Day 14230

Well, this morning I arose full of excitement as I was supposed to have cable installed so that I could access the `net superspeedy-like! Not. Turns out the cable in the ground had been cut at some point in time and so now I wait. Boy, do I have to wait. They're telling me 7 weeks to get: the utilities mapped out by 3 different companies, another person to do the digging, yet another to put the cable in, and then a completely different person has to come out with the cable modem and hook it up to the `puter. So, of course, I only have 1 month of internet access left until my current service contract runs out. I overlapped on purpose just in case there would be a delay. So, for 3 weeks, I will be unable to get online, unless I use one of those stupid AOL trial discs. Lame!

So, today, when the cable installer was here, I got to witness some work, no moon (thank Gaäd), and received an interesting lecture about why politicians have no business deciding the rules in which a business should operate. He never explained who should decide, but I'm sure that was just oversight.

His beef with politicians was that, at least on the state level, they were paid $125 per day to cover the expense of eating. I haven't verified that number, but if it is accurate, they eat some very good food. Also, since they were given vehicles to drive, they were able to put "their whole paycheck into savings". Wow! That's one wide brush he was using. No wonder I thought he was talking out his ass (all the while leaning up against a wall). He spoke some more, but by then all I could think about was that he was most likely getting paid more moola per hour than I make and actually getting paid to lecture me while reducing the effects of gravity on his body by leaning against a wall.

I became fixated on the act of him leaning. I had to know how long it would last. I also wanted to know if he was a member of a union. The lecture went on and on for about 15 minutes. I'm sure he thought he was being personable. I thought he was lazy. I asked him if he ever wanted to run for election. He said, "No". He was divorced and only "family men" get elected. I thought to myself he actually may be on to something with that claim.

Whoa! When did the topic change? He was on a rant now about how terrible it was to be a divorced male in CA. Seems, the state wants access to his paycheck BEFORE he pays his bills, so that they can get the appropriate amount of cash to his 2 children. According to this guy, in a "normal household", children get money for food, clothing, and toys after all the other bills had been paid. My parents are divorced. Before the divorce (when we were "normal"), I ate food even when some other bills hadn't been paid! But my parents were daredevils! He paused, then told me that his kids weren't getting a cent and that the money really was going to his wife for her clothes and entertainment. "My Gaäd!", I thought. Do these kids even know they are anorexic?

He was still leaning against the wall. How could he pay his child support when he didn't work? It was a mystery to me. I quickly asked him about the cable modem as soon as he took a breath. He looked down at it and got away from the wall. Elapsed time = 25 minutes!

He then started to work and talk at the same time - a sure sign of significant talent! He mentioned how he wanted to get out of the installation business and do something else with his life. Something that offered fewer hours than the 15 hours per day / 7 days a week he was enduring now. I'll be hiring an individual in our West Sacramento location in about a week or two. We could use someone like this guy. He's able to multi-task, he's personable, and he can do a job in a fraction of the time he writes on his job sheet. I kept quiet. He left 1 hour after he had arrived, unable to complete his job, and unknown to him, without a lead or offer of another career. Too bad for him, our company has terrific benefits.