Thursday, February 3, 2011
So I'm Lucky To Have A Job Huh?
One of the things that irritates the shit out of me is when I vent about my job and somebody says "Well you're lucky to have that job." Lucky? Are you fucking kidding me? One thing is for certain...I do not wish to be fired quite yet. I can't get unemployment that way. But seriously Lucky? I don't see how. Am I lucky that I work for slightly above minimum wage? Maybe because I haven't had a raise in almost 7 years and not because I don't do my job? Or is it because they illegally demoted me to part time after my maternity leave? Oh I know...It's because of the new rule that we can't accept tips. That's it! I am lucky because I work my ass off for a business that gives a rats ass about their employees and I make no money. 300 dollars for two weeks to be exact. Yeah...I'm about as lucky as a bug in a bug zapper.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Enjoy This Time Of Year Now Matter How You Celebrate
What annoys me the most are people who are intolerant of others. I deal with this fact everyday and for the most part I ignore them. But the whole "Merry Christmas" deal has really ruffled my feathers so to speak. Listen, I could give a flying rats ass if you are a christian and this is the holiday where you celebrate the birth of your "savior" regardless of the fact he (if he was really born) would have been born during the summer. That is your right! You have the right to believe what ever it may be that you want to believe. I, personally, refuse to think that this is purely a christian time of year. My Jewish friends just celebrated their holiday and my pagan friends will celebrate theirs on the 21. I will celebrate right along with them and on December 25 will celebrate with my christian friends too. Why does this have to be a fight? And why does it bother you that I choose to wish somebody a Happy Holiday? Isn't it my right as an American to have whatever religious belief that I choose to have? How is wishing somebody a good thing such as having a happy celebration considered such a horrible idea? I don't understand this way of thinking and I've become so frustrated with the whole mentality of "I'm tired of people taking Christ out of Christmas." Well I have news for you. Nobody can take Christ out of Christmas for you unless you allow it. If you choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus...well, dammit, celebrate for christs sakes! Not everybody in this country is a christian and for that I am truly thankful. That is what makes this country so diverse. That is what our ancestors came over here for. A country where they were free to do as they pleased. I know that's why my paternal ancestors came here. My maternal ancestors were displaced from their native lands and forced to accept this country as was told to them (but that's a different story all together).
I have decided that those who complain that this "Happy Holidays" thing is so bad would benefit from a short history lesson. Since I love history so much I felt it to be in my best interest to put together this little lesson.
Lesson 1) Xmas is not deleting Christ out of Christmas. X is the greek term for Christ therefore Xmas is Christmas but in another language. No mean atheist is taking anything away from you here.
Lesson 2) Holidays- according to the dictionary the word "holiday" comes from the Old English word "hāligdæg." The word originally referred only to special religious days. In modern use, it means any special day of rest or relaxation, as opposed to normal days away from work or school. The word derived from the notion of "Holy Day," and gradually evolved to its current form.
Lesson 3) Many different holidays from many different religions occur in December.
Hanukkah starts on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration held in the United States honoring universal Africa heritage and culture, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. It features activities such as the lighting of a kinara and libations, and culminates in a feast and gift giving.
Christmas is from December 24 to December 25 unless you celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive days beginning Christmas Day (25 December). This period is also known as Christmastide. The Twelfth Day of Christmas is 5 January, with the celebrations of Christmas traditionally ending on Twelfth Night and is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. In some traditions the first day of Epiphany and the twelfth day of Christmas overlap.
The winter solstice has many, many origins. For my Pagan/Wiccan friends....In Wicca, a form of the holiday is observed as one of the eight solar holidays, or Sabbat. In most Wiccan groups, or covens, this holiday is celebrated as the rebirth of the Great God, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. Although the name Yule has been appropriated from Germanic and Norse paganism, elements of the celebration itself are of modern origin. Yule or Yule-tide ("Yule-time") is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar Germanic calendar. The festival was placed on December 25 when the Christian calendar (Julian calendar) was adopted. Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt. Look for yourself how many religions celebrate winter solstice. (yes, even Christian, celebrate the winter solstice)... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice
It's all right there for you. I just don't feel like typing it all out.
Please prove me wrong but the only buddhist holiday I found that sometimes occurs in December is Loi Krathong. Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.
I am still learning about Buddhism so I am not completely accurate yet.
