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Permalink Reply by Desilu on August 5, 2012 at 12:06am

Nice pic, lol! I currently work at a retail store (starts with an S ends with EARS) as a cashier. I have 2 MBAs (one in management & one in hospital administration), which I obviously do not use or get paid for at my job. I will be going back to school in 2013 to restart my PsyD in Forensic Psychology. Yes, I have tattoos and I will be a doctor, more than likely in jails and on scene (and fully intend to continue rockin my look regardless). I have worked as an ER Psych Unit Assistant (my favorite job ever and will be part of what I will be doing when I grow up and finish school), Hospital Administrative Assistant in Psychiatry, a Dept. of Children & Family Services Social Worker (worst job for me ever... talk about emotional investment), and a waitress (which I also enjoyed). I am fortunate in that within my dress code for work, I can wear dresses, the MUAH and still get paid for it.

It's funny... other than the other girls with my same forensic interests, we have never really talked about what we do in the real world to make the money to buy the clothes. Thanks for bringing it up. =) And kudos - I don't know that I could live off-shore with a bunch of guys for 6 months out of a year. I live with my 23yr old brothers and want to kill them on a regular basis.

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Permalink Reply by Desilu on August 5, 2012 at 7:13am

Thanks for clarifying.... At least it's time broken up! As for DCFS, I did the home evaluations of relatives & mentors that wanted to care for a child in foster care (which was sometimes hard because of evaluating what was due to poverty and what wasn't, and working with relatives who didn't want to comply with required (and completely reasonable!) changes in order to have the child in their home!). I did work a couple of "high profile" (for Fresno, anyway) cases, which I think were both harder and probably the ones done the most correctly (because we didn't want the judge to overrule us or the criticism for making a mistake). I later switched to being a social worker specifically for the throw-away kids: foster kids that were habitual runaways (including both out of state and country! it's amazing how resourceful these kids can be, but also scary at the chances they take to do this) and probationary/juvenile court kids. These kids were basically stuck in the system, most of them with no chance of reconciliation (due to the parents, so I actually didn't have to deal with them, thankfully), and alot of them teen-moms with their kids. It is very difficult to not become emotionally involved, as well as look outside the box to find ways to work with these kids to comply with what they need to do (ie, school, parenting programs, mental health, etc) and finding and keeping families that would keep these kids (placement was always difficult). Then there was the part where I had to actually find the kids. The sad thing is, when these kids leave the system, that's it, see ya bye on their 18th birthday (which meant foster families no longer got paid for the kids, so out they went). There's no real options for these kids or support to make sure they become fully functional citizens and parents (keeping the cycle alive). *sigh* sorry, that was the most difficult job by far... I wanted to adopt these kids myself and "fix" things because I am a fixer by nature. No, not my favorite job and by far the most difficult, especially since I was trying to single parent my son at the same time. And definitely NOT a 9-5 if you were anything of a human being - who knew problems didn't end at 5pm, M-F? lol...

Oh, and there are lots of jobs that are not 9-5 (mine isn't - my schedule changes weekly - I usually don't know the next week's schedule until the day before! Gotta roll with it and be grateful I'm working); when I worked at the hospital, 1yr of it was on the night shift (which was actually nice). 9-5 has morphed into a variable thing now. But I'm guessing that your typical 9-5 doesn't pay what you get paid, lol. =)

How did you end up off shore, anyway? It's not a local position that I'm aware of around here (in the LA area), so how and why? Just curious... Love this thread - it's so very interesting!

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Permalink Reply by Jen Robinson on August 14, 2012 at 9:34am

"Yes, I have tattoos and I will be a doctor, more than likely in jails and on scene (and fully intend to continue rockin my look regardless). "

My husband is a doc and has 3 tattoos, with plans for more. Many of his colleagues have them, too, both male and female. It's really not so uncommon now, although it's probably more common in his workplace, since he's in the military.

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Permalink Reply by Éibhie NíGhríofa on August 5, 2012 at 2:50am

Great idea for a discussion - I, too, have wondered what other vintage fans/PUG fans do for a living.

