July 29, 2004

• Porn.
• Alright, that's the peanut gallery heard from. Any serious suggestions?
• Yep. Here you go.
• Thanks. I think I'll go to bed now.
• What was it about your other jobs (schools/children/training/real estate, etc.) that didn't work out?
• I lied. The other gigs were all sort of ATTEMPTS. At this point, I feel like I'm ready to commit to a serious gig. Specifics? Real estate bored me. Working with kids was spectacular but required more diligence on my behalf to gain a sheepskin. Personal training is a nice gig, but it requires a great deal of being a salesman; which I'm none too good at. Maybe I should look into teaching?
• Oh and I lied about going to sleep. I'm exhausted, but I'm too upset to knock out just right now; as evidenced by my somewhat pathetic ramblings here. This may need to be shot in the head before it gets ugly.
• I decided long ago to be a teacher, and I love every second of it. (Well, maybe not the essay grading so much.) Maybe it's something to look into? I make 2k/mo (Wisconsin, w/ master's), and while my schedule isn't exactly regular (and there isn't much potential for growth in the traditional sense of career arc), I can't imagine a more excellent feeling at the end of a work day than the one I have. I've been where you're at. I know how much it sucks. Good luck and keep yer head up.
• Oh, funnee, funnee! Low bastards.
• Upthread, I mean.
• Teaching would be great if you have inclinations in that direction. Are they any jobs for teacher's aides available? After school programs? Child care gigs? None of those usually require a degree, and you could get classroom experience while you decide if you're ready to commit to a certificate program.
• Scartol, is that take-home pay? I think starting pay in California for teachers is close to 34K/year.
• forks: sorry to hear about the job. I am going to suggest two vague ideas that I probably wouldn't appreciate if I were in the same situation... first, is there any chance that you can, in the medium term, firm up your education? Can you use your prior courses as partial credit toward a relatively quick diploma, or whatever, that will get you some "paper"? I hate speaking like a recruiter, but there is value in having completed education to put on your resume. Perhaps your resume reads like that of a person who has done too many things and can't commit to one. I know, god forbid life isn't a nicely bundled package. Second, as someone who can't imagine living where you do - can you reduce your cost of living by going somewhere else?
• Recomendations for this right moment: 1. Jaywalk a little to clear up your mind. 2. Take a rest 3. Tomorrow you will think more clearly about it a read again this thread. you might find something quite useful then.
• Point taken. I'm going to turn off the demon machine and try not to freak out. Keep em coming folks. Anything and everything is considered. I'm pretty low right now.
• Cheer up mate, I too know the stress of being jobless. It's a particularly bad feeling to not know how you'll get your next meal (I subsisted for a week off of dimes found in couches). But tomorrow you'll feel better, get your head screwed back on, and find a better job than waiting tables. Although with your fantastic taste in music, I'd recommend checking out the music industry. I just got done doing a gig as a recording artist - pay was decent, work was fun, and I got to be surrounded by music all the time (and fancy equipment -- oooh).
• Forksy: In the meantime, consider substitute teaching. In some states you actually need a degree (like CA, where I started my teaching career as a sub), but here in FL all that's required are 60 credit hours completed. I don't know what the deal is in NY. It sure seems like there are a lot of teachers posting on this thread. I'm sure that if you have an interest in that area, you could certainly ask any of us questions via email (not to volunteer scartol and cali or anything, but I have a feeling they'd be as happy to answer questions as I).
• Cali: My first full-time teaching gig (I had subbed/worked at private schools for my first year out of college) was in CA (specifically, the Grossmont Union HS District in San Diego's East County). A new teacher without a master's (I did my degree in FL) earned $28,000/year. This was in '97 though, so it may have gone up since. In FL, I made something like $32,000 in Miami-Dade County when I started 5 years ago, and it hasn't gone up appreciably since then. Still haven't taken a serious whack at a master's, which doesn't help. I had resolved to go back this coming year, was offered sweet assistantships at a couple of universities, and then went and got separated from my wife which put an end to that. Ah, well. Sorry about the derail into my woes... I now return you to Forksy's woes! ;)
• Not to sound snarky, but isn't NYC a little exhorbitant to hang onto for someone that's underemployed?