So my point being is to just learn about your beliefs before you judge. In the famous words of Rodney King....Why can't we all just get along?
I have decided that those who complain that this "Happy Holidays" thing is so bad would benefit from a short history lesson. Since I love history so much I felt it to be in my best interest to put together this little lesson.
Lesson 1) Xmas is not deleting Christ out of Christmas. X is the greek term for Christ therefore Xmas is Christmas but in another language. No mean atheist is taking anything away from you here.
Lesson 2) Holidays- according to the dictionary the word "holiday" comes from the Old English word "hāligdæg." The word originally referred only to special religious days. In modern use, it means any special day of rest or relaxation, as opposed to normal days away from work or school. The word derived from the notion of "Holy Day," and gradually evolved to its current form.
Lesson 3) Many different holidays from many different religions occur in December.
Hanukkah starts on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration held in the United States honoring universal Africa heritage and culture, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. It features activities such as the lighting of a kinara and libations, and culminates in a feast and gift giving.
Christmas is from December 24 to December 25 unless you celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive days beginning Christmas Day (25 December). This period is also known as Christmastide. The Twelfth Day of Christmas is 5 January, with the celebrations of Christmas traditionally ending on Twelfth Night and is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. In some traditions the first day of Epiphany and the twelfth day of Christmas overlap.
The winter solstice has many, many origins. For my Pagan/Wiccan friends....In Wicca, a form of the holiday is observed as one of the eight solar holidays, or Sabbat. In most Wiccan groups, or covens, this holiday is celebrated as the rebirth of the Great God, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. Although the name Yule has been appropriated from Germanic and Norse paganism, elements of the celebration itself are of modern origin. Yule or Yule-tide ("Yule-time") is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar Germanic calendar. The festival was placed on December 25 when the Christian calendar (Julian calendar) was adopted. Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt. Look for yourself how many religions celebrate winter solstice. (yes, even Christian, celebrate the winter solstice)... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice
It's all right there for you. I just don't feel like typing it all out.
Please prove me wrong but the only buddhist holiday I found that sometimes occurs in December is Loi Krathong. Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.
I am still learning about Buddhism so I am not completely accurate yet.
So my point being is to just learn about your beliefs before you judge. In the famous words of Rodney King....Why can't we all just get along?
Saturday, December 11, 2010
A Human Analysis From Behind Three Feet Of Wood
**I really should be doing my homework but I have this blog in my head that just wont go away no matter how hard I kick it, so here goes nothing.**
We've all seen nature shows on television. Animals in the wild doing what mother nature intended. Some of what is filmed makes a person go all googly with doe-eyed cuteness, other parts makes you cringe and fear for the poor beast about to be eaten. I've come to realize that, after my numerous years observing from behind my safety barrier, humans have not come that far from their wild, instinctive nature. We are all still connected to our uncivilized beginnings.
Tonight there was a party at work. Just your typical office party that involved both sexes and an enormous amount of alcohol. I was bartending this party and suddenly envisioned myself as a film producer of nature shows. I saw the show run through it's entirety. Let's start at the beginning after the title sequence.
The party started at 6 pm and shortly thereafter the first customers arrived. I am going to refer to them as a lion pride as there were a couple of males and mostly women. The lion pride entered the building cautiously, scanning the rooms and making a beeline for the den (bar). Once in the den, they settled down and put claim on the area. Some even marked their territory with scent or fur. They socialized with each other, drank, and was happily co-inhabiting the den. Then another pride entered the building. This second pride also entered in the same fashion as the first but this was different! They could sense the first pride was already there but they had not seen them yet. The second pride lingered in the entry area nervous about entering the den. Suddenly the first pride caught wind of the intruders and sent a scout out to investigate. The scout apprehensively rounded the corner and when the second pride was spotted, the scout puffed up his chest. It reminded me of the rutting process in deer- puff up chest, raise head, lower eyes, and try your damnest to intimidate the other. Then when the other pride essentially rolled on their backs in submission the scout relented and allowed the second pride to join the first. Both prides greeted each other with the typical pouncing, and butt sniffing, and circling. This process happened repeatedly until all the customers had arrived.
