Cindy Howe

Cindy Howe is the executive director of Sunset Empire Transportation District, a position she has held since 1996. The fact that she started the district from home is both a blessing and a curse. “My job is basically 24/7 because I did start from home, so I can’t turn it off at 5 o’clock.” She lives out in the wilds of Knappa with her daughter Rebecca, their chocolate Lab, Toby, and Ethel the cat. Most people are familiar with Howe either from her transit work or her many different volunteering “passions,” as she calls them. She says that her most important job though, is being Rebecca’s mom, which she says is not very hard, as Rebecca has always known what she wants and is smart enough to go out and get it. “At 14, Rebecca has more confidence and ability than I ever did, and most of the time I’m just going along for the ride.” Although Howe says she’s very happy with her career as a single mom and “bus lady,” she sometimes thinks it would have been fun to take another career path. Here are five interesting jobs that Howe occasionally daydreams about whenever a meeting goes a little too long or the day gets a little too stressful.

Librarian

When I was in high school, I spent most of my time in the library. I love the smell of books and the quiet that surrounds you in the library. I usually read at least two books a week. Mostly I read science fiction/fantasy, mystery or political thrillers. My mom used to tell me to “get my nose out of that book,” because if she didn’t, I’d most likely sit in the porch swing all day and read. In the summertime, the highlight of our week was when the bookmobile came by. There’s something really special about a good book. Unlike television or movies, your mind provides the background. I think being a librarian would be a great job.

Movie critic

I love movies! I would go to the movies every day if I had the time and the money. Seeing a movie at home is fine, but there is no other feeling like sitting in the theater when the lights go down with popcorn in hand ready to be entertained. Being involved in the movies that were made here in Astoria like “Kindergarten Cop,” “Free Willy” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2” contributed to my fascination with the movies. Being on the set gives you a whole different perspective, and many times while watching a movie, I’m thinking about what’s going on in the background and everything it took to get that shot. My dad and I are big time Trekkies and one of my best memories is sitting in the theater with my dad getting ready to watch “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” I remember turning to him as the music started and saying, “It really doesn’t get any better than this.” What I really miss is drive-ins. What wasn’t fun about getting in the car, going to the drive-in and putting a big gigantic speaker in your car window? Those were the days. The idea that I could actually get paid to watch a movie would be a dream come true for me!

Singer

Yes, I am a closet singer. I actually sang harmony with my sisters in a band but never made any money at it. Growing up, our family nights consisted of me and my sisters putting on “shows” for my parents. We called ourselves “Daddy’s Girls” and some of my best memories were of sitting around singing while my dad played guitar. I love singing bluegrass and country music and still look forward to when I get to listen to my dad play guitar while my sisters and I sing along. I used to dream of the day when we would be on the Grand Ol’ Opry stage and on tour together, but alas, it was not to be. Today I fuel this passion by volunteering with the Astor Street Opry Company and watching Rebecca on stage. I am going to get a little of my singing and acting wish this Christmas. I was cast as Lena Sweet in this year’s production of “Scrooged in Astoria.”

Drag strip owner

From the day I got my driver’s license, I’ve had a passion for fast cars. I’ve always loved watching car races; not the NASCAR kind (my mom is the NASCAR fanatic), but the quarter mile funny cars or high school drags. When I lived in Seattle, I spent a lot of weekends going to the raceway. My favorite race weekend was the”64 Funny Car” races. I loved hanging out in the pits listening to the roar of the engines and reveling in the smell of burning rubber when the cars would take off. The best part was when they lined all the cars up on both sides of the track and started them all up at the same time. The idea of getting behind the wheel and going as fast as you could go for less than 10 seconds is such an adrenaline rush! Growing up in North Carolina in the ’70s, we all thought we wanted to be Burt Reynolds and Sally Field from the Bandit movies. My first car was a 1968 convertible Mustang and my radio handle was Bluegrass. Friday nights were spent driving out on some old country road and hitting the straight stretches! I think it would be awesome to own a drag strip and be able to watch the races every weekend from the tower.

Political staffer

I am a politics junkie. I watch all the political news shows like “Meet the Press,” Andrea Mitchell, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Keith Oberman and even Glenn Beck. On the radio I listen to everything from Air America and NPR to Rush Limbaugh. On the internet, FARK.com is my home page (thanks to my nephew Tyler) and when it’s a particularly full news day, I’ll jump from MSNBC.com to FoxNews.com too. I DVR political television like other people do sitcoms. Sometimes it’s maddening because you can watch a report on the same subject and get 10 different viewpoints, but I figure if I open my thought processes to everything, then the truth will always lie somewhere in the middle. I like knowing what’s going on and being a part of solving the puzzle, and what better puzzle than politics? Being a staffer for State Sen. Betsy Johnson would be the ultimate – what isn’t she involved in? Thing is, there’s no money in it so I’d have to win the lottery or something to be able to do it.