I never had a fantasy career as a kid. No dreams of being a ballplayer, an astronaut, Indiana Jones or anything. I was simply curious and wanted to explore. Others have specific goals or later find a path that drives them onward and upward.
My ‘natural path’ isn’t anything close to a straight line. Cocksure freshmen proudly ruin the “not all who wander are lost” line, but a few really do walk the wander. We’re not all reprobates or vagabonds, but ‘we’ do lack a distinct focus, particularly in our professional lives.
(Work always in progress.)
The circuitous route itself is the main attraction in my existence, other than yours truly behind the wheel. I’ve further fortified this open spectrum with my Never-Married; No Kids status. I have no anchor.
(And that’s kinda the point. (For now.))
Life takes all sorts.
Off the bat, my wayward nature eagerly revealed itself to the world. Mom even had a special leash to try to control my manic energy. No, it wasn’t studded, nor did it go around my neck. I had maybe six feet of slack, but it was firmly strapped to my wrist. To keep me in check. (Just in case!)
(I wasn’t running away from her! I just chased whatever shiny curiosity caught my fancy at that particular moment. Which was everything. At all times. (Some things never change.))
This directly contrasts with my brother, who inherited Dad’s (slightly) autistic concentration. Birth Order Theory is crystallized in us. Six-years older and my only sibling, I consider him a half-parent, responsible for me for much of our latchkey youth. We‘re a revealing demonstration of the Character Coin’s opposing sides.
Remarkably similar, with nearly identical intellectual and physical abilities, we possess (about!) the same amount of ‘energy’ inside us. But we have fundamentally different personalities, interests, and ways of projecting our voltage.
His beams out as a laser. Focused, driven, precise. Measured.
I’m a shotgun. BOOMING, widespread, indiscriminate. Scattered.
I’m legitimately envious of Colin’s clear, ‘I knew it the whole time’ type of drive. He’s been a computer programmer for 25+ years, starting in high school. At the same time, he honed in on his girlfriend, now wife, and they’re still happily together with three boys.
I counter with my 12-gauge. It’s been a blast, but Evan does not sit still well. He frequently needs to be pulled into sense.
(The position’s open and I’m taking applications. Lithe females preferred.)
On our flip-side, I was teaching English in South Korea on a near-whim six months after Indiana University. I went on to teach in Asia for 12 years, succeeding in reaching the closest thing I ever had to a ‘goal,’ to see and experience as much of the world as I could. I’ve explored six continents and lived in 3.5 of ‘em. (Two years in Singapore’s that middle dot.)
It’s been a helluva ride. I’ve been to around 40 countries, but I’ve also broken around 40 bones and was in a coma for a spell. (Hey! I play hard.)
I returned to America in 2022 as the managing editor of the Peru Tribune in Peru, Indiana. For my cherry-description on top, I interviewed the presiding judge and mayor during the trial of Richard Allen, the (now)-convicted murderer of two teen girls in northern Indiana. I resigned after ten months, when the stress riled my medical issues. The paper shuttered soon after I left.
(I deeply regret my inability to keep that together.)
After months of full-time unemployment last year, I became a plasma center phlebotomist.
(Damn! That was a quick segue, wasn’t it? See also: shotgun.)
My needlework was praised and I actually enjoyed the job, but medical factory-work didn’t suit me, sadly. Blood was involved, but not as bad as you think.
(Think ‘spills,’ not ‘stabbings.’)
(I did try to bribe a dude so he wouldn’t waste his day, nor rat me out. (He did.))
Twice-fired, I got the hint and moved on.
Five months in, I’ve now got a stable gig at Walmart, picking up orders for online customers. It’s delightfully menial for the most part, but there’s always something more if you look hard enough. (Something Iron about that ‘round these parts, eh?)
Sensing purpose behind the squints and spurts, I take notes of daily observations, collecting the little moments and interactions that make each day pop. The characters and setting are worth exploration. There’s far too much to simply ignore.