Cocktail hour finally over and it was time for dinner. At this point the crowd had turned into one big pack but the alpha leaders of each separate pride were still evident. Each pride member knew their place and waited until the alpha's had entered the dining area before they did. Each member took to their seats and began to feast. But soon there was discontent amongst the prides. Lower members of the pride headed back into the den (bar) to voice their disapproval of the alpha leaders. These low ranking pride members started to band together and start a pride of their own. Occasionally others from the original prides appeared and pleaded with them to come back. Some took heed to their companions pleas and returned to their original prides. The others turned their backs to their former pride mates and embraced their new "family". This new pride had no leader, no direction, no way to survive. A few tried their hand at being the alpha leader but anarchy soon followed.
At this point the new pride lost a few members as they went running with their tails tucked between their legs back to their old pride to beg forgiveness in a hope to be re accepted. Some were not so lucky and these soon became the outsiders. The outsiders were rogue lions that would infiltrate pride groups in the hopes to break away pride members. The rogue lions took control over their new subjects and dictated their actions. Mostly this was just to drink more or to dance to a certain song the dj was playing but the similarities to animal behavior in the wild had me laughing my ass off.
The night ended with the alpha leaders and their prides leaving shortly after the dinner. All that was left were a few rogue lions and their subjects. This is when the mating rituals began. You can imagine how that went. Alot of show and pomp with some snarling and snapping thrown in there for good measure. A few relented and that was quite an uncomfortable situation for me. It's like a car wreck....you don't want to look but you just can't help yourself. Plus I was stuck behind my safety barrier that consisted of three feet of wood and not much more.
In the end all the lions returned to their home dens and I was left with the clean-up. And this blog stuck in my head. Funny...These people were all doctors and nurses with massive amounts of education behind them but they just cannot deny nature. I only wish I actually had a camera with me.
We've all seen nature shows on television. Animals in the wild doing what mother nature intended. Some of what is filmed makes a person go all googly with doe-eyed cuteness, other parts makes you cringe and fear for the poor beast about to be eaten. I've come to realize that, after my numerous years observing from behind my safety barrier, humans have not come that far from their wild, instinctive nature. We are all still connected to our uncivilized beginnings.
Tonight there was a party at work. Just your typical office party that involved both sexes and an enormous amount of alcohol. I was bartending this party and suddenly envisioned myself as a film producer of nature shows. I saw the show run through it's entirety. Let's start at the beginning after the title sequence.
The party started at 6 pm and shortly thereafter the first customers arrived. I am going to refer to them as a lion pride as there were a couple of males and mostly women. The lion pride entered the building cautiously, scanning the rooms and making a beeline for the den (bar). Once in the den, they settled down and put claim on the area. Some even marked their territory with scent or fur. They socialized with each other, drank, and was happily co-inhabiting the den. Then another pride entered the building. This second pride also entered in the same fashion as the first but this was different! They could sense the first pride was already there but they had not seen them yet. The second pride lingered in the entry area nervous about entering the den. Suddenly the first pride caught wind of the intruders and sent a scout out to investigate. The scout apprehensively rounded the corner and when the second pride was spotted, the scout puffed up his chest. It reminded me of the rutting process in deer- puff up chest, raise head, lower eyes, and try your damnest to intimidate the other. Then when the other pride essentially rolled on their backs in submission the scout relented and allowed the second pride to join the first. Both prides greeted each other with the typical pouncing, and butt sniffing, and circling. This process happened repeatedly until all the customers had arrived.
Cocktail hour finally over and it was time for dinner. At this point the crowd had turned into one big pack but the alpha leaders of each separate pride were still evident. Each pride member knew their place and waited until the alpha's had entered the dining area before they did. Each member took to their seats and began to feast. But soon there was discontent amongst the prides. Lower members of the pride headed back into the den (bar) to voice their disapproval of the alpha leaders. These low ranking pride members started to band together and start a pride of their own. Occasionally others from the original prides appeared and pleaded with them to come back. Some took heed to their companions pleas and returned to their original prides. The others turned their backs to their former pride mates and embraced their new "family". This new pride had no leader, no direction, no way to survive. A few tried their hand at being the alpha leader but anarchy soon followed.
At this point the new pride lost a few members as they went running with their tails tucked between their legs back to their old pride to beg forgiveness in a hope to be re accepted. Some were not so lucky and these soon became the outsiders. The outsiders were rogue lions that would infiltrate pride groups in the hopes to break away pride members. The rogue lions took control over their new subjects and dictated their actions. Mostly this was just to drink more or to dance to a certain song the dj was playing but the similarities to animal behavior in the wild had me laughing my ass off.
