In which Primo wants me to go to a boring political dinner to honor someone I think is a nutcase and I have to figure out what I want in return

Primo: Bob has invited us to [some big deal political event for their party].

Me: So?

Primo: He's invited both of us.

Me: Ick. I don't want to go.

Primo: He paid $1,000 for the table.

Me: If I go, will you ask him about political work?

Here's the deal: Primo wants to quit his job. His Silicon Valley pay in the where we live now job. His job that if he leaves, he will never get back. He will never get a comparable job again. He is in a technical field that is changing quickly and there is nothing more useless in tech than an old engineer.

As you might imagine, I am panicked about this.

He wants to quit without having anything else lined up.

Primo has never had any problems finding work before. Primo has no idea what the job market is like now, especially for someone who wants to change careers.

He says it would be fine because he does not care if he makes the salary he makes now. (I care.)

So we are fighting about this.

I say that he should at least do some research and find out if the kind of job he wants -  which I would like him to define - even exists.

He tells me that he doesn't have time.

I say that if he didn't waste so much time reading political stuff online and getting cranky about it, he would have plenty of time for other things.

So we fight about this. A lot.

Primo: I could.

Me: I have been telling you for two years to ask people.

Primo: But I can't ask them unless I am actually going to quit and be available!

Me: Of course you can ask! That is called RESEARCH.

Primo: No. I can't. I have to be in the right mindset.

Me: What?

Primo: And how can I look for a job while I have a job? I don't have time!

Me: You can do it the way the rest of the world does it! I have gotten three new jobs in the past two years. I didn't quit my job to look for a new one.

Primo: That's different. You're not busy, the way I am.

Me: Oh right. Because I am not at work all day.

Primo: Your job is not as demanding as mine.

Me: Nope. And it pays only half of what yours pays. If I go, you have to promise that you will ask Bob and other people to be named later about work.

Primo: Maybe.

Me: You drive me crazy.

In which Primo has to pick his walk-up song

Primo: I need to pick a song for the convention next week for before my speech.

Me: What? Like your walk-up song?

Primo: Yes.

Me: You mean, like a baseball player?

Primo: Yes.

Me: Except you are not a baseball player. This is stupid.

Primo: I know.

Me: What are you going to pick?

Primo: I don't know.

Me: How about "Come Sail Away?" [One of his karaoke favorites.]

Primo: No!

Me: Rhinestone Cowboy? [I was listening to Glen Campbell's greatest hits today and feeling kind of sad thinking about how we saw him in concert last year on his farewell tour and he got disoriented during one song because of his Alzheimer's and his daughter had to guide him back onto the stage.]

Primo: What? No! It has to have some kind of political protest theme.

Me: I know. "I'm Not Responsible."

Primo: You mean the, "I'm not responsible because I'm a liberal" song?

Me: Yes.


Next day, after Primo meets with his campaign committee to count the petition signatures (400 more than required, although you have to get extras in case some of the signatures are invalid, which some always are).

Me: Did you pick your walk-up song?

Primo: We narrowed it down.

Me: To what?

Primo: Maybe Tom Petty, "I Won't Back Down."

Me: That wouldn't be bad.

Primo: We wanted a traditional protest song, but they are too soft and gentle.

Me: Plus they are boring.

Primo: And we talked about some Bruce Springsteen songs.

Me: Ick. No. Yet another rich guy who sings about the blue collar life without living it.

A week later:

Primo and I are at the Gipsy Kings concert, which was amazing - those guys are not poulets des primtemps yet they still rock. They started singing, "y no tener la culpa." I turned to Primo and said, "THAT is your walkup song."