I think the best teen job ever would be working in the last remaining restaurant kiosk in a dying food court.

In an ideal world you still get paid, but have no customers, no boss interactions, and could have the run of the open vacant space to kill the hours of every single shift. I had fond memories of working in food service throughout college, and university, but those only had down periods, not total emptiness. Clean a little, cook a little, stock the counter a little, and then talk between yourselves for the rest of the shift. Play a little baseball, or soccer, mini sticks, run around like fools. Oh it’d be great. In this scenario there’s no cameras and the bosses run it as a front. So it stays open for years after it should have closed because they need to funnel money through the books. Can’t do that if you shut it down. The best bosses to have in my opinion. Hands off, and uninterested in your day to day. A teenage dream.

Do teenagers still go to hang out in malls anymore? Or are they nostalgia porn for those of us in our forties or late thirties? I love going to a mall to just wander around aimlessly, grabbing food or snacks and looking at stuff I won’t buy. It was a legit pastime back in my youth. Waste hours walking in a temperature controlled environment. Look, eat, go to a movie, chat up girls of the same age range.

I have come to understand that today’s youth don’t dance. That’s a shame. You gotta go cut a rug! It’s so freeing. It’s great for the soul. Good for the heart and waistband too. Oh our teen years weren’t perfect, but they were pretty damn good. Not that I have much of a frame of reference outside of my own lived experience. To me, it was The Tits! I had time, energy, friends in nearby proximity, I liked school, I didn’t completely hate my job, I had a group of friends, and a girlfriend, sports, cards, dancing and parties were a thing most weekends. No major responsibilities. It was a blast. Hours to read or play guitar.

Now that stuff sits empty and abandoned in favour of online shopping through Amazon, Alibaba, Shein and all of those drop shipped outlets. It’s weird. Isolating. Not my jam.

Hey! It’s Saturday today, and now we are in the month of May. Going to go climbing, then pick up my golf club that I had repaired. Maybe go attack some logs with my chainsaws, and get ready for the big party tonight. Yeah-buddy!