——————————
“I LOVE MY JOB!” Leonard roars, starting his near-hymn as he journeys through the morning’s empty aisles. Moving along, his cadence and repetition help you pinpoint his location. His work-song boom and voice resonates through the entire floor plan. Unmistakable.
Missing most of his teeth and clearly not all ‘there,’ he’s an enchanting character. He works hard and goes out of his way, to the best of his ability, to help shoppers with their day.
I cannot overemphasize how goddamn happy he is. (Or seems.) His song carries out as he pushes his laden cart through:
“Walk on water just like Jesus could!
Walk on water cuz you know that he would…”
The daily chants are semi-improvised, but he frequently adds that bit. His motivational voice adds immediacy to it all. There’s much behind his traumatic volcano, and I’d love to know more, but I haven’t had the time nor opportunity to dive in. (Yet?)
And now, formally introducing the Official Mascot at my Walmart, I’ll let Leonard from Home & Garden, the definition of A Character, show you the way to the comments:
——————————-
—————————————————–
A springboard for chat, I hope this could be an ‘easy’ submission for folk to share thoughts on their career paths, struggles and accomplishments. Our crew is replete with interesting folk in slices of life I know little of. I’d love to learn more about ‘em all.)
[My computer crashed a while back, costing me nearly all of my pics from my decade+ abroad. A crystal lesson in Stoicism, that. These are from Tokyo and Hanoi to add color.]
—————————————————–
Tick… Tick…
Buum.
I thought it was click, click, boom
Not Adahn:
The Tick did get blown up several times, but thankfully, he’s nigh indestructible.
Wasn’t that how he got the job as a superhero for the big city, blowing himself up?
Timeloose:
Depends on which version. For the animated series, at the Reno Superhero Institute, during the tryouts, he subjected himself to the deadliest engine of destruction that 1974 had to offer!
Which hit him with a small hammer before dropping a bomb on his head.
I was the animated series fan. I never read the comics.
Kani Doraku: Japan’s Iconic Crab Restaurant with the Giant Moving Sign
https://japan-food.guide/en/articles/Kani-Doraku-Japans-Iconic-Crab-Restaurant-with-the-Giant-Moving-Sign
It’s even weirder in person.
Crab juice, or Mountain Dew?
Eeew, give me a crab juice.
I love how Asian restaurants frequently have an animal chef mascot on their signs, preparing the place’s specialty.
So a pork spot will have a chef pig happily cutting up other hogs to serve. Bad example in my quick search, cuz no chef, but damn. isn’t it oddly creepy for a pig to be cheerfully hankering for pork? https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a875c0_98d6fe11620c46e0b1f0d7a766eeca9d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_2500,h_1330,al_c/a875c0_98d6fe11620c46e0b1f0d7a766eeca9d~mv2.png
See also: Delicious.
I see no shotguns with lasers.
I knew that title was going to disappoint a few of you.
“Professional Shotgun”
I assume this means the Benelli M4.
The Beretta 1301 has some advantages over the M4.
I often feel like an Evan trapped in and Evan’s Brother’s life. I’m often restless and I find my chosen career not very fulfilling, but it did pay for us to raise 3 kids. When I was younger I really wanted be a doctor, then I got to high school and the advance biology class had the corpse of a small pig out in the hall, cut open so the students could take some kind of test, and I decided that wasn’t the life for me. I also wanted very much to be a visual artist, but never found career options that would pay the bills.
I remind myself there is no “right” path for a person, just a series of decisions and their consequences.
I know very few people who knew what they wanted to do their entire life and followed through with it. One is my nephew the pilot. He had a pilot’s license before his driver’s license, went to Purdue, and is now a very young-looking but very skilled pilot for a small airline in the southwest.
I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
I’m still not sold on this whole “growing up” business. I suspect it’s a trap. 🤨
It is helpful to remember that because you do something now, you don’t have to do it forever. I used to play guitar pretty consistently, then life got in the way, and I used to feel guilty about that. But now I just say, “I used to play guitar then, now I do other things.” The same can be said about a person’s career.
