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What's Your Day Job?
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TBird
129 posts
Mar 11, 2015
4:30 PM
How 'bout a fun little get-to-know-ya activity? :)

Maybe it's been discussed before, but (for those of you who are not fully funded by a career in the music biz) what do you do for a living?



Edited:
***Bumped on 11-21-16 in order to get to know some new people.***

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Be humble for you are made of earth.
Be noble for you are made of stars.

Last Edited by TBird on Nov 21, 2016 10:13 AM
TBird
130 posts
Mar 11, 2015
4:32 PM
Oh... I guess I should start, eh?

I work as a Special Education Assistant at a middle school and as a bicycle mechanic in the summers.


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Be humble for you are made of earth.
Be noble for you are made of stars.

Last Edited by TBird on Mar 11, 2015 7:40 PM
waltertore
2812 posts
Mar 11, 2015
5:03 PM
TBird: I started as a special education assistant back in Austin in 1988. That led to attending college and becoming a special education teacher for the past 20 odd years. I have created working businesses in schools to train sped students entry level job skills. My latest is here in OH. I am leaving this year to start my own pizzeria and continue my work with training/employing adults with disabilities. I am tired of the hassles of making my programs fly. The sad thing is my program puts kids to work in entry level jobs but no else wants to create such programs. All academics are functional to entry level work and are a byproduct of running a real business. Kids are trained in positions they can actually realize in the competitive workplace. My program has up till this year had kids all day for 2-5 years but this year that all has changed. I only get them a period here and there which is not enough time to do any good. Here is a link to my pizzeria to be in Reno, NV, and my current program in OH ( under the media section). Walter

PS: I am also a big bike rider
http://www.smilingwithhopepizza.com/
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller

my videos

Last Edited by waltertore on Mar 11, 2015 6:12 PM
cliffy
134 posts
Mar 11, 2015
5:07 PM
I am a Certified Prosthetist... I design, fabricate and fit custom-made prosthetic limbs. I also make custom braces called orthoses for patients who have had strokes, MS, etc.

I also am a bicycle mechanic on Saturdays in Stony Brook, NY, for a Trek dealer.

I occasionally play gigs and teach harmonica lessons for money too, but it really is only for a little pocket money.
Cotton
40 posts
Mar 11, 2015
5:23 PM
After U of F in 1974 , 20 years in sales and marketing, fortune 500 company. Then 13 years as owner of a Landscape Design firm. 3 employees, me , myself and I. Now retired but continue in landscape field as a 17 year U of F Master Gardner. Took up Harp at 61.
BronzeWailer
1615 posts
Mar 11, 2015
5:44 PM
Freelance Japanese to English translator.

Work from home so plenty of time to practice during slow work periods...
BronzeWailer's YouTube
Barley Nectar
704 posts
Mar 11, 2015
5:50 PM
Journyman Wireman IBEW. Yes I am a union man and dam proud. Will retire soon. Been playing harmonica 41 years and love it. Working on tube amps close to 20 years but just as a hobby. I'm also a shade tree mechanic and die hard DIYer. Enjoy gardening, fishing, hunting, boating, camping, motorcycling and meeting people.
Today, my apprentice and I were swapping out light fixtures in an 80' man lift, outside. Kinda chilly up there!...BN
2chops
356 posts
Mar 11, 2015
6:22 PM
Done a number of things over the years. Built mail trucks, furniture, disc Jockey, recently retired arborist and tree climb instructed. Couldn't put up with constantly working with injuries, so now I sit at a desk as a sales consultant to libraries & businesses.

Oh, used to be a bike wrench to. Ran a small operation out of my man cave years ago.
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I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
Jim Rumbaugh
1104 posts
Mar 11, 2015
6:29 PM
Optician ( I make eyeglasses )


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theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
STME58
1224 posts
Mar 11, 2015
6:32 PM
I am a mechanical design engineer. I have been a bicycle and automotive mechanic in the past. I had studied music in junior college and picked it up again about 8 years ago when a brass quintet of folks I work with lost their trombone player. I started playing harp because I can't fit a trombone on my pocket. I have found I really like the little instrument. I started playing blues because it fits the harp and my recent life events.

BN: I have been studying a bit of history and listening to a bit of Pete Seegar and Phil Ochs lately. I find their union songs resonate with me.

