what I mean is this: does ANYONE remember a really special holiday memory? Does anyone remember when the whole family is together? or when there's an obnoxious relative that you see only occassionally but you like him/her just the same?????
I remember back in 1990 when the whole family (including my other 6 brothers and sisters) got together, even my oldest sister who has lived in Salt Lake City since 1974 (she's 56 & has 3 kids). It wasn't so much the presents but the fun we had being all together and being with all my nieces and nephews. Another fun XMAS was 1997. I got 4 days off and I remember playing Euchre with my nieces, nephews, brother, sister-in-law. Back then it was the same as it was now where I worked a bunch of hours but things let up during the holidays and I got a chance to take a few days off. In 1997, I was happily married with one child. We just had a wonderful time. There was no need to think about dating in the future (you don't have to think about that shit when your married); my boss wasn't that great, but better than some bosses I had, we weren't in too much debt. The future looked bright.
It can still be bright if I play it smart, work a bunch of hours and fall in love. I still feel young, but there's issues that I never even thought of when I was a 20something. I really appreciate that I have very loving, conforming kids. They all do well in school, and my oldest son's health is much better.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
C'mon tell me about the holidays; I need you
There's very divergent views about the holidays that occur at the end of 1 year and the dawn of the next year. Many people, perhaps most love the holidays and the time when families from far flung areas all come back inside one house to celebrate. Many think it's the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the amazing, positive, far-reaching impact he has had through 2 milleniums.
Others are upset about the holidays. The holidays are a reminder of how dysfunctional their families are. Or they're reminded of how rough, traumatic and screwed up their lives are. XMAS brings no pleasure or solace and the new year is a reminder of a bleak future.
Many others fall between these 2 poles.
What do you think?
I've been very fortunate to have a lot of intelligent, interesting people write and share their views on a wide variety of topics. I would dare say that I've made some friends. I'm surprised, even moved, with the depth of concern a few have shown me.
The year isn't over, but it's a year of progress for me. There's some worrisome challenges that I must face, but they seem more manageable than the ones I faced back in Jan. of 2005. More will be discussed about my opinions of the year later.
I'm just listening to NPR. They're discussing the fact that the region/people most affected by Hurricane Katrina don't even have a sense that the holidays are coming up. So much devastation........
Others are upset about the holidays. The holidays are a reminder of how dysfunctional their families are. Or they're reminded of how rough, traumatic and screwed up their lives are. XMAS brings no pleasure or solace and the new year is a reminder of a bleak future.
Many others fall between these 2 poles.
What do you think?
I've been very fortunate to have a lot of intelligent, interesting people write and share their views on a wide variety of topics. I would dare say that I've made some friends. I'm surprised, even moved, with the depth of concern a few have shown me.
The year isn't over, but it's a year of progress for me. There's some worrisome challenges that I must face, but they seem more manageable than the ones I faced back in Jan. of 2005. More will be discussed about my opinions of the year later.
I'm just listening to NPR. They're discussing the fact that the region/people most affected by Hurricane Katrina don't even have a sense that the holidays are coming up. So much devastation........
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Profiles of co-workers, Part 2
JEAN
At the hospital, I am called a telemetry monitor technician (hereinafter "tele tech"). Among the tele techs, there has been turnover and sick call ins and 1 tele tech is sometimes missing from the shift when it definitely takes 2 people. 2 teletechs to watch between 70-100 patients. Many times, we've had an excellent nurse named Jean fill in as tele tech when the 2nd tele tech is gone.
It's always a sweet pleasure to work with Jean. She looks like a thinner version of Halle Berry with straight, short hair. She's one of those awesome people (they are usually female, it seems) who illuminate a positive, happy glow to others they come into contact. They smile a lot, they are not rude, negative or backstabbing. They appeal to their counterparts' better instincts. They seem to literally glow and feeling that glow, you feel happy just being around them and even more lucky that you work with them! Jean is so sweet she would never complain about the room being too cold (guys, in general seem to like a room considerably cooler than women do). But since, I admire her so much I would never subject her to the room getting too cold so I make sure it's 75 or warmer. I worked with her tonight and no matter how much work there was or how serious the patients problems are, it was a wonderful shift because of the sweet co-worker I was with.
Jean is happily married w/ 2 daughters which is obviously no surprise because someone that sweet couldn't stay single!
At the hospital, I am called a telemetry monitor technician (hereinafter "tele tech"). Among the tele techs, there has been turnover and sick call ins and 1 tele tech is sometimes missing from the shift when it definitely takes 2 people. 2 teletechs to watch between 70-100 patients. Many times, we've had an excellent nurse named Jean fill in as tele tech when the 2nd tele tech is gone.
It's always a sweet pleasure to work with Jean. She looks like a thinner version of Halle Berry with straight, short hair. She's one of those awesome people (they are usually female, it seems) who illuminate a positive, happy glow to others they come into contact. They smile a lot, they are not rude, negative or backstabbing. They appeal to their counterparts' better instincts. They seem to literally glow and feeling that glow, you feel happy just being around them and even more lucky that you work with them! Jean is so sweet she would never complain about the room being too cold (guys, in general seem to like a room considerably cooler than women do). But since, I admire her so much I would never subject her to the room getting too cold so I make sure it's 75 or warmer. I worked with her tonight and no matter how much work there was or how serious the patients problems are, it was a wonderful shift because of the sweet co-worker I was with.
Jean is happily married w/ 2 daughters which is obviously no surprise because someone that sweet couldn't stay single!
Positive Profiles, Part One
Ok, I was pretty negative about my co-worker Mary. I stand by what I said about her but I want to be positive, because it's more in my nature to sit up and cheer for someone rather than "throwing rocks" at them. So I am going to profile some of the people I work with. The hospital reminds me of the very small town, Ithaca, I grew up where my high school graduating class was 29 people and the town had a population of about 60 and consisted of a church, tavern, farm, and about 28 houses. Ingalls has the same small town ways where a lot of people care about you and will say hi or wave to you when you pass them by. If you wave to someone on the streets of Chicago, they think your a little "off". Of course, Ithaca had its share of pettiness, small mindedness and gossip just like any small town and just like Ingalls as well. But I like working there and the people there are pretty nice to be around.
TRUDY
Trudy is one of the most intelligent persons I know. Ever since I was separated, then divorced, I have been drawn to calm, cool, collected woman (because that's the antithesis of my ex who has a great knack for "flying off the handle" and a true talent for starting fights) . If a dictionary had a definition of "calm, cool, collected person" Trudy's picture would be there. Trudy was derided by snap-judgment, superficial Mary as having "no personality". How wrong Mary was! Trudy has a great sense of humor, with funny perceptive observations. Some guys would probably not think of Trudy as being a "hottie". She has bookish glasses, highlighted breezy hair and her body suggests someone who isn't obsessed with being at the gym each & every day. But those are the very traits that humanize her make me fond of her more. She has another feature that I can't stop thinking about. Before our co-worker, Hani was murdered (see post of 8/21/05 "Where to Begin...?") he took us to an Arabic bar where there was great music, belly dancing, and at other times everyone could get up and dance. Trudy, Hani, Evan and our other friends danced. At one point, during the dancing I held Trudy's hand. My God, hers was the softest hand I ever held. I felt incredibly lucky to hold it. Every now and then, I'll look at her hands and instantly flashback to that sublime moment back in May.
It's very, very unlikely that I'll be more than a casual friend in Trudy's view. She wisely stated that co-workers should not get serious, but should be just friends. I can't seem to make her like me anymore than she does now, can't seem to get through her calm, placid exterior, & have given up trying. I only saw her lose her "coolness" once which was during the time after Hani's death. The day after his murder, Trudy called me. She didn't know if I knew about his death. We spoke about what should be done after his death. We talked about reaching out to Hani's Muslim family. "They need to know how much he was loved!!" Trudy exclaimed. Her compelling suggestion is something I'll remember because it was a dramatic departure from the cool, collected demeanor she shows 99% of the time. Of course, it was after her friend's death so naturally she's not going to be aloof about that! She even went to the ghetto where the nightclub is where he died. She got some criticism for taking that risk. My friends didn't want to lose Trudy too!
Another reason I am impressed with her is that she is the only person I know who subscribes to the Wilson Quarterly and the only one I can talk to about NPR. When her & I are interested about some topic, it's been awesome because we've had some fascinating conversations.
There's also another reason why I don't think I would ever get serious with Trudy. She's an agnostic. I asked her once if she believed in heaven & hell. She replied,"Well, I definitely don't believe in hell. There may be a heaven because you hear about those people who have a near-death experience and the supernatural presence is something they witness. But they could just be hallucinating." I can't agree with her viewpoint.
I want to make her a believer, but that is beyond my capability as well. But she really is an unforgettable person. She is not only a nurse but she was also honorably discharged from the Air Force as a MAJOR years ago. I've resolved to merely be a casual friend to this attractive, intelligent woman with the soft hands. There's nothing else I can do, not even if I tried.
TRUDY
Trudy is one of the most intelligent persons I know. Ever since I was separated, then divorced, I have been drawn to calm, cool, collected woman (because that's the antithesis of my ex who has a great knack for "flying off the handle" and a true talent for starting fights) . If a dictionary had a definition of "calm, cool, collected person" Trudy's picture would be there. Trudy was derided by snap-judgment, superficial Mary as having "no personality". How wrong Mary was! Trudy has a great sense of humor, with funny perceptive observations. Some guys would probably not think of Trudy as being a "hottie". She has bookish glasses, highlighted breezy hair and her body suggests someone who isn't obsessed with being at the gym each & every day. But those are the very traits that humanize her make me fond of her more. She has another feature that I can't stop thinking about. Before our co-worker, Hani was murdered (see post of 8/21/05 "Where to Begin...?") he took us to an Arabic bar where there was great music, belly dancing, and at other times everyone could get up and dance. Trudy, Hani, Evan and our other friends danced. At one point, during the dancing I held Trudy's hand. My God, hers was the softest hand I ever held. I felt incredibly lucky to hold it. Every now and then, I'll look at her hands and instantly flashback to that sublime moment back in May.
It's very, very unlikely that I'll be more than a casual friend in Trudy's view. She wisely stated that co-workers should not get serious, but should be just friends. I can't seem to make her like me anymore than she does now, can't seem to get through her calm, placid exterior, & have given up trying. I only saw her lose her "coolness" once which was during the time after Hani's death. The day after his murder, Trudy called me. She didn't know if I knew about his death. We spoke about what should be done after his death. We talked about reaching out to Hani's Muslim family. "They need to know how much he was loved!!" Trudy exclaimed. Her compelling suggestion is something I'll remember because it was a dramatic departure from the cool, collected demeanor she shows 99% of the time. Of course, it was after her friend's death so naturally she's not going to be aloof about that! She even went to the ghetto where the nightclub is where he died. She got some criticism for taking that risk. My friends didn't want to lose Trudy too!
Another reason I am impressed with her is that she is the only person I know who subscribes to the Wilson Quarterly and the only one I can talk to about NPR. When her & I are interested about some topic, it's been awesome because we've had some fascinating conversations.
There's also another reason why I don't think I would ever get serious with Trudy. She's an agnostic. I asked her once if she believed in heaven & hell. She replied,"Well, I definitely don't believe in hell. There may be a heaven because you hear about those people who have a near-death experience and the supernatural presence is something they witness. But they could just be hallucinating." I can't agree with her viewpoint.
I want to make her a believer, but that is beyond my capability as well. But she really is an unforgettable person. She is not only a nurse but she was also honorably discharged from the Air Force as a MAJOR years ago. I've resolved to merely be a casual friend to this attractive, intelligent woman with the soft hands. There's nothing else I can do, not even if I tried.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Murphy's Law on Sex,.... fulfilled! HELP
You all are familiar w/ Murphy's Laws like "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Well he had many sayings like in Murphy's Laws on Work he wrote, "A pat on the back is only a few inches away from a kick in the pants." or "If you carry a legal pad around and look concerned, you can go anywhere in the office."
Then there's Murphy's Laws on Sex like, "Love is a matter of Chemistry, sex is a matter of physics."
The one I've been thinking about ever since Wednesday is "Love discriminates AGAINST the shy and the ugly!" Ok, so what does it discriminate against more: shyness or ugliness? We could debate that for a decade.
Anyway, it's discriminating against me because I'm shy. Let me tell you what happened on the train.
A week or so ago we had a delay at the train station where the train taking us all home ( & by us I mean a popular 6:15 pm train that carries well over 300 people). I saw this tall, statuesque lady. Now most guys wouldn't be that attracted to her but I most definitely was. She was in her late 40s, early 50s, she is 6 ft, 2", weighs over 200 lbs, but definitely not more than 250. ( I have a knack for doing a good job of guessing weight) so I came up to her (who we shall call Madame Statuesque) and asked her how long we would have to wait for the train and she told me. Then, a little later, she talked to her friend who was at least 50, but also nice looking. I looked hard for Madame Statuesque's left hand. Alas, no ring on the finger next to her pinkie. I couldn't talk to her much because she was talking to her friend. & who wants to deal with an annoying, chatty stranger?
Then Wed. evening, there she was again, all by herself. She looked a little concerned. I looked again for her left hand and still no ring. I told her it was nice the train wasn't as late as it was the other night, and she politely agreed. When the crowd entered the train to sit down, it wasn't my intention to sit down next to her. I wasn't ready, I felt uncertain, I felt shy! But there were no seats so that you could sit by my lonesome so I decided to sit in the empty seat by her.
Well, I was feeling very shy and not wanting to say a damn thing.
One thing I wanted to find out was where she lived (approximately). I learned she doesn't live to far from me. They make you pay for your train ride depending on how far you are from Chicago (if your ride starts in Chicago) A region inside Chicago will be in Zones "A", "B" or "C". The ride for people in A, B or C will be pretty cheap. I am in Zone D and my ride is more expensive. Well I learned (when we both showed our tickets to the conductor) that Madame Stautuesque is in Zone E; obviously adjacent to Zone D so I don't live that far from her even though I still don't know what town she lives in.
Well, I couldn't go the whole ride without saying something to her. She might think I'm a creep or something. Plus, if I could somehow make her feel like she likes being around me or at least comfortable around me. Well, she didn't have a problem sitting next to me as she enjoyed reading her Chicago Sun Times as I was reading the Chicago Tribune.
But I was supposed to introduce myself, I was supposed to ask her out for a cup of coffee, I was supposed to do something nice and not too intimate, but I was worried. I didn't want to find out she was one of those sneaky type of women who are married but don't have the gumption or the resolve to wear their wedding ring. I didn't want to find out she has a boyfriend who she's been with for 25 yrs. I didn't want to find out that she had no interest in me!
It's not like I just want to get into her pants. That's pretty facile; I want to get to know her, I want to date her, but I don't want to hear "NO". I don't want to "go out on a limb" so there's the dilemma.
I knew I had to say something, but I was too shy to follow the above script. So I acted "safe" and we compared the Sun Times to the Tribune. We also talked about the new craze Soduku puzzles. That was it then I got off the train and went home. I didn't feel crushed, I didn't feel giddy at my new date (b/c there isn't one), I just felt like I carried a little hope away, but is there any???????
So what do I say to her the next time I see her standing by the train?? I have to "go out on the limb" but what do I say?
Then there's Murphy's Laws on Sex like, "Love is a matter of Chemistry, sex is a matter of physics."
The one I've been thinking about ever since Wednesday is "Love discriminates AGAINST the shy and the ugly!" Ok, so what does it discriminate against more: shyness or ugliness? We could debate that for a decade.
Anyway, it's discriminating against me because I'm shy. Let me tell you what happened on the train.
A week or so ago we had a delay at the train station where the train taking us all home ( & by us I mean a popular 6:15 pm train that carries well over 300 people). I saw this tall, statuesque lady. Now most guys wouldn't be that attracted to her but I most definitely was. She was in her late 40s, early 50s, she is 6 ft, 2", weighs over 200 lbs, but definitely not more than 250. ( I have a knack for doing a good job of guessing weight) so I came up to her (who we shall call Madame Statuesque) and asked her how long we would have to wait for the train and she told me. Then, a little later, she talked to her friend who was at least 50, but also nice looking. I looked hard for Madame Statuesque's left hand. Alas, no ring on the finger next to her pinkie. I couldn't talk to her much because she was talking to her friend. & who wants to deal with an annoying, chatty stranger?
Then Wed. evening, there she was again, all by herself. She looked a little concerned. I looked again for her left hand and still no ring. I told her it was nice the train wasn't as late as it was the other night, and she politely agreed. When the crowd entered the train to sit down, it wasn't my intention to sit down next to her. I wasn't ready, I felt uncertain, I felt shy! But there were no seats so that you could sit by my lonesome so I decided to sit in the empty seat by her.
Well, I was feeling very shy and not wanting to say a damn thing.
One thing I wanted to find out was where she lived (approximately). I learned she doesn't live to far from me. They make you pay for your train ride depending on how far you are from Chicago (if your ride starts in Chicago) A region inside Chicago will be in Zones "A", "B" or "C". The ride for people in A, B or C will be pretty cheap. I am in Zone D and my ride is more expensive. Well I learned (when we both showed our tickets to the conductor) that Madame Stautuesque is in Zone E; obviously adjacent to Zone D so I don't live that far from her even though I still don't know what town she lives in.
