GRRRR.............

I don't usually post about work because a couple of you work with me. Just let me say, I am NOT talking about you. I can't stand it when people are not prepared. Sign up for a webinar a month ago - HOW ABOUT MAKING SURE YOU HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION PRIOR TO TEN MINUTES BEFORE IT STARTS!!!

You need a projector? You need a laptop? You need your fucking sign in information? Instructions? A link to the damn thing?

OH, I don't need any of that, my IT people will take care of all that. I have a message for you: NOT IF WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT?

Then you have the nerve to be all pissy about it when it is not ready.

OK, rant over. I do feel a little better.

Please let us in

OK, I can understand how disconcerting having four US warships off your coast must be. I guess it could cause you to think invasion. But really, Myanmar (or government of Myanmar, I know you read my blog) we are not interest in your oil. You don't have enough to make it worth our while to take advantage of the situation in your country to invade. And if you think about it, we can't afford to invade your country, you might be able to come here and invade us with better results right now. You have nearly 80,000 people dead and another 60,000 missing, let us deliver supplies, I promise we will go away.

There is a little known government agency that coordinates the movement of things like 4 warships with supplies for an emergency. It is called the Military Sealift Command and I worked there after school, they were my very first job. I did not last long, but they are still going strong.

So come on Than Shwe, let us drop off whatever we have on those ships. And while you are in a good mood change the name of the country back to Burma.

The Jackson Five

OK kids, put on your thinking caps and pay attention to this story.

Today Jermaine Jackson was granted a divorce from his wife. This started me thinking, I know that Jermaine was married to the ex-wife of his brother Randy, now will she marry Tito or maybe even Michael. Or now that I think of it since last Thursday's ruling maybe Janet or LaToya. I just had to research a little more into this strange family and in my usual non judgemental style, I am not making any judgements here, just observations.

I found out that Randy was married to the first Mrs. Jackson when the soon to be second Mrs. Jackson had a baby at about the same time as the 1st Mrs. Jackson. Now the good thing was both babies had the same daddy.

So the 2nd Mrs. Jackson then divorces Randy and becomes impregnated by his brother Jermaine and she then become the 3rd Mrs. Jackson for Jermaine. Well, actually would she be considered the 2nd Mrs. Jermaine, since the second marriage for Jermaine was a common law one. Hmmm...

Of course my in depth research led me to the names of the Jackson children.

For Jermaine with all the various Mrs.'s there is: Jermaine, Jr., Autumn, Jeremy, Jaimy, Jourdyn, Jaffar and Jermajesty. Yes, Jermajesty? Then there is Dawn, whose mother is unknown. What a little basket showed up on the doorstep with a note "I belong to Jermaine"?

For Tito only 1 ex missus:

Toriano Adaryll, Taryll Arden and Tito Joseph

For Randy:

Steveanna born the same year as her half sister Genevieve

Just as a side note: Randy escaped death twice and saved sister Latoya from her abusive husband. Then spent time in the pokey for spousal abuse.

Then there is Michael:

Paris Kathrine, Prince Michael and Prince Michael II

No wonder Latoya and Janet have not popped any out, who can compete with these names.

Bumper Sticker

On the way home yesterday I saw a bumper sticker that said:

I READ YOUR EMAIL

I thought how funny. But then part of my job is being an email administrator. In my shop this means I CAN read your email.

XXX-XXXXXX is always saying "don't put that in email" I just thought she was being a little paranoid. But now this was reported once again in the news this morning.

While I like to think that I never abuse my power and use it only for good, I know that is not behind the governments desire to get at our email, phone calls and internet searches. So the moral of this story kids? Never put anything in an email or phone call that you wouldn't want a stranger reading - it can all come back to haunt you. Think twice - speak once.

580 again

OK, yesterday on the way to work spread across four lanes of traffice were baby diapers! When I first came towards them, they looked like styrofoam being batted around by the cars. Then as I got closer and realized what they were. My first thought was "I hope they are clean". My second thought was "how sad, baby's with no diapers".

580 again

Travelling to work last Thursday just as I rounded the corner heading to Castro Valley traffic came to a standstill. As we crept forward the cars in the two left lanes started to merge into the right lanes. I thought "oh dear an accident". I could see the CHP up ahead. When I finally got the area of trouble I found no crushed cars or broken people. If found the left two lanes of the highway littered with crushed cans and broken bottles. Like someones recycling had flown out of the back of their truck and landed on the highway and been run over by countless cars. The lone CHP officer had his car blocking two lanes of traffic and was scooping up debris with a shovel.

Next came the dead deer. Ugh! Poor thing. You would think there would be a universal deer code spoken or a sign left for them near highways. Don't cross here - those big things will kill you. Always so sad.

