Sigh... Team Jesse is Here to Stay

As is traditional for nerds, I've decided to vent my frustrations to the cold, unfeeling realm of the interwebs - like the heart-rending howl of the lone wolf. So here it goes: my recap of last night's episode of Burn Notice: "Brotherly Love".

SPOILERS!!!

The episode begins with Michael pouting in the loft, internally narrating his frustration at staying home while Sam and Jesse head to the Dominican Republic for the NOC list auction. Vaughn made it very clear in "Eyes Open" that Michael is still "on ice" in Miami, and Sam makes the very reasonable argument that Michael would be drawing unwanted attention to what they're doing if he were to make a trip out of the country.

Jesse meets up with Walsh (NOC list seller), having bought his way into the auction with the five million dollars that Marv was able to snag for him (helluva guy, Marv). He tries to get some information about the NOC list's security from Walsh by acting as a concerned buyer. Walsh smugly informs Jesse that it would be impossible for anyone to steal the NOC list, because it's always moving. Sam quickly figures out that the list is in the possession of several motorcycle riders that go all over the city, handing the list off to each other at scheduled times and places - all Sam and Jesse need to do is identify the pattern. Good luck with that.

Meanwhile, Michael heads to the airport to pick up his brother, Nate. We haven't seen Nate since he popped in last season to inform Michael and Madeline that he was getting married to some blonde woman that we don't know or like. Nate immediately informs Michael that sure, it's great to see his big brother and all, but he's actually here to help out some friends of his. They head over to the custom-car garage of the brothers Taylor (The Clients), who are in a sticky situation. Three cars were recently stolen from their garage, and one of them contained an entire shipment of heroin. One of the brothers had begun making shipments for a local dealer in order to keep the garage afloat, and now that this batch of drugs is gone, the dealer is out for blood. Michael reluctantly agrees to help, since Nate makes it clear that he's going to handle it one way or the other.

In order to discover who may have stolen the cars, Michael resurrects an old cover from the second season - Johnny, the smooth-talking car thief that ran a rough gang of car thieves out of town. He gets in touch with Tony Soto, who gives him the name of the car thief and implies that in exchange for the information, he wouldn't mind if Michael wreaked a little havoc on the guy. Yay for havoc! Michael returns to the Taylors' garage to give them an update, and finds that the heroin dealer got there first and decided to try to beat the location of his missing drugs out of one of the brothers. Michael introduces himself as Johnny, and tells him as smoothly and deadly as possible that he will find the car. The dealer insists that he take along one of his subordinates to keep an eye on things, and takes one of the Taylor brothers hostage - you know, just to raise the stakes a little.

As Michael, Fi and Nate prepare for their little outing, Madeline - correctly surmising that they're about to do something dangerous - tells Michael that if he doesn't keep Nate from getting hurt, she'll put out her cigarette in his eye. Ouch. Michael is thrown a little by her uncharacteristically brutal threat, and "Yes, ma'am!"s the hell out of there. When they reach the car thief's chop shop, Michael and Fi slide in and discover that the car isn't there and the actual thief is out of the office, but are able to get his home address by playing the "whoever talks first gets a head start" game. Then they set the chop shop on fire (havoc!). When they get to the thief's house, Drug-Dealer's Subordinate bursts in and shoots the guy before they can find out where the car is. Mighty suspicious, Michael and Fi think - Subordinate Dude is the real thief.

Unfortunately, the guy tries to pin the theft on the Taylor brothers by planting the car in one of their storage units. Fi and Nate foil his plan by breaking in and removing the car seconds before Subordinate Dude rolls up with his boss, hostage Taylor brother, and Michael in tow. He's embarassed by the lack of incriminating automobile in the storage unit, but the Taylors aren't in the clear yet. In order to expose Subordinate Dude's theft, Michael, Fi and Nate sneak the car into his backyard, piece by piece, and Subordinate Dude is caught red-handed. The heroin dealer releases his hostage, clears the Taylor brothers' debt, and takes his employee into the house for a chat. No doubt he gave him a nice severance package.

Madeline reveals the reason for her increased concern for Nate's well-being: he's going to be a daddy! Michael is blindsided by the news, and has Nate keep all of the money the Taylors were able to pay. After expressing some father-to-be anxieties, Nate hints that it would be nice for Nate Jr. to have a cousin at some point (seriously?).

