Integrity and Authenticity

Only on my milestone birthday would I have my own "ring of fire" solar eclipse and alignment of planets that only happens once every 2,000 years.....AND...be surrounded by friends I have known for many, many lifetimes.  It was a truly magical and mystic experience I will never forget.  There were so many instances where we all witnessed things that even the biggest skeptic in my circle of friends was freaked out and could not explain it with conventional science. 

We are entering an age with an awareness of the importance of integrity.  Think about it.  Fake news.  Fake politicians.  Fake people.  We are all craving truth and authenticity in this superficial world.  When we experience truth it's not always a pleasant epiphany, as letting go of old beliefs and relationships is often painful and difficult.  Bring it on. 

Las Vegas

I've been in Las Vegas for the past few days.  When I get back to Sonoma County in the wee hours of the morning, assuming the flight finally leaves here, two of the coven of 7 will have arrived at my house.  I know two of them are there now.  :)

My mother and my sister also came to Las Vegas.  It was fun to be with them despite the fact that my mother drives everybody absoustely insane.  We love her anyway.  My sister and I share the same laugh, voice, and warped sense of humor.  One person made the comment that being in the middle of the two of us while we were talking was like getting one voice in stereo.  When we laugh it's the SAME laugh.  My sister also has the UNCANNY ability to attract loser guys.  It's been a running joke for years now.  Here's one story of many during the weekend that made my case.

We were driving around Las Vegas looking for UNLV athletic fields.  My sister, who is a widow, is kiddingly dabbing her toe back into the dating pool.  Well, I found her a WINNER on the corner.  He was waving a Little Cesar Pizza sign.  He was black and advertising a 14" LARGE.  Well, we could not help ourselves. We immediately ordered a hot sausage to go.  ;)

My pristine, proper nun of a mother in the back seat could not believe her ears. She will have to pray the rosary a billion times to forgive her daughters lusting after the sign waver ha ha ha ha

Russian Hacking and the Democrats

...really....  we are still on this?  Wow.  I guess the old adage, "Hold your friends close, but your enemies closer," is completely tossed out the window.

Please, don't take this as a blanket endorsement for the orange man child that currently is keeping the chair in the White House (oh, that's right - he doesn't live there) warm for the next four years - assuming that he doesn't implode on himself trying to fend off anybody who may dare call him on his own BS via twitter.

Let's place blame where it really belongs:  THE DEMOCRATS TOTALLY F***** THEMSELVES AND THEY CONTINUE TO DENY RESPONSIBILITY.

I'm sad that we have to depend upon Ruskie intel to give us the truth about our own politics.  Anybody watch the movie Snowden????  While it's the Hollywood version there are grains, or should I say boulders, of truth in it.

HEY DEMOCRATS:  YOU BLEW IT.  SUCK IT UP AND TAKE THE BLAME.  YOU &^$@#$ OVER BERNIE SANDERS.  WE JUMPED SHIP BECAUSE *YOU* WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE DEFENDERS OF DEMOCRACY AND SUPPORT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.  LIARS!!!!!!!!!!

Leave Already.... PLEASE

Sometimes when people are at work they are not really at work.  In one of the branch offices I deal with there is an employee who everybody knows is having an affair with somebody across the Atlantic.  She's married and the guy across the Atlantic is not.  He's divorced twice with 5 kids. 

Two ex-wives and five kids???!!!  Red flag.

I'll give anybody a pass for one divorce.  People make mistakes about getting married -- especially when young.  The second time to the marriage rodeo the implications of getting married should be MUCH more apparent.  If somebody is twice divorced there is a reason.  He's not a keeper. 

Anyway, Chatty Kathy has been carrying on with Rico Suave for years now.  Rico is twice divorced with 5 kids.  Chatty Kathy just has a big mouth that runs constantly...mostly complaining about everything.  What Rico sees in Chatty Kathy is beyond me.  All they do all day long is facetime each other and her work productivity suffers.  Chatty Kathy just ran off to spend three weeks with Rico Suave.  All of us knew where she was and with whom...except Chatty's husband, but I suspect deep down he knows exactly what's going on.  

