ON THE JOBS

I love learning about people’s work. Most find it hard to believe that I like to hear them whine about such minutiae, but the details of office politics, how to grind a lens, what to do when someone’s masturbating in the back of the store ... it’s all gold to me.

As I may have said before — I’m aged, and my memory is failing — this is what I most love about the 3Jake blog. Anyone can make observations, and I’m generally glad to hear them, but nothing compares with the interest commanded by an in-the-trenches report from (sexism intact for added flavor) a cop, a hooker, a garbage man, a factory worker, a shopgirl, a caterer or, in this case, a high school guidance counselor.

Jake’s current posting is compelling and heartbreaking, as are many of her walks Up The Down Staircase, and the tension and toll of her job come through very effectively.

But I know there’s a brighter side, Jake. I’m still waiting for the one about the beautiful underage lesbian experimentation.