Last Edited by STME58 on Mar 11, 2015 6:32 PM
ted burke
122 posts
Mar 11, 2015
8:02 PM
Writer/editor,journalist,event promotor, salesman, carnival worker, hotel desk clerk and reservationist, warehouse manager,musician, boiler room supervisor, bookstore manager, bookseller, clerk. These days I am a bookseller for a local university bookstore.gift shop.
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Ted Burke
__________________
ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.com

Last Edited by ted burke on Mar 11, 2015 8:06 PM
PropMan
43 posts
Mar 11, 2015
8:48 PM
Since 1988: Film industry blue collar worker. For the last 20+ years! I.A.T.S.E. local 44 prop master.

Prior life: failed academic, failed poet and novelist, grad school dropout and incompetent college instructor.

And I blow harp in a bar band a couple of times a month.
Raven
16 posts
Mar 11, 2015
9:11 PM
Radio advertising salesman, copy writer and producer for last 15 years. 14 years prior worked in retail sales. I want to know what is this connection between bicycle mechanic and playing harp? Seems to be a common thread from the above profiles.
20REEDS
20 posts
Mar 11, 2015
9:14 PM
Bondsman, bounty hunter and ramp agent at a major airline

IAM Union proud!!

Last Edited by 20REEDS on Mar 11, 2015 9:15 PM
dougharps
879 posts
Mar 11, 2015
9:37 PM
Now retired... Previously worked 38 years in various roles in state and in not for profit human services agencies, first working in a treatment setting with emotionally disturbed & mentally ill children, then working with runaway and homeless youth and their families from a shelter, and finally working with abused and neglected children and their families.

I've played chromatic and diatonic harp intermittently for over 50 years, working at it more seriously since the '90s.

There were many times during my career when the joy of playing harmonica helped me survive the darkness I encountered daily in my work. Blues music can be healing.
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Doug S.

Last Edited by dougharps on Mar 11, 2015 9:37 PM
isaacullah
2950 posts
Mar 11, 2015
9:40 PM
I'm an archaeologist. I study what happened to people and the environment after the advent of farming some 10000 years ago. Currently am in a postdoc research position at Arizona state university.
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Super Awesome!
   YouTube!                 Soundcloud!
GMaj7
640 posts
Mar 11, 2015
10:15 PM
Special Agent with U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. Criminal drug, gun, and immigration investigations. On the streets...

Own/Operate harmonica Seydel sales and repair company.

Most important day job - dad to 5 adopted children whom I love dearly and hubby to awesome wife.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
nacoran
8326 posts
Mar 12, 2015
12:05 AM
Wow. The spam filter didn't like this thread for some reasons.

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Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)

First Post- May 8, 2009
Goldbrick
898 posts
Mar 12, 2015
12:11 AM
Formerly radio DJ, magazine photographer/journalist, communications engineer and currently seller of used and vintage cymbals, drum equip and guitars
Danny Starwars
65 posts
Mar 12, 2015
12:11 AM
I've only just started back in the workforce part time after a pesky brain tumour situation.

I'm working as a PA for a friend in his business; duties have so for included designing brochures, making contact lists for people he wants to sell to, and making coffee.

In the past I've been a language tutor, cartoonist, badge maker, writer, bible teacher and hamburger flipper.


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My YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ2_8CnjaiNLcPke4gWQ65A

 photo 10686638_10152414797680895_5261358825264555314_n_zpscnya9kew.jpg
SteveTech
24 posts
Mar 12, 2015
3:31 AM
I'm an IT guy for a school system, and have taught brass, guitar, and bass for the last 20 some odd years.

I plan to front a blues band in my retirement. Haven't told the wife yet.

Good idea for a post TBird.
jbone
1903 posts
Mar 12, 2015
3:41 AM
Jack of many, master of none. Dishwasher, janitor, wholesaler, industrial mechanic, antenna fabricator, residential construction, warehouse/delivery, and currently warehouse/delivery/counter sales. At age 59 I was offered a slightly different gig and took it. The work is less physical but learning a new inventory system- and manager- have been taxing.

I played harp and sang with various small outfits for a year in the late 90's as part of my income. It was a hard way to make small money but also a good feeling.

Currently in a duo with Jolene and the plan is, retire in two years and hit the road in our camper full time. Gig where we can and find some other creative ways to supplement SS income and see the country, play everywhere we go, and fish all the water we come across. Play until we can't any more. Keep writing and producing new roots and blues.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbTwvU-EN1Q
rbeetsme
1634 posts
Mar 12, 2015
3:59 AM
Photographer

Vita Duo photo Vita pair 01_zpssvkgtfhh.jpg
Schook
2 posts
Mar 12, 2015
6:52 AM
I am a Network Design Specialist at a Telecommunications company. I design the circuits that carry broadband traffic between smaller telcos delivering internet, cell traffic, video, etc. My other hobbies include flying sport kites, disc golfing, darts, and cleaning up after my wife's horses.

