"Child of the 60's"

It's good to see the Hootster back at work. I know the old boy was in deep withdrawal not being able to write his infanous "H.P." He is a child of the 60's you know. He is also a bit "longer in the tooth" than me as the old saying goes.

I remember the 60's. I remember being in the dorm lobby at Pain, er, Payne Hall while at Truck U. and seeing a California transplant rummaging in the ashtray urn looking for smokable butts. Pimply and red-headed he was a free spirit and a child of the decade.

I remember a compadre I met there whose name was John Davis, but who we called "Skuzzy." I remember his wiping his butt on the washing machine at Payne and encouraging any of us to smell his production. Thanks, but no thanks.

I remember David from Sparta who was a match for me in baseball trivia.

I remember our dorm resident assistant shaking his head as Trent went sliding by his room after we had had a water fight.

I remember Steve Woodford who was seriously contemplating burning down the military building [ ROTC ] on campus.

I remember "Bear" who was a big joker with a beard. We were all envious because we couldn't grow one. He liked playing volleyball allah yours truly.

I remember my second roommate Rick, who turned me onto hashish, and whose old lady whose name was Margaret.

There were a lot of interesting people in the dorms. And there was music. At one time I hated "Take Another Little Piece of my Heart" by Janis Joplin, because some guy left the single on the turntable and it played at least one hundred times.

I remember going to see "Steppenwolf," "Chicago," and others while matriculating at Truck U.

I was sort of a child of the 60's. And as John Lennon once remarked after recording "Double Fantasy:" "the seventies were a drag."

Child of the 60's, v.c.

P.S. Tonite's tune is by a band who has never been on Golden Pond. They are still revered today.

P.S.S. Welcome baker Kotter, er, Hootster.

P.S.S.S. Later, The Doors appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, a popular Sunday night variety series that had introduced The Beatles and a young, wriggling Elvis Presley to the nation. Ed Sullivan requested two songs from The Doors for the show, People are Strange, and Light My Fire. The censors insisted that they change the lyrics of "Light My Fire" from "Girl we couldn't get much higher" to "Girl we couldn't get much better." This was reportedly due to what could be perceived as a reference to drugs in the original lyric. During the rehearsal, Jim changed the lyrics to be in compliance with host Ed Sullivan. Morrison then proceeded to sing the song with the original lyrics on live TV. He later said that he had simply forgotten to make the change, which Manzarek corroborates to the present day. This infuriated Sullivan so much that he refused to shake their hands after their performance. They were never invited back.[7]The producer of the show reportedly screamed at the monitors as Morrison sung the lyric, that The Doors would never do the Ed Sullivan show ever again. Jim came back to that comment by stating "Hey, we just did the Ed Sullivan show."

"Remembering"

Dear Rock, I forgot to mention that I, T.H.E. Cat, recalled the show which starred Robert Loggia. I didn't watch the show, however. Must have been scheduled against "Leave It To Beaver'; "Get Smart;" or "Man From Uncle." Or maybe it was up against "The Girl From Uncle;" "Candid Camera;" or "Saturday Night at the Movies."

Or maybe it was matched against "The Lawrence Welk Show with the Lennon Sisters;" "Laugh-In;" or "Bonanza."

My cousin, David, dug it. He and his friends dressed in black to hide in the shadows and to mimic their idol.

I must admit not knowing what T.H.E. stood for. My guess would have been Teddy Harry
Euranus.

On a dissimilar note, what's up with the NFL? One of the biggest games of the year [ Cowboys and Packers ] and it ain't on national television. I don't have the NFL channel on my cable system. The bright side is not listening to the droning-on of one, Bryant Gumbel.

Gotta go with the Packers in this one. Even tho' they're 7 point underdogs. I haven't liked the Cowboys since the overthrow of the Landry regime. Even tho' it has been chronicled as to how the former ownership was tight with the money.

Take care and "Go Pack!" v.c.

P.S. I do have HBO and there's a good special on the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. From Woody Hayes to Bo Schembeckler. One of the jokes from a Michigan alumni:

"How do you get an Ohio State graduate off your front porch?"

Answer: "Pay him for the pizza!"

