Posted by user DVariant on Reddit. Found it appropriate.

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Category: People

First shift at the new job. Smaller dining room, patio, get it all set up and wait.

And wait.

And wait. 

And - before you know it - time to close. A complete and utter shut-out. Not a single walk in or reservation. 

Next weeks schedule - only 2 shifts. This pleases me, but - if they're shut-outs as well my income will be at best precarious.

So, as bad as the other job was perhaps I should have stayed put...

Nope. Nope nope nope. Time now to get on to other things, and this puts the fire under my ass...

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Category: Blog

I've seen this a few times, and every time find more to appreciate in it. A film that tells the story of Faust while itself being the story of Faust, while as well touching upon the themes of Dorian Gray and Phantom of the Paradise and Frankenstein as well. Brilliantly both Satirical and observant, ironic, touching - and - while appearing at first glance to be dated, not a little bit, not at all...

And - little observation - but is it possible - that the Phantom was the inspiration for Lucas's "Darth Vader"? I mean, compare the costumes...

This is a masterpiece that gets better every time I watch it.

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Category: Film

The last few days, murder. Slower and slower. Quiet days, a table at a time, maybe 2, nobody spending money. Evenings, when you've just resigned yourself to leaving, getting out of there early, the last feverish trickle of people - scattershot, my income, still good, OK, mediocre, dropping off....

Spend your mediocre tips buying the regulars you liked drinks, their meals, you'll see them again in Nelson. 

Finally, 1 day to go - and it drags. At 6:00 it's sunny, the weather's turned, there's a few tables on the patio, a few inside. Maybe the day will go late? Today's not the day to go late. A giant pink "furry" shows up at the door - it takes a few for the penny to drop, my Son, with his rave costume, found in a theatrical free pile....

Rushing the night, customers leave - the much anticipated 8:00 close might just be happening, the night, quiet - then enter a couple of bikers. 10 to 8:00. And for the first time it's "Sorry guys, tonight's an early night, take out only", and they get it, the place is empty, and we finish up and head out.

My last day. The staff - kitchen - and I, my son, we're all heading up a mountain - somewhere up past Kaslo, there's a Autumn Equinox party, I've bought the tickets, it's been years since the last gathering and no one in the Kitchen has been to one - no one, that is, except for Sean, but Ken, Chris, they've never been, and heard so much...

We follow the directions, out of town XX KM, then up the FSR, road connects to road, left, right, clocking the mileage on the odometer, never certain, and it's pitch black outside, the logging roads grow muddy, slimmer, slimmer, alongside cliffs and with no turn-arounds, could there really be a rave up here? It seems impossible, and we're second guessing every turn, when finally, crossing a muddy ditch we hear the music, find it.

A cut-out in the side of the mountain, cabins (who lives up here?), we're half an hour, more, 45 minutes off the highway, high up, it's cold, there's a rainbow haloed full moon shining, park the cars for our little convoy, walk down a muddy track and find the rave. 

It's a small party, maybe 20, 30 people, a DJ booth, lightshow, music, chill-down sofa, art shop, it's every other rave I've ever been to, only at a 20th the scale, but it's good.

The party begins. People chat. Dose up. Things get funny. Sean, he's spied a girl he fancies, gave her a dream-catcher he made. And then Chris, the 'shrooms kicking in, begins to hand out crystals to people he likes, all the girls, best not to be too picky, and it's pissing Sean off, he's undermining Sean's good work. Everyone's tripping and having a good time and the music, it's fine, moving through you, mighty fine. A man stands up, grey haired, youthful, 40's I'm guessing, tears off through the underbrush, off a cliff, everyone gasps - and then a moment later he's there again, climbing back up the cliff, he's fine, just fine, and standing close to the fire, too close, and the circle closes, shoos him away, ... don't need any crazy shit just yet...

Sean, Chris, Ken, they head back to the cars, need to get more beer, Ken is jumped by the guy, same guy, shouting "I Hate You! YOUR POOR!! I HATE YOU", they manage to pull him off, tell me about it laughing...

Time for me to head back to the jeep, top up my tequila, and - behind the jeep, totally naked and on his knees, is guy...: "I am a rich man! I own a cafe! I could buy all of you! I would do ANYTHING for a dollar!! I would suck your cock for a dollar!!!!", he's doing some sort of penitence, I think for a moment that he's been tied down there - restrained for his own good. There's a crowd gathered watching him, discussing what to do. Someone proposes wrapping him in a carpet, dropping him down by the highway, but that's a long drive. I ask what triggered him. 1 tab of acid. Bad trip. Hmmm. I ask if there's any more of it, but no one finds it funny...

I approach him, briefly, he's right behind the jeep, It'll be impossible to sleep with him there ranting, it's the same loop over and over, like a scratched record, a bad trip indeed. "Don't offer him a dollar..." 1 bystander cautions, "I tried that already. He didn't take it well....". 

Back to the fire, to the rave, everyone has dosed up, Sean, taking too much, his face like rubber, out of it, Chris, ever the fool, giving away his crystals, a pretty girl, his target, asking him how he charges them: "Come with me! I have a charger in my car!!!!", hilariously disingenuous, the girls' not buying it.

And Ken, double dosed, now becomes the self appointed security guard, dressed all in black, checking up on everyone every 5 minutes, "You OK?", walking everyone to their car, protection against the raving acid-crazed lunatic that's roving these alpine woods...

My son, back in his car, finds the lunatic sprawled on his windshield while trying to roll a joint, he's still raving, clawing at the glass, the boy, on his own journey made none the better by this show, then - later returning to find the lunatic has taken to letting himself into another person's jeep, writhing and screaming naked, pulling on the blankets, the owner, a hippie, outside pleading with him to get out: "C'mon man, please get out...."....

The night passes, I'm exhausted, have been all summer, but now, 22 hours awake, 10 of them working, I'm done. Sleep. 

The next morning, sun over the peaks, we're high up, everyone sleeping, a polite spirit dog by the name of "Loki" begging for pepperoni, time to go. Down the mountain, the road worse now that you can see the drop offs and cliffs, to arrive at the highway, to find your way to Kaslo, grab coffee, then on back to Nelson...the rain is gone, a blue sky, work is over, it's going to be a beautiful day...

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Category: Blog
  1. Notice
  2. The Vaccine Passports
  3. "Are you dog-friendly?"
  4. The Demons of Proctor