[quote]Olzon is a natural blonde, but colored her hair black upon joining Nightwish.[5] During the Summer festival season, Olzon dyed her hair auburn; although more recently she has returned to her natural blonde hair colour. She has stated in interviews that she gets bored very quickly, therefore she likes to dye her hair on a regular basis. Since joining Nightwish, she also had her right eyebrow pierced and tattoos done on her left forearm [which says "Leave Me Alone"], the left side of her chest and collarbone [a treble clef], a small heart upon her right wrist and a tattoo down the left side of her back, which is titled "Songbird".[/quote]







Doesn't quite look the part does she?

I missed my own going away party yesterday. In fairness, it was a surprise party, but I felt horrible. Story of my life - showing up late, spending time with myself, not paying attention. Oh well - my life is going well now, I shouldn't feel like I'm about to go to a funeral.

I am theoretically going to be working 14 hour days at the new job in London, so this may be the last you hear from me for some time. Please keep in touch!

I am trying to get myself sort of psyched up. I've been thinking negative thoughts. Either that or wild fantasies about being successful. Realistic happy thoughts! Realistic happy thoughts!

 My parents are getting divorced. This has been coming pretty much as long as I can remember - probably from before they got married, really. So no one is surprised. My Grandma is pissed shit, and I'm basically with her in thinking they could have dealt with their relationship a lot better. (That's a rather charitable rendition of her considerably more cranky view.) I don't know about my siblings. I'm a bit worried about my 14 year old sister. I also worry about my parents. Can they take care of themselves? I just want everyone in one piece where I can see them and I'm happy. If I don't think people are taking good care I may need to start barking. Sometimes I don't know if I'm big enough to bark anymore, if I'm strong enough. Maybe I just haven't needed to. 

Srsly there are so many practical issues in life that you need people for. This opens up so many unknowns. Maybe things will work better. But they're awfully sanguine about it. I had a nightmare about my Dad getting hurt yesterday. I'm not entirelly happy. And I want to be back home dealing with this shit and helping my sister - although of course, I have nothing to do back home. 

Stressed. I have to apply to grad schools, get into my new job, and I've got John D coming out to London. I'm worried he's going to distract me. He seems like a nice guy but in the past he's been ludicrously disrespectful, just ignoring your opinion when he thinks its wrong, even about your own life. So I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing. The job mostly is intimidating and coming at a time when I don't really have full attention to give it. Well we'll see. 

Hey, maybe I'll get laid in London. That would be unique. My goal of getting laid in Poland was a failure. 

 Weeeeeeeeeeeee. 

Got offered a job in London doing Financial Analysis. I'm scared shitless. There is no way I am qualified to do this job. I hope they understand how much on the job training I'll be doing. I really want the job - apart from how cool it is, I've realized I really like Spreadsheets. Who knew? 

I think this job will involve lots of 60 hours weeks and lots of not being flakey. I think if I just go in and work and be honest I'll be OK with myself. As long as this ADHD medication I just started holds out I should be fine? 

We're trying to get my boss/coworker M out there. She has some kind of personal problem out here and jerks are keeping her from leaving. Jerks! 

My social skills, never good, are abysmal right now. It is costing me. I'm also not really realizing shit is important, not really getting that adrenal "man, I gotta pay attention to this feeling." 

Anyway. I'm trying. Trying to be more honest and live less in my little fantasy worlds. No, I am not the first lesbian President of  the United States. (where did I get this one?) I'm not a big shot investment banker. I can't do PAoC style. I'm just trying to get through shit. 

The economy seems to be sort of disasteriffic. I can't claim to be a real Finance guy, but I hang out with them. I can't believe that there isn't a cleverer, more fair way to deal with the current mess. The legislation doesn't really address the main issues of pricing and who gets a bail out. I'm particularly pissed that Hedge Funds and the like might get a piece of the bail out - it should all go to banks. And the Treasury secretary should be required, not just empowered, to take an equity stake in the companies he bails out. 

Does anyone else look at the little ads gmail gives you? Its sort of weird looking at what people think you'd like to buy. For example, I'm currently seeing "WallStreetPrep.com" and "Howtounderstandmen.net". I guess those are things which someone thought I needed help with. 

I am so going to end up back at my parent's house having taken a bunch of their money for this half assed adventure. I'll whack off to asian porn and wonder when I'm going to stop wasting my life. 