Hey! That’s my line!
Yep. A project manager because at least there is a lot of variety and change to it. Just grinding away at focussed role would drive me more nuts.
“I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”
If.
For better or for worse, I was actively discouraged from pursuing at least one of the creative careers I was interested in when I was young. I narrowly escaped becoming a teacher and found that office work would not consume my life, allowing me to be creative for fun, if not for profit.
I like it here, I think Ill stay. All that running around seems tiring.
Never stop Evan
Thanks, and I believe I shall. It’s so odd. I’m in a stellar holdover spot, but I’m also in the middle of re-entering my career Stateside. It’s an interesting adventure, and I’ll see where I go.
When ya come to a fork in the road, take the spoon.
*fist bump*
I got laid off in 2007 and spent six months unemployed before the State hired me. With a lack of other job offers, I took the job.
I haven’t found a real job in the seventeen years since.
I got into air conditioning because those guys never got dirty and they looked great in those blue uniforms.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Yes – HVAC systems are never in dirty, cramped and dark areas!
I did some work on my attic air handler thermostat wiring last summer. I made sure that it was done by 8am. Working up there in the summer is brutal.
That was my reaction when I looked up a plumbing service online and their website had stock photos of immaculately groomed men in perfectly clean uniforms, happily turning a wrench on a spic-and-span pipe.
If you’re going into the trades, mechanical is definitely where its at. We end up knowing the other trades as well because we use them all. Plumber, welder, electrician, etc.
HVAC is the profession where you are guaranteed to be working in dead summer in a building with no ac, and mid-winter in a building with no heat, almost always in a space with no ventilation.
I’m now in the habit of telling people I’m padding my obituary. About a year ago decided I didn’t want it to be one of those “He worked at the same job for his whole life, liked a sports team, and had a hobby” obituaries. Looking back, I did a good job of making it interesting, and I’m open to adding more crazy stuff to it. Despite the unfulfilling job.
“We’re not sure what he did.”
“He worked at the same job for his whole life, liked a sports team, and had a hobby”
If you reject the notion that fulfillment comes from your job and instead focus on the rest of your life, then there is nothing wrong with working one job your whole life. Assuming you actually did something with the other parts of your life.
A quote I like from some commie folk singer you’ve never heard of:
“Our life is more than our work. Our work is more than our jobs.”
You can live to work
Or only work to live
–Push and Shove – Hepcat [Jump to 1:00 for the lyrics if you need to]
I thought Commies were all in on “your life is to work for the State.”
I was at an art show one time and a guy asked me, “What do you do?” I started telling him about my job, and he say, “We all have a job. What do you DO?” That stuck with me.
“If you weren’t listening, I’m not repeating myself.”
This resembles my thoughts. Though I’ve enjoyed most of my gigs, I’ve always looked at work as ‘the shit you do to afford play.’
“If I want to have an obituary, I’ll need to write and submit it.” <– This is an active thought of mine.
Talked to my Vocational Rehab dude today. We have to go over all my work history and chatting about what I've done and the places I've been. Cool dude. Would chill with. (Kinda am.)
I want to document it so folk know there's so much more than what they see. Dad's encouraged me to do so. Hrm.
If I want to have an obituary, I’ll need to write and submit it.
Work is simply to provide for me and my family. I don’t wrap my identity (despite my screenname) around it. Only thing that would have done that would have been Soldering more. That kind of pulls you in, all the way.
I’d rather do it your way….keep it interesting.
The Soldering thing really makes sense. Strong bonds, permanence, connectivity, etc.
I have had three careers: one in books, one in logistics, one as a technician. All of those paths have had various positions and titles, covering everything from loading trucks to used book buyer, inspector for the PUC to national account manager. In other words, I have never stuck to one thing, and jumped around far too often to ever be considered an expert in any given field.
My hobbies have always stayed the same though, reading and doing things with tools.
Lithe
👍
Underutilized these days.