Sam and Jesse contact Michael and Fi once they crack the NOC list motorcycle-security code. Michael and Fi hop a sea-plane and join them in the Dominican Republic, where they execute a pretty-much flawless plan to snatch the list. Victorious, the four of them pack up and walk away from the scene in slow-motion as Narrator Michael blathers on about what a good team they make (you were a perfectly good team without Jesse, Mikey). So yeah. Even though Jesse's not part of the opening credit sequence (yet), it looks like he's here for good. I hate that. I'm less "Team Jesse" and more "Team Jesse-Needs-To-Die-ASAP". The episode ends with the four of them discussing what to do with their newly acquired NOC list, and the decision is left up to Michael.

Questions that still need answers:

So, have we forgotten completely about the mysterious Simon family Bible? Didn't we need that to break the NOC list, or what?

Nate's still married? And expecting? Really?

What is Michael going to do with the NOC list? Turn it into to the government, like Sam suggests, or use it to dismantle the organization that burned him, like Fi wants?

Next Week:

An old enemy of Michael's is back. Who, you may ask? I'm hoping for the return of Dead Larry. He's the sort of bad guy you can always count on to be interesting. Maybe he'll kill Jesse!

New Obsessions

It's been a while since my last post, I know, but I take comfort in the fact that almost nobody reads my blog, so no one's disappointed (if you are, please address any complaints to the unfairness department of the universe - I've been busy!). To recap all that's happened since July: many books have been read, birthdays have been had, trips have been taken, Halloweens have been celebrated (I was a Ghostbuster), work has piled up and become more crazy than ever (hence the lack of posts, which were few and far between to begin with).

To the important things: new stuff to geek out over.

I love Netflix. It's the closest thing I have to an organized religion. It offers so many opportunities to discover new frontiers of awesomeness, at least as far as movies and TV shows are concerned. So here's the scoop on the new stuff that I absolutely love:

Supernatural


Yes, I know. Finally. The series has been in my queue forever, but it was a hit! I'm a notorious wimp when it comes to horror, but this show has episodes that are genuinely scary. For the most part, it's well-written and actors do a lovely job, and are not bad to look at! I wasn't planning on buying the series until I reached Season 4, however. It was good, but nothing I felt needed to be part of my vast DVD library. The fourth season changed all that when (spoiler alert) Dean was raised from Hell by angels. A particular angel, in fact. Castiel (love him!). The introduction of angels as the flip side of the demon coin was a fantastic move, as far as I'm concerned. It introduced a grander meta-plot and went in many different and interesting directions. The fifth season continued with the Winchester brothers' quest to avert the Apocalypse, which they started (whoops!). And now, I'm watching the sixth season on TV. Bravo, Supernatural. I rarely follow shows that closely. I wait for the DVDs.

Avatar: The Last Airbender


Relax, people. I'm not talking about the awful dump M. Night Shyamalan took to the tune of forty million dollars and the disappointment of fans everywhere (fans of Avatar, I mean. I can't imagine that fans of Shyamalan still exist). I'm talking about the beautifully animated series. Wow! I wasn't expecting it to be this good, because let's face it: many of the TV shows geared towards kids these days really suck. I was proven wrong (I love it when that happens!). Good scripts, good characters, good animation - and the plot was conceived in advance and had a concrete ending. In contrast, the live-action film was so bad that two of my brothers called me as soon as they left the movie theatre (and they didn't see it together) to tell me, in no uncertain terms, NOT to see the movie. They never call me, so it must have been pretty bad.

Sherlock

This is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved character in a modern, urban setting, and it's absolutely fantastic! Benedict Cumberbatch (yes, that is his real name. He's British) is able to bring an almost frantic enthusiasm for detecting to the character that I find lacking in many other portrayals. And Martin Freeman gives us a classic Doctor Watson with a nice, subtle hint of a desire he shares with Sherlock Holmes: the desire for action, mayhem, and murder. I love the way that this show brought elements from the stories and incorporated them in these modern mysteries. Sadly, this first season ended in a major cliff-hanger, and I have no idea when to expect to see the second season. Curse you, BBC, with your well-done and strangely formatted television!

So those are a few of my newest nerdy obsessions. I highly recommend them.

Summer Reading

A quick update on my summer reading:



Felidae
by Akif Pirincci

I became aware of Felidae while reading a nerd blog (at work, of course). I was intrigued by a comment made on Topless Robot's daily list from May 6, 2010, which you can find here. So I decided to find it. I ordered it from a book recycling service, because the book is out of print in English. For a while, I was thinking I'd have to learn German in order to read it, but I found it at last. The acquisition of this book made me realize that I'm now a collector - not for the sake of collecting itself, but my personal library has now reached the point where I'm reluctant to lend out any of my books. I doubt I'll lend Felidae to anybody - I'm not sure getting a replacement copy would be easy.

Felidae is about a cat named Francis, who moves into a fixer-upper flat with his cheerful owner. Almost immediately, Francis is confronted with the notion that his new neighborhood is not the nice part of town it may appear, because there is a murderer on the loose. Cats are being killed, and Francis discovers what the victims have in common, learns the truth about his new digs, and confronts the murderer. More than just a mystery, Felidae also explores some horrifying ideas about "science" and cruelty.



The Red Pyramid
by Rick Riordan

Having eagerly devoured Rick Riordan's previous series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, I didn't think twice before buying The Red Pyramid when it was released, and I did not regret it. Carter and Sadie are estranged siblings that are reunited by the sudden disappearance and probable death of their father. Guided by their father's strange associates, Carter and Sadie are introduced to a world they didn't know existed, in which the old gods of Egypt exist and seem to have plans for the two of them.



Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer
by Jonathan L. Howard

I discovered this book through the magic that is NPR's Books podcast. Though I'm not well acquainted with the steampunk genre, I took to this book immediately. Johannes Cabal, having sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for the knowledge of necromancy a few years before the beginning of the book, decides that he must have it back in order to further his research. Satan strikes a deal with him: Johannes must collect contracts for 100 souls in exchange for his own within a year's time, or the Devil will claim his life along with his soul. In order to give Johannes the means by which he could collect these souls, the Devil furnishes him with a traveling carnival. Johannes enlists the help of the undead and his vampire brother to fulfill his agreement. Full of dark humor and extremely well-written, I couldn't put this book down.



Johannes Cabal: The Detective
by Jonathan L. Howard

The second installment of the Johannes Cabal series, we meet up with the necromancer in a small land-locked and war-torn country, having been unsuccessful in his attempt to "borrow" a book on necromancy to assist him in his quest to cure death. Johannes escapes his pursuers by boarding an aeroship making its maiden voyage across the border. Though he expects nothing more than a relaxing trip to freedom, Johannes finds himself investigating the probable murder of a fellow passenger. Despite his powerful curiosity, Johannes could have left well enough alone, but it becomes personal when an attempt is made on his own life. Aided by a previous acquaintance, Johannes delves deeper into mystery and politics.

All of these books are awesome. I'd recommend them all.

The Price of Gas

BP Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico:

Commerce vs. Environmentalism at its worst. I would hope that it's obvious, at more than FIFTY days after the Deep Water Horizon oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf, taking with it the lives of eleven people, that the technology developed to extract fossil fuels at greater and greater depths has far outstripped the technology available to mitigate disasters exactly like this one. Attempt after attempt has been made to stop the flow of crude into the Gulf (all unsuccessful, obviously), and the defense of British Petroleum and offshore drilling in general by certain people truly astounds me. As the Gulf (Louisiana especially) is still recovering from the aftermath of previous natural disasters, it now faces an industrial disaster that has already surpassed the magnitude of the Exxon-Valdez spill near Alaska, and the impact has already been great. It will only get worse, and here's why:

1. The Loop Current, which could draw the spilled oil as far up the east coast as the Carolinas - perhaps even further.

2. Hurricane Season, which is likely to make the clean-up efforts somewhat akin to trying to remove mud from wet clothing by hand while the washing machine is on spin cycle.

3. The fact that the well is still gushing oil. Current estimates project the successful drilling of a relief well sometime in August, perhaps later. Who knows what could happen between now and then?

Here are some of the things that we can basically kiss goodbye for the next few years, or longer:

1. Tourism in the South. Who wants to lounge on oily, toxic beaches?

2. The Wetlands. In case you've missed some of the reports, 40% of the wetlands in the United States are on the Gulf Coast. Not only do these areas serve as natural filtration systems and habitats for animals that don't live anywhere else, they also play a role as protective barriers against flooding. Which, as you may recall, happens down there - a lot.

3. Gulf marine life, and the livelihoods of those who depend on it. The oil or dispersants used in the clean-up efforts could very possibly have the effect of choking the oxygen out of the water, creating vast dead zones devoid of most sea life. Goodbye, fishermen's incomes.

4. The health of everyone involved in the clean-up, and those who live on the Gulf Coast. Remember that the stuff pouring into the ocean at an uncertain rate (lots), is the raw form of gasoline. The fumes and the oil itself, not to mention the dispersants, can cause local and systemic afflictions in those who come into contact with it.

Do you want to see the consequences of not following the rules? Look at the photos and video taken of the Deep Water Horizon oil rig explosion. Eleven men lost their lives because decisions were made to take shortcuts for the sake of time and money - to avoid the inconvenience of complying with the requirements that are designed to keep things like this from happening. I'm sure that none of the people involved with making these decisions ever thought that the consequences would ever have been so severe, nor do I think that they would have made the same decisions had they known what would happen. But guess what - most of us don't possess the gift of seeing the future. In order to compensate for such human failings, we have put rules in place based on past experiences, and hired intelligent people to make educated guesses about keeping similar things from happening.

In an era when people attempt to legislate truth, to make policy or law defining reality the way they see it, but may not be what it actually is, some things should be beyond debate. People dying at work because of safety and industrial shortcuts - that should be beyond debate. Oil gushing into the Gulf and poisoning the environment - that should be beyond debate. Making BP liable for the damage it is ultimately responsible for - that should be beyond debate. If BP feels that others are at fault - the Transatlantic contractors, or Halliburton, it should pay up and then attempt reclamation from them after the innocent have been looked after.

You shit in our ocean, sirs. Clean it up, and pay what is owed.

Head Explosion in 3...2...1...

When I first moved out of my parents' house and lived with one of my best friends, we came up with a very prestigious title - "Moron of the Day" - that we would award to someone else during the day. Usually, this person was a complete stranger: someone who pulled a bone-headed move in their car, the person in the front of the ticket line at the movie theatre who asked "What time is your seven o'clock show?", the creepy man with three long hanks of hair carefully combed over the top of his head (clearly he'd deluded himself into thinking that he still had a "bald spot", when in fact his hair had nearly escaped his head entirely). Of course we would assign the "Moron of the Day" award discreetly - we're not animals, and our intention was not to hurt anybody's feelings. It was a way for us to have a giggle and poke a small amount of fun at someone we'd caught in the act of being stupid.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you that as a fallible human being, I also sometimes do stupid things. Please - hold your gasps of disbelief! It's true. I remember with shame the time that I ruined my step-father's birthday present by being unable to control my big mouth. I once came out of the grocery store and spent a frustrated minute or so trying to figure out why I couldn't get the car door unlocked, then realized that the car I was attempting to open was not my car. In my defense, it was exactly the same make, model, and color, and only two parking spaces away from mine. The point is that I know that we all do stupid things sometimes.

That being said, there are some kinds of stupidity that I cannot forgive - acts of such monumental idiocy that there's no way I can comfortably brush it off as normal human frailty. Things so incredibly dumb that I think my head may explode a la Scanners:
(To reassure some of my more sensitive readers - this is fake. This is not an actual human head exploding. Picture = not real. Moving on.)

The most recent things that have caused me to worry about my brain suddenly becoming part of the wall are these:

Paris Hilton's British Best Friend:

I've kinda-sorta-almost-if-I-don't-think-too-much-about-it come to terms with my distaste of Paris Hilton as a horrible human being, but I experience almost blinding flashes of rage when I see things that publicly cater to her stupid, spoiled lifestyle - like this new reality TV show that chronicles Paris' search for a British best friend - someone willing to hang on her every word, go with her to parties, be physically attractive - but not more so than Paris! A "pet", as Paris so eloquently puts it in previews for the show. How sad these people are, to buy into the idea that the lifestyle of this terrible person is worthy of envy and imitation. How sad that these people don't seem to have any greater ambition than becoming a sycophant. How sad that this show is on the TV Guide channel, forcing me to become exposed to it if I should ever need to check program schedules.

