Saturday, May 26, 2007

career opportunities

Since recently I've come into a position to be introduced to lots of professional types (i.e. Craig's law-talking coworkers) I often get asked the question "And what do you do, des?" My response varies depending on who I'm talking to, but it's generally some sort of "I work for a printing company." Not "I'm in printing" because since I am in the accounting department I have absolutely nothing to do with the actual printing. My job would be exactly the same no matter what industry I worked in.

This morning I was expressing my lament regarding this issue of my boring job description while I finished up the necklace I've been working on for far too long. I decided that I'm going to start lying - nay, embellishing - a bit. "I'm in publishing" (fingers crossed for an interview) became "I'm a writer" which somehow evolved into "I'm an astronaut. I'm currently on leave, but when I return I'll be making the first manned trip to Mars."

Now this isn't an outright lie. Besides the fact that I'm not an astronaut, I mean. I do know enough about science and the space program to bluff my way through a small-talk convo with someone I'm not likely to see again. And you haven't heard of a manned program to Mars because NASA is keeping it under wraps. I'm not really authorized to talk about it. If I happen to meet the same person twice and for some reason they ask me the same question twice, then call me on my different answer, I will explain that I had a career change. People do that all the time. Now get outta my face. I'm an astronaut.

11 comments:

Serena Woodward said...

That's okay,sometimes I'm the Pulitzer prize winning author of fifteen novels. Other days I'm "the award winning author whose new play is the talk of Broadway." Once I was "doing research for a major Sociological study about why people are so nosey."

I haven't been an astronaut yet, let me know how that works out.

super des said...

I like the sociology one.

Brillig said...

I think it's a perfect plan. Maybe you're making jewelry for the martians! And after you tell people that, you can say, "oops! I wasn't supposed to say that much!" And then swear them to secrecy, of course.

Oooooh, you should change your screen name to "Super Astronaut Des." Even if just for a couple of days...

super des said...

ha ha ha!
super astronaut des...

Alex Elliot said...

I decided that the next time I'm with a bunch of competitive parents, I am going to say that YS's first word was "oceanographer".

Jbeeky said...

I think you mean astroNUT.

jessabean said...

Um, as long as you don't make cross country trips wearing diapers and hoping to kidnap your lover's other girlfriend, you're a cool astronaut in my book.

Good luck with that. ;)

jessabean said...

P.S. I like your jewelry and those turtle earrings are way cute. I may have to order soon (if I can afford it after the veterinary nightmare, that is!).

super des said...

AE - That's very impressive. I can't even say that.

jbeeky - wocka wocka wocka

JB - Oh... you heard about that? And kitties are much more important than turtle earrings. But I do like those. If I wore earrings like that, I would wear those ones.

Suzanne said...

Pardone moi, but I do think it is accurate to say you are a writer, my dear.

super des said...

And what have I written that anyone (except you) has read?

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