Every so often we all wonder if we’re in the right place, job-wise, right? Don’t you look at job listings from time to time? Sure you do, even if you like the one you have. Grass is varying shades of green, so we’re always looking on the other side of the fence.
So here you go: $125-150K per year for running six separate estates, all owned by the same family (or LLC, most likely), in three different cities (Franklin, Mich., Aspen and Palm Beach). Basically, you’re at the beck and call of Mr. and Mrs. Moneybags and their adult children, as a combination event planner, food and beverage manager, diplomat, maintenance supervisor, human resources director (“in an environment where everyone is given clear expectations and loves coming to work daily”) and six or seven other full-time jobs, all rolled into one. And you have to be able to travel at the drop of a hat and pay the bills and, and, and…
That sounds like a fat salary until you consider that it’s really a bargain for a family that apparently needs six houses to encompass all their money. On the up side, you’ll learn a lot of interesting things about the Trumps.
The weekend turned out to be 50 percent of one. I’m working pretty much all day Sunday, writing a story and doing other chores, so I can leave early on Friday — I’m hoping to attend the Columbus Dispatch alumni holiday party for the first time in a few years. I’m also hoping not to be detained by the weather; a polar vortex is headed this way, with “frigid air tied up (that) has its origins in Siberia and northern Canada.”
As if Russia hasn’t fucked with us enough as of late.
A story I’m not getting into, because I feel the top of my skull is just barely holding on.
Although you should read this.
This Twitter account is mainly for comic relief.
I have to start writing other things now. It’s snowing like crazy, too. Hello, winter.
coozledad said on December 11, 2016 at 12:13 pm
So it turns out the Reagan shitmonkeys sold us out and handed the US to the KGB.
https://twitter.com/evanoconnell/status/798226660126498817
It’s the new Molotov/Ribbentropp pact, and some of us know where that goes. But some of us don’t read, and some of us have the comprehension of well, people who think NPR is a news organization. Emails, y’know.
Enjoy that ride in the cattle car, suckers.
402 chars
David C. said on December 11, 2016 at 1:23 pm
It’s not what the polar vortex does, it’s what it isn’t doing. http://scijinks.jpl.nasa.gov/polar-vortex/
105 chars
beb said on December 11, 2016 at 2:00 pm
Snowpocalypse has been underwhelming so far. Just a couple inches on the ground here in Detroit. I suppose it’s worse to the north of us, which is why the Rs of rural America hate liberals — we get all the soft weather.
Mike the Mad Biologist wrote an essay on why rural America doesn’t believe the government does anything for them. Asurvey found that 49% did not believe that the VA was a government program. I’m sure similar numbers exist for Medicare. Mike (TMB) suggests it’s because these programs confer help to specific individuals rather then blocks of people. SNAP is for “those” people even those it helps the “Us”people as well.
Exactly what are we going to do about this election. Nearly three million more people voted for the loser than the winner. Russians clearly helped the Rs. FBI director Comey improperly helped the Rs. And states like Michigan are unauditable because of restrictive election laws. Clearly the orange monster is illegitimate.
What’s so funny about SNL’s skit about Walter White being nominated to head the DEA is that it is exactly the kind of “Opposite Day” selection Il Douche would make.
The best Xmas movie of the season so far is an obscure number shown on TMC last week called “It Happened on 5th Avenue.” a faceless bastard called O’Connor is evicting the tenants of a flophouse so he can build a flophouse for millionaires. This was just after the war when they was a serious housing crisis and veterans were getting the short end of the stick. One such vet is thrown out and meets a well dressed man who is actually a bum. He survives the NYC winters by breaking into the boarded up houses of New York swells, living in their houses, eating and drinking their wine and wearing their closes. Hardly have we got past this set-up then a girl enters the house. We know that she’s the daughter of the owner. She’s had a fight with her overbearing father and run off. But catching on to what’s going on (and having a liking for the GI) she pretends to be a homeless person herself.
Things soon go from bad to worse in the view of the original squatter as a couple homeless families are brought in. Then the father finds his daughter. It’s old man O’Connor. His daughter talks him into at least hearing from his squatters. And when things don’t go well she calls in her mother, the divorced Mrs. O’Connor. There’s a lot of nice comedy, the show isn’t terrible preachy. I had to go to bed before it ended but I’m sure it all ended up well. It’s a nice story, and it is set around Christmas. Well written, clever, wise, and nicely acted.