That said, its pretty incredible if I can make it work. 

Still in Poland. Now getting paid. We'll be going to Turkey on Sept 15 for a few days then we'll see where we end up. Ideally I'll be in Turkey after that. Coming home would be nice though, I miss everyone. Not sure what I'd do though.

I really, desperately want to apply to Grad School. I gotta get moving on that.

I have some kind of eye infection which is not going away quickly enough. Eye drops, work faster!

Got a lot of work to take home but first I need some goof off time. I'm going a bit mad. I'm not good at going out and meeting people and with no video games or even reading for a few days cuz of the eyes I am getting a little mad. Maybe I'll play some games tonight. Or download some porn. Which seems really unappealing, but on the other hand I'm pretty fucking horny.

Business is fun. I kind of suck at it, but its interesting.

So what's up with you all?

Haven't been in contact with anyone much lately. News:

My job started paying me, hurrah. I have a new place to go witht he pay check. It is pretty damn nice. I kind of feel like a king, honestly, just having a bed is so so nice. Yeah, yeah, I know how that sounds, but that's how it is.

Having some nasty eye problem. My eyes hurt, they itch, they're strained, and they feel weirdnear thetear ducts. They also kind of look weird near thetearducts, and have some bruising hereand there. I feel like I've ben punched and poked in the face and spent three nights up reading. I've been embarking on a procedure to clean my eyelids daily with q-tips. It is suggested for blepharitis, which my Dad has and which has me paniced at the moment as well. Its making me realize taht I don't really live my life well. Better diet and more discipline is needed, me thinks.

To avoid using my eyes I am listening to pod casts instead of working. Interesting thing I learned: New AIDS cases on the rise because people can't figure out how to put on a condom. It never seemed that hard. Its like, I know where to buy a condom, I know where my dick is, what's the problem? Also because people are not gettingtested. I should probably do that, not that I've had a lot of high risk sexual activity in my life.

Also reading a "America's Secret War" a history of of the US response to 9/11, what drove it, the Iraq war, et cetera. Its pretty interesting. Focuses on the geopolitics, the logic behind decisions, et cetera. VERY interesting, and I suspect mostly accurate. (on the basis of minimal digging I've done on the internet, so buyer beware.) It focuses on the realities of what was going on in Iraq, Afganistan, et cetera, so it COULD be accurate.  Most of these books seem to want to proceed by analyzing the personality and philosophy of Bush or bin Laden. I can not think of any more useless activity.

I swear, I love history and foreign policy so much. It makes me horny.

Anyway, I'm typing this with my eyes closed, so I'm going to go pretend to work some more now

Work to do, cool folks to email, articles to read, a place to sleep - life is good. Now to keep it like this - plus maybe, you know, a woman and some money. You know, guy stuff.

I'm in Krakow. Just went to Auschwitz actually, a few hours outside the city. Very interesting. It hasn't totally hit me. I was upset as the tour I was on dragged us all back on to the bus the second the Breckinau tour was over. Beautiful sun though, really gave the place a powerful eerery look. Auschwitz is arguably one of the key sites of European civilization - a sort of anti-Wonder of the World. Like any such great place it tells you a lot about the Civilization that created. Its been analyzed as a failure of humanity - true I suppose, but to me its a failure of European civilization. That Europe created the conditions for Hitler by punishing Germany, that the place was never bombed, that the anti-semitism which enabled it to occur had been officially tolerated before the war, all are basically failures of European Civilization. Wrong actions lead sooner or later to monstrous consequences. Everyone needs to lead a good life and our leaders must engage in responsible policy, or  these monstrosities occur.

Anyway, I was exhausted and I didn't get a chance to wander by myself and really connect with the site. So the place hasn't hit me yet. It is pretty horrifying though. Its basically a Murder Factory. The Nazis went about torture and murder the way Walmart goes about procuring goods. You see vast piles of shoes, combs, eye glasses - you can't help but think about all those eyes who needed the glasses. All of these personal belongings were recycled in some way - no point in wasting them. The details humanize it, keep you from totally abstracting it. You also see some of the Nazi's cheap torture devices, like the starvation chambers. Those who weren't killed were "Dehumanized" in various ways, changed from individuals into human shaped objects, as the tour guide put it. So it is pretty bad stuff! But again I think it is essential viewing.

