when working with assholes one must maintain ones artistic distance
by repeating the mantra
im better than them
im slumming
i do this as a lark, as research, as a break from teaching
im a professional asshole
and thhey are amatuers
one must strive to not enter into an asshole contest
nothing to gain here
nothing to prove
we all know who the biggest asshole is
if he wanted to be
ima retired asshole now
i dont have to asshole anymore
on saturdays
with the stomping and elbows and viscious funt that is rugby
if ii dont asshole on saturdays anymore then its easy to not have to asshole at work
turning mellow as i age
not needing to win every battle
letting a few things slide
using my mental time more effectively
i work a shitty little job because it gives me mental breathing room
mental time to plan the next big thing
to imagine a framework
a monkey could do my job
hed have to be a very clever monkey
but it would be possible
but at my shitty little job i have to strive to stay above the lurking chaos
they like to shit screwed up
it gives them something to talk about
something to feel superior about
and they also like to walk around fuming
its a great little trick
if you briskly walk around looking agitated
with a piece of paper in your hand
never stopping to talk cuz you are
fixing others mistakes
looking for a misplaced part
dealing with an a-hole customer
mad at the manager
flummoxed by the boss
you can always look ever so busy
but thats too much work
and at odds with my casual spirit
no doubt i can hustle if i have too
but my hustle means someone else is relaxing somewhere
i give the boss fifteen dollars an hour worth of work
two more than he pays me
i know what fifteen an hour feels like
i know what twenty feels like
so my gift to the bossman is to work two bucks an hour harder than he pays me for
but that isnt a whole lotta hustle
for fifteen he gets competence
and gets me an hour late once or twice a week
for fifteen he doesnt smell booze on my breath
and for fofteen i dont walk by work or watch others make mistakes and waste time
for fifteen you get a guy called helpful harry
and a minimum of bitchin cuz i can live on that sum
it aint a lavish lifestyl by anymeans
but theres fun money
and take your broad out money
and drink your face off money
but the trick is not to overtax oneself at fifteen because theres a lifetime of tomorrows to gett the job done in the neverending warehouse of work
busting your ass makes no sense
the trick is not to get involved in the fingerpointing and personalities
just show up
do the job
go ome and have a life
the time i spend there is my penalty for not organizing my life better
and ill keep paying it at fourty hours of sentence per week just because i have to learn to plan for the future a little bit better
every day i simply tread water there is a wasted opportunity to make the future more work free
i can figure it out
and the slings and arrows slung and loosed
sling some more
loose another quiver my way
im an excellent arrow avoider
and whatever youre slinging ima gonna sling back at twice the velocity should i deign to respond at all
but mostly i just smile
and sing
and watch the clock and thingk about whats gonna happen to my girlfriend laer this evening if she even feigns friskiness
oh yes
friskiness shall ensue