Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
What sometimes passes for conversation
Hi Mickey...I hope you and your Dad are doing well.
The question, ‘what do you do’ has always annoyed me.
This question can often precede, ‘how are you’, which I feel is rude and what the hell else are uhmericans.
I don’t care about the first question and they most often aren’t interested in how I’m doing.
I have a variety of answers to ‘what do you do’ and most frequently I reply, ‘I live, eat and defecate just like you do’. Then I might say, I’ve been a generalist in regards to working, because I don’t care for addictions.
I agree, how the question is worded, facial expressions and overall feeling about the questioner give clues to whether the conversation is worth taking up.
Posted by Joe of Maine from Greenland on 06/24 at 10:06 AMDon #25: Thanks for sharing your story. I get so pissed off when I hear about this. As America throws billions of dollars towards a bogus war on terror in the interests of “homeland security”, the people are told that there is no money for universal health care. This is OUTRAGEOUS. When I think of “security”, I think of clean water, a few modest meals a day, minimal stress, and obviously the absence of disease, illness, or injury. Maybe if they find Osama he’ll have a cure for AIDS.
As for today’s post: I remember working on a cattle ranch-I was a vegetarian at the time-and I would sometimes travel on horseback, moving herds of cows from one “range” to another. One day an older Native man (who worked on the ranch) and I were in the midst of an all-day horse trip, and he took me on a covert mission to visit another Native old-timer who lived in a small cabin in what I could only describe as the middle-of-nowhere. I love meeting eccentric freaks, so the anticipation was building until there at last, we arrived at his cabin door. Unfortunately the man was not home, which was too bad because he is a local authority on medicinal plants and I really wanted to pick his brain. I looked at his tiny rustic cabin and the endless wilderness expanse around it, and asked my older traveling companion today’s blockbuster question: “What does he do out here?” Pause. Answer: “Not a whole hell of a lot.” I’ve always remembered this episode.
Posted by Mike from Cariboo, BC on 06/24 at 10:42 AMMike, 2, I feel your outrage and I share that outrage. It’s inexcusable and the criminals aren’t concerned with disguising their selfish, oppressive authority. In fact, I don’t know a vulgar enough word to describes these classist barbarians.
Posted by joe of maine from on 06/24 at 01:26 PMMZ, good timing. The ‘what do you do?’ question crossed my mind this AM. Does “I work at not working” sound too crass? “I like to hike/bike/garden” is more accessible.
The Health of the State: through this manufactured fiscal meltdown and ongoing health care extortion, the military budget remains sacrosanct. If this isn’t cause for voting Democrat, I don’t know what is.
Pre-Heal Thyself: One reason I keep myself as healthy as possible is so when I’m officially classified as Expendable, the option not to go quietly is still on the table...right next to the tabasco sauce and sea salt.
Posted by Zen Prole from Pac NW on 06/24 at 02:49 PMHope all went well with your dad.
A little ditty on Obama and Co.
The dictatorship of the power elites knows no bounds.
The leader’s skin can be white, yellow, black or brown.
Once entering the club, democracy’s so rarely found.
All they do is pass the crown around!Posted by Bob T. from Archer, FL on 06/24 at 03:18 PMZen, 4, I like your Pre-Heal recipe for not going quietly. I’ll also add Horseradish. I hope you’re doing well in the Pac NW.
Bob T. 5, I like your poem.
Posted by joe of maine from on 06/24 at 04:24 PM‘What sort of things do you do?’ Like you, I think that is a far better question than ‘What do you do?’, Mickey. And I hope and keep my fingers crossed that both your Dad and you are doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances.
As for yours truly, she is retired (if one has worked in the public service in Australia and was born before or in 1951, one can actually retire at the age of 55, although the retirement age rises for younger people) but helps out at the local museum.
Hello, Joe of Maine, Mike (LOVE the answer that your travelling companion gave: ‘Not a whole hell of a lot’), Zen Prole and Bob T. and to all the expendables who may comment after you.
