Archive for November, 2008

Why I’m not in charge

I’m not in charge at home or at work for too many reasons to list here. However, one reason became evident this morning, common sense. Sometimes I lack common sense in the most obvious places.

One reason I’m not in charge at home is that I would eat myself to an early grave in no time. It’s no secret that bacon is my favorite food. I could eat two pounds of fried bacon and a full package of breakfast sausage in one sitting without blinking an eye.  Most people would be rushed to the hospital after a meal like that, not me. I just look around and say, “What, there’s no more?”

This morning the developers and some managers were interviewing a woman with a PHD in something and masters in computer science. She’s interviewing as a junior developer because she hasn’t had a real job yet. Since I’m not involved with the interviews one would think, how could he possible mess up the interviewing process? Don’t under estimate my lack of common sense. It has proven to be destructive in even the most guarded situations.

The destruction of the interview process started yesterday afternoon. The girl friend messed up and left me at home unsupervised for hours. When left alone I am a detriment to me and the local environment. With so much time on my hands I thought I could run to the store, get a couple pounds of bacon, cook it, eat it, and have the house fumigated before she got back home without her knowing anything happened.

I was wrong. The bacon grease stains on my shirt and the ever present smell of cooked bacon proved to be my demise. I knew I should have cooked something else to try and mask the smell. I didn’t account for the impending food coma. An oversight I will not commit again.  Anyway, I was busted but it was worth it. Sometimes you just have eat bacon. I think I’ll have that etched on my tombstone.

So I got caught eating two pounds of bacon, it wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last. The worst part is the morning after. As you can imagine, eating two pounds of greasy bacon does wonders for your digestive system.  Do I need to go into how grease reacts with your digestive track? I didn’t think so.

The problem isn’t that I ate two pounds of bacon or that we are interviewing a potential candidate. No, the problem is that these two events have coincided so closely and the geographical location of our conference rooms and our bathrooms. The timing couldn’t have been better. The interviewing process was going on at the same time the bacon was taking its toll on me. Let’s say it was less than a moment of silent thought when I went to take care of things. It was more like the world war III with mutual nuclear destruction. The cries and moans could have been mistaken for ghosts and ghouls haunting the building. However that explanation was tossed out the window when I came walking out of the bathroom. As I passed by the conference room door, the conference room door that has a big window, I saw everyone looking at me.  At first I thought they were just catching my eye. I smiled and waved unknowingly cementing my guilty plea. Not until I got to my desk did I rewind the events in my head to come to the obvious conclusion, “they heard me.”

Now I have to act like nothing happened for at least a week. If they end up hiring this woman, I’ll have to bury this event in my mind forever and live with her knowing that I sound like the end of the world in the bathroom. Or I could man-up and ask her to pull my finger when they introduce me. I’ll let you know what happens.

Pavel

Free Stuff…you mean garbage

Free Stuff…you mean garbage

 

OK, now I don’t have a lot of time on my hands as you imagine. I have a farm to take care of, kids to yell at, places to go and tons of work to do, but there is no way I am going to pick through my garbage and then sit in front of the computer and go on Craigslist to give it away for free. You got to see the crap that’s on there. It’s like a traffic accident, you don’t want to look but you have to see the carnage.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I love craigslist. I’m hooked on looking for musical instruments, old cars and things that are worth buying, but you have to look at the free section. My god do people have a clue in the world anymore. I understand that green is in and land fills are out of whack for a hundred years but when I see some of the worthless nonsense on there you got to shake your head.

 

I got to share some of these and they are actually real;

 

***Diaper Bag FREE!!!!

 

Drywall Joint Compound

 

10 Glass Ashtrays

 

Summers Eve Douche

 

Commode,

 

You see what I mean; I can’t believe that anyone is going to drive 5 miles with gas prices today to pick up a free tub of Dry wall compound that you get a Menards for $3. I also wouldn’t let my kids butt get near some moldy ass diaper bag. I also really wanted to get an old smelly ass ash tray from a bar let alone ten of them. My favorites are the douche and commode. Enough said on those.

 

People out there, use the garbage can for this crap. No one is going to protest your house for global warming or polluting for throwing this junk out. Most of the items on the list were legit. Couches and table that cant be taken when moving. I can even see the non-working water heaters and furnaces would be good if a scrap guy took it instead of filling up a garbage dump.

 

To the head of Craigslist, have a warning label not to have stupid people list anything  although, it does make for good reading.

 

Ppppppp’s, Cazek

 

Hormel Wins Again

My company had a chili contest on Friday.  This in not news, most places I’ve worked for in the last 8 or ten years have had a chili contest. The real news is that I’ve always placed in the top 3 when entering this contest.  In this latest contest I won first place. I didn’t win because I have a secret chili recipe or because I am a culinary master. I’m far from it. I’m the guy who was raised on fried baloney, fried liver and meatloaf. I have the taste buds of a peasant. If it doesn’t have jalapenos in it, I can’t taste it.

So how does this taste-challenged individual keep wining chili contests? I cheat. The basis for my award winning chili is Hormel. Yes folks, I start every batch with a can of Hormel and work from there. Usually I add a can or two of beans and a half pound of ground beef or ground turkey. I spice it up with a few Jalapenos, chili powder, tobacco sauce, and some generic chili spice mix. I control the heat by adding honey. The more honey the less heat. Usually I only add honey if it’s too hot for me, which is almost never.

I learned this trick while on the road touring with GPATRN. In the beginning the band wasn’t making a lot of money. We had to live on almost nothing. We learned quickly how to stretch a dollar. We learned how live on nothing and by nothing I mean, crumbs in the back seat of the ’74 Nova we toured in. During this time the band experimented with various spices to liven things up. It was during this time that we came up with the chili recipe.

The chili recipe sounds like a pretty bland because well, it is bland. Aside from the spices, there’s not much flavor to it. However, living in Boulder and/or working nearby, is an advantage for me. The people in this area try way too hard to make an exotic chili that just turns out bad. One guy made a chili that tasted like buffalo wings. Are you kidding me! Chili that tastes like buffalo wings?  If it was a buffalo wing contest, instead of a chili contest, he would have won. Another guy made a vegetarian chili that tasted more like cardboard than it than chili. The other entries were full of stuff that did nothing to make it hotter or tasteful. So, as usual, I won the chili contest by (kissing it) keeping it simple stupid. I won because the other entries were bland or just terrible. In other words, I won be default. Having the only chili that was traditional did the trick.

Most people are surprised by my win. They tell me that my chili wasn’t anything special or that maybe it was a little too hot. I just shake my head and say, “I don’t know why I won either”. Of course I’m lying when I say that because I know exactly why I won. I don’t care enough to try. Like a good friend of mine says, “Caring is trying and trying is failing.”

Then next time you’re entering a chili contest, remember the secret is to keep it simple stupid and start with a can of Hormel.

Pavel


 

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