So as I mentioned yesterday, I am currently temping at a coal mine a couple thousand yards from the West Virginia border. There are pros and cons to this job, as you might imagine. Here are some:

PROS: I will make my next car payment. I am out of the house. I like driving on back roads. For a temp job, the work is not too bad and the pay is not abysmal.

CONS: The TV right outside the office I am working in plays CMT most of the day, and CMT seems to be on about a five-song rotation of music I hate anyway--definitely not "The Good Stuff". The Co-Temp.

The Co-Temp will remain nameless, but oldies fans of The Cufflinks might figure out that everything she does bounces me off the ceiling, and not in a good way. We are carpooling because she cannot handle the directions, even after two weeks. The Co-Temp also is one of those people who is constantly telling the nearest person (for 10 hours a day: yours truly) all of the current dilemmas of their outside life and asking for that person's opinion on every decision--however minor--that they face. Since these decisions involve a separation, two kids under the age of four, a court appeal, and various job interviews/offers, you might think that a virtual stranger's opinion would be beside the point. But not the Co-Temp. Also, the Co-Temp is one of those people who has developed a feigned stupdity about most things as a defense mechanism against having to make any decisions or do anything. Am I being a bit harsh? Perhaps, and I can empathize with someone trying to raise two young kids on her own. But I also have a pretty good idea of why she got that way. And besides, this is my place to vent--I'm never anything but civil in person. But enough about that unpleasantness--four days off will hopefully soothe the mind on this issue.

My latest read on the aforementioned booklist was #15 On The Road by Jack Kerouac, one of the most famous books on the list. I really enjoyed it, although it didn't strike me as transcendentally great or anything like that--maybe a B+. I don't know if my 8 one-way trips across the country have jaded me to the experience and/or made it less exotic, or if the adventures are a bit dated. I particularly enjoyed the parts with Old Bull Lee--a thinly disguised William S. Burroughs; the fact that the scenes with his wife occurred shortly before their little William Tell game is a bit creepy, though, and probably should not be dwelt on. I do know, however, that this book should contain a warning label for those who are prone to wanderlust and/or those who are unhappy with their current physical location.

On a final note, a friend from collegefrom whom I hadn't heard in years emailed me yesterday and asked if, presuming the Backyard Brawl goes well, I would like to go to the"Toyota" Gator Bowl. Very, very good times.

Well, so far so good on the "Daily" part...