Free For All in General

Free For All

“See you there with your Cheshire grin I got my eyes on you
Shake your tail feathers in my face and there’s no tell in what I’ll do
Well looky here, you sweet young thing: the magic’s in my hands

When in doubt, I’ll whip it out.
I got me in a rock ‘n roll band It’s a free for all…”

Well, since last we conversed, I finished another trip around the sun. I am now officially an old man.

Still working at Wally World. Closing in on three months. I don’t know how long I can do it. The last three days at work I walked an average of 23000 steps. Just over 10 miles.

That was no big deal at 25. At sixty I am feeling it.
Good news is I am probably in the best shape I could be at this age. I am still losing weight like crazy.

6’3’ and 215. I haven’t seen 215 in 20 years.

I ponder the idea we “Magnificent Seven” had on cruise in ’99 – that we would run a marathon on the treadmills on the Flag bridge of the Constellation.

We didn’t, but it was an idea. Running into the sun from Australia to Hawaii lost its luster when we were crossing time zones day by day. I spent most of that time reading, dealing with message traffic, prepping for briefs, and looking forward to getting the fuck off the boat.

I have an excel spreadsheet that tracked my treadmill mileage and weight workouts. It fell off abruptly November ’99. I never really got back on it. Something about prioritizing relationships and work over mileage and hoisting iron. Live and learn. I could preach it all day long and millennials will figure it out when the cross the 60 year threshold.

Closer and closer to getting the studio set up. Unfortunately I am going to have to dump a shit ton of money on more software. I guess I just have to do it. I have money in my savings (set aside as the down payment on the condo, or an RV.)

It remains a truism, you can’t make money without spending money.

I would love to be able to buy one of those Mercedes RVs and live all over the country. Set up the studio in the back of the RV and move around. I would love to visit the PNW again, but other than nostalgia I have no reason to go back there.

I have a love/hate thing going on with work. I am being well paid to exercise and listen to audiobooks. The Sun/Mon shift managers I refer to as “The Demotivational Twins.” F is a silly little midget who threatens and demands and tells the shift we suck and are useless.

Then there is M, I really don’t know his name because he just showed up one day and started barking orders.

They are both paper tigers.

I intimidate them. They are polite with me one on one.

The other three days are L and J. I don’t know J’s name because I was never introduced, and the shift managers don’t wear name tags.

I look back at my time in the military and realize how fucking superior we were. I don’t think that is the case anymore. But I can remember when our concentration was on combat effectiveness and lethality instead of gender pronouns and LGBTQ+ awareness and climate concerns.

Russia and China do not give a fuck about your pronouns.

Never before have I turned on you
You look too good to me
Your beady eyes, they could cut me in two
And I just can’t let you be

Well, it’s a free for all, and I heard it said
You can bet your life
Stakes are high and so am I
It’s in the air tonight
It’s a free for all

Last updated August 11, 2022