the stranger

1978 Caprice Classic 4 Door http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/1067274787.html

Where's Ethan?

It really is true that as one door closes, another one opens. Keep looking for that door that's opening... Thanks for the good word, Craig! And I was feeling a little pissy this weekend, sorry to be such a drag.

Thanks for the tips! I appreciate it.

What would the other people in the company say? They wouldn't say anything but shake their heads and say sorry, you are the latest victim of these loony people! We tried to tell you not to take the job! Yeah. So, honestly I'm thrilled to be out of there. Of course, I need a job. Here's the rub, I just can't take anymore of this type mentality that is so prevalent in the workplace. These backstabber, two faced, it's not about how you do your job type people. I've had my fill, let me tell you. I know that half the problem is me, but I refuse to play these games and/or sit back and watch all this lunacy going on without getting involved. I'm Mr. Justice and I will not stand by and watch an act of injustice without saying my piece. That's what gets me in trouble every time. So, I need to start doing some freelance something or other, because I'm straight burned out on the workplace.

If he would have offered me that opportunity, considering I was fully aware of his financial situation*, I would have taken it. So yes, I would have taken a $3 an hour pay cut. At least I would have still had a job. And I'm a loyal employee. I go above and beyond the call of duty to the people who sign my check. He claimed it wasn't about the money, which is a bald-faced lie. He and his wife (the general manager of this screwed up franchise) tried to make it out like I wasn't doing my job. All I have to say about that is, what did my numbers say? And then again, he says, "Oh it's not just about the money...". That's not what they told me when they asked to to take the job. I was hired to do something about the money, which I did. And I got shafted for it. Talking about it now makes it all clear. They used me until they got what they needed and then they canned me. I really do hope it goes back to {censored}. *(I was fully aware of his business and his personal financial situations...and he shared this info with me...it wasn't a through the grapevine thing...) So, it involved a lot of other issues, as I have shared... ...but the pressure of the economy on this business weighed on everything in the place. I have never worked in a more stressful environment in my whole life. I still loved my job. I'd probably go back if they offered, but it would be on my terms. In writing this time. No more gentleman's agreements for this guy. And really I'm just dumping this here because I'm real stressed out adn really don't have anybody to talk to about this {censored}. Sorry to be so down, it is way out of character for the stranger. You guys wish me luck/prayers/mind-over-matter, I need a whole bunch of it.

Come up where I'm at and you can see the reality of it. Recent studies show that Ohio has lost over 200,000 manufacturing jobs. And in my case, I got replaced by somebody for $3 less an hour. Now, I don't have a job. There isn't any jobs in this area. I can't pay my bills. I can't even afford to put food on my table. I will soon be gone from cyberspace for some indefinite period of time, because groceries are more important than this. Once the current billing cycle ends, bye bye stranger. So, from where I'm sitting, the whole mess is going right down the toilet.

I'm with Ken, I don't believe or disbelieve any particular theories regarding global warming. I read articles dealing with the subject all the time and every article brings new information and new ideas into the subject. The truth is this particular science is in it's infancy.

The scientific consensus these days is driven by politics as much as it is science. Everybody has an agenda. Science has had many a consensus throughout history, only to be proven wrong when new information and new research brings more facts to the table.

...the aliens didn't show up earlier this month... Yeah, I'm still pissed about it, too.

...the much more widely held view... In John's defense, the "much more widely held view" is usually wrong when it's all said and done.

I've always felt that a good size natural forest fire, or volcano puts much more crap in the air than man does. The latest research is showing that the lack of forest fire if contributing to CO2 build up. Yeah. Something about the whole cycle of fire and the way it regulates growth. Without the fire, the undergrowth doesn't not function properly, which results in less plant life to absorb co2, and significant loss of nutrients. Also, I guess fire (ash) is the best fertilizer of all. SciAm- I'm sure their description is better than mine. It did make sense, though. More than my summation. I found it: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=temperate-zone-forest-fir Climate models suggest that forest fires drive global warming by releasing greenhouse gases. The resulting climate change then lengthens the forest fire season and increases the number of fires each year, thereby pumping more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere and further exacerbating atmospheric warming. But a new study says that despite emitting heat-trapping methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, fires in temperate zone (or boreal) forests may actually cool the climate significantly, because they leave behind a landscape that reflects sunlight. Or better light reflection. I don't think this is the same article, but the ideas about carbon emissions and such seem to change daily.

Don't believe those chain letters. They lie. Voodoo text and curses are bunk.

Still makes me want to ask.

So, what other pedals do you guys like and find useful in the studio? Boss MT-2 - My go-to pedal for metal tones. (And this pedal is capable of subtler tones, as well. It cleans up good with volume adjustments.) Proco Rat - Just got another one recently (sold my other one some years ago). This is one of my favorite pedals. It finds a nice place in between distortion and fuzz. And it cleans up great with the guitar's volume knob. And it goes great with the strat/champ combo. Try one of these puppies through a nice tube amp. Like a Vox, or maybe something with some 6L/V6 type configuration. Super-sonic-saturation city! DOD Death Metal - This pedal is completely overboard and suffers from some inherent feedback noise. Probably the 17,000 stages of brutal gain being applied. Anyway, this pedal doesn't clean up well. It has no dynamics to speak of. But, one day I tried it on bass. And if you are looking for a knarly bass tone, look no further. For maximum results, run that into a 15watt bass practice amp (with like an 8" speaker) of the ultra cheap variety. Morley ABY - Utility device, but considering the possibilities with multiple amp setups, etc...it's a must have. One can never have too many delays around. Analog, digital, sampling delays, loopers, etc...delay is the bomb...bomb...bomb... I've actually got a whole bunch of various stomp boxes around, but the ones I listed are the ones I use.