Stephanie Huesler

July 16, 2016 · 12:26 PM

Odd Jobs #6: Face Feelers to Fortune Cookie Writers

I can’t believe it’s Saturday again already! Our exchange student teen is off to France for a fortnight, so we’re breathing the air of liberté!

Taking a break from the current daily post challenge, here’s the next lineup of odd jobs: Some can earn good money, such as being a Foley Artist for Hollywood, while others are as obscure as you can get, like being a fish sampler.

In doing the research for this article, I was shocked to find out just how prevalent fake Facebook accounts are; it says a lot about the superficiality of modern culture, and how much need there is to have our feet firmly planted in reality. It is a known phenomenon that Generation Z (Millennials – enjoy this song by Micah Taylor) seems to get their own sense of worth online; but the number of likes, follows and subscribers should never reflect how much someone is worth, or valued; they need more of us to value them in real face-to-face time, or to express it via the virtual world in uplifting words of encouragement.

So enjoy this list of oddball jobs, and click on their links to learn more. Then help make the world a better place: Think about how you can encourage someone today!

Face Feelers, also known as ‘sensory scientists’: Trained to use their hands and judge the effectiveness of products like lotions, facial cleansers, and razors.
“Fake” Facebooker (According to Wikipedia, 7% of Facebook users were not real in August 2012). As of October 2012, Facebook crossed the 1 billion user-mark, which means that no less that 87 million accounts are fake. Their “job” is either to con someone out of personal information in order to steal identities, or to amass “likes” for a video or personality to help them go viral, reaching fame or notoriety.
Fireworks Salesman
Fish Sampler
Flatulence Smell Reduction Underwear Maker: Tasked with engineering underwear that reduces the typically unpleasant post-fart stink for people who suffer from gastrointestinal problems.
Flavorist
Floating Architects: Design amphibious houses, which can float on water. With waterfront real estate becoming a scarcity, their market niche may grow in the coming years.
Foley Artist: Use whatever they can find to create and record the noises used to make the sound effects in films, like heavy footsteps, rolling thunder or creaking doors.
Food Stylist
Fortune cookie writer: Hired as freelancers or in-house writers to come up with inspiring or witty fortunes. EHow.com estimates that these professionals earn around $40,000 a year.

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Tagged as Encouragement, Face Feeler, Fake Facebooker, Fireworks Salesman, Fish Sampler, Flatulence Smell Reduction Underwear Maker, Flavorist, Floating architects, Foley Artist, Food Stylist, Fortune Cookie Writer, Link, Micah Taylor, Millennial Song, Odd Jobs, Real Life, Virtual Reality, YouTube

July 15, 2016 · 5:50 AM

Musings A to Z Challenge: N

Challenge: Write a short paragraph (100 words or less) daily on a topic beginning with the sequential letter of the alphabet.

Novel

Don Quixote, first published in 1605, is widely considered the first novel; but the novel as a genre seems to have risen to popular culture in the 18^th century. Since then, millions of novels have been written because, through the perspectives, lives and times of characters, readers can escape their own realities for a short time, can learn something about themselves, and can perhaps even learn how to deal with their own challenges or difficulties in new ways. We love to identify with stories, root for good to triumph over evil, and see the hero or heroine fall in love.

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Filed under A-Z Writing Challenges, Images, Quotes, Writing Exercise

Tagged as A-Z Challenge, Don Quixote, Mary McCarthy, Novels, Quote

July 14, 2016 · 10:42 AM

Musings A to Z Challenge: M

Challenge: Write a short paragraph (100 words or less) daily on a topic beginning with the sequential letter of the alphabet.

Motion

As the quote implies, motion is movement, but it’s not necessarily productive or progressive; a hamster in a wheel may be moving, but it takes action to get out of the rut and do something new or different. We speak of going through the motions, which has the feeling of a hamster wheel sometimes, doesn’t it? While motion is value-neutral, it’s required for progress, success, advancement, and reaching goals; it must be accompanied by action toward our goals, or they will remain nothing more than castles in the air. So go for it: Move, act and reach your goal!

Motion

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Tagged as A-Z Challenge, Action, Benjamin Franklin, Motion, Quote

July 13, 2016 · 9:36 AM

Musings A to Z Challenge: L

Challenge: Write a short paragraph (100 words or less) daily on a topic beginning with the sequential letter of the alphabet.

Lackadaisical

Lackadaisical is such a whimsical word compared to what it actually means: “Unenthusiastic, uninterested, and lethargic”. I love the 18^th century definition: “sentimentally woebegone”; it came from a 1748 interjection, “lackadaisy”, which meant alas/alack. It seems to me the type of word that the fairy godmother in the 1955 Cinderella tale (The Glass Slipper, with Leslie Carron) would like to say just for the sound of it: Window sill… Cinderella… meadowlark… lackadaisical. Or a word that should be included in lists such as Mary Poppins’ favourite word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (which is reminiscent of long German words, though English has them too).

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Tagged as A-Z Challenge, Cinderella, Doug Larson, Etymology, Film, Lackadaisical, Leslie Carron, Link, Longest German Words, Mary Poppins, Quote, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, The Glass Slipper

July 12, 2016 · 9:34 AM

Musings A to Z Challenge: K

Challenge: Write a short paragraph (100 words or less) daily on a topic beginning with the sequential letter of the alphabet.

