After I got cut from acting school I was horribly depressed and aimless. I moved back to Long Island from Chicago to live with my boyfriend and we tried our hand at poverty in both places. I worked at a Baskin Robbins for a week and a catering hall for a day. The second day at the catering hall there was a street festival in town and there was no parking on the street. We were forbidden to park in the catering hall parking lot, so when I went in to ask what I should do, they said to just park where it said no parking on the street and to put a catering hall business card in the windshield. Yeah right. I left.

My friend Abby's father offered me a job. It was an office job not too far from my house, scanning resumes into a database for a recruiter. Sheldon, Abby's father, was the manager - the boss.

He was the kind of boss that made everyone in the office thank their lucky stars. He bought lunch several times a week, he was hilarious and everyone loved and respected him. He made these bizarre mix tapes for everyone in the office for Christmas. After I worked there for a couple of months, he called me into his office and handed me a scrap of paper and told me in an authoratative voice to read it outloud to him. I read: I have more skills now than when I started. I deserve more money. He told me that I drove a hard bargain and he'd see what he could do. I got a raise.

Do all good things come to sad, miserable ends? The company got bought. The managers were the first to go and I was there to see my friend's dad get laid off. I got transferred to a NYC office with no windows where they paid me the same salary plus my train fare. I wasn't there much longer.

Abby's parents eventually moved to New Jersey. I don't think her dad was unemployed for too long. Abby lives on the west coast now and I just got this e-mail from her.

I also forgot to tell you that my dad has completely lost his mind and has a website now - check it out:
www.savesheldonfromarealjob.com

It's a site about gambling - and he's offering gambling parties, like a party where people learn how to gamble. I am not the least bit interested in gambling but I guarantee that that gambling party is a BLAST.