lesson learned.

Last night I learned a valuable lesson. During our first class session in Vocational & Occupational Guidance (my first class of the spring term), we were asked to tell the class what our most favorite and least favorite jobs have been over the course of our careers. I decided that my favorite job was working as an AV services manager at an art college. My least favorite job was cleaning machinery in a crankshaft factory. Part of my job at the crankshaft factory was cleaning, scraping, and taping off large machines so they could be repainted. Unfortunately, I didn’t choose my words very well as I began to describe my least favorite job. I introduced myself to the class and then began with, “My least favorite job was that I stripped down…” And for whatever reason (?), at this point I chose to pause briefly  to take a breath. That small pause lasted just long enough for people to consider for themselves what the ending of that sentence might be. The laughter began at the back of the classroom and quickly made its way to the front, until even my wife (we’re taking the course together) was laughing next to me. I think she got a bigger kick out of it than anyone else. When I realized what I had said, I couldn’t believe I had been so careless. I tried to recover. I went on to explain that I stripped the paint off machinery in a crankshaft factory and cleaned the machines so they could be repainted. But I don’t think anyone heard a word I said.