Happy New Year

I don't always spew anger and frustration into the universe, but good GAWWWWD, somebody has to point out the obvious sometimes.  I have this feeling that I'm not alone in my rants.  Whatever.  Nobody cares about my rants. 

Anyway, it's New Year's Eve.  Plans tonight?  Oh Yeah.  What will 2020 bring us?  I'm suspecting a wedding proposal (not for me)  but for my friend, M, who FINALLY met a guy who is worthy of her generous spirit.  She has known him, I will refer to him as R,  for about 10 years or so, but his situation was not in a place for a new relationship - so they were just friends and socialized in groups.  M was perfectly fine with just being friends as she was not interested in torpedoing anybody's marriage.  Bad karma.

Over the decade M dates selfish idiots.  I listened and was a supporting friend during her horrid breakups.  Also during this decade R's marriage falls apart.  M and R met up recently and the sparks were undeniable.  I was beginning to lose hope that M would ever find a decent guy. 

At midnight I told M she will get her kiss from R.  Pucker up M!!!!!  I'm rooting for you.

This will be M and R's wedding.  I can see it now.  It's so M and R. 

Moms 4 Housing

Are you kidding me?  A group of breeders in Oakland (I can't call them mothers) decided to break into a house they don't own claiming they have a "right" to housing.

Sorry, nobody owes you nor your kids anything.

To quote one of their own, "If you can't feed your baby, then don't have a baby, and don't think maybe, if you can't feed your baby."

Nobody told them to go out and breed.  If you want to reproduce, fine.  That's your expense and YOU are responsible for it, don't make it mine.  If you're too dumb to figure out where babies come from and whine for everybody else to foot the bill, you don't deserve to pass on your gene pool.  I would buy the "oopsie I'm pregnant" excuse prior to the 1970's.  In this day and age if you're knocked up and decide to birth it you own it.  Not me.

Now crashing down doors of vacant houses thinking the world owes them something??????   Somebody, please throw a smoke bomb.  All infestations flee smoke.
p.s. Unless these "moms" became pregnant via immaculate conception, there's a "dad" who should be supporting them and the children they spawned. 

Oh wait, they are niggers.  Silly me.  NIGGERS.  Hey Niggas...... any answer?  Of course not.  You're too busy playing the victim card, pumping out babies,  and how everybody owes you something because your great grand datty wuz a slave.  Guess what... so waz mine.  Git over it.  Suck it up and take personal responsibility for your choices. 

Nope.  You won't own up to it. 

Not politically correct on this website.  You hate me because I speak the truth and put your bullshit and life choices back on YOU where it belongs. 

11 Million for 200 people

Sonoma County is always crying poor mouth, but suddenly found 11 million for the homeless.  Their ranks are about 200 or so and they are occupying a popular trail.  Their trash, feces, needles, fights, etc., have made it so the public can't use it.

So in swoop the do-gooders pledging our tax dollars to "save" them.  News flash:  They can't be saved.  

Do the math.  11 million divided by 200 = $55,000.  We are giving away $55,000 for each homeless person. Whatever we give them will never be enough.  They are like pigeons.  They will hang around and become greater in number if we keep feeding them. 

Here's my question:  What will the homeless do in return for our handout? Don't hold your breath because it will be NOTHING.

I have a better idea.  Instead of spending tax dollars we don't have for a segment of the population that will never contribute back to society, I suggest that all the advocates for the homeless and the codependent, enabling politicians invite the homeless to live with them.  If each politician and advocate takes in just one, our problem on the trail goes away. 

It's time they all practice what they preach.

No, I'm not politically correct.  No, I don't want homeless people sleeping in my yard.  However, I'm not parading out there with false compassion like the fake liberals who enclave themselves in privileged neighborhoods.

