So, at the new job, we sell Things. These Things come in all shapes and sizes; cool Things, functional Things, family Things, etc.
I’m still training, so not technically selling Things yet, but yesterday I helped a customer through the whole process – and this morning I see her at Starbucks. She recognized me, came across the room and gave me a hug because she just picked up her nee Thing a few minutes before.
Nobody ever hugged me for doing work before. That was pretty cool.
Its not the worst thing ever said about Donald Trump. It’s not even the most profane thing I’ve ever said about Donald Trump.
But when you’re the “chief spokesperson” for a government agency, you can’t inadvertently blast that out on said agency’s Twitter account without a negative impact on your family income.
And maybe that’s a bit of the problem: I spent 25 years writing things like the paragraph above instead of just saying, “I was shitcanned.”
It was guns and Trump that blew it all up. Seventeen more students didn’t come home from school one day because of America’s fetish for guns. I sorta lost it when Trump held a photo op in the White House with some grieving parents and shell-shocked kids.
But, oops, wrong browser window, and I was toast.
The truth, though, is that I’ve been carrying around a shitload of anger for a long, long time. My thumbs just finally made it plain for all to see.
I made calls, trolled job boards, and harbored brief fantasies that here was my chance to catch on with some progressive political organization or gun control group to channel my rage and my fairly decent communications skills to work in a somewhat positive manner. In South Carolina, however, there’s not much demand for angry middle-aged white guys on the left.
And then my wife, God bless her, said, “Why don’t you look for a job completely different from what you’ve done your whole life so you’re not mad all the time?”
So I did.
I’m now starting over in something I may very well suck at. I’m in training, so it will be a while before we know if I can make any money. But in my third day there, around lunch, I had an unexpected and unfamiliar feeling: I was happy to be at work.
It might have been because I was hungry, and it was certainly influenced by the fact that I’ve greatly reduced my consumption of “news.”
I like to think, though, that I might be onto something that could improve my mental health, if not my 401K.
Here’s hoping.
Over the next three weeks, many a lazy reporter is likely to trot out a variation of the James L. Petigru zinger, “South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.”
Since that dead horse has been beaten to a pulp, here are five more quotes to sharpen your appreciation for the kind of politics we’re in for between now and February 27.
Whisper campaigns, push polls, mudslinging and false attacks are the coin of the realm in the state where the late Lee Atwater spawned a legacy of GOP-operative street hustlers who dominate the political culture. Indeed, political consulting in the Palmetto State might be the only career where a mug shot looks good on a resume.
[T]he state is…a painful symbol of the brutality of American politics.”
I was there to find out about dirty politics, I’d say. Over and over, that provoked pride: “You’ve come to the right place!”
Politics in South Carolina has a sad reputation as a blood sport. Our state has been famous for its last-minute dirty tricks, anonymous phone calls, and personal attacks.
While I don’t think Pat Conroy was describing only our politics in this one, it’s still right on target:
South Carolina is not a state – it is a cult.
I hope you’ll share this and visit www.savingeliza.com to help.
Step 2 in turning ColaTown into a decent BeerTown.
One of my favorites…geez it’s been a long time since I wrote anything.
When it comes to “extreme beer,” Dogfish Head takes the cake. Their experimental tendencies provide a slew of wild, off-centered ales. Among them, 120 Minute IPA.
Well, meet 120 Minute’s new competition: Thomas Creek’s Up the Creek Extreme IPA.
At 12.5 percent ABV, this imperial India Pale Ale is nothing to sneeze at. Although, I might prefer this brew over its Dogfish Head brethren. It’s got an 84 on Beer Advocate.
The South Carolina brewery used a ton of high alpha acid American hops in this beer, which gives it nose-stinging hop aroma – literally. I was not put off by the sheer voracity of Amarillo and Willamette hops, but the smell of this beer is harsh and pungent, carrying aromas of lemon, mint and blood orange.
Whereas 120 Minute nearly smells and tastes like a pseudo-baryleywine thanks to its intense malt profile, Up the Creek Extreme IPA…
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Image via CrunchBase
It’s been entirely too long since I actually posted something on my own blog, so let me just wish you all a Happy IPA Day!
Here are a few of my favorite beer-related sites/services for your enjoyment:
Untappd : Drink Socially
Beer Advocate: All things beer
Craft Beer: Yummy
World of Beer Columbia: ‘Nuff said
Thomas Creek Brewery: A Chernoff Newman client!
Related articles
- Happy Second Annual #IPADay! (lovebeerlovelife.wordpress.com)
- Mythbusting the IPA on IPA Day (thedrinksbusiness.com)
- Happy IPA Day! (baublesandbeer.wordpress.com)
if you’re not already aware, many brewpubs and some breweries across the United States have the ability to sell you “growlers” of their house brewed beer for you to take home and enjoy. Typically, a growler holds 64 ounces and in many occasions you can bring them back for refills (a refill price is often cheaper than a first fill because you are paying for the glass container).
I buy most of my growlers at Green’s on Piney Grove, but Hunter Gatherer rocks as well. Go drink some good beer.
Stuff Tim Writes 