here! I have loved my work. The recording industry was so great in those days - VERY different than what it is now. I met many people and it was never boring. Once my girls were old enough to understand the type of job I had held, they chided me for leaving such a “Cool Career” - they said I should have stayed! But I have never regretted it. In 2006 I had a reunion in my home for all the people I had worked with at one particular studio from 1980 to 1986 - over 50 people were here, and it was such a blast. All the studio staff, independent audio engineers, letters from artists who had recorded there, etc. One woman came all the way from Kenya, East Africa to attend!! So, the ties are never broken and I cherish the people mostly. Now, tropical plants aren’t as exciting as recording artists but they sure can be exotic and they have no ego! I have to roam around the greenhouse at least once a day - get out of the office and remind myself what it is I do - plants are very calming and they are good for our earthly atmosphere.

By Peg O my heart on 06/05/2008 8:34 pm

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My best job was raising my three children into amazing adults. I love them more than life itself and have not regretted one moment of being a stay at home mom.

By Pink Peony on 06/04/2008 10:33 pm