The night ended with the alpha leaders and their prides leaving shortly after the dinner. All that was left were a few rogue lions and their subjects. This is when the mating rituals began. You can imagine how that went. Alot of show and pomp with some snarling and snapping thrown in there for good measure. A few relented and that was quite an uncomfortable situation for me. It's like a car wreck....you don't want to look but you just can't help yourself. Plus I was stuck behind my safety barrier that consisted of three feet of wood and not much more.
In the end all the lions returned to their home dens and I was left with the clean-up. And this blog stuck in my head. Funny...These people were all doctors and nurses with massive amounts of education behind them but they just cannot deny nature. I only wish I actually had a camera with me.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
It's Called College People!
So I have a business math class that is super easy but is extremely annoying. There always has to be a few bad apples in the bunch. My bad apples like to argue everything with the instructor. This is the first class my instructor has taught and being that she is probably about 10 years younger than me, I can understand her not being on top of it right off the bat. It's taken her a little bit to get into her groove. Completely understandable. I just know to study my assignments and be prepared. Unfortunately there are some who would love to see the demise of this poor instructor. They will complain about everything. If the lesson was that the daytime sky was blue....they would argue that it's purple. I don't understand this way of thinking. Just do your damn work, read your book, and study. How f-ing hard is that? I thought this was college. I didn't know I signed up for a babysitting class. But that must be how these people see it. They want an easy ride and not have to do anything. Well sorry buddy! That isn't the real world. They're in for it later...You can bet on that!
Well, anyways, I've grouped up with a few girls who can't stand those bad apples. We do our best to keep the class on track and have even been known to tell them to shut up so the rest of us can pay attention. We work together to make sure we get our assignments completed and help each other out. We even support the instructor when she starts to doubt herself. I like our little group. We work well together and understand that we are there to obtain an education so we can better ourselves. It may be a long 6 more weeks but together I know we can support each other. After all...Isn't that what we all need?
Well, anyways, I've grouped up with a few girls who can't stand those bad apples. We do our best to keep the class on track and have even been known to tell them to shut up so the rest of us can pay attention. We work together to make sure we get our assignments completed and help each other out. We even support the instructor when she starts to doubt herself. I like our little group. We work well together and understand that we are there to obtain an education so we can better ourselves. It may be a long 6 more weeks but together I know we can support each other. After all...Isn't that what we all need?
Friday, October 15, 2010
I Is Getting Me A College Edumacation
That's right! After a 13 year hiatus I have re-enrolled at Heald. Now I know it's not the most prestigious college but Hey! I am finishing my accounting degree. I am in my second quarter and with 4 classes, my job, and the kids I have NO spare time to even breath. It's all cool though. Going back to school is what I had to do. I'm sick of bartending and I know numbers! Numbers work for me. Now accounting is far from my dream job and kinda makes me go uhh. But regardless, It's a career that will get me out from behind that bar and back with my family. Plus reading Forbes, accounting is estimated to be one of the top 5 jobs in 2013. Eventually I'll go to school for my history degree which is the idea that gives me "happy chills". So since I have an online english class the probability of me posting more blogs is highly possible. So until then......
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Ahhhh....I'm Back!
I got all caught up in other websites and totally forgot about this one. It sucks because I really enjoyed thinking about and writing my blogs. So I'm back. I don't know what I will write about at the moment but as soon as something comes into this dense head of mine...It'll get put on here. Okay...I must go and finish my house cleaning before the Geek Squad Dude comes to fix the TV for the second time. He must not be a very good geek.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
I see pieces of my dad in every man I meet
My dad was taken too early from us five years ago this August. While I think I've dealt with his passing as well as I possibly can, he is always in the back of my mind. I don't think he'll ever leave there nor do I want him to. I do wish we had more time together but we did get 25 years...which is more than some people get. When Dad died...I cried, I screamed, and I hit inanimate objects-mainly my walls. I wanted nothing but to have Dad back. We got through his funeral. I acted as the strong one holding up my mom and my sisters but inside I was screaming "Not my Daddy! Please let this all be a horrible nightmare!" A nightmare it was but instead of a bad dream where you wake up sweaty and shaking, this was real life. I was pissed off at the world and even more pissed at the guy who hit him and left him for dead in the ditch. "You fucker! You can't say you didn't see him! Why couldn't you have grown the balls to turn yourself in? I hope you live everyday seeing his face. I plastered it on posters, on the news, and in the papers for you to see." If I could have gotten my hands on that guy I know I'd be sitting in a prison cell for murder. I would have killed him with my bare hands.
