List of Most Despised Professions

This is off topic, but feel free to vote on your list of the most dreaded professions. These are the people you can't stand dealing with, or have a reputation for poor business ethics.

Let me start it off:

Meter Maid (ticket writer)
Handyman (especially those driving a white van)
Life Insurance Salesman
Telemarketer
Personal injury lawyer
Self-help guru
Repo man
Car salesperson
Used car salesperson
Auto part repairs guy
Department of Motor Vehicles clerk

Line Dancing Warmup by Breast Cancer survivor team (pink) and MC (purple) 

This is a Dragon Boat! It's been done for thousands of years, originating in China 

Zachary & Char on the Pier... Zach was entertaining everybody! 

An Enthused Member of the Breast Cancer Survivor's team, "Naomi"  

DJ Jagged at the Dragonboating / Breast Cancer Benefit in Mercer County Park, August 20, 2005 

Updated Schedule as of August 16th

August 20th - Charity event at Mercer County Park, West Windsor (AM). Wedding in East Brunswick (PM). Charitable event focuses on breast cancer survivors and features competitive dragon boat races. Come check it out!

August 21st - Baby shower in East Hanover, NJ

August 28th - Wedding in Scotch Plains

August 29th- Wedding in Clifton

September 10th - Block Party in Fairlawn

September 16th - Sweet 16 Party in West Windsor, NJ

September 17th - Wedding in Long Branch

September 24th - Muscular Dystrophy charity event, Cherry Hill

October 1st - Wedding in Saddle River, NJ

October 9th - Wedding in Philadelphia Burbs

October 16th - Wedding in Middlesex, NJ

October 22nd - Wedding in South River

October 29th - Wedding in New Hope, PA

October 30th - Birthday Party in Swedesboro, NJ

November 5th - 40th Birthday Party, Garwood, NJ

Wicca Wedding Reception

This past Sunday, I found myself in Slate Hill, NY for an interesting wedding reception. In advance, I knew that the bride had underground musical tastes. At the site, for the ceremony, there was a "circle in the round" theater with a table (altar) in the center. I later found out that the bride practices the Wicca spirituality / religion, which was described as "good witches". The ceremony involved calling out to various earth forces (water, air, fire) which had separate tables at points at the perimeter of the circle. In the processional, the bridesmaids and bride and her father all walked one lap around the perimeter. The officiant was British, with a lisp and accent right out of Harry Potter. Incense burned. There was a wine drinking ceremony. The bride and groom's hands were also literally tied together with ribbons. And finally, they hopped over a broom! (was it a witch's broom?)

Overall, it was a very nice group of people. Older crowd, lots of money. The Catlin Gardens facility was beautiful. Outdoors featured gardens with pungent smells of flora and fauna. The weather was unbearable however. Very, very humid. I developed an intense headache in the afternoon. I kept drinking water to stay hydrated, but it was an uphill battle. The reception was inside, with the main room underneath a tent in an off-white fabric reminiscent of something Steve Wynn might use in the Bellagio. Excellent food!

Here is the basic information about Wicca for those who are curious:

"Real Facts About Wicca:
Wiccans celebrate the 8 Sabbats - We don't necessarily worship the Earth, but we do hold it sacred, and celebrate the cycles and the seasons, as well as the traditional harvest days.
Wicca is polytheistic - Not all Wiccans follow precisely the same path when it comes to Deity, but typically we believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses often taken from different cultures and time periods. Many Wiccans will work with 1 or 2 Deities, rather than worshipping the entire gamut.
Wiccans do practice magick - Magick and spells are part of our religion. This sometimes seems far-fetched to those who don't understand. Forget every magick spell you've ever seen on TV or in the movies. Magick is nothing more than utilizing the energy that exists around us in nature. It's a delicate art that takes time, study and practice to master. We don't spend our days casting spells willy-nilly.
Wiccans do gather in covens - The media has made this sound more sinister than it really is. A coven can be any number of people (not just 13), and involves a group of Wiccans who gather regularly for ritual, magick, study and celebration. It's not that mysterious at all. Many Wiccans are not part of any coven, and folks who work alone are called 'solitaries'.
Though Wicca can be a very fluid and personal religion, don't get the wrong impression that 'anything goes'. "

Memorable Quotes

Regarding DJ Jagged in the midst of accusations of improprieties, supporters came forward with these words:

"I know you are a legitimate man of the business world with a bevy of both white collar and club attire clientele"

"Your street credit is still overflowing like a 40 of Crazyhorse!"

Amen, and I'll drink to that!

Tomfoolery in the Pool 

Enjoying a Pink Robot and some "Habanera" 

Aunt Rain and Uncle Zephyr, submitting to their sensoriums 

Mike Z fans his political billboards for opera like effects 

DJ Struggler, digesting Bizet (and struggling to digest his veggie burger) 

Welcome to Mike Z's World 

i-Pod Party Review

Saturday August 6th marked a combination pool / housewarming / i-Pod party in Lawrenceville, NJ.