I can hear Chatty's husband singing the old line, "Take my wife..... PLEEEEEZEEEEE!"

Please, Rico, sweep Chatty off her feet and alleviate us!!!  FREE US.  I don't think either Chatty's husband NOR Rico Suave really want her.  Each one is thinking, "You take her....no YOU, YOU take her...naaaah buddy you can have her, really...." 

PUNT. 

Backstabbed - AGAIN

I am often criticized for being "tough" and hard to get close to.  Yes, I am pretty aloof and it takes a LONG time for me to open up to people and trust  (if I ever do).  There's a reason for that.  Every time I trust somebody, especially men, I end up getting lied to and backstabbed. 

Here's the latest in my life lessons where I trusted somebody and I got %^&$# over.

I have worked with a colleague for 15 years.  His jurisdiction and my jurisdiction border each other.  Over the years we have developed what I thought a great rapport and trust.  I know his family and he knows mine.  We have been through a lot of difficult issues at work and have worked together on committees and trusts.  Yes, I dare say that I considered him a friend.  I will refer to him in this story as Gag. 

About 2-3 years ago an issue arose in my area.  The five-words-or-less gist of the situation was that I would not lie on an affidavit for a "customer" (for lack of a better term in my industry).  The customer became irate with me and went across the bay whining to Gag on how evil I was and wanted Gag to take him in as his customer.  I gave Gag a heads up on what the backstory was on this customer and if chose to continue to do business with him to be forewarned.  The customer is a hot-head snake. 

I'll never, EVER forget the moment when I explained to Gag on what was really going on with this customer.  Gag said to me, "Don't worry.  I've got your back on this one."

What Gag really meant was that he's got my back...but there will be a knife in it. 

I won't bore you with the details of my industry, but now the hot head customer is found to owe a substantial amount of money to the tune of about $200,000 to me.  Gag is going to bat for this piece of shit "customer" and signed an affidavit that Customer does NOT owe money to anybody in my industry so Customer could qualify for financing that would otherwise be unavailable to customer. 

When I called Gag on it he stammered and tried to blame a third party.  Nice try.  He had NO idea how I could smell bullshit miles away and tied him up in his own lies.  The more Gag tried to weasel his way out the deeper he dug himself.  What is really disappointing is that Gag is an officer for a division that supports compliance and ethics in my industry....and to think that he willingly and knowingly LIED on an affidavit. 

I can't make this stuff up, people.  NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get Your Fesces in a Group

...the politically correct term for GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.

I say that kind of tounge-in-cheek, but it's sordid dating advice.  I have a couple of friends who are single after several years of marriage.  Both of them are really beautiful, blonde women who have NO trouble attracting men.  Ironically, the guys they now are dating are worse than the men they divorced.  One friend said just the other day she had to redefine her criteria for dating.  After being "out there" in the dating world for a bit now she has drawn a personal boundary.  Her hard and fast rule is, and I quote her verbatim, "Never date anybody who has their shit less together than you do."

Her dating pool is now an almost dried up puddle. 

Crab Feed!!!!

It's crab season.  Well, I guess I'm always crabby year-round, but that's beside the point.  Really. I'm not nearly as bitter and angry as I appear in this dumb blog.  This is my anger vent free therapy.  This stupid blog my proverbial punching bag and/or the pillow we all scream into when we're frustrated.  I dump my bitter tirade du jour then I'm all better. 

CRAB SEASON!!!  going to a crab feed tonight with people I LOVE. 

Now, when my coven of betches get here I want to do make sister-in-law's crab cioppino (sp?) recipe.  It's a recipe that comes from her husband's side of the family who were Italian immigrants to San Francisco about a century ago and rebuilt the city after the 1906 earthquake.  Yup.  It's an original and OLD SCHOOL.  There is no hard and fast recipe and only a guideline.  It's a little of this, a little of that, taste, add a little more of this and that.  The main star of the dish is FRESH CRAB....and I mean go out to the docks while they are alive and kill/clean them when you get home.  Sounds so barbaric, but I do say a little prayer for them like all native Americans do when they are about to eat something they have to kill. 

Now... how about a crusty loaf of sourdough bread, a ceasar salad, maybe a little pasta in marinara or pesto to round out the meal. 