It’s a nice tonicfor what ails you.
2633 chars
Suzanne said on December 11, 2016 at 2:34 pm
Pretty sure McConnell et al are keeping mum because Russia has found some juicy bits in those hackings. Blackmail is a ugly thing but I can’t imagine most of these guys not cowering. Weasels, all.
196 chars
Rana said on December 11, 2016 at 2:42 pm
Suzanne, I’ve had that exact thought. Makes me wonder what skeletons are lurking in those closets.
98 chars
David C. said on December 11, 2016 at 2:43 pm
Never though I would be grateful for Senators McCain and Graham, but they’re stepping up on investigations of the Russian hacking. Evan McMullin has been all over it too. If we’re going to get anywhere with this we’re going to have to make common cause with the few conservatives who might actually care about country over party. If this gets traction, it’s going to get ugly.
376 chars
Charlotte said on December 11, 2016 at 3:17 pm
I have a cousin who does exactly the job you pointed to Nancy — runs a staff of close to a hundred, in several houses, in several states. She’s worked for the same family for ages, and she got headhunted about a year ago — like all rich people, the husband didn’t believe the comps on what her job was worth until she threatened to go work for somone else.
Some snow here — we went to Yellowstone yesterday and saw many fine and handsome animals — then had a hilarious disaster of an attempt to soak in the Boiling River. The Gardner River (into which the BR flows) was running high with snowmelt, so nothing was mixing — it was either freezing cold or scaldingly hot — and then it snowed an inch and all our clothes were soaked. It was pretty funny in a sort of epic well-that-didn’t-work-how-we-thought-it-would kind of way.
836 chars
beb said on December 11, 2016 at 3:38 pm
Suzanne and Rana: You’re still thinking like a Dem. The Republicans don’t have any need for blackmailwhen it comes to acquiring and maintaining power. Trump is in power and they will ignore anything that suggests he is an illegitimate president. McConnoll is an immoral person who’s one believe is power.
That this whole election deserves to be done over will never cross their mind.
386 chars
basset said on December 11, 2016 at 5:05 pm
anyone have a recommendation for a GPS app for my iPhone? Been using GPS Drive and MotionX GPS but they’re shutting down this week.
Took Mrs. B to see Herman’s Hermits last night at a “resort” in SE Indiana. Enjoyed it immensely, had a nice dinner, never set foot in the casino or wanted to.
296 chars
BethB from Indiana said on December 11, 2016 at 5:39 pm
Basset, is Waze available for the IPhone? We use it on our Android systems. You can connect via bluetooth and it will talk to you, or you can just follow its step-by-step directions (if someone else is monitoring your phone).
227 chars
nancy said on December 11, 2016 at 5:49 pm
Basset: Google Maps. I use it for everything.
45 chars
Sherri said on December 11, 2016 at 6:21 pm
Google Maps incorporates Waze data. I find that Google Maps estimates on best route taking into account traffic are pretty good, though that may be a local phenomenon. We have really good measurement of traffic around here.
223 chars
Dexter said on December 11, 2016 at 6:27 pm
Snow, winter…but in summer too. I just took out the garbage and recycling tub for Monday morning pickup curbside. I got the tub halfway out to the curb using my method of sledding it along the sidewalk and pushing it with my cane, when the neighbor saw me and ran to me and grabbed the tub and set it to the curb. Nice gesture, although it is very easy to slide a plastic tub 20 feet…but this is the same family from which came a younger man last summer walking towards me and offering to take command of my lawn mower and finish mowing for me…gratis. I was so stunned I turned him down…what the hell? I thought. I came inside after the latest kindness and told my wife those damn people must be missionaries and are up to no good. Yep…I am a cynical old man now, for sure. Help an old man? Who in the fuck does that shit? …does make me feel sorta Christmassy though…y’know what I mean? 🙂
912 chars
Dexter said on December 11, 2016 at 6:28 pm
Time for the 6:30 news…what next, after the Exxon-Mobil takeover of State?
76 chars
Deborah said on December 11, 2016 at 6:47 pm
Three and a half our opera movie report: it was fantastic! It was “Tales of Hoffmann” by Offenbach. The production was done at the Royal Opera Theater in London. The music was out of this world, acting was superb, costumes were unbeleivable. It had everything, comedy, passion, seduction, drama, tragedy, surprise ending. The movie was very well done. Glad I went.