Most people there did not really seem to be being that effected by it. People were silent and shuffled through the tour. Some people engaged in a bit of normal polite banter or kidding around or whatever, when it wasn't totally inappropriate. No one seemed to be crying or anything (although I almost did once). The whole thing was pretty subdued. There was one group of young Israelis who had like a million flags. That was kind of a cool thing to see.

Otherwise Krakow is cool. Good tourist spot if you're swinging through Europe. Lots of stuff which is not depressing. Lots of young people from different countries getting sloshed. I've heard several unrecognizable languages. Also very recommended for those of you who are Catholic as the Catholic here is pretty fucking intense.

I'm sort of exhausted. I was living in my boss's house for a while but I had to leave because the place got kind of trashed by the roofers. I'm hoping it will be better. I don't really have any other bed to sleep in. There are a few roofs I can sleep under. And actually there's a bed up way on the North Side of Warsaw I guess I could use occasionally. But basically, I'm getting truly sick of bouncing around. Also, I smell like ass and my back hurts a fucking lot. I need to start taking better care of myself and planning shit better so I don't get off on these journies. This trip was really half assed and it kind of felt like penance when I started. I should have planned the whole trip carefully and come down here for a bit longer when I had more energy. So anyway, I hope my boss's house is back. I'm not sure what I'm going to do otherwise. Or what I'll do when he gets back and reclaims his residence.

Business is half assed. I'm kind of astonished at my laziness and immense horror at actually engaging and doing any work. In fairness, forcing yourself to work when you're miserable and unhappy with your situation can be a bit  tricky. I suppose the trick is to think up a way to change your situation, eh?

So how are all of you?

It’S dispiriting indeed to watch the United States financial system, supposedly the envy of the world, being taken to its knees. But that’s the show we’re watching, brought to you by somnambulant regulators, greedy bank executives and incompetent corporate directors.

This wasn’t the way the “ownership society” was supposed to work. Investors weren’t supposed to watch their financial stocks plummet more than 70 percent in less than a year. And taxpayers weren’t supposed to be left holding defaulted mortgages and abandoned homes while executives who presided over balance sheet implosions walked away with millions.

Over the course of this 18-month financial crisis, we have lurched from land mine to land mine. Last week’s was all about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the giant government-sponsored enterprises set up to provide affordable housing across the nation. By issuing debt, these shareholder-owned companies guarantee or own more than $5 trillion in home mortgages. Got that? $5 trillion.

Because the federal government established the companies, investors view them as backed, at least implicitly, by taxpayers. And that implied guarantee is what drove Fannie and Freddie’s business models.

The advantages the companies gained from this unique arrangement were huge. They had to keep less cash on hand than traditional lenders, for example. They also made more money on their mortgages than lenders because they paid less to borrow money in the bond market. These profits enriched Fannie and Freddie shareholders over the years and bestowed significant wealth on the companies’ executives.

Now it looks as if the bill for that largess is coming due. Of course, it will be borne by the usual bagholders: United States taxpayers. You and me.

-Fair Game: A Bill Coming Due

see also: Protected by Washington, Freddie and Fannie Grew, How Fannie Mae Works

Since _____ nationalized state dept incurred during the revolution, getting rich at the expense of the tax payers has been something of a US national sport. Bush and Clinton have been particularly gleeful in encouraging it. Which is fine, frankly, I don't mind the rich being rich as long as the rest of us are doing ok. But it seems like whenever the rest of us need something it becomes a society of individuals, with the free market the order of the day. Can't afford insurance? Die. But there's always plenty of money for the powerful and well connected.

For those who are wondering what the hell the big deal is: Basically, these guys guarantee 5 trillion worth of loans. If they outright fail, the US financial system could go. But if the US nationalizes them, that adds 5 trillion in obligations to the US taxpayers, to the 9 trllion we already have (largely from Reagan) all in one swoop. That's just a lot of money.

Its not all Kleptocracy of course - to some degree, Greenspan (and Bush, and a lot of other people) were just incompetent.

Obama Supporters on the Far-Left Cry Foul

I'm not sure what to make of Obama. I don't know how much what he does right now really means. And you know, the country is in shit shape, inheriting the Presidency after Bush will not be such a picnic. (that's why they let a black man or a woman do it, a cynic might say. Really, I just think the wealthy elites who run the show stopped caring about anything except money.)