Well, I couldn't go the whole ride without saying something to her. She might think I'm a creep or something. Plus, if I could somehow make her feel like she likes being around me or at least comfortable around me. Well, she didn't have a problem sitting next to me as she enjoyed reading her Chicago Sun Times as I was reading the Chicago Tribune.
But I was supposed to introduce myself, I was supposed to ask her out for a cup of coffee, I was supposed to do something nice and not too intimate, but I was worried. I didn't want to find out she was one of those sneaky type of women who are married but don't have the gumption or the resolve to wear their wedding ring. I didn't want to find out she has a boyfriend who she's been with for 25 yrs. I didn't want to find out that she had no interest in me!
It's not like I just want to get into her pants. That's pretty facile; I want to get to know her, I want to date her, but I don't want to hear "NO". I don't want to "go out on a limb" so there's the dilemma.
I knew I had to say something, but I was too shy to follow the above script. So I acted "safe" and we compared the Sun Times to the Tribune. We also talked about the new craze Soduku puzzles. That was it then I got off the train and went home. I didn't feel crushed, I didn't feel giddy at my new date (b/c there isn't one), I just felt like I carried a little hope away, but is there any???????
So what do I say to her the next time I see her standing by the train?? I have to "go out on the limb" but what do I say?
Friday, November 11, 2005
Concern, nosiness or rumors??????
So yesterday, I didn't get much sleep the night before, and I was told by the ex to get my kids ready for school and on the bus. Of course, with my son's problem (I wrote about that, didn't I?), it took a long time to get him to eat. But I helped him get ready and I walked him over to the bus. I hadn't showered that morning yet. So, I put on a hat and trudged to the stop with my son. Once I did that, I got my younger son and daughter ready, picked up his girlfriend, and they went to the bus stop a little later. Bear in mind, all this was taking place at the condo complex where I am president.
Then, several hours later, when I was taking my daughter to the stop (she's in pre-K so she only goes to school in the PM). She got on uneventfully, and when the bus pulled away, the Treasurer of the Board who is also the office manager of our condo complex ran pell mell out to me. "Vince! Are you ok???? I heard you were sick, your neighbor said you looked terrible."
"No, I'm just tired that's all"
Then, when I brought the kids home later in the afternoon, our Vice President knocked on my door. "Do you know anything about these keys laying next to your complex,"
"No, those are the keys I told your brother (who lives w/ V P.) about"
"Oh, so are you ok, Vince??"
"Yes, Helen"
"Yeah, Norma said you looked bad & were very sick. You look pretty tired."
"Yeah, I need some sleep, but I'm not dying".
So what about Norma, the neighbor in the same bldg. as I? Is she gossipy or just concerned? You make the call.
Then, several hours later, when I was taking my daughter to the stop (she's in pre-K so she only goes to school in the PM). She got on uneventfully, and when the bus pulled away, the Treasurer of the Board who is also the office manager of our condo complex ran pell mell out to me. "Vince! Are you ok???? I heard you were sick, your neighbor said you looked terrible."
"No, I'm just tired that's all"
Then, when I brought the kids home later in the afternoon, our Vice President knocked on my door. "Do you know anything about these keys laying next to your complex,"
"No, those are the keys I told your brother (who lives w/ V P.) about"
"Oh, so are you ok, Vince??"
"Yes, Helen"
"Yeah, Norma said you looked bad & were very sick. You look pretty tired."
"Yeah, I need some sleep, but I'm not dying".
So what about Norma, the neighbor in the same bldg. as I? Is she gossipy or just concerned? You make the call.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Breezy youth
I like the whole vibe of youth. It is one of the reasons I love rock n roll and subscribe to Rolling Stone and follow sports. My 20s weren't the best time of my life, but I certainly learned a lot including but not limited to learning how to be an adult. Of course, I still have a lot to learn about life. Everyone should dispense good advice when we can, but all should be "students of life" and learn a lesson whenver it comes along. 1 of my 2 closest friends is 23. We have what I call a "finite relationship" insofar as there is a limit to it. We will always be platonic, and it's extremely unlikely it will ever be romantic.
Anyway, at my new job I work in a crowded room with 6 20somethings. They are all goin' to law school and are in the 2nd of 3 years of school. 4 of them are quiet and hard working. But there are 2 of them who we will call Mac & Kate. Kate was given a project and asked for my help. I ended up doin' the rest of it which wasn't what she said. Oh well, no big deal. AFter lunch one day, she sweetly and impressively came in singing the "Scotch Song" as she had 3 of them during lunch . I was rather impressed with her creativity (she made the song up) especially in her "altered state". She proceeded to sit at her work station, tell us she didn't feel like workin' and surfed the 'Net for an hour. Mac is a little different insofar as he has learned a lot more at the firm and helps me every now and then. Couple weeks ago, while everyone (but Kate) was workin' he was callin' his travel agent & cancelling plans to go to Montego Bay because he was fighting with his girlfriend.
THen I learned that Kate & Mac went on a double date. Kate loves to talk about how much she loves her live-in (that's good). So when Kate & Mac went to the restaurant with their significant others, they excused themselves to go to the bathroom went to the alley by the backdoor of the restaurant and got "quickies" while their significant others sat there at the table totally unaware, drinkin' water and makin' polite conversation.
Sometimes, when they're bored at work, they'll instant message each other because their conversation is too embarassing to say out loud. So you hear them sittin there and snicker and laugh.
Must be nice to have so much fun @ work! If you think I am upset with them, I'm not, maybe a little jealous with all their fun and bright future.
But the breezy attitudes sometimes gets to me because I have a strong sense of fun too, and I get easily distracted. In order to get work done, rather than enjoyin the Mac & Kate show, I brought in my Walkman (too poor, old school and analogue to buy an I Pod) and drowned out hearing them. That's helped.
There's so damn much work to do! I can't help but be impressed w/ Mac. He works fast and is on very good terms with the lawyers; in fact, he partied with one of them at Montego Bay. I thought when he told me about that, he was B.S'ing me, but learned later he wasn't.
When I was in my 20s I remember drinkin' a lot but not havin' as "breezy" an attitude as Kate. I wonder how she'll do fare during the rest of law school? I wonder what kind of lawyer she'll be. Many of the lawyers I know, work 10-11 hr days. I just don't see her doin' that. Wonder if she will even graduate law school seein' as she regularly misses classes.
Wonder if I should even give a damn, probably not. BUt it's nice that they make things intersting in the Clerk's room.
by the way, I had to use an apostrophe and Ctrl +V for the "g" key as it was broke. thank you for your patience!
Sunday, November 06, 2005
the joys of being BACK IN BLACK!!!
I've been pretty happy for about 2 weeks. Here's why. On Oct. 21, I was received my paycheck from the hospital. I wrote my pay in my checkbook register. Then I wrote all the bills I had to pay. What happened the 21st happened also for the last 2 months: my paycheck could not pay all the bills, damnit! For the last 2 months, I have been borrowing money or just not paying the bill amount. I borrowed money from people richer than I but it still feels terrible to do! I'm not supposed to do this and it kills me to ask for money! The humiliating aspect of "not making ends meet" and doing all sorts of fiscal gymnastics is overwhelming!
In a heartbeat, I would choose abusing my body with all kinds of stimulants so that I can work 6 12-hour night shifts in a row rathern than asking Mom & Dad for money. (Now it doesn't come to that because the hospital hates paying overtime and would never let their employees work that many days in a row. I have asked parents for money, however). So it sucked that I once again on Oct. 21 was short on money. BUT WAIT!!! I was getting my 1st paycheck from the law firm on Oct 25. Then I find out that I'm getting a higher hourly wage than what I was promised. I HAD $$$$ LEFT OVER. HOLY SHIT, I'VE HAD ORGASMS THAT DIDN'T FEEL AS GOOD AS I FELT OCT. 25!! (& we may have had lots of fights, but when I was married, the ex & I had a very good sex life with few complaints). I felt like the cavalry had arrived in an oldtime Western!!
When I realized my checking account was back in black, I felt like giving one big kiss to God's blue Earth. It's so nice to feel I have some semblance of control over my life.
Not to get on my soapbox, but I want to put another wrinkle in this as well. For weeks, almost from the time I left asshole law firm back in Aug., I stopped putting money in the collection basket because I had a tough time even paying groceries. It felt really good to be able to put a modest amount of $ in the basket during Offertory. & it makes me feel good to do it every Sunday now. I don't say that to give a "holier than thou" spin to any reader. You are free to choose to follow what others say about following God. The fact is I go to church because I sin and need that reminder TO DO BETTER every week; and pray everyday. I don't pray because I'm better than others. I pray as a person trying to do better (as it says in Profile).
In a heartbeat, I would choose abusing my body with all kinds of stimulants so that I can work 6 12-hour night shifts in a row rathern than asking Mom & Dad for money. (Now it doesn't come to that because the hospital hates paying overtime and would never let their employees work that many days in a row. I have asked parents for money, however). So it sucked that I once again on Oct. 21 was short on money. BUT WAIT!!! I was getting my 1st paycheck from the law firm on Oct 25. Then I find out that I'm getting a higher hourly wage than what I was promised. I HAD $$$$ LEFT OVER. HOLY SHIT, I'VE HAD ORGASMS THAT DIDN'T FEEL AS GOOD AS I FELT OCT. 25!! (& we may have had lots of fights, but when I was married, the ex & I had a very good sex life with few complaints). I felt like the cavalry had arrived in an oldtime Western!!
When I realized my checking account was back in black, I felt like giving one big kiss to God's blue Earth. It's so nice to feel I have some semblance of control over my life.
Not to get on my soapbox, but I want to put another wrinkle in this as well. For weeks, almost from the time I left asshole law firm back in Aug., I stopped putting money in the collection basket because I had a tough time even paying groceries. It felt really good to be able to put a modest amount of $ in the basket during Offertory. & it makes me feel good to do it every Sunday now. I don't say that to give a "holier than thou" spin to any reader. You are free to choose to follow what others say about following God. The fact is I go to church because I sin and need that reminder TO DO BETTER every week; and pray everyday. I don't pray because I'm better than others. I pray as a person trying to do better (as it says in Profile).
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
I threw 7lbs of paper +300 feet!
Friday, the Chicago White Sox parade went down (among other streets) LaSalle St. in the LOOP area of Downtown. All the players were rode trolleys and waved to the adoring crowds; alas, the 1st ticker tape parade I ever saw or participated in. So we tore up the Chicago TRibune, the Chicago Reader legal documents with mistakes on them & were null & void. 2 secretaries helped me out even my boss, one of the PARTNERS of the firm through some of my confetti out the window. I estimate that we ripped up over 5 pounds of paper. Since we were on the 26th Floor, we were at least 300 ft. above the parade. So it was fun; you know it's really sweet to see so many people so happy all at once!
Of course, not all Chicagoans were happy. 2nd City is also the home of the Chicago Cubs, the team for the Northsiders of Chicago. Later in the afternoon. I had to run out of the law firm and get some important evidence for a car accident related arbitration. While I was waiting, this lawyer told me that he had some Northsiders who were clients. He said that his clients with the patented, Chicago gallows humor were encouraging them to throw furniture and sharp objects 300 ft onto the parade. The lawyer or staff member causing the most injuries and death would be given a fiscal bonus over and above the legal fees to "take out" the most giddy Chicago Southsiders.
I'm telling you, when I walked through the LOOP streets after the parade it was like walking in a dry snowstorm. The streets, sidewalks were covered with at least 3 inches of shredded paper. At least, the paper I threw out had a chance to hit Ozzie Guillen, Jermaine Dye or Paul Konerko. There were streets not even on the parade route like Adams St. with as much paper on it then the LaSalle St. Parade route.
The Dept. of Streets & Sanitation, no later than 5 minutes after the parade, set to work cleaning up the confetti. By the next day, 98% of the confetti was cleaned up.
It was a nice way to end World Series fever. There is a 600 pound granite lion that overlooks the world-renowned Chicago Art Institute. THey had a Chicago W. Sox hat on him. The Chicago Board of Trade has 2 statutes by its entrance, Madame Commerce and Lady Agriculture. They are 14 ft. tall; they were wearing 3x Chicago W. Sox WORLD CHAMPIONS shirts; it was all pretty festive.
A pleasant time was had by all (well, maybe not the Cub fans!)
Of course, not all Chicagoans were happy. 2nd City is also the home of the Chicago Cubs, the team for the Northsiders of Chicago. Later in the afternoon. I had to run out of the law firm and get some important evidence for a car accident related arbitration. While I was waiting, this lawyer told me that he had some Northsiders who were clients. He said that his clients with the patented, Chicago gallows humor were encouraging them to throw furniture and sharp objects 300 ft onto the parade. The lawyer or staff member causing the most injuries and death would be given a fiscal bonus over and above the legal fees to "take out" the most giddy Chicago Southsiders.
I'm telling you, when I walked through the LOOP streets after the parade it was like walking in a dry snowstorm. The streets, sidewalks were covered with at least 3 inches of shredded paper. At least, the paper I threw out had a chance to hit Ozzie Guillen, Jermaine Dye or Paul Konerko. There were streets not even on the parade route like Adams St. with as much paper on it then the LaSalle St. Parade route.
The Dept. of Streets & Sanitation, no later than 5 minutes after the parade, set to work cleaning up the confetti. By the next day, 98% of the confetti was cleaned up.
It was a nice way to end World Series fever. There is a 600 pound granite lion that overlooks the world-renowned Chicago Art Institute. THey had a Chicago W. Sox hat on him. The Chicago Board of Trade has 2 statutes by its entrance, Madame Commerce and Lady Agriculture. They are 14 ft. tall; they were wearing 3x Chicago W. Sox WORLD CHAMPIONS shirts; it was all pretty festive.
A pleasant time was had by all (well, maybe not the Cub fans!)
Thursday, October 27, 2005
How 'bout them White Sox
I'm not from Chicago, but rather rural Wisconsin. I moved to Chicago back in 1989. I still refuse to root for any Chicago or IL team when they play one of my beloved WI teams, but when they don't ...I'll root for them.
So it was nice to see a team that hasn't won a World Series since 1917 (!!) win. I let out a big holler at 11 pm at night when they finally clinched it. I worked night shift and heard the White Sox win in 14 innings @ 1 am the night before when they won game 3.
So let's hear it for the Sox!
So it was nice to see a team that hasn't won a World Series since 1917 (!!) win. I let out a big holler at 11 pm at night when they finally clinched it. I worked night shift and heard the White Sox win in 14 innings @ 1 am the night before when they won game 3.
So let's hear it for the Sox!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The joy of bad consequences happening2bad people
Forgive the spelling of the title, I wasn't sure if the title would be too long and fit in the title line.
It was really nice to hear last week about Tom DeLay's indictment. I was so pleased at what happened to the Hammer that I wrote the mini essay below about him, then I printed it and taped on my hospital locker for all my co-workers to see. Did you see his mug shot??? What kind of silly bastard smiles in a mug shot?!??
SO WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT TOM DeLAY?!?
Tom DeLay is the former Republican Majority leader of the US House of Representatives. We should be happy when bad things happen to bad people. So what makes him bad?
Tom DeLay’s first career was as a pesticide salesman. He sold bug killer to farmers and other people in Texas. One of the pesiticides was DDT. DDT was too good at killing because it rendered our national animal, the Bald Eagle, nearly extinct. Therefore, 30some yrs. ago Congress, under the Nixon administration, passed a law banning DDT. DeLay was greatly offended that one of his better selling products was banned. "This is an outrage. I hate big government!" he screamed; never minding that the rest of the nation (even smart Republicans) thought that not killing off eagles might be a good thing.
That "outrage" inspired his political career. A career of following a reverse Robin Hood ethos of robbing the poor and rewarding the rich which was his political base. In 1999, when a natural disaster struck which 100s if not 1,000s of people were afflicted by, President Clinton declared the afflicted area a "Disaster Area" He asked Congress for millions of dollars to help the stricken people out. TOM DELAY lived up to his name and delayed funds to those people to spite Clinton. His tactics were so mean and ruthless that our current president who was running for office at the time criticized this venomous Majority Leader. Time and time again, Tom DeLay has campaigned with gutter style, alley cat tactics to triumph over his political foes. Time and time again, DeLay has been in the hip pocket of his rich friends to the detriment of the rest of his country, including but not limited to the poor and middle class.
Hopefully, we live in better times where his awful politics and gutterstyle tactics are finally going to land him with a big fine, much discredit and a defeated reelection bid next year. It’s probably too much to hope that he’ll be thrown in jail. Oh well, I'll be satisfied with seeing a vain, evil man given a giant dose of humility.
It was really nice to hear last week about Tom DeLay's indictment. I was so pleased at what happened to the Hammer that I wrote the mini essay below about him, then I printed it and taped on my hospital locker for all my co-workers to see. Did you see his mug shot??? What kind of silly bastard smiles in a mug shot?!??
SO WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT TOM DeLAY?!?
Tom DeLay is the former Republican Majority leader of the US House of Representatives. We should be happy when bad things happen to bad people. So what makes him bad?
Tom DeLay’s first career was as a pesticide salesman. He sold bug killer to farmers and other people in Texas. One of the pesiticides was DDT. DDT was too good at killing because it rendered our national animal, the Bald Eagle, nearly extinct. Therefore, 30some yrs. ago Congress, under the Nixon administration, passed a law banning DDT. DeLay was greatly offended that one of his better selling products was banned. "This is an outrage. I hate big government!" he screamed; never minding that the rest of the nation (even smart Republicans) thought that not killing off eagles might be a good thing.
