Last week was so busy that it felt as if the week had barely finished yet the following Monday morning had already arrived and it was time to start my next One Week Job at New Tribe Tattooing and Piercing. I think Ian and I are the only ones in there without tattoos completely covering our arms, though there is still a few more days left so you never know;)
I spent my first day on the job sterilizing and packaging equipment, setting up and taking down tattoo/piercing stations, taking out the garbage, and doing some coffee runs for some of the tattooists and piercers.
The first day I was working with Joey, an 18 year old who is apprenticing to become a piercer. He was talking about how he would like to get his arms covered in tattoos, though he must decide if this is what he really wants to do as a career because having a lot of visible tattoos tends to limit him to this industry.
Although tattoos and piercings are becoming more common, he mentioned how much discrimination there is in the workplace when looking for jobs. It reminded me how I have been asked if I think that some companies have not offered me a One Week Job due to my hair. I imagine the answer is yes, though, would I really want to work in an environment with individuals who would pass such judgment anyways? Nope.
My second day on the job I was able to hang out with one of the piercers, John. He has been a piercer for 11 years! I got to see him put in various rings throughout the day â€" tongue ring, nipple ring, nose ring - just a typical day at the office for him.
Yesterday, the shop was closed because they went to a waterpark, Wild Water Kingdom, for a staff outing. Ian and myself couldn’t go as I had an interview with CBC Newsworld in the morning and another in the afternoon with Naked News Daily. I had actually received an offer from Naked News Daily to be a News Anchor. The catch though, as you may have guessed, is that you must be naked. I thought I would save my family the embarassment and so elected for the interview option in my underwear â€" the “half naked news†I guess.
Our first episode has been released from my week at Steam Whistle Brewing. It would be a big help if you could pass on the link as we need sponsors for each of the weekly episodes in order to sustain the project. Thanks!
We will be in Toronto for another week after this one, then off to Kitchener/Waterloo where I will be a Radio DJ.
Cheers,
Sean