Still Strugglin'

Today i had drinks with four people whose common career, though technical in nature, could not be any farther than my own; They might as well have been rocket scientist. New to the group and content to drink my beer, i listened as they lamented over the latest work strife. It would seem the biggest grief lay in the lack of attendance at this year's Christmas party, which the leader of the conversation would chalk up to the social problems of the time.

To be fair, it's not those people's fault that their very existance made me want to flip the table. How could they know that i justed watched a union slow-down exeucted in the midst of economic face-punch? (How can you file grievences against a company that doesn't exist, you short-sited fucks!)

Instead i thought back on the six years since college. I thought about the year of unemployment the four of us shared after returning to our parent's spare bedrooms and the resulting ability to recite the drink specials for every night at every bar within a 10 mile radius. I remembered the 72 hour weeks at the factory in Warren and the 20 hour weeks at the golf course in Taylor. ("really? an electrical engineering degree? what are you doing working at a golf course?") And i thought about how happy i was when i finally dug my to this job.

But mostly, while drinking my beer, i thought about the lay-offs; How many coworkers has it been? Could i remember all their names? (no) Not all of their faces were as vivid as Joe's, who, after all had a family. It wouldn't have been so bad if the boss hadn't TOLD me he layed off Joe so i could stay. I mean, three rounds of lay-offs this year/job alone... they start to all blurr together.

From Ohio... I thought about Chicago



Fuck it. Here's to Detroit; my unemployed and underemplyed co-horts. Teachers and engineers, public relationists and electricians:



Here's to a LOT of Labatt Blue after another day at a shitty job:



Here. Is to the struggle:

--A. Sophist


(Update: if you're not drunk yet, read this. It is perfect.)