Tabatha Deans

CHEWING GUM AND CIGARETTE BUTTS
This week’s training at what has turned out to be the job from hell, has me leaving my apartment at six a.m., wandering the streets of Denver in the wee hours of the morning. Today as I was walking down 17th Avenue, without the usual crowds of people occupying the sidewalks, I got a really good look at the pathways. For as far as the eye can see, the sidewalks are dotted with block spots of discarded chewing gum. Hundreds, nay, thousands of black dots cover the concrete, making me wonder about proper gum disposal. Sure, I’ve been guilty of just spitting my gum into a flowerbed or onto the lawn, without thinking much of it. But in a city with tens of thousands of people wandering the streets everyday, is that really the best way? I’ve never really considered spitting out chewing gum to be littering, but after this morning I’m seriously re-thinking my attitude about it.
As I walked slowly, in awe of the gum spots, I ran across a homeless man who was also starting his day. I happened to be passing a bar, and noticed that mixed in amongst the gum dots were bunches of cigarette butts. Grossed out a little by the combination of the two, I was starting to question my faith in the cleanliness of humanity, when the homeless man came running happily into the midst of the gum and butts. He smiled a great big smile at me as he started picking up butts.
“Jackpot!” He said. “If you’re going to find bit butts, you got to do it early in the morning. Before everybody else gets here. They don’t clean up after they close at night, so there’s always lots of butts.”
Well, there you go. I didn’t feel so bad about the butt littering, since it obviously serves a segment of the population. But from now on, my gum will only go in an authorized trash receptacle.

THE TIDES TURN QUICKLY
After months of no job opportunities, and very few writing opportunities, I found myself starting the day with two jobs. The cafe job, of course, as well as signed contracts for a very lucrative freelance writing job, interviewing and writing CEO profiles. I had a couple of CEO interviews lined up before heading to the cafe, and after yet another day of frustrating non-service attitudes, was calculating the number of stories I would have to write to be able to quite my cafe job. After stopping on the way home and spending 16 dollars to fax back contracts and 1099 information, I returned home feeling great about my new writing gig, and counting down the days before I could leave the cafe.
But upon opening my email, I found out that the writing project was more aggressive than they had initially planned, and I found an email waiting for me saying they were ceasing the project for now. Damn! My hopes and dreams were shattered. My hopes of quitting the cafe job and dreams of…well, dreams of working 20 hours a week and making 4 times the amount of money. Oh well. The Cafe job keeps me busy and keeps me in pocket cash from tips, and it allows me to meet a lot of different people. So it’s back to the drawing board on the writing jobs. Scouring the internet and seeking out every little story. But alas, such is the life of a writer…

August 19, 2011 - Posted by Tabatha Stewart | Uncategorized