Boldly going, then sneaking back in

Well this week has come and gone quickly, I would like to say easily, but I would be lying if I did.
Been busting my arse at work but hopefully I should at least see some reward for it in my pay packet. Mind you since I started back I did make the young lacky I had go from a daily rate to a percentage which is good for him but means less for me but hopefully will make him think about whether he should be taking days off or not a bit more especially after or before weekends. The two guys working for me now are both nice guys and reliable but really even though they are earning a good percentage of the income do not think for themselves. That is not an uncommon thing for young people today though is it? (wow I sound just like my dad there lol) but seriously I think kids coming out of school today would be better off if they were taught 3 things. 1: To be able to write. 2: To be able to do basic math. 3: To play chess. Yep that's right I said to play chess. It is a game that teaches one to think steps ahead and consider the consequences of those actions which is a skill set clearly lacking in the gen Y'ers. It is probably my generation's (gen X) Fault for having such a "Fuck you I care about nothing" attitude but still at least that was better than the "I shouldn't have to work hard to be rewarded" attitude of the kids today. The amount of young guys who have come out with me and after a day think they should be the boss and don't need to do what I say is ridiculous. I even had one guy come out and didn't even last until lunch time, seriously he came up to me and said "I'm not having any fun can I go home now" I just looked dumbfounded and told him I was having the time of my life so off you go. Far out people, work can be enjoyable and a laugh but it is still called "WORK" for a reason.

What else, oh I was a little disappointed with the attitudes of some I thought were friends of late. Seems they now only fall into the category of contact me when they have something to gain but leave me hanging when they don't. Oh well this is life and as they say some people come into your life for a day, some for a season, and some for life. Seems those in question don't fall into the last one. Unfortunately I really detest people playing mental games and saying half truths and being a person that says whatever is on my mind I can see a few are going to get their noses out of joint soon, oh well shit happens and life goes on.

Been fun of late with the weather being so crappy on the weekends we have been staying home and watching movies on the big screen in the shed. Nice to actually use the set up as it hasn't seen much since the kids came along. Nice now they are old enough to start appreciating movies and even better I get to revisit some of the classics from my childhood too. So far we have done the complete 6 Star Wars movies, the first 4 Harry potter's, The first 3 Narnia's, The first Karate Kid, and the first Pirates of the Caribbean. Think I might try them on the Lord of the rings saga next, mind you I can see that will have to have a few toilet breaks in it for the little people.

Nothing else has really happened to me this week, too cold to go out and too tired to stay up. Happy we are all still here after the end of the world this week. So did anyone else in Adelaide feel a little bit of trepidation kicking in when on the day the storm rolled in and those peals of thunder just seemed to roll on for ages? Oh well it was more than likely just me and all those years of having to attend church as a kid messing with my head. Funny the only happy memories I have of those days is the times we got home early enough to watch the wonderful world of Disney and eating pancakes for dinner. Everything else was long, boring and impersonal. As an adult I can see the whole point of needing to know there must be something more to life and the need to believe there is a point to things and we are not just a freak accident and are all alone in this cosmos. Unfortunately, I really detest organized religion and those self-righteous arseholes that run it. They do not even get the teachings of their own doctrines and act just like those their saviour was preaching about, oh well if they are right I am sure they will be the ones getting what they deserve for their actions and lack of compassion and humanity. Funny actually it reminds me of when I first moved into this house and for about a year afterwards I kept getting letters from a church in the Brighton area. They were for the previous owners and after sending them back and trying to let them know they did not live here anymore without success I started opening them and throwing them away. Well this one day I received on letter that basically said if I wanted to be out of debt all I needed to do was work out how much I owe and then send the amount of 10% of that figure to the church and I would be blessed with the whole amount from God. This made me see red as it was preying on the fears of those who we already needy and could least afford to give to an organization who would have no idea of what it meant to go hungry or have to choose what service they could go without for a month. So I sent them a reply and kindly told them what I thought of their actions and ended by telling them that if their god is not only a god of love but of great vengeance and they would be getting theirs for being so inhuman. Funny though coz the letters finally stopped coming.