Fortunately I've gotten over my murderous instincts. While I don't know if I can ever find it in me to forgive my Dad's killer...I know that if I did find him I wouldn't inflict bodily harm. I think that's saying alot.
I started thinking of this post the other day. I had a customer who walked into the bar and just for a moment I saw my dad. This guy had a walk very similar to my Dad's lazy gait. I was instantly taken back to my childhood and saw my childhood home. I saw my dad walking around our house in his holey t-shirts and worn out jeans with the bulging pockets because he carried every damn key known to mankind. His wallet chain and the 20 pounds of metal in his pockets from keys to change jingled with every step he took.
Then there was the man who in his talking said certain key phrases that my dad used to say. My husband will do this sometimes without even knowing it. I often wonder if he does it because he heard my dad say it or what.
Today I saw something that prompted me to write about this. I took Courtney to Carls Jr for lunch. I was running errands and needed a quick meal before I had to finish and go to work. We sat at a booth for two and proceeded to devour our food. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a man who was painstakingly trying to get the last bit of guacamole out of a little plastic cup with a fork. I glanced over at him and saw that he had already emptied one cup and was trying to finish the second. His deep fried burrito was glopped full of sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. I almost let out a laugh as the memories of my dad came flooding back. Dad used to do the same thing! As I watched this guy (and tried hard to make it look like I wasn't) he scraped the inside of the little cup with his fork and then would lick his utensil. He was so focused on getting every last drop out of that damn plastic cup that you could have dropped a bomb next to him and he wouldn't have even noticed. All I thought is that Dad used to embarrass the crap outta me by doing that. Then I got all teary eyed and had to look down hoping nobody saw the tears running down my cheeks. Courtney, thankfully, was oblivious to her crying momma and was more concerned with how much BBQ sauce she could get on one chicken star. We left as soon as she finished.
I love how I can pick out traits my dad had in almost every man I come across. I wish I could bottle it up and keep it forever because I know there will come a day when I forget. I'll forget his walk. I'll forget the sound of his voice. I'll forget his smell.
So keep it coming guys of the world. I don't want to forget my daddy!
Fortunately I've gotten over my murderous instincts. While I don't know if I can ever find it in me to forgive my Dad's killer...I know that if I did find him I wouldn't inflict bodily harm. I think that's saying alot.
I started thinking of this post the other day. I had a customer who walked into the bar and just for a moment I saw my dad. This guy had a walk very similar to my Dad's lazy gait. I was instantly taken back to my childhood and saw my childhood home. I saw my dad walking around our house in his holey t-shirts and worn out jeans with the bulging pockets because he carried every damn key known to mankind. His wallet chain and the 20 pounds of metal in his pockets from keys to change jingled with every step he took.
Then there was the man who in his talking said certain key phrases that my dad used to say. My husband will do this sometimes without even knowing it. I often wonder if he does it because he heard my dad say it or what.
Today I saw something that prompted me to write about this. I took Courtney to Carls Jr for lunch. I was running errands and needed a quick meal before I had to finish and go to work. We sat at a booth for two and proceeded to devour our food. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a man who was painstakingly trying to get the last bit of guacamole out of a little plastic cup with a fork. I glanced over at him and saw that he had already emptied one cup and was trying to finish the second. His deep fried burrito was glopped full of sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. I almost let out a laugh as the memories of my dad came flooding back. Dad used to do the same thing! As I watched this guy (and tried hard to make it look like I wasn't) he scraped the inside of the little cup with his fork and then would lick his utensil. He was so focused on getting every last drop out of that damn plastic cup that you could have dropped a bomb next to him and he wouldn't have even noticed. All I thought is that Dad used to embarrass the crap outta me by doing that. Then I got all teary eyed and had to look down hoping nobody saw the tears running down my cheeks. Courtney, thankfully, was oblivious to her crying momma and was more concerned with how much BBQ sauce she could get on one chicken star. We left as soon as she finished.
I love how I can pick out traits my dad had in almost every man I come across. I wish I could bottle it up and keep it forever because I know there will come a day when I forget. I'll forget his walk. I'll forget the sound of his voice. I'll forget his smell.
So keep it coming guys of the world. I don't want to forget my daddy!
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