Troll’s Hole

I am on a weird schedule that has me home for four days in a row on occasion. (Kinda) I rather like it. On Saturday I spent time weatherproofing the house and I claim to feel a difference already.

Sunday I was a bum and watched TV all day and contemplated all the things that I could be doing. It felt great to have the time and inclination to get things done at home and take time for myself also. I am beginning to feel more like a human and less like a mobile meat puppet for the man.

Not to say that the Santa Fe project does not come back to haunt me. Just last Friday I got a call that they have decided that they don’t like some cosmetic feature that can only be seen when you are looking down on the roof. I think this is more politically motivated than a real issue, but we shall see what becomes of it.

Today I have to drive back to Telluride, a six to seven hour trip that leaves me hating being in the steel cage of mobility. About half the trip is more boring than listening to Obama mumble his way through a speech.

In this time of confusion you might think that politicians might actually say something interesting. The Democrats are not going to bring change. Change is being thrust upon us by decisions made in the past. I just hope whomever is in charge has the balls to actually DO something instead of throwing rhetoric or idealism at it.

IMHO the bringing about of the Great Society was a mistake that we all pay for each and everyday of our lives. You do not help people by giving them things.* I feel that what is happening with the economy today can be directly linked to that noble experiment.

We are not going to change the past. All we can do is fight for a better future. With the stock market looking like it is going to take it in the ass again today, I would say we have quite a fight on our hands.

“Welcome to the future!”

I think that is enough rambling for now. I don’t want to get depressed before that damn boring drive through NW New Mexico.

*(With the possible exception of knowledge, if you consider knowledge a thing.)

A bit of advice for those of us who are employment challenged.

How to keep your job;

Do what you were hired to do to the best of your ability.

Follow the rules of your organization.

Don’t lie.

Don’t fuck shit up too badly.

Don’t hit on the boss or the boss’s spouse or any underage kids from anywhere.

Come to work a bit early every day.

Leave just a bit late every day.

Don’t get caught sleeping. Do your sleeping at home.

Don’t show up for work under the influence of any chemical amusement aid.

Don’t cause trouble with management just for the sake of starting shit. It may seem like fun at the time, but is really a bad idea.

Don’t expect special treatment.

Don’t whine. Whining just annoys those around you and does no good.

Don’t believe that your bosses and coworkers should care about how you feel. Your feelings are your business, not theirs.

Pretty damn simple, don’t you think?

Do you have any others?

(No, I did not lose my job or anything. This is just observations.)

I TOLD you I would get back with you…

I know. I am slow. I would make excuses, but I just don’t feel like it. I have been working and enjoying myself while I can.

They have a free transportation system here that runs from 7:00 AM to Midnight every day that goes OVER the mountain to the next town. It consists of steel and plexiglass bubbles with you inside that hang from a cable suspended from towers like a ski lift, only you are completely enclosed. They call it the gondola. I call it unlikely as hell.

It is really a nice ride. I am scared of heights and rode the thing yesterday in a thunderstorm while munching an expensive burrito and felt safer than I would in a strip mall church. The views are indescribable. It is really a great ride. I think I will do it again today just for the hell of it. They close it next Sunday for maintenance and to get ready for the ski season.

In this town, the gondola is the only thing that is free. This is a tourist destination, and prices here are high as the mountains that surround the town. Bread and milk prices can scare the hell outta you. Restaurants get away with charging ten bucks for a sandwich and an eight dollar burger is considered a steal. A fast food chain would be drummed out of town with real organic drums made by impoverished Native Americans wearing all natural cloths. (It seems like that kinda town.)

From now until Thanksgiving is ‘between’ seasons and things are more relaxed. The stores are redecorating for the hordes of skiers that they hope will be coming and spending disposable dollars, while the restaurants are taking a break before they fill to overflowing again.

I consider myself lucky that the company that I work for is willing to pay me to come to these resort areas to work. I get paid to travel to places that people save to go to every year. It’s a good life if you don’t turn into a wiener.

I am not lost or dead or even missing in action.

I am working in Telluride Colorado.

I just got internet access and intend to post about this very beautiful place, but I have to be at work shortly.