Volcano Skip

Once again, I found myself at the infamous Ojai Skate Park, screwing in the brown skate lite which makes skating in parks such a pleasure. In the past several days, I think I have screwed in over a thousand screws. I am becoming quite adept at this assmebly line-ish skill.

When I arrived up at the estate yesterday, Skip and Bill sat in chairs, next to the 100 year old Sears shed, amidst all the various nic naks and debris that had been inside the antique structure. Skip greeted me: "We've been having a meeting, you're late."

"Oh, ha, ha, I've been working in the skate park, screwing in the skate lite."

Skip is unimpressed and sarcastically drawls: "You can go work in a Ford assembly plant."

I just smile and shrug off Skip's obvious displeasure. In retrospect, I realize now that this was an obvious warning shot over my bow. But, you know, I had not seen the bearded unkempt one for so long that I did not see any reason for him to want to engage in a heated discussion.

But, of course that is what happened. Bill asked me what my rate is. I told him. I mentioned how much I'll make when I get a work truck that was it. Within minutes, Skip the volcanoe starts to spew ash and boulders about my complaining. Pause. Replay previous statements. Nope, don't see where I was complaining. Replay Skip statements. Ohh, there it is:

"No one wants to work. I have so much to do but no one wants to work." He glances at me out of the corner of his eye. I ignore his subtle allegation. Skip likes to throw out hooks with aromatic bait designed to trick you into a blind alley where he can blind side you with his judgement. Hey, I've been working all day, so I ignored the warning signs, what can I say.

So, when Skip starts to yell, pace and stomp I reply with "You're the one who is complaining. You have an arguement inside your head."

Skip roars: "That's right, I haved an arguement inside my head, it's called creativity."

Now I've got him on the defensive, a classic reversal. "No, that's not creativty, that's just you justifying your status quo."

Skip contiues to shoot ash and steam into the late afternoon sky while Bill leaves the scene. A few minutes later, I stop and talk to Bill in front of his mail box. He's annoyed that I got into it with Skip. Thinks I should know better. "What ever Skip was saying had no basis in reality. Why... how can it bother you?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, I let him get under my skin."