Potentially the sketchiest career path ever.

Yesterday I finally started interviewing for bartending jobs. I knew that the bartending industry would be shady, but I guess I didn't realize how completely random and bizarre the job search would be.

I started at a hipster dance club on the Lower East Side. I had been told to show up anytime after 7, so I wandered in at about 10 after. The old man behind the bar cracked open a beer and told me that the owner was out that night because he had broken his wrist. He then explained that the owner wasn't even the one responsible for interviewing applicants - that would be someone else (whose name I have forgotten), who didn't get in until after 9:00. The scary old man added that he wasn't aware that they were hiring, but mentioned something about only seeking barmaids. So I thanked him and got back on the train.

The next stop was a manly-man pub near Port Authority. This place, despite being a dive bar covered in peanut shells, actually seemed more legit than the last one - as in, there was a manager in an office behind a desk rather than a drunk old man rambling about barmaids. I filled out an application and talked to the manager for a while, and he said he'd give me a call.

Then I went home to continue the no-Mom-and-Dad-all-bars-are-not-like-Coyote-Ugly-and-I-am-not-becoming-a-prostitute conversation. I'll head back to the first place tonight and see if anything more productive comes of it.

I'll also be calling the employment agency for a few additional leads. Based on last night's adventures, I think some more options would be swell.

I would love to be employed soon.