See: Nancy Callahan (at least the movie version).
I was 14 for Sin City. Jessica Alba in that is profound. Top of my list.
Important: She and I share April 28 birthdays. Oh, baby. That’s my In. *SWISH*
(Jay Leno can drive us to our private sex dungeon. Saddam Hussein’s in hell, watching Mussolini’s execution on constant repeat, somberly trying to wank to it. I’m also responsible for OSHA, so mixed bag.)
So few opportunities to do so.
The word “limber” doesn’t get enough use either.
Lissome.
Svelte.
*beams*
That’s my favorite line. Got a big laugh from my dear friend Shayan, who should come up as a new author in the next monthly book submission.
I was somewhat envious of one of my best friends, he knew he was going to be an MD from an early age. Entered college after 11th grade and got into med school 3 years later. I, on the other hand wandered around a bit, but not to the extent of Evan. Changed majors after 2 years of college, but that didn’t set me back. Changing advisors after 2 years of graduate school did, but it was still a good decision. Settled down after that, had a good job/career for 30 years.
That happens. One of my art teachers had a son who played football in high school, and after that had no idea what to do with his life. About 5 years later he decided to become a lawyer. The stress nearly killed him, but now he’s a personal injury lawyer and his mug is all over billboards in my area.
Sensing purpose behind the squints and spurts, I take notes of daily observations, collecting the little moments and interactions that make each day pop. The characters and setting are worth exploration. There’s far too much to simply ignore.
I probably need to do that. My job is fully remote and mostly consists of rote bean-counting and button-pushing with occasional boilerplate phone calls. I’ve been burned out with it for a long time, but try to focus on the fact that it’s decent pay and benefits considering how easy it is and doesn’t demand tons of overtime that interferes with other areas of life (a big problem with previous jobs). This may not be a good strategy, but I’ve gotten pretty good at just “zoning out” while I work and not thinking about it too much. If I dwell on it for too long, I get in a really bad mood.
I’ve struggled with choosing a direction and sticking with it my whole life. I took auto mechanics classes in high school, didn’t like it and worked in a factory, flirted with joining the military for a while, attempted to get good at writing, took a few classes and got into some weird niche of pharmacy insurance where I am now. And now I’m studying to get into some data science/analytics role (hoping that companies don’t attempt to fill all those jobs with AI instead of humans).
I get a little down on myself sometimes and think my life is a dud because I haven’t “done” anything but work boring dead-end jobs. I try to look on the positive side – own a house, have at least some savings sitting in a 401k, never racked up a criminal record, and got decent at a couple hobbies.
Perfectly decent life, Akira.
I expected to be in jail or dead by 40 – it’s a family tradition. I somehow escaped both (so far). And I was a better father to my kids than mine was to me.
It is. I try to keep it in perspective. There’s that stuff I listed, and then just the fact that I hit the gestational lottery by being born in the US. We all know it’s far from perfect, but I’ve never wished I was born somewhere else instead.
I’ve been monitoring my own thoughts/feelings a lot lately – as though I’m an external observer with mind-reading abilities – and yea, it’s just a weird trick our brain plays on us: Ignoring all the positive things and zeroing in on the negative.
Wow. And “hrm.” Your path seems to be consistently upward. Well done, mate. (I’m sure it feels worse. Think from 30k feet, indeed.)
Calls for content were made, and as for your foray in writing, I’d like to read your thoughts on how your route went, became, etc.
I’ve never thought of military, but I’m excited to share my dipped toe in factory work and how my Walmart gig actually functions. It’s absolutely fascinating, on multiple levels. Hrm.
Maybe I’ll write something about my attempts at writing. I’ve had to face up to the fact that I’m not really emotionally “normal” and might live somewhere on the spectrum, which could be why I struggled to come up with interesting characters who have interesting relationships with each other. I got really excited when I read H.P. Lovecraft for the first time because I thought that might be a type of writing that I’m better at – that, or something like Poe’s “ratiocination” stories.
