Where I Work

I've somewhat dreaded (can you really “somewhat dread”? Why use a word like dread and then take the air out of it by putting somewhat before it? I'm sure there is one word that does the same job. I'll start over)

I've feared certain social gatherings since graduating from UMass. The reason is the question of what I have been doing with my life. It's not that I'm ashamed of working at the RV place. It's actually a decent job... for now. The issue is that I know it's not what I want to continue to do into the long future. And it's certainly not what I went to school for. What did I go to school for again?

Rousseau's R.V. Center was founded by Leo Rousseau in 1976. Then in May of 2002 I started my first summer of employment. Gee. That was almost eight years ago. I worked every summer through 2009. Then I graduated UMass with an English degree and realized that I didn't know what to do with myself. I suppose it was fortunate to have the job waiting for me, but I wonder if the adversity of unemployment would have benefited me. Whatever the case, on to the details.

My main area of expertise is cleaning, although, you wouldn't get that impression from my personal life. Nevertheless, I am a good cleaner. My attention to detail coupled with an ability to “clean the dirt that isn't there” often results in superior customer satisfaction. Over the years I have learned that Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles are as important to cleaning as Bob Costas is to the Olympics, or Dick Clark to his New Year's Rockin' Eve.*

I also fill propane tanks. Propane gas smells bad they tell me. I say “they tell me” because I have tremendous difficulty smelling bad odors. I'm sure this gift/curse will be addressed again at a later date.

The truth is, I do dozens of little things. I transport trailers, check-in inventory, file warranty claims, conduct gas and water tests, present trailers to customers, provide sporadic comic relief, destroy old trailers etc.

One of my greatest pleasures is making the sign. Some of my best works include “Reserve Your Rental Camper Today” and “Meeting Your Camping Needs for 34 Years”. I suppose it doesn't seem like much, but it's really my only outlet.

Sometimes I feel that I don't have any business there. I'm not a technician and I have little interest in recreational vehicles. Sometimes it's not so bad. When it's nice outside and I have a sense of a job well done.

I can't stay, but where am I going? I'll keep writing.

* It's certainly debatable whether Dick Clark has any business as the host of New Year's Rockin' Eve these days. Don't see this as a lack of compassion on my part. I just question if it's appropriate for him to continue in his current condition.