That "outrage" inspired his political career. A career of following a reverse Robin Hood ethos of robbing the poor and rewarding the rich which was his political base. In 1999, when a natural disaster struck which 100s if not 1,000s of people were afflicted by, President Clinton declared the afflicted area a "Disaster Area" He asked Congress for millions of dollars to help the stricken people out. TOM DELAY lived up to his name and delayed funds to those people to spite Clinton. His tactics were so mean and ruthless that our current president who was running for office at the time criticized this venomous Majority Leader. Time and time again, Tom DeLay has campaigned with gutter style, alley cat tactics to triumph over his political foes. Time and time again, DeLay has been in the hip pocket of his rich friends to the detriment of the rest of his country, including but not limited to the poor and middle class.
Hopefully, we live in better times where his awful politics and gutterstyle tactics are finally going to land him with a big fine, much discredit and a defeated reelection bid next year. It’s probably too much to hope that he’ll be thrown in jail. Oh well, I'll be satisfied with seeing a vain, evil man given a giant dose of humility.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
The Elvis Syndrome
42 is an interesting age just like 27 is. Of course, 27 is the age when many famous rock n' rollers died and also when my best friend, Frank Kaul, died (that's for another blog & yes, L12, I'll write it). But 42 was the age when our youngest president ever assumed office and, no, it's not John Kennedy, but rather Teddy Roosevelt. He assumed the presidency when Leon Czolgosz shot the 25th Pres. William McKinnley in 1901.
42 is also the age when Elvis died. Towards the end of his career, Elvis was taking a lot of pills. He needed pills to wake up. He needed pills to go to sleep. He needed pills to take a shit (in fact, he died taking a shit brought on by something called the vasovagal reflex). THe bottom line is he was taking a ton of pills towards the end of his life. Of course, all that medication led to his untimely demise.
Now, I don't think I'm near the end. I mean I'm overweight but I can still walk 6 miles in under an hour & a half. I walk 3 miles to work and back through a rough neighborhood. (THat's a far, far cry from 25 yrs. ago when I ran 2 miles in under 12 min) But still, I'm a little apprehensive because, like Elvis, I am taking a lot of, shall we say "medication" (or pills if you will). I need to stay up at night because the time between 3-5 am is very tough mentally & physically to stay up so I down about 6 cups of coffee during that time. I take Adderall for the same reason. Then, if I don't take sleeping pills when I go to bed @ 8 am. or if I don't take a Clonipin then I wake up after only 2 hours of sleep.
Today is a rough day. I went to bed at 7:45 am. I woke up before 11. I scheduled myself to work at this part time paralegal job & I have to catch a Metra train & be @ downtown Chicago @ 3 pm. THen I have to preside @ our condo complex's monthly meeting at 7pm tonight in our hourlong meeting.
I used to smoke Cavendish tobacco several times a year. Now here I am writing this blog, smoking my pipe as I have several times a week, now. I gotta make more money but I feel like U2's song on the Joshua Tree album that I'm "Running to Stand Still". The whole idea that I have devised is to do a "flip around".
Now, I'm working full time at the hospital and part time at a law firm. I need to "flip it around" and work full time at a law firm and part time at the hospital like I did back in the early summer of this year. I can't now because this firm I'm at now doesn't offer health insurance. I need a firm that will offer health insurance to a paralegal. A firm that is personal injury and can take unique advantage of my medical background as I can write and explain how car accidents and other "sue-able" injuries have hurt plaintiffs physically.
My wife & I are divorced, but because we have to raise 3 young kids, we are, to a certain extent, "joined at the hip". Since we have joint tenancy ownership of the condo, our plan is to have her be financially well off to have her move out of the condo and into a house. Obviously, a house is a better place to raise 3 kids than a 2 bedroom condo. THen I would pay her to get 100% ownership of the condo and certainly, 2 bedrooms is enough room for me. & Oak Forest, IL is a nice neighborhood. But some of that dream is getting back to the money I was making earlier this summer. Just remember one thing: I've lived up to my end of the divorce decree so the fact that I make less now than before has not meant that she & my kids get less child support. It has only hurt me financially. But that's ok; less money has meant less food. So with the smoking and the hellish hours, I've lost about 10 pounds.
I sure as hell won't be doing what happened last Holiday/Winter Season and gain 20 pounds. I figure if I lose another 25 pounds, I'll be in decent shape. & pipe smoking over the years isn't as addictive as cigarette smoking, so by the time I get a better paralegal job, I'll have kicked that habit too.
Well enough daydreaming, I gotta pick the bones out of my salmon, eat it & catch a train. I hope I don't end up like Elvis!
42 is also the age when Elvis died. Towards the end of his career, Elvis was taking a lot of pills. He needed pills to wake up. He needed pills to go to sleep. He needed pills to take a shit (in fact, he died taking a shit brought on by something called the vasovagal reflex). THe bottom line is he was taking a ton of pills towards the end of his life. Of course, all that medication led to his untimely demise.
Now, I don't think I'm near the end. I mean I'm overweight but I can still walk 6 miles in under an hour & a half. I walk 3 miles to work and back through a rough neighborhood. (THat's a far, far cry from 25 yrs. ago when I ran 2 miles in under 12 min) But still, I'm a little apprehensive because, like Elvis, I am taking a lot of, shall we say "medication" (or pills if you will). I need to stay up at night because the time between 3-5 am is very tough mentally & physically to stay up so I down about 6 cups of coffee during that time. I take Adderall for the same reason. Then, if I don't take sleeping pills when I go to bed @ 8 am. or if I don't take a Clonipin then I wake up after only 2 hours of sleep.
Today is a rough day. I went to bed at 7:45 am. I woke up before 11. I scheduled myself to work at this part time paralegal job & I have to catch a Metra train & be @ downtown Chicago @ 3 pm. THen I have to preside @ our condo complex's monthly meeting at 7pm tonight in our hourlong meeting.
I used to smoke Cavendish tobacco several times a year. Now here I am writing this blog, smoking my pipe as I have several times a week, now. I gotta make more money but I feel like U2's song on the Joshua Tree album that I'm "Running to Stand Still". The whole idea that I have devised is to do a "flip around".
Now, I'm working full time at the hospital and part time at a law firm. I need to "flip it around" and work full time at a law firm and part time at the hospital like I did back in the early summer of this year. I can't now because this firm I'm at now doesn't offer health insurance. I need a firm that will offer health insurance to a paralegal. A firm that is personal injury and can take unique advantage of my medical background as I can write and explain how car accidents and other "sue-able" injuries have hurt plaintiffs physically.
My wife & I are divorced, but because we have to raise 3 young kids, we are, to a certain extent, "joined at the hip". Since we have joint tenancy ownership of the condo, our plan is to have her be financially well off to have her move out of the condo and into a house. Obviously, a house is a better place to raise 3 kids than a 2 bedroom condo. THen I would pay her to get 100% ownership of the condo and certainly, 2 bedrooms is enough room for me. & Oak Forest, IL is a nice neighborhood. But some of that dream is getting back to the money I was making earlier this summer. Just remember one thing: I've lived up to my end of the divorce decree so the fact that I make less now than before has not meant that she & my kids get less child support. It has only hurt me financially. But that's ok; less money has meant less food. So with the smoking and the hellish hours, I've lost about 10 pounds.
I sure as hell won't be doing what happened last Holiday/Winter Season and gain 20 pounds. I figure if I lose another 25 pounds, I'll be in decent shape. & pipe smoking over the years isn't as addictive as cigarette smoking, so by the time I get a better paralegal job, I'll have kicked that habit too.
Well enough daydreaming, I gotta pick the bones out of my salmon, eat it & catch a train. I hope I don't end up like Elvis!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
a smart, spirited co-worker and the $3 challenge
You'll recall that in my 10/2/05 post, I wrote about Mary. Unfortunately, she has had problems with her wayword teenage daughter, and she took a leave of absence from work. Before she left , she told me about throwing her in a psych unit for a couple of weeks or even disowning her and signing her parental rights away to DCFS (Dept. of Child and Family Serivices) So, while Mary is gone we're oping her daughter is getting better.
Last night, Mary was scheduled to work, but obviously could not so I worked with a nurse, Penny. I was looking forward to working with her, not because I have a romantic interest in her. After all, she is married. (While I have been taken to task for spending too much time with 20somethings once or twice, I won't get involved with married women. (Last thing I need to hear Jesus or St. Peter say to me after I die is "Oh yeah, your the guy who broke up that marriage and the wife had 3 kids.....")
Anyway, Penny is a smart, sharp nurse. I interpret EKGs and measure atrial & ventricular waves on the EKG strip (among other tasks). Ideally, your supposed to measure the waves with an instrument called a calipers. But practically, I use my eyes & can make accurate measurements & it's a lot quicker. Penny always uses her calipers. So, about a year ago, she came up to me because I did the EKG measurements on her patients. The EKG strip is 6 seconds long. Her patient’s strip had 8 heartbeats on it (which is normal) I measured the ventriculr wave at .12 mm, but she corrected me and said it was .14. I looked again & she was right. Now clinically speaking, whether it’s 12. or 14 means very little but the fact that she wanted her patients’ EKG measurements to be perfect speaks well of her.
Penny is a Filipino from Manilla (look out, here comes the nationality tangent!)
Many hospitals in the Metro Chicago area are in neighborhoods (like Maywood & Harvey) where the minority population is about 90%. Yet, among nurses the highest proportion of any minority group is not Blacks or Hispanics/Latinos but rather Filipinos. Why that is I’ll probably never know, but I thought maybe that fact would be interesting to share. They enjoy getting together and speaking Tagalog. Reader, if you have any cogent theories on why there’s such a high proportion of Filipinos work the Chicagoland Hospitals let me know. The reader with the best theory gets $3. No, really!!
Anyway, Penny & I worked with each other for 8 hrs. 11pm-7am since Mary wasn’t there. The first hour was quiet as we interpreted EKGs and did their ventricular and atrial measurements for the 40some patients we each had. I was playing and enjoying listening to Cream, and after awhile she spoke up and asked, "Do we have to listen to that old stuff?
"No" I replied, "What kind of music do you like?"
"I don’t know"
"Well, how am I going to play something you like if I don’t know what you like?" I replied (no response). So I asked, "Do you like Filipino music?"
"Not all of it; I like the ballads"
"Oh, so you like slow, romantic music, right?"
"Yeah, I’m a girl afterall!" she proclaimed indignantly. Then she corrected herself, "Actually, I am in my 30s & have kids." So, I played Jefferson Starship and stayed away from the heavy metal music I love playing. But, I didn’t have any other ballad type of music and played Charlatans UK and U2. I asked her if she knew who U2 was, and she said no. Here’s another ? for my dear readers: has U2 ever played in the Philippines? Now, I can’t offer a prize for that piece of trivia (unless someone wanted to make it a $2 contest for the 1st correct answer). She didn’t mind either band.
The newest interest at the hospital and even, apparently, in the Chicagoland area (apart from the Great White Sox appearing in their 1st World Series since 1959) is doing "Sudoku" puzzles. The tabloid Chicago Sun Times has started putting those puzzles in their papaer and people on the 6th floor like to do them during spare time (guess we’re a boring group).
So Penny & I worked on the same puzzle separately. I started on mine 20 minutes before she did, but to my alarm after about an hour she was almost done. "Damn, Penny, you’re kicking my ass on this puzzle".
"Oh well, I don’t know if my numeric answers are right or not. My husband would be better at this than I, cos’ he’s good with numbers. I only like the ones in my checkbook" she smugly smiled.
"I’m jealous Penny. The numbers in my checkbook suck, cuz’ they’re all red!" But Penny was right about doing her puzzle, because a little later she quit in disgust. (I was able to finish the puzzle). Then we started talking about our kids. I hung up a picture of my youngest daughter (as others put up pictures of their kids and pets in the telemetry room. Like others, she made fun of the way I dressed my youngest, Brianna, because in the picture she’s wearing red striped pants with a pink polk-a-dot shirt. She pointedly asked if I dressed her and told about how she makes her husband change her kids clothes when he doesn’t color coordinate what they wear.
Later, we were getting pretty chummy as she slapped me on the shoulder towards the end and said my patients’ computer screen looked like a "XMAS tree". I was reading but not answering the alarms on my patients’ screen so the screen was flashing 5 or 6 red alarms. Then I sarcastically said, "I guess I’m not as diligent as you are, Penny".
"Oh, shut up" she replied.
So it was a good night. On the night, it’s important to keep alert because it’s a severe punishable offense to be asleep at the job 3:30 in the morning. & obviously, it’s not a good way to take care of the patients. So we were glad to find a new strategy (Sudoku) to stay alert and awake during our graveyard shift and called the night a success.
Last night, Mary was scheduled to work, but obviously could not so I worked with a nurse, Penny. I was looking forward to working with her, not because I have a romantic interest in her. After all, she is married. (While I have been taken to task for spending too much time with 20somethings once or twice, I won't get involved with married women. (Last thing I need to hear Jesus or St. Peter say to me after I die is "Oh yeah, your the guy who broke up that marriage and the wife had 3 kids.....")
Anyway, Penny is a smart, sharp nurse. I interpret EKGs and measure atrial & ventricular waves on the EKG strip (among other tasks). Ideally, your supposed to measure the waves with an instrument called a calipers. But practically, I use my eyes & can make accurate measurements & it's a lot quicker. Penny always uses her calipers. So, about a year ago, she came up to me because I did the EKG measurements on her patients. The EKG strip is 6 seconds long. Her patient’s strip had 8 heartbeats on it (which is normal) I measured the ventriculr wave at .12 mm, but she corrected me and said it was .14. I looked again & she was right. Now clinically speaking, whether it’s 12. or 14 means very little but the fact that she wanted her patients’ EKG measurements to be perfect speaks well of her.
Penny is a Filipino from Manilla (look out, here comes the nationality tangent!)
Many hospitals in the Metro Chicago area are in neighborhoods (like Maywood & Harvey) where the minority population is about 90%. Yet, among nurses the highest proportion of any minority group is not Blacks or Hispanics/Latinos but rather Filipinos. Why that is I’ll probably never know, but I thought maybe that fact would be interesting to share. They enjoy getting together and speaking Tagalog. Reader, if you have any cogent theories on why there’s such a high proportion of Filipinos work the Chicagoland Hospitals let me know. The reader with the best theory gets $3. No, really!!
Anyway, Penny & I worked with each other for 8 hrs. 11pm-7am since Mary wasn’t there. The first hour was quiet as we interpreted EKGs and did their ventricular and atrial measurements for the 40some patients we each had. I was playing and enjoying listening to Cream, and after awhile she spoke up and asked, "Do we have to listen to that old stuff?
"No" I replied, "What kind of music do you like?"
"I don’t know"
"Well, how am I going to play something you like if I don’t know what you like?" I replied (no response). So I asked, "Do you like Filipino music?"
"Not all of it; I like the ballads"
"Oh, so you like slow, romantic music, right?"
"Yeah, I’m a girl afterall!" she proclaimed indignantly. Then she corrected herself, "Actually, I am in my 30s & have kids." So, I played Jefferson Starship and stayed away from the heavy metal music I love playing. But, I didn’t have any other ballad type of music and played Charlatans UK and U2. I asked her if she knew who U2 was, and she said no. Here’s another ? for my dear readers: has U2 ever played in the Philippines? Now, I can’t offer a prize for that piece of trivia (unless someone wanted to make it a $2 contest for the 1st correct answer). She didn’t mind either band.
The newest interest at the hospital and even, apparently, in the Chicagoland area (apart from the Great White Sox appearing in their 1st World Series since 1959) is doing "Sudoku" puzzles. The tabloid Chicago Sun Times has started putting those puzzles in their papaer and people on the 6th floor like to do them during spare time (guess we’re a boring group).
So Penny & I worked on the same puzzle separately. I started on mine 20 minutes before she did, but to my alarm after about an hour she was almost done. "Damn, Penny, you’re kicking my ass on this puzzle".
"Oh well, I don’t know if my numeric answers are right or not. My husband would be better at this than I, cos’ he’s good with numbers. I only like the ones in my checkbook" she smugly smiled.
"I’m jealous Penny. The numbers in my checkbook suck, cuz’ they’re all red!" But Penny was right about doing her puzzle, because a little later she quit in disgust. (I was able to finish the puzzle). Then we started talking about our kids. I hung up a picture of my youngest daughter (as others put up pictures of their kids and pets in the telemetry room. Like others, she made fun of the way I dressed my youngest, Brianna, because in the picture she’s wearing red striped pants with a pink polk-a-dot shirt. She pointedly asked if I dressed her and told about how she makes her husband change her kids clothes when he doesn’t color coordinate what they wear.
Later, we were getting pretty chummy as she slapped me on the shoulder towards the end and said my patients’ computer screen looked like a "XMAS tree". I was reading but not answering the alarms on my patients’ screen so the screen was flashing 5 or 6 red alarms. Then I sarcastically said, "I guess I’m not as diligent as you are, Penny".
"Oh, shut up" she replied.