The pool session was held in 85 degree waters and featured a sort of water polo / dodgeball. Aggression levels were high.

Back at the villa, a smorgasbord of appetizers and liquid amenities awaited. Guests included Mike Z, Gregg W (Mick Finn), Mike A. (DJ Struggler), Aunt Rain, Uncle Zephyr, Dan and Vanessa. Char-broiled was the hostess.

The main course, beef tenderloin stuffed with serrano peppers and garlic, and topped with a jalapeno relish, was a culinary delight, prepared under the strict supervision of Rabbi Gregg Wramage, and grilled by executive line chef, DJ Jagged. The vegetarians dined on sauteed vegetable burgers and portobella mushrooms. A bottle of "il Bastardo" merlot was drunk.

At 9 PM, the i-Pod party commenced. Below is a chronicle of the tracks, with selective commentary:

Song / Artist

DJ Struggler:

Lo-Fi Recordings - The Arm of Roger
???? - The Flaming Lips
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Paul Anka

Comment- Struggler's selections intellectually challenged the group, and the Paul Anka was a surreal surprise.

Mike Z:

Habanera - Georges Bizet (1875) - All guests were blindfolded and served the frozen concoction known as a Pink Robot (frozen pink lemonade, vodka and citrus zest). At one of about 9 climaxes, guests were supposed to take a sip. During the piece, gusts of wind circulated through the room. Late in the track, somebody on the couch, perceiving the opportunity for comic relief, let go of a shrieking fart. The vegetarians were the top suspects. The movie theater prank with a fart machine must be attempted! Or else bring DJ Struggler.

I Turn My Camera on You - Spoon (2005) - Introduced as an alternative to disco

Waiting for Bud - Sublime (1994). Mike Z presented some mathematical proof on a large posterboard.

Mickey Finn, extracted picks from the Pearl Jam album "Live (acoustic) at Benaroya Hall of October 2003" (album released in August 2004). Rather than orate, he chose to let the music speak for itself.

Man of the Hour - Pearl Jam (from Tim Burton's film, Big Fish)

Off He Goes - Pearl Jam from the album "No Code"

Dead Man Walking - from Eddie Vedder's solo set within the concert

25 Minutes to Go - cover version of the Johnny Cash song

DJ Jagged (after fumbling to find his discs):

Diamonds - Grammy-award winner Kanye West, as recorded under Jay Z's Roc-a-fella Records label. West is torn between being iced out and the treacherous conditions of Sierra Leone diamond mines.

After the Soma - Nigel Richards. Late night banging Philly techno with a sample from Scarface, and an ominous pause before all hell breaks loose.

Get Ready - Sublime

Dream of You - Schiller featuring Heppner. German electronica producer Schiller teams up with the vocalist of goth / synthpop band "Wolfsheim" with delightful, haunting results.

>> At DJ Struggler's request, the DJ Jagged and company audio drops project by reader "Elle" was played in its entirety.

Char-broiled finished out the set with,

Last Train to Llasa - Banca de Gaie. It felt like a mystical journey to Tibet.

And that was it! A few late night stragglers enjoyed peach pie, pineapple pie and chocolate covered fruits. In summary, it was an evening of decadent delights targeted to the most discriminating connoisseur, full of gourmet foods and music. The bar has been set, and future i-Pod parties are rumored to be in the works. If I had to do it over, I would allow each presenter to play three in their main set, and then circle back for one final round where each guest plays an additional one song, and dancing is encouraged!

Please post your comments!

"LET ME SHOW YOU MY LAWRENCEVILLE"

A Sales Call Gone Good!

This evening I drove the hour plus up to Clifton (another odd hotspot for 2005!) to meet with a couple who heard about me from my Perfect Wedding Guide ad. They have met with some other DJs, but they booked me after a 30 minute meeting or so. They seemed to fall into the professional service, good value proposition. The fact that we both have male toddlers was also something in common (16 month old Mark came along). This was a full-priced gig for May 2006 at the Mountainside Inn in Clifton. This was the site of the goth wedding reception in April 2005 where there was nearly a brawl. It has an easy load-in, and should be a profitable gig. I've struck out on some of these sales calls with a long trip, but the fact that I was willing to come to them was a plus from their perspective. I will play the ceremony music, cocktail hour and reception - all onsite at venue.

I had a revelation on the flat feeling from this past weekend's events. I was very isolated, geographically, from the crowds. I prefer to be in the mix with my mix, like at the outdoor portion of Club 2606.

I have selected my three songs for the i-Pod style party this Saturday night:

1) Diamonds - Kanye West feat. Jay Z
2) After the Soma - Nigel Richards
3) I Feel You - Schiller feat. Heppner.

That will be a nice variety indeed!

The pranks on Mickey Finn's office mate had a controversial and volatile effect, but it all ended fine.