Still No Career in Sight

After an underwhelming career performance in upstate New York, I headed back home to Long Island at the age of 24. I lived at home with my parents at first, but I knew I had to get a place of my own. To do that, I needed a job. I hit the want ads again and saw a posting for a "Technical Correspondent" at Underwriters Laboratories. UL is the company that checks and certifies all kinds of appliances, chemicals, plastics, etc. for safety. If you look closely, you'll see the UL trademark on your home appliances. I think the ad mentioned that an English degree was preferred so I applied. I interviewed an shortly thereafter got a job in the Research Department. I found out that "Technical Correspondent" meant "do whatever the researchers wanted." I created a lot of reports, did some computer programming, reviewed technical manuals, and participated in testing. The latter was the most interesting. One experiment involved my arm being strapped to a table with electrodes attached to my wrist and index finger. The engineer would send electric current through the electrodes and I would have to tell him when I felt the shock. Sometimes - by accident - he left the dial turned up a bit too high and I got quite a jolt. All in a good day's work.

While having all that fun was great, the $17k annual salary wasn't much to live on. I eventually picked up a second job in the evenings and weekends at BGS: an appliance, video rental, and propane gas-filling store. I was mostly a stock boy who picked up and delivered appliances, but I also pumped propane. (FYI - A full-tank of barbeque-sized propane tank weighs 20 pounds.) One time, this guy pulled up in a Toyota Tercel and wanted his 100 lb tank filled. Those tanks are about 5 feet tall. We filled it and the guy shoved it in his trunk with the tank sticking straight out the back of the car; it looked like a torpedo. Would have hated to be within a mile of that car if he got into an accident on the way home! The store was family-owned and the owners were a bit on, let's say, the eccentric side. The husband and wife fought constantly. The wife's twin sister worked there and was married to the manager of the video rental operation. They were always talking about their next vacation to Florida, and they were all fascinated by the Weather Channel.

I worked both jobs, moved to an apartment, and was doing ok. But then...my fiancé (my college girlfriend) broke off our engagement. My life felt like it was unraveling and I hit a new low in my life. It was at this time that I discovered that I was one of God's elect. My life began to change dramatically.