Posted by Helga Fremlin from Daylesford, Australia on 06/24 at 08:03 PMWHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE --- ?? .....classic attempt in THE SELF HELP WORLD—TO DEFINE THE EUW IN YOUU ***
WHAT U R IS WHAT U EAT !!!
WHAT U EAT IS THE RESULT OF HOW U HANDLE WHAT U DO..
WHAT U DO-- 24/7 .... EAT/BREATHE/LUBRICATE/DEFICATE/ELIMINATE ----- PRETTY MUCH DEFINES MY ANSWER TO THE “WHAT DO U DO CROWD --
WHY DO U ASK .. DO U NEED A FEW BUCKS ??
F* OFF !!
DO U LIKE ME—pleasesay yes .. or i m gonna eat some MORE !
."FATTY FATTY 2X4—CANT GET THRU THE KITCHEN DOOR !!”.....
PRETTY MUCH SUMS UP MY ballbuster analysis—and it works in any culture/any setting .. unless of course ama-dama-ding-jahm’s .. jackboot thugs choose to randomly waste u ...and EUW.. too !!
http://tinyurl.com/2vg7hc NAPOLEAN SPEAKS
THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN http://tinyurl.com/6lxq3r
http://tinyurl.com/lynv3n text THE AYOTOLLHOUSECOOKIE HIS/SELF sez ...”..U KNOW LIKE ELECTION RESULTS ??? FEEL FREE TO STEPOUTSIDE & SOMEONE FROM THE COUNCILWILL BE RIGHT OVER TO WHERE U R (we use globalposisioning—the marker u used to cast your ballot was miniaturized .. left an invisible markof the beast on u—so better to pinpoint uuuu --)
NEXT TIME VOTE ABSENTEE - FROM YOUR HONEYPOT /SUITESPOT ... thank u and COME AGAIN !
http://tinyurl.com/lwjm3 vote // vote often .. absentee .. if u prefer .. smile
Posted by Richie from st james city, FL on 06/24 at 09:12 PMopps http://tin¥url.com/lwjm53
ABSENTEE ISM ........... ABSENTEE BALLOT .... even better..
ME & JOE JOE ------- A*W*O*L**
Posted by Richie from st james city, FL on 06/24 at 09:23 PMoppi-daisey .. again ..
while hiding out on AWOL
THIS LADY EXPLAINED TO ME HOW OVERSEAS BALLOTS R CAST ..i think thiswas in SHANGHGAI ..andy ?? not ?
‘
richiePosted by Richie from st james city, FL on 06/24 at 09:28 PMThanks, all. Some improvements here but it would help if it wasn’t 101 degrees (literally). Hope to be back in NYC by Sunday night.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Deep in the heart on 06/25 at 09:08 AMHi everyone
I kind of go quiet or absent around the posts on family illness.
Both my parents were gone before I hit 30 and both after long difficult battles with illness. I dunno if I’ll ever make sense of it all. When I think back on it I just can’t think of any words to say to anyone else going through the same thing.
In the same way. Sometimes when I think of suffering around the globe, completely preventable stuff like starvation and war in countries, I don’t really have words either. And then I meet people who sigh and talk of wars and poverty using words like ‘human nature’ or ‘necessary’ ... and I feel very tangible rage.
Surely anyone with an experience of, or an understanding of life, loss and suffering should come to any instance of suffering and start from the standpoint - this is bad, how do we stop this -
like RMJ said last post or so, why would anyone want to celebrate a war?
what’s wrong with those people who hear someone passionately defending animals, or calling for a cleaner environment, or denouncing a war and think to themselves “that person is full of it, I must put them down”
why is it that people can’t believe that in our ‘free countries’ we are so steeped in ideology and propaganda that we have lost a basic sense of empathy with life and nature.
seems pretty obvious to me
Posted by Andy from Shanghai on 06/25 at 10:52 AMI’m with you, Andy.
Hope to hear good news about your dad, Mick.
