Yesterday, had to go to a place I go to once a year. Driving there is a headache and a bit of a nightmare. Narrow streets ridiculously planned out in a busy section of the ghetto neighborhood near mine. This year, had to deal with a nut-job piece of low-life trash who insisted on cutting me off, while making several attempts to do so. Finally succeeded because I decided to let him in to placate his pathetic ego. That actually satisfied him. To the point he pulled over and let me go ahead, without trying to cut me off again. The type of young man who is worthless, will always be worthless, has zero ambition in Life except to make as much money as possible with as little effort as possible. Likely end up dealing drugs or pulling stick-up jobs. The type who'll end up 6-feet under or in a prison cell soon enough. And no, I wasn't dumb enough to let him keep following me. Had my 2 oz. canister of Pepperspray in hand as I made a right turn into a side street. He didn't follow.
Been going to this particular place easily for over a decade. (Seriously, I don't even know how I originally found the darn place.) But once a year, every licensed security guard has to renew their 8-hour Annual certificate. Yup, 8-hour. There's a reason why they call it that. Sacrifice a day off, pay around $80 - $100 for the course. Oh, and if you skip a year, when you go to take it again, the State won't let you! Not for that 2nd year. You have to officially take an 8-hour Annual for the year you missed. Wait a few months, then take another one for that 2nd year. Isn't that lovely? And, the Annual is nothing but the very same BS you took last year, and every other year you've been working as a security guard. Rehash, with literally nothing new. Just an emphasis on not getting yourself, your client, or the security company you work for; sued. That's literally it. Then every two years, you need to get your license renewed. Pay $40 to the State every two years to get their generous blessing of allowing you to continue to make a living. Isn't that generous of them? Yeah, you can't do anything about legalized theft.
So, I walk in out of the rain. (The neighborhood that the business is located in is one where it's easy to find parking on the nearest side street. Thank God for small blessings.)
I get handed a blurry sheet of paper to fill in all of my basic info. Seriously, thankfully I remember what goes in which line and which dots to shade in from all the previous years I've been there. More students than usual yesterday at around 9:30am. Owner of the place is already there, and instantly recognizes me. So, we head into the classroom. I'm still filling out the paperwork.... lights go out. Only light is from the TV with a video playing on it. Now I really can't see the blurry paperwork. Filling everything out with my SKILCRAFT U.S. Government ballpoint pen. I decide to pull out my Powertac Sabre 2AAA penlight. I hold the light against my chest. First setting is the brightest one, I click it until I get to the lowest setting. Use that, with my pen to finish up the paperwork, before handing that back to the owner of the place.
Thankfully the drive back home was considerably less exciting. Stopped off at Staples to buy a handful of cheap items that of course cost me over $40, since it's 2025 and inflation is crazy. (Seriously, when did a single Parker ballpoint refill cost a few cents shy of $10.oo, and the ink quality is crap compared to a decade ago! Get a 12-pak. of SKILCRAFT pens for easily under $20.oo instead.)
