Once I moved them from package to frying pan this morning, I can guarantee you I have never in my life eaten chicken livers before. Until Will reports in from Jimbo’s about the sample I left him, it is unknown whether I fried them right. But let me say, do they ever taste good with a little onion and garlic in the mix. The story is Will’s ex used to make this dish whenever they had a spat. “Just throw them in the pan and fry the shit out of them.”
I did. There was enough left over for an excellent omelet. Then I was on a callout for six hours, most of it non-paid time. It was maintenance work on a system from two years ago coupled with a new brand of problem: the wireless printer. HP says it is a simple home install, but it was too complicated to follow. At least for me, I was only a technician for 15 years. HP in the Philippines takes remote control of your computer, but I watched every move.They adjusted all the things you never touch during the standard printer setup. The options are there, but who ever uses them? Nor is there any user manual. For example, they established two “virtual ports” and used the second one. Then temporarily disabled QoS and back on again. What, HP, is user-friendly about that? I would not be able to hook this printer up again by myself.
There was a time when I’d expect to be playing a $500 office party gig on a day like this. Sure, I’d be in a three piece group and maybe $150 would be mine. The good news today is that Pudding-Tat will eat dried dog food. Wallace left a bushel of it behind and once she sniffed it was game over. She is been in patrol mode all morning, indicating another intruder. Stay back, that cat plays for keeps.
The Florida job market is so bad it looks a lot like, well, the Florida job market. I see a lot of complacent people out there have begun to realize that a minimum wage job in Ft. Lauderdale does not adhere to the same high standards and dignity of, say, Mexico City. Have you followed the GM bailout? My opinion is that GM has been overpaying their employees (both union and management) for forty years and churning out junk. I owe those people nothing and they expect me to pay for their hearse as well?
When it comes to working with clueless people, I’ve got the experience. By that I mean that people earning six times minimum wage have plenty of time and money to prepare for the inevitable. Instead, they used the position and the annual wage increases to top off their credit cards. Or to speculate on their houses. Everybody I know who has a mortgage right now is trembling. Isn’t that the exact opposite of the security they bragged they could borrow themselves into? Now they want more of my tax dollars?
Among my mentors (for his writing style) is P.J. O’Rourke, said, “People who are wise, good, smart, skillful or hardworking don’t need politics, they have jobs.” The unemployed needn’t expect any mercy from me. Every time I look back on my own life and those I respect, I cannot help but think of how much better off we’d be if we had just been left alone. Keep your community spirit and taxes and gods and wars and welfare, just leave the other guy alone. Two things a loser cannot do: mind his own damn business and let the other guy mind his.
One thing all losers have in common. They have strong opinions that differ sharply from mine concerning the role of elected leaders. I forget who said it, but I believe all governments should live in fear of their people. Do I hear “But then there would be no government.” To which I answer, ah, now you’re finally thinking.
No $500 gig, but there were more twenties than ones in the tip jar at Jimbo’s tonight. My traditional Friday show next week has been bumped by a birthday party that is bringing their own Karaoke.