"In the Belly of the Beast"

Otis Nixon was a fan favorite here in Atlanta during the 90's when he roamed centerfield [ apologies to John Fogerty once of CCR. ] He had some personal demons allah T.H.E. cat.

He once made "the catch" as it's referred to. One of the best this humble reporter has ever witnessed.

Here's the article dealing with his addictions and his new-found career as a preacher.




P.S. Rock, One of your boys got canned today at Ga. Tech. Chan Gailey. Seems he couldn't beat....the Dawgs. 0-7. And the fans quit coming, and they were a'grumbling. Don't feel sorry for him. Ga. Tech has to pay him the balance of his contract. $4 million over the next 4 years. And you don't want to see the Favre show? Schedule a counseling session for yourself....pronto.

Do you recall he was signed by the Falcons and traded to Green Bay after his rookie season? Now how smart was that?????????????????????

"Dear Rock,"

So you and the family were at the game on Thanksgiving. Romomania, eh?

The Steelers and Dolphins are mired in a 0-0 slugfest early 3rd quarter tonight with Jaws, Mike Turico, and the nerdy newspaper reporter on MNF. And whatever happened to Howard Cosell and Dandy Don. Frank Gifford-does anyone remember that O.J. once manned the telecasts?

I really liked Dandy Don, an SMU graduate. He was always in Tom Landry's doghouse [ see above photo of the team ranked number 5 in the BCS sweepstakes. Go Dawgs ]

I'm glad that Al and the old football coach, Dandy John Madden, don't do MNF anymore. But I was surprised ESPN canned Joe Theissman.

The Falcons hung in there against the Colts but to no avail. A personal foul call when we ran into the Indy punter sealed our fate. And the new coach, Bobby Petrino, is lost in a time warp.

WHo's gonna win this week. Cowboys or Packers? Are you going to the game?

Sincerely, Dear Cat

"Speeder Gets Tasered"

Here's the actual video of a speeder [ ahem, alleged ] getting tasered as he walks back to his car. His wife, who is 6 months pregnant, is riding, er, shotgun.

When pulling up the youtube video, there is another one of a man who dies at the Vancouver Airport. How? Tasered to death. Plus it didn't help that one of the security persons had his knee on the man's throat.

"Yesterday"

I was looking at some of my Yahoo legacy and ran across this one. Even tho' I wrote it, I was envious of the writing style and creativity. I don't think I could write one like this again. It starts off with the old grease board we utilized for specials; and then it concentrates on unmasking the identity of one fellow poster, the enigmatic pictruandtru. Anyhoo, as Red used to say, here's a blast from the [ not-so-distant ] past:


Back in the day of grease boards and daily specials H.W. [ Acronym for Hell-Whole, my emploment venue ] would feature on Wednesdays, the "Mexican Special. Most of the time the enchiladas, cheese and beef, would sit patiently in its niche, awaiting a sale. And awaiting they did. Cos we didn't sell many. Plus, they would normally appear from the kitchen stuck together. It was easier to play a game of tiddlywinks than to pry an enchilada from the pile.

Tostados? Jay Leno would be proud. Our picante was the mysterious pico de gallo, which is mexican for "red rooster." Today the Pic contingent might want to put melted cheese on its tostados perhaps causing the merchandaise to fly off the "line."

I digress. My main focus for writing: Another "Who is Pictruandtru?

a) Lt. Ray Calletano

b) Che Guevara

c) General Antonio López de Santa Claus, er, Anna

d) Pepino- Mexican farmhand on the "Real McCoys"

e) Karl Rove

f) Bernie Ebbers

g) Is introducing a new pico de gallo to "Pace." Patent pending. Copyright infringements and contracts still in discussion with the think-tank of lawyers. To be marketed as "Red Rooster" Picante Sauce

h) Freddie Prinze's brother, Rafael Prinze

i) Pedro Foxworthy

j) A frequent guest at LUB, who notices line speed, smiling faces, the absense of a tea cart ( lady ), and the aromas of chicken fried steak and burritos served on LuAnn plates.

k) Hootsbuddie in disguise. Have you ever noticed hoots and pictru are the only members of our fraternal order who just happen to post with the LUB bored. Coincidence? I think not!

