I'm writing this in honor of a high school classmate who died. She and I always seemed to be in science classes together, and being our last name initials were near each other alphabetically, we always sat near each other.
One day during an experiment that involved using a Bunsen burner burning exactly what I don't quite remember, my now deceased classmate starting singing the Rolling Stones song "Beast of Burden." However, she went on telling me how she always thought the lyrics were, "I'll never be your pizza burnin."
It came to her as we were actually burning something and thought to share that little funny with me. Now, to this day, whenever I hear the song "Beast of Burden" I will forever think of C's version, "Pizza Burnin." RIP.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Sunday, April 22, 2018
The Quasi-Divorce
Sick of your spouse and want to dump him/her? It's way more complicated than walking out the door and never coming back.
I've heard of that. Where one spouse just leaves without word nor warning. IMHO, what a chicken shit way to end a relationship. There was a commitment made by both parties entering into marriage. There was obviously some sort of bond there. Who knows, the marriage may have even produced children.
Just walk out and never come back? The kids are wondering where mommy or daddy went? The spouse left behind has to deal with abandonment, the kids have to deal with abandonment, both spouse and kids are wondering if they will ever see the one who left ever again. Will s/he come back after six months? A year? A decade? Is s/he ok?
Walking out without warning, or at the very least ending it face-to-face, on any meaningful relationship is the move of a heartless coward. The only positive bit of information here is that you did not end up spending your life with somebody who has the cruel capability to coldly cut and run. Anybody who can treat relationships as disposable is a narcissistic sociopath.
Don't cry for too long if this happens to you. Attempt to contact your estranged spouse as if you care about his/her safety. S/he won't answer your phone calls or texts as they are already in bed with their next victim. So what. Put that emotional bit aside for now. You need to take care of YOU and possibly your kids.
This is where it can get mucky and messy. Don't wait to get a hold of the bank and do what you need to do. Chances are your estranged spouse has already plotted to clean out your bank account (assuming that has not happened already) and rack up your credit cards. Somebody who lacks the common courtesy and empathy in respectfully ending the relationshit (typo intended) will think nothing of leaving you penniless as well.
In California everything is split 50-50 for the most part. Not only are you entitled to half the assets, you are responsible for half the debt, too. I've seen it where the spouse who walks out cleans out the bank account and racks up credit card debt to finance their new life with their new love. Yup, and there you are broke with the kids. Ouch. The ultimate insult is down the road when court ordered child support goes unpaid.
Here's where I'm going with this. First and foremost, BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED in your finances. Know where you are financially, even if it isn't pretty. Keep statements and documents as you may need them. If your spouse takes off on you or for whatever reason or you no longer live together, file for legal separation immediately. The last thing you want is your estranged spouse racking up tons of debt leaving you on the hook for half of it. Don't let somebody who walks out on you drag you down financially as well.
This is a case where ignorance is not bliss.
I've heard of that. Where one spouse just leaves without word nor warning. IMHO, what a chicken shit way to end a relationship. There was a commitment made by both parties entering into marriage. There was obviously some sort of bond there. Who knows, the marriage may have even produced children.
Just walk out and never come back? The kids are wondering where mommy or daddy went? The spouse left behind has to deal with abandonment, the kids have to deal with abandonment, both spouse and kids are wondering if they will ever see the one who left ever again. Will s/he come back after six months? A year? A decade? Is s/he ok?
Walking out without warning, or at the very least ending it face-to-face, on any meaningful relationship is the move of a heartless coward. The only positive bit of information here is that you did not end up spending your life with somebody who has the cruel capability to coldly cut and run. Anybody who can treat relationships as disposable is a narcissistic sociopath.
Don't cry for too long if this happens to you. Attempt to contact your estranged spouse as if you care about his/her safety. S/he won't answer your phone calls or texts as they are already in bed with their next victim. So what. Put that emotional bit aside for now. You need to take care of YOU and possibly your kids.
This is where it can get mucky and messy. Don't wait to get a hold of the bank and do what you need to do. Chances are your estranged spouse has already plotted to clean out your bank account (assuming that has not happened already) and rack up your credit cards. Somebody who lacks the common courtesy and empathy in respectfully ending the relationshit (typo intended) will think nothing of leaving you penniless as well.
