[lit-ideas] Re: HOW IT IS
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 12:03:02 -0700
I worked continuously for the same company, sort of, for 39 years. I
started at Douglas Aircraft which became McDonnell Douglas and later Boeing
shortly before I retired. Someone might hear 39 continuous, unlaid-off
years and think I led a placid even-keeled career, but that was not the
case. One of my favorite detective novelists is Michael Connelly. His
character, Harry Bosch reminds me of me - not that anyone ever accused me of
murder but I had an equivalent impatience with rules and always put the job
first despite what management and rules-people demanded. Once we became
"the expert," the person who could do the job better than anyone else, we
had a certain limitied sort of leverage. Management and the rules-makers
might insist that we follow the rules, but they couldn't really fire us when
we didn't, because the job gets done. The murder gets solve, the report
gets written and the people who like results see them and are satisfied; so
we continue on doing the job, taking flack for not following the rules, and
getting complimented from people not in our chain of command.
Which makes me suspicious of certain possible Freudian implications. One of
story lines in movies and literature that I hate is the hero who is falsely
accused, usually of murder. It doesn't matter that he has an impeccable
history of producing results, he also has a history of not following rules,
of being a lone-wolf; which managements of all sort hate; so they readily
believe the false accusations and the hero must solve the crime and
exonerate himself because no one else will do it. They all think he is
guilty. I hate that story line because everyone does it. You watch just
about any detective or crime series on TV and the hero is at some point is
going to be accused of murder and almost everyone will believe he did it.
Now, as I said, I was never accused of murder, but I did endure the
disapproval of management over the years, much as the detective hero I refer
to endured it. Fortunately for me, and usually for Harry Bosch, the results
kept us working. Our bosses in taking credit for our successes had to keep
us working. They couldn't even wait until later and fire us for who then
could do the job? No one.
And another thing . . .
I've continued to watch some of the "old" episodes from old as well as
current TV series on http://tv.msn.com/tv/browse/default.aspx?ipp=200&tvbt=3
The one I just started watching Is New Amsterdam. Why was this show
cancelled, I wondered as I watched the first few episodes, but then noticed
that it hasn't been cancelled. It is still going on. And then I wondered
why this show goes on while others, with equally good stories and writing,
have been cancelled, Life and Surface for example. I wonder if it had
something to do with Amsterdam's immortality. Immortality has been a
popular theme since Utnapishtim the Faraway. And didn't the Green Knight
have it? And didn't the Spanish explorers in the New World seek it? And
didn't the Ancient Mariner have it? And the Headless Horseman?
And in more recent times, the Highlander, and Mick St. John in Moonlight.
The former had a long run and the latter seems to be still going on.
I don't remember what happened to Utnapishtim the Faraway but most of the
others had conditional immortality. Duncan McCloud refers to himself as an
immortal but that could change if another immortal cuts his head off, "for
their can be only one." And Mick St. John, the kindly vampire can die as
all vampires can if certain things are done to them. And John Amsterdam was
told by the Indian he rescued that he couldn't die until he finds true love
and so he, foolishly it would seem to most of us, sets about finding it
because you can't truly live unless you can die.
Series with "immortals," at least immortal to the extent of having lived
more than 150 years or so while still looking young, seem to do well.
Perhaps not as well though as series with heroes who have some superhuman
power, The Bionic Man, The Bionic Woman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Crow,
The Invisible Man, MacGiver, House, Psych, Medium, etc. Sometimes they slap
their foreheads and say, "what a fool I've been, Watson," but we know that
they can do things that none of the rest of us can do.
I see they have a new Bionic Woman series out there, but I can't tell
whether it's ongoing or discontinued. The new one is much more liberated
and self-assured than the old one whom one who has been reduced to selling
mattresses.
And . . . I wonder why no one has ever suggested an inconsistency between my
conservatism and my dislike of rules.
Or perhaps it is consistent. We conservatives like to be left alone to do
whatever we like as long as we don't hurt anyone, whereas those from the
nether regions want to create rules and laws and taxes to manage us so that
the poor and inept can be subsidized. But dislike of rules used to be
considered Leftist. We didn't like the "establishment" controlling us and
telling us what to do. We were leftists back in those days. Soon, perhaps
Obama will be in control of "the establishment" and then what? Maybe I'll
be a Leftist again. I'd better start worrying:
You will follow the rules Lawrence, because we know where you live, San
Jacinto. We will just go through your house to make sure you don't have any
illegal fire arms or swords. Also, those two dogs of yours. Are they
licensed? If not, we will take them away. And that marriage of yours, we
understand the pastor who married you became an atheist; which renders your
marriage null and void, so we must take your wife away as well.
Lawrence, become paranoid preparatory to becoming Leftist
From: David Ritchie [ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Move to Portland, man, get a green Prius, call yourself "Atlas Green
Engineering and Croissants," tell people to get the fridges out of
their garages and into trash dumps, set up a second line of poetry
and person it with laughter, rent yourself a dean to keep in the back
of your truck, to be consulted when you feel a need for meetings,
come to like snow down to four thousand feet at Rose Parade time, and
wind and rain, elect a mayor who sounds like a beer--gay Sam Adams--
and watch moss grow between the toes on others. Go green, man, go
green. It's your destiny made manifest. Abandon your truck. Take
the bus. Call when you get downtown.
David Ritchie,
confidently off to a meeting in
Portland, Oregon
From Mike Geary [atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
If you're wondering why I'm sending all these dumb-ass posts instead of
being on a job, I'll tell you. I'm in mourning. My faithful companion, my
dearest friend, my truck died. Damn it's hideous mechanical soul.
So now I'm standing at the crossroads. Do I try to buy another or just
chuck it all in? Say goodbye forever to servicing the air conditioners and
refrigerators of the greasy spoons of Memphis. I'd love to chuck it in.
Sit here and post 42 messages a day. Get rationed like JL. A finger
wagging Andreas saying: "You're out of line, old man." Teemu tsking in the
background. Ack, but that would get so boring so fast.
So what to do? Well, there is the monthly rent. And the credit card debt.
And the Guinness bill. And the phone bill, and Comcast internet bill and
the utilities and the food and the etc., etc., etc. Not a whole fucking lot
of choices.
Sometimes I get so weary of existence. "Weary Geary" a friend used to call
me. So many obligations, so little free time. But here I am, free timing
it. Forced into free time by my traitorous truck and I hate it. Ach.
Well, so it goes. If I were younger, I'd sign up with a fishery in Alaska
and hack dead fish to pieces and make fun of the Inuits and get killed. At
least then I wouldn't have to worry about getting a new previously owned
truck.
So anyway, that's the way it goes with me down in Memphis, Tennessee.
Mike Geary
leery and weary
but not teary
just pissed
in Memphis
Other related posts:
