I know the ideas were being thrown around prior to Halloween and the election but what did you ACTUALLY wear?
Amy and I did a Palin & Moose for a Halloween party…
Patrick and I ‘worked’ at the bar as a two-man horse. We mostly took breaks from slinging drinks to put the costume on and take laps around the bar and several other spots along 14th Street…
I was the ass most of the time, to answer your question.
[ posted by chuck at 11/06/2008 12:02:46 PM ] [ link ] [ 6 responses ]
1
Dream in E Minor
I’m going to try to remember this as best as I can but I’m old so I may forget a couple things.
Last night/this morning I had a dream that featured Bill Hicks. For some reason he appeared and asked me to create an effigy of him then set it up in an unknown location. He gave me some latitude/longitude codes and somehow I figured out where to go. It turned out to be a field/community garden area in my hometown that was next to the baseball diamonds where I played little league. One of my Mother’s friends was sitting in a lifeguard-type chair being the ‘supervisor’ of the gardens (sort of). I went back to a home (not my house or my parent’s house) and began creating what I thought was a decent Bill Hicks doll, complete with an eternal flame cigarette. I took it back to the garden and as I was about to set it up he (Bill) called my cell phone. He was a bit upset that my doll looked too much like a scarecrow. I guess it did cause it was on sticks and I was about to set it up in the middle of a bunch of corn. I sat looking at the 'scarecrow' for a moment and then another gardener came over, laughed a bit then asked if Bill had just called me. I responded and then he told me that Bill does that to everyone that he asks to create his statue. The gardener then told me I should ad an MP3 player that had a video image of Bill’s face plus a couple of speakers under the arms. He just happened to have those items in his truck and we set it up so that everyone could see and hear Bill ranting 24/7 in the field. Then I woke up. WTF?
[ posted by chuck at 02/20/2007 05:42:32 PM ] [ link ] [ 5 responses ]
1
The Heart of it All
This one goes out to my Father and all the other good old boys that love their Ford, Chevy or Dodge trucks, Ohio State football, The Bengals and a good day’s work.
Several weeks ago I was in Ohio visiting the family and helping out with yard and house chores (I grew up in the town with the big Jesus statue). I was actually there to attend my 20th high school reunion but that’s a whole other story.
My Father has been working at the local steel mill for just under 30 years. It’s a pretty huge facility so many people in town and around that area have a family member who works there too. I did two summers in the mill during my first two years of college (back in the 80’s). It was hard-ass, dangerous work but definitely interesting and fun at times.
Over the past several years numerous manufacturing companies in Ohio (and other factory worker states, of course) have laid-off large portions of their workforce or just shut down completely.
Back in March the company locked-out the (union) workers. My Father was 5 months away from his 30th year. His plan was to retire a couple months after he hit the mark and keep busy with a job that was less strenuous. Likely, managing and coordinating deliveries for a greenhouse/florist. I was also planning to get the family together (he has 8 sisters and one brother that are still alive) for a party celebrating his retirement.
I went to a union update meeting with him while I was there and the mood was pretty somber as to be expected. It was interesting cause he put on his work gear (he owns TONS of Carhartt products) before we left. It’s almost like he misses wearing it.
A couple weeks ago he opted for the early retirement because it doesn’t look like the lockout is going to end soon. His and most of the other workers’ unemployment compensation had run out plus the new union is likely running low on funds to pay to ‘man’ the picket lines. He was able to negotiate a decent pension and benefits but not quite what he would have received had he been able to work until August 2006.
They’re not really big fans of the replacement workers…
Here’s a timeline of the lockout, negotiations and such up until October…
November 30, 2005: Negotiations begin between AK Steel Corp. and representatives of its largest union, Armco Employees Independent Federation.
January 2006: The company begins training salaried and temporary replacement workers for hourly jobs while bargaining sessions continue.
February 19: AEIF authorizes union leaders to strike if necessary. In voting Friday and Saturday, AEIF members voted 2,368 for strike authorization against 56 opposed to authorization.
February 21: Some 3,500 videotapes are distributed to the homes of hourly and salaried employees — all showcasing a somber James Wainscott, AK's chairman, chief executive and president.
February 24: Middletown Police Chief Mike Bruck invites law enforcement officials from agencies surrounding Middletown to a meeting for an "information update" on what could happen if officials from the AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation don't reach an agreement.