Ah I have rambled on enough so I'll leave you with what I told the boy the other day. Yes son your dick is supposed to get hard but that doesn't give you the right to wave it around in public. I know many adults that should learn that lesson too.

Jack

chariot of the blogs

Wow!!! what a fucking brutal week this has been.
Pulled up a little sick Monday morning so took the day off but have been smashed all week trying to catch up. Seriously the place I am working on is a monster of a house, to give some perspective A large family home would normally take my gang 2 - 3 days to fix, we have been on this bastard for 4 days now and are nowhere near finished. There is obviously still some people with money in this world, good for them but ouch for me.

Still had a nice massage on Friday to end the week (No not that sort of massage, this one hurts way too much to have a happy ending) and then rushed home for a quick shower and change and then went down to Fowlers for a rock and wrestling show. Was mega tired but it was an enjoyable night out. was nice to be at a show with wrestling that didn't have metal bands on for a change. Almost seem like a cliché now days for wrestling to be related to metal but this show had a couple of punk bands on. Sorry I can't remember their names but hey I'm old so I can get away with it. First band was ok, defiantly influenced by the later American pop/punk of the last few years. Second one though was much more old school UK punk which was my childhood/adolescence so was much more exciting for me. Did have a chuckle though as the young guys in the band wouldn't have even been born when my mates and I were trying to pogo at the blue light discos back in the day.
On that thought am I the only one that finds myself a little annoyed when you hear people say "Back in the day" or "Old school" when referring to things less than 5 years ago, hell it annoys me if it is less that 20 years ago lol.
But I digress, back to the show. They also had a burlesque show of sorts, which was ok if that is your thing, don't get me wrong I love a good looking woman and the naked form but I am never that comfortable at those sort of events. Point in example, years ago I attended a bucks show at a private house and they had topless waitresses and strippers. Now as most of the other guys there tended to be of the bearded, bike riding, leather-wearing crowd when they wanted a drink they just called the waitress in a degrading and blokey fashion. Needless to say myself and my two mates did tend to get funny looks when saying please and thank you and treating them with respect. But hey it is the way I was raised and if ya don't like it, too bad. The wrestling part of the show was good. NWA guys always put on a professional show with clean and hard hitting moves. It was a bit to "Stick to the formula" type of show for me but seeing as most people there were not die hard wrestling fans it was the perfect sort of show to put on.
Must say it was hell nice to be at a show and not be working for a change, it has been ages since I got to do that. Mind you still found myself picking all the things wrong with the production and stuff but I just can't help myself there. it was the reason I got into production in the first place after working shows and having some drunk arsehole make us sound like shit.
Oh one more thing, when did Fowlers become a gay bar? Not that I really care as I was not looking to pick up or anything but I am sure the last time I went there it wasn't. Then again it was over 5 years ago so maybe it was and I don't remember.
Got to talk to some guys from Tattoo TV which was cool, turns out the mate I was with was tattooed at the store the guy we were chatting to owns. Mentioned where I got mine done and the guy said that there were heaps of people there he had spoken to with work from Progression and he praised Matt's work. we then stood around and talked about the good artists in Adelaide (yes there are probably more than you realise) and then we bitched about all the crap ones and these stupid kids buying tattoo machines from Ebay and having parties. Was funny coz in wrestling we have similar issues with kids doing stupid stuff without training and when something goes wrong that being the stuff that makes the news and then affects attitudes which then affects venues. insurances, and opportunities for everyone else who is doing the right thing in a professional manner.

On a final thought, Am I the only one whose brain seems to tune in to bad AM radio? Seriously I don't know how many times I have woken up with some lame song running through my head and I know damn sure I wasn't listening to that before I went to bed.

