Snakes and Pipes

We slept in late this morning. That is unusual around here because the dogs normally will demand attention by seven. Today we made it to nine o'clock. I am on day four of a five day hiatus from work but things haven't been as dull as I expected. Yesterday's dinner was very good, although it ran late and I felt like there was a rock in my gut all night. Today we ventured up to FoodsCo to get the groceries for the next two weeks. It's a short month for both of us, so we were very strategic about what to buy. The best deal was six pounds of pork butt strips for slow cooking at only eleven dollars. Tonight we will be whipping up some of the home favorite Cowboy Soup. Till then we tidied over with some turkey sandwiches from last night's feed, complete with home made cranberry sauce.
Things took a dramatic turn when Erika was doing the dishes. We had been puzzled for the last month as to where the leak under the sink is coming from. The sink was filling with water so Erika threw the switch on the garbage disposal. Immediately there was a blast of water underneath the sink. To our dismay, the leak is coming from inside the disposal its self. This is a bad thing because I was hoping it would be a simple connection link which can be fixed with Flexx Tape. Now instead we have to replace the entire disposal.
To make matters worse, the sink stopped up on both sides. I tried unsuccessfully to plunge the clog, but it only seemed to get worse, as black sludge and sediment began to creep up from the depths of the drain. I went to the shed for my least favorite of all tools, the manual snake. It was coiled in the corner, covered in dust and webs. I unraveled it, pulled the end into the kitchen and found in a short minute that the anatomy of the disposal would make it impossible to snake from that end. I went back outside and found the clean-out under the kitchen window. I had never used it before, and it took a long time to loosen it up enough to twist off. I inserted the snake and pushed it around in circles until it found its way upward toward the sink. The smell was atrocious and the walls of the  clean-out appeared to be a slimy black. The snake seemed to stop for a moment as it met something solid. I gave it a good twist and a push, and then the sound of free flowing water came forward. I was very happy to bypass the need of a plumber which would definitely break the bank.
The painting project is on hold until I can get a gallon of primer. That faux finish is not going to cover and I don't see it getting finished tomorrow. Better luck next week. There are still many days off ahead.

Paint, Thanksgiving, and Illustrator

Today is Thanksgiving, and so far my appetite is strong. We are going to Uncle Jason's pad for dinner around four. The kids will all be there, but Trudy and Kevin couldn't make it down from Mariposa due to the crappy weather.
Yesterday I began to paint the master bedroom walls with our HGTV product, but I only finished two of them. There was a lot to prepare; some patchwork and caulking had to be done as well. By the time I was painting it was getting dark in the room and our lamps don't make good light to paint by. Doing any kind of work today is out of the question unless it involves chewing and digesting. So tomorrow I will pick up where I left off. Shifting the furniture around in such a tight space makes it very challenging and slow moving.
On the bright side, I have managed to attach my arse to couch for over nineteen hours. You have to admit, that takes talent. I stopped painting at six o'clock yesterday, couched myself in the living room, and I haven't moved but to use the restroom. The bedroom was too rearranged to sleep in. If we weren't going to Thanksgiving dinner in a couple of hours I would go for the full twenty-four just to have something to brag about. You have to love having too much time on your hands. No really, you have to.
I was able to get something done during that time. I revisited Adobe Illustrator for the first time in over three years. It all came back to me and I remembered how much I like to create digital art. I rotoscoped a picture taken of me wearing my Elvis sunglasses in Las Vegas almost ten years ago. Behold! Above is my first illustration in years. I call it Clayvis.