The Twilight Series (I refuse to call it a "saga"):

Look, I am the last person to disregard fun, fluffy reads. I have quite a few guilty pleasures that I like to return to whenever I'm feeling stressed or need to wind down. I'll even admit them to you: The Hardy Boys, the Misty of Chincoteague books, Where the Red Fern Grows, and the Bruce Coville series of My Teacher Fried My Brain books. Childish? Yes. Thought-provoking? Not even a little bit, except maybe Where the Red Fern Grows - which causes me to bawl like a baby when (spoiler alert) the boy's dogs die. So I get it - it's nice to read things that don't require a lot of intellectual investment. But the Twilight series is awful, and here's why: the main character is a whiny, selfish, narcissistic tease. Her greatest desire is to remain in her late teens forever, her relationship with her vanilla vampire love interest based on nothing more than his primal attraction to her blood and her vapid obsession with him. This vampire is also controlling and borderline abusive - maybe not in a physical sense, but definitely an emotional one. And she strings along her back-up romantic interest, a werewolf, by sending him all kinds of mixed signals and generally being a horrible, selfish person. And yet somehow, this relationship has suddenly been lusted after by an entire generation of young women - perceived as some kind of "ideal". But please consider this: all of the conflicts/problems in the entire series are caused by Bella and Edward's selfish actions. They make no real sacrifices for anyone else's benefit. They do not work on their relationship - or anything, it seems. Everything falls into place for them, and the reward seems to be a child that requires no time or sacrifice to raise, and many beautiful and expensive material posessions. Gag.

The Tea Party Tax Day Protests:

I love the First Amendment. I believe that there's a reason that freedom of speech, a free press, and religious freedom is so important that it was first in the Bill of Rights. I'm glad that people can say whatever they want. It encourages discussion, and is healthy for democracy. However, just as people are free to express their beliefs, I am free to make fun of them if I think they're stupid. I understand that not everyone is happy about our new president or his policy decisions, but to declare the income tax "unconstitutional" is downright idiotic. To bemoan the fact that almost half of our country does not pay any federal income tax while completely disregarding the fact that these people have low incomes and pay payroll and sales taxes at miniumum is extremely selective. All of the nice things we have in this country - interstate highways, national parks, libraries, emergency response services, to name a few - things that I think many Americans would consider "rights", are paid for with tax money. This stuff - our freedoms and services - it costs money. Being a citizen of this country, I understand that it is my patriotic duty to contribute part of the money I earn to enjoy the benefits of these things. And yes - I don't always agree that taxpayer money is spent wisely, but that's why we have the right to vote. In short, I'm very confused as to why some people are willing to pay for an idea with blood (ideally, someone else's), but not with money.

Phobias

The word "phobia" according to all-knowing Wikipedia, is a word of Greek origin that is used to describe "an intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, animals, or people". Also included in the article is a link to an impressive list of phobias, which I perused just to see if there are actually words for some of the irrational fears that I have. These aren't crippling fears, mind you. They don't prevent me from functioning as a (semi) normal and stable person. These fears fall somewhere between mere pet peeves and outright phobias. To my surprise, however, it seems that the list of existing phobias (or at least the one on Wikipedia) fails to include some of mine. So, as a service to the English language and slightly obsessive people everywhere, I've decided to put names to my fears. Perhaps this will be of some help to others suffering from similar anxieties.

Mimeoelvisophobia: Fear of Elvis impersonators. I don't have a problem with Elvis Presley himself, and I'm indifferent to his music, but I absolutely loathe Elvis impersonators - even Elvis Halloween costumes. I hate it when they pop up in commercials, as bit parts in TV shows, and in person - even if I happen to be in Las Vegas, which is practically their native habitat. Some people hate clowns (coulrophobia). I hate Elvis impersonators.

Flotsamendentiphobia: Fear of crap getting stuck in your teeth. Especially popcorn kernals, but let's not forget things like whatever orange substance makes up the filling of a Butterfinger candy bar, or tiny pieces of beef jerky. This one is especially irritating, because once you're aware that something may be stuck in your teeth, it's all you can think about.

Digitaudiophobia: Fear of the awful sound you hear when a digital sound file skips and gets stuck. I shudder every time this happens. It's just as bad a nails on a chalkboard, or the sound of Styrofoam rubbing against Styrofoam.

Querybibliophobia: Fear of some random person (or someone you don't feel like talking to) coming up to you and asking "What are you reading?" inevitably followed by "Oh. What's it about?" It's about 500 pages, and available at Barnes and Noble for $7.99 plus tax. Now leave me alone.

