quality of life issues

thinking about going barefoot all summer
it’s pretty tough to think about
the beginning of December

unless you come from a land down under

N30 ten years ago    ten years later

Happy Birthday to Steve too

it all returns to earth eventually
but one stop along the way will be
the garbage can at Cool Guy park

and someplace in East Oakland     maybe

it’s comforting
reassuring   sort of    subliminally
to know         you know

that long branch that brushed your shoulder
ever so slightly    every morning
on the way to work
broke off
when the garbage truck got too close to the curb

just a reminder

just in time for the holidays as seen on TV
a compilation of your favorite artists: Standby Up Town
featuring a remix of the timeless classic “Waiting for the Naj”
as well as  “Nothing at Wolfstone” and “Clear at 1420”  
includes 7 previously unreleased tracks

Step #1: show up
It’s not as easy as it looks after years and years of mind-numbing repetition and an all-time low level of internal motivation. Apparently there is no penalty for calling-in sick once a week and showing up late consistently. Just as it appears to me that there is no reward for showing up on time everyday and never calling-in. Keeping labor costs down is a priority, they say. Cost-of-living pay increases are unheard of when all we hear about is the cost of living continuing to rise. Employee retention is high, to the untrained eye. While employee satisfaction is low because there’s no place else to go. Ten years ago you could change messenger jobs as often as you changed your socks.  That is no longer the case.

If you told me, ten years ago, that Stealth will pay its riders hourly and ABC will be commission, I would say, no way.

Take the elevator to the mezzanine. Take the back side.

Take the tunnel. Take the stairs.

Take a break.

move aside and let the man go through

“It wasn’t so much a pushback but it felt a little distant. It was sort of cold and I’m not sure why. There was no rapport. There was just no rapport.”   Said one suit to another on an elevator when talking about a CPA.

And I wanted to say
how warm should it be?   he’s a CPA
Do you want warm fuzzy chitchat or do you want the numbers?

J buttercup P shadow taking photo

I don’t know

What’s your 20?
What do you have left?
What floor is Bader Martin on?
How do you stop that thing?
Where is the parking garage?
What is this all about?
How many miles do you ride in a day?
Did that hurt?
Do you think my niece should get a tattoo?
Is it raining?
How much is the witness fee on a subpoena served in Fife?
Does the judge need two copies?
Will you advance money for the conformed copies?
What’s the code for the men’s room?
How much does it cost to modify a parenting agreement?
How much does it cost to go up in the Space Needle?
What time did you deliver that 2101 on August 15?
Is it raining?
Where are those fish guys?
What courtroom in Judge Spector in?
Where is the nearest Key Bank cash machine?
Is there any good sushi around here?
Will you be here for a minute?
Where is 9th & Virgin?
Where is the Adidas store?
Do you need a coversheet for a miscellaneous filing at USDC?
Where can I get Deep Vs powder coated to match my cranks?
Where can I catch the bus to Maple Leaf?
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Is that all there is?
Is Two Union at 2nd & Union?
Where is 601 Union?

Are you one of those guys at the coffee shop?

Where can I buy pink hair dye?

Is it raining?

I don't know

 Chris Murray photo

tell me more   tell me more

single  serving  sizes  canned    
laughter    rattle my bottle
cage       road vibrations
bring the  carbonation
to the surface   from
fizz   to   flat

like a fish needs a full suspension bicycle

geared up
year after year
overhead going up
net income going down
going out     coming home
fewer and fewer fish to fight over

look at me    listen to me
anthropomorphize me
speak to me

speak loudly   speak slowly   
speak Chinese  speak Spanish
¿cómo se dice  it’s for the birds?

Hitchcock had the right idea   
but it’s not always what you see
on public TV   those nature shows

with grubs   or worms   or nuts
feed me biscotti and yakisoba
curly fries and pizza crusts  

reheated spicy chicken teriyaki
choking down plastic baby spoonfuls
of turkey & giblet cat food from a can

nesting on the one wool mitten you gave me
in a shoe box under a shop light zip-tied to a coat hanger
high on the highest shelf     away from the cat

do the baby crow a favor  and don't do him any favors  

Craig Etheridge photo

 
It used to be:
Are you one of those guys on a bike delivering things?

Now it’s:
Are you one of those guys that hangs out at that coffee shop?

a recognizable natural or man-made feature used for navigation; a notable building or place with historical, cultural, or geographical significance; a major or important item, denoting a change of direction or marking a beginning or an end or a beginning;  or a big honking lighthouse at Cape Disappointment

A crow settles in at the bar,
and tells one crow story after another,
all hard as his beak.

He scatters out corn, brass cartridges, a penny,
blue glass, a car key, and a ring.

He orders a beer, using it to chase down
shots of dark glances.

Around midnight the crow flies over us,
out of the bar and into all-consuming night.

I take out a match and drag it slowly
over a bed of sulphur, like a scar dragged

over the butt of an old wound.
The match fire could be anyone’s self-hesitancy.

“All I need now,” I tell her, “is sleep,
and a place to keep it.”

“Get away from me,” she said.
“Maybe when you’re gone I can pray.”

        
                                --Greg Grummer