Just One Word... Plastics

Guten Tag. Looking out the window at the back porch-- coffee-- soon to have my first nicotine-laced chewing gum of the day. Gray, overcast, bare trees, yet, a stream of creamy pink light runs parallel to where the horizon must be.

I say again-- soon to have my first nicotine-laced chewing gum of the day.

Sigh.

I feel cheated somehow, as I had been informed that the physical addiction to smoking would be finished after 72 hours, and it has now been 116 hours since my last cigarette. Yet I am still twitchy.

I miss the cigarette with the coffee. The minty gum after coffee is not so nice.
But there are some advantages to the gum. I can chew it anywhere, and blow minty fresh imaginary second-hand smoke wherever there is a no smoking sign. It makes me feel like the Invisible Smoking Man.

"Ha! I'm gettin my nicotine fix and what you gonna do about it, yo!"

The anti-smoking, nay, anti-smoker Western World has made me feel a bit resentful, as you can see. We were all smokers in the Balkans, and in the Middle East. We traded cigarettes, smoked together-- Peace Pipe fashion.

In Cairo once, while walking around aimlessly, and getting ready to light up, a man sitting on the curb called out to me.

"Why don't you sit down?" he asked. "Relax when you smoke."

I'd stopped, and I'd sat on the curb next to him, and we both smoked quietly for a minute, watching the Cairo chaos happen all around us. We then chatted for a while, and had a good laugh because a couple of people asked him directions while we sat there.

"I should have a booth and charge 1 Egyptian Pound to give directions," he said. "I give honest directions, not like all these others who tell you this way or that way just to give an answer."

Then another guy asked him directions-- we laughed-- my smoking buddy gave the directions, told the guy it would be one Egyptian Pound, the guy hurried away, and we laughed again.

Then we finished our cigarettes, and I asked him directions. I offered him one Egyptian Pound but he laughed it off, and we parted.

That was a cigarette moment, in Egypt.
I fear there will be no nicotine-laced chewing gum moments here in Germany.

Sigh.

A pause, while I fetch my gum.

I'm back, and chewing,
let us change tack.

Let us focus on one word. Just one word. 

Here is a tiny little clip from an old film. 
Please observe-- it will only take 22 seconds, and it may change your life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsrLHP26zvk

We will never know if Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman in the film 'The Graduate', ever went into plastics. I would think not. Ben didn't seem to have the ambition required to go into such a demanding field.

I, on the other hand, am finally taking Mr. McGuire's advice after all these years. That's right. I am going into plastics.

"There is a great future in plastics," said Mr. McGuire. 

That advice was given to Benjamin in 1967, so I may be a bit late to take full advantage of an opportunity like this. But the future is now, so into the plastics industry I go, seeking my fortune.

You see, a few days ago there was a phone call. A local plastics factory was inquiring as to whether I could start working for them immediately. Sadly, I could not, as I am not yet legal to work in Germany. Yesterday, however, I went to the employment agency, and I was interviewed in German-- or more accurately, the details of the work were given to me in German, as no interview was really necessary for the job-- and a contract is forthcoming, which will, in turn, make me a legal worker.

No interview was necessary because any warm body will do, it seems. Also, I understood none of the details of the work, as my German is less than rudimentary. Fortunately, Elke was with me, and she explained to me that I won't even need to know German for the job, because it will simply consist of taking plastic trays that come out of one machine, and stacking them so they can be wrapped in another machine. I will fill the missing link between the machines.

Here is a sample of the product I will be helping to produce:

You, the consumer, will be responsible for putting the food into the plastic trays.
Here is another photo of the product which I will be an integral part of producing:

"The advantages of laminated packaging are clear to see!"
And what are those advantages?
Pretty girls serving nice food to you, the consumer.


I will begin my career in the plastics industry on January the 2nd.

And please consume responsibly-- don't forget to recycle.