So, I am here again tonight to expand upon last nights post...so, let's do this Survivor style with a recap and I'll channel some Jeff Probst...
Last time in MY WCKD WCKD WAYS, a post was made about TV's Mike Rowe, the host of Discovery Channels Dirty Jobs. The post chronicled Mike's day of promotional television spots in New York City. As usual Mike Rowe looked HOTT. First up, Good Morning America where the geniuses who host tried to frighten Mike with a fake snake and where Mike shoved half a chicken breast in his mouth in a desperate bid to stave off hunger. Next, Mike Rowe taped an interview with Bill O'Reilly of the Fox News Channel. The contents of that interview will not be revealed until the interview airs at a later date. Finally, Mike appeared on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch on CNBC. It was there that Mike Rowe discussed his 7 Habits of effluent people, a list he said he compiled from his experiences. Mike and Donny concluded that people who did manual labor were much happier than those who spend their days in cubicle farms, pushing paper around. I took exception to this statement and explained why. Tonight, I take it a step further...
It occurred to me, after re~reading my post from last night, that maybe I didn't explain my position clearly, that perhaps I left out some thoughts. So, let's get to it like we are playing for reward.
I brushed on the fact that TV's Mike Rowe generally works with the owners or the crew chiefs at his jobs, not always the simple bottom rung worker. It's easy for someone who owns a company or who's high up on the food chain to be happy in his position. Part of why people are dissatisfied with their jobs, however, has little to do with the actual work, and everything to do with the environment they are working in. How they are treated in relation to how others are treated, how the general morale around them is, and how well they are being compensated for their troubles. Satisfaction doesn't always revolve around being happy with the task you are performing.
It is possible to like the work you do, but dislike the way your boss treats you. Not everyone is the boss's favorite, regardless of what kind of work you do, and watching coworkers being treated in a better way than you are treated doesn't make for a happy or satisfied worker. Likewise, if everyone around you is miserable, odds are you will be too. There are some places that just are NOT happy work environments. You could hate where you work stapling papers together, but take the same job of stapling papers together and move it to a happier place, and you are suddenly the happiest worker on the planet. It has nothing to do with the work and everything to do with the work place.
And compensation. We all want to be paid well and earn a fair wage for the work we do. Sadly, most employers want to minimize their costs in order to maximize profit, and wages are indeed a cost of doing business. Sure, some people make good money. But some people, doing the same job, don't. It's never fun to know that the person sitting next to you, stapling the same papers together that you're stapling, is making more money than you. It makes you angry and dissatisfied. You know you are worth just as much, and vow to find an employer who will show how valued you are. Once again, nothing to do with the job itself, and everything to o with where you work.
I think that TV's Mike Rowe has missed a very important part of the big picture. It's just as easy or that ditch digger to not like how he's treated by his boss and not like what he's being paid for digging that ditch as it is for an accountant.
I'd like to suggest to Mike Rowe that he add a caveat to his 7 habits: "The variable of work environment mixed in with any of these 7 habits can change everything."
Will Lisa continue to expound upon her thoughts and insights culled from over 20 years in accounting? Will TV's Mike Rowe continue to make generalized statements on national TV based on the fact that he's crawled thru mounds of both animal and human excrement? Or will Mike Rowe read Lisa's comments and learn from her experience and insight?
Find out on the next installment of MY WCKD WCKD WAYS!
Showing posts with label Dirty Jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dirty Jobs. Show all posts
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Business is Business....
So, TV's Mike Rowe has been in NYC mucking thru the dirt...going on shows to promote Dirty Jobs.
Yesterday, he was interviewed on Good Morning America, where they had a very lame mechanical snake on the floor...why? I have NO idea. The only host that I knew was Robin Roberts, and I only know her from her reportage from New Orleans during Katrina. I honestly think that the last time I watched GMA, David Hartman was still the host. And yes, I am that old. But, I digress. Mike was his usual charming self, dressed in well fitting jeans, a black shirt open enough at the neck to see a few of those lovely chest hairs, and...brown shoes. At least they weren't those ghastly beige Hush Puppy slides ;) Anyway, the last segment they did was Sarah Moulton cooking chicken in a balsamic glaze. Apparently Sarah no longer has a Secret on FoodNetwork and instead is on PBS now. But again, I digress. They did the cooking segment, and then everyone...and I'm guessing that the everyone's present were hosts, but like I said, I have NO idea who anyone other than Robin Roberts is on that show. So everyone, including TV's Mike Rowe, went over to the food. I have no idea when the last time Mike ate was, but apparently it was not within the last 24 hours before the show. He shoved what had to be half a chicken breast right in his mouth...and then Robin Roberts proceeded to ask him a question and hold a microphone to his face. Mike, keeping his mouth closed, politely declined to speak. Boy was raised right. I think Robin had a little crush though, judging from the way she was salivating over Mike instead of the food :D
Next up....Mike meets O'Reilly. Well...so far all we know is that Mike taped O'Reilly...to be aired at a later date. Now, there are some on djmb who think perhaps Bill will be mean to Mike, but, having seen him interviewing celebrities before, I'm sure Bill got a kick out of Mike slogging thru poo, but was probably more than charmed by Rowe. People who don't watch FNC or OReilly and who only know what their detractors say about them really won't have any clue until they see the actual interview and see how nice Bill can actually be. So, we wait for the air date to be announced.