Don't forget your bib.  Not just for bambinos. 

UC Berkeley Protests

...oh gawd... I wasn't even going to comment on this.  Earlier this week those in Berkeley got all enraged because somebody had a view point different than their own.  Like I've said before... Liberals are all about "free speech" as long as it mirrors their own beliefs.  Their free speech tolerance is only if they agree. 

Yawn....

Most of the UC students are spoiled and privileged trust fund brats (a.k.a. limousine liberals) who never really worked a day in their lives but somehow think they are the ordained spokespeople for us common plebes and underprivileged.  I guess we are all too stupid to fend for ourselves and they need to SAVE us because they are SO smart and worldly. 

No, you have NOT felt our pain.  Thanks for your fake concern, but no thanks.  Your organic free trade-fat free-animal cruelty free latte is getting cold.  Better drink it.  ...and then fuck off. 

Circle of Friends

I have been friends with the same ladies since pre-PRE-school.  Yeah.  That's right.  I can't even remember the first time I met JLB or TYD as we go back that far.  I have my kindergarten picture with JLB and also my first grade class picture with TYD. 

Do you have friends that go back that far and that you're still in touch with?  To me, that is life's greatest gift.  Sure, we've had our arguments and our outs.  Somehow, we know we care about each other and have each others backs even when we're pissed at each other.  

Guess what.  Quiet Rage has a milestone birthday coming up and all my besties from Minnesota along with my besties from California are getting together to celebrate.  They are all coming here to Sonoma County !!!!!  I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. 

Yes, it will be the coven weekend here at my house.  No need to fear witches, dear people.  We really want to love everybody and spread peace....even when you all piss us off;)

Moses in Vegas

I'm tired.  It's been a long day.  Today I was at an employee disciplinary meeting where I was to evaluate the dismissal of an employee and his ability to return to work in my industry.  This particular employee has been dismissed from two employers in my industry within twelve month for cause.  Not a good pattern.  At his point I'm called in to "hear" the employee out along with the employer side of the story.  You ready for this?

The employee, let's refer to him as NutJob, was called to a location in San Rafael to report for duty.  Great.  He shows up.  NutJob then claims his personal work equipment he brought to the site was stolen.  The manager on site did not see anybody mess with NutJob's work equipment.  NutJob did not actually SEE anybody "steal" his work equipment.  Whatever.  His work equipment went missing.    The manager on site was sympathetic to NutJob loss of equipment and offered to loan equipment and even offered to replace NutJob's equipment compliments of the company.

That was not good enough for NutJob.

NutJob then went around the site gunning for others he thought guilty of stealing his equipment that was valued by the company at 600 bucks but by him over a million.  WTF?????  Why the difference of value????  Because NutJob's exwife GAVE him the equipment he claimed was stolen and that was the last memory of her and he thought it was worth billions.  Seriously.

Well, the stolen equipment showed up or was found or whatever and it was returned to NutJob.  You would think that it would end there.  He got his priceless stuff back.

But NOOOOOOOO.  It did not stop there.  NutJob continued to dog his fellow employees threatening them saying that he was the Son of Abraham and King of the Earth.  He told them that they had no idea who they were messing with and he could cause a bolt of lightening to come from the sky and kill them.

OK... workplace violence.  NutJob is following other employees around shouting absurdities and bizarre threats at them. The San Rafael cops were called to escort him off site.  NutJob had NO clue why the cops were called as he thought in his mind his actions were totally reasonable.

It does not stop there.  Now at the meeting where I am presented with all this information NutJob tells me with a straight face that he has met the biblical Moses in Las Vegas, and that he follows no man made laws as he is the king of the earth.  He is carrying out God's will.  Part of me wanted to bust out laughing as if he met the biblical Moses in Las Vegas, was Elvis also present?  I kept on getting more and more creeped out as the afternoon went on.  Charles Manson part II?

I could go on and on, but I'm exhausted.  I have never in my years dealt with somebody who is so far out there.  I looked over my shoulder going to the parking lot to my car.   I will look over my shoulder for a long time to come.  I can't make this stuff up, people.