so guess what?

you guessed it! Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej is throwing a birthday party for himself here in Chicago! why is he doing this? i’m not too sure. i think he’s here to talk the Department of Health into resurrecting River Kwai because i’ve gone far too long without a decent bowl of pad see yew and a soup container full of Thai iced tea, but i’ve been wrong before. and hurt. so many times.

anyway, a friend who works for a local internet television station (i’m still not really sure how that works) told me that they were looking for a freelance videographer to film the good king’s shindig. i named my price and seemed to be well on my way to a pretty good gig and a reason to go out on Saturday night.

then, out of NOWHERE, i get hideously undercut by some idiot who offered to do it for babysitting money. and he’s not even from Chicago; he’s from one of the neighboring states–i don’t know which one, but it’s now the crappiest one–and he’s driving in for the job!

believe me, he’s not doing anybody any favors by working for cheap, least of all himself. i hope he realizes that. i also hope he develops a rare fungal infection that can only be cured by being rolled about in feces and then locked in a small room with an angry gorilla.

the biggest problem with these sorts of jobs these days is that the necessary equipment is far too accessible and it floods the market with part-time amateurs who are willing to work for dirt, forcing the rest of us to lower our rates and our standards. hopefully this will end once employers realize that they’re getting what they pay for so let’s hope and pray for that day’s swift arrival.

and let’s cheer for that gorilla, too.