Meanwhile, Mike WAS on Donny Deutsch's show, The Big Idea, on CNBC. I'm not much of a fan of CNBC to be honest...Jim Crammer is, to me, everything that is wrong with business TV. I will admit to watching Michael Eisner's interview show...but his guests are generally more 'entertainment' oriented than business. Take last night for instance...he interviewed Kenneth Cole (I like Kenneth, but not really his shoes lol) and Vera Wang. I enjoyed the Vera Wang interview and found out that the first wedding gown she designed was her own! But, again, I digress. I haven't watched Donny Deutsch (who I have a special nickname for, but shall keep it to myself) for quite some time and noted that they changed the format of his show. Gone is the big sofa and casual attire on Donny. In are what appeared to be high chairs and a suit on Deutsch. Mike was still wearing the nice jeans...and those brown shoes.
So Donny and Mike discussed Mike Rowe's 7 Dirty Habits for effluent people. These would be 7 'rules' that Mike says he's learned from his experience doing about 200 of these dirty jobs over the last 3 years, things that will make you happier in your job. Now, I don't have to tell you that I do, indeed, like Mike Rowe. I find him intelligent, charming, funny and dare I say he has one of the finer chests on TV. What I don't find him is an expert on business. TV's Mike Rowe has never worked corporate. He's never had to create financial statements from vague information. He's never had to tick and tie a spreadsheet or spent 4 hours searching for a one penny difference. He's never had the company he worked for sold or found himself a victim of down sizing. In short, TV's Mike Rowe is hardly someone who I would turn to for expert advice on business.
So, Donny and Mike began to discuss these 7 habits. Mike talked about honesty, and passion and how he opted to leave the film of himself hurling over the side of a boat in the episode, because it was more 'real'. When you are vulnerable, he offered, it makes people trust you. True that, Miguel. But, then both Mike and Deutsch decided that people with dirty jobs are much more satisfied with their jobs than those of us with white collar office positions, essentially because there are visual cues that tell them they've made progress with the job. Using Mike's example, a ditch digger is satisfied at the end of the day because now there is a ditch where there hadn't been one before.
This, I have to disagree with.
I watch Dirty Jobs, and often times, the person Mike is working with is the boss. That means that if they don't own the business, they are at least the crew chief of the operation. He's not working with the poor schlub who makes $7/hour to haul rocks from point A to point B for 8 hours while the crew chief yells at him to get the lead out because he's not moving fast enough. I wonder what that fellow would say to TV's Mike Rowe if he were to ask him how happy he was with his job? For that matter, I wonder if TV's Mike Rowe has ever asked the 'worker bee' how happy he is?
As for the visual cues, like I said, Mike Rowe has never worked as a paper pusher in an office. I have visual cues all day, every day. When the pile or reconciled invoices is higher than the pile of unreconciled ones? That's a visual cue that I've made progress. When all of the client invoices have been run and the girls have stuffed them all in the envelopes? That's another cue. The billing cycle is over. The work has been done, and done correctly.
There is a reason it's called "work" and not "play". Work is never pleasant, and I'm sure that there are days when even TV's Mike Rowe wakes up and doesn't want to go to work.
If TV's Mike Rowe wants do perform a REAL dirty job....then he needs to work in corporate accounting for a day...
Yesterday, he was interviewed on Good Morning America, where they had a very lame mechanical snake on the floor...why? I have NO idea. The only host that I knew was Robin Roberts, and I only know her from her reportage from New Orleans during Katrina. I honestly think that the last time I watched GMA, David Hartman was still the host. And yes, I am that old. But, I digress. Mike was his usual charming self, dressed in well fitting jeans, a black shirt open enough at the neck to see a few of those lovely chest hairs, and...brown shoes. At least they weren't those ghastly beige Hush Puppy slides ;) Anyway, the last segment they did was Sarah Moulton cooking chicken in a balsamic glaze. Apparently Sarah no longer has a Secret on FoodNetwork and instead is on PBS now. But again, I digress. They did the cooking segment, and then everyone...and I'm guessing that the everyone's present were hosts, but like I said, I have NO idea who anyone other than Robin Roberts is on that show. So everyone, including TV's Mike Rowe, went over to the food. I have no idea when the last time Mike ate was, but apparently it was not within the last 24 hours before the show. He shoved what had to be half a chicken breast right in his mouth...and then Robin Roberts proceeded to ask him a question and hold a microphone to his face. Mike, keeping his mouth closed, politely declined to speak. Boy was raised right. I think Robin had a little crush though, judging from the way she was salivating over Mike instead of the food :D
Next up....Mike meets O'Reilly. Well...so far all we know is that Mike taped O'Reilly...to be aired at a later date. Now, there are some on djmb who think perhaps Bill will be mean to Mike, but, having seen him interviewing celebrities before, I'm sure Bill got a kick out of Mike slogging thru poo, but was probably more than charmed by Rowe. People who don't watch FNC or OReilly and who only know what their detractors say about them really won't have any clue until they see the actual interview and see how nice Bill can actually be. So, we wait for the air date to be announced.
Meanwhile, Mike WAS on Donny Deutsch's show, The Big Idea, on CNBC. I'm not much of a fan of CNBC to be honest...Jim Crammer is, to me, everything that is wrong with business TV. I will admit to watching Michael Eisner's interview show...but his guests are generally more 'entertainment' oriented than business. Take last night for instance...he interviewed Kenneth Cole (I like Kenneth, but not really his shoes lol) and Vera Wang. I enjoyed the Vera Wang interview and found out that the first wedding gown she designed was her own! But, again, I digress. I haven't watched Donny Deutsch (who I have a special nickname for, but shall keep it to myself) for quite some time and noted that they changed the format of his show. Gone is the big sofa and casual attire on Donny. In are what appeared to be high chairs and a suit on Deutsch. Mike was still wearing the nice jeans...and those brown shoes.