February 28: Dozens of employees are seen filing out of AK Steel ahead of the 3 p.m. shift change. Many are angry and curious as to why they have been asked to leave before the end of their shift. Third shifters are asked to hold off on coming to work.
March 1, 12:01 a.m.: More than 2,500 AEIF members are locked out of Middletown Works. Dozens are stationed to begin picketing. The first of almost eight months of barrel fires are lit.
March 1: Butler County Job and Family Services is inundated with calls from locked-out AEIF members regarding unemployment. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services begins the process of determining whether the dispute is a lockout.
March 3: The list of people lending a hand to AEIF members grows. Nearly 60 local residents, companies and others help provide AEIF members with services, free or discounted goods and other assistance.
March 4: Negotiators from both sides of the labor dispute come together for the first time since the beginning of the lockout.
March 7: The labor dispute between AK and the AEIF is now the longest of such work stoppages in Middletown Works' history. The company and union also meet for the second time, during which AEIF President Brian Daley offers for his men and women to go back to work while the two sides negotiate.
March 20: The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services holds a public hearing to review the AEIF's bid for jobless payments.
March 30: The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services rules the now 30-day labor dispute is a lockout.
May 5: Replacement worker killed by moving piece of coke plant machinery. (I added this one)
July 25-28: An election is held for AEIF members to decide which union will represent them going forward. There were four choices: The AEIF, the International Association of Machinists, the United Steelworkers of America or no union at all.
July 28: 1,850 AEIF members vote for representation by the Machinists.
September 1: Unemployment benefits begin expiring.
September 6: Butler County Commissioners approve job training program for locked-out workers to learn skills other than those suited for work at Middletown Works.
September 10-14: AK and the IAM/AEIF union meet three times.
September 15: Lockout reaches 200th day.
September 19: Union members march for the second time in as many weeks on City Hall; this time they are asking for city council's support to end the lockout. Council grants their requests, and also gives locked out workers a break on home. foreclosures.
September 20: AK Steel files a preliminary injunction in Butler County Common Pleas Court because of what it calls "dramatically increased" picketing in Middletown.
September 21: Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Andrew Nastoff grants a temporary restraining order on picketing practices. Restrictions issued by the court include "mass picketing," threats, insults, obscene language or the obstruction of traffic in and out of Middletown Works; picketing within 50 feet of the nine gates around the plant; engaging in violence with AK Steel employees or damaging company property; and throwing debris near AK Steel gates.
September 22, 2 p.m.: AK provides to the union — during a quick bargaining session — its final contract offer. The union now has until midnight Monday to make a decision.
September 22, 3 p.m.: A U.S. Federal Court judge upholds a preliminary injunction freezing AK's ability to change retiree health care benefits on Oct. 1. The company appealed the judge's decision.
September 23: Union members are openly frustrated by the company's final offer and the way it was communicated to them. Some union members are provided with copies of the return-to-work agreement and the final contract offer.
September 25: Workers reject the company's "final" proposal 998-768. The results were not released until three days later. A total of 1,768 members cast ballots in the ratification vote, with two ballots declared invalid. The parties subsequently agree to a one-week "cooling-off" period.
September 27: Union members abandon the plant's Wycoff gate entrance following complaints by the city's fire department that roofing nails placed near the entrance were causing damage to emergency vehicles.
October 2: The company announces that 237 union members filed for retirement in September, 102 more than the second-highest month for retirement of 135 in February. The local union — which numbered nearly 2,700 in January — stands at 1,857 active members.
October 3: The company and union agree to a second week of "cooling off," but come together once informally to discuss the next steps of negotiations.
October 10: AK provides the union with a "clarified final proposal," which includes revisions on work guarantees, security and the union's pension plan.
October 12: After receiving the union's counterproposal, the company sets an expiration date to is latest proposal of 10 a.m. Oct. 19.
October 14: IAM/AEIF representatives announce another ratification vote set for Wednesday.
October 18: Locked-out union members reject the latest AK proposal for a second time in less than a month.
[ posted by chuck at 11/29/2006 01:02:45 PM ] [ link ] [ 6 responses ]
2
private or members only entry
1
Hives Too: Morimoto’s Revenge
On Saturday night/Sunday morning (very likely around the same time as Gen) I experienced a hives breakout/allergy attack. I’ve apparently developed an allergy to shellfish.