• I'm with Outrigger--get the paper. Finish up your schooling and do what needs to be done. Ain't got no R-E-S-P-C-T without a degree in this world. Meanwhile, this is a time for taking stock and asking questions. Ask yourself: What do you love to do? In the ideal world, what would you do happily for the next thirty years?--Even if the pay would just barely keep the wolves at bay. Do you want to stay in NYC or move? Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 25 years? You're obviously the kind of person that can find a job when you need it, so all you have to do is figure out what you want to be when you grow up, and then go do it. Maybe you're really not ready for that. Are you trying to settle down, but are not a settling down type yet? Have you thought about traveling--either around the US or overseas--and trying different things? There's tons of off-the-wall things you could do. Join a fire crew and fight forest fires, be a sheepherder for a summer, get a job in a book bindery or a newspaper, make cheese, work in a zoo or a greenhouse, shelf books in a library, or do commercial fishing, work on an oil rig. (somebody else help me out with different, unusual jobs) What about the Peace Corps or something along that line? Have you ever done any vocational interest testing? If not, that might be a way to get some ideas. Another friend of mine had what he called his mid-life crisis a couple years ago--I called it his GET A LIFE crisis. He went through six months of misery dithering around until he decided to get serious and make a job out of figuring out what he wanted from life. Every day, he made a point of researching unusual occupations at the library during his lunch. He made a note of what the average salary was, and then threw that note into a paper bag and forgot about it. All his other information was taped onto the walls of his living room. Anything he thought he'd hate went on the south wall, anything he liked on the north, and anything he thought he was indifferent to or neutral about went on the west wall. On the east wall, he put up pictures of places he thought might be interested in living in, as well as a list of the things he enjoyed about here and his home town. In the kitchen was piece of posterboard with pictures of things he liked to do for recreation, as well as a big 3'x4' art pad where he'd brainstorm. He made TONS of lists, but a lot of the stuff he pasted on his walls were simply pictures cut from magazines--he was an intensely visual guy. When he narrowed his choice down to one of three jobs that he thought he could stick with for the rest of his life, he shook out his paper bag and compared the average wages. Turned out, he decided he prefered the job with the lowest average wage of the three. He couldn't actually say at first what he absolutely wanted, but he knew when he didn't want, so he spent lots of time picking through choices for the better of the two. Anyway, it worked. He left Idaho, went back to school for 18 months to finish out a degree, got a job he loves, and looks like he's pretty content from the emails I get. Good luck.
• Nothing to add except I'm also curious. Moving to Portland OR in a couple weeks, going to try temping and substitute teaching but rilly don't think either of those is my thing. So. Another couple of open ears on this topic.
• Well, forksclovetofu, in the short term the first thing that comes to my mind is to suggest that you go to work for the Democrats or the Republicans (depending on your affiliation and motives ;-) in the run-up to the November 2nd vote. Both parties have raised record amounts of cash and they need to spend it, so why shouldn’t you earn some of it? Many Americans (and indeed many people around the world) describe this as one of the most important elections in recent history. NYC is hosting the GOP at the end of August, and of course NYC will be full of election-related activity right up until the polls close. Both parties are fighting like mad and I bet they are hiring, too. You are obviously intelligent, articulate, and you can write. Those are all assets to a campaign. It might be fun to be a “part of history” and I suspect you could make some interesting contacts along with some cash whilst you figure out a longer term plan.
• journalism, specifically music journalism? You can write - you know your subject - you've got contacts? phone up some radio stations/magazines etc, ask em if you can review some gigs or records - show em your blog - a couple of them are likely to say OK send some stuff in, if they like it they'll publish it. They probably won't pay much, indeed anything, at first, but after a while they will. Mate of mine's just been through a similar thing in London. He'd ended up as a caretaker in a school and his self-esteem was being eaten from the inside out. he's just chucked it in, is freelancing as asound engineer (after a month's training) and is transformed. Good luck
• I don't want to be rude, because I've been in the same boat myself, but if good old Forks never actually gave any job much of a go.. why is he surprised at this situation? To make something work you gotta give it a go. And I was actually being *serious* about the porn. We need more good athletic young men in the biz. Get yer cock out.
• - Move to an area with lower cost of living...Oklahoma is cheap, for instance - Military service may be an option - Hang in there--be creative--be strong
• Sell your plasma. If you're an alpha male, you can sell other fluids, too. And cripes, man... get out of NY; you're getting ripped off.