So it was a good night. On the night, it’s important to keep alert because it’s a severe punishable offense to be asleep at the job 3:30 in the morning. & obviously, it’s not a good way to take care of the patients. So we were glad to find a new strategy (Sudoku) to stay alert and awake during our graveyard shift and called the night a success.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
graveyard shift blues
It seems like I have to confront several problems at once, and they all seem to relate back to my lack of money. I really wanted to go to a friend/co-worker's baby shower - can't do it because I don't have enough money to get her a gift. I really wanted to go to a dance that this men's group is sponsoring because it would be fun, & I am a member of that group. Can't do it because I would have to ask someone out for a date and again that would cost money.
What really brought all of this to mind was last night and this morning. I have been walking 3 miles to work as noted in a previous post. I need to do everything I can to save money (just to make ends meet....not for anything special!!) But the problem was when I walked to work Saturday night, I have to walk home Sunday morning. I really wanted to go to Mass after working because I feel that Mass helps me, especially after attending a religious retreat last weekend.
But after walking home, I was too late for 8 am. Mass so I decided to just go to bed. But, the same problem happened this morning that happened yesterday. I have just started working these graveyard shifts, my body isn't used to sleeping during the day, so instead of getting 8 hours of sleep per night, I'm only getting about 2 hours of sleep. Then I wake up, can't go back to sleep and pretty soon, after doing this and that, I have to go back to work and work the usual 12 hour shift.
After working Friday night, I really had a hard time sleeping at all. After working Saturday night, I went to bed around 9 this morning but woke right back up at 11. Today, I don't feel like taking sleeping pills as I sometimes do, because I really do need to go to church, see my kids as I promised my ex, and then do some work for my condo as I am president. But when am I going to sleep????
I also have a meeting to go to right before I work my 12 hour shift. The short meeting is @ 6 and work starts at 6:45. Then I have to work 12 hours again.
It's nice to make the dollar extra per hour because I need every penny of it (again, since I'm short of money I need to do everything I can to either save money or make money). But you hear all sorts of bad statistics about people working night shifts. People who work night shifts have a shorter lifespan. People who work night shifts fall asleep driving moreso than people on other shifts.
I just wish the lawyers I worked with previously weren't such assholes. I was making OK money then. I wouldn't have to work all these night shifts now, and I wouldn't have to walk to work. I worked there as long as I could, but after awhile of being berated and degraded, that job ended up having all the dignity of being a stripper or a male prostitute. So I made the right decision and work full time at the hospital, but there can be tough consequences to doing the right thing!
So now I'm going to eat, go to Church and see my beloved kids. & I hope I don't get into an accident driving to or from work doing the graveyard shift. Hopefully, tomorrow morning, I'll get better rest. If it takes 5 sleeping pills to get 8 hours of sleep, damnit, I might just do it!
What really brought all of this to mind was last night and this morning. I have been walking 3 miles to work as noted in a previous post. I need to do everything I can to save money (just to make ends meet....not for anything special!!) But the problem was when I walked to work Saturday night, I have to walk home Sunday morning. I really wanted to go to Mass after working because I feel that Mass helps me, especially after attending a religious retreat last weekend.
But after walking home, I was too late for 8 am. Mass so I decided to just go to bed. But, the same problem happened this morning that happened yesterday. I have just started working these graveyard shifts, my body isn't used to sleeping during the day, so instead of getting 8 hours of sleep per night, I'm only getting about 2 hours of sleep. Then I wake up, can't go back to sleep and pretty soon, after doing this and that, I have to go back to work and work the usual 12 hour shift.
After working Friday night, I really had a hard time sleeping at all. After working Saturday night, I went to bed around 9 this morning but woke right back up at 11. Today, I don't feel like taking sleeping pills as I sometimes do, because I really do need to go to church, see my kids as I promised my ex, and then do some work for my condo as I am president. But when am I going to sleep????
I also have a meeting to go to right before I work my 12 hour shift. The short meeting is @ 6 and work starts at 6:45. Then I have to work 12 hours again.
It's nice to make the dollar extra per hour because I need every penny of it (again, since I'm short of money I need to do everything I can to either save money or make money). But you hear all sorts of bad statistics about people working night shifts. People who work night shifts have a shorter lifespan. People who work night shifts fall asleep driving moreso than people on other shifts.
I just wish the lawyers I worked with previously weren't such assholes. I was making OK money then. I wouldn't have to work all these night shifts now, and I wouldn't have to walk to work. I worked there as long as I could, but after awhile of being berated and degraded, that job ended up having all the dignity of being a stripper or a male prostitute. So I made the right decision and work full time at the hospital, but there can be tough consequences to doing the right thing!
So now I'm going to eat, go to Church and see my beloved kids. & I hope I don't get into an accident driving to or from work doing the graveyard shift. Hopefully, tomorrow morning, I'll get better rest. If it takes 5 sleeping pills to get 8 hours of sleep, damnit, I might just do it!
Saturday, October 15, 2005
one more reason for love........
"....and when you stop and think about it, you won't believe it's true.
That all the love you've been giving, has all been meant for you...."
from the song "Quesion" by the Moody Blues
That all the love you've been giving, has all been meant for you...."
from the song "Quesion" by the Moody Blues
Thursday, October 06, 2005
a night walk
I am tired of paying nearly $3 a gallon for gas so I have gotten toughened up to walking long distances. I walk to work, the hospital is 3 miles away; it takes 45 min. Tough shit if the hospital is in a rough neighborhood, riven w/ gangs and drug dealers. If I don't bother them, the odds are low of them bothering me.
The same is true with seeing my kids. They live about 6 miles away so it takes about an 1 1/2 hours to get there. When I walked home to my apartment something kind of special happened. To get from the kids' place to my place I go through a forest preserve (so named because it has bike paths and is patrolled by the Cook County Forest Preserve Police, among other reasons). It was such a beautiful night out and the temperature was perfect. The coolness killed off all those damn insects yet it was warm enough so that you didn't have to worry about your hands or feet getting cold. All I had to do was follow the yellow line of the bike path and I had no problem whatsoever in finding my way home. I saw white-tailed deer that would get close enough to try and figure out who I was, then run off as I walked next to them on the trail. It was fun trying to guess what the strange noises were.
I couldn't help but think how much more fun it would be to have a girlfriend, two sleeping bags and just being "one with nature". It was a great night to be outdoors! There was a slight bit of apprehension because I was actually breaking the rules. The Forest Preserve rules are that no one is supposed to be in the forest after sundown. (It was 8 pm) I couldn't imagine them throwing me in jail for walking home, minding my own business. Just as I was less than a 1/4 mile away from leaving the Forest Preserve, there was this white light shining on my back. "Oh shit," I thought, "The Forest Preserve cops". So here's how the conversation went after I turned around and saw this biker with a light beam coming from his helmet.
"Uh-oh!", he exclaimed
"I'm just about ready to leave at the next exit," I explained.
"That's cool; I'm just biking", he said.
"Oh, I thought you were a Forest Preserve cop"
"No, we just scared each other"
Before I could explain that I wasn't really scared just hoping that he wasn't a cop, he was too far away as he biked past me.
Yes, that was a lame conversation, and this post probably would have been a better read if I would have explained how I got thrown in jail and had the displeasure of sharing a jail cell with someone caught for sodomy.
But I'm glad none of that happened and I am happy to have such a nice, sweet, peaceful time at the Forest Preserve with the deer. Maybe months from now, I'll meet the right woman and we can have a nice time in some sleeping bags. That would be a great way to break the law.
The same is true with seeing my kids. They live about 6 miles away so it takes about an 1 1/2 hours to get there. When I walked home to my apartment something kind of special happened. To get from the kids' place to my place I go through a forest preserve (so named because it has bike paths and is patrolled by the Cook County Forest Preserve Police, among other reasons). It was such a beautiful night out and the temperature was perfect. The coolness killed off all those damn insects yet it was warm enough so that you didn't have to worry about your hands or feet getting cold. All I had to do was follow the yellow line of the bike path and I had no problem whatsoever in finding my way home. I saw white-tailed deer that would get close enough to try and figure out who I was, then run off as I walked next to them on the trail. It was fun trying to guess what the strange noises were.
I couldn't help but think how much more fun it would be to have a girlfriend, two sleeping bags and just being "one with nature". It was a great night to be outdoors! There was a slight bit of apprehension because I was actually breaking the rules. The Forest Preserve rules are that no one is supposed to be in the forest after sundown. (It was 8 pm) I couldn't imagine them throwing me in jail for walking home, minding my own business. Just as I was less than a 1/4 mile away from leaving the Forest Preserve, there was this white light shining on my back. "Oh shit," I thought, "The Forest Preserve cops". So here's how the conversation went after I turned around and saw this biker with a light beam coming from his helmet.
"Uh-oh!", he exclaimed
"I'm just about ready to leave at the next exit," I explained.
"That's cool; I'm just biking", he said.
"Oh, I thought you were a Forest Preserve cop"
"No, we just scared each other"
Before I could explain that I wasn't really scared just hoping that he wasn't a cop, he was too far away as he biked past me.
Yes, that was a lame conversation, and this post probably would have been a better read if I would have explained how I got thrown in jail and had the displeasure of sharing a jail cell with someone caught for sodomy.
But I'm glad none of that happened and I am happy to have such a nice, sweet, peaceful time at the Forest Preserve with the deer. Maybe months from now, I'll meet the right woman and we can have a nice time in some sleeping bags. That would be a great way to break the law.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Saturday, September 24, 2005
**"You Got the Money, Honey, I Got the Time"
**Opening line of Willie Nelson's first hit back in the mid 70s. We're not counting him penning Patsy Cline's "Crazy".
What good is a date that doesn't have much money??? In suburban Chicago, the answer is not much. As most of you know, I left the as-hole partners at the law firm, for a full-time gig at the hospital. I don't have to work 56 hours a week anymore, so I have more time to spend with my kids and the condo presidency.
But less time at work necessarily means less money from work. I thought maybe the overtime I was getting would mean more but apparently not. Part of it is the simple mathematics, Illinois law says any mother who has an "ex" & has 3 kids, gets 32% of his paycheck. That's fine with me;I'm just making an observation. The other thing is that taxes get another 25%. So 57% of my paycheck is not mine.
But I am emotionally ready to date. I know why I got a divorce, I know what mistakes I made in the relationship and I really want to move on in life. But I can't because, I, as a proper date, have to make things "free" for the woman I date, and that's hard now. I spent the last 30 hours figuring out how to meet all my expenses and explain things to my creditors about not getting as much money as they actually were expecting from me.
So the dating action has to wait. No sex, no drugs, but still plenty of rock n' roll. Too bad the only places I hear it is work, home alone and in the car. My sister-in-law says to spend every moment I can with my kids because she thinks my ex is crazy.
Don't I deserve to date? Well, it's not a matter of "deserving" it's all a matter of financially earning. Is there a woman out there who would like to be a "sugar mommy" (female counterpart to "sugar daddy") very unlikely. But if any reader out there knows of one, I will work the rest of my life to make it worth their while. (either by being a reference or being one)
But seriously, the job is going well; the presidency continues to challenge as I mediate disputes and life could be better but it's up to me to improve it!
What good is a date that doesn't have much money??? In suburban Chicago, the answer is not much. As most of you know, I left the as-hole partners at the law firm, for a full-time gig at the hospital. I don't have to work 56 hours a week anymore, so I have more time to spend with my kids and the condo presidency.
But less time at work necessarily means less money from work. I thought maybe the overtime I was getting would mean more but apparently not. Part of it is the simple mathematics, Illinois law says any mother who has an "ex" & has 3 kids, gets 32% of his paycheck. That's fine with me;I'm just making an observation. The other thing is that taxes get another 25%. So 57% of my paycheck is not mine.
But I am emotionally ready to date. I know why I got a divorce, I know what mistakes I made in the relationship and I really want to move on in life. But I can't because, I, as a proper date, have to make things "free" for the woman I date, and that's hard now. I spent the last 30 hours figuring out how to meet all my expenses and explain things to my creditors about not getting as much money as they actually were expecting from me.
So the dating action has to wait. No sex, no drugs, but still plenty of rock n' roll. Too bad the only places I hear it is work, home alone and in the car. My sister-in-law says to spend every moment I can with my kids because she thinks my ex is crazy.
Don't I deserve to date? Well, it's not a matter of "deserving" it's all a matter of financially earning. Is there a woman out there who would like to be a "sugar mommy" (female counterpart to "sugar daddy") very unlikely. But if any reader out there knows of one, I will work the rest of my life to make it worth their while. (either by being a reference or being one)
But seriously, the job is going well; the presidency continues to challenge as I mediate disputes and life could be better but it's up to me to improve it!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
mentioning other sites
For those bloggers who suggest other "LINKS", I am willing to bet there's a good deal of thought into selecting the other links.
For me it is a fellow blogger who first started sending me comments. There's another site that deserves special mention. It is the band Catch Penny led by Chris Schauf (25 yrs. old) & his younger brother Zach. I saw them in Chicago, I bought their CD and I think that they do excellent as a band. They're under "up and coming band" on my blog.
You can say, "Yeah, Vince, you're biased, because you're their uncle and you have "an axe to grind".
The point is that other people have been saying that they love their CD. So I would urge you dear reader to check out this website below, check out the MP3 and if you like, then order the CD. They are at:
http://www.catchpennyband.com/index.htm
Enjoy!
For me it is a fellow blogger who first started sending me comments. There's another site that deserves special mention. It is the band Catch Penny led by Chris Schauf (25 yrs. old) & his younger brother Zach. I saw them in Chicago, I bought their CD and I think that they do excellent as a band. They're under "up and coming band" on my blog.
You can say, "Yeah, Vince, you're biased, because you're their uncle and you have "an axe to grind".
The point is that other people have been saying that they love their CD. So I would urge you dear reader to check out this website below, check out the MP3 and if you like, then order the CD. They are at:
http://www.catchpennyband.com/index.htm
Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
leaving as-holes behind
8/17/05 I left a law firm that is good to its clients and godawful to its staff. It's a law firm where the managing partner/the main man would get drunk at times during normal business hours and sleep on his couch or act drunk to staff.
A man who promised me a raise earlier in the month and failed to give the raise to me. A man who has the partner jerk me around on my last paycheck and make a pitiful attempt to make me feel guilty for bringing up the FACT that my paycheck was 2 days late.
no more taking advantage of the 1 and only paralegal at his bullshit firm.
no more false accusations tolerated
no more paying me a below-market salary
Now I'm at a better place with very good benefits where I will get 36 hrs. of OT (& time & a half pay) this pay period.
A place where I save lives or help lives for those with cardiac problems
A place where the boss likes and respects me and I can definitely say the same about her.
A place with less stress and heartache..........................
A man who promised me a raise earlier in the month and failed to give the raise to me. A man who has the partner jerk me around on my last paycheck and make a pitiful attempt to make me feel guilty for bringing up the FACT that my paycheck was 2 days late.
no more taking advantage of the 1 and only paralegal at his bullshit firm.
no more false accusations tolerated
no more paying me a below-market salary
Now I'm at a better place with very good benefits where I will get 36 hrs. of OT (& time & a half pay) this pay period.
A place where I save lives or help lives for those with cardiac problems
A place where the boss likes and respects me and I can definitely say the same about her.
A place with less stress and heartache..........................
Friday, September 09, 2005
There's a few other things I hate too!
There's nothing like having your own apartment to show what your limitations are. After living 25 years of shared living there's some skills I've finally mastered: dish washing, cleaning a toilet, knowing when to play the music you love loud!; & doing laundry. Still there are other things which you hate and which bite you in the ass again & again.
Ironing is something I completely detest. I learned to buy permanent press shirts and let co-workers carp at the wrinkles in my pants (after all I don't give a damn what they say about my but or legs or goes over them anyway!). Now that I don't work at a law firm anymore, people at the hospital, where I work, aren't so hung up on clothes anyway.
Another task has embarassed me even more. Mopping floors and vacuum cleaning. Vacuum cleaning I finally have resolved to do on a semi-regular basis. But mopping the floor ............
Today, I finally (after x number of months) decided to mop the floor. Since it looked like the garage floor of somone with 3 Honda motorcycles and I 've been having my sweet computer expert come over, well ya' gotta' do something damnit. But I complained about it to myself and it took a long time because 2 of the Board members of the condo board called me about the all-important meeting I had with our condo attorneys yesterday. So the whole thing took hours. UGH!
BIG PICTURE TIME:
I have it much better than others especially those who were hit by Hurricane Katrina. Ripsy who runs a very sharp,witty blog says that the Red Cross should be supported and I have 1/2 a mind to put the Red Cross as one of my links too. We all think the Red Cross should be supported in this very trying time.
Ironing is something I completely detest. I learned to buy permanent press shirts and let co-workers carp at the wrinkles in my pants (after all I don't give a damn what they say about my but or legs or goes over them anyway!). Now that I don't work at a law firm anymore, people at the hospital, where I work, aren't so hung up on clothes anyway.
Another task has embarassed me even more. Mopping floors and vacuum cleaning. Vacuum cleaning I finally have resolved to do on a semi-regular basis. But mopping the floor ............
Today, I finally (after x number of months) decided to mop the floor. Since it looked like the garage floor of somone with 3 Honda motorcycles and I 've been having my sweet computer expert come over, well ya' gotta' do something damnit. But I complained about it to myself and it took a long time because 2 of the Board members of the condo board called me about the all-important meeting I had with our condo attorneys yesterday. So the whole thing took hours. UGH!
