When I logged on to our bank account last week and noticed for the first time in many years that our overdraft protection had kicked in, I realized it was time to make some changes.  That second child put quite a dent in our measly savings account.  I am literally counting down the days until I buy my last tub of formula! 

So now on top of actually planning out our weekly meals so that we don’t go overboard at the grocery store, I've been looking for a part time job.  You know, since I have so much free time on my hands with two kids and a full time job as it is. 

I applied for a public relations position that would be a good fit and was called in for an interview last week.  I’ve been at my current job for nine years now so needless to say, I’m a little rusty at the interview process.  After being asked all the standard questions about my previous professional experience I was thrown a curve ball: “tell us about your very first job.”  Why in the world they would care about my part time high school job was beyond me but I played along, “TCBY Yogurt, not only my first job, but my favorite job ever.”  Well this answer seemed to perk their interest, “really, why?”  To which I replied, “think about it, every one that visits a yogurt shop is happy. Even if they arrive in a bad mood, one look at that buffet of sprinkles, candies, hot fudge and wet walnuts, brings a huge smile to their face.”  I think I had impressed them, “Wow, I never thought of that!” Well duh, why the hell would you of? 

The other reason I consider TCBY my favorite job ever is the fact that it was one of the few jobs I’ve had in which I had no real responsibility.  Make sure the topping scoops are even, keep the yogurt servings at the correct size, and make sure the toilet paper in the bathroom is stocked. 

My second favorite job of all time was as a ride attendant at what has to be one of the most redneck amusement parks in the nation, Tweetsie Railroad.  This little gem of a vacation spot was located in the town I went to college in and I spent a summer working there before my senior year.  Like TCBY, an amusement park is another place where you are generally greeting people in a good mood.  But that wasn’t the reason Tweetsie comes in at number two.  I loved working at Tweetsie Railroad because:

1.       A large portion of the staff was made up of the school’s football players stuck in town for the summer.

2.       A large portion of those football players happened to be extremely hot!

A day at work flies by when you spend the majority of it flirting.  And I’m not even going to go in to what happened after work!  

My initial job at Tweetsie Railroad was as the conductor on the kid’s train: Mouse Mine Line #9.  That’s right, I drove a train.  That is, I drove a train until the day I had a caboose full of five year olds screaming “faster, faster,” to which I obliged only to derail Mouse Mine Line #9.  I was then demoted to the toddler plane ride which let me tell you was no party at all.  But on a positive note it was closer to the chair lift which the football players were in charge of.

I miss those laid back jobs of minimum wage pay, but obviously they wouldn’t be realistic today.  Although, since I am looking for part time work and I do have experience in flirting, I mean customer service, maybe I should grab an application from the local ice cream parlor on the way home from my real job tomorrow.