I started the harmonica thing only recently because I figured it would be something I could pick up quickly and easily. Both right and wrong on that one.

Jim
Buzadero
1227 posts
Mar 12, 2015
8:49 AM
I've managed to keep food on the table as a deepsea diver since I was a teenager in the 70's. Spent the first 20 years defending myself within my disapproving family of attorneys, doctors and academics......

Now self-employed doing the same thing, however now I don't have to get my old tired bones over the side and into the water. I got strapping youngsters with boundless enthusiasm to do my evil bidding.

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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
MBH poster since 11Nov2008
Gnarly
1272 posts
Mar 12, 2015
9:03 AM
I repair harmonicas for Suzuki at their Santee, California warehouse (no showroom, sorry kids).
And I have been a self employed musician in San Diego for pushing 40 years (I played at the Mandolin Wind and the Ivy Barn).
I owe my harmonica obsession to John Frazer, who built me my first harmonica holder, from leather, with my initials stitched in the back. We played music for many weeks in a row at a hotel in El Centro CA, and they put us up during the week. Didn't get serious (if we can call it that) until the 1990's.
See ya at SPAH!
SantaRosa
20 posts
Mar 12, 2015
9:51 AM
Very interesting group! Grad. of U. of Miami, B. A. in psychology, M.S. in Sociology from Pepperdine. First 14 yrs. out of college as a Los Angeles County probation officer. Retired in 2001 at 59 yrs. old from private practice as a chiropractor.
harpoon_man
89 posts
Mar 12, 2015
10:29 AM
I do environmental permitting for a company that builds transmission lines and power plants all over the United States. It is my job to get all the dozens of permits and approvals that a major power project is required to have before starting construction. The job is both very difficult and very tedious...it is rarely fun...but they do send me a paycheck every 2 weeks very reliably, which leads me to the last verse of a song I wrote called "9 to 5 Blues":

"I don't play to make my living,
but I live to play these blues.
Play my music, or feed my family -
sometimes in life you've got to choose."

Last Edited by harpoon_man on Mar 12, 2015 10:29 AM
HawkeyeKane
2740 posts
Mar 12, 2015
10:31 AM
Financial field. Been at a credit union branch for almost nine years.

Credit Union 1 - A unique concept in financial services
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 photo Image 22_2.jpg

Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam

Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Mar 12, 2015 2:23 PM
The Iceman
2317 posts
Mar 12, 2015
10:35 AM
Gourmet Food Creation, Production and Sales.

www.oliveaffairs.com

Am currently learning (from the local community) Northern Indian Cuisine in order to create authentic Northern Indian dishes.

Very different, as 90% of spices used are unfamiliar to us Westerners, as well as the differing techniques to bring out the flavors.

Big Fun.

Hey, this thread can be a great networking source...not harmonica related, but definitely a nice way to get to know each other a little better...
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The Iceman

Last Edited by The Iceman on Mar 12, 2015 10:37 AM
orphan
427 posts
Mar 12, 2015
11:25 AM
Great play on the words/lyrics harpoon man:

"I don't play to make my living,
but I live to play these blues.
Play my music, or feed my family -
sometimes in life you've got to choose."

Construction by day. Woodshed by night.
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kham
29 posts
Mar 12, 2015
1:09 PM
Certified organic farmer and soil builder. The blues came from the fields and stays in our fields as we toil in the soil all the live long day! Organic food is the way forward and backwards at the same time!
TBird
132 posts
Mar 12, 2015
1:13 PM
This is some really interesting reading! Thanks for chiming in everyone.

So many of you do or have done really interesting stuff that I'd love to talk to you more about. Call me! ;)

T.Bird

BTW... We started off with a strangely large showing of bike mechanics. Are there any others lurking out there... :)
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Be humble for you are made of earth.
Be noble for you are made of stars.
gmacleod15
250 posts
Mar 12, 2015
1:28 PM
Hmmm... I was also a bicycle mechanic many years ago. Spent most of the last 30 years as a geoligist working in or remediating the underground coal mines in Nova Scotia Can.
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MBH member since 2009-03-24
Littoral
1218 posts
Mar 12, 2015
1:53 PM
Education Coordinator, Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (Florida)