BIG PICTURE TIME:
I have it much better than others especially those who were hit by Hurricane Katrina. Ripsy who runs a very sharp,witty blog says that the Red Cross should be supported and I have 1/2 a mind to put the Red Cross as one of my links too. We all think the Red Cross should be supported in this very trying time.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
The Sweet Adolescence of the Raspberries
The Rasberries were a group that hit it big in the early 70s. The best known band member was Eric Carmen. He was the man who penned in his later solo years "Hungry Eyes" and the melancholy "All By Myself" .
When I was visiting my older brother in college at the tender age of 9, I heard a cool guitar-riff, laden song with a very adolescent plea for its title. The song started with a cool, thundering catchy lead guitar riff. Then a rolling bass, then Eric Carmen sings,
"I never knew how complete love could be Till she kissed me and said,............"
From "Go All the Way"
The sweet voice, the beautiful harmonizing vocals provided by Carmen’s bandmates; their imitation of their model THE WHO.
But wait a minute! That’s not the way life is! I never had an easy time with dates. I only dated one girl from that great Ithaca High School. & she wasn’t even any fun. Besides, the one girl who hinted to me to have sex with her my senior year after the Homecoming Dance was politely refused by yours truly. Something I’m not 100% sure was the right decision. I ended up not losing my virginity until I was 22. But my Mom & Dad taught me well and a young VS would have been a below average father as I am struggling now to help an ailing oldest son and a somewhat happy middle son and youngest daughter.
Aw screw it, the song is still damn good so let’s continue reading these lyrics.
"....Till she kissed me and said,
CHORUS: Baby please, go all the way
It feels so right
Being with you here tonight
Please, go all the way
Just hold me close
Don't ever let me go
I couldn't say what I wanted to say
Till she whispered "I love you so" repeat that damn chorus
But what about all the premarital sex? What about all the unwanted kids, what about the abortions, what about the parents not ready??????? Yeah, well, what about Eric explaining the following to us:
Before her love I was cruel and mean I had a hole in the place Where my heart should have been!
But now I've changed, and it feels so strange
I come alive when she does all those things to me and she says
(Check out the counterpoint harmonies on this now! E=Carmen B=Bandmates!!!)
"E:Come on,
B: come on
B: come on! E: I need you
B: come on! E: I love you
B: Come on! E: I need you Repeat that damn chorus
If you get their greatest hits you get to also hear "I Just Want to Be With You" and some other kick ass songs.
What do they all mean? Tell me & we’ll both know!!!!
When I was visiting my older brother in college at the tender age of 9, I heard a cool guitar-riff, laden song with a very adolescent plea for its title. The song started with a cool, thundering catchy lead guitar riff. Then a rolling bass, then Eric Carmen sings,
"I never knew how complete love could be Till she kissed me and said,............"
From "Go All the Way"
The sweet voice, the beautiful harmonizing vocals provided by Carmen’s bandmates; their imitation of their model THE WHO.
But wait a minute! That’s not the way life is! I never had an easy time with dates. I only dated one girl from that great Ithaca High School. & she wasn’t even any fun. Besides, the one girl who hinted to me to have sex with her my senior year after the Homecoming Dance was politely refused by yours truly. Something I’m not 100% sure was the right decision. I ended up not losing my virginity until I was 22. But my Mom & Dad taught me well and a young VS would have been a below average father as I am struggling now to help an ailing oldest son and a somewhat happy middle son and youngest daughter.
Aw screw it, the song is still damn good so let’s continue reading these lyrics.
"....Till she kissed me and said,
CHORUS: Baby please, go all the way
It feels so right
Being with you here tonight
Please, go all the way
Just hold me close
Don't ever let me go
I couldn't say what I wanted to say
Till she whispered "I love you so" repeat that damn chorus
But what about all the premarital sex? What about all the unwanted kids, what about the abortions, what about the parents not ready??????? Yeah, well, what about Eric explaining the following to us:
Before her love I was cruel and mean I had a hole in the place Where my heart should have been!
But now I've changed, and it feels so strange
I come alive when she does all those things to me and she says
(Check out the counterpoint harmonies on this now! E=Carmen B=Bandmates!!!)
"E:Come on,
B: come on
B: come on! E: I need you
B: come on! E: I love you
B: Come on! E: I need you Repeat that damn chorus
If you get their greatest hits you get to also hear "I Just Want to Be With You" and some other kick ass songs.
What do they all mean? Tell me & we’ll both know!!!!
Friday, September 02, 2005
This president gig is kind of fun
TMA = condo complex I preside over
I was a political junkie since I was 7. I memorized all the US Presidents and read the front section of the paper. Things I still do and enjoy doing. When I told this to one of our law clerks in her 3rd year of law school, she said, "That really made you a nerd then, doesn't it?" Yeah, I guess, but obviously, I still don't regret doing that.
Why the little flashback of 35 years ago? Well because, I still enjoy that type of action. The condo board that I preside over still is a form of politics; naturally the action is NOT like being U.S. president. But still, the TMA Board of 4 years ago f_____ up royally and hurt a lot of senior citizens who make up a significant portion of the owners who live in our condo complex. So there is something at stake, we can't put together a screwed up budget, we have over 150 people depending on us!
Anyway, my first crisis has been hard to solve. MS, the former president, is in a nasty dispute with the Treasurer of our condo. She wants to put the screws to him because she doesn't want to pay for his legal expenses. I don't think that is right, because he expressly received permission to have legal expenses paid for. In order to get rid of the corrupt board that messed things up 4 years ago that's what had to be done! He had to take on the fight by him & a few others, to kick out a board & administrator who ran the complex like a 3rd World dictatorship (complete w/ fradulent elections!!!). That meant incurring legal expenses.
The Treasurer is a very smooth operator. When I come into the office, it's always, "Hi, babe!" She likes getting a hug. She loves to flatter. But if you cross her like MS did, she has the power to f____ someone over as Treasurer. My job, as president, is to try to curb her revenge fantasies and it hasn't been easy.
I have to hand it to her. She has inspired me to read the Condo rulebook/bylaws much more thoroughly and it has become evident that in her "revenge plots" she hasn't been following all the rules. I'm scheduling a little chat with her within the week to show her the error of her ways. Wish me luck.
At any rate, this fight between MS & Treasurer (Madame "Sweet" who is ALSO the "face of TMA" because she is the receptionist and office manager at our office) has also made me talk to the TMA's lawyer. The big problem is that my main strategy is to wait and delay things as I gather up more and more of the building reps to back me up. (need as much political power as I can get!) But Madame Sweet wants to hurry up the process & is even going so far as baiting MS to sue the TMA! How stupid and what a waste of money to pay the lawyer for another suit!!! Yet she says I'm wasting money on MS's suit (yet we had the building reps agree to pay for that lawsuit; there's a difference!!). I have to counsel MS to be calm, sleep at night (since he confided that the legal problem keeps him up) and I have to get the political clout to manuever around Madame Sweet's power and charm.
Anyway, thanks for reading, I KEPT MY PROMISE, L12! Hope this little diatribe wasn't toooooo borriiiing.
I was a political junkie since I was 7. I memorized all the US Presidents and read the front section of the paper. Things I still do and enjoy doing. When I told this to one of our law clerks in her 3rd year of law school, she said, "That really made you a nerd then, doesn't it?" Yeah, I guess, but obviously, I still don't regret doing that.
Why the little flashback of 35 years ago? Well because, I still enjoy that type of action. The condo board that I preside over still is a form of politics; naturally the action is NOT like being U.S. president. But still, the TMA Board of 4 years ago f_____ up royally and hurt a lot of senior citizens who make up a significant portion of the owners who live in our condo complex. So there is something at stake, we can't put together a screwed up budget, we have over 150 people depending on us!
Anyway, my first crisis has been hard to solve. MS, the former president, is in a nasty dispute with the Treasurer of our condo. She wants to put the screws to him because she doesn't want to pay for his legal expenses. I don't think that is right, because he expressly received permission to have legal expenses paid for. In order to get rid of the corrupt board that messed things up 4 years ago that's what had to be done! He had to take on the fight by him & a few others, to kick out a board & administrator who ran the complex like a 3rd World dictatorship (complete w/ fradulent elections!!!). That meant incurring legal expenses.
The Treasurer is a very smooth operator. When I come into the office, it's always, "Hi, babe!" She likes getting a hug. She loves to flatter. But if you cross her like MS did, she has the power to f____ someone over as Treasurer. My job, as president, is to try to curb her revenge fantasies and it hasn't been easy.
I have to hand it to her. She has inspired me to read the Condo rulebook/bylaws much more thoroughly and it has become evident that in her "revenge plots" she hasn't been following all the rules. I'm scheduling a little chat with her within the week to show her the error of her ways. Wish me luck.
At any rate, this fight between MS & Treasurer (Madame "Sweet" who is ALSO the "face of TMA" because she is the receptionist and office manager at our office) has also made me talk to the TMA's lawyer. The big problem is that my main strategy is to wait and delay things as I gather up more and more of the building reps to back me up. (need as much political power as I can get!) But Madame Sweet wants to hurry up the process & is even going so far as baiting MS to sue the TMA! How stupid and what a waste of money to pay the lawyer for another suit!!! Yet she says I'm wasting money on MS's suit (yet we had the building reps agree to pay for that lawsuit; there's a difference!!). I have to counsel MS to be calm, sleep at night (since he confided that the legal problem keeps him up) and I have to get the political clout to manuever around Madame Sweet's power and charm.
Anyway, thanks for reading, I KEPT MY PROMISE, L12! Hope this little diatribe wasn't toooooo borriiiing.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
becoming president
(All hail, President Schauf!)
Just kidding, no homage necessary. Yes, I was made president, president of our condo complex. The complex is set up as follows. There are 28 condo buildings; each building has 6 homes in it. THat's more than triple figures in people living at the condo. Our budget is over 6 figures. Now, I'm not trying to impress you just telling you the scale of the public and the budget I help oversee. The name of the condo complex is called TMA (Terrace Maintenance Association).
My succession to presidency was a little abrupt & very unceremonious. The condo has a pool. The previous president was helping oversee the pool. Fights over how clean the pool should be, who runs the pool, & who works at the pool erupted this summer. The president (who we will call MS) before me & I served on the board since Dec. 2002. He quit in much bitterness as a result of the pool issues. I was the secretary and did all the minutes, counted votes on important issues and announced voting results. We were elected, then reelected in Nov. 2004.
The people that vote in the election are not the unit homeowners, but rather the condo captains of each building. So the 28 builings each have a captain. They are like the legislative branch and can pass important "rules & regulations", pass the budget and pass emergency spending that sometimes the TMA unfortunately needs. Most importantly, the building captains vote who gets to be on the TMA Board. They vote 7 Board members: Pres., Vice pres., treas., secretary, pool chairperson, landscaping chairperson & posting-of-notices chairperson.
When President MS decided to quit over the myriad of fights about the pool, our vice president decideded that at 50 something years old and with a bad temper, she didn't feel like being president. So I volunteered at a private TMA Board meeting to become president.
So that's my true story of how I became president. It happened during the end of July (when I didn't have a computer to do any posts)
I'm already facing my 1st crisis as I'm trying to stave off former President MS from suing the TMA. It involves a missing videotape of the all-important April, 2005 meeting. But that's for another post. I'm not even sure if anyone is reading this!
Just kidding, no homage necessary. Yes, I was made president, president of our condo complex. The complex is set up as follows. There are 28 condo buildings; each building has 6 homes in it. THat's more than triple figures in people living at the condo. Our budget is over 6 figures. Now, I'm not trying to impress you just telling you the scale of the public and the budget I help oversee. The name of the condo complex is called TMA (Terrace Maintenance Association).
My succession to presidency was a little abrupt & very unceremonious. The condo has a pool. The previous president was helping oversee the pool. Fights over how clean the pool should be, who runs the pool, & who works at the pool erupted this summer. The president (who we will call MS) before me & I served on the board since Dec. 2002. He quit in much bitterness as a result of the pool issues. I was the secretary and did all the minutes, counted votes on important issues and announced voting results. We were elected, then reelected in Nov. 2004.
The people that vote in the election are not the unit homeowners, but rather the condo captains of each building. So the 28 builings each have a captain. They are like the legislative branch and can pass important "rules & regulations", pass the budget and pass emergency spending that sometimes the TMA unfortunately needs. Most importantly, the building captains vote who gets to be on the TMA Board. They vote 7 Board members: Pres., Vice pres., treas., secretary, pool chairperson, landscaping chairperson & posting-of-notices chairperson.
When President MS decided to quit over the myriad of fights about the pool, our vice president decideded that at 50 something years old and with a bad temper, she didn't feel like being president. So I volunteered at a private TMA Board meeting to become president.
So that's my true story of how I became president. It happened during the end of July (when I didn't have a computer to do any posts)
I'm already facing my 1st crisis as I'm trying to stave off former President MS from suing the TMA. It involves a missing videotape of the all-important April, 2005 meeting. But that's for another post. I'm not even sure if anyone is reading this!
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
a little eulogy....tell me what you think
I gave this little rembrance of my co-worker Hani on August 8 at the chapel of Ingalls Memorial Hospital.
HANI’S EULOGY
All of us here have been fortunate enough to spend some time with Hani. First of all, he was a good worker and cared about the patients he watched as a cardiac telemetry tech. Hani was also a person you could talk to as he was very friendly. He was a smart, articulate person who spoke accurately of the current events. I recall having a number of talks with him while we were working together in the telemetry room about the fighting in the Middle East.
All of us know that since the 9/11 crisis, there has been a lot of talk about us versus them. There has been much fighting. However, when Hani spoke it wasn’t about us versus them. He spoke only about us. All of us. The fact was that when Hani worked with many of us here tonight; we were together. We shared the work taking care of the patients; we shared the conversations; we shared concerns and best of all we shared good times. We need more people like Hani who encourage uniting with others rather than dividing.
Hani also noted the common aspects that Christians and Muslims share. That both value peace. Both believe in living, good virtuous lives. Both religions believe in an afterlife that rewards people like Hani for living such a wonderful life. A life which ended far sooner than it should have.
This is the time to take comfort in God. The God of all of us. I believe that we can and do possess the spirit of God. If we live life the way the Bible and Koran teaches us, than we can make true that famous Psalm verse, "Lord send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth."
Death reminds us of how meaningful and sacred life is and live it to the fullest. In these days ahead we need to strengthen old friendships and seek out new friends. This is a time when there is still too much discrimination and lack of opportunities, we need to look at what brings us together instead of what tears us apart. & most of all we need to be ready for the time when God calls us to heaven.
HANI’S EULOGY
All of us here have been fortunate enough to spend some time with Hani. First of all, he was a good worker and cared about the patients he watched as a cardiac telemetry tech. Hani was also a person you could talk to as he was very friendly. He was a smart, articulate person who spoke accurately of the current events. I recall having a number of talks with him while we were working together in the telemetry room about the fighting in the Middle East.
All of us know that since the 9/11 crisis, there has been a lot of talk about us versus them. There has been much fighting. However, when Hani spoke it wasn’t about us versus them. He spoke only about us. All of us. The fact was that when Hani worked with many of us here tonight; we were together. We shared the work taking care of the patients; we shared the conversations; we shared concerns and best of all we shared good times. We need more people like Hani who encourage uniting with others rather than dividing.
Hani also noted the common aspects that Christians and Muslims share. That both value peace. Both believe in living, good virtuous lives. Both religions believe in an afterlife that rewards people like Hani for living such a wonderful life. A life which ended far sooner than it should have.
This is the time to take comfort in God. The God of all of us. I believe that we can and do possess the spirit of God. If we live life the way the Bible and Koran teaches us, than we can make true that famous Psalm verse, "Lord send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth."
Death reminds us of how meaningful and sacred life is and live it to the fullest. In these days ahead we need to strengthen old friendships and seek out new friends. This is a time when there is still too much discrimination and lack of opportunities, we need to look at what brings us together instead of what tears us apart. & most of all we need to be ready for the time when God calls us to heaven.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
where to begin......!
There has been a lot that's happen but I didn't have the computer to put it in. As I said before, I work at a hospital reading EKGs as a cardiac monitor tech. We have a total of 90 patients to watch & so, 2 people watch them . There is, of course, times you can talk to your partner who is watching patients with you. One of the people I watched EKGs with is Hani.
Hani was a Muslim. We went to an Arabic bar one time with2 other tele techs (a male& female) & 2 nurses. We had a blast. In fact one of the nurses (Trudy in previous posts) I really liked but decided not to date later. He was a great guy. Hani was not your stereotypical Muslim. He was very much against Al Queda & the jihad. He thought that there needed to be more understanding and dialogue rather than fighting. He spoke about things that united the rest of us not what divided us.
In early August, he was to fly to Jordan and get married. He never made it. He went to his own bachelor party in a rough neighborhood and then was shot to death as he left a place called Sky Box in Harvey, IL. He was only 29. He had a sick mother who he lived with and helped take care of . He has a heartbroken fiancee' back in Jordan.
Many people at the hospital cried. I told people who came to the telemetry room where I work that even though I am divorced, I still consider my wedding back in '93 and the subsequent honeymoon to be the happiest days of my life. We knew with such an outpouring of grief on our floor that there needed to be a memorial service at the chapel of the hospital. Not very many people were able to go the Muslim funeral (not sure what they call funerals) I helped arrange the hospial service, I gave a reading and I gave 1 of 2 eulogies. I will put the eulogy as a post later.