Background and other quick facts:
-My friend Terri turned 40 last week...she’s been planning her 40th birthday celebration dinner for the past five years (seriously)…she wanted to do the 6 course chef’s tasting at Morimoto (Iron Chef) in Philadelphia with her friends and family…her parents bought several bottles of champagne for the toast…dinner was fucking AMAZING!-
Amy and I drove up Saturday afternoon and planned to spend most of Sunday in Philly eating, walking around and buying more stuff I don’t really need (records, sneakers, etc). I got a pretty good hotel deal and there was a Punjabi wedding spilling out into the lobby as we were heading to dinner just before 7:00pm.
After the awesome dinner we had another drink at the restaurant’s bar, walked for a few blocks then went back to the hotel bar around 11:30pm. The lobby was packed so we hung out for a bit then wanted to see if we could crash one of the wedding receptions in the ballrooms on the roof terrace. No one was in any of the rooms so we sneaked onto the roof to take in the view and finish our drinks.
Around 1:15am I felt itchy and had a slight tickle in my throat. The itching got worse and I started doing a wheezing cough. I thought a shower would help but it actually seemed to make the hives spread (no scientific proof). Amy said it was like putting water on a gremlin. I had raised patches everywhere. My face began to swell and the itching got completely out of control. My tongue swelled and I was having trouble talking so Amy called the front desk to ask for the nearest hospital which was luckily a block and a half away.
We walked to the hospital, checked-in then I was admitted within 15 minutes. They started me on an I-V of Prednisone (a steroid), Benadryl and Pepcid. The itching went away within a few minutes then the drugged-up haze kicked in. They kept me for observation for about an hour and 45 minutes then Amy had to walk my stumbling ass back to the hotel.
I’ve not eaten shellfish for the past year (by choice, it goes along with not eating pork) but decided I’d have a bit if it was on/in one of the dishes. My Father is allergic to all bottom-feeders/dwellers so there’s a chance this is a trait I inherited from him (again, no scientific proof). Amy informed the chef that she has a shellfish allergy so he made her a special sea bass when everyone else’s scallop-topped dish was served.
I think this is the dish that did me in cause it had a scallop puree on top…(it was mighty tasty though)
Everything else was a raw swimming fish, goose innards, Japanese beef or non-dairy dessert with a confection sugar and pistachio sculpture on top…
I felt a bit better Sunday afternoon so we shopped then headed back to DC. I finally came out of the sluggishness fog of the medicine then developed the hiccups on Sunday evening. That lasted until 4:00am Tuesday morning. My sleep and eating were totally fucked-up but all seems to be back to normal now.
I’m supposed to carry an Epi-Pen and will not likely indulge in eating any shellfish again. I’m kinda sad cause I used to eat them like a champ, especially crabs. Several people have said that I may only be allergic to certain types of shellfish and not all of them but I don’t think I wanna take that chance until maybe having some allergy testing done.
[ posted by chuck at 06/30/2006 12:55:31 PM ] [ link ] [ 4 responses ]
1
Not a Fan
As I was leaving work last week I encountered this herd...
[ posted by chuck at 06/07/2006 12:20:18 PM ] [ link ] [ 18 responses ]
1
Inappropriate
Last week, I was chatting with my friend/coworker and after a few minutes she told me the story of her most recent gynecologist visit.
As she was wrapping up her appointment and her doctor was giving her the ‘everything looks good’ spiel…HE asked her out on a date.
My immediate response was WHAT!?!? then I shut the door to her office.
I know men are perfectly capable of being good gynecologists but I’m still not really cool with it and this gave me more reason not to be. This may not be illegal but I’m sure it is highly unethical.
When I asked her response she said she did the embarrassed laugh but didn’t really say anything. She joked that he must have liked what he saw during her exam to which my response was that he needs to seek dates/girlfriend candidates outside of his patient pool.
I doubt she’ll report it but she is checking into a new doctor.
***I got her permission to post this***
[ posted by chuck at 06/06/2006 12:05:23 PM ] [ link ] [ 74 responses ]
1
The Smell of Love?
Earlier this week I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a while and we had the catch up on each other's lives in 40 minutes conversation.
