One of our security guards here--the one who has always been the biggest pest--has demanded that his monthly times be written on a special sheet of paper, and that any changes in times must take place 48 hours in advance, and must also be signed and stamped by the Line Producer.
Busy schedule, that guy. I think I should demand that as well.
I asked the Producer about his background. He'd bothered the accountants on paydays--usually calling them at home the night before with demands that his money to be sent over, or, if they were still processing or didn't give him the answer he wanted, he'd call the coordinator and ask where his money was.
He also wanted a sofa so he could sleep.
The Producer said he was retired. Back in the communist days, he was a travel agent.
ME
He was a communist travel agent? PRODUCER
It was a good job, I hear. ME
Communist travel agent? PRODUCER
Yeah. "Good day, I was thinking of a trip to--" ME
"--NO!"
It probably was a good job. You got a stamp, so you could stamp "NO!" on people's stuff. You probably didn't have to do too terribly much. Probably a lot of drinking coffee and smoking.
Kinda like what he does here.
He tries not to go outside his room, and at one point had placed paper over the guard window so nobody 'could see in' (that lasted about one day).
Usually, I spy him working fastidiously with scissors and newsprint, and have a theory that he's a certified ransom note maker. I offered this theory to the Producer.
PRODUCER
No, he's got a side business where he does layouts for travel agencies. He takes clips and puts them on cardboard he finds in the trash and then tells one of his relatives to put in on the computer.
There was a pause, as I tried to understand the logistics of that.
ME
Ah, probably just an excuse to eat paste. PRODUCER
Probably.
The sheet of paper he put together was simply hand-written. He didn't use his cut and paste method for that. Actually, he demanded the coordinator rewrite it on the computer and give it to the Line Producer.
This guy's a walking ghost.
Probably the funniest aspect is the outrage he can exude at being denied pay hand-delivered, and before the crew (who actually works for it) gets theirs, or having no sofa, or being forced to stop smoking and walk down the hallway at night every so often. Even his requests for signed and stamped documents from the Line Producer before he will recognize any changes is done with the air of command.
Except in front of whom he considers his boss (wrongly). In that respect, he's very old school: treat his fellow co-workers as potential obstacles to power or lesser creatures, and treat the nomenklatura with great shows of ass-kissing.
But this guy was better than the last guy.
And when he goes, he will probably be just as stunned. I'll take great pleasure in that look. A pity, too, since this is all he knows.
What happened here, oh so long ago?Posted by jkrank under I'M GETTING TOO OLD FOR THIS
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Japan Can Be So Cool
Japan can be so cool.
This is a rescue robot that can free people from wreckage (such as earthquake or Godzilla wreckage).
Now personally, I would attach a smart missile rack over it's left shoulder (for emergencies), and give it a better paint job. I'd also consider hiring an operator who is a cold loner with a haunting past but a heart of gold.
This guy doesn't cut it. He's not a cold loner, he's just bored.
Now this guy...that's who I want controlling a giant robot.
Yeah, and give him some cold inhuman chick henchling who utters cryptic phrases at opportune times.
Next, something to help us defend Japan from any extra-dimensional invaders.
I was a bit concerned that Scott at Baltic Blog had been declared a Class Enemy by this cat.
This was the last photo from his site, with the eerie portent of "Perhaps a feline revolution is in the offing in Estonia?"
Then silence, for months.
Fortunately, he only fell off a building and is incapacitated for another week or two. Then he promises to start posting again.
At least, that's the response I got back...
It's my birthday today, so we're going to dinner at a delightful Indian food place tonight, and dragging the director along as well.
This will do...until the weekend comes. Then I grab my handful of Bulgarian friends--and the willing Americans--and attempt to destroy a city block.
Steven Furst is back.
And this time, he's...pretty much the same.
First thing he said to me:
"Man, have you lost weight!"
I always liked Steven.
He'll be playing a part in the movie--and I won't, which is fine for both parties. Given Steven's comic timing, and the humor in the latest draft of the script, my optimism regarding the show just kicked up a notch, from ketchup to BBQ.
Got an SMS--a text message--last night while visiting the works of some of my favorite writers. The staff had went home for the evening, leaving me with a fine book, some brandy, and an online internet connection. Indeed, I was browsing the web by the newly-lit candles on the chandelier.
Okay, I was hunched over my screen like some sickly fanatic.
The wind whispered that this was the second practical day of Spring, full of possibility. And my eyes drifted to the note on the phone, its LCD casting a ghosty glow on my arm. "What are you doing tonight?"
Uh-oh.
I stared at it for a few moments, wondering if it was a stalker. No name appeared on the message, so I did what any normal person would do. "Who r u?"
I tried typing a few more notes into my laptop, suddenly aware of it's whistling noise.
The phone lit up again. "hehehehe. It's Petya."
Uh-oh.
No sense getting around this. It was a fine night, anyway. Why not go and catch a drink somewhere? We've written via email a few times, and once she almost made it to a casting session--a real one--for the movie Alien Blood. Still, she could have decided once and for all that my right-wing screeds must be stopped, that she'd bought a shotgun and was going to fold me in half like a sandwich. Or maybe she was drunk.
We met at Odeon, a theater at the Centrum, near the statue of Patriarch Evtimy. She had described herself as...Bulgarian, basically, so it was up to me to stand out. That was easy; I just showed up. Took about 1 second.
And she was drunk.
Or 'tipsy,' as she called it. She had been drinking with friends before.
Went to a bar called Saxs, and had a good time discussing everything, from her time in the US and Canada and the culture shock coming back, to what I miss, and what it is I actually do.
Finally, she got down to business. She put down her drink and said:
"Let's get some french fries."