l) Hal Wallis the producer of most of the King's movies. [ not Slim Whitman of yodeling fame ] "Fun in Acapulco" is one. [ see hurling on the boats as the cascading waves provoke mucho seasickness, circa 1991 was it?

m) Owner of Chihuahua's Inc. and has sold many to the Bennett clan

n) Former district manager for Taco Bell.

o) Teleplay writer who came up with the line "Eez not my job!" for the old sitcom, "Chico and Da Man."

p) Invented Chop Beef Sombrero for PIC when it needed a new dish to compete with the avalanche of Mexican restaurants that were popping up like Eggos. [ "let go of my eggo" may have been his handiwork as well ]

q) Assistant director to John Wayne on the set of the "Alamo." May have coined the word "pilgrim" for the duke. An urban legend that has heen bandied about. No confirmation as of this writing.

r) A descendant of Ponce de Leon, Christopher Columbus, Magellan, and Vasco de Gama.

s) A U.S. Customs Team Member who patrols the Mexican/U.S. borders. Known to the illegal aliens ( apologies in advance for using the offensive term, here ) as "Slip me Fitty Pictru" and you may proceed unabated.

t) Loves his coronas with lime and eats the worm in the tequila bottle. Can you say Jose Cuervo?

u) As a manager at PIC, he would sing "La Cucaracha" to Eco-Lab when reporting pest sightings at his unit. Addendum: They didn't think it was funny. Source: Karl Rove! Or was it "Deep Throat?" Apologies to Linda Lovelace.

v) Was instrumental in procuring chili pods ( see "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" ) for the texas chili. Even wrote a detailed instruction booklet on how to soak the suckers. Sans seeds.

w) Robert Listen's right hand man back in the day who authorized the use of frozen carrot chips for the popular carrot souffle.

x) Malcolm X disciple

y) Y because we like you. Apologies to the Mickey Mouse club.

z) Z for xenophobia. Look that one up in your Funk and Waggnolls.

aa) A fellow drunk and alum who graduated from that higher institute of learning known as Truck U.

bb) Bats

and farewell and adieu, v.c.

"Thankful"

I am thankful for:

1) My old Buick Park Avenue which has 152,000 miles and is showing signs of wear and tear.

2) I am thankful for Golden Pond, my escape from the real world.

3) I am thankful for TCM, which shows classic films from yesterday. With no commercials.

4) I am thankful for the Hootster, who introduced me to blogspot.

5) I am thankful for my friend in southern Florida who goes by the moniker of ibbq4you2.

6) I am thankful for Rockhead and pictruandtru, two members from the Yahoo bored.

7) I am thankful for NFL football and Major League baseball.

8) I am thankful for the memories afforded to me by the Boston Celtics of the 80's. With Larry Bird, the Chief, D.J., Kevin McHale et al.

9) I am thankful for Bobby Cox and the Atlanta Braves who went from wrst to first in '91 and have been winning titles ever since. The last 2 years-well, nobody's perfect.

10) I am thankful for my computer, because I can google to find articles of interest; view youtube classics; and write a column with an alias known as v.c.

11) I am thankful for Steverino and Slippery and to anyone who sends me an email.

12) I am thankful for my 2 kids and Kitty. And everyone in the family, including my liberal sister, Olga.

13) And lastly, I am thankful I can write this "Thanksgiving" message.

"Bored, Tubby, and Mild"

"I like smoking lightning; heavy metal thunder."

The above quotation is from Steppenwolf, and the line which coined a music genre: Heavy Metal. See Led Zep for more details.

My buddy, Steverino, sent me this funny link about baby boomers. I laughed, cos ain't it the truth? You won't know until you peruse the link.

P.S. I smoked a lot of pot; popped a lot of pills....

"Perhaps This Movie Played At The Starlight: Back in the Day"

Cinemacom DVD Home Page
1950's Sci-Fi Fun

The Leech Woman DVD-R
with Coleen Gray - Grant Williams - Gloria Talbott
An unusual variant on the 'fountain of youth' formula, with the magic incredient being a fluid that is only obtained by killing a guy. The captures below show Coleen Gray's before and after, and what happens when she doesn't get the juice.

