12.15.04

Mater brought mikon into the house. They're Japanese tangerines, no seeds, and easily-removable skins. They taste like the Platonic ideal of oranges.

Last evening I met with the fantabulous Mlle.E. and Binkie about our 'zine project. We got some wrinkles ironed, and some thoughts in place about what we're looking for.

The meeting ended amidst a flurry of friends' arrivals and leavings. BB showed up and we had East Coast pressure let-off (grouse, grouse, grouse, carp, carp, carp) bemoaning that there are no decent bagles, pizza, magazine stands, coffee shops, or other necessities of life west of the Pecos. Met a friend of Mlle.E.'s who's moving to Sweden tomorrow. She was interesting, having lived in India for a year and other places across the globe, therefore having a more global outlook. Such a delight.

I got a call back from the part-time job. I have to get a pee test tomorrow. Because, god forbid, I go into a drug-induced frenzy and clerk while under the influence.

"Back off, Marge, she's filing Under The Influence!" *dramatic music*

I could almost understand if they did weekly checks, but this once at hiring thing is useless--a joke. It gives the appearance of anti-drug, but really is another way to humiliate and control the hirelings. I wonder if the executives of the company have to pass a drug screening test?

It reminds me of when the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) headquarters got very security conscious after the Waco, TX debacle. I used to do some trademark research there. The headquarters was most of the floors of a building in DC. The first floor had retail shops, and there was a television studio on the second floor.

The new security regimen was that the members of the public who used the BATF's resources had to be announced to a specific office. Then someone from the office had to come down and escort them in person.

At the meeting about these changes, I stood up and suggested that they should be least concerned by the people whose livelihoods depended on the continuing well-being of the BATF. That while the escort system was lovely, how were they planning to address the retail shops on the street level, the public parking garage underneath the building, and the furniture store next door with which they shared a common wall?

However, the appearance of security was the objective. Much like our airports, and these drug tests for low-level jobs.

If a company is not paying for employees' time 24 hours a day, what right do they have monitor what employees do when they're not at work? If someone shows up under the influence, hey, they've got every right to boot the fool. In my opinion, a pre-employment drug screening is a search without probable cause, and it should be illegal.

However, like a good little cog, I'll go piss on--oops--for them. Money is my goal, and the sooner I get it together, the sooner I can get on with my schooling.

And that, my darlings, is that.

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