It looks like a picture of some bicycles at first glance. This was the scene y’day in front of Kelly’s Pub on Harrison. They let people park the odd bicycle inside, but today, that was full. Count at least fifteen patrons on bicycles or scooters. The significance is awesome until you figure out they all lost their driver's licenses. Still, a year ago, this many people riding bikes to a pub was unheard of. But more ominous is the cultural shock.
Here's my theory on why men ride a bike to a bar. They've given up. You see, bars and strip joints exist for men (usually dumb jocks) who totally guessed wrong in the women department. That means for them to ride a bicycle to the pub, they have given up what little hope they ever had of landing a woman. And if they did, how are they gonna get her home? Times are indeed bad.It was not a good day, I believe I may have some adverse interactions with Lisinopril. Hey, your turn is coming. You work in an office, you are vulnerable and I consider myself very fortunate to have spotted the symptoms in time. The heat kept me indoors and immobile the entire stretch due to dizziness, I'm sure it's that pill. Feeling faint always gives me a laugh because of Bad Bob, one of my students. If you tell him you see spots, he’ll recommend an eye doctor. That's how his mind works, really.
I must seem a mess. Theresa made chicken and mashed potatoes and treated me to the only real meal in days. I’ve been tending to snack due to the heat. Wallace had to do the same both summers he was here. The heat is an appetite killer and men naturally shy away from a kitchen in such weather conditions. Move to Florida, you’ll quickly avoid turning on an oven when it is 98 degrees outside.
There is no contingency plan for next month, when the computer shop closes. It has been five good years, which I rate a success due to what I’ve learned about running a business in Florida. This was of great concern in 2005, as I am only too aware of how badly mistaken most people are concerning their ability to do so, particularly upon retirement. So many assume they can run a little shop that will keep them. Yeah, a shop to keep them in rags. They don’t understand you can’t stay little, that if you don’t continually grow and branch out, you’ll get quashed. And branching out is one thing most small shop-owners are ill-equipped for.
More research on the Gruber Assist, the bicycle stealth motor, shows most people have never heard of it. That’s explainable, as it is not sold in America due to government laws against importing the battery packs. I could find no details on that. A few countries require it to be governed to 25 mph, which is fine by me. Have you ever experienced 25 mph on a bicycle? Scary. You don’t want to wipe out at that speed on a bicycle.
Alfredo is in Peru. That’s the trip he wanted so badly last year. I stopped by to find the Russian guy (Boris) minding the shop. Business has also slowed down there, which should not surprise anyone. I know that cheap shoes are making repairs uneconomical, I just felt it would take longer to catch up to the cobbler trade. I would have checked in anyway, but Alfredo gave him my number in case he needed anything. But the fact is, Boris says there isn’t enough to even keep himself busy. Maybe I’ll hang out a little until Alfred returns so the shop won’t be so boring. Got nuttin’ else to do.
I’ve skimmed over all the popular employment sites on-line. The resume collecting trade is still the dominant legitimate scam, you know, where you don’t apply for a job, you apply to an agency to find the job for you. Like they know better than you what you want. The Federal money to create jobs is known locally as FBTW, or “Florida Back To Work”. The taxpayer kicks in to take an otherwise nothing job up to at least $12 per hour. But these are the worst jobs ever.
It is clear businesses which have no intention of ever paying a living wage are flocking to the government for this incentive money. An example is an $8 per hour job in Hollywood running a capsule filling machine. Just think, the medicine you take may have been produced on such an assembly line. It is a strange affliction among employers that somebody earning a starvation wage will ever consider the consumers problem as more important than their own.
I’m still for Roosevelt, or the president that said "no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to exist in this country". A painter makes $10 these days, a carpenter tops out at $14. Now keep in mind these are jobs, not contracting, but you probably don’t want to be a contractor in Florida, either.
Also, remember, I am not looking for a career. I’m looking for something to tide me over. That’s the part that is not as easy as it used to be. In the good old days, I never went without a job any time I wanted one. But I’ll play my electric bass on the street curb before I’ll work a pill press for minimum wage. This is locally referred to as “Doing a California Johnny”.
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