In California everything is split 50-50 for the most part. Not only are you entitled to half the assets, you are responsible for half the debt, too. I've seen it where the spouse who walks out cleans out the bank account and racks up credit card debt to finance their new life with their new love. Yup, and there you are broke with the kids. Ouch. The ultimate insult is down the road when court ordered child support goes unpaid.
Here's where I'm going with this. First and foremost, BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED in your finances. Know where you are financially, even if it isn't pretty. Keep statements and documents as you may need them. If your spouse takes off on you or for whatever reason or you no longer live together, file for legal separation immediately. The last thing you want is your estranged spouse racking up tons of debt leaving you on the hook for half of it. Don't let somebody who walks out on you drag you down financially as well.
This is a case where ignorance is not bliss.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Death Cleaning
Leave it to the Scandinavians to come up with this term. They're so to the point sometimes and macabre. No, they just call it for what it is. No beating around the bush. Death cleaning.
What is death cleaning you ask? It's an intense state of de-cluttering and disposing of much of your stuff. The thought is that you are doing your survivors a favor in the event of your death by going through, giving away, sorting, and tossing just about everything. That includes getting rid of whatever is in that storage shed you've had for the last 20 years. When you die, there's nothing to fight over. Going through and getting rid of stuff can be extremely exhilarating. You may have trouble getting rid of your teacup collection - I don't think anybody will want it. Don't waste too much time posting stuff on line to sell. Your stuff is not worth nearly as much as you think. However, family heirlooms are the exception. Set those aside for last and get rid of all your junk first. You will be amazed at how little we all really need.
Some people even hold a death meeting of the family. They gather together just as they would at the reading of the trust or will, but they do it while they are alive and in perfect health. The corpse can still talk. It's a good idea to have it recorded or videoed while the corpse is still talking. Why? People get weird when it comes to money and many families have been torn apart fighting over who gets what and so-called "misinterpretations" of the will.
Here's where it can be nipped in the bud. If anybody has an issue, bring it up right then and there at the death meeting in front of everybody while the cameras roll and it's being recorded. Should you fail to have the guts to state in front of all why you're upset Johnny is getting more of an inheritance than you, you forfeit any right to bitch about it after the fact. In the same breath, be ready for the response you are about to get. You probably won't like it. Bottom line, nobody owes you anything - not even your deceased parents. I'm sure there's a reason you were given less. Be happy you got anything, you spoiled piece of shit. Chances are you borrowed money all your life sucking off your parents. That's usually the case.
Well, that's a cheery blog for today with the beautiful weather and sunshine. I'm glad I could be a buzz kill.
What is death cleaning you ask? It's an intense state of de-cluttering and disposing of much of your stuff. The thought is that you are doing your survivors a favor in the event of your death by going through, giving away, sorting, and tossing just about everything. That includes getting rid of whatever is in that storage shed you've had for the last 20 years. When you die, there's nothing to fight over. Going through and getting rid of stuff can be extremely exhilarating. You may have trouble getting rid of your teacup collection - I don't think anybody will want it. Don't waste too much time posting stuff on line to sell. Your stuff is not worth nearly as much as you think. However, family heirlooms are the exception. Set those aside for last and get rid of all your junk first. You will be amazed at how little we all really need.
Some people even hold a death meeting of the family. They gather together just as they would at the reading of the trust or will, but they do it while they are alive and in perfect health. The corpse can still talk. It's a good idea to have it recorded or videoed while the corpse is still talking. Why? People get weird when it comes to money and many families have been torn apart fighting over who gets what and so-called "misinterpretations" of the will.
Here's where it can be nipped in the bud. If anybody has an issue, bring it up right then and there at the death meeting in front of everybody while the cameras roll and it's being recorded. Should you fail to have the guts to state in front of all why you're upset Johnny is getting more of an inheritance than you, you forfeit any right to bitch about it after the fact. In the same breath, be ready for the response you are about to get. You probably won't like it. Bottom line, nobody owes you anything - not even your deceased parents. I'm sure there's a reason you were given less. Be happy you got anything, you spoiled piece of shit. Chances are you borrowed money all your life sucking off your parents. That's usually the case.
Well, that's a cheery blog for today with the beautiful weather and sunshine. I'm glad I could be a buzz kill.
Friday, April 20, 2018
Retirement
Once you make the decision to retire, allow about 2 years to get everything in order prior to quitting your job. I can hear the collective question resonating, "Really? Two years? Why that long? Why can't I just walk into the human resources department and give my two week notice?"
