Styx - "Blue Collar Man"

Give me a job, give me security
Give me a chance to survive
I'm just a poor soul in the unemployment line
My god, I'm hardly alive
My mother and father, my wife and my friends
I see them laugh in my face
But I've got the power, and I've got the will
I'm not a charity case

I'll take those long nights, impossible odds
Keeping my eye to the keyhole
If it takes all that to be just what I am
I'm gonna be a blue collar man

Make me an offer that I can't refuse
Make me respectable, man
This is my last time in the unemployment line
So like it or not I'll take those

Long nights, impossible odds
Keeping my back to the wall
If it takes all night to be just what I am
I'm gonna be a blue collar man

Keeping my mind on a better life
Where happiness is only a heartbeat away
Paradise, can it be all I heard it was
I close my eyes and maybe I'm already there

I'll take those long nights, impossible odds
Keeping my back to the wall
All that to be just what I am
I'm gonna be a blue collar man

You don't understand

I'll take those long nights, impossible odds
Keeping my eye to the keyhole
If it takes all night to be just who I am
Well I'm bound to be a blue collar
Gotta be a blue collar
Gonna be a blue collar man
~~~+~~~

I've been searching vigilantly for a job, to a ridiculous degree. People are pretty amazed that I haven't gotten one yet. At one point last month, I filled out 8 applications in a week. No one called me back.

My mom and grandmother have been repeatedly telling me that I need to dress properly when applying for a job. Except, the problem is... that's not the phase you dress up for. It's the interview you dress up for. Even with paper applications, chances are whoever you give the application to doesn't matter in the process anyways. Of course, all but three of the applications I filled out were online - meaning my attire could range from tighty-whities to a feather boa and high-heels, and the potential employer would never know.

It was also suggested that I must meet with the manager and make a good impression. Well, that happened once - at Target. She even specifically told me that they would call me for an interview. Except, they didn't. This was extremely disappointing, because they were very specifically in need of a night stocker - someone to stay up all night, away from the general public, putting everything in precise order. I challenge you to find one more suited to such a job than I.

After that, I pretty much gave up hope. If I can't get a job doing what I like to do anyways, and do well, there's really no job I can get. However, a few days ago I was informed that Kohl's announced over the PA system that they needed a night stocker. Kind of makes one wonder why so few people would want such a job, but who the hell cares! I rushed over, after putting on my absolute best clothes and shaving a bit.

There was one person at customer service, and she was helping someone. Logic dictates that, to make any kind of impression, one must be noticed. So, I waited. I planned exactly what I would say as soon as I had her complete and undivided attention, in order to make the best impression possible, and make it clear how interested I was in the job.

Unfortunately, my grandfather thought I was waiting out of politeness, and, being the impolite and impatient person he is, simply went up to the desk and asked for an application. And that was it. I didn't get to speak a word. I didn't get to make an impression. I don't even know if she saw me, but if she did, that would have been bad. If anything he made me look significantly worse, like someone who can't even get an application without help. I got back in line once I finished the application, in hopes of exiting with a better impression, but someone just came by and took the application, saying someone might call me in two days to a week. If my odds of getting a job at Target were around 80%, I'd have to say these odds are around 10%.

If this keeps up, I'm going to have to just let go of the idea of traditional employment. Three years trying without even a single interview is just completely fucking ridiculous. I even tried looking through the newspaper after Omega's mother tried to guilt me by saying how she had a job in a factory at age 18. Problem there is, every last factory job - or any other job in the paper - demands previous experience. I can't even get a job soldering wires without past employment proving I know how, thus meaning no one new can enter that field without knowing someone who can cheat a bit.

I was so damn close to having an animation job a couple weeks ago. So. Damn. Close. And the killer is, I could have created significantly higher quality work than what the person wanted, in half the time. But that's if I only had to create an animation. If you want a .mov or .avi or whatever other movie format, then I'm free to use any renderer I want, and any plugins I want. But this guy required that the file also be opened in his older 3D Studio, to show off to his friends what "he" can do. There may be some hack that'll let 3D Studio 7 open 3DS 9 files, but if you want smoke trails and explosions using only built-in functions within 4 days, forget it; it's widely accepted that no one can do that. So, that chance to gain money was squashed by rather absurd demands.

I've been wondering how I could do 3D commissions for still models. There's significantly more variety as far as difficulty goes between one project and the next. I could charge by the polygon - but, with the push of a single button (literally, "M") I can instantly double the polygon count, plus I'm not exactly known for mesh efficiency to begin with. I can't exactly charge per object, because a plain sphere and a low-res Death Star are both one object. And charging by time won't work either, because I tend to work rather slowly. So it's unbelievably tricky.

Hopefully my idea of selling models on Turbosquid will work out. I've got several projects lined up for that. However, there's something more important I have to complete first...

---~---
Now, go forth and visit these people:
My best friend. Visit him. But not more than you visit me.
A wise old man... without the old man part

The Metal Empire is officially allied with the following:


Sometimes, even a Supreme Commander has to salute someone...


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