Rest Of Earth’s Inhabitants Vote To Phase Out People By The Year 2040

https://outabouter.com/2019/04/11/rest-of-earths-inhabitants-vote-to-phase-out-people-by-the-year-2040/?fbclid=IwAR3kd4Tm4eRMgTi1vKha7tdeikRbgM-D1n10kaumJmAkJzhw3uJdEBF7EQk

Impeachment

The Reigning Orange Cheeto is being impeached.  Why all this wasted time and energy so close to an election is stupid.  If everybody is so convinced and confident that the Orange Cheeto is a complete moron, all we have to do is wait it out a few short months and he will be gone.  Terror is striking the heart of the "establishment" as they must believe there's a chance he will get re-elected or they would not be going through such great lengths to eliminate their competition. 

Here's what is the most disturbing of all.  Obviously, Orange Cheeto is giving a voice to those who otherwise feel that they are unheard.  Those who are so opposed to Orange Cheeto should be listening to that.  I'm not saying they have to agree with Orange Cheeto, I'm saying they should *really* listen.  All viewpoints have some truth in them. 

#MeToo

#MeToo

It's the flagship phrase for all women who have been subject to men who keep on dismissing us, groping us, harassing us, etc. 

Newsflash:  One of the biggest offenders of the #MeToo are the industries that employ men from foreign countries - namely the tech and financial industry.  There are certain cultures, especially Indian and Asian men, who treat women like second class citizens.  It shows up in the corporate setting when we are put together onto teams.   We are talked over and ridiculed for our ideas.  We are given diminutive roles on the project.  Our work is not valued.  We are basically ignored. Corporate management does not care.  They need the project completed and are hands off with how the team gets it done. 

Being ignored and dismissed comes at a huge price.  When it comes to our annual review and it's time for a promotion or raise we are criticized by management for not being worth our weight on the team project. How can we be worth our weight when we are dismissed and ignored?  It's a viscous cycle. 

Turkey Coma

Do you all have the post-Thanksgiving meal turkey coma?  I certainly do.  I did stay up last night to tear down the meal table and chairs.  I also washed, dried, and put away the crystal and china and got the leftovers all put away neatly in the fridge.  I still have the linens to wash but that will have to wait until after my nap. 

I'm tired today.  I know it's all self-inflicted as I'm so particular about making things from scratch.  However, seeing people enjoy the food I cook gives me great satisfaction and joy. 

Did I get up at the butt-crack of dawn to go out shopping?  NO WAY.  I simply do not have the energy to hit the stores, and to be honest, I don't need any more stuff as I'm in a phase of getting RID of stuff. 

I do need to close out the month financially both personally and for my work today as it's the last banking day of the month and that needs to happen sooner rather than later.  Again, that will have to wait until after my nap.

There's a theme here -- NAP

Thanksgiving :)

As I type this the turkey is in the oven, the green bean casserole is done, the mashed potatoes are done, the stuffing is done, the candied yams are done, and my ever-popular home made pretzel buns are done. 

Whew.

How many will I have today?  I'm guessing 11-15 ish.  My dilemma now is how will I seat everybody.  I was planning on a nice day outside so I could set up the long table outside on the deck as I converted the hardly-used dining room into functional living space.  I just could not justify keeping a dining room that was used one day a year and converted it into kind of a simple parlor where I could receive and quarantine guests to come in to sit and chat (so the rest of my messy house is not on display).   

Mother Nature is not cooperating and is messing with my outdoor seating plans, but she has that right. 

I'm going to have to serve buffet style and try to set up two tables to accommodate everybody.  Oh well, white woman problems.  What's special to me is that several generations will be present, whether literally or metaphorically, at today's meal.  I have a silver spoon that has been in the family since 1886.  I have my deceased mother-in-law's turkey roaster, silver, and china.  I have my maternal grandmother's gravy boat.  I have my paternal grandmother's serving platters.  You get the idea.  It's important to me to keep these items in use and in the family. 

I do have a lot to be thankful for.  I know my bitchy blog does not reflect that. 

She Looks Like She's Been Crying

.....MEA (Minimum Effort Assistant) is now dealing with the realities of tearing her family apart for a half-fantasy of a boyfriend she 'thought' she loved. 