So Donny and Mike discussed Mike Rowe's 7 Dirty Habits for effluent people. These would be 7 'rules' that Mike says he's learned from his experience doing about 200 of these dirty jobs over the last 3 years, things that will make you happier in your job. Now, I don't have to tell you that I do, indeed, like Mike Rowe. I find him intelligent, charming, funny and dare I say he has one of the finer chests on TV. What I don't find him is an expert on business. TV's Mike Rowe has never worked corporate. He's never had to create financial statements from vague information. He's never had to tick and tie a spreadsheet or spent 4 hours searching for a one penny difference. He's never had the company he worked for sold or found himself a victim of down sizing. In short, TV's Mike Rowe is hardly someone who I would turn to for expert advice on business.
So, Donny and Mike began to discuss these 7 habits. Mike talked about honesty, and passion and how he opted to leave the film of himself hurling over the side of a boat in the episode, because it was more 'real'. When you are vulnerable, he offered, it makes people trust you. True that, Miguel. But, then both Mike and Deutsch decided that people with dirty jobs are much more satisfied with their jobs than those of us with white collar office positions, essentially because there are visual cues that tell them they've made progress with the job. Using Mike's example, a ditch digger is satisfied at the end of the day because now there is a ditch where there hadn't been one before.
This, I have to disagree with.
I watch Dirty Jobs, and often times, the person Mike is working with is the boss. That means that if they don't own the business, they are at least the crew chief of the operation. He's not working with the poor schlub who makes $7/hour to haul rocks from point A to point B for 8 hours while the crew chief yells at him to get the lead out because he's not moving fast enough. I wonder what that fellow would say to TV's Mike Rowe if he were to ask him how happy he was with his job? For that matter, I wonder if TV's Mike Rowe has ever asked the 'worker bee' how happy he is?
As for the visual cues, like I said, Mike Rowe has never worked as a paper pusher in an office. I have visual cues all day, every day. When the pile or reconciled invoices is higher than the pile of unreconciled ones? That's a visual cue that I've made progress. When all of the client invoices have been run and the girls have stuffed them all in the envelopes? That's another cue. The billing cycle is over. The work has been done, and done correctly.
There is a reason it's called "work" and not "play". Work is never pleasant, and I'm sure that there are days when even TV's Mike Rowe wakes up and doesn't want to go to work.
If TV's Mike Rowe wants do perform a REAL dirty job....then he needs to work in corporate accounting for a day...
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Just When You've Lost Faith In TV...
So it's no real secret that I watch a lot of TV. Well, I shouldn't say that. I don't exactly watch it. Generally speaking, I'm at my desk, typing on my computer, with the TV on in the background. Unless it was Survivor or LOST, I rarely turned around and devoted all of my attention to any particular show. Even Shepard Smith's newscasts did not garner my full attention, much as I love him.
All of that changed when I discovered two "new" shows this past year. I say "new" because both have been on for a while...it just took me this long to find them.
The first one is Psych on USA. How I missed this gem is beyond me. It's about a fake psychic and his partner who work for the Santa Barbara police. Sean may not be a psychic, but his observation skills make him a great detective. Corbin Bernsen plays his father. I actually find him sexy now in a way I never found his Arnie Becker back on LA LAW. This show is more than a who done it. It's witty and funny and sharp. Kind of how Monk was when it first came on. I'm not saying I don't enjoy Monk anymore, but it's lost some of it's zip over time. Psyche is more like House if Dr House weren't always such a downer. Their Christmas episode was great...fresh and funny and sweet. Can't wait for the new episodes in January!
The second "new" show I discovered was Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe...but if you are a dear Constant Reader, you already knew that. I'd seen bits and pieces of the show over time....like the dog groomer episode where Mike, dressed in a fuscia floral shirt, worked on the pampered pups. At the time I flipped around to it I thought "Wow, that poor guy. He's cute, but...yikes!" I also watched parts of the ostrich farmer and the crew cruise. At the time I found Mike somewhat cute and very funny. Had no idea what the premise of the show was. All I knew is that these men were on a cruise, and the guy in the cap found it very funny that the chubby one took a tumble while ice skating. Then, one night, as fate would have it, I came upon the show as it was just starting. They were in a salt mine, and as Mikes narration pointed out, they were going to show some behind the scenes stuff...how they film the show. I kept it on and was truly fascinated on several levels. First off, the fact that the fucameraman stood there holding that camera for what had to be hours at a time (cameraman turned out to be Doug), the idea that this man, with no training whatsoever in this field, would go down into this mine and do the work in there, and the thought that this Mike Rowe was really quite adorable. I enjoyed the show, and after, went to discovery.com/dirtyjobs like Mike directed me to at the end. The rest, as they say, is history. I like the jobs that Mike does, providing insects aren't involved. He brings to the forefront the men and women who do jobs that are necessary, and that we either don't know about, or are glad we don't do ourselves. I also love the fact that he is quick of wit and can easily make me laugh and smile without having to take his pants off. Then again I love the fact that he's not afraid to take off his clothes and that he really does have a beautiful body for a man of his age. That and I'm just a sucker for a beautiful hairy chest *big smile*
Once we get LOST back, and the new episodes of Psych and Dirty Jobs start up in January, I don't know if I'm going to even have time to blog ;)
All of that changed when I discovered two "new" shows this past year. I say "new" because both have been on for a while...it just took me this long to find them.
