The Job Pirate isn’t just a collection of true stories about all my poor career choices; it’s also a chronicle of the last two decades of my life—the good times, the bad times, the hungry times, but always the real times. So there are a lot of people that are owed a big thank you … and perhaps even an explanation. First and foremost, I would like to thank my folks, Fred and Peggi, for always being understanding of their middle kid with a keen gift for finding trouble. I owe an enormous deal of gratitude to Cali, Kyle, and Gordon at Bleeding Heart Publications for believing in me and giving me the softcover soapbox on which to stand and rant about all my crazy jobs. I’d also like to thank Colin, Sean, Scott, Lisa, Bryan, and Laura for always being there for me, sometimes being the fodder for my stories, and for keeping me on the path. I should probably thank all the coworkers I’ve written about, with a special shout-out to Sherry, Natalie, Joel, Carlos, and Tony (you’ll see why). Three or four of the eighty-one bosses I’ve had probably deserve a “thanks,” or at least a proper “I quit,” but I must have had a good reason for leaving in the first place, so we’ll just call that one a draw. And since we’re coming clean, I probably owe David Byrne about $90 in royalties for the amount of times I listened to “Road to Nowhere” while driving home after getting fired.