So, after having a chat with my managers and threatening to make a big fuss with the local Labour Relations Board, it looks like a somewhat agreeable compromise can be met (although I'm still not likely going to be working any additional hours). As it is, I'm not about to set any bridges on fire.

Either way, i am submitting applications for more work elsewhere. In order to become a more prolific Person That Writes Things, I have submitted applications to several other magazines, but given the sporadic nature of the work, I still may need a dayjob to tie me over between gigs. Sorta like when I used to be in the film industry, only I didn't actually have a dayjob at the time.

So, here are my options:

-Game tester. Now, this sounds like a really cool job. Having ruined my grades in high school from playing Doom 2 non-stop and alienated all of my friends by playing Half-Life and StarCraft when I should've been outside playing basketball, this would be a great way to put my skills to use. Pay: $10/hour. Hours: Really frickin' long. Likelyhood of long-term employment: N/A, contract position, most likely be laid off after 8 month period is up.

-Data Entry. Having been around computers for the better part of the last 20 years, I have developed an insanely fast typing speed. Pay: $8/hour. Hours: 8:30-5:30, 3 days a week. Likelyhood of long-term employment: If I'm really lucky, they might let me into the advertising department of their organization. Too bad that they don't have an advertising budget to speak of. In other words, not very likely.

-Movie Extra (aka: "Background Performer"). I used to do this a lot. You stand around, you get herded back to extras holding, you get fat from snacking off the craft service table. My best gig was when I was doing a commercial for All-State Farms. For about 6 hours, I was standing around, chatting it up with the crew, chatting it up with the actors, snacking off the craft service table. They served us lunch. We did a company move. We finally got around to doing my shot. I hopped into an SUV that was being followed through a car wash. We did the rehearsal, we did take one, we did take two. And they sent me home. They paid me $200 flat rate. Pay: Varies from gig to gig. Hours: Varied, can be anything from 4 hours to 15 hours (even longer if someone calls in a bomb threat). Likelyhood of long-term employment: Is only on-call, so work relies upon demand.

-ESL Tutoring. This one might not be so bad. I have a friend who I've been helping with her English grammar and spelling (she's from Taiwan) and I've been teaching her some really big words (unencumbered (un-en-CUM-bered) adj to be free of restraint and trappings. "After the door was unlocked, he passed through unencumbered"). All I need is some level of certification that goes past my university degree. Pay: Volunteer (ULP!). Hours: 2 hours per week. Likelyhood of long-term employment: Only if I'm willing to hop on a plane that'll take me overseas. Mind you, I do hear that Japan is nice this time of year...

Hmm...none of these are long term at all. Screw it, I'm going back to school.

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