I sell rare/collectible books both online and in my shop. It's interesting work. For the last year or so, the business has grown and now I mostly work from home, cataloging, repairing, selling and shipping books. Wearing vintage was actually a big help to me when I was working with the public in the shop, because it makes you memorable and generally people liked the way I dressed, it's a conversation starter (I don't think I've ever had a negative comment about my style from a customer, thank God!). Since the business grew and I can now work from home every day, we have actually moved from the city into the countryside. It's very isolated out here but I love it. The only person (apart from my other half) that I see every day is the postman, but I still do dress up in my vintage and repro clothing every day :)

I am also a production designer/manager for a theatre company. I have actually had some negative comments from other women who work in theatre which is strange. I try not to let it bother me. I don't dress the way I do for their sake, after all, but because it expresses who I am and allows me to be uniquely creative every day :)

Wow, so far the occupations in this thread are so diverse! Looking forward to seeing how it develops....

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Permalink Reply by Desilu on August 5, 2012 at 7:20am

That is very cool. I actually am looking for someone in my area to fix a book my grandmother gave me - it's a dictionary from 3rd grade (lol, not a true antique, just REALLY important as she passed when I was 19). My darling mother put it out in the elements and basically treated it like trash when I wasn't living with her (that's a LONG story), so it's been moldy and is in really bad shape. There's only 1 part/page that I really want saved - the inscription. So, do you know anyone in the Los Angeles area who does what you do and is reasonably priced? If you do, I thank you in advance (I have it wrapped in towels in an open zip-loc bag out of the elements right now). =)

Also, I have found also that my vintage/-inspired looks actually score me more points with my customers as well - of all ages! Just had an 8th grader last night gush over my shirtdress and belt, with my hair (horribly done!) up in a bandanna! It was awesome! The ones that do have a problem are the women I work with, and it's only a select few that do - everyone else tells me they love my look, including my bosses! It hurts, but like you said, I don't do it for them, it's for me, so they can go suck an egg. =)

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Permalink Reply by Éibhie NíGhríofa on August 6, 2012 at 11:52am

Hi Jenn :)

I don't know anyone that I can recommend for book repair in LA, but when you do find someone, make sure to look at their previous work before you entrust them with your book. Books with sentimental value are the ones I enjoy working on most, a book could be worth thousands of euro and not generate the same 'feel' as a book that is truly loved. The 'value' of a book can be entirely relative :) 

I have seen inscriptions wonderfully preserved & framed; so they can been seen every day. 

It is strange that we both have experienced negativity about our style from other women! I love to see other women who have a sense of their own style, but truly would never criticize anyone for the way the y look/choose to dress. 

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Permalink Reply by Desilu on August 8, 2012 at 7:02am

Thanks ... can you tell me, is there anything in particular that I should look for to find a book repair person (besides their previous work)? And is pricing subjective? I really appreciate the help!

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Permalink Reply by Éibhie NíGhríofa on August 15, 2012 at 3:41pm

Just saw this reply now, sorry for the delay Jenn!

Yep, pricing does depend on the amount of work that will be involved, how fragile the book is, it depends on how much time the job will take, and how experienced the binder/book artist is. 

Have a look at the person's portfolio if they have one, or at physical examples of their work if possible before making your decision. Remember that you won't get another chance to get this book repaired! 

Best of luck, and let me know if you need any more advice or if I can help in any way ^_^

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Permalink Reply by Ronda Harris on August 5, 2012 at 7:32am

Wow, what an interesting career. I don't understand why anyone would criticize your style, especially in the theatre circuit. That is just so strange coming from anyone who works in the creative field. Dressing to suit your retro taste, is just another form of expressing your creativity. Keep doing what you're doing, and be yourself.

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Permalink Reply by Éibhie NíGhríofa on August 6, 2012 at 11:52am

Thanks for your kind words :) 

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Permalink Reply by Desilu on August 5, 2012 at 10:22pm

i love old books too - you can smell the history and the past coming from the pages! so sad that it's becoming a "lost art."

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Permalink Reply by cela hyatt on August 6, 2012 at 5:02am

Right, thats why I refuse to buy a kindle! my husband offered to get me one for christmas last year because I like to keep a book in my purse for those unexpected long waits (hello dmv) so he thought it would be easier and more convenient toi have an e-reader.  I said I like the feel of the pages and the smell of the paper, I will keep real books!  We bibliophiles have to keep the printed book alive

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