I'm a former firefighter/paramedic. I've been disabled (in the great state of Florida, a "right to work" state, without the benefit of disability or pension), downsized, outsourced, laid off and outright fired so many times, I simply work wherever I can now...being white, male, middle-aged, and (formerly) middle management (often with a noticable limp), that generally means nowhere; I'm not exactly a hot commodity in the job market. Mostly I'm a piper; weddings, funerals, formal dinners, corporate events, all sorts of things. Usually pays as much or better than my last demeaning, menial, servile, and dead-end job (where getting ridiculed, humiliated and snarled at (and cheated; yelled at if lunch took longer than ten minutes, with the caveat to make damn sure I put a whole hour down on my time card, with constant reminders during ten hour work days that if I put more than 8 down I'd be fired) was part of my job description), but for a greatly reduced B.S. quotient.