Days, Dollars

Happy/Sad

I went clothes shopping for my grandmother's memorial service next week in Boise. After all the dieting and all the absolutely no reason to own them, I found myself without a singe stitch of dress clothes to wear.

I purchased separates on sale at two different stores to put together a pretty snappy ensembe for less than 75 bones. Maybe I'll post pictures later. (Don't stay up all night waiting, though.)

Feels odd to buy clothes that are supposed to "fit" you, rather than modified tents. I went straight out of skater/punk/grunge over-sized clothes into fat-guy clothes, so "fitted" is not a word I am too familiar with. For some reason when I am wearing this "suit," I don't feel like a freaking clown. I think Homer had it right with the mumu. There is no reason for guys (or anyone! even women!) to have to wear clothes that were just not designed for them.

The sad thing is that this is the nicest set of clothes I've ever worn and they cost $75 for pant, shirt, jacket.

It Gives So Much

I gotta remember that going out in public usually results in me getting myself in trouble. I'm not good with people. Unfortunately, I'm not much better at home. As my friend and mentor Fletch said, "I'm a man without a country here, Frank."

Thank God sports season is coming back and I will have an excuse to stay at home watching my precious tv instead of being forced to interact with human beings.

Wednesday Night in the Kitchen with Dave

First, get that grill fired up. We're making tacos.

While that heats up, we're making chicken stock. Yes, it's 100F outside, but the chicken carcass is in the fridge and soup is deliciously low-fat.

Remove the breast from the chicken, if you haven't already. Break up the carcass and meat and place in stock pot. Run some water in there and add three carrots, three celery stalks and a quartered onion. Salt, peppercorns, and a bunch of herbs. Let the water come to an inch or so above the ingredients. Throw the pot on a burner and let come to a boil.

Then take one chicken breast, trim it, and cut it into long strips. You should be able to get nine or ten chicken strips out of a half-pound breast. Hit those strips with a little salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin mixture (I go with a 6-4-2-1 mix, but you do what works for you).

Take a bunch of cilantro and cut off the tops. Throw the herb into your food processor and chop that up machine-style. Set about a tablespoon aside and mix the rest up in a cup of sour cream and the juice of a lime for some sauce.

Open a can of pinto beans, rinse them, throw them in a small pot over lowish heat. Squeeze the juice of a lime in there and chuck in that cilantro. Salt, pepper, cumin. Stir.

That grill is hot, so go throw the chicken on it and come back inside and get the fixin's ready. I used a package of pre-shredded cabbage, grated some Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar, and opened a package of those tortillas I love so much.

Flip the chicken.

Get the plates ready, lower the heat on the chicken broth, and stir those beans.

Bring the chicken inside and tell the kids (Amber had a friend over) their dinner is ready.

While they go nuts, throw some oil, salt, and pepper on your ahi tuna pieces. Throw them on the grill for a couple of minutes on each side. If you got the room, throw some of those tortillas on there. Turn off your grill.

Slice up the tuna (should be just a touch cold on the inside) and make yourself some delicious tacos. I recommend the Simpsons while you dine.

Don't drink so many High Lives that you forget that chicken stock. When you can bend the chicken bones, but not break them, it's ready. About four hours. Strain it, chill it, and tomorrow night you've got the base for some badass soup on a hot day.

Um, That's My Stool

These are tough economic times for everyone, there's no doubt there. And this new president isn't helping things with his run-away deficit spending, I'll tell you what. This is not the change we voted for! But seriously folks, a lot of people are hurting, and the people I feel most sorry for are small business owners, especially the brave men and women trying to run an unprofitable bar, mini market, or "deli."

Why these people in particular, you ask? Because they have to deal with the tyrannical Oregon state lottery bureaucracy. Can you imagine working with those bastards every day or week or month or whatever? Talk about your tough Jobs! (Pause for biblical-based laughter). That's why when I read that the state was even thinking of reducing the amount of money it cuts to retailers for hosting video lottery games, I knew I had to blog about it. Unless Defazio plans to hold a town hall on the subject, which I doubt he has the courage to do, then this is my best vehicle for expressing outrage. (Just for the record: TORT REFORM!!!)

The last thing we need is more government interference in how we run businesses in this state, and the state threatening to take away or slightly reduce their payments to these businesses is fascism at its worst. A lot of these smaller bars and restaurants will not be able to stay open if the state reduces its payments. Just to make myself clear here, a lot of these business do not have a customer base outside of their Oregon video lottery sales sufficient enough to stay open. And now the state of Oregon wants to stomp on their dreams with their heavy boot of thuggery by keeping more of that money in the state coffers. These bureauthugs must not realize that these businesses are so unprofitable that even a slight reduction in payment - although certainly still an economic benefit to the businesses - might mean the difference between staying open and closing. And then where will the employees of these businesses be? On the state dole, that's where, being supported by citizens like you and me! Which is, of course, the Democrat's whet dream. When we are all living on the dole, then we'll all be voting Democrat to keep those payments flowing.