I recently read Waiting for the Barbarians and it kind of knocked me on my ass. Such a powerful book. And I think its basically where we're headed now.

As long as I'm on a link a thon, I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez's speech to the Nobel Academy:
"The statue of General Francisco Moraz´n erected in the main square of Tegucigalpa is actually one of Marshal Ney, purchased at a Paris warehouse of second-hand sculptures."
They do look rather similar.

~

I continue my obsession with what to do for a career. It has not occured to me yet that I might actually put some more effort into my current job and make a career in renewable energy. In truth I can barely pay attention to my work. Perhaps I'm just insane (likely). Perhaps business is just boring. Perhaps I am spoiled and deserve grim death, as I sometimes think.

I'd love to be a History prof, but I don't know if I could do it. And its a long road - probably 10 years from now until it happens. So really, I wouldn't be deciding to be a Professor, I'd be deciding to be a graduate student. The harder part is that I'd have to find a mediocre local Master's program. I'd have to make sure I could do something with just the Master's Degree in case I can't get into a PhD program. Then I'd likely have to go wherever I got into grad school. And I'd have to acquire quite a bit of debt for the MA, probably.

I'm trying to teach myself some programming. Its such a fun thing, in its way, and although its lonely it has its appeal. It at least is understandable. Everything you need is there on the computer, somewhere. That has a lot of appeal.

Business seems incredibly boring and irrelevant, frankly, although perhaps that's mostly my bad attitude. I also have sort of this impression of a business man as someone who works all day and then goes home and is dominated by his wife. My Dad is responsible for that one.

I think its all linked into my feeling really lonely. I feel like if I had some friends and an otherwise good support network, hell, I could do anything. On my own, man, I can't do shit and I'm depressed. That might also steer me away from Academia.

So what about you? What are you guys thinking of?

I was kind of big asshole Areks yesterday online.

I want to go back to the USA and be able to focus. I wish I had better memory and concentration. I wish I weren't so lonely.
 
job thoughts: Currently trying to learn to program. Thinking about going back to school in History. Renewable energies is great business but who wants to be in business?

Just got back to Poland and back to work. Had about 2 weeks in Turkey and a weekend in Paris with family. Turkey was interesting, seeing new parts of the world always teaches you something new.  Turkey is a wonderful place to go to visit. There's incredible amounts of good architecture, wonderful food, and sunshine. Istanbul is an insane city. People everywhere. Insane traffic and infuriating touts. The business meetings were productive but we may end up not wanting to do business in Turkey for various reasons. After Turkey I hit Paris and hung out with my family. It was great seeing them again. Chloe is growing up well. I'm really a family person, and to some degree a friend's person, part of me just wants to go home and live close to them and cultivate more friendships back in California, rather than wandering the earth.

I had some interesting conversations with my family. My Dad told me to get the job I wanted and not make decisions on the basis of my perceived weaknesses or the skills I had right now. Good advice. I kind of want to get back to school and get a History PhD. I've always been happiest reading some sort of non-fiction and I really think Academics might be the right path for me. Its a shame I fucked it up so bad in College and am going to have kind of an uphill climb of things. But that's the dream, honestly. Anyone know anyone who did history? Have any suggestions?  Other  related fields which might be interesting?

Not sure what else I might do. Computer Science and Law both seem attractive but both have their issues. I gotta do something. I feel like I'm someone who needs to have a specialized skill to offer or I will not do well professionally. I don't care that much about money really. I more want a job which will be interesting. And enough money to raise kids and protect my family - this is not a society where its good to be just a normal guy, you have to be able to protect yourself.  I also would like to live close to family and friends, not be moving always. That makes law attractive.

When I was in 9th grade I proved to my friend John D that most people were morons. (it wasn't very difficult to convince him on this point.) I still kinda think that way on most issues. There's so much out there to know, and most people are just so ignorant. The popular political dialogue in America is so misleading and irrelevant, and people have such a poor education.