The first one is Psych on USA. How I missed this gem is beyond me. It's about a fake psychic and his partner who work for the Santa Barbara police. Sean may not be a psychic, but his observation skills make him a great detective. Corbin Bernsen plays his father. I actually find him sexy now in a way I never found his Arnie Becker back on LA LAW. This show is more than a who done it. It's witty and funny and sharp. Kind of how Monk was when it first came on. I'm not saying I don't enjoy Monk anymore, but it's lost some of it's zip over time. Psyche is more like House if Dr House weren't always such a downer. Their Christmas episode was great...fresh and funny and sweet. Can't wait for the new episodes in January!
The second "new" show I discovered was Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe...but if you are a dear Constant Reader, you already knew that. I'd seen bits and pieces of the show over time....like the dog groomer episode where Mike, dressed in a fuscia floral shirt, worked on the pampered pups. At the time I flipped around to it I thought "Wow, that poor guy. He's cute, but...yikes!" I also watched parts of the ostrich farmer and the crew cruise. At the time I found Mike somewhat cute and very funny. Had no idea what the premise of the show was. All I knew is that these men were on a cruise, and the guy in the cap found it very funny that the chubby one took a tumble while ice skating. Then, one night, as fate would have it, I came upon the show as it was just starting. They were in a salt mine, and as Mikes narration pointed out, they were going to show some behind the scenes stuff...how they film the show. I kept it on and was truly fascinated on several levels. First off, the fact that the fucameraman stood there holding that camera for what had to be hours at a time (cameraman turned out to be Doug), the idea that this man, with no training whatsoever in this field, would go down into this mine and do the work in there, and the thought that this Mike Rowe was really quite adorable. I enjoyed the show, and after, went to discovery.com/dirtyjobs like Mike directed me to at the end. The rest, as they say, is history. I like the jobs that Mike does, providing insects aren't involved. He brings to the forefront the men and women who do jobs that are necessary, and that we either don't know about, or are glad we don't do ourselves. I also love the fact that he is quick of wit and can easily make me laugh and smile without having to take his pants off. Then again I love the fact that he's not afraid to take off his clothes and that he really does have a beautiful body for a man of his age. That and I'm just a sucker for a beautiful hairy chest *big smile*
Once we get LOST back, and the new episodes of Psych and Dirty Jobs start up in January, I don't know if I'm going to even have time to blog ;)
Monday, December 3, 2007
Make Me Feel Better...
Blech...I am so sick. I was up most of the night, unable to breathe, and consequently, unable to sleep. When I finally did fall asleep, I woke up a couple of hours later with a migrane, unable to fall asleep again. So I called in sick and went back to bed...where I stayed until 1:30 in the afternoon! I never stay in bed like that, but I couldn't even lift my head off the pillow. I finally did fall asleep, and when I woke up, I was able to eat something and have some coffee, and I felt a bit better.
Then I layed down again, and found out I had a delima. Should I watch Shepard Smith or Mike Rowe? Both were on at 3pm, but who was going to make me smile more and feel better?
The episode of Dirty Jobs contained the infamous geoduck segment...something I'd never seen in its entirity. But Shepard wasn't on Friday, so I opted to tape Mike and watch Shepard.
Turned out Shepard was sick too. Made me sniffle even more. Must be something going around the city LOL
I have to say, I did indeed enjoy Mike and the geoduck more.
There is something just so appealing about a 45 year old man (who happens to have one of the top ten chests in my estimation) acting like a 12 year old boy. He made me laugh and smile :)
And I felt a little bit better, so, thanks, Mike :)
Did I mention I can't wait to get back to bed? Hope I can sleep tonite because I'm out of sick days for the year!
Then I layed down again, and found out I had a delima. Should I watch Shepard Smith or Mike Rowe? Both were on at 3pm, but who was going to make me smile more and feel better?
The episode of Dirty Jobs contained the infamous geoduck segment...something I'd never seen in its entirity. But Shepard wasn't on Friday, so I opted to tape Mike and watch Shepard.
Turned out Shepard was sick too. Made me sniffle even more. Must be something going around the city LOL
I have to say, I did indeed enjoy Mike and the geoduck more.
There is something just so appealing about a 45 year old man (who happens to have one of the top ten chests in my estimation) acting like a 12 year old boy. He made me laugh and smile :)
And I felt a little bit better, so, thanks, Mike :)
Did I mention I can't wait to get back to bed? Hope I can sleep tonite because I'm out of sick days for the year!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
In the Ville...
So I started my Christmas Village...you know...the one I swore up and down I was NOT doing this year under ANY circumstances.
Yep.
That one.
I got all the kristmas krap out of the attic on Sunday, and set it all out. Houses on one table, people and accessories on the other, electrical gizmos to enhance the village experience in between the two. A box of trees here. Bag of mountains there. Lord & Taylor shopping bag full of wires under the table. Styrofoam as far as the eye can see.
Hey, Mike Rowe...want to see a dirty job? Come over to my house and set up my ville...I'm covered from head to toe with ground styrofoam snow, chopped mylar and glitter...two different kinds of glitter, at that! And let's not forget the tackywax! Gotta have the tackywax! Otherwise everthing just sort of topples over from the floor vibrations...and once you have your scene set, the LAST thing you want is for your damn people or your stupid streetlights to topple over.