I’ve heard so many military veterans tell me that they considered it a bum deal and regret ever enlisting. I try to remember that maybe I’m just not suited for it and it was better to pass it by, but other days it bugs me. But I’m trying to do a lot more long-ish distance cycling, hiking, and camping, so maybe that will scratch the itch to do something rough and tough.
My dad’s personal card reads “Master of None”.
Very American Splendor, Evan.
So sorry about the photos. 😢
Wow, massive compliment, in its own way. Thank you!
The Photo Cull’s damage hasn’t hit me yet. Oh, but fuck yes, it will. I’m collecting my FB pics and Kylie, the saint-GF with me in Korea and in Thailand during The Incident, just sent me what she’s got.
If I don’t have pics, at least have stories. <– A big part of me wanting to write everything down.
(A wanderer's version of 'Not handsome? Be handy.')
@Akira
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSdl5hjG7-E
I’m more like your brother in some ways and you in others. I wanted to be an engineer since I was a kid. As I get older I found myself going from a position doing deeply focused work to working on broadly defined product development and marketing. Managing people, changing industries, being a individual contributor, and back again multiple times. Every 5 years I get bored and change the focus. Along the way I gained a lot of skills, training, experience, and interests.
Now as I’m circling the bowl and looking at the last few years ahead in my career I have no real regrets other than not buying $1K of bitcoin when I first heard about it.
Sure, why not?
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump stressed there will be no U.S. boots on the ground but said he is open to providing American military air support to any European military forces stationed in Ukraine.
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/19/ukraine-security-guarantees-trump-rubio-air-power
What could possibly go wrong?
Russia has to worry about that too.
No.
The dealership wanted to charge me $660 to replace the spark plugs on my 2018 Tacoma. Am I getting fucked, or am I getting *proper* fucked?
“There will also be a $10/mo license fee per spark plug, or they’ll deactivate”
UCS gets it.
If it’s like our Highlander, there’s a lot of disassembly required to get to one row of plugs. It’s a V6 engine. The front row is easy to work on. The back row required removal of a whole bunch of stuff: hoses, windshield wipers and God knows what else. So if yours is similar, that’s probably within reason.
There is some stuff that needs to be removed on the driver’s side, but nothing that would take more than an hour or require any special tools beyond a universal joint extension (which I have).
You can check Kelly Blue Book. https://www.kbb.com/toyota/tacoma-double-cab/2018/spark-plug-replacement/
KBB says that the parts will run $175-200. That’s twice what OEM plugs would cost me buying them through the dealer. They’re fully in the ‘not to be trusted’ category.
One of my car YouTube channels is an independent Toyota mechanic. On a the new motors he goes through why the labor charge is so high. Looks like only thing needed is plugs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBOTDhUUy90
Search his channel for the motor that’s in that and he might have a video about what’s involved. It could easily be two plus hours of labor plus plugs and gaskets for stuff you have to remove. Or you could be getting robbed.
$500ish in labor to change the spark plugs on my 2006 350Z. The have to drop the exhaust manifold on both sides to remove and replace the plugs.
Grok puts that into dealership average band.
So proper fucked, and the dealers have been getting away with it for a while…
That’s why I usually avoid the dealer.
You MIGHT get a better quote from an independent. For a 2018 you should definitely find a TRUSTWORTHY* non-dealer source to do the work. And independents are not necessarily always cheaper than a dealer.
*find somebody who is an independent, not part of a chain and use them for easy work first to see if they can be trusted.
That is legit. Nothing is easy to replace anymore.
Speaking of mechanics, my wife informs me the oil life indicator is still at like 10% and the window sticker says to change the oil 2k miles ago.
Despite the fact I paid for an oil change last week.
Did he forget to reset the oil life indicator (which he has failed to do before) _and_ neglect to put a new sticker on? Or did he flat-out forget to do the oil change he charged me for?
I’m assuming a peek at the dipstick should tell me either way – fingers crossed for topped off and and light brown.