"Perfection In Every Detail"

Trans is an album by Neil Young, released in 1982. Recorded partially and released during his notorious Geffen era in the 1980s, Trans baffled many Neil Young fans. Some suggested that the album could be a satirical message that Young was trying to send about the direction music was headed in the future. A Vocoder features prominently in five of the nine tracks. While the album was poorly received, some critics point out that the melodies are strong and that the album involves Young addressing new musical movements, as he did previously on Rust Never Sleeps and later with the grunge movement.

The story behind its creation is very interesting. Neil Young found that when using a vocoder when communicating to his son (who was born with cerebral palsy), he was able to elicit a better response. The emotional power of this experiment shows in the lyrics, particularly in the track "Transformer Man" with the lines "So many things still yet to do / But we haven't made it yet."

Perfection In Every Detail: "Sample and Hold!"

Enclosed is the link. I don't want 'em to delete it like last time, when I encoded it as a youtube presentation.

"Take A Leak Outside"

The drought has a foot-hold on our little city; and my buddy in Florida says his town is experiencing the same.

My advice is for men-women, too if they're game-to take it outdoors-not to the house-and take a leak outside.

Water conservation techniques never include this simple remedy. We should be able to save billions of flushes per week. Get on the bandwagon; write your congressman or woman.

P.S. Tonite's song is a favorite of my sister, who hails from the blustery city of San Fran.

One hit wonders, btw.

"It May Look Like Him But It's Not"

Some of you tuning in will undoubtedly mistake the picture above as the Hootster. I repeat. It is not the Hootster, world-renowned author of Hootsbuddy's Place.

It's a photo of Uga, world renowned mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs. [ my alma mater aka Truck U. ]

The "Dawgs" [ not "Dawg" Chapman-he of no black lineage ] are facing the dreaded Kentucky Wildcats this Saturday, who are led by Andre Woodson-he of Heisman consideration-and Rich Brooks, the coach.

Should be a jim-dandy and one I'll Shirley miss because I'll be a'working.

Tonite's foray is a quickie. I'm tired and have a wake-up call at 3 a.m. So fluff piece it is.

Life is but a cabaret, ol' chum, v.c.

P.S. Due to the fluff piece, no postscripts.

"Veterans Day"

They coined a phrase about me: "a day late and a dollar short." I didn't even know it was Veteran's Day today, until I heard it on the radio.

I was classified 1-A back in 1974 and had even gone to take my physical. There were rumors circulating that the draft would soon go the way of 8 track tape players. The rumors turned out to be true, so I was never called to serve in the military.

Instead, I began my illustrious career with Piccadilly Cafeteria. As a Manager Trainee while pulling down a whopping $4.00 an hour. I soon became the Associate Manager and was deemed worthy of a $.50 an hour raise. At $4.50 an hour I thought I was in the dough-in more ways than one. [ see Piccadilly Cafeteria made from scratch ]

I found out later the other Associate Managers were grossing $5.25 an hour. But I was young and had my sights set on the Manager's job. Not sure what the g.m. was making back then. Probably $9-10 an hour. And he also qualified for an MBO bonus. [ management by objective ]

I worked hard. We were only supposed to work a 40 hr. week, but because I was the Associate, I worked about 45 hrs. I topped out around $5.50 an hour. Or maybe I made $7.50. Hell, I can't remember-oldtimers you know.

I became the g.m. in '79. And made about 20 grand a year. We soon went to a system where the company gave you 8% of the controllable profit. And not soon afterwards, they moved it up a half per cent to 8.5.

We were a well-paid bunch back in those days-way above the average. I remember making more than the minimum salary of a 1st year Major League ball player. Those days are gone as they now make over $400,000 a year.

But, yes, it was '74. The draft disappeared, and I began-in earnest-a career in the wonderful world of food bizdom.

A day late and a $ short, v.c.

P.S. Oh, I'm on my way-I know I am. Somewhere not so far from here....

"Dawg"

 

"Post #1699" and "Back on the Bandwagon"

Sorry, but I had never heard of "Dawg" Chapman until the media frenzy of this week. Another celebrity bites the dust by exposing himself as one who uses racial epithets. "Dawg," say hello to Kramer, Jimmy the Greek, Al Campanis, and all of the others who went before.

"Dawg" really screwed up and his attempts at swaying the population via Larry King and Hannity and Colmes fell on deaf ears. I feel for him, because he just committed career suicide. And I know all about that.

