Cognite Tute...
This is my oldest daughter*1. My wild & crazy one (haha just kidding, honey, sort of :). She's only in her late 20's but has had her share of interesting jobs in that short time.One of her jobs was as a phone psychic back in the days of "Miss Cleo's , Psychic Network".
(If you still think phone psychics are all plump black ladies wearing turbans, hunched over their crystal ball, you are in for a surprise!)
I see by a quick Google search that phone psychics are still around. Many of them now claiming to be the "honest" psychics or the "genuine" psychics after Miss Cleo's fall from grace.
My daughter was married at the time & living in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband & 2 children. Not being able to go out & work, as she had babies at home, she took a job as a phone psychic so she could stay home & also make some money.
Her qualifications? She had a phone & she can also read tarot cards.
This is how the job worked. The "Company" hooked her phone up to their main line. Calls coming in were routed to one of hundreds of "employee psychics" The employees are paid by commission. So, how long you can keep someone on the phone is how many dollars you can rack up for yourself. Of course the company is in it for the money too, so they route calls to people that can keep "customers" on the phone. Get the picture?
My daughter said many a time she was cooking dinner or had a baby on her hip when the phone would ring & she would have to go into her spiel like she was in the groove with someones anguish, usually over stuff like death, dying, divorce, etc...
She said people called and asked her advice about: Did their boyfriends/girlfriends/spouses love them? Or whether or not they had AIDS? or would they die in a car wreck like they dreamed about? Were they pregnant? Should they have an abortion???
She also said many people are just lonely, & all you have to do is keep them talking as the $$$meter racks up the minutes.
"How could you handle all that misery?" I asked her.
"Oh, I just read the cards & cooked dinner or whatever." She said.
To her credit & my relief, her conscience didn't allow her to continue more then a couple of months at that job.
*1Yes, it really is her. I was in an artsy frame of mind with my photography at that time... capturing the essence. ;)
posted by Rita @ 8:33 AM
24 Comments
24 Comments:
Quite the picture.
Maybe a different phone service would have been more interesting (and satisfying to the guys that call) and pay more.
So, for an honest psychic, a typical response to those questions would be "you have a 70% likelihood of having an abortion". Perhaps she could have taken advantage of the multiverse interpretation too, whereby "70% of your parallel realities the answer is yes and 30% the answer is no". ROFL.
By the way, is your daughter wrapped up with flex tubing?
This comment has been removed by the author.
My mother was in the psychic business liscensed in NY and CA both. Done fairly well actually, none of it was by phone,and she done it before it was popular in the 60's Hollywood(LA).I think her specailty those was Necromancy, although she done it all, no crystal ball's though.She would serve as an interpreter to your dead loved one's basically, it was pretty intense gathering,I remember seeing the vein's bulging in her forehead.But I only was present a couple time's, most of the time it was off limit's. My mom was a very heavy believer in communication with the dead and the spirit world, I reckon she would be to some like an evangelical as far as dedication, just not of that religion. I didnt really care much about it at the time or her client's and friend's, which were almost all female gender.
As far as the photo ...GREAT piece of art in my opinion! You obviously have a talent in art and photography...I know good art piece's like that would sell good in a town like Dallas...lot's of folk's buying here(folk's of coarse not effected by this lousy economy) Have you and your daughter considered that type of business venture? With some extra added creative touches to personalize the character and mood ...you could put together some nice piece's! As you probably know I love to decorate with unique art piece's...I am NO artist myself :) But I love admiring it. I reckon some of my most favourite stuff come's from HR Giger.... if your familiar with his worx. I even have some piece's(collages)from my ole friend Joe Christ too. But again...nice piece of work Ms.Rita indeed! Wouldnt be a bad idea to create some more perhap's...just a thought.
Take Care Girl ..............
3/4" Spiral Flex Tube, I'll bet.
phil
I suppose that kind of phone service (& I'm assuming I know what you are talking about) is also done with baby on the hip & dinner on the stove.
qf
True. Advising by the odds would probably be as accurate as anything else.
Yes it is flexible tubing.
Ranch chimp
I'm sure many psychics believe in it themselves. I've met people that do. I think it is silly myself & can't respect the rational of people that believe in that stuff.
I've always liked photography as an art form. it's fun to manipulate photos & try to capture something on film. I've done it long enough to have the basics down. I have a lot more photos on my other computer that is down & out. I just haven't got them off of it yet.
She could easily sell beer bongs on Ebay with a picture like that.
I dunno, Rita?
She seems tied up right now ;-)
I know South Park was just mentioned in the comments on your last post, but they also did quite a good psychic episode about John Edward called "The Biggest Douche in the Universe."
Not that your daughter is a John-Edward-level douche, of course ... She did quit, after all.
It's interesting reading your account of the inner workings of the psychic phone biz, though.
qf
Beer bongs on Ebay? Really?
BTW, have you invented anything lately?
mac
That was a strange series done with all styles of pipes & tubes. I have another picture of her that I'll post soon that I really like. It shows a totally different side of her.
arthbard
As you know, I love animated humor. Southpark hits it on the head! They make me wish I had television, sometimes.
BTW, that is a huge frek'n picture, huh?! How did I do that?
I guess they're called Beer Funnels now. Inventions that are original are always tough to come by, but I think I'll be swinging that way sometime soon.
qf
I was thinking of a different kind of bong. I didn't get the connection. I do now.
I guess the psychic phone industry description doesn't surprise me a bit. I have often thought about some way to extract some way of extracting money out of the superstitious - after all, they seek out this stuff. But, I think superstition is a sad really based part on ignorance, delusion and emotionalism. I wouldn't be too happy having to deal with those people on an ongoing basis. Anyone ever get a mailing from the Church of Saint Steven
Sorry, I am speaking of junk mail from St. Matthews church A gaudy envelope with perhaps a prayer napkin and all kinds of christian garbage promising wealth and such. They guy who sends these out is an ex-tentpreacher and makes a lot of money targeting his mailings to poorer areas of the city bilking the ignorant by asking for donations to his "church".
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rev I have received junk mail from that group. What a crack-up!
this
QF here, what's up Rita?
Nothing, just trying to think of something intelligent to blog about.
:)
You generally seem to be able to capitalize on your adventures Rita, that and your views is what makes this blog so fun.
Thanks qf
Tell you what would be interesting to hear about...well at least to a city boy like myself...since you work for the news there...is some of that mainstreet America smaller town news that is happening.I love stopping in them smaller town's...going into the local greasy spoon(restaraunt) with the local paper and seeing what's up, picking up some small chat with local's and such.All you get in the news in this bloody town is mostly last night's gang homicide report or yesterday's bank hold-up,or the crap the gvmnt want's to feed us...you know...the same ole same ole...that's why I only write mostly about that crap...cause that's all what's around me.
Later Ms.Rita.....
You said it : people are alone !
I've finally got internet again, thought I'd do some catching up, so this was one of my stops... and as I read the post above this one where you mentioned re-reading one of your blogs from 2005, I instantly thought of this pic. Not saying I'M psychic or anything (although...), just made me smile like I won a contest or something ;)
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home