Postcinematophobia: The fear that drives you to check behind all of your doors, under your bed, and turn on all the lights in your apartment after watching an unsettling or downright terrifying movie.

I hope this helps, my fellow slightly obsessive word nerds. When there's no words to express yourself, feel free to make some up.

Open Letters

Dear Flu Virus that is infecting my brother:

I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but the flu symptoms that you are inflicting on my little brother (vomiting, coughing, a general crappy feeling, etc.) are making it very difficult for him to stay hydrated and keep his medication down, which is causing even more problems for him. So I would appreciate it if you'd just lay off. Seriously, the kid sounds like death, and he would really like to start feeling better in time for The Lightning Thief, which is coming out soon. If you must infect someone, I suggest Arnold Schwarzenegger. He looks as though he could handle a case of flu with little or no difficulty, and he's obnoxious enough that I don't feel bad for suggesting it.

Cordially,

Bri

Dear Woman at Target:

I really hate playing "space invaders" with people in general, let alone random unknown fellow shoppers. The fact that I was inching away from your shopping cart in the greeting card aisle should have been an indication to you that I was not comfortable with the distance between me and your cart. Instead, you must have interpreted it as an invitation to move said cart even closer to me, despite the fact that we were the only two people in the aisle. And while I'm happy to help you by giving you directions to another store down the road, I find it creepy that you engaged me in conversation again when I returned to the aisle to retrieve the greeting card I had decided upon. I realize that you were probably attempting a sales pitch rather than delivering an insult when you complimented me on how "cute" I was and then immediately offered me a Mary Kay makeover, but nevertheless my instant feelings of revulsion compelled me to refuse you and get the hell out of there. In the future, trying to get in someone's good graces by implying that you think they could look better probably isn't the best way to go.

Respectfully,

Bri

Dear Netflix:

I love you, utterly and completely. You've been very prompt lately, and the only way you could make your DVD rental service even easier would be if you were to send a robot to drop my movies in the mail for me. If I had any complaints about you whatsoever, it would be this: exactly how long is a "short wait"? Cagney & Lacey has been in my queue for two months now, and the first disc is still showing a "short wait". It would be helpful to me if you were to provide me with some kind of reference in order for me to understand what you mean by this. Do you mean "short wait" as compared to the 75-year cycle of Halley's comet - which by the way is a short-period comet? Please advise.

Love,

Bri

Dear Neighboors Downstairs:

I realize that you've only lived in the complex for two months, and I really don't want to be the kind of person that judges other peoples' marriages based on what can be heard through the floor. I'm sure that when you're screaming obscenities at each other, you're doing so in a most loving and caring way. And when one of you hits the other or slams the other against a wall (which is perfectly audible in my apartment), I'm sure it's just a passionate expression of the undying love you have for one another. While the two of you are engaged in fits of marital bliss in the form of shouting matches that cause your young daughter to scream at you to "Please stop!", I'm sure you're completely unaware of my internal debate over whether or not to call the police. I must say that your design choice to decorate your porch and the lower part of the stairs to my apartment with cigarette butts is certainly unique. Speaking of my stairs, it's certainly distracting to hear the vibrations of the steel railings travel all the way up to my front door. I sometimes wonder if the stairs will still be there in the morning! Also, your charming friends are very enthusiastic, even at 2 o' clock in the morning. I surely hope another living situation presents itself for you soon, so that your neighborliness can be inflicted upon a different area.

Sincerely,

Bri

Dear President of the Company at which I work:

I know that things have been rough ever since the layoffs in November, and the increased workload on your remaining employees (me included) has not been easy to bear. Nevertheless, I feel I must tell you that it's inappropriate, especially afer all of your speechifying after the layoffs about how "we're a family", not to know some of the names of the twenty people remaining at the company. Also, gambling the jobs of these people by recklessly ignoring recommendations from your engineers and seriously disappointing your largest customer is bad form, not to mention denying a purchase request for some much-needed safety supplies. I must also inform you that you should not constantly repeat the fact that you have decided not to take a salary from our company this year as if it's the most noble act in the history of the universe. I happen to know that you are receiving salaries from the other two companies owned by your investment group, and are hardly struggling financially. This, however, happens to be the only job that I have, and I don't appreciate you risking it by making horrible, stupid decisions.

Sod off, asshole.

Bri