That’s either a ripoff, or that engine is designed in a stupid way that necessitates taking a bunch of BS apart.
Do you like your Tacoma? I’ve decided that my next vehicle should be a SMALL truck since I’m hauling so much plywood and other home improvement supplies these days. I’ve heard Toyota trucks last forever with some basic maintenance (they’re ISIS approved, after all). If I can find a regular cab version, that might be it. I just don’t want one of those gigantic trucks that hang out of every parking spot and require a ladder to get into.
Leonard looks like Tingle from Zelda to me.
https://zelda.fandom.com/wiki/Tingle
Sorry I’m late. Busy day. Also ill with flu that has a lot of painful muscle symptoms.
Kinky.
I just had 2 xrays done, in and out in 10 minutes. I paid cash, 100$
Pretty cheap imo
But did they change your spark plugs?
Nah, but they checked the thermostat.
Also negative.
Hopefully they came back negative, unless they were xrays of your head.
might have a video about what’s involved.
Once you get the cab off it’s a piece of cake.
Ever hear the term ‘horse trader’? They haven’t changed one bit since they switched to mechanical horses. Asking if you are getting screwed when dealing with one..the answer is always ‘Yes’, it is just a matter of how badly as ES notes.
drop the exhaust manifold on both sides to remove and replace the plugs.
“It’s not like I’ll ever have to work on it.”
“It’s not like I’ll ever have to work on it.”
It’s a small sports car with a V6 crammed under the hood. The engine uses every cubic inch of available space.
I have to take the car to the dealer to get the battery replaced. They have to start stripping off various plastic shields before they can get to the battery.
https://downstarinc.com/products/2003-2008-nissan-350z-billet-dress-up-hardware-kit
I’m not even sure how they get to the exhaust manifolds.
It’s good to travel and have exotic experiences. I’ve pretty much had my fill of that. I think PT Barnum might be the only person who got to read and enjoy their own obituary.
Some people go from being shotguns to being lasers or vice versa. I feel like I’ve been a laser on half a dozen things at different times.
Agreed. My sincere take: My time in these United States *is* my current, exotic adventure. (How isn’t it?)
Ongoing and without a preset destination, it’s just a different location and flavor than the ones before it. Life’s inherently fascinating.
(As long as you’re well-fed.)
I wrote my mom’s eulogy and obituary when we thought she was dying. I asked her if she wanted to hear it, and she said yes. I got through and she said, “That’s better than I deserve.”
DOOOOOOM
If approved, New York will not be able to create mandates for zero-emissions cars, such as electric vehicles, and to phase out the sale of new gas cars by 2035.
Car manufacturers would be able to produce vehicles that can release greenhouse gasses without any limits. As part of the EPA’s overhaul in policy, it is scrapping its car emissions standards on greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide. The current standards set to go into effect for 2026 reduces carbon dioxide emissions to 186 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, about the weight of one cup of sugar pumped right into the atmosphere for every mile. The 2032 standard would reduce the carbon dioxide limit by about half, or the equivalent of 20 packets of sugar per mile.
How much is that in washing machines full of rope?
I remember smog. The EPA was a good thing. For a while.
Then it became destructive when people saw how to use it as a bludgeon against the peasantry.
Sugar weight?
DA FUQ?
The EPA was a good thing. For a while.
Instead of trying to achieve absurd new marginal changes they should just declare victory.
Thanks, Evan, I got here late.
If you can’t laugh while you’re working it’s time to change jobs.
Not all the time, of course or when the boss is watching.
Thanks! Folk at work were bitching about how we can’t have headphones anymore, and I remained silent, but I’m proud I never even thought of wearing ’em there. I have access to any podcast or album at any time, but that moment in the aisles is Right Now, and it’s never coming back. It’s far too entertaining.
Also: Uh. There’s fucking *talent* walking through those aisles. I be lookin’. Live entertainment, always a plus.
I hate ‘my’ generation for raising their kids to only live in tightly-sealed bubbles.