I think a lot of my trouble is being lonely. I feel so good after seeing my family and talking to many of you online. I'm really a dog, a people person. And I kind of smelled like a dog today. Getting home was a pain. I got delayed by a day getting out of Paris, got a ticket for 100 zloty on the first bus from the air port, missed the next bus by literally 5 seconds and had to wait 90 minutes for the next one, then came home to my house with no hot water, not heat, a really uncomfortable "bed" (seriously), not much in the way of blankets, et cetera. Anyway, my new motto is if you've got 4 legs 2 eyes and 5 dollars you're ok. I really believe that. (although I don't want to say it too much or I might get jinxed) So much of life is stupid bullshit.

(BTW, part of this post was taken from an email to a friend)

Two quick news items:

Some coffee fans get grim delight in Starbucks woes

This seems like a storyline in search of facts. Are Starbucks really closing due to competition from local stores? Most "local" Coffee shops are pretty much Starbucks clones with different decor, anyway. Its not like there are people out there with different, more interesting business models.

At the same news conference, Senator Mel Martinez, Republican of Florida, said: “I don’t think that solar and renewables are any more of an answer tomorrow than opening up more areas for exploration would be,” Mr. Martinez said. “All of these are long-term solutions.”

He added, “In my way of thinking, the most immediate thing we could do to impact prices is consume less.”

-Lawmakers Re-Energized on Energy, New York Times July 9 2008

(sorry no link) This is accurate. Renewables are needed long term. More exploration for fossil fuels has the problem that  oil  (and coal, et cetera) is an international market. Increasing US oil supply doesn't mean more oil for Americans only, it means more oil for everyone. Renewables are great because they're not as sensitive to international market prices - its not like you can up and move a 100 MW wind project because the Chinese were willing to pay a dollar a barrel more.

Has anyone ever stayed in a hostel? Do you need to bring sheets and things?

I think Dresden Codak's "Hob" should be remembered throughout the ages as one of our defining works of art.  The latest strip purports to be talking about Humanity's Sci Fi future, but it could just as easily be talking about America - and the other countries in the American world too, perhaps. The begging to an incomprehensible system, the death caused by a lack of purpose - its all there, I think, if you look.

Had some entertaining conversations with people lately. I think Suzanne got the best line: "I need to marry someone more crazy than me, not less." I still can't think  what she means by that. Unless it was a veiled come on. (you know you don't have to hint, baby.)

I told Irene I was too lazy to work and she said "dude, grad school". It was funny in context.

I'm lonely. Part of it is my personal faults. A lot of it is how much I read, that other people don't. Reading is an alienating activity when you don't read with others.

Career Goals:
Learn Turkish
Learn the biznis world
Learn a lot of history (completed using college credit)
have a homosexual experience (college credit)
Work for the Military, Police, Border Patrol, or other Fascist organization
Join the CIA
Go insane (college credit)
Reshape society in my own glorious image.
Buy a dog.
sleep with a woman who intelligent, beautiful, not too bourgeoise, and who wants babies.
Obtain babies.
..........
Profit!

In Poznan for a few days. We’re here scanning documents. They wouldn’t trust a scanning company to do it because the documents are so sensitive (hi, Igor!) so we have to do it. And we can’t take out the staples, because it would ruin the legality of the documents. And the scanners take a minute to do every page. And we worked 12 hours today. And its hot. And I’m having hemorrhoids. .Whine, whine, whine. They’re all speaking Polish and I’m not really involved in the conversation. It’s a little frustrating. Of course, I don’t feel like I could really talk to them even if I could force them all to speak English. I’ve said too many dumb things about my self, as usual, and anyway, the cultural gap is more significant than you might think. They all went off to old town to eat dinner, I stayed at the hotel, lonely and miserable, but I didn’t see any value in another approach.

 

I’ve been so lonely. /emo.

 

Aaaaanyway.  My female friends seem to be having issues with their love lives. (poor Suzanne got asked about by a Harvard lawyer. Poor Suzanne!) You guys are almost as stupid as we are.

 

Starting to get into work a little more. Business can be interesting and engaging. I really do not want to dedicate my life to this though. Still kind of want to join the military but of course they won’t let me in. It started as a desperation idea but certain aspects of it are very appealing.  So many careers seem so lonely.

 

I feel like I have sort of a bad attitude towards life for a lot of reasons. One of them is my very conflicted attitude towards marriage. On the one hand, I want to get married. On the other hand, the marriages I grew up seeing looked like fucking shit. It seems like once you have a job and kids, you have no life – all of it belongs to the job or the family. On the other hand, really, sometimes I feel like I could do it if things were just a little different.