• the key to life, IMHO, is finding your passion and following it, um, passionately. you've bounced hither and yon so obviously you haven't found yours yet. time to dig deep and think hard. ask your close friends and family what they think you'd be really good at doing. perhaps they see a potential in you that you've overlooked yourself. an attitude adjustment is also necessary ... "unwilling to properly kowtow to the big chiefs" will get you nowhere, and i have a feeling that may figure into why you've been in and out of so many jobs. there are indeed ways to keep your wit and self-esteem whilst "kowtowing" to those who need it -- and, unfortunately, plenty do. it's part of life in the real world, so you might as well hold your nose, button your lip and take it.
• I'm gonna join the "Finish that degree!" chorus. Especially, what with being in NYC, and having CUNY availiable, you can probably get it done, nights and weekends, inside of a year, for <5K. (Tuition @ CUNY including fees is 4 k per year. 2k per semester.) In the meantime, do whatver you need to do to scrape your way from rent check to rent check. That sheet of paper matters far too much to some people, really. Sadly, many of them are employers.
• I second dickdotcom's suggestion (though not his choice of username...:) ). In music journalism, it's hard to find someone who both knows their stuff and can write; too often it's a case of one or the other. It might be worth your while going to a gig and writing up a review, and then using that to try and get a foot in the door somewhere. Try and call the editor and tell him (or her) you're looking for some freelance work and you have a piece you'd like him to see. If you can't get hold of the editor (which is quite likely), email in the piece and follow it up with a couple of calls over the following days. Keep the piece short; not more than four or five hundred words. Most places I've worked for (I'm a news journalist, though I have lot of friends in music) get a fuckin' stack of CVs every week which are never read. If you get through to a minion, they'll probably tell you send in your CV just to get you off the phone. So make sure you email the editor directly with what you've written. I hope that's some help.
• I think I'll weigh in with a counter to the "get the hell out of NYC" suggestions (although they do have a point). If you're looking for stuff to do, if you're looking for opportunities that have the potential to develop and last a lifetime, then you want to be somewhere where there's lots going on. Now, I know that NY isn't exactly the only place in America where there's "stuff happening", but I'm guessing that the cost of living is generally proportional to the amount of good shit goin' down in whatever city you're in. (I'm speaking from personal experience here. I didn't want to move to London after leaving Uni, because I didn't want to be stuck in a hovel with no money, and temping just to pay the rent. I spent a year in the hinterlands, moving between my parents' house and various friends sofas, trying to get those useful little things like "office experience" and so on that having even a very good degree doesn't get you. It didn't work, I fell into a depressive rut, and found myself losing any drive or ambition to find a job I actually wanted. Certain circumstances - part luck, part my remaining slivers of ambition - intervened, and convinced me to just get my shit together and go there. Since I've been here, the wealth of opportunities in areas of work that I liked - which is the reason the place is so damn expensive - has meant that I've rarely been out of work for more than a few weeks, and I've been able to shape my own career to a far greater extent than I could have hoped.) On a more practical note, dickdot's suggestion was one that I was going to make as well. Freelance journalism - and you certainly have the writing skill to do it, and for music journalism your knowledge is pretty near unbeatable - could at the very least be an excellent add-on to keep you motivated (and earn a little extra cash) while you try out other jobs for size. And if it goes well, you can maybe concentrate on that. (On preview: also what Dawson said.) Also, Jerry's "go work for one of the parties" advice was excellent, I suspect. Not just because it looks strong and purposeful on a CV (that otherwise might make you look like a bit of a dilettante), but because it'd potentially be an excellent opportunity to meet people and (I hate this phrase) network. But most of all, don't despair. So many people I know, myself included, have gone through a stage like this, and all of them are now doing well and liking what they do. Deep breaths, take a step back, have a think. You're more talented than so many other people out there - the trick is not to get dispirited if you see them doing better than you, but to persevere. In the end, the world sorts itself out.
• There are a few books out there that can help you figure out what you want to do with your life. One that helped me recently was I Don't Know What I Want, but I Know It's Not This: A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding Gratifying Work by Julie Jansen. It's a bit simple-minded in its approach, but it has some helpful exercises. It may be that you need to be self-employed. If that sounds too scary to you now, you may just have to suck it up and kow-tow to the big chiefs for a while. There are worse things than having to say "yes sir" to a complete moron. You find ways to live with it. It's easier, though, if the work you're doing is something you love.