Anyway, the jist of tonite's foray is not about any other dawgs, but the birds of prey known as The Atlanta Falcons. They went to Charlotte, N.C. today and dismantled the Panthers. 20-13. And add in New Orleans loss and the Falcons are only "one" game behind in the NFC South standings. This is the time where "Who'd a thunk it" is quite appropriate.

The Falcons began the season in turmoil. Everyone knows the Mike Vick story. And then we've got a new head coach from the college ranks-Bobby Petrino. And everyone knows that hot-shot college coaches can't make the transition to the pros. See Seve "the old ball coach" Spurrier for more details. And we signed a young kid to kick field goals and cut Morten Anderson, the greatest field goal kicker of all time.

The kid had more tattoos than field goals in his brief appearance here. He was fired and Morten Anderson was signed....again. And then the veterans started complaining. Most notably Deangelo Hall and Algie Crumpler. [ an Algie Crumpler-btw-is not a mussel that receives Atlanta's drinking water in nearby Florida, but our all-pro tight end. ]

But, lo and behold, the Falcons won today. And are only a game behind in the standings. I have officially jumped on the bandwagon. And if we keep winning, perhaps we can start filling the Dome again.

So best of luck, Dawg-you'll need it. And to my team, the Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl, here we come.

I was not pressured nor coerced in any way to write this foray from Arthur Blank. See Home Depot for more details, v.c.

P.S. "bites the dust" is attributed to "Queen." I also see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the fandango-
Thunderbolt and lightning-very very frightening me-
Galileo,galileo....

P.S.S. I offered an invitation to two readers and as of yet have not heard from them? You know who you are.

"Slow On the Pond" & "More Cowbell"

Not much going on, except the "Dawgs" [ my alma mater ] whupped-up on the defenseless Auburn Tigers today in Sanford Stadium. Aka, "between the hedges." And Ohio State lost; and so did Boston College, so "the Dawgs" will move up a notch in the BCS sweepstakes.

On a dissimilar vein, another "Dawg" has had his share of problems this week. This "Dawg" attempted damage control when he found out he wasn't black-after all. He may be black now-toast, that is.

On another dissimilar vein, I say "more cowbell."



P.S. If I were black, I might say: "It's all good."

"Gestapo"

 

"Fugitive Nabbed After 33 Years"

It has well-chronicled in many forays from me that the world has gone mad. This tale is quite intriguing. I read the entire rather lengthy article. Once the case was turned over to the U.S. Marshalls, Ms. Garvin had little chance to remain free. "If the case comes to the Marshal Service, it never goes away," said Supervisory Inspector James Ergas.

Here is another bizarre story from the naked city:

On the run for 33 years, Deborah Gavin knew the day would come when the long arm of the law would catch up to her.

She just didn't expect that day to be Wednesday.

The 53-year-old Gavin, who escaped from a Georgia prison while serving time for armed robbery in Gwinnett County in the early 1970s, said as much to U.S. Marshals as they cuffed her outside her home in Frankston, Texas....

Thirty-three years is a long time," Ergas said. "They didn't want to jump a 53-year-old woman and drive her to the ground if it was the wrong person."

At 2 p.m. Wednesday, the marshals surrounded her house and knocked.

Gavin came to the door with a shotgun, heard them out and surrendered peacefully....

The board will take into consideration several factors in determining whether she will serve out the six years remaining in her sentence. Among them, her age, her health and how she's conducted herself over the years.

Post Script: She worked for about a decade at East Texas Medical Center, about 24 miles from Frankston. There, said her husband, doctors nicknamed her "Gestapo."

Post Script II: Perhaps Tommie Lee Jones can reprise his role as U.S. Marshal Gerard, if the story is made into a movie.

Post Script III: "Gestapo" conjures up a few images, eh?

"Rooms For Rent 50 Cents" or "Old As Dirt"

I lived in pre-historic times when cigarettes were $.25 a pack; movie theatres charged $.50 to view the flick; cokes were a nickel; and bubble gum was a penny a piece. And gasoline hovered around a quarter. One ex patron of mine used to brag about gasoline wars at the pump-he said his station went as low as $.19 a gallon in order to beat the guy down the street.

