the laborer in the pit

This is the way the world really works you see.  There are people, like myself, who are secreted away in private towers. We perform the day to day, mundane, duties that are quite necessary to facilitate those with power to continue the forward march of mankind.  Our opinion does not matter, in the scheme of society, we must simply continue as drones performing the simple tasks that take up too much time for those with power to be bothered with.

Others do the dirty work of assembling the machinery that propels society forward.  Them arguing and struggling, in constant battle with each other to achieve the building of the needed components.  They are noisy as a whole, but less so individually, the common laborer who assembles in the filthy pit of the line workers. There they sweat and toil, and yes, argue endlessly about things that do not matter to those in power. 

Some hoot as a bird would, they preen and strut like fools; alas their mother did not take them to breast; their grandmother laughed and clapped in amusement, encouraging the preening and hooting, subjecting the world to these foolish shenanigans... Hear the one who laughs like a braying jackass, as he struts and brags to those around him, while they look upon him with scorn, he the fool who is not amusing as the jester would be who would perform tricks and recite humorous tales.

And in the private areas, outside the workplace, they piss and moan that they are mere laborers in the pit of filth; they would to be in power, yet they are left to watch the fool preen and strut, and forced to continue as they owe the sharemaster more than can be repaid in a lifetime, for food, transport, entertainment, shelter, life.

Thus in the pit of heat and with the stench of sweat did the human throng struggle with the labor of the day.  And they called out to the one who hooted, saying to him, "Shut up. Are you feeble-minded? Do not bray like a jackass, you embarrass every one of us. Shut up."  And he did not listen to them, and he remained, slaving the pit, until the blood did flow from his hands, for no one would help the jackass who called the undue attention of the overseers with his foolish braying and hooting.  The entire crew of that station did suffer for having to hear and be near to that fool.  And not one of them rose to more comfortable position within the labor field, because each of them was associated back to the fool.  And they hated the fool, but were helpless to silence him or escape from him.

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road pizza

...if you catch my drift.... not for the overly sensitive... what do you think I mean by "road pizza"?

I was working... I traveled for work.. I was in northwestern Georgia, in a town called LaFayette.  Spent the night at an awful motel (that would be an entirely separate blog)....  I had to be at the job location by 4:00am.  Yes, in the morning, before it was light out. 

I dragged all my stuff down the stairs of the motel, to the tractor...

THIS IS A TRACTOR. (as in tractor-trailer)

and hefted my suitcase and stuff up into the passenger side. 

I pulled out of the motel lot at about 3:30a.m. and starting driving to the other end of town.  Through LaFayette, and out the south end of town a bit... and turned onto a very dark paved road leading to the job location.  VERY DARK.  And I was driving maybe 30 -35 mph...  The pavement was black, blacktop, and it was an empty road at that hour of the night.  

One second the pavement was black and the next second a large, white-grey opossum had morphed up out of the black pavement. It was right in front of the tractor.  There was NO WAY I could stop. 

That possum stopped and looked up... and she was directly in front of the tractor, and the drive tires went by her on either side.... and I chanted aloud, "don't move,..don't..."  BA-BUMP....  she had moved.  The rear duallys smashed that possum.  .... I continued on my way,... I could not see behind me in the darkness...  
I had to get to the job, and work for the next 5 hours....

The next time I saw that possum.... yep, she was road pizza.

what's a girl to do? 

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life in the universe

...or in this reality anyway... and the irony (if that's the right term) of how some things play out...

I worked at FCA/Chrysler, Belvidere, IL as a contractor/consultant for 567 days.

Like: how for 567 days I worked south-southeast from home.  Which means that every week, at least Monday through Thursday, I drove south on Bell School Road.  This was from the point at which the name of the road changes from Harvey Road,.... at the intersection of Beverage Blvd....  This stretch of road is notoriously bad, a scattering of pavement, blacktop "patched" holes, and holes just big enough to make it a bumpy, noisy ride.  Not even a mile, but .6 miles in length. It has a raised median for one short stretch, and the rest has a median that is painted off, delineated by double yellow stripes.  Those of us who are willing to "color outside the lines" know that: if you drive with the left tires in that median -the ride is smoother.  It is TERRIBLE!!  Additionally, at the intersection with Riverside the pavement sinks... straight across Bell School Road, like an inverted speed bump.  NOT something you want to 'hit' too hard when you drive a Jeep vehicle.  BA-DUMP! every single item in the car jumps into the air and lands again.