2 weeks later another tragedy struck our floor. Danielle, a nurse on night shift, was 8 months pregnant with her 7th child. AFter starting a 3-month leave of absence @ the hospital, she called her co-worker and told her that something was wrong with her. Her friend told her to come to the hospital. The placenta ruptured from the uterine wall. Minutes after arriving at the hospital her 8 month fetus, already 9 lbs., was dead. The uterine wall was bleeding so badly that she needed emergency hysterectomy and then went into kidney failure. Hours later she died from massive hemorrage. She left behind 6 kids with the oldest only being 16 and the younges not yet 2.
THere's more that has been happening. The next posts are about: the eulogy I gave, becoming president of our condo complex, leaving the law firm-a place I complained a lot of and my new full time job.
More to come......
Hani was a Muslim. We went to an Arabic bar one time with2 other tele techs (a male& female) & 2 nurses. We had a blast. In fact one of the nurses (Trudy in previous posts) I really liked but decided not to date later. He was a great guy. Hani was not your stereotypical Muslim. He was very much against Al Queda & the jihad. He thought that there needed to be more understanding and dialogue rather than fighting. He spoke about things that united the rest of us not what divided us.
In early August, he was to fly to Jordan and get married. He never made it. He went to his own bachelor party in a rough neighborhood and then was shot to death as he left a place called Sky Box in Harvey, IL. He was only 29. He had a sick mother who he lived with and helped take care of . He has a heartbroken fiancee' back in Jordan.
Many people at the hospital cried. I told people who came to the telemetry room where I work that even though I am divorced, I still consider my wedding back in '93 and the subsequent honeymoon to be the happiest days of my life. We knew with such an outpouring of grief on our floor that there needed to be a memorial service at the chapel of the hospital. Not very many people were able to go the Muslim funeral (not sure what they call funerals) I helped arrange the hospial service, I gave a reading and I gave 1 of 2 eulogies. I will put the eulogy as a post later.
2 weeks later another tragedy struck our floor. Danielle, a nurse on night shift, was 8 months pregnant with her 7th child. AFter starting a 3-month leave of absence @ the hospital, she called her co-worker and told her that something was wrong with her. Her friend told her to come to the hospital. The placenta ruptured from the uterine wall. Minutes after arriving at the hospital her 8 month fetus, already 9 lbs., was dead. The uterine wall was bleeding so badly that she needed emergency hysterectomy and then went into kidney failure. Hours later she died from massive hemorrage. She left behind 6 kids with the oldest only being 16 and the younges not yet 2.
THere's more that has been happening. The next posts are about: the eulogy I gave, becoming president of our condo complex, leaving the law firm-a place I complained a lot of and my new full time job.
More to come......
Saturday, August 06, 2005
when you're cut off w/o a home computer
Hi,
Haven't been blogging in a while because it's been busy at the law firm and because my NetZero or home computer has glitched and won't let me use the Internet; to all the dear readers out there, you're going to be getting some substantive news, soon!
Haven't been blogging in a while because it's been busy at the law firm and because my NetZero or home computer has glitched and won't let me use the Internet; to all the dear readers out there, you're going to be getting some substantive news, soon!
Friday, July 29, 2005
Drama on the Train
I take the train home from my Chicago law firm to Midlothian. The train is so superior to driving to work especially with the congestion that the Chicago roads suffer. The train system is called the Metra. The Metra has a bar car in it where you can get an assortment of alcoholic beverages.
I’m not a teetotaler but I have found that drinks like tea or chocolate milk are more refreshing and a hell of a lot cheaper than beer. That doesn’t make me better than others, just more boring, I guess.
Tonight on the train, there was a group of about 12 that had just been to a Cubs game. They were feeling the glow of a victory, their camaradarie and plenty of alcohol. They were loud boisterous and scaring a few of the quieter and timid patrons off the bar car. God bless them though the conductor was so preoccupied with them that she didn’t seem to mind that I forgot my monthly ticket at the law office. They were doing Jerry Springer type chants like "show us your breasts" but more often they were just egging on couples in their group to kiss, then french, then they would chant, "Get a room, get a room!" Now hearing all that isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but if you want peace & quiet you were free to leave the bar car. There were no fist fights, but there was some drama that there might be one, but as they say in certain parts, "No harm, no foul" No one got hurt only a few alcoholic induced shouts were made.
They were a good bunch of people, and this really hip woman named Sue who was a perfect stranger before but hung out with the group, was sweet looking and made witty remarks. One of the chants were "Sue & Vince!" as the group wanted us to sit together (we were sitting alone), but we were too reserved to do that.
I enjoyed them and after another stress filled day at work, it was nice to see where people were having some fun rather than the legal staff having long faces at the latest insult my boss lashed out.
Get this, dear reader, my boss wants to invite me and my 3 kids to a summer cook out the 1st Sunday of August. He’s been consistently dreadful so I think he’s doing it just to "blow smoke up my ass". What do you think??
I’m not a teetotaler but I have found that drinks like tea or chocolate milk are more refreshing and a hell of a lot cheaper than beer. That doesn’t make me better than others, just more boring, I guess.
Tonight on the train, there was a group of about 12 that had just been to a Cubs game. They were feeling the glow of a victory, their camaradarie and plenty of alcohol. They were loud boisterous and scaring a few of the quieter and timid patrons off the bar car. God bless them though the conductor was so preoccupied with them that she didn’t seem to mind that I forgot my monthly ticket at the law office. They were doing Jerry Springer type chants like "show us your breasts" but more often they were just egging on couples in their group to kiss, then french, then they would chant, "Get a room, get a room!" Now hearing all that isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but if you want peace & quiet you were free to leave the bar car. There were no fist fights, but there was some drama that there might be one, but as they say in certain parts, "No harm, no foul" No one got hurt only a few alcoholic induced shouts were made.
They were a good bunch of people, and this really hip woman named Sue who was a perfect stranger before but hung out with the group, was sweet looking and made witty remarks. One of the chants were "Sue & Vince!" as the group wanted us to sit together (we were sitting alone), but we were too reserved to do that.
I enjoyed them and after another stress filled day at work, it was nice to see where people were having some fun rather than the legal staff having long faces at the latest insult my boss lashed out.
Get this, dear reader, my boss wants to invite me and my 3 kids to a summer cook out the 1st Sunday of August. He’s been consistently dreadful so I think he’s doing it just to "blow smoke up my ass". What do you think??
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
That's a nice thing to say, but..........
I had a rather humorous encounter the other day at the law firm. We have an associate lawyer, George, who is 69 years old. There’s three reasons everyone admires him: one is that he’s an excellent lawyer; secondly, he is treated very well by my ogre boss (because the moment my boss treats him like he does everyone else, George would be gone like the cool breeze). Finally, he’s not a jerk.
So, anyway, since George was having some problems finding out some medical information about a physician, I directed him to a website where he was able to get extensive info on the Dr. in question. (In case you want to know what the site is just ask because it’s a nationwide site). So, he gets the information that he wants, then he turns to me and says, "I wish I had your brains!"
Oh, my God! Here’s a guy who graduated with a law degree from the very esteemed University of Chicago a year before I was born. He was the partner/leader of a law firm for nearly 26 years. He made a lot of money; he’s admired by many people in the Chicago legal community. Here’s a man of immense accomplishment, and he wants my brains!!? The brains of a guy who did not get a law degree and is barely making ends meet! Truly, I don’t get it !?!?
Mind you, I'm not saying I'm dumb (my self esteem isn't that low) but still what situation would a person rather be in between the 2 of us????
So, anyway, since George was having some problems finding out some medical information about a physician, I directed him to a website where he was able to get extensive info on the Dr. in question. (In case you want to know what the site is just ask because it’s a nationwide site). So, he gets the information that he wants, then he turns to me and says, "I wish I had your brains!"
Oh, my God! Here’s a guy who graduated with a law degree from the very esteemed University of Chicago a year before I was born. He was the partner/leader of a law firm for nearly 26 years. He made a lot of money; he’s admired by many people in the Chicago legal community. Here’s a man of immense accomplishment, and he wants my brains!!? The brains of a guy who did not get a law degree and is barely making ends meet! Truly, I don’t get it !?!?
Mind you, I'm not saying I'm dumb (my self esteem isn't that low) but still what situation would a person rather be in between the 2 of us????
Saturday, July 09, 2005
It's 1:30am, do you know where happiness is??
FEELING LIKE A NINE INCH NAILS SONG
(Or maybe a Violent Femmes song instead)
I’m sitting here working at the hospital at 1:30 in the morning watching the EKGs of 29 patients. As I sit here dead tired, feelings are washing over me: frustration, emptiness and cluelessness. Yes, I feel just like a person in a Nine Inch Nails song. If I felt more pathetic I guess it would be a Violent Femmes song but either way I feel pretty messed up. While I am lost in my misery, the other telemetry tech’s boyfriend has called her in the last 3 hours no fewer than 12 times (I’m not exaggerating) to tell her how much he loves her and misses her.
& what about me! The contrast could not be more different between myself and the other tele tech getting all these loving calls. Where do I turn to for a hug? How long can I remain stoic??!
After coming home Friday night from the bar, I called someone else and quickly got brushed off and dismissed. I hung the phone up in disbelief. Yes, I don’t know this person very well, but it still would have been nice to speak a little while longer. Will sadness beget more sadness? Does misery lead to more misery? Where do all of these misadventures lead to? I walked over to a nurse to talk about a problem with one of her patients and his bad heart rhythm. As I walked back to the telemetry room, I had the irrational urge to run headlong into a wall. My stupid, half-witted justification was that the pain would somehow make me feel better than I was feeling at the time. But I was correctly reminded of the truism "things can always get worse." Also, I did not feel like being the talk of the unit for doing a wild, bizaar antic like running into a wall.
I guess with this rational decision, I should end my pity party. I still wish that I wasn’t doing battle by myself. This is one night I wish I had someone to hold.
(Or maybe a Violent Femmes song instead)
I’m sitting here working at the hospital at 1:30 in the morning watching the EKGs of 29 patients. As I sit here dead tired, feelings are washing over me: frustration, emptiness and cluelessness. Yes, I feel just like a person in a Nine Inch Nails song. If I felt more pathetic I guess it would be a Violent Femmes song but either way I feel pretty messed up. While I am lost in my misery, the other telemetry tech’s boyfriend has called her in the last 3 hours no fewer than 12 times (I’m not exaggerating) to tell her how much he loves her and misses her.
& what about me! The contrast could not be more different between myself and the other tele tech getting all these loving calls. Where do I turn to for a hug? How long can I remain stoic??!
After coming home Friday night from the bar, I called someone else and quickly got brushed off and dismissed. I hung the phone up in disbelief. Yes, I don’t know this person very well, but it still would have been nice to speak a little while longer. Will sadness beget more sadness? Does misery lead to more misery? Where do all of these misadventures lead to? I walked over to a nurse to talk about a problem with one of her patients and his bad heart rhythm. As I walked back to the telemetry room, I had the irrational urge to run headlong into a wall. My stupid, half-witted justification was that the pain would somehow make me feel better than I was feeling at the time. But I was correctly reminded of the truism "things can always get worse." Also, I did not feel like being the talk of the unit for doing a wild, bizaar antic like running into a wall.
I guess with this rational decision, I should end my pity party. I still wish that I wasn’t doing battle by myself. This is one night I wish I had someone to hold.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Perspective
I've been increasingly upset with work. Our secretary got tired and disgusted with our ogre of a boss and she quit. So, now, I have to also be a secretary. It's not a very good arrangement. He was screaming and swearing at his wife on the phone and I knew it was going to be a very long day. We got into an argument, so then he got up and left the office and went across the street to the bar. Must be nice. I responded by going up to my friend and co-worker, John, and said, "Well, ain't I a son of a bitch! I drove him out of the office and into the bar. " John laughed and said, "Thanks, Vince". Of course we knew that he would be back and he was 1/2 hr. later. I'm so disgusted with that workplace. Have you ever hated going someplace so much that you felt like you were literally walking into pain??
Of course there's another way to look at this problem. It's rarely good to feel sorry for yourself. The focus needs to be on the solution, not the problem. Another thing I have been thinking about is the people who have it worse than I.
Right now there's tens of thousands of troops overseas. Undoubtedly, there's an enlisted person angry and frustrated with his/her superior, whether it's a seargent, lieutenant or whoever. The point is they can't say to their boss, "I quit, I'm leaving because you're an asshole!" They can't spend their free time sending resumes out to potential employers with the hope of finding a better place to work w/ more pay a month later. Those troops with the bad superior have to spend more time with that superior than I have to spend w/ my boss.
I can feel bad that the 1 1/2 years I've been at the firm seems like a decade. I can lament that I spend 45 hrs. a week at a place I dislike but what about a look back in history? What about all those men and women who worked for a nasty dictator like Josef Stalin or Mao Tse-Tung?
Do you think anybody ever came up to Josef Stalin and said, "You've been hell to work for, Comrade Stalin. I request a transfer!" He would have got a quick transfer with a .22 caliber bullet. There were millions of people who worked their ass off for Stalin and Tse-Tung (and their respective countries) only to be disgraced and executed over some cockamanie, petty bullshit. Anybody out there ever read Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler? That book does a far better job than I explaining the plight of the Soviets at the Kremlin. With that in mind, I guess I better change websites and look for more paralegal vacancies so I can send some more resumes.
Of course there's another way to look at this problem. It's rarely good to feel sorry for yourself. The focus needs to be on the solution, not the problem. Another thing I have been thinking about is the people who have it worse than I.
Right now there's tens of thousands of troops overseas. Undoubtedly, there's an enlisted person angry and frustrated with his/her superior, whether it's a seargent, lieutenant or whoever. The point is they can't say to their boss, "I quit, I'm leaving because you're an asshole!" They can't spend their free time sending resumes out to potential employers with the hope of finding a better place to work w/ more pay a month later. Those troops with the bad superior have to spend more time with that superior than I have to spend w/ my boss.
I can feel bad that the 1 1/2 years I've been at the firm seems like a decade. I can lament that I spend 45 hrs. a week at a place I dislike but what about a look back in history? What about all those men and women who worked for a nasty dictator like Josef Stalin or Mao Tse-Tung?
Do you think anybody ever came up to Josef Stalin and said, "You've been hell to work for, Comrade Stalin. I request a transfer!" He would have got a quick transfer with a .22 caliber bullet. There were millions of people who worked their ass off for Stalin and Tse-Tung (and their respective countries) only to be disgraced and executed over some cockamanie, petty bullshit. Anybody out there ever read Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler? That book does a far better job than I explaining the plight of the Soviets at the Kremlin. With that in mind, I guess I better change websites and look for more paralegal vacancies so I can send some more resumes.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
a small victory
My ex-wife and I finally got our youngest toilet trained. For those of you without kids. That's huge in a number of ways. Diapers cost anywhere from $10-20 a pack. They go through a couple of packs a month and you can see there's a huge money savings per year. Plus, they can't clean themselves after they dirty their diaper so there is the work to be done and the odor that's in the wastebasket.
Yes, I played a role in getting her trained; not as much as her mom but I reminded her and bought a foam toilet seat for her (so she wouldn't fall through the adult-size hole in the toilet ring. Anyway, she is going to get a nice reward- a portable small pool which her and her older brothers can share in. I am always very happy when this moment occurs, and in their short lives, I am never so proud of them, at that point, as when they are toilet trained.
Yes, I played a role in getting her trained; not as much as her mom but I reminded her and bought a foam toilet seat for her (so she wouldn't fall through the adult-size hole in the toilet ring. Anyway, she is going to get a nice reward- a portable small pool which her and her older brothers can share in. I am always very happy when this moment occurs, and in their short lives, I am never so proud of them, at that point, as when they are toilet trained.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Better news with the Blues
After a rotten day at work, it was nice to go to the Chicago Blue Fest and see John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers with special guest, Mick Taylor. Mick Taylor has a very illustrious musical history that deserves to be retold. Mick was with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers in the middle 60s until 1969. Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones could not go on tour with Brian Jones (founder and rhythm guitarist) as Brian was wasting away on drugs. Finally in 1969, they fired him and a few weeks later he was found dead in his pool. Around the time the Stones fired Jones, Mick Jagger spoke with John Mayall who just disbanded the Bluesbreakers for awhile. Mayall suggested an outstanding blues guitarist from his band, Mick Taylor.
Conventional wisdom is that the Stones' 4 best albums were released consecutively. They are Beggars Banquet ('68), Let It Bleed (69'), Sticky Fingers ('71) and Exile on Main St. ('72). Mick Taylor played on 3 out of these 4 albums. While no one will say, Mick Taylor was THE reason why the Stones put out 3 great albums, many will say that his guitar playing was a vital contribution to the Stones apotheosis during the years 1969-1972 (especially on Sticky Fingers !). Taylor left in 74 or 75 due to fighting with Keith and the Glimmer Twins notoriously, stingy reluctance to share writing credits with anyone but themselves.
