Repo Woman Eats Humble Pie
AP-Denver: In a stunning development south of Denver, a woman who once commanded an impressive salary in New York as a project manager has returned to work after nearly eight months of eating bon bons and watching soap operas and dusting the woodwork. Having been as yet unable to secure a position in her field of expertise, she will indulge her bossy tendencies working as a collector for past-due auto loans, convincing people to get off their asses and pay their fucking bills*, all for an hourly rate of nearly one-fifth of what she once made.
Asked how it felt to return to work and let someone else raise her children, she replied, “Humble pie is certainly bitter no matter where you eat it, but it tastes a lot better sitting at a table with a roof over my head.”
*Said purely for effect. Many clients have legitimate reasons why they are late; my job will be to help figure out a way to minimize their penalties.
December 12th, 2005 at 7:59 am
Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do when there are kids to support. Think of it as fodder for the blog!
December 12th, 2005 at 8:29 am
Congratulations! . . I think.
When do you start?
December 12th, 2005 at 8:45 am
Hey, I’m with Sugarmama — you’ll have all sorts of awesome stories to tell, and you’ll get some time out of the house. Not to mention that extra spending money (always a good thing!)
December 12th, 2005 at 9:39 am
Humble pie also tastes good when eaten ALONE on your lunch break. Hooray for getting paid during grownups-only time!
December 12th, 2005 at 9:44 am
It’ll pay for the Cold Stone and the Creamer…
I used to do collections–another one of my previous hats.
Where I worked, we were instructed never to give our first or last (real) names.
I was Mrs. ________, using my maternal grandmothers name.
Hh
December 12th, 2005 at 11:20 am
You might be mistaken about that pie’s ingredients– you’ve missed the heaping cup-fulls of strength and diligence in there. And you should never under-estimate the mental-health benefits of a regular schedule of dressing up and leaving the house, especially when you’re getting paid to do it.
December 12th, 2005 at 12:49 pm
Yeah for gainful employment!
December 12th, 2005 at 1:02 pm
Congratulations on the job. Good luck.
December 12th, 2005 at 1:31 pm
I am available for working mother commiseration at any time.
That job should prove to be very entertaining. Work, is not so bad in that it typically does not involve children pulling at your clothes. That part is nice.
December 12th, 2005 at 1:44 pm
Yes, I can vouch for work being good, if only for the pleasure of not having to pick up anyone else’s clothes, cut grapes, or watch Nickelodeon/Disney Channel.
Kudos for You. And remember, the Dalai Lama teaches to be open our hearts to the experience of others. I try to chant that every day.
December 12th, 2005 at 3:33 pm
congrats!
and keeping my fingers crossed that you will never have to call me…:)
*logging off to trot down the driveway and mail my credit card payment off*
December 12th, 2005 at 3:33 pm
Think of it as…..um, wait…..
Okay, I’ve got it. Think of it as assisting cash strapped individuals in making their car payments so they can go to work in order to feed their children….oh, and to give their children that much needed operation. You are doing a service for society. Move over Mother Theresa, Julie’s in town.
Wait, did Mother Theresa have a plasma tv? Whatever, you’re doing good.
Stacey – the queen of euphemisms (which is in itself a euphemism for bullshit artist)
December 12th, 2005 at 7:24 pm
Waiting for the stories to start. Maybe you’ll get your on tv show? Whatshisname… “Dog” something or other… wait, he’s a bounty hunter. Ah well, it’s a paycheck.
December 13th, 2005 at 6:53 am
Thank you for all the kind words and encouragement. Yesterday was the first day of the rest of my life…I mean, training.
December 13th, 2005 at 10:08 am
Congratulations! I can’t wait to read the stories!
JoNell – btw, after graduating near the top of my class in law school I had a hard time finding a job – so I took phone orders for chocolates at Ethel M. You gotta do what you gotta do.
December 13th, 2005 at 10:50 am
Good luck!!!
December 13th, 2005 at 11:35 am
Ah, good luck with the job. Mmm…humble pie. Bitter indeed.
December 13th, 2005 at 12:08 pm
Another congratulations here. Sory you couldn’t find a more lucrative job in your field, but hey, whatever pays the bills.
Let us know how it goes!
December 13th, 2005 at 5:03 pm
WOW!! Congrats! And you owe me dinner!
P.S. Gretchen is right, my mom worked in collections for 25 years and she had some GREAT stories.
December 13th, 2005 at 7:45 pm
J – DH started in collections and lookee where he is now, lol….. I cannot wait to hear the daily grind from your perspective. I’m glad it’s gotten your foot back in the “work” door….Hopefully this leads to even bigger and better things for you guys!
December 14th, 2005 at 12:03 am
I say a job is a job is a job. And life is a long road *insert platitudes here*
Aw, to heck with that! It’s work. You have a family that needs food. And having had some rough times of late in the work dept. will keep you human when it comes to relating to the people you call. That’s actually really important.
Good luck with the training.
December 15th, 2005 at 11:49 am
BEST of luck!
I do imagine there will be some terrific stories to tell.
I must admit I’d be nervous to be in your position. I hate calling people for regular stuff, but to request money? Eek!