Yes, as you can see, the Christmas Spirit has filled me.
The end result is usually quite stunning visually. It's not so much the scale of it~compared to others, my village isn't that large.
The devil, as they say, is in the details...and I try to put as many of those in as I possibly can. Alleyways with trash cans, street details like firehydrants and telephone poles, a festive village square. It's time consuming and at times, maddening, but in the end, I guess its pretty worth it.
But I seriously cannot wait to finish.
I missed the first showing of Dirty Jobs tonite...hope I stay awake for the second show. Gotta have my Mike Rowe fix! I hear tonite he gets to sniff diapers...bet he was thrilled ;)
Yep.
That one.
I got all the kristmas krap out of the attic on Sunday, and set it all out. Houses on one table, people and accessories on the other, electrical gizmos to enhance the village experience in between the two. A box of trees here. Bag of mountains there. Lord & Taylor shopping bag full of wires under the table. Styrofoam as far as the eye can see.
Hey, Mike Rowe...want to see a dirty job? Come over to my house and set up my ville...I'm covered from head to toe with ground styrofoam snow, chopped mylar and glitter...two different kinds of glitter, at that! And let's not forget the tackywax! Gotta have the tackywax! Otherwise everthing just sort of topples over from the floor vibrations...and once you have your scene set, the LAST thing you want is for your damn people or your stupid streetlights to topple over.
Yes, as you can see, the Christmas Spirit has filled me.
The end result is usually quite stunning visually. It's not so much the scale of it~compared to others, my village isn't that large.
The devil, as they say, is in the details...and I try to put as many of those in as I possibly can. Alleyways with trash cans, street details like firehydrants and telephone poles, a festive village square. It's time consuming and at times, maddening, but in the end, I guess its pretty worth it.
But I seriously cannot wait to finish.
I missed the first showing of Dirty Jobs tonite...hope I stay awake for the second show. Gotta have my Mike Rowe fix! I hear tonite he gets to sniff diapers...bet he was thrilled ;)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Darn That Smile
So Shepard sucked me back in for a moment tonite. First by referring to his FoxReport and it's new set as a circus tent. Then he gave that darn impish little grin of his and my heart just melted a little bit. Must. Resist. Impish. Grin.
Moving on...it was hotter than the gates of Hades at the office today, giving me reason to believe that I am, in fact, correct, and we do indeed work in a portal to hell. You know what that makes the bossman....
There was a new episode of Dirty Jobs on tonite...but first, there was a repeat of Mike Rowe's second visit to the alligator farm. This time, Jerry took Mike on an alligator egg hunt, complete with real alligators...and fire ants. After seeing this tonite, I have to say I am glad we don't have fire ants in NY. Poor Mike. First the ants got him on his hands and arms. They seemed to gravitate to his armpits and up to his neck, leaving welts in their wake that were at first painful, then itchy. The really bad part happened when they somehow managed to get into his pants. I don't know how much this man makes for this, but I don't think there is any amount of money that could possibly compensate someone for having his manbits nibbled on by fire ants. I'll admit it...I laughed. But I did feel guilty for laughing at his pain. Later on, an alligator tail nailed him once again in the jewels. Guess it just wasn't Mike Rowe's day *guilty smirk*
The new episode took place first at the San Francisco dump. Oh. My. God. You never consider what happens to your trash once you bag it and can it and the dude with the stubby little cigar in the corner of his mouth takes it away. You never think about the people who process your trash. Yes...people actually process the trash. I swear, I felt as though I could almost smell the garbage, thats how disgusting it was. I have to wonder if the Dirty Jobs crew has, by now, lost their sense of smell. Nasty. Nasty. Nasty. They seemed to get a reprieve from major stenches in the second job of the new episode, which took place at an animal sanctuary in Georgia. Well, there was poo, and a pig, but it had to smell like paradise compared to the dump...even when shoveling poo. Well...it was frozen poo. Or so he said...but this is another man who's smile makes me forget why I was grossed out.
Seriously...I need to tie one of these men and keep him at the office, so when I'm sitting there wondering if we are having a group hot flash, they can smile at me and make me forget I'm melting!
Moving on...it was hotter than the gates of Hades at the office today, giving me reason to believe that I am, in fact, correct, and we do indeed work in a portal to hell. You know what that makes the bossman....
There was a new episode of Dirty Jobs on tonite...but first, there was a repeat of Mike Rowe's second visit to the alligator farm. This time, Jerry took Mike on an alligator egg hunt, complete with real alligators...and fire ants. After seeing this tonite, I have to say I am glad we don't have fire ants in NY. Poor Mike. First the ants got him on his hands and arms. They seemed to gravitate to his armpits and up to his neck, leaving welts in their wake that were at first painful, then itchy. The really bad part happened when they somehow managed to get into his pants. I don't know how much this man makes for this, but I don't think there is any amount of money that could possibly compensate someone for having his manbits nibbled on by fire ants. I'll admit it...I laughed. But I did feel guilty for laughing at his pain. Later on, an alligator tail nailed him once again in the jewels. Guess it just wasn't Mike Rowe's day *guilty smirk*
The new episode took place first at the San Francisco dump. Oh. My. God. You never consider what happens to your trash once you bag it and can it and the dude with the stubby little cigar in the corner of his mouth takes it away. You never think about the people who process your trash. Yes...people actually process the trash. I swear, I felt as though I could almost smell the garbage, thats how disgusting it was. I have to wonder if the Dirty Jobs crew has, by now, lost their sense of smell. Nasty. Nasty. Nasty. They seemed to get a reprieve from major stenches in the second job of the new episode, which took place at an animal sanctuary in Georgia. Well, there was poo, and a pig, but it had to smell like paradise compared to the dump...even when shoveling poo. Well...it was frozen poo. Or so he said...but this is another man who's smile makes me forget why I was grossed out.