• I'm not sure how it works in US, but here lots of people get by giving tuition to students, anywhere from preschoolers to undergrads. Perhaps you can ask around your block if any parents would like a tuition teacher for their kids in writing or other subjects? Let me join the "get the PAPER" group. It's important. Really. I'm burning off this shitload of cash in the UK soon because I realise if I don't, I'm gonna get stuck in this one library for the rest of my life. Because nobody else will take me on as a full professional. That piece of paper may be crap, but it gets your foot through the right doors. Go for it, man. Meantime. Surely other jobs than waiting tables in the interim? Maybe check in with a temp agency for "admin" jobs (in quotation marks because lots of temp jobs are gopher-style rather than real admin), or check with friends/relatives/whathaveyou for any temp openings. Try out part-timing in a CD shop? At least you get staff discounts *grin*
• Stay in New York. Maybe you already know this, but it is possible to live inexpensively there. Oklahoma may have lower rent, but it doesn't have nearly the amount of resources available. And if your rent is too high, maybe move to a neighborhood like Inwood (if you're not already living there). Check out the job openings at various city agencies, maybe. It may not be ideal, but I've come across listings that will settle for credit hours instead of a diploma. Check out the websites for your favorite organizations--they ususally have offices in the city and post job openings. I will also hop on the finish school bandwagon. CUNY is an amazing resource. And check out other university websites for job openings--maybe you'll get a discount on credits. Did those five years of credits come from one place? Look into turning them into a degree from that same place--some schools let you get a degree in general studies. Transferring can suck when you lose credits. Volunteer some place--it bites to work for free, but sometimes that's what you need to do to establish contacts. If the stress is too much, maybe leaving NYC isn't such a bad idea. Move to an interesting college town and finish your degree there. I spent a few years in Madison, WI after college and the living was pretty damn easy. Good luck. Be strong. Figuring this stuff out is never easy, but something will work if you keep at it.
• I agree with flashboy about NY, and particularly that you shouldn't entertain the idea that depressing events like this are any reflection on you. You are an exceptionally talented person - your contribution here (of which I stand in awe - really)is just one small indicator of that. Apart from that, my advice is - don't take any advice.
• And forksy... we love you. *HUGS* You take care ok?
• Forky, that really sux0rs. I know something open in your area @ Lincoln Center: it's part-time, however, but that could be good so you could continue to look for a new job in the meantime. The pay is kinda sucky, but better than nothing, eh?: http://www.lincolncenter.org/aboutLC/job_listing.asp?session=72BDA09E-8875-4541-8BA4-605574A8992D&version=&ws=&bc=99 Lincoln Center DEPARTMENT: Center Charge TEMPORARY POSITION: Telephone Agent (part-time) PROJECTED START DATE: 07/26/2004 JOB DESCRIPTION CenterCharge has 2-3 part-time temporary positions available. Responsibilities include, fulfilling ticket orders for events at Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Julliard Theater, Big Apple Circus and other venues at Lincoln Center. Pay rate is $10.00/hr. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Excellent Telephone manner. Customer Service experience. Basic knowledge of Word and Excel. Ability to work a flexible work schedule, including weekends. Please send cover letter and resume to: Center Charge, 140 West 65th Street, NY, NY 10023; fax: 212-875-5183; email: [email protected] SUBMISSION PROCEDURES Please send resume and cover letter to address listed above. All submissions must include salary history and requirements. Response will be limited to those candidates who are being considered for interviews. Lincoln Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• I'm really sorry to hear about the job - I hope you do find something to tide you over in the short term soon, and that it lands a wad of cash in your lap. I would send you my lottery winnings, if I bought lottery tickets. I understand a little about kowtowing and how it can be hard, most especially when the chiefs in question may not be very competent. We all have to learn to bend, but doing so when you really respect your boss is much much easier. The best place I ever worked was an epidemiology unit where the people I worked for (scientists and social scientists) were frankly brilliant and spent their lives trying to help sick people. Okay, maybe I had it really rosy, but I can't help but think that there is a difference in places that are academic or non-profit, because people there tend to have made sacrafices to be there, and are very committed. Other friends working for non-profits have had similar experiences - better atmosphere, and a real sense of purpose in their work.
