“I’m only going to show you this once,” said Ted. Salvador and I stood at attention amid the warehouse’s chaos. Around us, workers unloaded trucks… dragged rows of clothes along rails… and giant bags zipped overhead. I barely took any of the action in, as I focused on the task ahead. Ted grabbed a couple …
I sat in my car, watching snow whip around the nearly-empty library parking lot. Did I screw up? Maybe the open interviews were cancelled? I decided I could only wait and wonder… until I saw the library finally open 5 minutes before 12PM, and people showed up in droves. Suddenly, my worries turned to the …
Life after working at the gold-buying store begins… As we drove away from the store for the last time, my co-worker regaled me with how she was going to scam the unemployment system. The scheme was simple: Say you sign up to collect unemployment. You must select your former employer from a database of recently …
On March 15th, 2014, I ambled outside for my final shift as a sign-spinner. On the southeast corner of Wadsworth and Mississippi, in Lakewood, Colorado, I listened to some music… a bit of an audiobook… and finally pulled down my headphones so I could take in the din of traffic. I teared up, drowning in …
I am on a sleep rampage. Yesterday, I made the decision to defend my sleep with the ferocity of a mother grizzly protecting her cubs. This has been percolating for some time. Years ago, when I loaded trucks for a living, I discovered a good night’s sleep could make the difference between a 12-hour shift …
While scrambling through Craigslist for a full-time, easy-ass job to pay the bills… I thought I hit paydirt: Marijuana trimmer. After conferring with some co-workers (who had extensive knowledge of the field), trimming marijuana plants is apparently a big enough deal that it necessitates crews of full-time workers to get the job done. I’d never …
You’re sitting at a networking event, waiting for your turn as people introduces themselves one by one. “Hey everyone, I’m…” someone begins. They describe who they are and what they do. You catch bits and pieces. Most of it you barely remember, because you’re too busy wondering what to do when it’s your turn… “What’s …
A little after 10:00AM, I sat in my car, notebook in hand, watching people. I was parked in the lot of a Denver marijuana dispensary, counting how many people braved the blizzard to shop inside. As they piled in, I noted their gender, and whether they looked in their 20s, 40s, or older. I kept …
“I just lost $12,000!” It was April 15th, 2013. Most folks in the U.S. think of that day as nothing more than a scramble to get their taxes filed, if anything. But anyone passionate about investing in gold and silver, might remember that as one of the biggest drops for gold prices, in history. I …