Anyway, back to the June 9 concert. John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers is, of course, a great band even without Mick Taylor. At one point in the 60s, Eric Clapton was the lead guitarist. At the concert, they favored long jams on their songs rather than playing many songs. Due to the format of this free show, they were only playing for slightly over an hour. The Bluesbreakers' regular lead guitarist, some great guitarist from Texas started the show and ran the band. 1 or 2 songs later, John Mayall ran onto the stage in a grand entrance and played harmonica, keyboards and sang almost all the lead vocals. 20-40 minutes into the show, Mick Taylor came out to a rousing ovation and lo and behold MICK TAYLOR SANG A SONG for the appreciative tens of thousands who were in attendance. He sang "You Shook Me" made famous by Led Zeppelin but as Mick explained in his soft, but guttural English accent, the song was written by Howlin' Wolf.
Mick Taylor did not look like "young Mick" of the late 60s and early 70s. He still has very long hair which usually hid his eyes, yet he gained between 50-100 lbs. since he last played with the Stones. (By the way, yours truly has gained a shade under 100 lbs since I ran the 2 mile run in track under 12 minutes which was 24 yrs. ago. When I told Ava that I was only 150 lbs. as a senior, she wondered if I was anorexic). But the artist formerly known as "young Mick" certainly hasn't lost any of his guitar virtuosity. Another highlight of the show was hearing him and the band do "All Your Loving". The band sounded great and thanks to their music, my spirits were lifted after having such an awful day at work.
Conventional wisdom is that the Stones' 4 best albums were released consecutively. They are Beggars Banquet ('68), Let It Bleed (69'), Sticky Fingers ('71) and Exile on Main St. ('72). Mick Taylor played on 3 out of these 4 albums. While no one will say, Mick Taylor was THE reason why the Stones put out 3 great albums, many will say that his guitar playing was a vital contribution to the Stones apotheosis during the years 1969-1972 (especially on Sticky Fingers !). Taylor left in 74 or 75 due to fighting with Keith and the Glimmer Twins notoriously, stingy reluctance to share writing credits with anyone but themselves.
Anyway, back to the June 9 concert. John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers is, of course, a great band even without Mick Taylor. At one point in the 60s, Eric Clapton was the lead guitarist. At the concert, they favored long jams on their songs rather than playing many songs. Due to the format of this free show, they were only playing for slightly over an hour. The Bluesbreakers' regular lead guitarist, some great guitarist from Texas started the show and ran the band. 1 or 2 songs later, John Mayall ran onto the stage in a grand entrance and played harmonica, keyboards and sang almost all the lead vocals. 20-40 minutes into the show, Mick Taylor came out to a rousing ovation and lo and behold MICK TAYLOR SANG A SONG for the appreciative tens of thousands who were in attendance. He sang "You Shook Me" made famous by Led Zeppelin but as Mick explained in his soft, but guttural English accent, the song was written by Howlin' Wolf.
Mick Taylor did not look like "young Mick" of the late 60s and early 70s. He still has very long hair which usually hid his eyes, yet he gained between 50-100 lbs. since he last played with the Stones. (By the way, yours truly has gained a shade under 100 lbs since I ran the 2 mile run in track under 12 minutes which was 24 yrs. ago. When I told Ava that I was only 150 lbs. as a senior, she wondered if I was anorexic). But the artist formerly known as "young Mick" certainly hasn't lost any of his guitar virtuosity. Another highlight of the show was hearing him and the band do "All Your Loving". The band sounded great and thanks to their music, my spirits were lifted after having such an awful day at work.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Deepthroat, not the movie
As many of you know, it has been revealed that W. Mark Felt was the man that helped Bob Woodward in his reporting of the Watergate scandal which brought down the Nixon administration. What I find curious, if not a little annoying, is the following. How can anyone refer to Mr. Felt as a villain??? Let's review the facts:
1. Subordinates of Nixon authorized and hired former CIA and armed services men to break into the Watergate Hotel where the Democratic headquarters were.
2. Although Nixon did not personally direct the burglary, he was aware of and involved in the cover up. (If you disagree, then read the transcript of the infamous tapes, especially the one where Nixon asks how much it will cost to get rid of the scandal and John Dean replies that it would be $1 million to which Nixon replies that money could be gotten).
3. It was the cover up that forced Nixon to resign and many of his subordinates to wind up in prison after their convictions for obstructing justice.
So, obviously, the Nixon administration was involved in wrongdoing. The Washington Post, led by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward reported the Watergate scandal. Since there was an active effort by the White House to hide the facts, Mr. Felt, "Deepthroat", helped Woodward "get to the bottom" of the scandal.
Now, if you are a person who helps reveal a crime or helps reveal a scandal, I certainly don't see how you can be depicted as a villain. Obviously, it would have been a lot easier to look the other way and go on about his business and not tell anyone what was going on. But that's how strong and partisan feelings run even after 32 years. The ones from the Nixon crowd who call Mr. Felt a villain are far too partisan to call him anything else remotely objective.
1. Subordinates of Nixon authorized and hired former CIA and armed services men to break into the Watergate Hotel where the Democratic headquarters were.
2. Although Nixon did not personally direct the burglary, he was aware of and involved in the cover up. (If you disagree, then read the transcript of the infamous tapes, especially the one where Nixon asks how much it will cost to get rid of the scandal and John Dean replies that it would be $1 million to which Nixon replies that money could be gotten).
3. It was the cover up that forced Nixon to resign and many of his subordinates to wind up in prison after their convictions for obstructing justice.
So, obviously, the Nixon administration was involved in wrongdoing. The Washington Post, led by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward reported the Watergate scandal. Since there was an active effort by the White House to hide the facts, Mr. Felt, "Deepthroat", helped Woodward "get to the bottom" of the scandal.
Now, if you are a person who helps reveal a crime or helps reveal a scandal, I certainly don't see how you can be depicted as a villain. Obviously, it would have been a lot easier to look the other way and go on about his business and not tell anyone what was going on. But that's how strong and partisan feelings run even after 32 years. The ones from the Nixon crowd who call Mr. Felt a villain are far too partisan to call him anything else remotely objective.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Sat., May 28 & Danica Patrick
Saturday, May 28, was pretty eventful. I could easily write 5 or 6 separate postings on what occurred. I was at my ex's place in the a.m. (The topic of my relationship with my ex is easily worth a few postings). She served me breakfast and we were all eating together. We were originally all going to go to Star Wars III:Revenge of the Sith. My ex, MB, heard that it wasn't a good movie for kids. So it ended up that Ted, my middle child (6 yrs. old) went with me to Star War III. Then MB, my oldest son and the youngest, Brianna, went to Madagascar. The movie I saw with Ted is definitely worth 2 postings (one on the plot/special effects & another on the obvious parallels between Sith vs. Jedis and God vs. Satan & their respective people. After the movie, my ex took a nap, & I took the kids to my apartment while Andy, my oldest (9 yrs. old) surfed the Net. The other 2 were playing with the neighbor kids. While they were doing that I vacuumed my living room and part of the bedroom. Then we all got back together and went to church. The priest gave a pretty good homily (another separate posting). Then the whole went to the restaurant, The Cracker barrel where I bought dinner. They had some tables that had checkers. After dinner, I taught Andy and to a lesser extent, Ted how to play checkers. My youngest, Brianna (3 yrs. old) wanted to play but she's too young so when we said "no" to her she went crying to Mom. The checkers game was arranged where I was playing against Andy and Ted was my partner. Things were going well at the beginning of the game, because it wasn't obvious who was winning. Since it was Andy's 1st game, I gave him suggestions on where to move and corrected him if he tried to move a regular checker backwards. But, the game unraveled in the middle because Brianna was crying and when Ted cheered whenever I jumped Andy's checker, Andy would hit Ted. When Andy cheered or said, "Ha, Ha" to Ted when he jumped a checker, then Ted would hit him or scream at him. Boys will be boys.
But, still I couldn't ruin people's dining experience at the restaurant. There was a window and wall separating us from the diners, but my 2 sons were so loud that the diners could hear them through the window. So, we had to stop the game and go home. Andy & Ted were so angry with each other that I had to sit in the back with Ted while Andy sat in front. By this time, it was 8:30 pm. & I left them to go back to my apartment and get my 9 hrs. of sleep before my hospital shift starting @ 6:45 the next morning. It was a wonderful day which I was very thankful for. Working 2 places, it was a very rare day off. After I get off work, I look forward to seeing them again, and also will spend most of Memorial Day with them as well.
------------------
I don't follow race car driving at all, but I was interested in Danica Patrick and how she did at the Indy 500. I followed her regularly this week in the sports page, and today, while I worked at the hospital, I spent most of my lunch break keeping track of her racing. She ended up finishing 4th, survived 1 fender bender that I saw that she was in. She was leading the race for about 15 laps. The winner will get $2 million, I wonder how much Danica will win? I'll find out in tomorrow's sports page. Way to go, Danica!!
But, still I couldn't ruin people's dining experience at the restaurant. There was a window and wall separating us from the diners, but my 2 sons were so loud that the diners could hear them through the window. So, we had to stop the game and go home. Andy & Ted were so angry with each other that I had to sit in the back with Ted while Andy sat in front. By this time, it was 8:30 pm. & I left them to go back to my apartment and get my 9 hrs. of sleep before my hospital shift starting @ 6:45 the next morning. It was a wonderful day which I was very thankful for. Working 2 places, it was a very rare day off. After I get off work, I look forward to seeing them again, and also will spend most of Memorial Day with them as well.
------------------
I don't follow race car driving at all, but I was interested in Danica Patrick and how she did at the Indy 500. I followed her regularly this week in the sports page, and today, while I worked at the hospital, I spent most of my lunch break keeping track of her racing. She ended up finishing 4th, survived 1 fender bender that I saw that she was in. She was leading the race for about 15 laps. The winner will get $2 million, I wonder how much Danica will win? I'll find out in tomorrow's sports page. Way to go, Danica!!
Friday, May 27, 2005
Help Part II!!
I ruined 3 dress shirts last night. While doing the laundry, I was a dumb ass and didn’t clean out the pockets. Unfortunately, my Orbit bubblegum (the best damn gum, period) got all over each and every dress shirt and ruined them. So if you know a good way to clean out gum, please let me know.
If you don’t, I’m going to have to go to the local Goodwill store & buy some $5 dress shirts. Not much of a threat, mind you, but still......
If you don’t, I’m going to have to go to the local Goodwill store & buy some $5 dress shirts. Not much of a threat, mind you, but still......
Monday, May 23, 2005
Hey you!need some advice on the posting dilemma!
my next blog is going to be about my Friday night adventure. I very rarely go out but got a chance last weekend to do so. Friday night involved someone who I really want to date again. She is someone I work with, someone I really admire.
Someday I want to show her this blogsite, but with if she hates or despises what I wrote about her? She's really smart and I value her opinion so eventually I am going to tell her about this site. But it really complicates what I am going to write about Friday night, so I am still in the process of writing about the interesting Friday night we had at the group dinner and Arabic dance later on at a northside Chicago club (Souk's on North Ave. & Damen St.)
I know every single one of my readers is smart; so, please give me some much needed advice!
Someday I want to show her this blogsite, but with if she hates or despises what I wrote about her? She's really smart and I value her opinion so eventually I am going to tell her about this site. But it really complicates what I am going to write about Friday night, so I am still in the process of writing about the interesting Friday night we had at the group dinner and Arabic dance later on at a northside Chicago club (Souk's on North Ave. & Damen St.)
I know every single one of my readers is smart; so, please give me some much needed advice!
Part 3: the 'shroom that got stuck
In the fall of '86, I went to a house party with plenty of booze and people. Steve, my next roommate, wasn't there but his nice, attractive girlfriend, Marcia, was. I talked to her briefly but not too much because she was talking to the friends she was with. During the party, someone passed out 'shrooms. I distinctly remember swallowing the mushroom and it getting stuck in my esophagus. I wasn't choking, but I definitely noticed a sensation that it wasn't "going down". AFter drinking several beers, it finally made it's way down my digestive tract.
I had high (no pun intended) hopes for 'shrooms. Before that night, I recall a co-worker talking about shrooms and sitting around with her friends and laughing uncontrollably.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The 'shroom I swallowed might just as well been the same kind of mushroom I ate on pizzas. It had no effect on me whatsoever. NOTHING!!
Sadly enough, that didn't stop Marcia from telling my roommate that I had a serious drug problem. THat was a strange remark especially since I wasn't high, wasn't drunk and took no other types of drugs that night. My biggest regret is not chewing the shroom more thoroughly. May more of it would have found it's way to my bloodstream rather than out my colon. Unlike acid or cocaine, I'm not ruling out taking a 'shroom again. The hope is that if I thoroughly chew it something funnier will happen.
Later, Steve, my roommate, confronted me about my "serious drug problem". Why did he say that? It wasn't because he saw me drunk (he never did); it wasn't because I did many drugs (he didn't see me take anything but alcohol and pot). No, the only reason he confronted me was because of what Marcia told him.
In retrospect, his remarks were ironic to say the least. That very semester, I ended up having the best GPA of my collegiate career (a 3.8 and 7 months later I graduated college with Honors). On the other hand, Steve had average to poor grades that semester nearly flunking out of his Basic Accounting class.
Part 4: TBA
I had high (no pun intended) hopes for 'shrooms. Before that night, I recall a co-worker talking about shrooms and sitting around with her friends and laughing uncontrollably.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The 'shroom I swallowed might just as well been the same kind of mushroom I ate on pizzas. It had no effect on me whatsoever. NOTHING!!
Sadly enough, that didn't stop Marcia from telling my roommate that I had a serious drug problem. THat was a strange remark especially since I wasn't high, wasn't drunk and took no other types of drugs that night. My biggest regret is not chewing the shroom more thoroughly. May more of it would have found it's way to my bloodstream rather than out my colon. Unlike acid or cocaine, I'm not ruling out taking a 'shroom again. The hope is that if I thoroughly chew it something funnier will happen.
Later, Steve, my roommate, confronted me about my "serious drug problem". Why did he say that? It wasn't because he saw me drunk (he never did); it wasn't because I did many drugs (he didn't see me take anything but alcohol and pot). No, the only reason he confronted me was because of what Marcia told him.
In retrospect, his remarks were ironic to say the least. That very semester, I ended up having the best GPA of my collegiate career (a 3.8 and 7 months later I graduated college with Honors). On the other hand, Steve had average to poor grades that semester nearly flunking out of his Basic Accounting class.
Part 4: TBA
Part 2: Trippin' over the Acid
Slightly less than 20 years ago, I had the good luck to have a fun roommate named Greg who was from the Milwaukee area. We were roommates in LaCrosse, WI going to UW-LaCrosse. Greg was fun because he played guitar, had similar musical interests than I and knew where to get good pot. During the summer, I found a job and was able to stay in town. Greg moved out after the school year, but, as friends, we still saw a lot of each other.
Greg and his laconic friend went to a Grateful Dead concert. He asked me if I wanted any acid. I had to say yes. Ever since 8th grade I wondered what acid would do to a person. I was proud of the fact that Ithaca did an excellent job of educating me on the different types of drugs. Sometimes, you’ll hear some old fart say, "One kind of drug is just as bad as the other." My education showed that was total and complete nonsense. The other reason I thought that my education was excellent was because they made a very important distinction. Certain drugs like alcohol and opoid class drugs (heroin, opium, then Vicodin) are addictive. Other drugs like marijuana and acid were not addictive, but a person could develop a "psychologic dependence" . That’s an important distinction, because these days, "addiction" is one of the most overused words you hear.
I can’t help but recall in 8th grade reading about LSD with some amazement and curiosity. It stunned me that someone could actually get a flashback. I wondered what it would be like to see something that wasn’t really there. Early during my college years, every so often, someone would talk about taking acid. I would "pepper" them with questions about it, because of my curiosity.
Greg came back from the Twin Cities concert with acid. I called him up and told him to come and bring it over. He questioned me as to whether I should take it because it was 10 pm. and the acid would keep me going for 6 hours. I said that’s ok. I figured since I weighed more than Greg, it would probably not last as long for me. Once he came over, he said that this guy was walking around the Grateful Dead concert saying, "Trips! Trips! Anyone want any trips?". The way Greg described it, I always get this image of a guy comparable to the vendor at the the baseball games that shouts, "Get your peeeeeea-nuts!" Anyway, that’s who they bought the LSD from.
Greg gave me a very detailed directions on how to consume LSD (right down to "put it in your mouth"). I guess I was a little slow in those days. Instead of licking the small piece of paper it was on as he recommended, I simply ate the paper so that I would get every bit of acid I paid for. Right after he came over, we also smoked some hash. We listened to Beatles (circa Magical Mystery Tour) and I always thought listening to any John Lennon vocal was the best thing to listen to when one is high. He sounds so compelling! Then we walked over to Greg’s apartment and we saw a tape of either the Grateful Dead concert that Greg and his laconic friend went to or another Dead concert. I remember sitting there in my happy high looking and saying, "That Jerry Garcia looks like a puppy singing!" Just imagine a puppy, your pet or any dog and imagine them up at the microphone singing. Then you know why I had such a shit-eating grin on my face.
So did that mental image come from the hash or the LSD? Who knows?
Anyway, by midnight the hash had most definitely worn off and I was feeling effects of the acid. I recall that things that I imagined seeing/hallucinating weren’t actual visions but things that looked like a negative just taken out of a camera. Or if you ever saw the CD Let It Be...Naked that cover. I saw ribs and images of monkeys as negatives, not really images. I remember laying in bed and rhyming words with nonsense words (EX skeleton, skeletar, skela, etc. ).