Off to Abiquiu for a few days.
398 chars
Deborah said on December 11, 2016 at 7:36 pm
Hour
4 chars
Sherri said on December 11, 2016 at 8:48 pm
Many Republicans would prefer to argue the Obamacare markets were already in their death throes before they took charge — the question is whether they can get away with it.
“The first question I think they’re trying to figure out is, do we actually own it for 2018?” said one health care lobbyist, speaking on background. “If premiums spike and plans exit, can we still blame it on Obama and get away with it? That’s one of the threshold questions that I don’t think they’ve answered.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/republicans-mission-save-obamacare-232422
596 chars
basset said on December 11, 2016 at 8:54 pm
Turns out Waze is available for iOS – will try it, thanks.
Don’t like Google maps compared to GPS Drive. No directional arrow, too cluttered and hard to read. Even worse compared to MotionX GPS, the walking version – can’t, for example, map my walk around the neighborhood and find my distance. Or maybe I can and just don’t know how, the fact that it’s not obvious says something right there.
401 chars
Sherri said on December 11, 2016 at 11:00 pm
Don’t regulate. Don’t enforce the regulations you have. Starve the agencies charged with addressing the problems. Deny climate change.
Watch Houston flood: https://projects.propublica.org/houston-cypress/
Reality has a liberal bias.
239 chars
Kaye said on December 11, 2016 at 11:39 pm
Bassett – I’m a fan of Apple maps which is pre-loaded on the iPhone. I am not big on tech details though so it may not meet one or more of your requirements.
157 chars
basset said on December 12, 2016 at 8:09 am
What I like about MotionX is that you can start at a given point and map your progress, in my case how far I go on my walks… the opening screen says Apple and Google make it too hard to compete, though, so MX will soon be outa there.
235 chars
Julie Robinson ch said on December 12, 2016 at 8:58 am
bassett, I’ve used an app called Map My Ride for bike trips; I just checked and it is available in iTunes. I’ve used the android version so I can’t vouch for it in the Apple world, but I think it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
If not, go to lifehacker.com and do a search. They usually have good reviews of apps based on lots of users.
343 chars
Icarus said on December 12, 2016 at 10:56 am
I do the Red-eye sudoku nearly every day on the El ride to work. Underneath it lists a few things that happened on this day (i.e. Pennsylvania became the 2nd state to ratify the constitution…). Today was also the day the Supremes overturned the Florida lower court ruling for a recount.
What kind of anarchy would we face if enough people were convinced the election was hacked? Our Constitution really wasn’t set up for a do-over
438 chars
Mark P said on December 12, 2016 at 11:26 am
Icarus, even The Donald himself has noted that the Constitution is not a suicide pact. We need to do what needs to be done to save the country. My fear is not that we will damage the Constitution by doing so but that we wil lose the country by not doing so.
257 chars
Scout said on December 12, 2016 at 12:12 pm
Speaking of Twitter, this has gotten quite a bit of attention.
https://storify.com/jbordeaux/a-patriot-game-theory
It’s in the 70’s here (Phx) all week. I’ll take it.
171 chars
Jakash said on December 12, 2016 at 12:53 pm
That’s a helluva screed you linked to, Scout. Bracing and perceptive, indeed. As with many screeds, though, it’s very long on what happened and very short on what’s to be done about it. As I read toward the end that he was writing “with great hope,” I was anxious to see his prescription. Alas, there was none. Just determination. “This may be America’s finest hour, as we act together with unshakable resolve to deal with enemies foreign and domestic. We have done so in the past and come out a stronger, more just, more pluralistic nation. We will do so now.” No discussion of HOW we’re gonna do that, on to a stirring tribute to the essence of America, warts and all.
Half the electorate couldn’t be bothered to even vote. Way too close to half of those who did vote managed to see their way clear to backing the Cheeto Fuhrer. The Republican leadership has been completely unconcerned with patriotism, or even simple fair play, for 8 years in the way they’ve opposed Obama, IMHO. I’m not nearly as hopeful as he says he is.