When I saw the Fab 4 in 1965 the tickets were $4.50. Hard to believe these days when a latte at Starbucks costs around 5 bucks. And gas is creeping up to $3.00 a gallon.
I could fill up my "bug" for around $2.50. And at 25 miles to the gallon, I could go to L.A. [ lower Alabama ] and back.

As one pundit once exclaimed: "Who'd a thunk it?"

Here's a clip from yesteryear. I watched this comedian's show when I was a youngster. And loved it.



P.S. I'm so old that I remember when bottle cokes went from 5 cents to 6 cents. Didn't last long as they soon went to a dime.

"Gimme Shelter"

A new movie about the Rolling Stones [ a documentary ] will be out soon. Just them singing songs and some repartee behind the scenes. I saw the preview when I went to the movies the other day. I must be getting old, because I can't remember the movie. Oldtimers is seeping in.

The film is by Martin Scorsese. What amazed me was how old all these guys looked, even Mick. So much for cinema magic. Oh well. You can't always get what you want. v.c.

P.S. Cos I've tried. And I've tried. And I've tried. And I've tried. I can't get no....

P.S.S. Sometimes I just want to sing-to myself.

"Vertigo"

 

"You Were Perverted, Too."

Thanks, Rock, or Dear Rock.

Which reminds me. I should write another "Dear Cat" foray into the infantile. Those were a lot of fun. My favorite was: "Dear 'She Blew My Nose and Then She Blew My Mind'" in response to a fabricated illusion invented by yers truly.

Via my column I also introduced the word "eh" to my buddy, Marty, who we all know hails from the "Sunshine State," and who uses the word with regularity. Must be some Canadian blood in the catfish family. And when I ventured out into a "Dear Fratbro" spinoff, he was the only one who seemed to enjoy it. He always liked my offbeat ones anyway.

I have had a spike in readership lately. Not sure why? Maybe the Koreans, Icelandics, Fujis, et al have been tuning in. Or perhaps it's my new template. To me it looks more polished and professional. Btw, I know you guys mentioned the Fab 4 song ( "Golden Slumbers; "Carry That Weight;" and "The End ) but no one mentioned my "Vertigo" heading. Look at it closely and you can hear the ocean, er, see an optical illusion.

The food biz sucks but what you gonna do? If I left I'd be a fish out of water. [ pun intention left to the creativity of the readership. ] I just found out tonite that my grandfather, who died from moonshine poisoning, at age 64 dreamed of selling fish sandwiches in downtown Charleston when he retired.

My grandmother [ dad's side ] was a cook at a public school, and my dad peeled spuds in the Navy, circa 1945. So, alas, it was my destiny, eh?

It's always good hearing from the "Rockhead." I will write you via your electronic mail soon. That will be a hoot, and one I look forward to.

Farewell and adieu, v.c.

P.S. The title of tonite's foray is intended to spike readership. My most viewed post is the one I did on "Flesh Gordon." So I'm looking for all the perverts from New Guinea, Wales, and Okinawa to hit the "Pond."

"Let's Hear It for the Food Biz"

I worked at my last job during the months of March to June 07. My head was obviously in a bad place, as I peruse these forays from that time period. I had not been an assistant manager for over 30 years, so it took some time getting used to being barked at as opposed to doing the barking. I didn't mind that part as much as I resented the attitude of the mgmt. staff which acted as if I had never been in the biz. Plus, they said I was too laid back. Hell, I was learning a new system, a new menu, etc. I had never done "eggs" before. And we served them by the dozens. Here are some of the excerpts from my brief sojourn as an asst. mgr. with a well-known company, most of which are jest off'n the interstate:

I hate the food business. Maybe that's too harsh. I loathe and despise the food biz. Wait a minute. That's even more harsh. I dislike the food biz.

Every now and then yours truly likes to reflect, if you will. And tonite's the night for refelecting.

I think I've had enough of this freakin' job. I see no future, unless you classify working 60-70 hours a week; every weekend; every holiday; every night; a good gig.
Me? I've had enough of the rat race. I would like to sit back and truly watch the wheels go 'round and 'round.

