i am so lucky to have the job i do. as an artist, i have done everything, from washing dishes (a great job that pays shit) to digging ditches, to running paychecks for manpower, to building and climbing antenna towers (like having a giant erector set), to landscaping (i like the tree trimming but not the lawn mowing), to maintenance man at a Catholic church (weird because i'm an atheist and i became friends with the priest), to what i do now which is a field tech for a cellular company (which shall remain nameless). i get to drive all over some of the most beautiful country in the southwest, go up mountains (past those locked gates), and play with state-of the art technology while problem solving. plus, i am two or three steps removed from all the company politics, so i can just relax and do my job and occasionally watch the soap opera unfold without getting involved. plus it pays well and i am going to be able to move out of the city to a small town with the same job and salary. the only price i am paying for it is that i have less time than i would like for my art. this is a significant price, but i milked the bohemian artist lifestyle for 15 years, and if i don't provide for my approaching deterioration, no one else will. hopefully i will be able to retire at 50 and paint for 50 more years (fingers crossed).
