Monthly Archives: August 2014

Ten Things I Like About Labor Day

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I am not in management anymore. I have no supervisory duties whatsoever in my government job. Therefore, that makes me a worker bee. No longer a leader or manager, no siree!  I am Joe Lunchbox now.  The Average American. Worker. Laborer. Labrador (retriever).

Woof!

Before you call me out on this, I’ll have you know that I happen to be a card-carryin’, paid-up member of a real, honest-to-goodness labor union. The Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Radio and Television Artists is a LABOR union, listed as “… a proud member of the AFL-CIO,” The American Federation of LABOR and Congress of Industrial Organizations. Doesn’t get much more labor-y than the AFL-CIO.  And I got a residuals check for $1.36 this year. That means I’m laboring or at least at some point I was laboring, right?

check

Right?

C’mon y’all, as Doctor Evil once so eloquently articulated, throw me a freakin’ bone, here!

Ok, so I am not on an assembly line, or holding one of those stop/slow road signs in a highway construction zone, and my labor is at a desk with a computer in air conditioned comfort. For the purposes of this discussion, please just this once think of me as the aforementioned Mr. Lunchbox.

Anyway, in anticipation of the three-day weekend and in celebration of Labor Day and all things laborious, here are ten things I like about Labor Day.

1. Three-day weekend. (That’s a no brainer.)

2. No more wearing white.

3. Sales! Sales! Sales!

4. Kids go back to school immediately afterwards.

5. Did I mention the three-day weekend?

6. Cooler fall weather is just around the corner.

7. Today, the Friday before the Labor Day weekend, which I may have mentioned is a three-day one, there’s practically no one in the office. It’s almost like having a FOUR-day weekend!

8. It’s not the end of the lawn mowing season yet, but I can see it from here.

9. When people say “Happy Labor Day!” to you they don’t sound as ridiculous as when they say “Happy Memorial Day.” There’s absolutely nothing happy about Memorial Day. Ever.

10. I can dupe the kids into taking out the trash on Monday because “all children are required by Federal statute to engage in labor on Labor Day.”

Wishing you all a terrific Labor Day weekend, which if you didn’t already know, is a three-day weekend.

One last note…

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I always see Fred Quillen’s name in the credits of the big live shows like tonight’s Emmys and the Oscars.  He runs the recording/playback devices that play the prerecorded clips for these shows.  I had the privilege of working with Fred many moons ago, though I doubt he’d even remember me.  He helped train me on how to be a serious videotape operator when I worked for ABC and Vin DiBona Productions on “America’s Funniest Videos” and a couple of other shows.  Always good to see his name in the closing credits.  Well done, Fred, as always!