Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Boyhood dreams, adult realities

When I switched jobs and companies earlier this year, one of the biggest perks of the new job was moving from one side of the office to the other. From the side surrounded by walls, to the one with a window.

Now I’m not saying my view is like this:


Or this:
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But at least I can see the sky (which is a beautiful blue today) and, on occasion, let the mind wander a bit.

That was not the case yesterday. I was concentrating pretty hard on a task when I saw this out my window:

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Either someone had put the finishing touches on their escape plan (personally, I’m going to try to get out like
Edmond Dantès) …or the window washers were here for their six-month visit. The next sight I saw confirmed this hunch.

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And a little later on while they were working on the other side of the courtyard my window looks out on:
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This all got me to thinking, yanno, being a window washer wouldn’t be a bad job. In fact, it could be pretty interesting. You get to see new people all day long. It’s generally nice outside when you’re working since no one cleans their windows in the rain. And, most important, there’s a bit of adventure involved swinging from a rope off the side of a building.

I think this gets added to my list of jobs (kind of like Mike Rowe, but he actually does them) that I’d like to try out. The jobs I may have dreamed about having as a kid, but pushed into the background when reality intruded as an adult.

Like this one:
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I have always wanted to drive the back of the fire engine. That would be so freaking cool! That, my friends, is a 100-foot-long truck. Can you imagine how much fun it is to be the guy steering the back as you’re flying down the streets of D.C.? Or wherever?

Other jobs on the list include: iron worker on a new high-rise building or suspension bridge; condom field tester is another (for obvious reasons); the First Gentleman; a Naval aviator (Top Gun was a huge influence on my formative years); and a carpenter (full disclosure: I already do this as a hobby).

So what jobs do you sometimes daydream about as you sit in your cube doing this and that? What job would you take if, just for a day, you could answer the question “What do you do?” with “I’m a ________.”

11 comments:

Liebchen said...

I haven't really thought about this in a while.

But I've toyed with the idea of wanting to be a massage therapist. Like carpentry for you, it's already a hobby.

Titania said...

Astronaut!! Archeologist as a not that close second.

FoggyDew said...

Liebchen - Any job that lets you make people feel better is a definite winner. Do they offer master's programs?

Titania - I was just reading a thing this morning: For $20 million you too can go to the ISS. Archeology could be fun, as long as you're like Indiana Jones, otherwise you might just be digging up dino bones in South Dakota.

Brando said...

With a view like that they should at least put on a little show in that central courtyard area...

FoggyDew said...

Brando - There's a fountain down below and, this spring, someone put a bunch of rubber ducks in it. It was fun to watch them float around. Also, people, for some reason, fall asleep on the benches at lunch. Kinda creepy: Sleeping where 200 people can watch you. Yeah, no.

Alice said...

oddly, i have a desire to be an auto mechanic. i keep promising myself to take some serious classes in it some day.

MB said...

Professional driver. Closed course.

Sebastian Anthony said...

You can be my wing man...!

::pointed look::

--

Gotta admit window cleaning WOULD be fun. We have some guys that always clean our windows here -- it's a big house, with lots of windows -- and they always seem to be having fun.

Gotta love being woken up at 9am by some grunting-squeaking noises outside your window, too...

FoggyDew said...

Alice - That is fantastic! I'll trade you furniture for car repairs.

MB - You'd get to drive all the new cars first. In a dry lake bed. Where you can go really fast. Good choice.

Seb - "No, you can be *my* wingman, Ice." If they're grunting and squeeking outside your window, maybe you should invite them in? Just a thought.

Sebastian Anthony said...

No no! It's: "BULL SHIT! You can be MINE!"

FoggyDew said...

Seb - You're like a skinny Danny Butterman. Butterman: "Have you ever fired two guns whilist jumping through the air?" Nick Angel: "No."