Then next was a broken and crushed walker up against the jersey barrier. I wondered how did the owner of said walker walk to where they needed to get to after they arrived at their destination?

It was a busy dirty day on 580.

Sunday Morning Ritual

Otherwise known as reading the obits. Somedays you feel like you just don't fit in anywhere. Imagine the life of Vera Wong, her picture shows a lovely woman born and raised in Shanghai, China and met her husband during WWII. After they married they relocated to Fargo, ND. Can you even imagine it, a young Chinese woman relocating to Fargo, ND in 1946?

Joseph Walter Castillo, a native San Franciscan rode his bike to work. It says he was an avid recycler and general packrat. I picture piles of newspapers piled up and little paths through his house, just enough to get his bike in and out. This does not sound like a good thing to me. Sorry Walt, but...

Then there was Mark Adams another native San Franciscan, he was a member of the Post Card Club. Who knew there was such a thing?

With the demise of Mark and Walt, how many native San Franciscan's can be left? Everyone you meet is from somewhere else.

Wish I had my camera

OK, this was one of those crazy moments when you scream outloud - WHERE IS MY CAMERA.

We were on our way to the airport to come back to California. We were on route 40 West and it is a little two lane highway. It is about a three hour drive from the Raliegh/Durham airport from the beaches of North Carolina.

Anyway, we go to pass a truck that is carrying a wide load - half of a double wide trailer. We get up next to it and it looks like they have actually taken a chain saw and cut the thing length wise right down the middle to transport it. The best part? Why did I scream for my camera?

They had not removed any furniture! There was the couch in the living room, the dining table and chairs in the dining area. I wondered if all the dishes were still in the cabinets? Was there food in the fridge? Do you even have to remove your underwear from the underwear drawer?

Crazy!

And baby makes 20!

I blogged about this family last year and I read about them again today and thought the same things.  WTF?  On August 2nd of last year Michelle Duggar gave birth to her 17th child.  She and her husband have just announced that they are expecting cute little bundle of joy number 18 sometime around January.  They say they will keep having puppies, I mean babies, as long as God wills it.

I just do not get it.  How do they afford it?  How do they remember all those names?  How do you make each and every one of them feel special?  How do you remember what their favorite color is or what they like to eat?  How do you feed them all?

We are currently visiting the Mommy Dearest and the Colonel & Co. in North Carolina.  We went to a carnival last night and I was struck by how many young and I mean YOUNG people were walking around with not only one baby, but some had multiple children.  Yes, I may be getting older and everyone seems young, but some of these were really young.  I wonder how they do it?  Why they do it?  I know that a young Marine does not make enough money to support a family that include 3 or 4 young little kids.  Do they plan to have so many children or is it just what happens if you don't know any better or do you believe as the Duggar's that you should keep having them as long as God gives them to you.  

Seems the search for God, the lack of God, questions of God or just God in general has been the topic of a few of my posts lately.  I guess a lot of it goes to what I search for in a god.  Guess I just have to keep looking for the one that tells me what I want to hear.

Wedding Day

Well, yesterday one of my favorite little girls in the whole world got married. She is the daughter of a friend, the niece of my oldest friend, the smartest person I have ever met! We could not make it to the wedding and I regret that, but our hearts were there. Katie, Katie, Katie, now a married lady. We call her a brainiac - she actually studies the brain. I am thinking of giving her mine as a wedding present - could be kind of fun in the right container. No??

I remember when her mother was pregnate with her. I remember looking at her as a baby and thinking how beautiful she was. She was a cute toddler. Then I moved away and did not see her again for a long time. When I did see her again she was all grown up, had graduated from college and was off to get her master's in something I did not understand.

When we met up again it was not under the best of times, my friend, her aunt was dying and I was amazed at this young woman. She was a protector of her two younger cousins, she seemed to try and shelter them as much as possible. It was both heart breaking and breath taking to watch. At this time she also became the babysitter for my brother's kids and it gave me great joy to see that our two family's would be connected for a bit more time.

When you move across the country there are many things you miss in person. Weddings, births, celebrations, funerals, but if people are truly a part of your heart you don't need to be there in person to be there.

Katie & Doug I hope you know we were with you yesterday.

Oh and that wedding present, look for it in the mail.

May Day

Today is Beltane in Scotland, the celebration of the first day of summer. Yes, at one time the first day of summer was May 1st. It is International Workers Day, which began in the 1880's to celebrate the eight hour work day. It is also May Day - you know Maypole, May baskets or Lie Day in Hawaii.

At our house growing up it was Michael's birthday. Today it is a day that those of us that remember him, stop for a minute and wonder what could have been if things had been different.