Ok off to bed now (Starts singing: you make me feel like dancing, I'm gonna dance the night away)

Jack

this is the new shit

Wow it's been over 2 weeks since I had a chance to update this blog, lucky for me no one reads it anyway lol.

So what has been happening I ask myself (see reason above) well I had a nice break over the easter period with the family going away to Victor Harbour for the 5 days. I know it's only 30 mins away but it's more the fact we aren't at home and the kids are still young enough to not realize it's just a caravan park. But life is easy when all you have to do is talk to someone and they are then considered your best friend, oh to be a little kid again hey?

As i mentioned last time I have gone back to my old job which while being ok and having nicer people to deal with still has the same issue of killing me slowly. It's just far too heavy work for this old body to take, don't believe me? just ask my chiro he will tell you. But it is honest and my bank balance is starting to look a lot more normal now. I did laugh the other mob rang me a couple of times to see if I wanted to do a job for them which I politely declined lol. I have learned to never burn your bridges as S.A. is too small a work place but it was still satisfying to say no thanks. Shame really because I liked the job and the guys here but I have no confidence in the company as a whole.

mmm what else, oh yeah as I mentioned in a previous post I had my tattoo finished but because of a reaction to the red in parts I was waiting to post pics. Well it has pretty much healed there are just a few parts of the red still being a pain but luckily through hard work I didn't lose any of the colour unlike a guy from work who lost big streaks through the red parts of his.

Pretty happy with it and everyones reactions to it are positive and they all say they are going to see Matt at Progression Tattoo for their next one which is great.
Wont be long before I head back to get the other arm done, I think I have the bug now. Makes up for all those years of regret at getting something I hated but hey it always seems like a good idea at the time. I am glad I waited and thought it out this time because it is something I am now proud to have on my body for life.

Ok that's about all I can think of for now so until next time, may your back be straight, your direction strong, and your tackle low and lazy.

Jack

Just a rambling rose

So this week has been, just a week.
Work was fine and it's nice to be getting back on my feet money wise. Not totally there yet but managed to pay back the money I borrowed from the inlaws yesterday, so happy about that. Just have to make sure we have enough for the easter break but that wont cost a lot. Plenty of things we can do on the cheap and hopefully the weather is nice so I can take the kids fishing again, maybe this time they will give me a chance to do some. Funny thing is, Faith wants to hold a fish next time she catches one and then was asking about cooking it on a camp fire which I find really funny as most of the time she is basically a vegetarian because she states "I love animals". I don't have an issue with that and accomidate her the best I can. Wonder if I can get her to eat some sushi or sashimi? At least she is more adventurous  than her mum who wont even eat anything spicy, one thing I miss about not working in the city is access to a good curry at lunch time. Lunch isn't lunch if your eyes aren't sweating lol.

School hollidays have started and Ryan has come down with a cold which he has passed onto his mum. Ryan being a kid is still running around the best he can, just leaving a trail of snot behind is all but Wendy has taken to her bed so I guess I wont see her for a week. She didn't seem impressed when I asked her if she had a man cold. Bummer though coz it meant I have been stuck in the house for the weekend but we made the most of it and watched some movies in the shed yesterday.

Speaking of movies, am I the only one who is sick of this shakey cam style of filming in war or action movies? Seriously I think it is just an excuse to try to not get good acting, effects, sets, just make it shakey to try to cover up the fact of a shitty movie and try to make it look like a documentary. Well sorry fuckers this is a movie so film the fucking thing, if I wanted badly shot out of focus shit I would get it from youtube.