When we got to the story of her most recent breakup she informed me of her theory about why her past THREE relationships failed.
She was sort of joking but thinks that her pheromones must be similar to cooked heroine cause she keeps attracting former/current addicts.
???
[ posted by chuck at 02/16/2006 06:52:23 PM ] [ link ] [ 6 responses ]
1
Malaria Dreams
My girlfriend Amy is a worker’s rights attorney and community organizer here in DC. She got a new job at an organization as a bilingual (Spanish/English) community organizer this past fall. She’s fluent in Spanish but they want her to be flawless so they sent her to Guatemala and Honduras for two months to take classes and work with a union. I took off 10 days in January to go for a visit.
I flew in to Guatemala City where she met up with me and from there we hopped on a bus to go east to Esquipulas and Chiquimulas, Guatemala for a huge Catholic/Mayan celebration. People travel from all over Southern Mexico and Central America to view The Black Christ and receive blessings.
From there we crossed into Honduras to go to Copan to see Mayan pyramids and ruins.
We headed west in the back of a truck to Antigua, Guatemala which is the former capitol city.
From there we went to Lake Atitlan which is surrounded by three volcanoes and to see the Mayan towns of Panajachel, San Pedro, Santiago, and San Antonio.
We hopped in the back of this bus to see the HUGE market in Solola. Then we went to this even bigger market and Mayan celebration in Chichicastenango.
There were several Jewish words and Stars of David all around Guatemala that we couldn’t quite figure out and the locals she spoke with were not able to explain. We did run into several Israelis during the trip though.
Amy had to head back to Xela so I continued the trip without my translator to trek up the hillside in Zunil and the awesome hot-springs in Georginas.
THIS is where my memory card ran out of space.
I grabbed a bus back to Guatemala City then caught a flight to San Salvador, El Salvador and took a quick cab tour during my three hour layover.
Here are a few more photos and when Amy returns in March we’ll have a bunch more. (She got the 1GB memory card)
I have to keep taking the malaria pills for a month following the travel and they have been creating some AMAZING hallucinations and the craziest dreams I’ve ever had.
[ posted by chuck at 02/02/2006 05:13:54 PM ] [ link ] [ 12 responses ]
1
(Don't) Send in the Clowns!
My friend Carri and I throw a party each year with open bar and food. This year’s theme was ‘New Years Eve in the Garden of Earthly Delights’. After we found a place to rent we brainstormed some decoration and food ideas to transform the space. We decided we wanted living statues/painted people to be part of this party which turned out well...
(There will be more parties with the chocolate fountain involved)
Back in early December I began searching for body-painters. I inquired with several artist friends but no one felt they had the skills to pull it off. I did some internet searching and came up with a couple contacts in the DC/Baltimore area. The first person I spoke with wanted $500 per body so I kept making calls to see if I could get a better price. I found someone that was very interested but she already had a gig that night. I gave her permission to forward my number to other people and that’s when the fun began.
I found out that many of the bodypainters in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States are first and foremost ‘Party Clowns’ that paint kid’s faces and will jump at the chance to do adult parties. Apparently my number got posted on a clown/painter message board and I received about nine calls the week prior to Christmas. I also found out these people are highly competitive. They all seemed to know or know of each other and began undercutting prices and backstabbing. Each of them claimed to be THE BEST painter and a few began dishing dirt on one another.
One informed me that a clown/painter I was considering was a recovering alcoholic and had a shaky hand and therefore would not be the best for the job.
Another told me she’d heard a rumor that one had tried to grope a kid’s Mother during a party and would likely be even more aggressive at my party. I tried to imagine this dude mackin’ dressed as '(fill in the name) The Clown'.
Two wanted me to pay for airfare (one from North Carolina, another from New Jersey) and they would discount the price for the painting. Another wanted gas money from Philly and to be put up in a hotel which I considered for a bit. I wish I’d been recording the conversations or dealing with them via e-mail.
I found one that quoted me $150 per hour that lived close-by and she brought along two helpers.
They stuck around to paint on the party guests which turned out to be a big hit...
I made sure to get the painters some champagne before they packed up.
More photos in the responses.
[ posted by chuck at 01/10/2006 04:42:09 PM ] [ link ] [ 9 responses ]
