sew buttons

I complain a lot.

I got a call, the inquisitor asks how much I want to charge for that favor I did the other day. The favor was a bit of a bother but I actually didn't do much, I pushed a button. I did need a ladder and I was inconvenienced getting a set of keys but in the end I only pushed a button.

There's this story of how this factory had their main production machine stop working and they had all sorts of folks working on it to get it fixed and no one could get the machine working until some old guy says "I can get your machine working but it will cost you." The company was desperate, so they agreed without knowing what the price would be, then the old guy walks up to the machine and pushes one button and the machine starts to work. The old guy hands over a bill for $10,000.25. The accountant asks for the break down of the bill and the old guy says "It's 25 cents for pushing the button and ten thousand dollars for knowing what button to push."

Me, on the other hand, think it absurd to charge for pushing a button …and that's why I am no longer self
employed.