what do you do for a living?

so the thing about arbitrary small talk is that no one actually cares. people ask each other questions hoping to find something both can relate to and then an actual conversation can occur. asking a person what she or he does for a living is a particularly disappointing question. i have never met a person who has been able to really impress me with their occupation. no one ever answers: astronaut, under-water welder, glass blower, exotic animal dealer. recently i've had a lot of free time so my internet activity has increased to the point that it's the majority of my daily activities. i've been looking at easy part-time jobs i could take on to fill part of my days. one that i found was this add for sermon critics. if i weren't already busy on sunday mornings, and the fear that i might burst into flames when i walked through the door, i would sign up for this in a second. i really think i could give a more unbiased opinion than anyone else sitting before god, and i could get paid for it, too. in a related story, i was looking at TOMS shoes online the other day and noticed the chat feature. this is by far the best idea anyone has ever thought of for people who prefer online shopping. i had a handful of questions i needed answered and the person working my chat window was a tremendous help. i started to wonder later though how a person gets that type of job, and is it appropriate to ask that question via chat? now i really want to meet a person who can tell me they either a.) get paid to give church feedback, or b.)work as a troubleshooter in online retail chat rooms, or even better c.) both.