The Eighth Job

In the autumn of 1999 I became a civil servant. The job was assistant manager at the gift shop in the Ohio Statehouse. The location was awesome. It was a charge working in the basement of a 150 year old building that had plenty of history.



That was the original location of the shop. It was a fascinating place to work. People from all walks of life come through here, everyday. I learned a lot about Ohio politics, and that republicans are people too, for the most part. The Governor came in every few months, friendly enough but a doofus. I met Doris Kearns Goodwin when she researched Team of Rivals. Found the officiant for my second wedding. Great man who was one of the volunteer tour guides. All kinds of tour groups came through from all over the state, even the world. Have to say it was easily the best place I worked, but not the best job.

The work itself, was alright. Trinkets, tschockes, Ohio made crafts and other assorted stuff. I screwed up the data entry on inventory and never heard the end of it. Big mistake, yes, but the boss could never get over it. A year and a half in there was not much point to working retail anymore, and I found another job.



A couple of years ago the shop moved, here's a picture of the new location. It's a few dozen feet away, but in a much smaller space. Never was much of a money maker.