I've been delivering the Wall St. Journal at night since 1988. How's that for an admission? This is both a blessing and a curse. When I move on, which I will soon be doing, potential employers will no doubt be impressed that I've had the same job for fifteen years. This shows that I am dependable and loyal. Potential employers, after they are done being impressed by my non-flakiness, will notice that, yes... I have been a paperboy for a decade and a half. That just doesn't sound good, does it?
It has been a comfortable job and it pays well. It leaves my days and weekends free (the Journal only publishes five days a week). The only problem is that the mortally wounded economy has finally started to take its toll on the jobs that service the swiftly disappearing high-tech firms. Subscriptions are down. The company I work for is not making money. They're cutting our pay. I'm not sure how much the pay cuts are going to be, but I should know by the end of the week. This obviously makes the job less attractive. Up until now, the healthy paycheck helped make up for the stigma of the job description. Up until now.
Tonight, I had an interesting exchange with a customer:
CUSTOMER: (as I hand him his paper over the fence) "Is it convenient for you to deliver the paper like this?"
ME: "It doesn't matter to me. Where would you like it?"
CUSTOMER: (indicating bush) "Throwing it in this bush would be fine."
Now, why can't I have more customers like this?

cds I listened to while wishing I could throw all of the papers into the shrubbery: Roy Montgomery "And Now the Rain Sounds Like Life is Falling Down Through It", Tarantula Hawk "Live at KFJC 07/15/01", The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud "s/t" and "Amara Tanta Tyri", Uli Jon Roth/Electric Sun "Earthquake", "Firewind", and "Beyond the Astral Skies", and Mirror "Eye of the Storm"