It's not that simple, folks. Nothing ever is.
Before you even think about that retirement date, I strongly suggest meeting with a certified financial planner. In this day and age, any job that offers any kind of real pension has certified financial planners available to you most of the time for free - or if they do charge, it's very affordable. It's part of your retirement benefit. Your employer does NOT want you to retire and not know what is in your financial future. Trust me.
Now. Here's the hard part that nobody can do for you no matter how you avoid it or want to pawn it off onto somebody else. This is the crucial part and you are solely responsible for this bit of information: You will need to take the time and effort to figure out how much you owe (i.e., mortgage, car payments, credit cards, etc.). You will also need to figure out what your anticipated income sources will be post-retirement (social security, pensions from previous employers, etc.).
Things to factor in when making the decision to retire are your anticipated living expenses (house payment, utilities, travel, rent, etc.). Where are you going to live? What will happen if you become incapacitated? Who will make decisions for you? Do you have a living trust or a will? How long do you think you're going to live?
I know, I know.....it's overwhelming. I don't want to deal with it, either.
Now that you've made the decision to retire and have your financial and legal affairs in order (I'm sure just the beginning step took a good 6 months) it's time to give your notice to the employer.
Meet with your employer's benefits department prior to giving notice of your intention to retire. Yes, you have a pension plan, maybe a 401(k) plan, and other company benefits you have worked hard to accumulate over the years. However, it can take TIME before your application for retirement to be approved and processed. Depending on the retirement criteria spelled out in the Summary Plan Document (SPD) you may need to meet certain benchmarks prior to taking any distributions. Many people think they have put 30 years in and they are done. Nope. Not that simple. There could be a multitude of requirements you need to meet in order for you to be 100% eligible. A common mistake is that you've been working for the same company for 30 years, but you worked full-time for 20 and part-time the last 10. Depending on how your plan is drawn up, that could be a huge difference to you. You may discover you need to work an additional 5 years full-time to qualify for the full benefit.
Social security does not happen instantly, either. There will be major decisions that you will need to make. Who would think that drawing on your social security could be so complicated?
The point here is that when you decide you want to retire, the last thing you need is to be surprised financially. Yes, it takes time and effort and it's not fun, but the onus is on YOU to pull all the information together. Again, like dying, nobody can do it for you.
It's not that simple, folks. Nothing ever is.
Before you even think about that retirement date, I strongly suggest meeting with a certified financial planner. In this day and age, any job that offers any kind of real pension has certified financial planners available to you most of the time for free - or if they do charge, it's very affordable. It's part of your retirement benefit. Your employer does NOT want you to retire and not know what is in your financial future. Trust me.
Now. Here's the hard part that nobody can do for you no matter how you avoid it or want to pawn it off onto somebody else. This is the crucial part and you are solely responsible for this bit of information: You will need to take the time and effort to figure out how much you owe (i.e., mortgage, car payments, credit cards, etc.). You will also need to figure out what your anticipated income sources will be post-retirement (social security, pensions from previous employers, etc.).
Things to factor in when making the decision to retire are your anticipated living expenses (house payment, utilities, travel, rent, etc.). Where are you going to live? What will happen if you become incapacitated? Who will make decisions for you? Do you have a living trust or a will? How long do you think you're going to live?
I know, I know.....it's overwhelming. I don't want to deal with it, either.
Now that you've made the decision to retire and have your financial and legal affairs in order (I'm sure just the beginning step took a good 6 months) it's time to give your notice to the employer.
Meet with your employer's benefits department prior to giving notice of your intention to retire. Yes, you have a pension plan, maybe a 401(k) plan, and other company benefits you have worked hard to accumulate over the years. However, it can take TIME before your application for retirement to be approved and processed. Depending on the retirement criteria spelled out in the Summary Plan Document (SPD) you may need to meet certain benchmarks prior to taking any distributions. Many people think they have put 30 years in and they are done. Nope. Not that simple. There could be a multitude of requirements you need to meet in order for you to be 100% eligible. A common mistake is that you've been working for the same company for 30 years, but you worked full-time for 20 and part-time the last 10. Depending on how your plan is drawn up, that could be a huge difference to you. You may discover you need to work an additional 5 years full-time to qualify for the full benefit.
Social security does not happen instantly, either. There will be major decisions that you will need to make. Who would think that drawing on your social security could be so complicated?
