Good Times, Bad Times, You Know I've Had My Share

Sometimes I look at one of my photographs and the lines to a song start rolling through my brain and although my original idea for titling the post was completely different I ended up using this snippet of lyrics by Godsmack. That's why this isn't named "Another Damned Board Meeting! But I Got Me My Starbucks".

I've had my share of good times and my share of bad times. Here I'm frustrated because I'm at the meeting on time, city staff is there (that's Dr. Claude behind me), but it'd be awhile before we had a quorum and longer still for the chairwoman of the Disaster Preparedness Board to arrive and we could finally get things underway.

Growing up in New England we were taught to always be on time. Here in the south, between Southern traditions and Caribbean Island influences being on time is unheard of. And nobody has a clue as to why I get frustrated and upset. Not exactly "bad times" but certainly not good

Then there's the frustration of my looking at this board more as a "feel good" thing than a useful board, just something to take up an hour or two every month engaged in chitchat about planning for hurricanes. Planning for sheltering people living nearest the coast or in low lying areas. Planning for water, ice, and food distribution for those who don't take the responsibility themselves. Planning for the ones who expect the city to do it for them. We also go through "feel good" discussions about getting the electric grid and hard wired phone service up and running as quickly as possible. Hell, the phone and power companies can't wait to get the service back on line. Every minute the wires are down they don't make any money. They don't need us to remind them. Their stockholders remind them.

I keep telling myself that I've been serving on various city boards for over thirty years now. Enough is enough. But I keep getting appointed. I let my hair grow and keep it unkempt. I keep getting appointed. I wear tattered jeans and never iron my shirts. I keep getting appointed. I skip shaving for days on end. I keep getting appointed. Like the lyrics of another song tell it: "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap!" I don't get paid for this. Is that cheap enough?