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The Office
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 1936
I refer to the original, BBC series starring Ricky Gervais.
I've been showing it to the boy, preparing him for life in the real world. He hasn't yet had a job, and so for a moment or two I was worried he wouldn't catch it, but he's catching it just fine.
It's fucking brilliant. I mean, literally, it's genius. Savage, uncomfortable, and dead on. The American version, with Steve Carell, I can't comment on that, I've never seen it but I suspect that like a lot of things the Americans do it's been substantially dumbed down. Hugely dumbed down.
But this, the original BBC version, it's genius. The timing, the expressions on the characters faces, there are moments - too many - where it almost feels like doing a couple of hours of overtime at work. But the boy, he's laughing out loud, getting every joke and I tell him - "It's really like this...." and he's hesitant to believe me but even in school he's had experiences that are bringing him to understanding. On the off chance you haven't seen it, download or rent it at Bird Dog Video.
Opus Pistorum - Henry Miller
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 1992
It's been a while since I've read Henry Miller. Like 25 odd years, and so when I saw "Under the Roofs of Paris" I picked it up. Inside the flap it advertised itself as having 10 times the sexual content of Tropic of Cancer.
And it's true, it's out and out pornography, fucking and more fucking and if there's a paragraph without fucking it's only to help the main character (read Henry) get from one location to the other, where he can fuck some more (and break more taboos....).
"There are books to be read with one hand, and books to be read with two..."
That noted, this is a one handed book. Now I wonder how much of what he's telling us actually transpired, and how much he's making up, it seems a bit much and then I think some more and realize he's probably, if anything, toned it down. I mean, if you were so inclined you could have all of these adventures and then some. But personally, I'm more interested in the characters, the environment, the art scene of Paris in the 30's, etc. Which is my fault, because it really isn't that sort of book, not at all, it teases you with the introduction then proceeds immediately to the main chance.
It's good, he can write for sure, but - be warned, it's all about the fucking.
Link: Henry Miller on YouTube
random firings and other news
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 1895
It began last week, the owner was upset over a bill the manager presented him for the new website. And so he calls me to take a look at the bill, $3000 for a basic HTML site with flash banner, content copied and pasted from the old site, maybe 12 hours work all told. And I try to diplomatically tiptoe around it, "different people bill differently" I explain, but there's no denying he's been fucked over good.
Real good.
And I tell the manager too, he's furious with her as well (it was her boyfriend who redid the site), and I let her know there were some serious inconsistencies with bill, and no matter how you slice it it was seriously over the top.
She's not happy. No one wants to hear that their boyfriend is a crook.
And the owner, he's gotten a few more second opinions that confirm a little more harshly my own opinion and he's going off, flying into tantrums and rages looking for things to break around the restaurant...
It's a long week.
In the middle of the week Sam's wife shows up at the restaurant to plead with the owner to give her husband his old job back.
Sam was the waiter I replaced when I returned. He'd been fired for abusing the waitresses, pushing them, hitting them, other stuff like that. He's from one of those countries where women don't work, I don't need to be more specific....
Since he was fired he's been selling cars. One a month, not enough to pay the bills, feed the children. She's at her wits end and pleading with the owner to do something for him, anything, if not give him his job back then get him into another job...
Nobody liked Sam. I never worked with him, can't say, but I know the country he's from, know the type and I'm not sure that I like him either.
So yesterday the restaurant is fully booked, a large party, they've pre-ordered all their food, it's basic service. And the owner takes a few more reservations over the weekend despite our being booked and finds room for them in corners of the restaurant that we didn't know we had...
At the last minute he decides we're understaffed. We're not, but he has the manager attempt to call in the one waitress with a night off. And, as luck would have it she's taken the weekend to go to Edmonton with a friend.
That's it. He flies off the handle again, screaming at the manager to tell her she's fired (and she's not even working), he's going to call Sam to come back and work, he's had it, and we're all treated to a list of the waitresses faults (namely that she takes off during days off and doesn't answer the phone - who would?) and he gets on the phone, calls Sam and tells him he starts the next day, 10:00, "And no bullshit with the ladies Sam..." he yells into the phone...
"It's only until Summer" I tell myself.
An Unexpected Gift
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 1971
And, in the mail today, an unexpected gift.
No, not from an admirer (or a female one) - rather from an old friend who I'm too seldom in touch with. A brief note, and a CD - new, storebought (ironically) - "Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping". With an additional bonus DVD - 16 minute "Preacher Feature", and tracks such as "Remove Starbucks and Disney", which as I'm tired now and shortly off work I'll wait until tomorrow to enjoy. Or maybe until I have the boy, let him revel in the irony and pleasure. Delightful!
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