The point here is that when you decide you want to retire, the last thing you need is to be surprised financially. Yes, it takes time and effort and it's not fun, but the onus is on YOU to pull all the information together. Again, like dying, nobody can do it for you.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Ooops, I posted too much
Really? You posted pics of yourself 1/2 naked at a party dunk and throwing up at some party 8 years ago on Facebook. Yes, you even did the duck-lip selfie pose. You thought you were soooooo cool at the time posting all your dumb-ass actions. Now you decide to delete your account thinking it will save your reputation as a general dumb ass?
Too late.
Your employers and future employers know which data archives to delve into when you're interviewing for a job with actual benefits. You know, the grown up job you want to have now that mommy and daddy have cut you off the frat house party train.
We're not impressed. Not because you did dumb things as a college student. We all did. it's that you did dumb things as a college student that you posted online for the entire world to see.
All that money for a college degree....and you failed the most generic intelligence test. What a waste of your parents money.
Too late.
Your employers and future employers know which data archives to delve into when you're interviewing for a job with actual benefits. You know, the grown up job you want to have now that mommy and daddy have cut you off the frat house party train.
We're not impressed. Not because you did dumb things as a college student. We all did. it's that you did dumb things as a college student that you posted online for the entire world to see.
All that money for a college degree....and you failed the most generic intelligence test. What a waste of your parents money.
Monday, April 16, 2018
My Punching Bag and Pillow Screaming
This stupid blog is my stress release. I take things that irritate me and word vomit them here. I suppose I'm kind of mellowing as the years progress, but still, the vast majority of you just annoy me to no end.
Random rant for the day.. this does not go in any particular order or pattern. Hey, it's my blog and I will word vomit any way I please. You are not forced to read this. You are reading on your own volition. Feel free to move on. You're still here. See? I'm hitting some truth points although you think I'm a raging bitch.
I don't allow comments on my blog because I'm sick of trolls. Being behind your curtain of the computer makes people very ugly and mean. I don't pick on people personally. The statements and observations I make are general and not applied to any one person. If I anger you, you see yourself in what I'm writing. Truth hurts. If I do aim a comment on a person, they have acted that way in full public view and deserve it. If I talk about a personal situation I never use names.
...and now...Random rants du jour.
Rebuilding homes after the fires. Not as easy nor as quick as politicians claim it will be. The promise of the politician never coincides with reality. Politicians don't know (blank) about construction.
It's a new moon in the northern hemisphere. Time to plant the seeds of intention. Take some time to really search yourself. Hello? Anybody home? Not finding anything in there? It's not my fault you're an empty, unfeeling soul.
Our western Yang culture is making us all ill. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go....compete....succeed...squash your competitor....accumulate stuff.....don't stop to think about a bigger picture.....deny that death will happen.....take viagra because your dick is broken.
I'm not saying that Yang energy is bad, it's not bad and we need it. Yang energy is completely natural and necessary. Where we are messing up is not even acknowledging Yin energy and its role in balancing ourselves out and the universe.
Nothing that is out of balance is sustainable.
Random rant for the day.. this does not go in any particular order or pattern. Hey, it's my blog and I will word vomit any way I please. You are not forced to read this. You are reading on your own volition. Feel free to move on. You're still here. See? I'm hitting some truth points although you think I'm a raging bitch.
I don't allow comments on my blog because I'm sick of trolls. Being behind your curtain of the computer makes people very ugly and mean. I don't pick on people personally. The statements and observations I make are general and not applied to any one person. If I anger you, you see yourself in what I'm writing. Truth hurts. If I do aim a comment on a person, they have acted that way in full public view and deserve it. If I talk about a personal situation I never use names.
...and now...Random rants du jour.
Rebuilding homes after the fires. Not as easy nor as quick as politicians claim it will be. The promise of the politician never coincides with reality. Politicians don't know (blank) about construction.
It's a new moon in the northern hemisphere. Time to plant the seeds of intention. Take some time to really search yourself. Hello? Anybody home? Not finding anything in there? It's not my fault you're an empty, unfeeling soul.
Our western Yang culture is making us all ill. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go....compete....succeed...squash your competitor....accumulate stuff.....don't stop to think about a bigger picture.....deny that death will happen.....take viagra because your dick is broken.
I'm not saying that Yang energy is bad, it's not bad and we need it. Yang energy is completely natural and necessary. Where we are messing up is not even acknowledging Yin energy and its role in balancing ourselves out and the universe.
