You know how every job has it's secrets. Those things they don't really want to tell you until after you start and they convince you that it's a great place to work with great people, the money is good and you're really invested. Then you learn everything else. Those dirty little secrets that you had started to suspect over the probation time but hadn't been sure of yet.
Okay so I'm being dramatic and most jobs don't have that. But as some of you know I've recently gone through a job change (as far as I know my new job isn't hiding any of these dirty little secrets but... I am still in training) and during this time I've also been taking up some side jobs, house sitting, cleaning, that kind of thing.
Just for fun I took incidents from different jobs I've done and threw them together for this blog. These are the stories that you wait a good five years or so to tell because it's just embarrassing but underneath that it's also pretty funny.
There was the time that I was house sitting and the owners told me I could park in the garage. Great! I've never parked in a garage before. Literally never. So I'm excited by this prospect. So my first full day at the house I get the garage opener and put it in my car, when I get back that day I open up the garage and proceed to pull in. Unforutnately I'm paying too much attention to where the dogs are running around my car and not as much attention to where other things are.
Don't panic, I didn't hit the dogs. I did however pull forward a bit, trying to get far enough in I'm out of the way of the garage door so I can close it when I hear a crunch. Immediately I throw the car in the park and jump out of the seat. Sure enough I caught the dog's bowl under my tire and cracked it pretty badly.
That was a fun note to write to the owner's. Hey um... I kind of, sort of, 100% ran over the dog's bowl. I can pay for it if you want.
Then there was the time when some friends were staying with me at this place I was watching. My friend got there and I offered to help her unload the car. So we headed out the front door and out of habit I pulled it shut behind me and... the door was locked. My keys were inside, along with my cell phone. Thankfully she still had her keys with her so we drove to our church, just a couple minutes away, and used the directory to call the son of the people we were house sitting for. He had a spare key and worked from home so he was was able to come let us in. Thank goodness!
How about the time I was cooking chicken on a gas stove and using a plastic spatula. I got distracted and leaned it against the frying pan while I dealt with something. Now remember- gas stove means open flame. Open flame and plastic spatula means I came back to a melted spatula. Another fun note to write. Aye, aye, aye!
At a job I was using this industrial stapler to put together boxes. It's operated by foot pedal and stands on three legs. As I was putting together these boxes it shifted and I didn't realize it. I folded a box and set it up to staple when I pressed the pedal down with my right foot it came down hard on my left foot. When I was stapling the stapler had shifted so it was over my foot and I hadn't paid attention. That one left a nice bruise the next day.
One time I babysat three kids who were a bit of terrors. I was trying to make dinner and the stove wouldn't work. In the meantime the kids flooded the fish tank, opened up a window, climbed outside then when I went to get them they ran away and came back in the front door. I was trying to control that when the little girl went and locked herself in her parents room where she wasn't supposed to be. I don't remember what else happened that night but in the end I didn't babysit for them again.
Every job has it's idiosyncrasies. From weird T.V. set ups that are super confusing to run, to internet that doesn't run properly. Gates that open but then close again automatically so you when you hit the button it opens again and you don't realize it to very beautiful but loud clocks that you finally stop so you can sleep then reset before you leave. Smoke detectors that go off with the steam from the shower and accidents that happen.
It's life, no way around it. The best thing you can do is laugh, shrug your shoulders, notify whoever is in charge and move on. It's frustrating at the time but later you'll have a great story to tell,or a post for your blog! Hopefully one that gives everyone a smile and a laugh.
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