Section 2.

Task 1. What do you like about your job?

I'm a night person, I love the hours, you know?

I like going to work at around six at night and then getting home at two or three in the morning.

I like being out around people, you know, talking to them, listening to their problems.

Some of my regulars are always on the lookout for ways that they can stump me.

Like last week, one of them came in and asked for a Ramos gin fizz.

He didn't think I knew how to make it.

Hah, but I know how to make every drink in the book, and then some.

Although some of the nights when I go in, I just don't feel like dealing with all the noise.

When I get in a big crowd, it can be a pretty noisy.

People talking, the sound system blaring, the pinball machine, the video games.

And then at the end of the night, you don't always smell so good, either.

You smell like cigarettes.

But I like the place and I plan on sticking around for a while.

If I had to sit behind a desk all day, I'd go crazy.

I'm really glad I have a job where I can keep moving, you know?

My favourite part is picking out the music, I use new music for every ten-week session.

For my last class, I always use the Beatles, it's a great beat to move to, and everybody loves them.

I like to sort of educate people about their bodies, and show them, you know how to do the exercises and movements safely.

Like, it just kills me when I see people trying to do situps with straights legs, it's so bad for your back.

And, let's see, I, I like to see people make progress, at the end of session, you can really see how people have slimmed down and sort of built up some muscle, it's very gratifying.

The part I don't like is, well, it's hard to keep coming up with new ideas for classes.

I mean, you know, there are just so many ways you can move your body, and it's hard to keep coming up with interesting routines and...and new exercises.

And it's hard on my voice, I have to yell all the time so people can hear me above the music, and like after three classes in one day, my voice has had it.

Then again, having three classes in one day has its compensations, I can eat just about anything I want and not gain any weight.

What do I like about my job?

Money, m-o-n-e-y.

No, I like the creativity, and I like my studio.

All my tools are like toys to me, you know, my watercolors, pen and inks, color pencils, drafting table.

I love playing with them, and I have lots of different kinds of clients, I do magazines, book covers, album covers, newspaper articles, so there's lots of variety, which I like.

You know, sometimes, when I start working on a project, I could be doing it for hours and have no conception of how much time has gone by, what some people call a flow experience.

I don't like the pressure, though, and there's plenty of it in this business.

You're always working against a tight deadline.

And I don't like the business end of it, you know, contacting clients for work, negotiating contracts, which get long and complicated.

Well, I'll tell you.

At first, it was fun, because there was so much to learn, and working with figures and money was interesting.

But after about two years, the thrill was gone, and now it's very routine.

I keep the books, do the pay-roll, pay the taxes, pay the insurance, pay the bills, I hate paying the bills, because there's never enough money to pay them.

I also don't like the pressure of having to remember when all the bills and taxes are due.

And my job requires a lot of reading that I don't particularly enjoy, like, I have to keep up to date on all the latest tax forms, and it's pretty dull.

I like it when we're making money, though, because I get to see all of my efforts rewarded.