One thought I've had before: We live in an odd society. I have access to JSTOR, PUBMED, and other resources. I could, from my hotel room, access more knowledge than was in the Library of Alexandria. (well, not the same knowledge, a lot of those books are truly gone for good, leaving us with vast holes in our knowledge of the classical period, but anyway.) But, I don't think I could get someone to hug me. I also can't seem to do well at a job. /wrists. /emo. /lj

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about trying to get some sort of law enforcement job. On the one hand, its a ludicrously stupid idea. On the other hand, why wouldn't you want to do it? Desk jobs make me feel dead. Law enforcement, military, et cetera is the only job where you get to wander around with guns and shit, so that's awesome. I'm also kinda bummed because it looks like my asthma will disqualify me from basically everything. So I'm not sure what to do now.

The obvious answer is to throw myself into this job and try to make it work. And I'm trying. Today I got some things done. I'm getting into it more - but only because I told myself I would quit if I wanted to.

I'm pretty lazy and pretty stupid. I just purchased a 2 week trip to Turkey which I can't afford. The trip itself is not that much, but god knows what I'll be eating for those two weeks. I hope the hostels are fun+safe. There's some substantial business component here. Hopefully that will enable me to get some reimbursement from my boss.

I really need to get a better organizational scheme. I basically have no memory.

Ok, does anyone else think "complain to me!" sounds kinda oddly sexual?

The Slow Dancer Deliberate Gentle Love Dreamer (DGLD) Steady, reliable, and cradling her tenderly. Take a deep breath, and let it out real easy...you are The Slow Dancer Your focus is love, not sex, and for your age, you have average experience. But you're a great, thoughtful guy, and your love life improves every year. There's also a powerful elimination process working in your favor: most Playboy types get stuck raising unwanted kids before you even begin settling down. The women left over will be hot and yours. Your ideal woman is someone intimate, intelligent, and very supportive. While you're not exactly the life of the party, you do thrive in small groups of smart people. Your circle of friends is extra tight and it's HIGHLY likely they're just like you. You appreciate symmetry in relationships. Your exact male opposite: The Hornivore Random Brutal Sex Master Always avoid: The Battleaxe (DBLM) Consider: The Maid of Honor (DGLM), The Sonnet (DGLD)

Link: The Online Dating Persona Test | OkCupid - free online dating | Dating My profile name: : ahl1982

This is startlingly accurate. (when I took the test a few years back I got "the manchild". That was also startlingly accurate.)

So, I'm increasingly enamored of the idea of going back to the states and doing some kind of police or border patrol type work. It sounds like a ludicrous idea for me, but I'd like to give it a try. Its not something I really thought about as a kid - I always thought I would do a desk job - but honestly, I really don't want a desk job right now. I've been sitting behind a computer since Windows 3.11, I need a break. The idea of having some kind of job which involves carrying a gun and being part of a larger organization also appeals to me, honestly. Its ludicrously inappropriate....but then, that's part of why I want to do it. We need more liberals in the Armed Forces. Oh yeah - I tried to join the Air Force but was rejected on account of asthma. There are some less positive emotions here - I'm obviously bad at a lot of the normal office organizational tasks, and I want to get away from work which emphasizes those tasks. Granted, they're omnipresent in our society, but I need to minimize them. So some kind of skill development is called for.

So, obviously, I should give this a month to see if anything changes, and read up and see if it still sounds appealing. I also need to stay at this job for at least another so I don't leave feeling like a failure, and so I get a project done to talk about in interviews. Also, I could probably pick up some basic skills in finance from these folks if I badger them to teach me. As much as I don't want to do finance, it can't hurt. And there's a girl out here I'd like to see a few more times. I think its unlikely to go anywhere but its worth a shot.

But beyond that, is there any point in my staying in Poland? I basically did it because I was a wreck and I wanted to get away. I feel like I've gotten away, I've had some time to think. Its pleasant, and I'm not spending that much money. (remember, its an unpaid internship). But I really am not accomplishing a helluva lot out here.

"This is a crap job. There are still mistakes. We do not ever send anything out with mistakes, never."

It doesn't matter where i am, or what I'm doing, sooner or later, that's what I'm going to hear. There are no good jobs for people who are incompetent.