good morning. Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the Internet. It’s a new month. What with being Friday last night I had a break, Anne made me a great Angus beef burger on the barbe as I was enjoying an excellent edition of Smack down. I’d rate last nights Friday night Smack down a 9. The fries along with the burger were fantastic. Then if that wasn’t enough, ECW was equally entertaining. I rate that a 9 as well. I had 3 hours of excellent smash mouth wrestling. I’m all wrestled out for the long weekend.

I went to bed after wrestling. Anne set my cell phone alarm for me for 7:15 this morning but I got up around 5 dozed off here and there and before long it was 6:30 and I had enough sleep. I’m enjoying my first coffee as the last bit of rain falls on the city. I’ve got enough cash for my breakfast sandwich at Tim’s later this morning it’s right on the way. I could do without that noisy crow out there though.

Last night on the job Melody (nice girl but man talk about all the lights on and nobody’s home, yeesh.) So she’s talking about the money she’s making on her new job at the TD bank. I don’t know what she does there but it sounds like it’s a call center type operation. John Mc D (as I call him) said to me she told him her last cheaque was $1100 for two weeks. I’m either in the wrong industry or I need more money. I could get that kind of money as a security guard. And more if I can get a guards license. Then there’s Nathan my lodge brother at our lodge. He’s a pipe fighter and he’s pulling in $33 hour. His wife is a teacher. Think they are making some coin? Better believe it. So beginning Tuesday, I’m going to put some serious hours on the job. I’m going in for 1-9, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday 4 hours in the morning Friday for 6.5 and next Saturday for 4. That will give me 28.5 hours. Net week, I’m going in for Mon 4hours Tuesday-Friday for 7 hours and skip Saturdays. That will give me 31.5 hours. Now I’m going to work this schedual until the bsm runs out. When it does, I’ll be asking Rob for $12 hour. This itself will only clear me just over $300/week. Not that great considering melody’s $1100 clear in 2 weeks. I think I heard her say to somebody (not for my benefit) she’s getting $21/hr. plus she’s working evenings at Xl. She’s young she can put the hours in. I doubt though in June, Rob will give me $12/hr. I’m going to tell him how it’s going to go. “Rob, I’ve got an offer for a security guard job at $12/hr. As you know everything’s gone up, rent bus pas. Inflation won’t let me work here at $10 hour. It’s just not practical. We both know what my bank is and I’m certainly worth it. I’m giving you 2 weeks to increase my salary to $12/hour. If I don’t see this by the next pay period I won’t be burning my bridges here with Xl but I certainly won’t be working here for Xl either. (I’ll get up to leave) Two weeks Rob, that’s my notice.” But that’s only if I can get the guards license. I’ll get an extra dollar an hour more on my salary in the spring to $11. Right now just working part time, ytd I’ve banked $53,000 bucks and it’s only the beginning of September averaging $6,625/month. I see no signs of that slowing down.

I leisurely went into work feeling alright. Warm out there yesterday. I walked the Jasper Ave way in to see if there was any improvement in the construction going on behind Boston Pizza. I met Will and his friend as I was crossing the street. I got inside and there was the bank report. $1,661. Not bad for just part time I’d think. Linda gave me a contact number (different then the one I had) and I took that down and the bank report figure. I took pat’s old dialer and Mo sat with me. We did HOR and I had $325 the first half. Anne had called me on my break. The last hour I did I think $315 for a total of $640. I think. Top total again but we only had 5 tap shooters on the night. Maybe 10 on the front 20.

Thursday night Anne gave me $5 bucks but earlier she said she needed it to pay the rent but then when I laughed that I had less then a quarter to my name and I just got paid last night she found $20 of, which she said I could have $10. Not enough to buy a book this week but I’ve got my books for August.

Speaking of, which I’m looking at a few fantasy anthologies for next week. If I get any cash. This month is anthology month because it’s usually (September) when WOTF release their annual anthology. Actually I enjoy reading short fiction. I try to buy Analog all the time when I can find it. I seldom read short fiction on the computer. Hard on the eyes. Yes I suppose I could and it’s easy enough to get a print copy for latter. The lights just came on. I can do that to.

So this morning, I’m going to head out there catch my bus at 9am and then into Tim’s for my breakfast sandwich and put the 4 hours in. Mo’s going to ride co pilot with me so it should be a good 4 hours. No donuts again for this shift. We haven’t had Saturday donuts there for a couple of weeks now. That’s what the whole idea of the social fund was to be about. $2 off our cheaque every week. That’s $104 out of my pocket/year. This doesn’t sit very well with the staff anyway. No wonder our attendance is declining. Who wants to work for $8/hr with the cost of everything so high and they take $2 off your cheaque every week?

Well after the job it’s just strait home for me. I’ll try and grab a couple of hours sleep and it’s back to work, on F. I figure I may as well give it the 2nd first re write since I don’t know when I’ll get my W98 computer up and running. Sorry if this reads choppy this morning. I'm still waking up.

Anyway that’s all for now

e. Jim