I quit.

This thread is about grand finales, about quitting something, specially your job, but could apply to many things.

A girlfriend told me she heard a story recently about an air steward who was mistreated by a passenger and was sick of the job anyway so when the plain landed, he took the speaker and said something like: "We landed in this shitx place and I hope you have an awful day, and to the passenger that was rude to me, F U!" He grabbed a beer, opened it, drank, opened the emergency door, went out through the scape slide and walked away...

It was a big news story here Zeta...

Hmm, what about this quitting story, how did this turn out? :roll:

after my company was bought out by another, the new management were looking to show how tough they were. all sorts of anti union retoric was going around and indeed several people had been fired. i was given an impossible task to relabel old blueprints to new blueprints to the equipment in the field that had very little resembleance to either. i was being pressured to do this task quickly with out human error or i would be fired, so i quit, walked out that night. i got a phone call from our new vice pres and he wanted a meeting. i agreed to it fully intending to give them my corporate badge and keys and flip them off and go home un-employed. it turns out that he wanted to know why a 20 year employee with an outstanding work record and many operational accolades had quit and wanted me to reconcider and come back. hmmmm go figure. i regret EVER coming back but i only have 5 years till i retire so i guess it worked out.

On 2010-09-30 14:56, Bora Boris wrote:
Hmm, what about this quitting story, how did this turn out? :roll:

i remember that boris.

not really about quitting...
but amusing nonetheless
i fired a guy back in the late 90's
cuase my boss was too chicken to do it
so i stepped up and did it
and found out it was HIS BIRTHDAY!
:o

years later we patched things up
and were at his home with some friends
right before a concert
and i accidentely broke his glass bong!

Fire a guy on his birthday
then break his bong?
Should have been killed years ago by this fellow!

Boris, I knew you where going to bring that up... I left a proposition there, The Tiki Academy Awards. "The Hanfords™". to meditate on the quality of our posts. To answer your question, that turned out "ignored".

You just answered it.

One thing I know is good Tuba playing!

so we've heard....
:)

"Winners never quit and quitters never win."

Vince Lombardi

(Also my sadistic High School P.E. coach said that at least once a week.)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-09-30 18:05 ]

On 2010-09-30 15:54, lucas vigor wrote:
One thing I know is good Tuba playing!

go on...do tell.

No one ever took the "Boy who cried wolf" seriously again.

"Boy who cried wolf"

that's a Great band name!

Not as good as "The Wolf that Cried Boy"

On 2010-09-30 20:57, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
Not as good as "The Wolf that Cried Boy"

"The Wolfboy who Cried".

And to get this thread back on track, Zeta, you quit and came back.

Explain !!

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-09-30 22:27 ]

I want ANSWERS! and don't say I can't handle the truth!
because I am pretty sure I can,so there.....

There's that incredibly stupid line from that kinda fun movie:

"Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind."

I think the reality is:

"Ohana means family and family means everybody will jump at any chance they can to remind you of something dumb you did in the past."

This thread was honestly about quitting stories... That was my intention, no innuendos, no second intentions, no subtleties... Holy cow... Everyone is crazy (except me) I don't get half of the posts now a days... I guess post modernism hit TC... Celebrating classic and post modern Polynesian Pop...

Another epically sad quitting story: The TV news guy who shot himself with a gun on live TV.

Oh boy, whatever, aloha dudes.

No Mas!

You can't have a list of quitting stories without including Panamanian Roberto Durán who quit fighting in the eighth round of his second fight with Sugar Ray Leonard by saying "No Mas".

On 2010-10-01 01:29, Zeta wrote:
....Oh boy, whatever, aloha dudes.

C'mon Zeta, don't be so sensitive. We're just bustin' balls. You know if you were to ever visit LA we'd throw a "Zeta Night" at DTBC or Tonga Hut.

You have to admit for someone who exited so dramatically and then (sheepishly? :)) came back we cut you a lot of slack. Then you start a thread provocatively titled "I Quit" rather than "Share Your Quitting Stories".

Dude, what did you expect ?? :D

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-10-01 09:01 ]

Thanx JUAN-O "Zeta's night" sounds cool... maybe someday... although I'm scared Tikipug or Buzzy might show up and punch me in the mostacho!
I'm not sensitive (as in touchy), really, I don't give a rat's a$$ about $hit. Only direct attacks (for no reason) bother me... And I can take criticism on Mexico or Spain, as long as it's not generalizations or mean spirited. (being a one person minority is though!) I am all for free speech and ideas. Censorship is for fanatics.

About my quit and comeback, as I said before, the devil made me do it... I'm a provocateur and like to test the limits, what can I say? I did it to make a point not taking for granted some posters efforts to document and preserve Tiki History... Besides, just lurking was boring.

TC got deep under my skin, like a bad habit. I dunno.

I hope my dissertations make sense, I had a few drinks last night and my brain is a bit moshy this morning...

Back on subject:

I just love quitting stories because they are cathartic, people dream for years about what they will say to their boss when they "win the lottery".

