Moving onto other topics, I've been doing a lot of thinking about settling into a career, and as I scan the classifieds, I've once again been blown away by how mixed up the working world really is. Here I am, a University Graduate, with a variety of work experience, and yet I'm not even qualified to work at a Kernels Popcorn counter. Strange but true. You may ask what does qualify someone to work at Kernels? Apparently pervious experience in the food industry. At the risk of offending anyone who may work in that type of job, (and I really mean no offence.)How exactly is food experience necessary to sell popcorn? Perhaps I'm being extremely dense, and perhaps there is a very precise science to selling popcorn, but I'm afraid I just don't see it. In the mean time, I continue to search for opportunities, and I've learned to accept the fact that whatever the future holds for me, there is no place for me in the popcorn industry. ;)
Feb 23/2000
Hello and greetings in the new millennium. I haven't quite gotten adjusted to writing 2000 beside the date yet,but other than that, the year seems to be going smoothly. After a long search, I've finally found my place in the working world,running the children's section of a big bookstore in Toronto. The Mega Store (in the way of a Borders or Barnes & Noble) is still a fairly new concept in Toronto, but there certainly seems to be a demand for it.
The world of kids books is such an interesting one, and of course one of the first things I was bombarded with was the Harry Potter/Pokemon mania. Pokemon has especially flooded the market with merchandice, and while I have yet to see a "Harry Potter Doll" out there yet, I wouldn't be surprised to see something following. Kids just can't get enough of this boy wizard and his adventures, and parents are anxious to keep their kids interested in reading, so they are constantly searching for similar titles.
This brings me to my point of fascination for today. An issue which comes up frequently with children is the quality of what they are reading, and the degree of censorship which parents should impose. Many parents groan at the prospect of their child reading Pokemon or Captain Underpants, but is what they are reading more important than that they are interested in reading? I tend to stay away from recommending the pop stuff like Captain Underpants and the Mary Kate and Ashley books, and push the classics. It's amazing what one person can do for an old forgotten classic when they find the key to get kids excited. Still,there are two things I've learned in this business; Nothing turns a kid off a book faster than knowing their parents like it, and nothing gets them more anxious to read something than knowing their parents hate it. This being the case, I'll end this ramble with this suggestion: We may not like the latest craze our kids are interested in, but so long as there is nothing harmful in the book, let them read what interests them, just as long as they read.
Well I haven't got much else to say right now, but feel free to check out the rest of my page, sign my guestbook, and to send me e-mail if you so desire.