Saturday, May 16, 2009

A man thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard things

I am off to Boston tomorrow. Will be up there all week. I am a little sad about it. My boss, who I also considered a pretty good friend, was let go. It was just business. And I took the news harder than he did. But now, when I go in to work, there will be one of my peers sitting in for him. Not even a popular peer.

I love my job. I look forward to coming in to the office knowing that for two weeks I will be building CT technicians. I love the camaraderie of that. I love, as I always have, bringing in an apprehensive new guy and sending out a confident maintenance technician. In fact, except that the courses were not two but twenty something weeks long, I did the same thing in the navy for years.

And I think that's what I have the hardest time grasping. In my brain I understand, but overall, in practice I just cannot grasp the "it's just business" concept. I suppose it's because for my whole adult life teamwork, team dynamics, and loyalty were the ideals that we were taught to demonstrate. They were non-negotiable. They were the holy grail of shipboard life. Friendships made were friendships for life. Some of you out there know what I mean. So even though the concept is understandable, I have a hard time with "we're letting you go so we can save your salary."

And another man, someone very close to me was also let go. Sure, there was a blunder on his part, and that's why, to a large extent he caused his own fate. But it was an honest mistake of a blunder and he lost his job not because it was as good a reason as any to see him off, but because in life some rules are just black and white. No wiggle room. His boss went to bat for him and his boss' boss apologized for what he was about to do. But he had to pull the trigger and he did.

One good thing that came from it was that there was a resignation allowed. Even though I am pretty sure that, if not the letter of the law then certianly at least the intent of the law, was for a firing to take place. While that rules out a shot at unemployment benefits, it at least avoids the awkardness at a job interview of having to say that you were fired.

They guy across the street is probably the most Christ-like Christian I have ever met. He's rough and tough, gets mad and gets over it, makes no compromises in his faith, reaches out to share his faith and yet manages to be not only tolerant of, but friends with, those with different views than his. I really think Jesus would have hung out with him since, as a carpenter, he must have been more like my friend than not.

My neighbor loves his Harley. He has been riding since before birth, or at least from soon after. Now it sits in his drive with a FOR SALE sign on it. He's still employed, but is sent home on days there'sno work to do. He's home a lot more these day. He's selling his bike because a man does what it takes to care for his family. Everywhere I look, the bad economy is picking off my peeps...one by one.

Anyway, I have had these guys on my mind a lot and have been doing what I can for them. But I have not felt much like blogging because of it.

The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past. - Robertson Davies
Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power - Eric Hoffer

This is for AI, whenever he next wanders over this way. As he pointed out, he blogs a lot more than I do now. I am far removed from the daily musings I used to offer. Are they gone forever? Who knows. But they are gone for now. Anyway.....

Booker T., of And The MGs fame, has a new disk out. It's called Potato Hole (2009). AI, when you read the review, you'll know why it's for you. Rolling Stone's review follows:

It's fitting that Patterson Hood, son of Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood, should record with his dad's Southern-soul peer, 64-year-old Stax-session kingpin Booker T. Jones. Add Neil Young and Hood's bandmates in Drive-By Truckers, and what might've been a generic awards-show jam turns out to be a badass set of MG's-style instrumentals. Jones' sweet, thick Hammond B-3 riffs are spiked with Truckers' roughneck (and surprisingly funky) Southern rock and some exceptionally lyrical, focused Young guitar leads. The originals feel like old standards. But the cover of OutKast's "Hey Ya" is the zinger: It's Southern race-mixing party music come full circle.

The purpose of life is to fight maturity, out
Ramblin' Ed

Highway Song 12 November, 1981

You don't know my name
I'm in between towns and I sure would like a friend
I'd like to share my time

I've never been old standard
Never been held accountable,
not once,
for anyone I may have known

Time it flies, like melting ice
Like sweat beads on a glass
I stare out the window
As the countryside goes past

What a hedonistic plan
for such a sacreligious man
I don't let one dark day slip on past

How would you like romance
that jumped right up and bit you in the hand?
That was not my plan

Midnight found me creeping
Yeah, midnight found me creeping
just the same
to that girl with no last name

Time it flies, like alabis
made up on the spot
Some were halfway true
and some were not

I didn't mind the playing games
got me a handful just the same
some would sure agree and some would not

I don't need a name now
I'm in between friends and it sure does make me smile
Think I might stay here a while

Hell, it might be the music
you may call it just
a highway song
I've been singing all along

Time sure flies, like them white lines
that lead the highway where it goes
Those same white lines
that led me far from home

And like a drifter, like a wind
don't seem to matter where I've been
when everybody tells me where to go

Time it flies, like melting ice

Like sweat beads on a glass
I stare out the window
As the countryside goes past

What a hedonistic plan

for such a sacreligious man
I don't let one dark day slip on past

Now you've heard my story
And still I need someone to be my friend
like a movie near its end

All this living technicolor
Don't you know it makes me feel
a movie scar
got no money. Got no car

Time it flies, like drugs supplied
to live inside our heads
my thoughts come off much like an unmade bed

Don't leave me when I'm gonna crash
don't let the conscienceness attack
Can't let this highway song
go to my head
Can't let this highway song
go to my head
Can't let this highway song
go to my head

Ed


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