• (Alnedra - I first read your post as "lots of people get by giving tuition to students" and though it meant people were giving people money to students for university fees (we call it tuition in Canada) and thought, I want to move to Singapore! :)
• I'm off to Jersey to help my father at a record show for a few days; I'll likely resurrect this thread when I come back. It's very interesting (even if occasionally a tetch insulting) to get all this feedback. From the Outside In and all that. Thanks for thinking about me. Keep the conversation going; I'll be back in the room shortly.
• How's your spelling and grammar? If you're good at that stuff, you might try freelance proofreading/editing; there's lots of work in NYC, and it's a good way to wind up in a decent job with interesting coworkers. (It's how I clambered out of minimum wage after years of crappy bookstore jobs.) And hang in there -- we all know how rotten that situation is!
• Did you get booted in a way that would make you ineligible for unemployment? At least in Calif., you can be fired (as opposed to laid off) and still be able to collect unemployment so long as the parting of the ways was due to imcompatibility rather than "cause." And temping could be right for you, at least for a while.
• welcome back, naxosaxur - I thought you'd left us...
• Thanks dng *blush*...you are very kind to give me the shout-out! Not to derail 'forky's lament', but i was on vacation since mid-June. And when i got back to work two weeks ago, i had to get my boss ready for a big conference. So now the fog has lifted, and i can get back online! Hello to all my old monkey friends!
• forksy, I've got nothing much to add here, except to echo that it seems to me that writing/editing is precisely what you love doing and are good at. There are tons of books and publications that list publications looking for freelancers, broken down by type. Check 'em out, write and submit some stuff. Meantime, do what you gotta do to keep the lights on. Hang in, buddy.
• yeah, naxo, just thought the other day that I hadn't seen you here for a long time. Welcome back!
• forksy, for what it's worth, I've thought after seeing the effort you put into your music blog that you'd be the best damn college radio station manager, ever.
• way cool Nax, that you went right to it and posted a job
• There are some great ideas here. I'm with the people that are urging you towards expanding on your musical knowhow. Radio stations, recording studios, even talent agencies as a paid intern might net your something, even if it's just a start. You're certainly in the right city for it.
• Yes, forky, do try free-lancing. Amazing number of publications in all fields and specialties now online -- most post what they what they are looking for in way of submissions. Persist. Best of luck!
• Do what interests you. Sometimes it will take you on a path that don't make much (been there), sometimes one that makes heaps (been there, too). But at worst, you're doing something you enjoy.
• Forks: I forget to say "best of luck!" Being canned is really scary, But it might be the kick you need to get where you want to be.
• Forks!!! Get OUT of New York and come to Seattle. You will be very appreciated up here. Stick with music, you'll find your niche. Tons of jobs available up here. Is there no way to make money from your website? That might be a naive question, but I've never been accused of being the brightest light on the block. Anyway, I'm giving you an official invitation to the Pacific Northwest. A change of scenery is what you need.
• Okay, can I stay at your place?
• Dude, you could always to the hostel-route. Check out lot's of places and see what feels right.
• So here's the update: I've started seeing a therapist once a week and have started (today, even) taking medicine for depression. This is a route that I've resisted for a VERY long time but I'm finally convinced that it's possible that (some of) my problems are NOT entirely my fault but may have to do with my chemistry. So I'm gonna test run this stuff for a month and see what it does to me. Many of the potential side effects are exactly what I'm trying to lose: sleeplessness, anxiety, heightened depression, etc; so it's damned either way, right? I'm hoping for the best. I'm filling out the papers now to try to go back to college in January to try and do elementary ed. It's a direction; don't know if it's the perfect one but it's a start. I just need to get over my anxiety in taking this step and FILL OUT THAT PAPERWORK. Hopefully tonight. New subsistance level job waiting tables is okay so far, though money is insanely tight. Also I'm looking to move to a cheaper apartment in or around NYC, so if any monkeys have a room for rent? Lastly, I have a second interview on Tuesday with a non-profit corporation. I'll come back in a week to update. The blog is going well and there looks to be some big publicity coming down the pike. So how are you?
• Fine, but unemployed... And good luck, forks.
• FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK. Don't think about it. JUST DO IT. Don't even eat breakfast until you've filled out the first page.
• And what goetter said.
• And also, what Darshon said upthread.
• Good for you, forky! That first step can be the hardest, but you've already taken it, hurray! Keep on truckin'!
