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What kind of job do you have?


signguy2108

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Currently I am a Manager for a NAPA store here in Mass. I worked the counter for quite a few years when I lived in Baltimore. But my early years were spent as a mechanic for a pretty high end used car lot. I was trained by an old timer on Jaguar/Benz/VW at first and then got the used car gig where I stayed for 17 years till the owner passed. I worked on everything from Audi, Ferrari, Aston, Citroen, but the main focus was Benz. Got Bosch certified in the 80's [Literally tested by a group of German engineers]. That was an ordeal like few I've ever had. I had less anxiety when I got married.

Highlights were repairing a customer inherited 55 300SL and a 512BB in the late 80's. I worked on quite a few more high end cars but those stand out for me. I did a complete service on a Mondial once and then took it up to Cape Cod for a 90 mile "shake down" run with the top down. That was a blast. But mostly it was a grind getting the cars Mr Corriea got at auction and returning them to an ideal state. He was a stickler for detail and so am I. As a result we always put top quality cars on the lawn and got a rep as being a high end dealer. I can tell you I found MANY items in these cars over the years. Many things I cannot mention here, but suffice it to say it was eye opening. The pressure was never on unless he bought a car specifically with a buyer in mind. And i did everything on those cars. That means whatever needed repair was on me.

 

Interiors, engines/trans, if it needed service or replacement I got the gig. But there were days when I got to the garage [I arrived at 7:00 for all 17 years] when a 1/2 day of work was all I had. Those days would find me leaving early to do whatever i wanted to. My paycheck was always the same unless I got a raise, which I got every year.

The garage was mine to do whatever I wanted to. I did my share of side work and built 5 motorcycles for myself during those years. He always told me I was crazy for riding my bikes as they petrified him. But he was always encouraging. 

I was very fortunate and count my blessings every day for what Mr Corriea did for me.

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Nice work David! I have always drooled over the "jersey style" truck lettering, just never was much of a call for it in this area. I got my hand painting start helping part time after school in the local coca cola sign shop doing single stroke 12" tall black helvetica letters on courtesy signs for coke customers, lost 3 photo albums of hand painted stuff in '93 (like losing 20 yrs of your life) never found them.  Again, thanks to all who have commented, its been fun to read!

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I build movie props , exhibits for two state historical societies as well as do Freelance writing for a couple of "Collector magazines . In fact , I'm an "invitee " to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Festival of lights and Miniatures show this year opening MID November . The Lewis Ginter Botanical gardens show is in Richmond Virginia . The estate is best found off the Boulevard exit , Exit 78 off I-95 .

Amoco projek 2.jpg

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I hesitate to say, but I've worked in cable TV pretty much my entire adult life.  When I started in 1979 there were 8 channels of fuzzy TV!  No TBS, no HBO, no internet.  I graduated from climbing poles and wiring houses to a bucket truck, repairing and maintaining the outside plant on the poles, to the headend where the signals came in from satellites and were combined to send down the line.  Now I'm in the office most of the time designing and building cable plant extensions for new housing developments and coordinating major repairs.  It's been pretty amazing all the stuff that's changed over the years, but the one thing that hasn't changed is everyone hates the cable company :(!  Unfortunately, a lot of times for good reason, poor customer service.  But we're trying to change the corporate culture a little at a time.

Edited by bbowser
correct spelling
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I am a licensed Mortician

Now that's a profession that should withstand economic dips.

Are you part of a family tradition in your business?

The reason I ask is, the area I live in, this business is dominated by the older families.  The guild and bureaucracy will not let outsiders settle in the various suburbs.  The different Funeral Homes are also for the most part, at least remotely related.

This is a real closed deal over here.  How is it in your area?

Here we have a saying, "Too old to live, too poor to die".  Ever heard?

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Now that's a profession that should withstand economic dips.

Are you part of a family tradition in your business?

The reason I ask is, the area I live in, this business is dominated by the older families.  The guild and bureaucracy will not let outsiders settle in the various suburbs.  The different Funeral Homes are also for the most part, at least remotely related.

This is a real closed deal over here.  How is it in your area?

Here we have a saying, "Too old to live, too poor to die".  Ever heard?

This is a town of about 10,000, same people have owned the main funeral home as long as I can remember, passed down through the generations. We've had 2 others that didn't "survive", i hear were about to get a new one. Most every thing in this town was always owned by a couple of families, but that's slowly changing.

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