Let me ask those smart state bureaunazis this, when you've driven every unprofitable bar, mini market, and deli-style video gaming parlour out of business, what will we have then? One word - Communism.

Yes, Register Guard, Yes!

What this town needs is more paeans to the Lane County working-class life of the '50s and '60s written by multi-millionaires.

I remember when Eugene was known as the timber capital of the world; it seemed as though log trucks were on Sixth and Seventh avenues all the time. How things change.

In my youth, not many kids went to college after high school. They would get a job working at a sawmill, in the woods or at a plywood plant starting at maybe 15 to 20 cents per hour less than a journeyman’s wages — just like their dads, brothers, granddads or neighbors. They could support a family, own their own home, buy a camper and help send their kids to college.

Starting out at the mills meant working swing shift from 4 p.m. to midnight, or the graveyard shift from midnight until 8 a.m. A millworker’s wife might work in the summers at a cannery in Eugene or Junction City, and maybe she’d pick crops for the local farmers.

Life was good.

Oh, life was good, Avon. A man could give up whatever hope he had of living a comfortable life by dedicating himself to forty years of back-breaking labor. He could look forward to becoming a journeyman after some years and get raises of maybe 15 to 20 cents more than he earned when he started. He could look forward to years of not sleeping with his wife in bed at night. If he was real lucky, maybe his mill would be purchased by another outfit and he could go out on strike to fend of cuts to his pay. If he prayed real hard, maybe his kids could see their names on the tree at the mall at Christmas time.

Oh, and the ladies! What luxury they had spending their summers working in a cannery or maybe picking crops for a local farmer. I don't have to tell you, Avon, that there is nothing a woman loves more than performing physical labor in the hot sun. And you forgot the kids! The halcyon days picking blueberries for 10 cents a flat out in Leaburg. The hours spent at the string bean vines instead of the ol' swimming hole.

Yes, it was nothing but non-stop upward mobility for Lane County's working classes. Too bad the relentless consumption of our forests, the very consumption that kept those jobs plentiful and low-wage, lead to the day when trees were too small to be run though your mills. Too bad mill owners spent decades taking profits and giving them to the Republican party, instead of investing in new equipment. Too bad free trade meant that our raw logs went to China to be processed, while cheaper Canadian timber drove you out of the lumber markets here. all those damned hippies ruined it with the socialism and environmentalism.

Good times, indeed.

We Hardly Read Ye

RIP Labornerd?

With no posts since July 16, one assumes that Labornerd is dead. Who would have thought that a blog dedicated to the daily recapitulation of AFL-CIO talking points on EFCA would not go over like gangbusters.

This, of course, means that there is still room for a blog that looks at pop-culture and daily happenings through the lens of labor.

Shakespeare in the Park Dinner

Much Ado About Tuna Salad

Poach one pound of albacore tuna in a broth of water, salt, peppercorns and a good handful of tarragon for about 12 minutes or until cooked through. Be sure to turn the fish to cook all sides.

Set aside to cool.

While the fish cools, dice two stalks of celery and a quarter of a medium onion. Put into a medium bowl. Chop up about a half tablespoon of tarragon and add it in there. Targgon, like thyme, comes right off the stalk if you pull the leaves backwards down the stem. You got capers in the fridge? Of course you do you beautiful bourgeois bastards! Throw a few in the bowl.

Flake the fish (I use my fingies) and add to the bowl. Make sure it's cool before adding it in - you don't want to cook the celery and onion. Give the bowl the salt and pepper treatment.

Add mayonnaise (I prefer low-fat. There's so much going on in there, you aren't going to miss that real from-the-jar fat taste. Plus, save for the fat in mayo, this is a supper low-fat meal.) until it forms a nice salad when mixed. Start with half-a-cup, work up from there.

Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Maybe throw a couple of dashes of hot sauce in there. Go nuts.

Throw the whole thing in the fridge. Ideally, you will have made this in plenty of time for maximum fridge mingle.

Serve on hoagie rolls. I prefer soft ones that I cut open myself so I can make a little pocket and the bread doesn't crumble.

I've got a bottle of Hinman Chardonnay and a bag of Sweet Onion Kettle Chips.

Ready to get my Benedick on.

Gobblers!

Most times when I open the backdoor for the dog, especially when she'd rather lay on her back and beg for a belly-rub, I'll tell her "go get 'em!" on the off chance there's a squirrel out there who needs a chasing up a tree. This morning, I let her out with a "go get 'em!" and there is immediately chaos.

Turns out there's a rafter of turkeys back there. Most got away, but two got trapped on the roof. I have a very well behaved dog, but it is difficult to call a dog off of a turkey on the roof. Must be primal.

I got some snaps of turkeys sitting on a wire and as soon as I remember how to get them off my phone, I'll post them.

Another Letter That Won't Be Published

Did Robert Boyer (letters, Aug. 13) cite Social Security as a government program that has failed? I will admit there are many government programs that are little more than billion dollar boondoggles, the Star Wars missile fantasy comes to mind, but Social Security?