• Ah, forks, we're rooting for you I hope you got 2 copies of the paperwork so you can get your nervousness out on the first.
• keep updatin' fork... this is a good read :) languagehat wrote something above about becoming a proofreader. i'm a university student on the brink of graduation with a very strong intuitive grasp of grammar (and, since recently taking a grammar course, a very strong explicit grasp of grammar) and near-perfect spelling. how can i get in on dis proofreadin' biz? who to chase down?
• As far as the medication goes, I really hope it does the trick for you. I was very anti-depression medication. I truly thought that excercise, an excellent diet, yoga/meditation/whatever, was the answer to just about everything. Then I got hit hard with a deep, dark depression that would not go away, increased to the point of me being worried for my kids, so I sent my unhappy-ass to the doctor straight away and got started on Lexapro. I can absolutely say that it saved my entire family's life. I am back to being who I used to be. I'm happy, content and even-keeled. Which is not to say I don't get pissed off, but when I do I actually have a reason to. I don't get in rages, I definately don't have panic attacks anymore. I can get up, get dressed and get out the door before noon (Actually 7 am thanks to the kids:(). I can enjoy life again. After I had been taking my medication for a couple of months (although I definately noticed a positive difference within two weeks) I could tell that I had actually been depressed for a long time and never really knew it. It had come on so gradually that I thought this was the normal me. As time has gone by, as I get older I have had to increase medication only once and I have added Wellbutrin (which was frighteningly difficult the first two days-really scary!) but once I got through that, I was golden! So, anyhow, keep it up, consistency is the key, and get fresh air, that really helps. Visualize you goals. For me, that is a big factor in my own personal success. I sure wish you well.
• Good luck, forky.
• Hang in there forks. I'm in a similar spot right now (job hunting hell, meds aren't working). Reading this is helping KEEEEP HOPE ALIIIIIVE! Please keep us posted. And I just want to say good luck, we're all rooting for you.
• Good on you, Forks, for taking the steps you need to get on. You need short and long term goals, exercise, good food, friends, and Monkey hugs. Here's one from me. ( ) Hang in there with the meds. Sometimes it takes a little tweeking to get where you need to be. Believe me, it's worth it. Darshon: For some, the decision to take meds that might improve the quality of their life, and the lives of those they love, seems to be such an ego thing that they'd rather be miserable or raging at the world than be happy and fully functional. (Hey, I can HANDLE it, dammit.) *My son is one of them. Very sad. I'm a bi-polar with an extreme depressive component--one of the very best days of my life was the day I was given Lamictal. Hey, I'm a big believer in better living through chemistry!
• Amen to that!!!
• Hey, good luck Forks! And I'm happy for you too Darshon and BH! I wish there was a medicine for laziness. I need it.
• Six years later, I'm feeling much better.
• OMG FORKS!!! Great to see ye!
• What's new? Nice to see you.
• Returning to the MonkeyFold is definitely a sign of improvement. Welcome back. Now... ...how did you manage to get past those pesky Mines of Moria?
• Yeah Forks!!! Howzit hangin', baby?
• Hiya Forksy, nice to see ya! Glad to see a fine new post on the legendary blog too.
• seriously, it's only 5-and-a-half, but still way too long without a little tofu... -The Monkey Formerly Known as Wendell
• Forks, come here a minute.... That foop guy, well he's a little...different, ya know? We're not really sure if it's Wendell. This guy has...prehensile toes.
• Forksy! *HUGS*
• *squeals* Alnedra! *HUGS* Hey girl, I've missed you.
• Yo! Forks! What have you done with the last six years of your life? Did you go back to school? Are you in the Pacific Northwest? Wazzzup? Join a fire crew and fight forest fires, be a sheepherder for a summer, get a job in a book bindery or a newspaper, make cheese, work in a zoo or a greenhouse, shelf books in a library, or do commercial fishing, work on an oil rig. Boy, was that last piece of advice unhelpful!
• Doing my own business as a music publicist these days. It took seven years but it worked out well. Making more than enough to live on my own. Everything is beautiful. You can do it too! Thanks to you all again. This was a great forum and really good for me.
• Hey forks, lovely to see you! And awesome to hear you're doing so well :)
• Thanks! Nice to see old folks all over!
• Huzzah for forks!
• Hey, who you calling old forks folks!!!