off the rack

"I mean you can't see it," he says, gesturing toward the screen. "I can't see it either. I can't see it any more than you can. They take what I do and they pour it into this huge machine, and the incredible thing is it usually comes out just the way they want it. And that's terrific, I suppose, that's just great, I'm not saying it isn't. I'm proud of it, I'm proud that I can do it. It's difficult, it's scary as hell, hardly anyone can do it very well. I'm amazed every time it works. But the thing I want to say is, the reason I'm proud is not because it's a good thing to do, it's just because I can do it, don't you think? I'll tell you what I think. I think that people like to do what they're able to do. People love to do what they're able to do. That's what nature is, right? The expression of itself."

from "under the 82nd airborne", stories by deborah eisenberg