How is this for the strangest headline of the year?:
Opium-eating wallabies get high, make crop circles
Posted by JOS from Chicago on 06/25 at 12:50 PMI have a linking problem today…
I know this will be of interest to this group:
http://www.coha.org/2009/06/a-thoroughly-un-american-institution/
Posted by JOS from Chicago on 06/25 at 12:57 PMAndy 12, you said, “we are so steeped in ideology and propaganda that we have lost a basic sense of empathy with life and nature”
How timely Andy, my friend and I just had that same discussion with a local reporter. We have gradually normalized so much crap, the human stuff is all but lost and with some people never to be realized.
And I thank you Andy for your comments.
Posted by joe of maine from on 06/25 at 03:01 PMAndy’s #12 draws deep from the Wisdom Well. That’s the less-flashy cousin of Wishing and Oh.
101 degrees in Texas, MZ? What’s not to like? Hope you get some relief. http://tinyurl.com/6d4jg6
Lucky #13: The world can’t be all bad if opiate-hammered wabbalies (sic...and captcha sez ‘stood’) make the news. Here’s the soundtrack http://tinyurl.com/czcfob
So, Who Gets Shot If The Home Team Loses? Dept: http://tinyurl.com/mucecc
Greets out to all the Expendables.
Posted by Zen Prole from Pac NW on 06/25 at 05:45 PM“What do you do” is a perfectly fine question, it’s how one answers that’s the issue. Perhaps we answer too often on the terms of the person asking the question ("I have such-and-such a job” or whatever). The question is an opportunity to say what we’re passionate about. Over there on the right-hand column of this page MZ tells us in one sentence that his life revolves around: writing, martial arts, veganism, and Michele. And even if we didn’t know, the self-educated indicates a likely anti-establishment, anti-indoctrination slant to “what he does”. I wish I could be so succinct about who I am and what I’m passionate about.
Anyway nothing tops Derrick Jensen: what do you love?
Posted by keir from Krakow on 06/25 at 06:11 PMWALLIBE—TIE ME KANGAROO DOWN—SPORT --
ditto .to Andy’s posts—hello ZEN—KEIR—JAMES ..JOS JOE, JOS .. MICKEY ..MIKE ..—LOVELY HELGA .. BOB T.. --(fellow FLORIDIAN)..—did u all make the ROLL CALL ??? ..i see MICHAEL JACKSON has now joined US .. FULLY EXPENDABLE .. rest his soul..
http://tinyurl.com/5na5yv I GOTTA BE MR ... king of “cool” SAMMY DAVIS jr..
http://tinyurl.com/kvx4zt roy clark parodies “ THE GREAT PRETENDER
http://tinyurl.com/l9hc38 pffft.....u were gone.....
http://tinyurl.com/mvo5tn IN THE TRILOGY OF DEATH—FARRAH *** WENT SECOND ---------- CLASS ACT—she made me sweat in my younger years—CRY—LAUGH—and .. at the END ... PRAY !!! THIS IS IN TEXT
richie
Posted by Richie from st james city, FL on 06/25 at 10:19 PMTHE KING OF POP AT 12-13 ..... MICHAEL HIMSELF ..
I GOTTA BE ME ..
captcha sez ......L*I*F*E** ...and what do UUU do ??????
Posted by Richie from st james city, FL on 06/25 at 10:25 PMOK
WHO R U?WHAT DO ¨ DO .. ?
HOW MANY TOILETS ??
HOW MANY OCCUPANTS ..
HOW MANY TV’S
HOW MANY PHONES/CELL PHONES ..?
CARS??
REFRIDGERATORS—BEDS—STOVES .. MICROS??
........................CENSUS 10’ USA IS COMING TO A SPACE NEAR UUUU..
WHAT WILL UUUU SAY ?
A LADY I KNOW QUITE WELL .. AND U MAY TOO .. SHE’S MY SUMMERTIME US HOUSE OF REPS ..
http://tinyurl.com/lkkgwp michelle bachman .. from the 6th..
http://tinyurl.com/lp49lm my buddy ian mcclagan ... original small faces .. then rod stewart & faces
Posted by RIchie from st james city, FL on 06/26 at 12:58 AMThanks again, everyone. I feel confident that Dad has turned the corner into a better direction.
FYI: I just put up a new post.
Posted by Mickey Z from Deep in the heart on 06/26 at 09:21 AM
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