Here is my new theory mixed with bad humor. I think I know why they call it Ny-quil. You see, “Knock-you-out-for-twelve-hours-quil” won’t sell. Am I right, or what? The first customer in the door found a collector’s edition of Steve Martin in “The Jerk”, the only movie in my life I ever walked out of crying. For some reason, I remember seeing this movie in 1979 in a town called Nanaimo. It's on that big island off the coast of Canada. I had rented a car in Mulkiteo and wound up in Nanaimo, don't you love those old Indian words?
One thing to insist on in a new location is an overabundance of electrical outlets before we start. Enough that every electrical appliance can be tested and left plugged in without stopping anything else. If so, I may consider retailing something in there as a minor partner. Remember, I’ve long been astounded by the high quality of items manufactured in China, the days of injection-molded toy whistles are over. I still use those 10x50 binoculars I got for $1.99.
I find the whole situation amusing, that those same binoculars were once expensively built because only the white race had an adequately educated work force. I was wrong when I said in India in 1983 that [it was so backward that] it would never wake up in our lifetime. In fact, I wonder how long before Asia realizes what a bunch of dim bastards that last two generations have been over here. The media calls it the "dumbing down" of America. Once they [the foreigners] learn [how stupid the average American has become], we are in deep do-do. Let me correct that, some people are in deep do-do. Ken, you are in deep do-do.
There is a kind of justice in how the manufacturing jobs left for the Orient. We have moved to an information economy, and the fact that there are so many minimum wage jobs is nothing more than proof of the value of the information most people have. I’ll screech if I again hear the sob-story about that divorced lady who was making $25 an hour in a freezer factory who now makes $8.50 as a security guard. Hey, I’m certain she used, like I did, a good one-fifth of the $25 going to night school and if she did not, well boo-fecking-hoo.
Everyone agrees the store location here is not good enough. Things should be hopping by now. For example, the Frog swap meet at the track is packed with people, and these are Canadian shopkeepers who retail under the table (most are on some kind of Canadian assistance and could not declare anything). They have all the tools I need and a better selection than most of the dollar stores. Yes, I’ve learned to buy cheap and throw away.
It was so quiet I spent the day firing the boilers on that VIAO, a Sony product. I’m glad I only installed a 6 GB drive, since it only had 180 MB of RAM and a 200 MHz chip. It took two hours to install XP. It works but what it would be good for, I can’t say. There was not even an RJ-45 [network jack]. Primitive.
*alas, those priceless photos have gone missing forever. Instead, you get Steve Martin.
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