NO MAS!!

Back when the Smokin’ Menehunes were just starting out, we had 4 members: Me, Tiki Bong, Spike “Lucky designs” Marble and Shirley Orlando (Who wrote the “Warm Sands” off the Hula Girls album). Anyway, Shirley owned an island décor store at the time, and one of her regular customers heard her playing our CD and liked it. She asked if Shirley knew who the band was, and could she hire them to play a party? So, Shirley let her know it was our band, and got us one of our first paying gigs! Good so far.

Well, the client had some stipulations. First off, they could only pay us 300, and they wanted us to come at 2:00 the day of the party and set up long before anyone came there because she “didn’t want the guests to see us setting up”. Of course, the time of the actual party was 7:00 that night, so what the client was asking was outrageous, but what the fuck did we know?

Shirley had to close her store, so Me, Spike and Bong drove over to this person’s house near Slater ave. to set up. When we got there, we noticed this odd looking and very short woman standing outside the house clutching a snarling and particularly evil looking little dog. I said “hi, we are the band” and asked her where she wanted us to set up. She had this strange, nervous laugh, and told me “You go in through the back, because we don’t want you in our house”. Odd comment to make, but ok…..

While Bong was backing the truck up, I made chit chat with her, asking her if her neighbors were cool with her having a live band in the backyard (The houses were in very close proximity), and she said “Oh, I don’t care what my neighbors think”…

Oops! In Huntington Beach, you have to have a license for live music. People get around that by clearing it with the neighbors, or even inviting them so there are no complaints or problems.

Anyway, we started unloading our stuff, but these little dogs were attacking us as we were carrying in the equipment! I mean really biting, and snarling at us…going for our shoes as we were walking in! Bong asked the lady if the dogs would continue to do this, and she (with that annoying giggle) said that they were “Only playing”.

The dogs would not stop. Even worse, they were starting to chew on any piece of equipment we set down in the back yard!

Bong asked again, “are these dogs going to be running loose around here the whole time?” Now, she started getting mad, and said “What’s your problem? These dogs are OUR babies, and they have the run of the house…deal with it!”.

The dogs would not stop, so we talked as a band in front of the house, and decided we needed to give this lady an ultimatum. So, Bong asks her one last time: “Are these dogs going to really be loose the whole time, what with their biting and aggressive behavior?” At this point, the husband got into the scene and rudely told us that he was starting to “Lose his temper” with us.
So Bong says, “that’s it boys, start packing the gear..we are outta here!”.

Well, the lady and the man went completely nuts! Screaming at us and calling us every name in the book! “I can’t believe you shit- heads are leaving, you are destroying our party!!!” and “we will take you to court over this!!”.

Bong looks at her and says “Show us the contract!!” and of course, every thing was verbal…so we had her there!

She was following us out in front of the house and screaming at us, saying “I can’t fucking believe you are leaving!”

Bong looks at her, (and this was a classic Bong response) says “Ma’m, it’s not that we are leaving….we just ain’t STAYING!”…..and then her head exploded! She was so mad, but we were laughing!!!!

The bad news of the story was that she called Shirley immediately to complain, and because they were customers of Shirley, She felt obligated to go down there and do a ukulele-only performance by herself! But at the time, Shirley was exhausted by trying to work her store alone, and take care of an ailing relative….poor Shirley!

It gets worse. Shirley went down there and played for like 4 hours, at the end, the lady told Shirley “Thanks” and DID NOT EVEN PAY HER!

About a year later, we played some parking-lot event in costa mesa (Near Henry’s goat hill tavern) and lo and behold, this couple was there! And here is the funny thing! She did not remember us! They heard us playing and said “We really like your band, are you available for hire??”

My theory is that this lady and her odd husband were so crazy, that our altercation with her was probably just one of many she has with everyone! She is probably in and out of court on a daily basis, suing people and generally being a menace to society (and her little dog, too!)

http://www.myspace.com/lucasvigor

"yer jus not tuned into the series of tubes yet, let it soak in".

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2010-10-01 10:00 ]

I am surprised you or (especially) Bong, didn't kick one of those dogs like a football.

JAJAJA! Love your prose Lucas! I really do. Nice story... JAJAJA

Lucas, Man I feel you (not in an illegal or weird way) been there & done that!
plenty of crazy folks here in Calif.

I go to clients homes & office's for my work & see all kinds of fruit cakes,really got to suck it up at times.
People really are strange for the most part.

What really irked me about the story was that if you know Shirley, she has a beautiful heart and just gives and gives of herself (she was involved in the "Ukes for troops" program!) and these clients just took and took from her!

The clients were a lot like some of the crazier characters from all those Christopher Guest mockumentaries, like "Best in show"....keep your eyes out for them because they buy Tiki stuff in the Costa Mesa and HB areas!

Speaking of annoying animals and quitting, here's a tale of one young man's triumph over an ornery little rooster.

