$6.62

That is my raise per paycheck as of now to 2007. I got word yesterday. Given what I already make after taxes, this won’t even afford me a Big Mac.

For those of you doing the math, that’s a 1% increase. The person that told me got the same. Pinochet got more. As I’ve said, when it comes to Bag O’Rocks and the narcissists that agree with him, ass-kissing and a tight skirt nets more than loyalty, hard work, speaking English, a college degree, a news background and five years, three systems and two different locations.

I entered the F train en route to my therapist last night to assail her with this latest travesty and wouldn’tcha know it? A bunch of rich, white, overbearing executives were blocking the door. There was tons of room toward the center of the car, but they wouldn’t move. I shouted—as is my way—COULD YOU PLEASE MOVE A LITTLE? TWO INCHES WON’T KILL YOU!

Well, the rolex-adorned Nino Cerruti-ed exec turns around to scream back at me, inches from my face. How quaint. They don’t refer to my kind as the Fightin’ Irish for nothing, kiddies.

WHY CAN’T YOU MOVE? I continued. LOOK AT ALL THAT ROOM. YOU MAY OWN THE WORLD, BUT YOU SURE AS HELL DON’T KNOW HOW TO RUN IT. Two black guys, a gay guy, and a Puerto Rican laughed right in his face. At the next stop, I transferred to a different car. My face was beet red and my jaw clenched. Don'tcha just love the white man's principle? They stand there and the world moves around them. Kinda like this company. Motherlessbastardsonofabitching…

My mumbling netted me some room, but my glare must have been on fire. I quickly felt a pair of eyes on me and looked down to find a Hasidic man staring up at me from his Hebrew book.

“Are you alright?” he asked me.

“No. I’m not alright. I got a 1% raise today after working for the same place for five years and I don’t even see 35,000 dollars after taxes. Greed and avarice will be the death of people. Mark my words.”

Confusion and fear filled his eyes. Definitely a New York moment, however disturbing it was to those around me. I got off at my stop and proceeded to my appointment. Fury doesn’t begin to describe my feet pounding down the stairs.

For those of you who said it couldn’t possibly get worse, well? It has. It always does. I felt this coming, but I didn’t think it would be this drastic. I came in today after 4 hours of sleep to hear others that got only .5% or even nothing. A slew of people who asked me why I was leaving are miraculously joining me in my quest. So that’s what this company thinks of US? Oh, what folly.

In other news, it’s RD’s birthday today. I think I’ll borrow his famous phrase in my exit interview.

“I’m Done With This Place.”

Stay tuned, kiddies. Events will soon rocket into the stratosphere.