 photo ANERRPic_zpstrsvn9xc.png

Last Edited by Littoral on Mar 12, 2015 1:55 PM
isaacullah
2955 posts
Mar 12, 2015
2:35 PM
I'm an amateur bike mechanic. Does that count? Lol! I am an avid bike rider too. Not competition or anything like that, but daily bike commuter, and pretty serious about riding. I've got a small 'stable' of bikes. My current project is restoring a 1970's Raleigh Sport 3-speed. Great utilitarian bikes!
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Super Awesome!
   YouTube!                 Soundcloud!
2chops
360 posts
Mar 12, 2015
3:25 PM
@srussell...graphic designer for TN libraries. You do any work that gets sent to JanWay? If so I've proof read your work. I'm in the next box over from the TN library rep and we proof each others work. I also handle TN business accounts. So I may have seen your handy work by that means also. Especially for the TENNder care program and dept. Of trans. Small world.
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I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
STME58
1227 posts
Mar 12, 2015
3:39 PM
@isaacullah,

Did you have to get Whitworth spanners to work on your project bike?
isaacullah
2956 posts
Mar 12, 2015
4:10 PM
Mostly making do with adjustable wrenches. Raleighs are also crazy in that the thread count on most of the fittings is different than anything else, including other contemporary English bikes! Means you have to get very specific replacement parts. Luckily, the one I'm working on wasn't in too bad a shape. Mostly needs a tear down and a good cleaning, which is what I'm in the middle of now.
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Super Awesome!
   YouTube!                 Soundcloud!
Harmlessonica
89 posts
Mar 12, 2015
4:58 PM
Another graphic designer here. Low end of the spectrum unfortunately - fast food leaflets and point of sale mostly, not much scope for creativity with our clients. I take as many tea breaks as I can get away with to sneak in some covert harp practise.

Hopefully one day I'll dust off that unfinished screenplay and attain the career I've always wanted...
Lmbrjak
251 posts
Mar 12, 2015
6:32 PM
Logger,carpenter,log home builder. Went to part-time when I hit 65.
Fil
25 posts
Mar 12, 2015
6:50 PM
Hospital administration, then provider contracting and relations. Miss the people, not the work. Retired in 2011 and picked up the harp a year or so later. Saved a couple of suits, some button-down shirts, and striped ties, but don't know why now. Maybe I should wear them when I work on the boat or my bike and save the jeans. They don't go well with my Special 20's. Harmonica has become a big part of life.
STME58
1231 posts
Mar 12, 2015
6:53 PM
@Fil, wear your suits when you are busking! Why don't they go with a special 20?
groyster1
2748 posts
Mar 12, 2015
7:45 PM
retired on SS and pension..........
shakeylee
159 posts
Mar 12, 2015
10:01 PM
i do have a full set of whitworth spanners from working on triumphs and beezers.if you are near philly,you are welcome to use them.(for the bike mechanics at the end of page one)


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www.shakeylee.com

Last Edited by shakeylee on Mar 12, 2015 10:03 PM
HarveyHarp
654 posts
Mar 12, 2015
10:02 PM
Work??? Not anymore.

I am a harp Tech. But it's not work. Its fun. If it gets to be work, I will quit. Thats why I am a well kept secret.
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Photobucket

HarveyHarp
Komuso
492 posts
Mar 12, 2015
11:25 PM
Micropreneur

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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Sonicviz
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream

Last Edited by Komuso on Mar 12, 2015 11:28 PM
Glass Harp Full
1 post
Mar 13, 2015
12:01 AM
Hi everyone,

This is my first post although I have been reading this forum for the last couple of months. I've found it very informative and helpful.

I'm a university lecturer. I teach mainly postgraduate courses in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

I started playing harmonica when I was a university student after getting hooked on the blues, mainly John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. A friend of mine who played piano was also into the blues and we used to jam together. We even wrote a couple of songs at one stage. Neither of us was very good and the songs were probably awful but it was great fun.

I stopped playing for a long time when I got busy with postgraduate study, living overseas for a year, then moving interstate for work. I've recently gotten back into harmonica because my infant son has shown an interest in music. He's fascinated by musical instruments in the shops and by street buskers. I thought if I started learning to play again it might encourage him and be something we could do together. He seems to get a lot of enjoyment from getting a sound out of a harmonica.

Thanks for reading.
MindTheGap
563 posts
Mar 13, 2015
12:09 AM
Originally a physicist, now a software developer. Also worked in electronics, but unfortunately not vacuum tubes.

Bicycles yes! - building and riding, until a knee injury. Now I am bike tech to the family. Single-speed and fixie conversions but now my favourite is an old gents sit-up-and-beg 3 speed. No stranger to the Whitworth Threads.
Harmlessonica
90 posts
Mar 13, 2015
3:34 AM
Hi Glass Harp Full, and welcome!

If your glass harp is full, how do you get the intermediate tones..? :)


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