Troubadour
2009-07-19 11:20:22 UTC
continues to offer laughs in Hell's Financial industry....
"Ratz! Dunkel Geist and a round for the bar..."
"Herr Artiste! Long time! Fall through any more reality?"
" Not today... at least I don't think so. A lot older. No wiser, 'cept
maybe I've learned to keep my mouth shut at the right times. Haven't
gained any new enemies lately but that's because I live in a tiny
little cottage at the edge of an "economically disadvantaged area"
that is workin' on becomin' gentrafied."
"You? Gentrified?"
"Not me. The neighborhood. Eventually I'll have to sell out..."
"Vhy vould you haft to sell?"
"I won't be able to afford the taxes in a couple of years. The value
of the Goat House and the Garajma Hall have gone up over 50% in the
last seven years. If Heretic's friends on Wall Street hadn't got so
greedy sellin' sh*t pie in the sky paper it probably be worth twice
what I paid and I'd sell and go find someplace decent to live."
"Vhy do you think the value has increased? Aren't there people
starving?"
"Sure there are but there are folks who took the money and ran...
south. For the most part, here on the peninsula the house prices are
slowly going up and the po' folk are selling out... kinda like this
place. When you gonna sell, Ratz?"
"Me? Sell? I vould not think of it."
"Why not?
"The G men won't give me enough shares."
"The government offered to buy this place?"
"Hell, no. The Russian and his partner. You know them... Beside zhey
already have Chat and zhey already own a chunk of zis place anyway.
Zhey bought Deja. Remember?"
"The bought a lot bits of history. I suppose that someday they'll shut
us down and we'll have to find another place."
"Herr Artiste, You could go to one of those social networks..."
"Sorry... I'm not social. In fact I was trippin' around some of my
RPG links the other night and found one that is all about my internal
life."
"Really? They made a MMORPG about you?"
"Hell no... I wasn't talking about a computer RPG. Iwas talking about
a pencil and paper RPG."
"Really? So Old?"
"Yes. From 2006 no less. It's called Hikikomori. Go look it up. It's
what I am mostly."
Ratz seemed distracted for a moment. He was looking it up.
"Yah. Dat is you. Too much turning in on your self. It is not a good
thing."
"It's unimportant. At this late stage I'm unlikely to change. I
actually went up to Virginia and the DC metro Area to look around.
Got a friend that's a CIO in one of the important Government outfits.
She suggested I try to get into Government service."
"You in dah Government? Doing vhat?"
"Doin' what I do now."
Ratz laughed. It sounded like fingernails singing on slate. Slow.
"Ratz, As if they'd have me."
"Yah they are smarter and crazier than you."
"Yeah I figured that. I put in a few apps but it's pretty much
pointless."
"Why? I is a great place to hide. I did it for many years until the
war tore us all new assholes."
"Yeah. That's right I forgot The Chatsubo is in the future isn't it?
Why do you bother to listen to my bullsh*t when you got what we left
you?"
"You time travelers! You make me laugh with you twisted sense of self.
You bulshit know no bounds and I haft to laugh. When I laugh, I forget
aIl about vhat you did to my grandparents and my parents and to me."
"hey, I didn't do anything to them or you. I tried to fight the stuff
they were doing."
"Yah. And when I hear the Shofar this year I'll remember you too."
I looked at his arm and saw the faded tattoo on his flesh forearm.
"Is that...?"
"It vas a long time ago. I did some time traveling too."
There was silence for a moment. Then Ratz saw my empty mug. He filled
it.
"Drink up, Herr Artiste! Der Tag is young... Alter Cockers like you
and I need to get out and laugh more. It's all we have left to offer."
********************
Troub... Ded-T ... Sicarius... The Old Goat... Yosef Yisrael HaGedi...
Gishzida,..
Take your pick. That's me...
"Ratz! Dunkel Geist and a round for the bar..."
"Herr Artiste! Long time! Fall through any more reality?"
" Not today... at least I don't think so. A lot older. No wiser, 'cept
maybe I've learned to keep my mouth shut at the right times. Haven't
gained any new enemies lately but that's because I live in a tiny
little cottage at the edge of an "economically disadvantaged area"
that is workin' on becomin' gentrafied."
"You? Gentrified?"
"Not me. The neighborhood. Eventually I'll have to sell out..."
"Vhy vould you haft to sell?"
"I won't be able to afford the taxes in a couple of years. The value
of the Goat House and the Garajma Hall have gone up over 50% in the
last seven years. If Heretic's friends on Wall Street hadn't got so
greedy sellin' sh*t pie in the sky paper it probably be worth twice
what I paid and I'd sell and go find someplace decent to live."
"Vhy do you think the value has increased? Aren't there people
starving?"
"Sure there are but there are folks who took the money and ran...
south. For the most part, here on the peninsula the house prices are
slowly going up and the po' folk are selling out... kinda like this
place. When you gonna sell, Ratz?"
"Me? Sell? I vould not think of it."
"Why not?
"The G men won't give me enough shares."
"The government offered to buy this place?"
"Hell, no. The Russian and his partner. You know them... Beside zhey
already have Chat and zhey already own a chunk of zis place anyway.
Zhey bought Deja. Remember?"
"The bought a lot bits of history. I suppose that someday they'll shut
us down and we'll have to find another place."
"Herr Artiste, You could go to one of those social networks..."
"Sorry... I'm not social. In fact I was trippin' around some of my
RPG links the other night and found one that is all about my internal
life."
"Really? They made a MMORPG about you?"
"Hell no... I wasn't talking about a computer RPG. Iwas talking about
a pencil and paper RPG."
"Really? So Old?"
"Yes. From 2006 no less. It's called Hikikomori. Go look it up. It's
what I am mostly."
Ratz seemed distracted for a moment. He was looking it up.
"Yah. Dat is you. Too much turning in on your self. It is not a good
thing."
"It's unimportant. At this late stage I'm unlikely to change. I
actually went up to Virginia and the DC metro Area to look around.
Got a friend that's a CIO in one of the important Government outfits.
She suggested I try to get into Government service."
"You in dah Government? Doing vhat?"
"Doin' what I do now."
Ratz laughed. It sounded like fingernails singing on slate. Slow.
"Ratz, As if they'd have me."
"Yah they are smarter and crazier than you."
"Yeah I figured that. I put in a few apps but it's pretty much
pointless."
"Why? I is a great place to hide. I did it for many years until the
war tore us all new assholes."
"Yeah. That's right I forgot The Chatsubo is in the future isn't it?
Why do you bother to listen to my bullsh*t when you got what we left
you?"
"You time travelers! You make me laugh with you twisted sense of self.
You bulshit know no bounds and I haft to laugh. When I laugh, I forget
aIl about vhat you did to my grandparents and my parents and to me."
"hey, I didn't do anything to them or you. I tried to fight the stuff
they were doing."
"Yah. And when I hear the Shofar this year I'll remember you too."
I looked at his arm and saw the faded tattoo on his flesh forearm.
"Is that...?"
"It vas a long time ago. I did some time traveling too."
There was silence for a moment. Then Ratz saw my empty mug. He filled
it.
"Drink up, Herr Artiste! Der Tag is young... Alter Cockers like you
and I need to get out and laugh more. It's all we have left to offer."
********************
Troub... Ded-T ... Sicarius... The Old Goat... Yosef Yisrael HaGedi...
Gishzida,..
Take your pick. That's me...