Seriously...I need to tie one of these men and keep him at the office, so when I'm sitting there wondering if we are having a group hot flash, they can smile at me and make me forget I'm melting!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
How Come Bridezilla?
Since Discovery has seen fit to not show me any Mike Rowe and Dirty Jobs this weekend, despite the program guide I printed out off the website this week, I was left instead to flip around the dial and hope for something watchable.
I found that this morning in the form of Bridezilla's on WE.
I don't know how really "watchable" Bridezilla's is...it's more like driving past a train wreck and having to slow down to take a peek.
Each week, Bridezilla's treats us to two or three women who are stressing out over their impending weddings. "Stressing" being a kind way of saying "bitches on wheels".
I just don't get it. These women scream, cry, threaten, abuse, and generally carry the diva act to new heights....and the men they are marrying sit there and take all of this, then coddle them.
Where do they find these guys?
Is there a store at the mall selling them? Because if there is, I sure as heck have missed it! Maybe they were a Today's Special Value on QVC that sold out while I was sleeping (hmm...Mike Rowe...did you ever sell any of those during your stint there? ;) )
In any event, it just numbs my mind how these high maintenance, highly demanding, overly controlling and conniving women seem to always find these salt of the earth men to cater to them and their every whim.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a woman such as my self who isn't strung nearly as tightly, can't find a man worth diddly.
Maybe if I had the temperament of a spoiled Chihuahua I'd have better luck?
I try not to think about it, but WE seems hell bent on shoving miserably spoiled brides in my face at every turn.
Maybe this is why I find Dirty Jobs to be such a breath of fresh air. No way you'll be seeing Mike Rowe catering to the whimsies of a demanding bride...he'd just toss her into the mud :)
...and have I mentioned he's not too hard on the eyes? Particularly when shirtless? ;)
I found that this morning in the form of Bridezilla's on WE.
I don't know how really "watchable" Bridezilla's is...it's more like driving past a train wreck and having to slow down to take a peek.
Each week, Bridezilla's treats us to two or three women who are stressing out over their impending weddings. "Stressing" being a kind way of saying "bitches on wheels".
I just don't get it. These women scream, cry, threaten, abuse, and generally carry the diva act to new heights....and the men they are marrying sit there and take all of this, then coddle them.
Where do they find these guys?
Is there a store at the mall selling them? Because if there is, I sure as heck have missed it! Maybe they were a Today's Special Value on QVC that sold out while I was sleeping (hmm...Mike Rowe...did you ever sell any of those during your stint there? ;) )
In any event, it just numbs my mind how these high maintenance, highly demanding, overly controlling and conniving women seem to always find these salt of the earth men to cater to them and their every whim.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a woman such as my self who isn't strung nearly as tightly, can't find a man worth diddly.
Maybe if I had the temperament of a spoiled Chihuahua I'd have better luck?
I try not to think about it, but WE seems hell bent on shoving miserably spoiled brides in my face at every turn.
Maybe this is why I find Dirty Jobs to be such a breath of fresh air. No way you'll be seeing Mike Rowe catering to the whimsies of a demanding bride...he'd just toss her into the mud :)
...and have I mentioned he's not too hard on the eyes? Particularly when shirtless? ;)
Monday, November 5, 2007
Withdrawls...
I haven't seen a Dirty Jobs episode since Friday night. I think I am officially having Mike Rowe withdrawals
I just can't help it! The show, and it's host, are addictive! What's not to like? The premise alone is intriguing: take a man who's not skilled in a basically manual labor type job and drop him into the job for a day, to learn and do it. Make it a very DIRTY job and make the man have a sexy deep voice and an amazingly hairy chest just to get my attention and you have a winning combination!
Pardon me while I indulge myself and attempt to satisfy this need I have...
Feeling much better now ;)
I just can't help it! The show, and it's host, are addictive! What's not to like? The premise alone is intriguing: take a man who's not skilled in a basically manual labor type job and drop him into the job for a day, to learn and do it. Make it a very DIRTY job and make the man have a sexy deep voice and an amazingly hairy chest just to get my attention and you have a winning combination!
Pardon me while I indulge myself and attempt to satisfy this need I have...
Feeling much better now ;)
Sunday, November 4, 2007
It Always Comes Back To The Poo...
So I was away for the weekend with some friends at the Borgata in Atlantic City. While the gaming was uneventful (I lost again in what must be the second longest streak of futility this side of the Chicago Cubs), the company was great!
Everyone did their own thing in the casino, but convened at Wolfgang Pucks restaurant for dinner. There was a line prior to it's opening, since the tavern part where we decided to dine does not accept reservations, so my mother gamely waited. Wolfgang Puck was there, it turned out, because he was in one of the shops signing his new cookbook (it also didnt hurt that this past weekend players of a certain level which I am not received a beautiful Wolfgang Puck knife set) Wolfgang walked out to the front entrance of his restaurant at around ten to five, and decided everyone must be let in right then. His right hand man happened to be standing next to my mother, who remarked "Wow, he looks so much younger in person than he does on tv!" and there was Wolfgang with his arm around her, thanking her for the compliment. They also talked about his turkey episode on Food Network, my mothers favorite network.
