I am a full-time fiber artist. I have a day job.
For me, these two are not mutually exclusive. The trick is finding just the right match.
I found my perfect day job at Dartmouth College, home of the Big Green.
My Dartmouth Athletics all-access credentials.
I work in Athletics, doing various jobs, mostly in Alumni Gym – checking id cards, giving directions, selling hockey merchandise – plus other odd jobs, as assigned.
Luckily, knitting is an ingrained motor skill for me now, like walking or breathing. So I can knit on the job, without impacting customer service.
Sometimes, I do both jobs while kneeling on a physio-ball, just to keep it interesting:
Kneeling on an exercise ball is a great workout. My best is 18.5 minutes without falling.
I love the Dartmouth campus. As a former West Coast kid, I never tire of the federal-style buildings, the stately old elm trees, the paneled-wood libraries:
Arborists work magic to keep Dartmouth's stately elm trees alive.
Dartmouth's Sanborn Library & the Baker Library Tower.
Inside Dartmouth's Sanborn Library - the classiest free wi-fi in all of New Hampshire.
I love the copper verdigris of the Lone Pine weathervane atop Baker Library Tower.
And Dartmouth has tons of great traditions, like the Homecoming Bonfire, and Winter Carnival (to name just two):
The Dartmouth Night Bonfire is always spectacular.
Cupcake snow-sculpture on the Dartmouth Green, Winter Carnival 2012.
But I’ve especially enjoyed the “other duties as assigned.”
In October 2010, Ke$ha held a concert in Leverone Fieldhouse. I helped with crowd control, limiting backstage access.
Kesha rocked Dartmouth's Leverone Fieldhouse, 26 October 2010.
At one point, Ke$ha’s manager handed me a $20 bill, instructing me to “Bring back as much baby oil as you can buy, and hurry!”
Turns out, baby oil helps body glitter stick better. Who knew?
Backstage, with one of Kesha's many wardrobe containers. Note the glittered green turf!
In May 2011, I was delighted to give Guy Kawasaki & family a tour of our athletic facilities. Let me tell you, Guy is the very embodiment of enchanting.
Guy's tour of Dartmouth concluded with a visit to Memorial Field.
What a treat! And all thanks to my Big Green day job – which can also be very
silly at times (depending on my co-workers!).
And that does seem fitting, since Theodore Seuss Geisel was a Dartmouth man himself. He would have been 108 today. Happy, happy birthday Dr. Seuss!
Carrie Cahill Mulligan 
Great photos and I love your comments. Just the lift I need. Yesterday I took a walk in the gray day but kept finding objects that were green with a smile for each. Thanks. Kathy
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Thanks, Kathy. I love knowing you’re out there, smiling at all the green things you meet!
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Nice job, Carrie! Ah, the Big Green. Sanborn was my favorite place to study. Isn’t it great when you can piece things together and your life just works?! Big hugs to you and Andy!
Thanks for sharing!
-Martha
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Thanks, Martha. Happy to bring back some Big Green memories for you…
Yes, Sanborn Library is one of my favorite spots in the whole Upper Valley. I’ll enjoy it even more now, knowing your spirit lingers a bit at tea-time!
Best to you & David & the wee Tomeos, too! xo
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That library is so beautiful. I love that you have a day job that gifts you with awesome tales of celebrity run-ins!
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Me, too! I even got a glimpse of Bill Clinton during the 2008 Democratic Primary, but was not working the day Barack Obama spoke in Alumni Gym.
And I didn’t even touch on the subject of local Olympians… Pretty cool for a day job!
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Very Cool !! Love the pics thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for reading, Cj! This 17 Days of Green project has been so much fun.
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