(Customer in front of me) Did you hear that those McDonald’s workers want a raise from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour? Those people don’t deserve a raise, they can’t even speak English half of ’em. [He says something else and leaves.] (Cashier) It’s ridiculous. McDonald’s probably can’t afford it! You know, so many peopleContinue reading “At the Checkout”
Monthly Archives: August 2013
Nothing Unfinished?
Sometimes I write a post, save it as a draft, and then read it the next day before publishing. Then, I think that it’s completely terrible and rewrite a whole new post. It might cover the same idea, but have none of the same text. So far I’ve published about 75 posts and there are stillContinue reading “Nothing Unfinished?”
Breaking Norms In #Syria
Why not distribute 23 million gas masks to every single Syrian resident? Cost: I could use some help here from anybody with military knowledge. How much would 1 mask effective enough to save the life of 1 person confronted with a chemical attack, cost (approximately)? Assume wholesale pricing, the government is footing the bill. OnceContinue reading “Breaking Norms In #Syria”
On Being ‘Average’
There are girls who lift more than me, and I’ve been training for about two years. I am not strong. I can lift well, but I will never win a meet against other men in my weight class. Why do I keep working at these lifts, night after night, in my sweltering garage after myContinue reading “On Being ‘Average’”
Some Wheels Turn Slowly
There’s this knob underneath my rowing machine that I have to crank from an awkward angle about thirty times, in order to tighten the body. (I fold the rower up after each use to save space.) For the first year or so I always used my right (stronger) hand. Twisting it with my left handContinue reading “Some Wheels Turn Slowly”
It only gets louder.
There is a soft voice inside your head that whispers to you on occasion. It asks questions, and sometimes tells you to do (or not to do) things. You’ve trained it to remain in the background, so it doesn’t interrupt the task at hand. You ignore it easily. There is no way you could everContinue reading “It only gets louder.”
It is a Privilege
How much money is “Fried’s Blog” worth? Just about everyone in the world who is not a blogger, artist, or creator of content would say zero dollars. They’d take one look at the number of followers I have (under 100) and say, “Nobody will pay you a dime until you have a bigger following.” PerhapsContinue reading “It is a Privilege”
“Ladders of Opportunity”
Would you try to climb a rickety, loose, worn down wooden ladder with broken rungs on it? That’s what a factory job is today. In 1940, -50, -60, -70, -80, and even in 1990 you could get a factory job and earn enough money. It might even have included benefits, been enough to buy aContinue reading ““Ladders of Opportunity””
“Everyone Has A Book”
I’ve heard this phrase before. Typically it refers to the notion that there are too many published books. I’ve felt the same way, browsing the aisles of Borders, lost among endless works on specific subjects. Tonight I met a past middle-aged supermarket cashier who told me she had recently written a book. She began itContinue reading ““Everyone Has A Book””
Uncle Sam Was Correct
… to offer your best work. Every day. It’s that simple. We’re not going to make it without you. We’ve gone too far in separate ways. We’re all in this together; the only way to survive is to pull each other up. That’s what the magic of the internet is about; the ability to share withContinue reading “Uncle Sam Was Correct”
Matt Fried 