MONICA PECK

Monica Peck lives in San Francisco and works in San Jose.


on the clock

things i want to write about for the poetic labor blog

gender discrimination in the workplace, esp. re non-normative gender being told that i can “get away with wearing anything” the non-productive vs. the productive vs. anti-productive, esp. re being an artist art i’ve made at work, i.e. clip art comics, poems, ppt. “movies” horrible art i’ve been paid to make on the job: a musical mash-up of the wizard of oz & the loma prieta earthquake, poems about facial expressions for preschoolers, a poem for an ex-boss that she published under her daughters name in an ad post-it note fetishes using a grant to be anti-productive and a drag on the economy, i.e. not make commodity art, but converse in a leisurely way or wander or day dream or “research” or cruise how i wrote my first poem at my first job on the clock at st. anne’s church about chewing gum the various ways bosses have kept track of my time & “their” money: spread sheets, charts, clip boards, time sheets, sign-in logs being scammed when looking for work: the western union scam for a tutoring gig, the ice cream truck scam, the postal worker classified ad scam bleeding on the job: performing “worker” while having brutal menstrual cramps eating on the job, esp. the logistics of various workplaces: teachers’ lounge politics, cubicle lunches, and the politics of “shared” food in corporate zones unions spontaneous work signage, i.e. passive-aggressive notes, esp. in bathrooms being asked to “compose” bathroom signage re: flushing it all down work drag making magic totems to protect from mean co-workers and abusive bosses, esp out of the office supplies at hand: thumb tack & dry eraser shaman dolls morale boosters and fake morale boosters, i.e. corporate office art & kitsch vs. a view of a beautiful tree inappropriate/illegal job interview questions that sought/implied/assumed socio-economic class, race, gender, ethnicity, marital status, health, or other personal background info or are otherwise memorable for how uncomfortable they made me feel:

why do you like children what is your favorite book how would you react if someone said, “fuck you” are you a vegetarian how would you handle a difficult parent did you have trouble finding parking how did you get here do you feel comfortable driving a truck how often do you eat yoghurt is anyone in your family a lawyer do you have any children can you lift forty pounds do you mind getting your fingerprints checked do you mind getting a TB test what brought you to san francisco how are you with money what interests you about mobile technology have you ever worked with dry ice can you cut an onion do you have an allergy to bleach when can you start do you have your own computer do you have access to the internet do you know how to type have you ever done a mailing can you answer the phone how did you hear about this job what do you like to write about are you and [current employee] friends would you be willing to do a partial trade are you a “real” teacher do you have a cell phone can you help me get a good grade can you fit thirteen boxes in your car can you write quizzes do you have cash register experience are you familiar with microsoft office how are you with the public have you read mencken’s “the joy of monotony” can you pull it out with the root can you make a decent chowder



queer resume: an interesting oversimplification

this is a list of all jobs (in reverse chronological order) and approximate wages per hour taking into account actual hours worked for salaried position and including tips for service jobs, followed by my age, whether or not i was “out” on the job, and my gender presentation.

job title, wages, age, “out-ness” and “gender” presentation

adjunct lecturer: 25, 35, out, queer
lab experiment subject: 25, 35, out, queer
babysitter: 15, 35, out, queer
focus group participant: 75, 35, out, queer
private tutor: 25, 34-35, out, queer
mock juror: 30, 35, out, queer
teacher: 25, 34-35, out, queer
house sitter: 2, 34, out, queer
graduate teaching assistant: 15, 33-34, out, femme
administrator: 35, 32-34, out to some co-workers, femme
writer: 35, 30-32, out, queer
vegetable delivery driver: 15, 30, out, queer
teacher: 35, 28-30, out to some colleagues, queer
assistant teacher: 17, 26-28, out, queer
bookstore clerk: 13, 26-28, out, queer
associate editor: 25, 25, closeted, queer
editorial assistant: 12, 24, out to one co-worker, queer
electronic cartographer: 10, 24, closeted, queer
sprout farm laborer: 10, 23, out, queer
artist model: 20, 23, out, queer
cook: 10, 23, out, butch
coat check person: 25, 23, out, butch
book clerk: 8, 23, out, butch
ice cream vendor: 10, 23, closeted, butch
cartoon editor/ad sales: 1, 22, out, butch
baker: 8, 22, out, butch
dishwasher: 8, 22, out, butch
cashier 8, 20-23 out, butch
cooler freezer stocker: 7, 20-23, out, butch
farm laborer: 5, 19-21, closeted, butch
archive assistant: 5, 18-19, closeted, femme
teacher: 20, 18, closeted, femme
book editor: 10, 17-18, out, queer
lab assistant: 10,16-18 out, queer
actor: 30, 13-16, out, femme
busker: 4, 15-18, out, butch
receptionist: 4, 14, closeted, femme
drill press operator: 5, 12-13, closeted, butch
babysitter: 2, 8-12, closeted, femme
weeder: 1, 7, closeted, butch