Nothing that is out of balance is sustainable.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Facebook and College Prep
One more rant about Facebook and other "apps" that you use for free. I will say this one more time.
NOTHING IS FREE.
Got that? NOTHING IS FREE.
All of those "free" apps and social media sites do nothing but collect your personal data for sale. I told you all that years ago before you all figured this out. I warned you your ego and quest for "likes" were gold for marketing. Required viewing for you all is a documentary movie titled, "Terms and Conditions May Apply."
The film came out about 5 years or so ago and actually features Mark Zukerberg at the end of the movie getting irritated that the film crew was following him around without his permission.
The film crew wanted the same respect of privacy for us.
However, we can't blame Zukerberg entirely for this breech. In the movie Zuckerberg called Facebook users idiots because of all the personal information that is freely posted. Point. Anybody with two functioning brain cells knows that you don't post anything you don't want the entire world to see. Also, nothing you post is ever deleted. Each and every post, email, "like" shopping purchase, etc. lives forever long after you have disposed of your computer.
Does anybody find it ironic that the address for Facebook is One Hacker Way?
So what, Zuckerberg apologized. He does not care. He's collected millions. He followed one of the biggest rules in the corporate world, "It's better to ask forgiveness than permission." The genie is out of the bottle. It's water under the bridge. I guarantee you he's laughing. All he has to do is look respectable in front of the cameras and give a lame apology.
All of your techno gadgets collect info on you. They are manufactured in China. Are any of you putting that together? Even military equipment is manufactured in China. That should scare the **** out of us. You don't think that things are being planted in microchips? We are naive. That is the next big bomb to drop. All of our data is being tracked to ultimately be used against us. China is gaining power one FitBit at a time you all PAY to wear and track your every move. You read it here first.
Whew. Rant over. Next Rant.
Now.... on college prep classes that the school system thinks they need for high schoolers.
I interview people applying jobs regularly. We don't need college prep classes that pound useless information that will never be applied. We just need them to show up wearing clean clothes, without a pissy entitlement attitude, and on time. We will do the rest. And no, we don't want their parents calling in for them wanting to argue with us when they are disciplined.
We don't need college prep courses, we need classes for parents....believe me, your kid ain't that great nor as innocent as you think. Get over it.
NOTHING IS FREE.
Got that? NOTHING IS FREE.
All of those "free" apps and social media sites do nothing but collect your personal data for sale. I told you all that years ago before you all figured this out. I warned you your ego and quest for "likes" were gold for marketing. Required viewing for you all is a documentary movie titled, "Terms and Conditions May Apply."
The film came out about 5 years or so ago and actually features Mark Zukerberg at the end of the movie getting irritated that the film crew was following him around without his permission.
The film crew wanted the same respect of privacy for us.
However, we can't blame Zukerberg entirely for this breech. In the movie Zuckerberg called Facebook users idiots because of all the personal information that is freely posted. Point. Anybody with two functioning brain cells knows that you don't post anything you don't want the entire world to see. Also, nothing you post is ever deleted. Each and every post, email, "like" shopping purchase, etc. lives forever long after you have disposed of your computer.
Does anybody find it ironic that the address for Facebook is One Hacker Way?
So what, Zuckerberg apologized. He does not care. He's collected millions. He followed one of the biggest rules in the corporate world, "It's better to ask forgiveness than permission." The genie is out of the bottle. It's water under the bridge. I guarantee you he's laughing. All he has to do is look respectable in front of the cameras and give a lame apology.
All of your techno gadgets collect info on you. They are manufactured in China. Are any of you putting that together? Even military equipment is manufactured in China. That should scare the **** out of us. You don't think that things are being planted in microchips? We are naive. That is the next big bomb to drop. All of our data is being tracked to ultimately be used against us. China is gaining power one FitBit at a time you all PAY to wear and track your every move. You read it here first.
Whew. Rant over. Next Rant.
Now.... on college prep classes that the school system thinks they need for high schoolers.
I interview people applying jobs regularly. We don't need college prep classes that pound useless information that will never be applied. We just need them to show up wearing clean clothes, without a pissy entitlement attitude, and on time. We will do the rest. And no, we don't want their parents calling in for them wanting to argue with us when they are disciplined.
We don't need college prep courses, we need classes for parents....believe me, your kid ain't that great nor as innocent as you think. Get over it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
