Black Jack! Lessons from Odd Jobs Hits 21

This one goes to 11.

That’s right. Eleven more Lessons from Odd Jobs posts!

Several of these come to us thanks to Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings. (Thanks for working with us on this, Robert!) It’s a simple activity, but it’s really helped us bring focus to what HighCallingBlogs.com is all about.

Here are the latest entries, with my own little annotations. There are a lot of good ones here! This is not your ordinary, everyday meaningless meme. Seriously. I laughed out loud at some of these things and talked about then with my family at dinner. They are that good.

If you haven’t seen the first ten, be sure to visit our main page. AND if you haven’t told us about your own odd job in a post… WHY NOT? Everybody’s doing it. (Or at least 21 people so far.)

1. My “Not So Odd” Jobs by Jim Garland, who went from soda jerk to carpet cleaning telemarketer without any Glengarry leads. (Mamet is one of my favorites, Jim. He’s a master of dialogue.)
2. Lessons from Odd Jobs: You’re Fired by Karl Edwards who one day “had to tell 10% of the firm that they were being laid off… effective immediately.” Yikes.
3. Snapshots from a Variety of Odd Jobs by Jim Martin who writes a very touching post about selling the same bread for different prices, mailing lady bugs, and discovering that the boss’s errands include getting his wife to sign divorce papers.
4. On Meme’s and Special Things by Carl Holmes, whose job is so weird I’m a little flabbergasted. To use polite language, Carl was an agrarian flatulence technician.
5. What I Learned from Steam Cleaning Carpets by Brad Shorr, who shouldn’t move grand pianos without extra pay or agree to clean large black oil stains without getting paid up front.
6. My First Job by Gordon Atkinson who was suckered by his dad into starting a lawn care business one summer that ended up teaching him some incredible lessons about work and faith. For those of you who don’t know Gordon, he is an incredible blogger who bares his soul at RealLivePreacher.com. Check him out.
7. Dr. Strangelove and Me: What I Learned from Riding Missiles by G. L. Hoffman, the CEO and Chairman of JobDig, who was–get this!–an an “Air Force officer in charge of a nuclear missile, in Kansas.” Not sure what awards we’ll hand out, if any. But so far, you win, GL. This one is insane.
8. Lessons from Odd Jobs by Mark D. Roberts, another heavy hitter in the blogosphere who was gracious enough to participate. Mark tells a moving story of helping his employer trim the grass around her husband’s grave. Powerful stuff.
9. What I Learned from an Odd Job by Karen Hanrahan, who learned to love people while working at a dude ranch where the cowboys “would spit if they liked your behind.”
10. Things I Learned Being a Popsicle Man by Otto Haugland, a new blogger who makes me laugh with insights like “driving by an outdoor boy scout jamboree is Popsicle Man heaven.” HILARIOUS!
11. In the Dailies: Odd Jobs by Tanya Dennis whose job includes teaching her daughter not to sing the ‘erection song’ at Easter, and teaching her son not to hang things from… well, you’ll just have to read that one for yourself.

Like I said, this one goes to eleven…