Coffee Break [27/1/20]

It can be a struggle to get through the second half of the day.

Working for a living sucks. Even the best jobs come with annoying coworkers, demanding bosses, and irritating clients. But it could be worse, a lot worse. I stumbled across The Worst Jobs in History on YouTube which got me thinking about some truly awful ways to earn a wage. If you want to feel better about your current position consider a couple of the more unsavory gigs of the past.

Leech collector During the middle ages people would wade into the marshes and bogs allowing the parasites to attach to their bare skin. Then they were plucked off and sold to the local barber-surgeon.

Sin Eater During the 18th and 19th century it was believed that a piece of bread laid on the body of the dying absorbed their sins. A man was hired to eat the bread, taking on the transgressions of the departed who could now gain entry to heaven. Only the very poorest were willing to defile their own souls for the meager pay, crust of bread, and a lifetime of being a social pariah. There’s an excellent episode of Night Gallery starring a young Richard Thomas as a boy entering the family business.

You can get through that afternoon staff meeting. It can’t be as bad as bloodsucking worms and eternal torment, right?

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20 Comments

  1. second half of the day!?!?!?!?!?

    Its only 9:30!?!?!?!?

    In my never ending search to avoid the Kobe stuff I’m streaming the Biathlon World Cup on Olympic channel but earlier had fun with Friday’s Gist podcast.

    https://slate.com/podcasts/the-gist/2020/01/hits-of-1983

    “In the interview, Chris Molanphy is back to talk Mike through the hits of 1983. Enjoying vegemite sandwiches, the rains in Africa, and a bunch of sweet dreams, they indulge in the pop mainstays that continue to persist on the radio and at the karaoke bar.”

    I really expected a Huey Lewis and the News tune too…(ETA: in this post)

    Some days won’t end ever and some days pass on by
    I’ll be working here forever, at least until I die
    Damned if you do, damned if you don’t
    I’m supposed to get a raise week, you know damn well I won’t

    • CBS Sunday Morning did a great profile on Huey this week. Turns out they had to abruptly stop touring because he suffers from a rare disorder which makes everything he hears sound like it’s coming through a Marshall cabinet with the speakers blown out.

  2. i like my job….i make fancy pants coffee machines (im a welder technically)


    anyhoo….its a good gig…just tinkering with shit all day long
    pay could be better tho

    • It combines cardio and yoga. We did about 10 minutes of stretching followed by a maniacal 40 minute of rapidly changing poses. No holding the pose, just constantly shifting from cobra to plank to downward dog. That kind of thing. And a 10 minute cool down. I can do all the poses but I’m not used to going that fast. My legs were super wobbly when I left. I’m going to be very sore for my regular slow flow class tomorrow.

  3. I enjoyed the work commentary. I like my job and the people, but almost everything has the annoying and crushing occasion. I may add manager of bloodsucking worms program and director of eternal torment division to my job description, however.

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