Squelched

I will avoid using extreme terminology such as fascist, or police state, or fascist-police state, because I know such words are a turn off to the common free thinker. These words smack of tired, paranoid delusions which seek to ramp up fear in the gullible, and they are cause for dismissal most of the time. So for now I will avoid calling a spade a spade, and offer my comment pertaining to the civil discourse in our country.
Currently income disparity is at its most grotesque level since ever, which we all know. Credit is locked, causing a shortage of exchange, making it impossible for economic activity to prosper. For the most part, this dark blanket of stagnation has locked us all down for more than four years. Many people have experienced the worst grief and loss second only to the death of a loved one. Those who haven't are scared to death that their own house of cards may fall at any time. Not only has this caused a prolonged state of fear in the national mood, but it has fatigued the minds of otherwise sharp individuals.
Most people find themselves in dire situations through no fault of their own. Many had decent jobs, and most had no reason to suspect it all would suddenly end. Today there are people with Masters degrees who cannot find work. I do not have anything near a Masters degree, but I did have a good paying job for eighteen years. That job enabled me to build an excellent credit rating and take on a mortgage for a humble home. People will say the crash was in the fall of 2008, but I know the economy was tanking for years before that, and finally the glass bottom fell out. I noticed in 2005 that I was being laid off occasionally, a Monday here, a Saturday there. Later it was common to only work three days in a week. Making $200 a day made it possible to stay alive on a three day week, but it was apparent that our best days were behind. Eventually it was bad enough that I had to push for a career change. I settled for a part-time job, having no idea that there would be zero growth over the next four years. Over the course of this period I nearly lost my home, I've had liens placed on my house by the city and county, which is worth half of what I owe for it. My credit card accounts have been removed and collections agencies call me and my wife morning, noon, and night. I wait daily to see where it goes from here, knowing that there isn't really anything I can do about it. If a judgement is placed against me I don't worry about it, because the burden is on them to get their money, and this wallet is empty. The irony is, leaving my old job was still the best thing I could have done. There is no old job to go back to, because that small company is still floundering from a shattered housing market.
So there is no argument against the anger and frustration of those participating in or supporting the 'Occupy' movement. I know a great deal of people who understand that there are fundamental problems in the current econo-political system, but they loathe the occupiers and dismiss them as douche-bags and hippies. They say the movement will fail because sooner or later someone must take charge and then corruption will ensue, thus repeating history and so on.
Cities are complaining that the movement is costing them millions in extra security, when most are over vamping their forces, and going overboard with their batons and tear gas. I heard someone say once, "If you want to know who started a riot, just look at who came dressed for one." This holds true today, and the reason I am saying all this is that first, I have noticed an awful lot of police in riot gear on the television these days, and my own fatigued mind is getting used to it; even starting to except it. Much the same way I learned to except that we are always at war abroad. Secondly, whether you are behind the Occupy movement, or if you just wish it would go away, some part of you must be uneasy about the irrefutable truth. That if the people of this nation do stand up to power because their votes don't cut it, they will be met with brute force from law enforcement, and silence from those who should have their backs. This concerted effort between 18 cities across the country to forcefully evict the occupations is a boot on the face of the disenfranchised. You cannot turn away from it because it is real, and it is happening here, there, and even far way in places like Japan, Egypt, and Australia. The people are awake now, whether the occupations last or not. They will not be silenced with mace and clubs.

Spent

So today went by too quickly for me. Somehow I was unable to finish everything I set out to do. I was distracted for a while by trivial nuisances, but in the long run things evened out. What was most important to accomplish I did, but my secondary goals were neglected, not for lack of trying. This always happens. The day is young, but out of the blue situations arise which call for my immediate attention. Before long, substantial chunks of time have passed, and catching up  is the new game. Like a creeping insect sneaks the dark, while the hour runs late and it's time to put down the pen and hammer.

Isabella's Birthday

Today is my niece's ninth birthday. She loves to go to Mimi's cafe whenever she can, so tonight she will indulge. Her favorite dish is the corn chowder, while I am a fan of the French Onion soup. Later we will pass on the HP Netbook that Erika has been using. She recently acquired a Sony Vaio laptop through the contest she won at work, so between that and the Galaxy Tablets, we have more internet access than we know what to do with. Bella will be thrilled to get the netbook and she is already technically savvy enough to use it. I know I never got anything as cool as a netbook computer when I was her age. I remember getting excited about the Rubik's cube, and the first Atari video game was in the near future. On top of this she is getting a cool digital video camera which she will love. This I know because whenever she comes to our house she runs around with ours for hours. The last time after she stayed over night, I found nearly thirty short clips of her goofing around. Now she will be able to make all the movies she wants until she either becomes famous, or gets bored.

