BibliophileBullpen

So far no good, I moved through the lowest tier of bars in town and now I am glad handing bar owners in the middle of the pack. Granted that would be were I prefer to work..the lower tiers would be social clubs with smoking, but without any bar experience I am shit out of luck.  I did mention that I had many hours of baby sitting under my belt- i figured that would be close enough. I know I know I really need to know a guy who knows a guy, but the problem is I don’t know enough guys.

Doesn’t matter too much, no one is hiring anyone right now and I have enough end of year projects to keep me busy 24/7. I always save big projects for New Years eve….wallpapering a room, inventory etc… this year I am switching my office and my workshop, so that can actually have an office with a door. As for the workshop, most of that stuff is in cabinets so it is relatively safe from tiny inquisitive paws.

I rebuilt one website over Christmas and have my eye on rebuilding the Sicpress.com site as well.  The pain in the ass there is that I have to shoot all new product photos to go along with a revamp.  Perhaps I will just do the site and do the photos AFTER the big room switcheroo – that will give me a closed door room where I can set up a lightbox in safety.  yep that sounds like a plan. New Year new website, new photos.

I completed the alcohol awareness certification today..that’s the thing that you have to renew every three years so you can tell when people are drunk or not.

Otherwise I spent the last 3 days intermittently building another non-profit website (www.ARMV.org) and reading Ted Haigh’s book on vintage cocktails . . . all it did was make me thirsty. Which is damned odd since I’m really a lightweight; one glass of anything is enough to put me straight to sleep.

The more I read about mixology and drink history the more I think I don’t have the required fascination with liquor to become a great bartender. . . probably not even a damn good one . . . perhaps just a middle to good one will do me okay.

I did drop my card in at a few more of the seedier places around town. I hadn’t realized so many bars were still clubs – the major difference being the smoke. I had completely forgotten that I am sensitive to second hand smoke…oh shite.

Speaking of the drinking life, it is rather interesting how nothing really changes. Many occupations at their core haven’t changed in 100 years . . . if you discount the materials being vended you could drop either a bookseller or a bartender into their element 100 years ago and we would pickup just fine without a bobble.

From “Cocktail Boothby’s American Bar-Tender“ 1891 edition

Boothby’s Ten Commandments

• I. Always be on time to relieve the other watch. It is a good plan to make a practice of arriving a few minutes early so as to arrange your toilet and step to your station on time.
• II. See that your finger nails are always clean and your person presents a tidy appearance.
• III. Always appear pleasant and obliging under all circumstances.
• IV. Avoid conversations of a religious or political nature.
• V. When going off watch always dry and polish all the glassware and tools which you have used on your watch, and see that everything is in its proper place, so that your relief can work to advantage as soon as he arrives at his post.
• VI. Sell all the liquor you can, but use as little as possible yourself.
• VII. If you are troubled with sore feet, bathe them regularly. Avoid patched or ragged hosiery, and wear a comfortable shoe with a heavy sole. Light soles, low cut shoes or slippers should never be worn behind a bar.
• VIII. Keep the floor behind the bar as dry as possible. It not only looks better, but you will find your health greatly improved by following this rule. Many bartenders contract rheumatism, neuralgia and many other serious complaints through carelessness in this report.
• IX. After using a bottle or tool always replace it before doing anything else. Make this a rule that should never be broken; and, when you are rushed with business, you will never be compelled to hunt for this or that, but you will always know just where it is.
• X. After a party has finished drinking, remove the glassware from the bar as soon as possible, and dry and polish the bar top immediately, never allowing a particle of moisture to remain. This is a very important rule.

Methuen Riverwalk Christmas at night Canon AE-1P Kodak 400 at 2 mins 50mm lens 10°F at 11:30pm December 1 2008 © J Godsey

So far the city hasn’t offered any apologies for stealing my work, apparently just removing the image is considered a do-over.   Oh joy now I have to actually DO something about it, damn it.  Not being the most politic of persons I have to find a medium between defending my honor and offending a bunch of prickly pols.

I do like holidays, the phone doesn’t ring and the buses aren’t running (figuratively) so one can tackle projects reserved for ‘when you have time for it.’  But  I have been playing my one birthday present practically nonstop for a week…a ROKU unit, which allows your tv to pick up Netflix from your router. Absolutely brilliant idea.  Presently  in the middle of a Mythbusters marathon…explosions and gratuitous destruction for the holiday.

I have another non-profit  website to rebuild today, and a nice minestrone in the pot to keep me warm.  Have nice day off.

despite all the undone work I had laying around, i spent most of the day waiting for modern chemistry to make my migraine go away. I wonder what people did before we invented excedrine and red bull. . . i never heard of one until i had my first one and my second one. I used to get them all the time…then i went for years with nary a one…now  I spend my life carefully balancing levels of caffeine between too much and not enough. Don’t even suggest NONE even in jest, because sulfites and nitrites trigger them too and the caffeine is also the remedy, go fig.

When I finally got my act together i couldn’t do anything too mentally complicated. All i got done was some laundry and order packing.   When i sat down to hang ten on my  surfing I discovered that the webmaster for my town had lifted one of my best images to use on the city’s homepage. Not only without permission but also without credit.

It’s kinda depressing, if they had asked I certainly would have granted permission, i always do. Most of my local images are usually used for advancing my non-profit projects anyway. My city is smallish, not rinky dink, but small enough so that I see the mayor on a regular basis.  I have already sent off an email about the image lifting and I’m sure it wasn’t intentional on anyone’s part but the webmasters.  We can probably work out some way for them to make it up to me. But seriously bub, i am not a particularly civilized person and would easily kick this guy’s ass for stealing my work, so the city better pony up a really great apology.