One year ago today: May 19, 2015, boobies, by coincidence.
Five years ago today: May 19, 2011, a generic day.
Nine years ago today: May 19, 2007, law enforcement is ailing.
Random years ago today: May 19, 2010, Tesla, a cult for losers.
[Author's note: the following refers to the trip which I just returned. I stayed in Lakeland for two days and completed the inspection of four properties. One of those accepted my lowball bid. Thus, I returned to Delta Nine (that's this place here at the trailer court) to make financial arrangements. True, my offer is in cash, but I do not carry that much money on me nor keep more than a fixed low amount at any one location. Just don't get the two trips mixed up, because I'm leaving again on Friday to make the "down payment".]
Other than the motel, the trip cost just $136. That includes $35 for entertainment, $26 on food, and $42 on gas. So I’m no spendthrift, but I point out I did not skimp on anything. I dined at the Magnolia and sipped iced tea along the journey. And clamato juice, with your 66% rda of salt, a necessity on the open road. Also included was my $11 shopping spree in Clewiston. That, young fellow, is the economies made possible by motorcycle travel.
I’m into this Cussler book now, I can already recommend it. He’s a good period writer, He’s obviously studied the era, but alas too much of it flows into his characters. There were no super-heroes back them, he’s a little overboard with how his detectives know so much. Little gems like shaped charge explosives and electric mine drills were a little new to be common knowledge. The plot is as much about labor strife and the classic struggle of who owns the means of production.
Americans are always a sucker for the underdog, even if they are the cause of a given problem. My personal view is that those who invest the money have a right to seek an outrageous profit, but not to the extent of dehumanizing their workers. Alas, politics upsets that balance, the rich can enact anti-labor laws and set up inheritances that ensure they are always the ones with the investment money. It’s called bribery, or as we know it today, “the establishment”.
To me the proper role of government is not to settle labor disputes. It is to ensure that nobody can set up any business that, “for its profit, relies on paying the worker less than a decent living wage”. As soon as you allow McDonalds and Wal*mart a free reign, things are trouble-bound in the long run. There is also the issue of what is a decent living wage in an era where luxuries like cable TV, portable music, and tattoos are considered necessaries.
In my books, the last thing a poor person needs to be doing is sitting around watching television. And I've already said I've seen poverty and it does not exist in the USA. Not even close.
The Colesseum.
JZ arrived, all local paperwork completed in 45 minutes, and he heading back to South Miami. The drill has been practiced so often over failed property offers that we had time to feast out at the Senor. It is agreed the priority is to look at a sun room on the south side of the building, but no to obligate anything to that project until we know everything about the structure. It seems solid, though I have seen such buildings with 24” on-center studs. We’ll know soon enough.
We further took inventory of tools to double-check we have most of what is needed no matter what. The second priority is a storage shelter around back. What is there is in poor shape, as are most dated outdoor sheds in this climate. The experience with what I already have tells me not to cut corners on the next model and that metal is not the best material. Florida is humid.
Beyond that, wait for more news. I’ll be on the road again soon, and there is nothing new along the route now. And we plan to return next week, but these are now trips with a purpose other than viewing the countryside and chasing women. Now, we own property. This changes everything from a dollar spent to a dollar invested. Give me time to adjust, for you see, Florida was originally supposed to be a side trip on the way to Venezuela before DC alienated the place.
And I was on my way to Texas in 2003 when disaster struck.
Mark Hostetler: Entymology, 1997. Mark's the guy who wrote the book on identifying insects from the splatter they leave on your windshield. No link. Mark has a PhD.
ADDENDUM
When I say this blog format took time to develop, I was defending certain “mistakes” that I make which would not pass college usage exams. However, there is a difference between good reasons and simply doing things to be different. Thus, I will explain my argument for breaking the rule about always putting quotation marks outside the last piece of punctuation, even if it is a full sentence or looks funny.
I’ll let you verify that rule on your own; I’m here to tell you by what reasoning why I will often put final punctuation inside the closing quote. It is so that in this era of cut and paste, the person who is doing the editing will have identical markings both before and after the segment he is trying to highlight. I feel this is good logic that needs no defending against style guides that were written before such considerations became every-day and which said guides have failed to take into account.
On that subject, I find the MLA format to be particularly outdated. I do stick with the old rule when writing dialog, but this blog is not big on presenting conversation.
Last Laugh
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