Ok seeing as I seem to be having a whinge, am I the only one who thinks people sometimes use the fact they have a chemical imbalance to act like assholes? It doesn't seem to matter if they have a mental illness or PMS or just are depressed it still seems to be a licence for bad behaviour to me. Sure I do understand that we react different when in this state and that even though we recognise what is happening it is hard to stop ourselves from reacting even though we know it is wrong. But there is the point, it is hard but not impossible! But it seems that most just seem to take the easy road and act like assholes and then blame their actions on their state of mind or physical situation. That is not just lazy but so self centred it is bordering on abuse. They have no idea of what this does to everyone elses state of well being or the sense of lonelyness and isolation it causes when you treat people this way and their excuse? I have PMS/Depression?etc. Sorry people but if you recognise why you feel the way you do but don't try to not react in certain ways you are just using it as an excuse for bad behaviour. Not saying you are able to control the way you react all the time but an effort being made is all I am asking for. Mmm I wonder if saying that is just giving people an excuse to act like tards? lol

On a positive note Progression Tattoo had it's open day fundraiser for Japan yesterday and raised a shit load of cash which is great. So happy it went well and eveyone had a good time, it's often hard to do these types of events as some time has passed and with so much media coverage now days it is easy for people to just close off to the sadness and compassion fatigue to set in, so it was great to read of so many coming out. Pretty sure if you missed the day but still want to contribute they would take your donations other wise go to the red cross site and donate https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp 

Well I think I have rambled enough for now I'll just leave you with a thought.
Try not to give mixed messages.
Point in example: Ryan dressed himself in a beenie, sunglasses, necklace, sherriff badge, and carried a pirate sword but then runs through the lounge yelling "Don't look at me".
Mmm I wonder if I can get through the week without acting the same?

Jack

it's life Jim, but not as we know it!

Well another week over but it all seemed too much the same as always. Went back to doing my old job and it seems like I never left which is both good and bad. I did get a little bit of stimulus from doing some maintenance for them which hopefully they will let me do some more of so it helps break up the mundane and gets me out of my comfort zone. but apart from that I really could do it in my sleep after all these years, although I did quickly remember why I wanted a change, Ouch my body hurts!!

Home front has been quiet for the most. Gotta love how little kids can make you feel like your heart will burst with love one minute to wanting to strangle them the next. Still I wouldn't want to change it for the world, well except for getting to be alone sometimes would be nice. Seriously you can't even get to be alone in the toilet once you have kids, don't believe me? Have some and see. lol

Has been a little annoying with my tattoo this week though,  seems I had a reaction to the red on the inside of my arm. From what I read it is fairly common and is because of the mercury sulphide in the pigment. Been using some steroid cream on it and it is starting to heal but it is taking way longer than I would have liked. I had a similar reaction earlier but because there was only a little of the red pigment in that section I didn't think much of it but this is way bigger so hopefully it settles down soon. The biggest piss off about it though is I was planning to have a phoenix done on the other arm which of course would be mostly red so I'll have to do a bit of research and talk to people about the options there or it's back to the drawing board of what to get, only taken me 43 years to decide on these ones though, Damn!

Been keeping to myself still, which I better break out of soon. Just find people a little draining when your down and like to hide. But need to get out there and break this funk before it becomes a habit. Did want to do something with the kids this weekend but the weather put an end to that so we just went out to the shed and put some movies on the big screen and ate ourselves into a sugar and salt coma. Blah, gonna be feeling that for the week I recon. Also feeling guilty about not working out of late, I had an excuse while doing the other job as 10 hour days tend to take it out of you but back to normal I really have no excuse and you really do feel better when doing it all the time.

So this has been a transition week really, seems to feel like I didn't more forwards or backwards rather just took a sideways step and repositioned myself. Hopefully this week will bring some new challenges and excitement.