Well, dinner, it turned out, was indeed a disaster. The waiter was less than interested in taking our orders, and even less interested in getting them right. The salads were nice, except for the one ordered without the blue cheese dressing...which came dressed none the less. The burgers were an even bigger disaster...cooked not to order, and the cheese that was supposed to be melted on them was just slapped on top! One of the managers happened to be walking over to our table with the ketchup she noted had not been delivered by the waiter, when she heard me grumbing about the not melted cheese. Now, dont get me wrong. I'm not really that high maintenance food~wise. I just expect that if the cheese is to be melted, that it is (and I have had this burger on numerous occasions, and it was never like this) Long story short, the waiter had been let go earlier in the week and was just finishing out his last shift, therefore not really having much interest in whether or not he did what he was supposed to do. It was then that Wolfgangs man, who we learned was named Alex and worked for Wolfgang for 12 years, came over. He decided that he would take care of desert for us.
While waiting for desert, Wolfgang Puck once again appeared. The place went nuts! This is a celebrity chef who thoroughly enjoys his celebrity status. Pleasant and smiling, he shook hands and took photos graciously~unlike the dour Bobby Flay, I might add.
He even took a picture with moi!
Yay for cameras in cell phones! Boo for cameras in cell phones with no flashes!
My first celebrity photo~although I would have preferred if it were Mike Rowe ;)
Desert arrived...or should I say ever desert on the menu arrived!
We had strawberries and creme, banana cream tart, pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate mousse souffle, chocolate brownie souffle and apple crumble.
Now, this is also when the fun~and poo~began!
The chocolate mousse souffle was put down, and Tony turned to me and said "That looks like a giraffe took a dump in the dish!"
To which I responded: "Actually, giraffe poo looks more like cocoa puffs!"
Next out was the pumpkin cheesecake with a fruit melange and a dollop of ice cream. It wasn't your ordinary dollop, however, and it looked more like one of the fish regurgitated by the birds on the "vomit island" edition of Dirty Jobs.
As you can imagine, the conversation went right into the litter box from there!
And I think my friends are now highly intrigued by Dirty Jobs...and giraffe poo!
Everyone did their own thing in the casino, but convened at Wolfgang Pucks restaurant for dinner. There was a line prior to it's opening, since the tavern part where we decided to dine does not accept reservations, so my mother gamely waited. Wolfgang Puck was there, it turned out, because he was in one of the shops signing his new cookbook (it also didnt hurt that this past weekend players of a certain level which I am not received a beautiful Wolfgang Puck knife set) Wolfgang walked out to the front entrance of his restaurant at around ten to five, and decided everyone must be let in right then. His right hand man happened to be standing next to my mother, who remarked "Wow, he looks so much younger in person than he does on tv!" and there was Wolfgang with his arm around her, thanking her for the compliment. They also talked about his turkey episode on Food Network, my mothers favorite network.
Well, dinner, it turned out, was indeed a disaster. The waiter was less than interested in taking our orders, and even less interested in getting them right. The salads were nice, except for the one ordered without the blue cheese dressing...which came dressed none the less. The burgers were an even bigger disaster...cooked not to order, and the cheese that was supposed to be melted on them was just slapped on top! One of the managers happened to be walking over to our table with the ketchup she noted had not been delivered by the waiter, when she heard me grumbing about the not melted cheese. Now, dont get me wrong. I'm not really that high maintenance food~wise. I just expect that if the cheese is to be melted, that it is (and I have had this burger on numerous occasions, and it was never like this) Long story short, the waiter had been let go earlier in the week and was just finishing out his last shift, therefore not really having much interest in whether or not he did what he was supposed to do. It was then that Wolfgangs man, who we learned was named Alex and worked for Wolfgang for 12 years, came over. He decided that he would take care of desert for us.
While waiting for desert, Wolfgang Puck once again appeared. The place went nuts! This is a celebrity chef who thoroughly enjoys his celebrity status. Pleasant and smiling, he shook hands and took photos graciously~unlike the dour Bobby Flay, I might add.
He even took a picture with moi!
Yay for cameras in cell phones! Boo for cameras in cell phones with no flashes!
My first celebrity photo~although I would have preferred if it were Mike Rowe ;)
Desert arrived...or should I say ever desert on the menu arrived!
We had strawberries and creme, banana cream tart, pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate mousse souffle, chocolate brownie souffle and apple crumble.
Now, this is also when the fun~and poo~began!
The chocolate mousse souffle was put down, and Tony turned to me and said "That looks like a giraffe took a dump in the dish!"
To which I responded: "Actually, giraffe poo looks more like cocoa puffs!"
Next out was the pumpkin cheesecake with a fruit melange and a dollop of ice cream. It wasn't your ordinary dollop, however, and it looked more like one of the fish regurgitated by the birds on the "vomit island" edition of Dirty Jobs.
As you can imagine, the conversation went right into the litter box from there!
And I think my friends are now highly intrigued by Dirty Jobs...and giraffe poo!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
That Dirty Boy...
Watch out, Shepard Smith. I have a new pretend boyfriend, and this one is a Dirty Boy...
Some nights, there's just nothing on TV. You flip and flip and flip until the battery in your remote dies a slow and anguished death. And your left with nothing.
