The right way,

So I just went through a whole ordeal with my latest employer where they didn't want to honor the contract that we negotiated in good faith. On top of that they were nickel and diming us on breaks and leaving time. Basically they were fucking us telling us we had to smile while they were doing it. Anyway I was laid off either because I wasn't smiling or just coincidence.

Times have changed and hammers are pounding now in Milwaukee so in a strangely unfamiliar way I was back to work that same week. I filled out my application and was hired on Wednesday. I also had to take what is now becoming routine, but in my opinion silly, a drug test. Then I started work the next day. On Friday my foreman informed me that he was going to pay me 2 hours on Wednesday for the drug test. While I feel this was the right thing to do and probably what is in our contract, I didn't ask for it and was a bit surprised that he was going to give it to me.

Anyways I feel this is the right way to do things. Now I know that these guys aren’t trying to screw me on the check and I don't have to worry that I am busting my ass now and going to get fucked over down the road. At the last company they nickel and dimed me right off the bat by not paying me mileage. It would have only been a couple of dollars but it set the mood and later down the road when I was getting royally screwed this thought came back to me.

For the life of me I don't understand why these contractors can't figure out that when you have workers all over the city and there is no way to watch them all the best way to keep them working and making you money is to treat them with respect and honor the contract that were negotiated in good faith. That never happens, but what does happen is guys leave early, take long breaks and generally don’t give a fuck about the work they do. You get what you pay for I guess.

Wisconsin Governor,

Here is the latest Wisconsin governor numbers. Doyle is constantly ahead, but comes just short of that all important 50% number. Normal not good for an incumbent, but I think Green is just too far right to appeal to Wisconsin voters. His first commercial trying to defend his "extreme" position is just silly and doesn't give much of an argument as to why he is not extreme. Plus he says his favorite band is U2, that seems like an odd thing for a republican to admit. Then again Bono has pretty much sold out.

Anyways my prediction is Doyle will win by 1 or 2 percent.

Fiction comes to life,

In my next novel the hero finds himself in a situation where he has to make a big life decision. Ironically I find myself in a similar dilemma, except I am not in a situation where I can act as I want my hero to. As I search for a compromise to my problem I wonder how I can write about people doing the right thing (at least what I consider the right thing) while I just look for back doors.

Anyways why can't the good things that I write about happen to me? Maybe I should write a book about a frustrated construction worker that gets his book published and he makes enough money that he can spend the rest of his writing. Pure fiction. Sigh.

The Departed,

This movie looks really good. If only they could of got one big named actor in it, it probably would do really well (read cast list to get joke). Any movie that uses a Drop Kick Murphy's song in the trailer is good by me.