Never Going Back Again

Two days ago I had the most bizarre customer service experience on my way to work. Even more strangely, I was the customer. I had pulled into the local small gas station on Northgate Blvd. on my way to the store, around 7:00 a.m. I usually will patron this small, teal colored station, which will remain nameless, because it is closest to my house and is less crowded than the Chevron closer to the freeway. I swiped my card in the machine as always, pushed the octane button of my choice, and squeezed the trigger in anticipation of sweet gas. But no gas came. I looked at the meter and saw seven cents was charged. I continued to squeeze the handle, press the octane button a few times, and then figured that the machine had never cleared when I swiped my card. I put the handle back on the hook, re-swiped the card, waited for authorization, and returned the nozzle to my gas tank. As I began to pump the gas a short lady of Asian origin in  her fifties or so, came running out of the station, flailing her arms and telling me sternly that is was  not necessary to run my Visa twice.
"You don't slide card twice!" she exclaimed. "They charge me money! You cost me money when you slide card twice!"
I was laughing in shear disbelief. I told her in my most polite, I'll respect you but you're fucking crazy tone that the machine had not cleared and it would not dispense the gas.
"No, it was pumping!" she began to yell at me. "You didn't wait! I saw it pumping from the computer!" I was completely blown away. "Visa charges me money for each time you swipe card!"
"Well, next time I will drive up the street to the Chevron where the machines work properly," I offered. She was actually very keen to that.
"Nothing wrong with the machine. You don't pump right!"
I flashed for a moment into an alternate reality. (I have many, and I find myself hiding in them more frequently these days.) Here I saw myself in my own situation where I serve many customers daily, but this time I was hollering at them for not putting the brushes back on the hook with the labels facing outward, and scolding them for leaving sugar sprinkles by the coffee machine. Wouldn't that be fun for a day? But certainly it would be bad for business.
I assured her that this would be the last time she would see me at her gas station, and she nodded in agreement, more than happy to see a regular customer go somewhere else because he put a few cents on her Visa bill. I think about how often we let customers cost our business money by changing their minds about sheen, or not picking up orders they call in for. But we always give a smile and a helping hand to them regardless, even the ones who owe thousands in bad debt. All because we understand the value of future business, and leaving bridges unburned.
I kindly informed her that she was the rudest lady I had met in a long time, and that never had I been treated so poorly by an establishment. I actually had, years ago been reamed by a manager at a Subway shop for crumbing dried texture on his floor, but that is another story. Lastly I said, "Goodbye. I have customers of my own that I need to take care of." She waved me off, saying, "Yes. Go." So we kindly agreed to part ways, and now I know where not to go the next time I need a fill. I only wish I could have caught it on video. It was pure comedy, and I laughed to myself all the way to work.

Is it Even Possible to End the Fed?

For some time now I have been reading a lot about the Federal Reserve and its misunderstood identity. I have seen many signs at protests, Occupy rallies and Tea Parties alike. They all demand an end to 'The Fed', or at least a complimentary audit. There are many ways of looking at the Federal Reserve, and I do not claim to be an expert. What I do understand is that the Fed was put into place to regulate monetary policy, interest, control inflation, and to mitigate unemployment. What I have also come to understand is that the Fed is not a government agency, simply meaning there is nothing 'Federal' about it. While it's Board of Governor's members are selected by the President, the President has no real control of the policies which ensue from his decision. In fact, there is no true Federal Reserve oversight possible except through the empty legislation of Congress, which is a non-starter. I have also come to understand that money as we know it, is actually just a receipt from the Fed, which must be paid back to the Fed, with interest, through taxation. So if the Federal Reserve is really just a club of private banks, and they make the money, and loan it to the government that has no true control or oversight of the Reserve's policies, then of course neither the President, Congress, nor the Court have the ability to end the Fed. No one has the ability to end the Federal Reserve system now that it is the life support of our economy, for better or worse. We are seeing today what unchecked power leads to, especially when this power's sole reason for existence revolves around money, the true root of all evil. People right and left are calling for an end to the Federal Reserve, but are we too dependent upon it? Do we know another way? Is it even doing it's job anymore, and can it be replaced with a better institution? John F. Kennedy sought to circumvent the debt based, interest laden Reserve Note system with silver backed U.S. currency, in a one man effort to reverse the gears of a machine that he knew was undermining the true purpose of the United States, and selling short the lives of future generations. We saw how well that worked out for him, and we learned who really is in charge here, much the way we saw who was in charge of the B.P. oil disaster. It is  clear that president's will  come and go, but the banks are forever.

I always say, "Sometimes it takes a cartoon to illustrate the point." This one gives us a little history about money, how it was created, how it is created, and who really calls the shots.

Also, let's not forget that JFK was fully aware of secret society networks, and was not afraid of going public with his whacked out conspiracy theories. Odd how he became the center of the mother of all conspiracies.