Arthur Fuller
fuller.artful at gmail.com
Thu Nov 29 12:55:12 CST 2012
I omitted part of the story described in my previous message. The hooker charges $1k an hour, and if you have to ask why, you're in the wrong bar. Way off topic, but in my retirement years I have returned to my original alleged career, which was writing screenplays. Yeah I know, everyone says that, but after 35 failures I did sell one, and it got made, so there! Anyway, I've embarked on a new one, about the history of the Chinese population in North America. I've been doing tons of research on said topic, going back to the California Gold Rush and the building of the railroad in Canada. And in the course of this research, I have had occasion to visit some establishments which are, shall we say, beneath the radar. It's been a significant help that I am closing in on fluency in Mandarin, and less so in Cantonese, and even less so in Hakka, but I'm trying to pick them all up. But anyway, I was recently in an establishment that you wouldn't want your children to visit, and I heard this line, issued in Cantonese: "I make more money per hour than the Prime Minister!" And I checked her arithmetic, and guess what, she was right! Now, also to be said is that she wasted almost all said income shooting drugs into the gaps between her toes (less likely to be observed in a casual police frisk), but she had a legitimate point. Assuming that she worked a 40-hour week, she most definitely does earn more dollars per minute than the Prime Minister of Canada. Unfortunately, she is incapable of working 40 hours per week, and instead prefers a hit and miss profession. She said to me one day, "30 seconds, 30 bucks." Which $30 she promptly spent on a purchase from the local crack dealer, thereby guaranteeing that the cycle persists, Males apparently need sexual release, and women are available to provide said release, and this is not news; that's why the call it "the oldest profession" It's been a long sidetrack, and thank you for your patience. But looping back to the original topic, are we all not whores? And secondly, how do your rates compare with hers? I for one plead guilty on all charges. I have worked for companies whose ethics and business practices fall way short of my personal definition of what is Right and Correct in this world. I needed a gig and I stooped, and I'm not proud of it. But recently the tide has changed, if only because two weeks ago or so I turned 65 yo, and hence became eligible for the pension plan to which I have contributed for lots of years, and now at last I am Free At Last! Lord God Almighty, I'm Free At Last! The irony kicks in: now that I no longer have to work for a living, I'm doing way more than previously! I'm a volunteer at three places, and I'm writing the script for which I dream will become an HBO series about the history of the Chinese in North America, and I've joined a chess club and rejoined the CPA (Canadian PoolPlayers Association), and am actively seeking people who can play serious backgammon. Don't count me dead yet; I think there are a few years left in this old horse. But the point that I ultimately wanted to make is this: now that I have officially declared retirement, I am way busier than I've been in the previous decade, and even better, it's All About Fun! And one more final thing. I'm planning to visit Cuba in the next few months. I've never been there. Closest I've come is watching "Buena Vista Social Club" several times. Are there any listers who inhabit Cuba? I would much prefer to stay in a guest-house or similar than in a tourist hotel. Does anyone have some suggestions? Thanks for your patience reading this very long message. A. On Thu, Nov 29, 2012 at 12:58 PM, Mark Simms <marksimms at verizon.net> wrote: > > Result? Clients got an un-realistic view of the time jobs took, which > > lead to problems. > > I am having BIG trouble with this one. > Worked on a project for 4 weeks, told the client it was 30% complete. > 2 weeks later, they asked: "why isn't it done yet ?" "When can we demo it > ?", etc, etc. > ...and on and on it goes. > If I was billing at $100+/hr, I wouldn't get bothered by this. But at half > that rate, I'm a bit PO'd. > > > > -- > AccessD mailing list > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > -- Arthur Cell: 647.710.1314 Prediction is difficult, especially of the future. -- Niels Bohr