So we did. A perfect idea, really. We walked over to Mimas. We remarked on the fact that Coca Cola tastes better out here (glass bottles). She eschewed the mayo, and I ordered some without thinking. What a role reversal.
And that's it, really. Sorry if I led ya'll on. It was fun, and I made a friend, so it was a good evening (glad I actually answered the SMS). I could call it the 2nd Annnal Sofia Blog Conference, but it was a little too casual. Besides, now, there are several bloggers around--most are Bulgarian, of course. Perhaps it's about time to meet some of them as well...
Speaking of complete cowardice, Dean's shot his mouth off again. At least this time it was intelligible, which only proves that it's sometimes better just to have a vomit-in.
"Howard Dean said Tuesday that President Bush's decision to send troops to Iraq appears to have contributed to the bombing deaths of 201 in Spain."
Now I'd say terrorists (or militants, if I were Rueters), Islamofascists...
...or maybe Spain's decision to send Spanish troops to Iraq, thus upsetting fascists and assorted villians and despots everywhere (and nuanced, thinking people know that's a bad thing).
And because moral cowards stay moral cowards, Dean followed with:
"Dean referred to the videotape when asked whether he was linking U.S. troops in Iraq to the deaths in Spain.
"That was what they said in the tape," Dean said. "They made that connection, I'm simply repeating it.""
Kinda like when you inferred that Bush had previous specific knowledge of 9/11, and then when pressed, said that you were simply repeating what's been going around some web sites.
Yeah, I'm just saying that's what some militants said.
They also said it is because Spain was a former conquest of Muslim Moors. Does he believe that?
No, because it's too loopy and because it can't be linked to Bush. Or can it...
"The Moors ruled Spain for some time, until driven out in 1492 (a dark year, indeed, since Columbus--funded by Spain--also 'discovered' the Free-Peoples of Native America and gave them disease and George W. Bush). From there, Christianity took over, which was a 'contributor' of the Inquisition, a terrible era, with repressed rights, and other things. Fast forward to today, where John Ashcroft, appointed by George W. Bush, has created an Inquisition of his own--well, at least that's what some websites are saying and I'm only repeating that--which, eh, appears to be possibly contibuting, yeah, to the now-disasterous state of affairs with the Arab Street, who have turned on us and now threaten to kill our civilians and have already done so with Spain. Is this what you call 'security?'"
[hold for applause, self-induced vomiting, mindless howling]
"Remember, the Inquisition was designed to remove the Devil from their land. This could be argued as the same, bascially. And George W. Bush has allowed this to happen!"
What gets me so peeved at this nonsense from the opponents of this administration (not the terrorists per se, but the Left in general) is that implicit within their accusations is the demand that the administration launch the single-biggest betrayal of the American people in our history, and one of the largest, most expansive betrayals of human rights and decency of all time.
There is no question that Iraq will fall into chaos that would make the writers of the Bible rewrite Revelations so as to compete. Same with burgeoning Afghanistan, which is quietly, progressively improving day by day.
But not even this gets me as worried and as horrified as the damage the Democrats are willing to inflict upon their own people!
The assertion of prior knowledge, the Blame America First attitude--or Blame Anyone But the Terrorists attitude, the lack of seriousness about the peril of these fascists, the outrage at the commercials of 9/11 revisited, their personalization of a clash of civilizations (Bush), and the truly willful ignorance to believe we are not at war at all, all of this reveals that they are perfectly willing to destroy the fundamental concept of who we are as a people and what great works we are doing vs. who our enemies are and what profound evil they are doing. Simply put, to betray the living and dishonor the dead.
All this to grab the reins of power.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought to accuse the opposing political party (the current leadership, mind you; most Democrats I know are a decent sort, or former Democrats, nowadays) in America of this level of spite and degeneracy. Yet--with rare exception--they have lost even the thin caramel coating of concern for for what would happen if their demands were met. What nightmarish darkness would creep across the world, undoing generations of toil and sacrifice. A world of terror.
This is horrible. May history stomp these people into the earth.
It could be because they don't believe they will actually change their opponent's mind, and thus the ankle-biting is simply theraputic, as long as the people they are parasitic upon for their safety continue to not take them seriously.
That way, all they'll be doing is giving psychic, or mental, comfort to the enemy. And frankly those who will suffer will likely be embassy staff, oh, and our soldiers.
But America is strong enough for them to continue our decadent self-absorbtion without risking their necks. And perhaps if they do acquire power this way, then they'll continue the war, and take credit for the improvements in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Remember all the trouble and ankle-biting from South Korea. U.S. go! That was, until the administration suggested they probably should. Then it became an error in translation or something. U.S. stay! It could be that famous French triangulation thing. All we need is to remove all truth, decency, accountability, and morality from our decisions and we'd be the same way.
Still, it shouldn't absolve anyone of the level of inhumanity they gleefully wallow in now.
Better to Walk with the Devil than Stand in His Path and Other Progressive Causes
Pretty bad. Wrenching, even. However, a lesson to be learned.
In a truly sad turn of events, we have the opportunity to view the result of this experiment. We test the record of appeasement vs. force, once again.
Ya know, you'd think with the Left's loud disdain for fundamentalism, that they'd actually want to fight. Maybe the US should say that Osama has converted due to pressure from John Ashcroft; nuke him, that evil bastard!!
Seriously, I can see the hope, the sorry hope:
Perhaps this time it will be the exception that proves the rule.
We can't be wrong every time.
No it won't (sadly); yes you can.
Let's hope that this doesn't cost many lives (one being my own--my only, my precious--for instance).
Maybe Kerry will protect me; I am the victim of outsourced labor, after all.