The Day I Quit Pussyfooting Around The Little Rooster

When I was 12 or so the neighbors across the street went away for a couple weeks and hired me to look after their chickens and goat. (I grew up in a small country town, though the neighbors were across the street beyond the neighbors was miles of farm land.)

The chickens were in a large penned yard which you entered through a big plywood gate that opened inward. There were several dozen chickens and two roosters in the yard. The older rooster was huge, seemed to be about two feet tall, and had huge spurs. The other rooster was young, about the size of a hen, and had pretty good sized spurs.

The older rooster was clearly the boss and strutted about the place like he owned it. Cuz he did. The younger rooster was very keen on being the boss and since he obviously couldn't take on the big rooster he instead took on anyone who came into the chicken yard. When I opened the large plywood gate he'd come barreling across the yard and would jump and attempt to spur me. He'd keep this up until I'd dumped the chicken feed then he became more interested in eating.

Though I could have probably just kicked the little rooster across the yard it never occurred to me to do so and his intense determination and nasty looking spurs really freaked me out. Before entering the yard I'd carefully peek over the large plywood gate and make sure the little rooster was off in a far corner of the yard before opening the gate. I'd then open the gate, run in and drop the food.

Sometimes the little rooster would notice the gate opening and would make it across the yard just as I entered and he'd manage to make an attack.

So one day I checked the yard and not seeing the little rooster I pushed open the big plywood gate. Just as the gate was wide enough to step through I saw the little rooster headed towards me at full speed.

I immediately stepped back out of the yard and pulled the big plywood gate closed. I then looked over the top of the gate and the little rooster was still running to the gate.

I watched the little rooster running towards the big plywood gate and waited til he was about two feet from the gate then pushed the gate open as hard as I could.

I felt a satisfying thud against the gate and I stepped into the yard to the delightful sight of the little rooster rolling like a big ball of white feathers head over spurs away from the gate. He came to a stop, shook himself into order, looked around, and headed off in the opposite direction of the gate. And he never attempted to attack me again.

For a moment there, I was really excited when I saw this thread!!!

Until I opened it up and read it.

*"For a moment there, I was really excited when I saw this thread!!!

Until I opened it up and read it."*

Oh girlfriend, puh-leeze. Can't you cat ladies keep it in your pants? There's already so much bitchiness around this place you'd think Tiki Central was a puppy mill.

Ok here's my snappy "I quit" story, when I was a very young teenager I played in a 7 piece horn band at night, we were one of the house bands at Gazzari's on the strip. I was so high and mighty with my new shiny Datsun pick up truck I thought I coud make the $75.00 payment with ease. I couldn't of course, cause I spent all my money eating at Norms & Tiny Naylors after hours and other teen age shit we need like LP's and ... stuff so, I had get a "real" teenager job. Jack in the Box was the fast answer. It was far into July by now and this day gig was killing my fun beach days. After 3 whole months of working there I took a cassette player and my shiny new truck drove it through the drive-thru lane backwards, stopped at the Jack speaker, set up my cassette player on record and when they told me I was driving in backwards and said we won't serve you, I hit the record button and pounded out mt little rhyme telling them "I quit" just like that, I quit. I don't have the tape, long gone and many laughs til I was maybe in my late 20's then I felt stupid and embarrassed. Now I'm old and it's funny again :wink: whenever I watch "Fast times at Ridgemont High" I laugh all over as the Jack in the Box that "Brad" passes on his way to deliver "Captain Hook" food is the very Jack in the Box on Chatsworth St. In Granada Hills I worked at for 3 whole shitty summer months. By the way I received my last check in the mail and a letter stating I have relinquished my rights to work for Ralston Purina ever again. Gosh I hope they don't own a Bar anywhere.

P.s. ... Zeta better plan on having that party at the Tonga Hut, I don't think Don's would have him but hell, the TH would :wink:

On 2010-10-01 23:58, Hiphipahula wrote:
....when I was a very young teenager I played in a 7 piece horn band at night, we were one of the house bands at Gazzari's on the strip.

Did you know Kelly was invited to be one of The Runaways ?? She told Joan Jett: "Thanks but I'm already in a band and we have a regular gig".

If that happened "Cherry Bomb" might have turned out "NA..NA..NA.. NAVY GROG !!"

I quit my office job. 10 years in that place.

From 1988 - 1998 I worked for a major department store as a Visual Merchandiser. I was promised a management position many times and did everything I needed to do to secure that position. This included rushing a college education to have the required degree and outlasting 2 different bosses who i should have been able to take their jobs. the last straw was I had to train the final boss replacement. She was from a different company and they said they chose her because she was from the competition even though I was waiting for that job for many years.

I quit by writing a "take this job and shove it" letter to the store manager and giving 2 weeks notice the same day i was to start a 2 week vacation to Hawaii that I already had planned and was set in the books. So I packed up my car with my tools that day and left forever.

When i went out one of my close friends followed me to help me carry my stuff. He ended up getting into my passenger seat and I asked him "what are you doing?" and he said "I am not staying here without you, I quit too" :) Within a month, the entire team quit.