Tags

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when i was 23, a few years ago, an ancient mentor suggested that i begin to think about a real career; fine art being an impractical occupation unless one had the right 'connections'.

so i went to an 'automat', "horn and hardarts", where you could put a nickle in and get a cup of coffee and a donut and think. i made a list of all the jobs that people did in those days (about 30), and one by one i crossed them out for whatever reason.

finally, only one was left and that was architect.

since i had left school when i was thirteen to go 'on the road' and draw and paint my way around the country, which i did for ten years. i had no formal schooling at all since the eighth grade, so i enrolled in night highschool (four hours a day, five days a week. it was a full load of six subjects per semester}. by the way, during that time i worked as a manniken maker, a bicycle errand boy, a maitre d' hotel at a fancy eastside restaurant (martells, the same family restaurant in france which also produced the famous "martells" brandy.), as a draughtsman at 'accurate tool and die', accountant at the world famous 'tiffany's' on fifth ave. and fifty-seventh street. and finally a year and a half in the 'systems' dept. at 'continental can co.', a giant packaging corporation (and it was a 'suit and tie' sinecure i got because of the fact that my father's classmate at 'northwestern university was the vice-president in charge of 'personnel}.

i got "A+'s in most of my classes and eventually entered columbia university on a scholarship as a day student. i didn't achieve my aim to be an architect, but i did become an art director.

all of this was just to comply with isabel's tag, i wrote associatively, on this subject.

now here are the rules of izzy's tag:

So the rules will be the following:
-Name 5 jobs / professions what you would never ever do / practice with explanation
-Refer back to the person / ppl who tagged you
–Name 5 victims – also make a link to their blog!

izzy used five i would have chosen, but here goes…

i wouldn't be a toll-taker on the highway cooped up in a small box for eight hours, no matter what the benefits after 30 years (and the watch), or the government salary.

i couldn't be a garbage man and have my kids have to tell their friends that their father was a 'sanitary engineer'.

i tried working as an inhalation therapist at mt. sinnai hospital in new york city but i left after two weeks because i am 'squeamish' and when a ninety year old lady who couldn't speak even began to cry silent tears when i inserted her catheter, i cried too; and left.

i wouldn't teach college students because they mostly have nothing but contempt for anyone over 30.

i couldn't be a politician (even though i was elected to be president of the student body of grade school (last year of grade school… sixth grade)(and that was just because of the machinations of my older brother who was editor of the school paper and graduating to jr. high)
i couldn't be a politician because when i lie, my tongue burns worse than a true mexican plate of fiery enchiladas.

now i choose five people who i know would, if they cared to try, write either a witty tag response or at least an informative one… i guess this is how we get to know each other better. isn't that the reasson behind all these taggings?

they are:

lokutus prime
noahcounte
jilleebean
imtheoldmannow
culturesurfer

below… self-portrait as a dragon.

have fun my friends… really. it can be fun.