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Monday, September 7, 2009

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DREAM JOB CONTEST: HEEEEEERE'S ANDY

Dreaming can cause economic nightmares

By DELYNN HOWARD

Staff writer

In these tough economic times, those of us who are employed should be thankful we have a job at all despite the fact it might not be our "dream" job.

But, to let our imaginations run wild and daydream about what could be, is a nice break from reality.

That's what the Dispatch wanted our readers to do. To take a few moments and create that ultimate dream job. No holds barred. No rules. Whatever kind of job in whatever kind of circumstance.

No boss? Great.

Five-day weekends with two-day work weeks? Perfect.

Unlimited salary and benefits? Hard to comprehend.

Cathy "Andy" Hotal showed off her stand-up comedy skills recently on the Chalberg Theatre stage at Central Lakes College. Hotal, winner of the Dispatch's "What's your dream job?" contest, plans on making her dream of being a writer and a comedian a reality. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
» Purchase reprints of this photo.

To create a dream job is to create a new future and that's just what Cathy "Andy" Hotal is doing.

Hotal's dream job is to write fiction novels and do stand-up comedy. She feels that life has given her so much material to talk and write about that she often asks herself, "Where do I begin?"

Well, Hotal began right here with her $50 winning submission.

Picture this

A $1.5 million mansion positioned on the edge of a cliff, overlooking 1,000 feet of pristine ocean shoreline in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Downstairs on the main floor, I walk into my office that faces the ocean. I sit down at my desk and turn my computer on.

Looking out my window at the gorgeous view, I give a sigh and begin work for the day. Typing up the dictation I recorded the day before is never a fun part of my job.

Robert, the driver, Anne, my assistant, and I went for a ride in the mountains the day before. I'm checking out crash sites of past accidents on narrow winding roads. I've been working on a chase scenario. The brassy hero of my story drives off a cliff, crashes and survives. Will he be in time to rescue the six Wall Street CEOs held hostage? They are being held in a gold mine shaft about to collapse.

"Life is full of new creations with me as its inventor," said Andy Hotal. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
» Purchase reprints of this photo.

Two days ago I received all the material I had requested on cliff accidents - specifically detailed reports, photos and stats on survival rates in crashes off cliffs from the highway patrol. Anne researched emergency rooms and crashes with survival also.

I now have seven weeks to finish the first draft of the last half of my mystery novel, "The Recession Murders off Wall Street." I am so close to the end of what I hope will be my fifth best-seller. The pressure is really on to finish this draft of my new novel early.

I also perform 10 shows - a stand-up comedy routine called "Life And What We Make Of It" - every two months at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas. Bill Engvall always opens for me.

All business arrangements, bookings and contracts are handled by my business manager and husband, Mel, and his assistant, Kaye. The travel bus we own is set to run us to Las Vegas with my entourage (one driver, two assistants and one bodyguard, Dean). Adjoining rooms are included with my contract on the top floor and a private chef, Emily, is set up for my meals.

Wow, what a life! All this with a Hollywood standard rich and famous contract.

Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, I am 54 years old and the last thing anyone, especially me, wants in life is to start over with a new career and only 11 years left to retirement.

Life is full of new creations with me as its inventor.

The majority of jobs in my past happened because I was always willing to adapt and evolve into what employers required me to be.

As a blue-collar worker goes, there isn't much I haven't done like nurse's aide, laying sewer line with a construction company, driving heavy equipment for a gravel pit, writing grants, running a prison program and bartending.

Now, I am evolving further than I have ever dreamed. I am an honor student, headed to Phi Theta Kappa at Central Lakes College. I was accepted into the Dislocated Workers Program through the WorkForce Center. This "hero" of an agency is now giving me a full, two-year scholarship to CLC. Thank you!

I am now, for the first time, starting to live my dreams with visions of dollar signs dancing in my head. The completion of a four-year degree in liberal arts with writing as my major will give me 30-40 years of pleasure, joy and employment. The best part of college is to compare reports cards and give encouragement about college to my grandchildren.

Six months ago, I had to take a long hard look at myself to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. I am now in college with counselors and advisers asking questions like "What interests you for a major?" and "What do you want to be?"

I went deep inside myself, back to high school graduation in 1973. Looking in old boxes and file cabinets, lo and behold, I found myself in there.

I have humor and can read people well. My dad gave me these two gifts which is how I survived life for so many years. I have always turned to writing. It is so beneficial to help the humor process and relieve inner frustrations.

Now with school education and 36 years of maturing, I feel I have the confidence, understanding and compassion to be the novelist I've dreamed of for so many years. - Cathy "Andy" Hotal

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