My point though, (yes back to the ironies of the universe, or plant Earth anyway)... is that they announced a few weeks ago that Bell School Road would be "rebuilt".  I did not expect anything much to happen in the next 2 or 3 years.... but they put up a lit-up sign 2 weeks ago: "Road Work will begin May 6".  

Here's the thing:  My job, the one that took me down Bell School Road every morning on the way to work....  well that job ended for me, on May 5 (officially).  And --- **wink and nod to the universe** -- my new job is in an entirely different direction!  I will have NO reason to drive on Bell School Road for at least the rest of 2019.  (If only I can remember this when I am on my home from the grocery store.)

So, at the moment, I find the ironies of the universe, or at least of life in Illi-consin, to be more than a little amusing.  
(at least for once the ironies are working in my favor)

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The Narcissist

I arrived at the office early, one spring day, a few years back.  I parked off to the side and sat in the car for a bit.  I observed a coworker arrive and park his ridiculous little convertible car.  He did not see me, sitting there, watching him.  As expected he brushed his white, fluffy hair before getting out of the little convertible.  He proceeded to lean against the driver's side door, patted his hair, and folded his arms across his chest.

And then he waited.  You see, quite a number of females were office workers at this business.  He was waiting for them to arrive.  And I decided to stay right where I was, unseen and mildly curious of what might transpire.

Gradually each of our female coworkers arrived.  Each of them exited her vehicle,... not one of them paid any notice to him, standing there by his convertible.... like an old fool. 


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the first time we flew

in was 1970.  my dad had died that september.  my mother's son lived in Florida.... and that was where we flew to.  my dad never flew in any type of flying machine, not helicopter (though it was offered to him), nor hot air balloon, nor bi-plane.  (He was born before the Wright brothers flew.)

We were off for a Christmas adventure.  My mother and I.  

I am not sure which us was more excited by the idea of flying in an airplane.  

My mother was very nervous, but as a 10 year old, I was not nervous at all. 

Someone dropped us off at O'Hare International Airport.  I am sure that we were quite early.  We had brand new luggage, and one carry on bag for the two of us, and mother's purse.  There was no TSA security queue.  Our bags were checked in and we sat in chairs in the lobby of Terminal 2. 

The airline?  Eastern Airlines, The Wings of Man....  I believe they were the "official airline" of Walt Disney World at one point.  

At that time people dressed in their Sunday "best" -- nice outfits, to fly on airplanes.  It was a big deal.  They served decent meals too, and didn't charge extra for that.  There was usually a choice of two different meals.  They gave away Eastern Airlines playing cards, or a little die-cast airplane, or a pin shaped like wings and embossed: "Eastern Airlines" .... someone gave me a carry bag with the Eastern Airlines logo on it. (That was not free.)

Coach featured much wider seats than airlines now days.  The plane was very clean, comfortable, and smelled nice, however, smoking was allowed throughout the plane.  

We changed planes at Atlanta, which had my mom all freaked out.  I had it figured out pretty quick, though, and hollered for her to stand still for a minute and look up --at the tv screen with the list of flights and gates on it.  She was all in a panic, until I read the flight number for the rest of our trip, and the gate, which was directly across the way from the plane we had just exited.  That calmed her right down.  (nevertheless she panicked every time we got to Atlanta,... by my best memory a total of 12 times -6 times to and from Florida, and she could not get the hang of switching planes).

As an aside here: the summer after that first winter trip we flew to California! for a wedding... on a real 747!! The original fleet 747s that were HUGE and very roomy on the inside.  These were kind of promotional flights meant to show off the roominess and get more people to fly more often.  I have never seen such a plane since.
I swear you could have played full court basketball in the coach section....  3 seat on the sides and a full 5 seats across the middle of the plane! I know that because there were 6 of us and we all sat side by side, with my uncle across the aisle.

Anyway, flying sure ain't what it used to be! packed in like a bunch of sardines! It's hell for taller people to fly on cram-packed airplanes now days.

spring morning after fog

today is one of those early spring mornings
the damp brought on heavy fog, 
low clouds, as it were...

the sun breaks through to reveal a bright
blue sky and green, green grass
trees popping bud-lets that will bring on 
allergy season in full force...

but for the moment
it is a beautiful
spring morning

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