On one of those kind of nights, my remote died on the Discovery Channel, where I'd often watched brave men dare the elements so that Red Lobster can have "All You Can Eat Alaska King Crab" promotions. Hearing the narrators voice, I thought this was another episode of the Deadliest Catch. It wasn't. Instead, it was another show with the same fellow. And this time, he was on screen.
I watched with amusement as he mugged his way thru a series of disgusting jobs~jobs you or I would never want to do for all the money in the world. His deep baritone voice describing the work as he valiantly attempted it. And he wasn't too hard on the eyes. I was, to say the least, intrigued.
I knew I knew him from somewhere. But from where? I would be hard pressed to tell you. At first I thought, Oh, from Deadliest Catch. But he's not onscreen for that.
So I scratched my head and did what I always do when someone catches my eye.
I Googled him.
Mike Rowe, narrator of the Deadliest Catch, host of Dirty Jobs...and former QVC host.
I'm pretty sure I bought SOME piece of crap from this man at some point during his tenure at QVC, since he worked my then QVC addicted butts favorite shift: Midnight...when the Today's Special Value was unveiled!
Of course I never bought that Katsak from him. My cats were far too intelligent to fall for that, may they rest in peace.
But I digress...back to Mike Rowe and his Dirty Jobs.
So, over the course of a week, I found that this show was ALWAYS ON. There was even an 8 hour marathon! He apparently is to Discovery what Geraldo is to FNC (I know only a few folks will 'get' that LOL) So I watched and I watched and I watched. Sometimes, I was fascinated. Sometimes, disgusted. More often than not, I was disgusted.
Mikes humor carries him thru each of these jobs with grace and charm, regardless of what the job is. Alligator wrangler, chicken sexer, USAF Jet fuel tank repairman, bovine inseminator, turkey farm ranch hand. You name a disgusting job, and odds are this man has attempted it. Particularly if it involves "Poo". Anything with Poo...catching Poo from a cow, squeezing it out of newborn chicks, sweeping or shoveling it up after animals, rinsing it off equipment in a waste management facility, mixing it into a funky cement (only to have it inadvertently fly into his mouth), removing it from a majorly disgusting salvage toilet...well...you get the picture.
Generally, buy the end of a job segment, Mike is covered with something...dirty. Mud, coal, paint. If it can spill on him, odds are it will.
Sometimes, though, we get treated to Mikes chest, and as anyone who knows me can attest, I do indeed appreciate a beautiful male chest. Tom Selleck, Bruce Willis, Tim Allen (shut up, Sarah LOL) and now I will add Mike Rowe to that collection~er~list
So for this, and much much more, I thank Mike Rowe for entertaining and delighting me...with his wit and his, ahem, "hotness" ;)
Some nights, there's just nothing on TV. You flip and flip and flip until the battery in your remote dies a slow and anguished death. And your left with nothing.
On one of those kind of nights, my remote died on the Discovery Channel, where I'd often watched brave men dare the elements so that Red Lobster can have "All You Can Eat Alaska King Crab" promotions. Hearing the narrators voice, I thought this was another episode of the Deadliest Catch. It wasn't. Instead, it was another show with the same fellow. And this time, he was on screen.
I watched with amusement as he mugged his way thru a series of disgusting jobs~jobs you or I would never want to do for all the money in the world. His deep baritone voice describing the work as he valiantly attempted it. And he wasn't too hard on the eyes. I was, to say the least, intrigued.
I knew I knew him from somewhere. But from where? I would be hard pressed to tell you. At first I thought, Oh, from Deadliest Catch. But he's not onscreen for that.
So I scratched my head and did what I always do when someone catches my eye.
I Googled him.
Mike Rowe, narrator of the Deadliest Catch, host of Dirty Jobs...and former QVC host.
I'm pretty sure I bought SOME piece of crap from this man at some point during his tenure at QVC, since he worked my then QVC addicted butts favorite shift: Midnight...when the Today's Special Value was unveiled!
Of course I never bought that Katsak from him. My cats were far too intelligent to fall for that, may they rest in peace.
But I digress...back to Mike Rowe and his Dirty Jobs.
So, over the course of a week, I found that this show was ALWAYS ON. There was even an 8 hour marathon! He apparently is to Discovery what Geraldo is to FNC (I know only a few folks will 'get' that LOL) So I watched and I watched and I watched. Sometimes, I was fascinated. Sometimes, disgusted. More often than not, I was disgusted.
Mikes humor carries him thru each of these jobs with grace and charm, regardless of what the job is. Alligator wrangler, chicken sexer, USAF Jet fuel tank repairman, bovine inseminator, turkey farm ranch hand. You name a disgusting job, and odds are this man has attempted it. Particularly if it involves "Poo". Anything with Poo...catching Poo from a cow, squeezing it out of newborn chicks, sweeping or shoveling it up after animals, rinsing it off equipment in a waste management facility, mixing it into a funky cement (only to have it inadvertently fly into his mouth), removing it from a majorly disgusting salvage toilet...well...you get the picture.
Generally, buy the end of a job segment, Mike is covered with something...dirty. Mud, coal, paint. If it can spill on him, odds are it will.
Sometimes, though, we get treated to Mikes chest, and as anyone who knows me can attest, I do indeed appreciate a beautiful male chest. Tom Selleck, Bruce Willis, Tim Allen (shut up, Sarah LOL) and now I will add Mike Rowe to that collection~er~list
So for this, and much much more, I thank Mike Rowe for entertaining and delighting me...with his wit and his, ahem, "hotness" ;)
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