70 degrees for the week sounds awesome, though! : )
1100 chars
Deborah said on December 12, 2016 at 2:10 pm
The high on Thursday is going to be 60, not 70 but not bad. Then it drops a few days later and snow is predicted.
I’m waiting at the Abiquiu PO, and have full cell service so I’m catching up.
194 chars
Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on December 12, 2016 at 3:18 pm
POTUS is wisely taking the “teaching the horse to sing hymns” approach to Healthcare.gov and the incoming administration. As the prisoner in the fable said to the quizzical cellmate about the deal he struck “in the coming year, I may die, the king may die, or the horse may learn to sing.” So why not simply carry on and see what happens when it happens?
https://t.co/X4R4hhC5Fe
381 chars
susan said on December 12, 2016 at 3:45 pm
Scout @25. I saw that last night, but could not read the whole thing. Why do people break up a rant/blog post/op-ed into 140 character bits and then put it on Twitter? Twitter was not set up for that kind of thing. Ugh. I found it impossible to follow it through to the end. Why not post a comment or blog post somewhere?? Sheesh.
330 chars
beb said on December 12, 2016 at 6:11 pm
Sherri linked to a Politico article about how the Republicans won’t be able to just repeal Obamacare. One comment goes “It’s not going to be politically possible to throw 20 million people out on the street without health insurance,” said John Goodman, a right-leaning health care policy analyst. I’ve been hearing this a lot but I don’t know why these people think the Republican party won’t just blow things up. The Rs are insane. Blowing things up is what the base has been demanding.
Do not kid yourself. The Republicans have no concept of self-preservation anymore.
{trails off with incoherent blabbling. Desperately searches for his meds….)
677 chars
Icarus said on December 12, 2016 at 8:13 pm
As BEb said we are in for hell
http://www.politicsnc.com/an-open-letter-to-america-from-north-carolina/
106 chars
Sherri said on December 12, 2016 at 8:50 pm
Kara Swisher takes on the tech CEOs groveling to Trump: http://www.recode.net/2016/12/12/13917982/trump-hair-tech-summit-shame-silicon-valley
Warning: contents of link may burn collaborators.
195 chars
Sherri said on December 12, 2016 at 9:17 pm
Of course BeyoncĂ© hasn’t done a country music song. She’s too popular and famous to be a token.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/12/12/is-beyonce-a-country-artist-its-complicated-and-it-always-has-been/
226 chars
alex said on December 12, 2016 at 9:32 pm
Cheeky good fun!
And you stand to get $600K when the hot mess they serve up lands in your lap.
216 chars
Suzanne said on December 12, 2016 at 10:19 pm
Apparently, the CEO of Exxon will now be Sec of State. Of course. Putin really likes him. Better start learning Russian, Comrade.
I figured his meeting with Romney was just to torture him much like a cat plays with its prey. Trump has no attention span but he never forgets a slight. Fiorina has been talking to Comrade Trmp, too. He loves luring people in to see them grovel.
I heard an interview with Megyn Kelley over the weekend. Impressed? Nyet! She went on & on about the horrible harassment from the Trump camp but then later, she met with Trump and he was nice, so it’s all good. She’s still a little mad, but she can work with him just fine…
663 chars
alex said on December 12, 2016 at 11:35 pm
I just read a piece about how Ms. MeGYN had bigger balls and more serious claim to journalistic creds than anyone else in the media in dealing with Trump. Yeah, right. She knows where her bread’s buttered.
205 chars
Dexter said on December 13, 2016 at 1:43 am
Tom Brady, Wolverine via Bay Area Cal, on to Boston to star for the Patriots NFL team, husband to the richest model in the world, Giselle…and now he’s the oldest position player in football, still what he calls “pliable”, and he subsists on exact measured quantities of foods and liquids. This is how he stays young enough to now be considered the greatest quarterback of all-time. Hard work pays off. That pre-game story of the 10 year old boy, suffering from brain cancer and dying, who had Brady’s #12 surgically carved into his skull during surgery wrap-up got to me…badly. Not a feel-good kind of way either. SU2C.
626 chars
Judybusy said on December 13, 2016 at 10:00 am
The Exxon CEO appointment is so disturbing. How could Tillerson’s business interests not influence policy towards Russia? Russia just got a whole new lease on life. I suspect sanctions will be lifted, and Russia will be allowed to do whatever it wants for the next four years.
276 chars