Greg was right, and I was wrong. The acid lasted until 5:30 am inspite my attempts to try and sleep it off. My impression is that it was slightly similar to pot, but with the added kick of keeping you going for an extended period of time. I didn’t like the fact that it would not allow me to sleep which made me resolve, as I did later with coke, that I wouldn’t take it again.
I also confessed to the Monsignor in LaCrosse that I took a drug. & he said that it’s a big problem out there and that I should not want to be part of the crowd that is afflicted with that problem. That was the only time I ever confessed to taking a drug. Honestly, I don’t think of smoking marijuana to be a sin.
Anyway, acid was a much more interesting experience than coke, but did not give me the fun times that I’ve had with pot.
Part 3: The ‘shroom that got stuck.
Greg and his laconic friend went to a Grateful Dead concert. He asked me if I wanted any acid. I had to say yes. Ever since 8th grade I wondered what acid would do to a person. I was proud of the fact that Ithaca did an excellent job of educating me on the different types of drugs. Sometimes, you’ll hear some old fart say, "One kind of drug is just as bad as the other." My education showed that was total and complete nonsense. The other reason I thought that my education was excellent was because they made a very important distinction. Certain drugs like alcohol and opoid class drugs (heroin, opium, then Vicodin) are addictive. Other drugs like marijuana and acid were not addictive, but a person could develop a "psychologic dependence" . That’s an important distinction, because these days, "addiction" is one of the most overused words you hear.
I can’t help but recall in 8th grade reading about LSD with some amazement and curiosity. It stunned me that someone could actually get a flashback. I wondered what it would be like to see something that wasn’t really there. Early during my college years, every so often, someone would talk about taking acid. I would "pepper" them with questions about it, because of my curiosity.
Greg came back from the Twin Cities concert with acid. I called him up and told him to come and bring it over. He questioned me as to whether I should take it because it was 10 pm. and the acid would keep me going for 6 hours. I said that’s ok. I figured since I weighed more than Greg, it would probably not last as long for me. Once he came over, he said that this guy was walking around the Grateful Dead concert saying, "Trips! Trips! Anyone want any trips?". The way Greg described it, I always get this image of a guy comparable to the vendor at the the baseball games that shouts, "Get your peeeeeea-nuts!" Anyway, that’s who they bought the LSD from.
Greg gave me a very detailed directions on how to consume LSD (right down to "put it in your mouth"). I guess I was a little slow in those days. Instead of licking the small piece of paper it was on as he recommended, I simply ate the paper so that I would get every bit of acid I paid for. Right after he came over, we also smoked some hash. We listened to Beatles (circa Magical Mystery Tour) and I always thought listening to any John Lennon vocal was the best thing to listen to when one is high. He sounds so compelling! Then we walked over to Greg’s apartment and we saw a tape of either the Grateful Dead concert that Greg and his laconic friend went to or another Dead concert. I remember sitting there in my happy high looking and saying, "That Jerry Garcia looks like a puppy singing!" Just imagine a puppy, your pet or any dog and imagine them up at the microphone singing. Then you know why I had such a shit-eating grin on my face.
So did that mental image come from the hash or the LSD? Who knows?
Anyway, by midnight the hash had most definitely worn off and I was feeling effects of the acid. I recall that things that I imagined seeing/hallucinating weren’t actual visions but things that looked like a negative just taken out of a camera. Or if you ever saw the CD Let It Be...Naked that cover. I saw ribs and images of monkeys as negatives, not really images. I remember laying in bed and rhyming words with nonsense words (EX skeleton, skeletar, skela, etc. ).
Greg was right, and I was wrong. The acid lasted until 5:30 am inspite my attempts to try and sleep it off. My impression is that it was slightly similar to pot, but with the added kick of keeping you going for an extended period of time. I didn’t like the fact that it would not allow me to sleep which made me resolve, as I did later with coke, that I wouldn’t take it again.
I also confessed to the Monsignor in LaCrosse that I took a drug. & he said that it’s a big problem out there and that I should not want to be part of the crowd that is afflicted with that problem. That was the only time I ever confessed to taking a drug. Honestly, I don’t think of smoking marijuana to be a sin.
Anyway, acid was a much more interesting experience than coke, but did not give me the fun times that I’ve had with pot.
Part 3: The ‘shroom that got stuck.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
2nd fiction story, COUNTY FAIR WORK
COUNTY FAIR WORK
At the McHugh County Fair, the pair running the ticket counter were unlikely to be together during routine times. Will was brash, optimistic and just graduated from high school. He would tell anyone who cared to listen that he was enrolling at the University of Chicago in pre-law. After graduating with honors in four years, he was going to attend law school wherever he chose "and be a damn good lawyer like my old man." Sara Dean was a secretary at a real estate firm. She had been typing and taking orders for 25 long years. She was nearing the point of burn out and was cynical and bitter about all that she had been through. Still, she had her pride. For a divorcee pushing 50 with two adult sons, she stayed fit and could still attract men 15 years younger than her.
The pair’s three-hour shift was selling tickets for kids riding the Zipper, Tilt-a-Whirl, Ferris Wheel, and other carnival rides. Enthusiastic children were pulling their tired parents all over the Midway. The non-air-conditioned ticket booth was anything but pleasant with the temperature near 90.
Yet, they both did their job well. The process of selling tickets and making change was a cinch for this strong-willed, intelligent pair. In between they asked a routine question ("How many tickets do you want") and made helpful comments ("A dollar a ticket"; "25 tickets for $20" or "A wristband for rides was only for Saturday").
Through it all, they were able to have a conversation sometimes heated, but surprisingly, at times, empathetic. The conversation was as follows:
Sara: Hi, I’m Sara, and I already know your name, Will, you callow little shit"
Will: I know what "callow means, and you shouldn’t even pretend to know me from a load of hay!
Sara: Oh well, sorry, Will, but hay is not quite as green as you are.
Will: How can you pretend to know me.
Sara: Let’s do a little Q & A, shall we?
Will: Fine!
Sara: Are you going to go to college?
Will: Of course!
Sara: Where at?
Will: University of Chicago.
Sara: What does your father do?
Will: You already know that!
Sara: Ohhhh! Touche, WIIILLLLSSS!
Will: I’m not "Wills"! Wills is a prince in England that gets laid a lot.
Sara: More than you, Will? He shot her a stare as they sold more tickets. After awhile she asked in a more soothing voice: Do you have a girlfriend.
Will: No, see, you don’t know the slightest thing about me!
Sara: (in a husky, low voice) Try me!
Will: What do you know?
Sara: You’re a hard-working 18 year old who graduated with Honors. You never went out for sports____."
Will: (interrupting) Wrong! I was in football all four years. (Turn)
Sara: But you rode the bench, except when you were on the junior varsity team____."
Will: (interrupting again and stating with pride) I intercepted a pass in JV.
Sara: Bravo, Will. Are you going to let me finish??! (After a pause, she continues) You broke up with your girlfriend 1 month___________."
Will: (interrupting) 1 year and how did you know _________."
Sara whistled a surprised pitch and interrupted back: Wow, Will, you don’t know how to keep them! After a long pause and a light of her Virginia Slim, she continued: Will, I dated guys like you 30 years ago! Then, I got a job, had kids, spent more money then I cared to think about, been yelled at, ordered around and told how ugly my sons were. I’ve seen a few things you haven’t, don’t you think??
Will: (subdued) I guess so.
Sara: You were probably voted most likely to succeed, weren’t you.
Will: They don’t vote for things like that anymore.
Sara: You might not be humbled next school year by your English professor, but ___________. "
Will: (interrupting) Maybe by the law professor teaching Contracts five years from now. Hell, Sara, I get cut down to size by my dad on a regular basis.
Sara: Well, that’s not a very nice thing to do to such a hard working, intelligent graduate! (They smiled at each other.) Sara continued: See, I’m not so mean after all!
Will: (murmuring) No, and I guess you know a thing or two about me.
Sara: Why, thanks, Will. After a little more conversation and ticket selling, their shift ended soon after.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
1st Fictional Story
Here is the first fictional story for new blog:
SURPRISE ON A FRIGID MORNING
Joseph woke up to a bitterly cold morning in mid January. Going to work, he took the usual precautions-he wore a pair of boots, his heaviest winter coat and put on his warmest gloves. Since he had no garage, he made sure his exposed car was on for at least a couple minutes before he drove to the train station.
Joe lived in a suburb south of Chicago. The train was very popular in his community, and hundreds from the same town commuted to downtown Chicago and work. The train was so popular that commuters filled the small building where tickets were sold and many were forced to wait for the train outside.
Unfortunately, that is what occurred on this frigid January morning. As he put his gloves to his face to keep warm, he couldn't help but recall growing up in a farm community as a boy. When the weather was cold, his cows would all huddle together tightly so that they touched other cows. Since each cow gave off a good deal of body heat, the concentration of the combined heat warmed all of them up, even on bitterly cold days. Now, Joe observed how each person waiting outside for the train stood by themselves, cold and miserable. For all our intelligence and riches, everyone outside this station was dumber than the cows! Being uptight and conventional, they were unable to take advantage of a primitive method of keeping warm even though they could easily do so!
Joe heard laughing as a man in his mid to late 30s was talking to two very attractive women in their 20s. Since Joe was curious and also desired to be next to someone beautiful, he walked over to this man and women. The man was goofy as he was laughing with the women. He almost resembled a troll, and Joe couldn't understand how these women would give him the time of day, to say nothing of sharing a laugh with him.
To his shock, the man had his hands clenched, but no gloves or mittens. Joe resolved to speak up and said in a friendly way, "It's no fun having no gloves with the temperature being 5 degrees."
"Oh, I'm doing fine," the man said and laughed goofily.
"How can that be?" Joe asked.
"He's got a secret gadget for each hand. Show him!" one of the ladies said.
The man opened his hand; he was carrying a simple 9 volt battery and a penny. "By putting the penny over the terminals, the battery gets warm and the heat protects my hands. With mittens or gloves, you're just retaining heat. This battery generates heat!" he exclaimed proudly before chuckling again.
"He's got it all figured out!" observed one of the women as they all laughed.
Tacitly, Joe could not agree more with her complement although he was far more impressed that this guy could get two beautiful women to laugh since they were normally very quiet and reserved. Maybe it’s true what they say about women: they’re drawn more to personality than looks.
Joe decided to introduce himself to the three of them. He couldn't do wrong being around lovely women and learning some charm from this guy. As he sat with the three on the train ride that morning and also on the following mornings, he was extremely grateful that he departed from his normally taciturn nature and spoke up. The quartet became friends.
(C) 2002
for copying privileges, LEAVE COMMENT
SURPRISE ON A FRIGID MORNING
Joseph woke up to a bitterly cold morning in mid January. Going to work, he took the usual precautions-he wore a pair of boots, his heaviest winter coat and put on his warmest gloves. Since he had no garage, he made sure his exposed car was on for at least a couple minutes before he drove to the train station.
Joe lived in a suburb south of Chicago. The train was very popular in his community, and hundreds from the same town commuted to downtown Chicago and work. The train was so popular that commuters filled the small building where tickets were sold and many were forced to wait for the train outside.
Unfortunately, that is what occurred on this frigid January morning. As he put his gloves to his face to keep warm, he couldn't help but recall growing up in a farm community as a boy. When the weather was cold, his cows would all huddle together tightly so that they touched other cows. Since each cow gave off a good deal of body heat, the concentration of the combined heat warmed all of them up, even on bitterly cold days. Now, Joe observed how each person waiting outside for the train stood by themselves, cold and miserable. For all our intelligence and riches, everyone outside this station was dumber than the cows! Being uptight and conventional, they were unable to take advantage of a primitive method of keeping warm even though they could easily do so!
Joe heard laughing as a man in his mid to late 30s was talking to two very attractive women in their 20s. Since Joe was curious and also desired to be next to someone beautiful, he walked over to this man and women. The man was goofy as he was laughing with the women. He almost resembled a troll, and Joe couldn't understand how these women would give him the time of day, to say nothing of sharing a laugh with him.
To his shock, the man had his hands clenched, but no gloves or mittens. Joe resolved to speak up and said in a friendly way, "It's no fun having no gloves with the temperature being 5 degrees."
"Oh, I'm doing fine," the man said and laughed goofily.
"How can that be?" Joe asked.
"He's got a secret gadget for each hand. Show him!" one of the ladies said.
The man opened his hand; he was carrying a simple 9 volt battery and a penny. "By putting the penny over the terminals, the battery gets warm and the heat protects my hands. With mittens or gloves, you're just retaining heat. This battery generates heat!" he exclaimed proudly before chuckling again.
"He's got it all figured out!" observed one of the women as they all laughed.
Tacitly, Joe could not agree more with her complement although he was far more impressed that this guy could get two beautiful women to laugh since they were normally very quiet and reserved. Maybe it’s true what they say about women: they’re drawn more to personality than looks.
Joe decided to introduce himself to the three of them. He couldn't do wrong being around lovely women and learning some charm from this guy. As he sat with the three on the train ride that morning and also on the following mornings, he was extremely grateful that he departed from his normally taciturn nature and spoke up. The quartet became friends.
(C) 2002
for copying privileges, LEAVE COMMENT
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Why should you read my blogs???
What makes me different than the others? There's probably millions of bloggers out in the Great Cyberspace universe. There are others who have more interesting lives, and there are others who are better, more articulate writers. Why spend time here at this blog site???
OK, here's why:
1. As a paralegal, I write every day and there's a demand and expectation at my law firm that what I write will be grammatically correct. So I spend some time each day writing, and I don't think the reader of my blogs will be subjected to poor grammar. Further, I have a passion for being understood. At the risk of over-explaining, I will write in a cogent manner that will be fairly easy to comprehend.
2. I care about what the reader thinks and will be as responsive as possible and as time permits. If you have something you share, suggest or offer, I'll be happy to hear from you.
3. I will "listen" to your suggestions and if they are valid, helpful suggestions, I will try and follow them.
4. I will try not to be boring. However, "boredom" is very subjective. I have some fun, interesting stories and insights to share. I honestly believe, time permitting, that the reader will enjoy my blogs.
5. Sex will be included as one of the topics.
6. Most of the time, I will try and look at subjects from different points of view. It probably would be more interesting to write an spirited, one-sided screed and do a blog in the same style of Rush Limbaugh's loathsome radio program. (Sorry dittoheads). But, I will usually acknowledge to the reader that I can see things from the opposing view. I am a Democrat, but I used to be a Republican and most of my family is Republicans.
7. It's more important for me to be accurate than it is for me to be fair (although point 6 considers that important too). I will work hard to be accurate and the hope and goal is the subject matter reflects what really happens.
8. Drug use will be a topic appearing occasionally in my blogs.
OK, here's why:
1. As a paralegal, I write every day and there's a demand and expectation at my law firm that what I write will be grammatically correct. So I spend some time each day writing, and I don't think the reader of my blogs will be subjected to poor grammar. Further, I have a passion for being understood. At the risk of over-explaining, I will write in a cogent manner that will be fairly easy to comprehend.
2. I care about what the reader thinks and will be as responsive as possible and as time permits. If you have something you share, suggest or offer, I'll be happy to hear from you.
3. I will "listen" to your suggestions and if they are valid, helpful suggestions, I will try and follow them.
4. I will try not to be boring. However, "boredom" is very subjective. I have some fun, interesting stories and insights to share. I honestly believe, time permitting, that the reader will enjoy my blogs.
5. Sex will be included as one of the topics.
6. Most of the time, I will try and look at subjects from different points of view. It probably would be more interesting to write an spirited, one-sided screed and do a blog in the same style of Rush Limbaugh's loathsome radio program. (Sorry dittoheads). But, I will usually acknowledge to the reader that I can see things from the opposing view. I am a Democrat, but I used to be a Republican and most of my family is Republicans.
7. It's more important for me to be accurate than it is for me to be fair (although point 6 considers that important too). I will work hard to be accurate and the hope and goal is the subject matter reflects what really happens.
8. Drug use will be a topic appearing occasionally in my blogs.
What happened to Vince?
I am starting a blog. I am Vince formerly of Ithaca, WI, and now living in Midlothian, IL. There's more to come later.
I am a paralegal, a cardiac monitor tech, a father of 3 and currently divorced. I would like to become a writer and have written some short stories as a hobby. THe latter is why I am currently blogging.
More to come..............
I am a paralegal, a cardiac monitor tech, a father of 3 and currently divorced. I would like to become a writer and have written some short stories as a hobby. THe latter is why I am currently blogging.
More to come..............
a sad, sad change
less than 3 years ago, I remember how much I loved my job. I would go charging north up Clark ST. in Chicago Loop like a man on a mission.
No more. After some very bitter experiences my whole attitude about my job as a paralegal has changed.
I can't stand my job (a different place than where I previously worked, and, yes, considerably worse too). When I walk that lonely mile to work, I feel like someone who is about to get a painful shot.
Yes, I'm doing more than whining about it. I have been sending out resumes and interviewing, but with no results. My God, how long does this have to go on??
No more. After some very bitter experiences my whole attitude about my job as a paralegal has changed.
I can't stand my job (a different place than where I previously worked, and, yes, considerably worse too). When I walk that lonely mile to work, I feel like someone who is about to get a painful shot.
Yes, I'm doing more than whining about it. I have been sending out resumes and interviewing, but with no results. My God, how long does this have to go on??
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