The other day a friend and I were discussing what the worst job we ever had was. Mine was a telemarketing gig for Lawn Doctor. I didn’t make any money since I only got paid if I booked an appointment. And I never did book a single one. That job is notable also for starting me on my lifelong road of rejection, but I suppose that’s a subject better suited to my other (horribly neglected) blog.
Oddly enough, my second worst job also involved the phone. One summer I worked for an answering service that covered doctors, plumbers and other folks. You know, the professions that people only call after hours when they’re freaking out. I’d relay the messages to the doctors and plumbers and other folks, but inevitably they wouldn’t return the calls right away. And then I’d get called back and yelled by the person freaking out. I’d call the doctor, plumber or other folk again and remind them to call the person and then they’d yell at me for disturbing them twice. Fun. Come to think of it, this job is also fodder for the future rejection post!
But all that aside, my friend had a much worse job. His was hard manual labor working the cornfields. I bet you thought I lived in an ivory tower and didn’t have migrant worker type friends. Don’t be so quick to judge. I’m actually much more well-rounded than I get credit for.
So although the my fieldhand friend only touched on it briefly, I couldn’t get his story out of my head. Imagine a summer sweating, straining, reaching high up and getting eaten alive by bugs in the blistering sun. I can’t believe I complained about being hung up on or yelled at. At least I was sitting in an air-conditioned office. I guess it’s good to walk a mile in someone else’s hot sticky sneakers once in awhile.
Why am I telling you all this? Well it’s really just an appropriate preamble to today’s song, “Workin’ in a Cornfield” by Junior Murvin. It’s from the classic album, Police and Thieves, which is probably the song for which he’s most famous. But that album is chock full of goodies and this one is proof.
And, later on, when you complain that you have so many emails to answer, just remember, it could be a lot worse.
margauxville 
Working in a call centre I have an idyllic view of working outdoors. Maybe the grass isn’t always greener.
I am actually the second person from the right in the photo, personally I loved detasseling or rogueing like we were in that pic. It was hard work but I made great money…
I found this page too, somehow. Derek ^ and I were on the same crew that year. I’m in the photo 5th down with the blue and white trucker hat.