You Gotta Work It, Part Three

If you think reading about my past jobs is boring, try working them. I spent the first few days at my parents' home lounging around the pool and thinking about what type of work I should do. I knew I wanted to act, so the best option seemed to be waiting tables. That is, after all, what actors do for a living, isn't it?

I was hired at IHOP, but I had an interview at Chili's the next day. When the manager at Chili's asked me why I wanted to work for them, I replied, "So I don't have to work at IHOP."

Chili's Bar & Grill - Dallas, TX
As I mentioned yesterday, I began going by my middle name when I moved to Texas. So when my coworkers said things like, "Todd, you're order is up," I rarely even responded. It took a few weeks to get used to being called Todd. But Todd had a lot more fun than the old me. He went out to the clubs almost every night after work. He kissed boys. He didn't preach to anybody.

Why it Rocked: I had time to swim every day and always had cash in my pocket.

Why it Sucked: Living off tips, carrying trays of sizzling fajitas, and forcing myself to address customers as "y'all" because they didn't tip as well when I called them, "you guys".

The next short-term job I had was working for Target. You can read about that one here.

What did I learn from all these jobs? I learned never to give up. Never to quit. Even if you're bored, stick with it until you complete your task.

Yeah, right. I'm so bored with this list of jobs right now that I'm going to stop writing about them. So I never told you about the last nine jobs. So what.

That's right. I quit.

Wow, that feels good. There's nothing like the satisfaction of a job not done.