To wrap up this week I'll leave you with a quote from my boy Ryan. When asked what his favourite thing in the word is he said "My favourite thing is you, and these ninja things". Not sure if I should start to worry about this obsession my kids have with ninjas but I suppose there are worse things in this world to be focussed on.
And I still rated above them, for now!

work sucks

Well after 1 more week of work on the new Harris Scarfe store in the city it is all over.
Job handed over on time and in my debrief evaluation they were all happy with my performance and even went so far as to offer me a full time position with their company (Harbusol) and wanted to organize some more training for me in the next few weeks. But then the real kicker, they decide for some bizare reason not to pay me or any of the other contractors the 4 weeks they owe. I can't think why they would do this other than to be a bunch of fucktards. Seriously these people have no concept of the hardship they cause, they have no concept of what it is like for the people lower down the food chain who need money to live and put food on the tables for their kids. What they don't get is that they are not just inconveniencing a company they are hurting our families and that is something that is unforgivable in my books. Needless to say I have declined their offer and now advised them the matter will be put in the hands of a debt collector.
They also need to understand that Adelaide is a small place and I will make sure I tell all the connections I have here to not do business with them unless they get payment in advance.
I already have work elsewhere but the hole they have put me and others in is gonna take a while to get out of.

On a positive note I did have my last appointment at Progression Tattoo the other day to finish my half sleeve. It is still a little scabby at the moment so I will wait until it has healed before posting pictures but I am happy with the work Matt has done and really enjoyed my time down there. When I get to be a bit more financial again I will be back to get the other arm done. Already know what I want in my head but I know the actual tattoo design will far exceed what I imagine once Matt does his work just like he did on the other one.

Also tomorrow is the Riot City Wrestling show, can't say I am organised or really in the mood at the moment because of the shit from work but that will all change once we are there and set up  and the show starts. That's when the magic happens and the guys and girls do their thing. I am happy to be involved with those guys and girls even if it is often a 14 hour day for nothing more than a thank you. The kick from doing a show that is the envy of most other promotions in Aus. and even better that a lot of the US indies is reward in itself. I believe in the product and like the people, how many people in this world get to work in an environment like that?


Oh well still a little depressed this week and slightly angry so I apologise in advance if you piss me off and I punch you in the throat but you have been warned. lol.

I'll leave you this week with something from my 6 year old daughter. When asked what makes her happiest in life she replied "Those Ninja things", I believe there is something in that for all of us.

Jack.

first stuff

Ok I am not much of a share my soul to the world person and whenever I feel down or things aren't going right I don't like to post anything to Facebook or Twitter so I thought I would give this a go and not tell anyone so no one will read it anyway hehe.

So far this year has been pretty extreme for me. My wife and kids have been great but most of everything else is a little fucked up and not as much fun as it should be.
I have been feeling pretty isolated from most people I know and even left out. Most people say they have respect or love for me but I seem to be a ghost most of the time. Sure I am always the first there to help out and give 100% and I know the act of doing is it's own reward and I don't need to be told thanks but it kind of shits me off when someone else actually steps up and does something I have been doing for years and they are treated like a saviour. People just seem to take what I give for granted and always overlook me when things are planned which while I wont let it show really does hurt a little.

I also just recently had the opportunity to change jobs after being approached by a company. This was supposed to be my slow down job as the other one was killing me but it hasn't worked out that way so far. Sure the work is lighter than before but I have still been doing 50 hour weeks. That in itself wouldn't be so bad but the company is run by idiots who have no concept of what it takes in the real world to get things done. And unfortunately for me they have a really fucked up system of payment which means that at any one time they owe me 3 weeks pay which has been putting a strain on everything at home. Especially after all the extra costs involved from the car accident I had recently.  Seems to me that everyone is trying to do their best to break me financially at the moment and because of the slow pay I am falling farther and farther behind, I even had to hit the in-laws up for a $2000 loan the other day just to pay a bill. Hopefully now that I have waited out the no cash period and will be getting a pay cheque every week we can start to get back on top but if I get any more unexpected bills in the next few weeks I may just go under which is something I haven't had to think about in years.

Wow that got a little heavy quickly and was a little more negative than I wanted but hey it's my blog and I am a little bit depressed and concerned at the moment.
So to finish I will leave you with a quote from my 4 year old son Ryan.
"Only when I have dreams I am happy to say something"
Not sure if that is really wise or not, you decide!
Jack