The food biz sux. And it's for suckers who want to give their lives up. The g.m. at my store is a living, breathing example of such servitude. He gets his willies off by increasing sales and being the big man on campus. And what kind of life has it afforded him? He just worked 3 weeks in a row without a day off. And he was whining and moaning-albeit proudly-how tired he was for his dedication

And strategies for running a business make me want to hurl. A big rock onto someone's noggin. You never have have enough help. Why? Because some bean counters devised a plan that does not work as far as growing your business. But will work for making your labor goals while working the shit out of you and the, er, team members.

Just wanted to get that off my chest. Have a great nite!

It was funny today. My new company uses Piggly Wiggly white vinegar for something. Not sure what. Mebbe it's for the guests who want it on their salads or greens. Who knows? But there it was. P.W. white vinegar. My old d.m. would have had a hissy:

"V.C. Mr. Hamilton [ founder of the cafeteria chain ] put a lot of thought and love into our recipes. Don't bastardize what he did, son. Now throw that shit away and get me some Heinz in here with a quickness."

He also told me how he once saved one of the cook's life. One afternoon she fell into the deep fat fryer. Quick-witted, my d.m. pulled her out of harm's way. He ripped off her clothes and threw her into the ice bin until the 911 guys got there.


It was another grueling week in the food biz. Standing on your feet all day and getting dirty from the flour for the biscuits and the dumplins'. Flour all over your shoes and pants. And then there were the usual problems. Billy Bob, the backup cook, was feeling lousy-he had been throwing up all day-and had to make a hasty retreat when yours truly came on borde.

I stepped up to the plate and ran his shift through the Easter breakfast and Easter afternoon. The recipes are easy-much easier than the ones at a semi-well known cafeteria chain. My new company claims it makes its food from scratch, but it ain't really. Let's just say semi-scratch.

My new work environs are laced with managers who all hail from other food biz locations. Applebee's for one; Krystal Hamburgers for another. The latter mgr. is 52 years old, and the other day hollered at me saying "don't worry about the food cost; you can't overserve the okra, fill 'er up!"

I guess I was moving too slow but I was grappling with the okra which was under a heat lamp. A few minutes later he admonished me by saying: "that's too much corn [ in the serving spoon ] shake some off."

I'm not exactly a rookie when it comes to serving the two aforementioned veggies, and I know, without equivocation, I have served more corn and okra to my guests than "Carter has liver pills." And more of the two than Tommy has sold those little squared burgers.

I really resented these intrusions, but because I haven't been too lucky in the employment arena lately, I let it slide. But I didn't like his vocal intonations. I harken back to employees ( team members ) who routinely said of mgrs: "he/she don't know how to talk to people."

P.S. Carry that weight, eh?

"For Yasgur's Farm"

listening to this song again makes me want to climb up that mountain one more time and put the headphones on and turn it up to maximum volume. Not ONE bad song in the bunch. love seein' the lyrics.

I can recognize the legendary FELIX PAPPALARDI's vocals half asleep. And the guitar man is LESLIE WEST, who created the greatest tone and vibrato in rock history. And that includes Clapton and Hendrix. Jack Bruce called West the best vibrato man that ever lived...

remeber this time and music so very well. Even though I was only 9 years old at the time my mother was only 25 years old and she played the woodstack soundtrack album a lot back then. I also went to see the movie when it came out!

What song are they writing about? This one....

"Down on Me"

I second that emotion!

"Food Themes From the Food Man""

Because I'm a food service kind of guy, who remembers broccoli spears-"don't give me the stems"-the following video clip is dedicated.

And the next clip is dedicated to diversity.

"More Cowbell"

 

"I Got A Fevah...And the Only Prescription....Is More Cowbell"

This has got to be one of the funniest bits ever from Saturday Night Live. From any comedy show. Period. Combine Christopher Walken with Will Farrell and the rest of the crew from SNL and you got magic.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=71770844627024590

The sketch is presented as though it is an episode of VH1's Behind the Music. It begins with what is said to be film from the 1976 recording session that produced the band's biggest hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." The producer (Christopher Walken) introduces himself as "the Bruce Dickinson" and tells the band they have "what appears to be a dynamite sound." The band members are impressed at this compliment because of Bruce Dickinson's supposed high standing in the music industry (note that "the" Bruce Dickinson is not Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden - see below).