Here is a government program that has been operating successfully since in 1935. It has enabled most Americans to retire in their 60s, whereas before many people worked until the day they died. The biggest problem that Social Security is that it is so successful that Congress can’t resist borrowing its surpluses to pay for tax cuts and wars.

Projections show that Social Security will continue to take in more than it pays out for a couple of more decades. At that point, if Congress refuses to repay those IOUs to the American people, we may need to make adjustments to the program; the most obvious being to end the tax exemption for incomes over $106,800. There may indeed come a sad day when Social Security is “bankrupt” and this nation no longer has the resources to allow its senior citizens the honor of a few years without labor, but that day is a long way off.

Social Security is a shining example of what our government can achieve when we dedicate ourselves to the proposition that we are a society; when we acknowledge that we are all truly our grandmother’s keepers. We should hope that we can devise a health care system that works so well.

Loving the Tier 1 Attitude

The GTFF filed a grievance against the Art Department for violating the hell out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and their own internal policies. Like I always, I spent hours putting the grievance together, gathering facts, talking with our members, trying to settle with the UO. We had a Step 3 meeting with the UO's grievance officer for the GTFF. I presented a half hour of argument, the UO's representative from the Grad School did the same. At the end, the grievance officer from the UO asks each side to submit written statements. I indicate that I am going on vacation, but will come into the office to write something up. The Grad School agrees to write up a statement. The UO's grievance officer indicates he's going to need more than e working days to read all this and come up with a decision. We all agree that he can take another week.

I spent four hours crafting a six-page argument detailing each contract violation. The UO's representative from the Grad School was out sick, but she, too, came in and spent some time making careful arguments about the case. Her document was also about six pages, with many pages of supporting documents.

We got the decision yesterday and, aside from some boilerplate, here is the judgment that the UO's grievance officer came to after carefully weighing the twelve pages of argument, plus the supporting documents, detailing ten allegations of contract violation:

The GTFF alleged that the Art Department failed to give preference to applicants who are further advanced in the program. However, there are other factors that are also given special consideration with respect to assignments such as a student’s special skills. Therefore, it was not proven that the Art Department failed to give preference to applicants who are further advanced in the program.

Lesson learned.

New Leadership, Please

You know what just about the most "un-American" thing I can think of is? A Congressional leader calling his or her political opponents "un-American" for protesting government actions. Let's call them ugly, loud-mouth, ignorant SOBs, but let's leave un-American out of it.

For fuck's sake. This is what our political opponents do. They brand dissent as un-patriotic. To them Code Pink is just shy of an official terrorist organization. What do they do? They stand up at meetings, shout down the speaker, and make their voices heard. We admire them. We admire anyone who has the courage to stand up to the powers that be and makes their voice heard.

And these townhall protesters are no different than we are. Well, I guess I'd like to believe that they're wrong, whereas my lefty groups are right, but how can for one hot minute anyone who reads this blog think that these people have invalid views or don't deserve to be heard just because they were organized into going to an event by Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh. I am a union organizer, I am astroturf by definition. Sure, members may walk into my office to tell me about some issue they have and I can use my skills to organize them, but this never happens over politics. Nope, I'm out there trying to get three to five people to show up for some half-assed rally. Let's just take (and leave) EFCA as an example.

Lastly, I will not abide by my leadership pretending like a townhall meeting means something. That they are some genuine exchange of views between a Congressperson and the citizens. That Peter Defazio has yet to make up his mind about this crazy health care bill and that the fine citizens of Drain, Oregon are going to provide some magical insight that really opens his eyes. It's bullshit and we all know it. Townhalls, at best, provide a politician political cover or anecdotes, otherwise they are pretty useless. Somehow the thought that organized hicks might be standing up and making a mockery of these dog and pony shows does not rock me to my American core. They always were political theater, the last thing we should be upset about is that they'll be good political theater. Heaven knows, if it weren't for the chance that I might be engaged is some actual heated political yelling, I doubt that I'd be driving down to the Grove tomorrow at 8 am to hear Defazio spout hackneyed talking points for a bill he probably doesn't genuinely support - which, in my book, is pretty un-American.

Goals Falling by the Wayside

My goal is to post at least once a day. Work is kicking my ass just about now though, so I don't have the leisure time I once did.

I also intended to be on a diet just about now, but I grew tired of worrying about how much I weigh. Well, I still worry, I guess I just grew tired of doing something about it. You'd think that summer would be the time of salads, fresh fruit, and weight loss, but I find it hard to lose weight in the summer. One, I have a grill, so I want summer to be about pork chops, steaks, and grilled veggies (which means oil). Plus, soup is so good in the winter and I can make the hell out of a low-fat soup. So for now, I will just have to remain 15 pounds (or so) over my government-mandated weight. I'm sure once I go to put me pants on come fall, I will return to fretting.

Premiership Is On, Summer's Over

This makes me happy:

It's a small thing, as United will probably win another title this year, but they'll look like a bunch of gits while doing it.

Liverpool seems to have given away their chances by selling Xabi Alonzo. Unless something takes a dramatic turn, I don't see us having what it takes if Lucas is supposed to be a credible option.