August 08, 2001
Earn big bucks being Gumby
Having watched Night of the Hunter again last night, I dreamed about Robert Mitchum, of course. I think I was interviewing to be his personal assistant.
I also started my new job, but it was incredibly frustrating. I would always be given little thirty-minute tasks without having the big picture explained to me. I never knew how my contributions would help at all. I was told how to work different software programs when I already knew how, thus wasting a lot of time.
I got the pay sheet from the city. They had all of the benefits and their estimated values spelled out in a column. I learned that a person could earn $90k a year wearing a Gumby outfit and it was classified as Office Assistant IV. Child care was optional, but also took $9000 out of your payroll checks.
Kathleen told me that she couldn't take off the Friday before Labor Day because she felt guilty, "it being a holiday and all." I told her that was fine; I'd just leave work at noon on Friday instead of at night.
I was back in my high school, taking pictures on the last day with Luke. He disappeared into a gumball machine, and I had to talk through speakers to him. I told him I was sorry he had to put up with me in kindergarten. He said it was fine. Then I ended up taking the littlest kid from Malcolm in the Middle and a few others out to dinner. At the end of one of the tales told, he added "because he's dead." I laughed and told him he should add that at the end of every story. They weren't my kids, after all.