Kaleidoscope

I love kaleidoscopes and their constantly changing patterns, made just by turning a simple tube; the creative energy of endless possibilities is what draws me, and the same can be said of words. Combined differently each time, they have endless possible patterns: It was a dark and stormy night; it was the best of times; it is a truth universally acknowledged; the sun shone, having no alternative, on nothing new; once upon a time. Each opening pulls us into a completely different world. A single premise may birth a thousand tales, each one inspiring a thousand more… so keep writing!

Musings A to Z Challenge: J

Challenge: Write a short paragraph (100 words or less) daily on a topic beginning with the sequential letter of the alphabet.

Judgement

Political correctness has made some people afraid to judge rightly, so judgement may carry a negative connotation; for that reason, I prefer the word discernment, though in many ways they are synonymous. Both enable me to see through the smoke screens of situations or people and get to the core; they both help me to choose between right and wrong, and decide which way to go on grey issues. Judgement, like discernment, is a muscle that becomes stronger by exercising it and weaker if it falls out of use; the more we utilize them, the easier they become to wield.

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Tagged as A-Z Challenge, Discernment, James D. Miles, Judgement, Quote

July 10, 2016 · 4:25 PM

Musings A to Z Challenge: I

Challenge: Write a short paragraph (100 words or less) daily on a topic beginning with the sequential letter of the alphabet.

Impossibilities

As a singing teacher, I eliminate two words from my students’ vocabularies as soon as possible: Can’t and impossible. Anything’s possible, if we only believe in ourselves and our abilities; sometimes it may take someone a bit longer to reach the goal, but if they’re willing to learn and be persistent, they can reach any goal they set. The only students I’ve ever had who couldn’t reach goals were unteachable ones; those who came to a teacher so they could claim training, but weren’t willing to be challenged. But I’m teachable – I’ve learned not to squander time with such students.

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Tagged as A-Z Challenge, Impossibilities, Quote, Saint Francis of Assisi, Singing, Teachability, Vocal Coaching

July 9, 2016 · 3:37 AM

Odd Jobs #5:Deer Urine Farmers to Embalmers

I thought I’d switch gears for the weekend from my daily post challenge, to continue with an odd topic: Odd jobs. This batch has some doozies; people actually get paid to eat dog food, or smell a dog’s breath! And while the deer urine farming sounds intrinsically disgusting, the purpose is even more dubious in my opinion: To lure bucks to their deaths through hunting with the urine as bait. Whatever happened to fair play… giving the buck a fighting chance? I think I’d much rather prefer training dogs to surf, or wrangling ducks or training elephants; or maybe we could even come up with a job that combines all three! Enjoy perusing the jobs below – just click on the links to learn more about each.

Odd Job - Dog Food Tester, Nancy Rica Schiff

Dog Food Taster – Photo Credit: Nancy Rica Schiff

Deer Urine Farmer
Diener (Forensic Morgue Technician)
Dog Food Tasters: Hired by pet food companies to test the quality of their products. They also evaluate the nutritional value, and usually spit out the food once they taste it.
Dog Sniffer: Once a week, they analyze the odour of dog’s breath to test the effect of their diet on their teeth. Breath is graded on a scale of zero to 10 and is categorized as sweaty, salty, musty, fungal or decaying.
Dog Surfing Instructors: Found at certain ocean resorts: People you pay to teach you and your dog to surf.
Doorman
Duck Master: Some hotels hire these to take care of the ducks in their pond and parade them around the grounds.
Elephant Trainer
Elevator Inspector
Embalmer

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Tagged as Deer Urine Farmers, Diener, Dog Food Taster, Dog Sniffer, Dog Surfing Instructors, Doorman, Duck Master, Elephant Trainer, Elevator Inspector, Embalmer, Forensic Morgue Technician, Links, Odd Jobs, Research

July 8, 2016 · 9:50 AM

Musings A to Z Challenge: H

Challenge: Write a short paragraph (100 words or less) daily on a topic beginning with the sequential letter of the alphabet.

Homogeny

No one comes to a screeching halt beside a brick wall and gushes over a particular brick, do they. Why? Because they’re homogeneous – each so similar to the other that none stand out as unique. Yet isn’t that exactly what society and the media are trying to tell us to become? Women are to look like air-brushed, photoshopped models; men are to become successful in high-paying and powerful careers, regardless of their dreams or individual giftings. But I’m with Robert Frost; let the cream rise. Follow your hearts in your careers, and learn to love yourself as you are!

Musings A to Z Challenge: G

Challenge: Write a short paragraph (100 words or less) daily on a topic beginning with the sequential letter of the alphabet.

Greatness

Those who achieve greatness are those who’ve overcome impossible odds, obstacles and limitations to fulfil their vision or reach their goals. In my experience, success usually comes dressed in work clothes with its sleeves rolled up, ready to sweat. In order to reach success, or greatness, the prerequisite it that you must know what your goal is, what your vision is; only then can you work toward obtaining it. Sometimes people are multi-gifted; the challenge then is to choose which goal you want to reach, and prune the vine of your activities so that the grapes of success are sweetest.