Gig's up. 

Her soon to be ex-husband is done with her.  Her kids are done with her.  Her own mother and siblings are done with her.  There's nowhere to run. 

When I walked into the office today I could tell she had been crying.  What am I supposed to say?  It's not my place to comment on her personal life.  She's now figuring out that she's going to need a full-time job WITH BENEFITS....especially health insurance.  That is, unless, she jumps the pond over to England and marries Romeo. 

She won't leave here.   We are not that lucky.

Mea does not want to be 8th in line for boyfriend's monetary resources.  What that means is that Romeo is twice divorced with five biological kids.  She's #8 in line.  That won't work for Princess Mea.  She needs to be #1. 

Ain't happenin'

It's all fun and games until reality comes up and bites you in the ass.   She destroyed her own family for a pot-bellied, beer drinking, balls-scratching, soccer-loving guy who has no real interest in American sports.  All would be fine and well had she accepted who he is from the get-go.  But nooooooooooooooo she invented this fantasy version of Mr. England who would swoop in and solve all her problems and they would ride off blissfully into the sunset together......along with his two ex-wives and 5 kids. 

Hippie Boomers

....helloooooooo the hippie uber liberal boomers of yesterday are today's ultra conservatives.  Do ya think life has handed over a few lessons? 

Not everybody can be 'saved' nor can money fix all problems.  Sigh. 

We expect perfection from an imperfect world.....which is all fine.....just don't expect me to pay for it. 

Newsom, Pelosi, Brown, Getty

These four families are all inbred and their fortunes made on dubious terms.  One thing they all have in common - they are FAKE democrats.  They are not at all concerned about us, the lowly taxpayers.   They are only concerned with their iron grip on California politics, as they have for generations.  Why the media ignores the fact that Newsom is Pelosi's nephew is no coincidence. 

Leaving California

Everybody is talking about leaving California.  California is known to be a very 'blue' state politically.  Where is everybody moving to?  Idaho, which is politically 'red.'

But....the uber liberal blue Californians are so down on red states, and the Californians think they are so intellectually superior to all those red necks....but there the Californians are.....moving to Idaho in droves.   

With all that being said, why do the Californians want to move to Idaho?  Because the red necks don't put up with any crap and can still call a spade a spade without any whiny snowflake repercussions nor threat of a lame lawsuit.  Idaho is clean, nice, and void of everything California invited in to rot it from the inside out. 

Spoiler Alert:  Don't think all you ex-Californians will be welcomed with open arms. You trashed your own state - they don't want you coming in to trash theirs. 

Dating Disclosures

I have a couple of divorced friends who also happen to be very beautiful.  They are out there in the dating world, and it ain't pretty.

During a recent walk with one of them, she was lamenting about what's in the dating pool.  She went on to say that many of her potential beaus are nothing more than opportunists.  Hmmmmm opportunists?  I had never heard that word before used in the context of dating.

Yup.  Opportunists, she said.  I asked her to elaborate.

For starters, once a guy finds out you own your own home, they want to pretty much move in immediately.  She now refuses to let anybody she dates know her domestic status.   She discloses nothing.  She has been burned by letting a couple of her beaus move in - and then had to kick them out.  She got tired of the beaus' expectations that she "fix" their credit and back taxes.  The beaus wanted all the benefits of being married, but did not want to get married, but also wanted their freedom to mess around on the side, well, because, they weren't married.  In her opinion that was OK, because in her words, "Why would I want to commit and chain myself to a pile of messy debt?"

.....and out the door she threw him. 

Failed Capitalism PGE and Failed Government PUC

Here's the ugly truth, y'all.  The answer is there is no answer.  Everybody is screaming at PGE for power shut-offs.  Think about it.  It's capitalism plain and simple.  People invest in the "market" which includes PGE to make money.  Sure, there are cute little tricks like short sales and investment loss harvesting, but the overall goal is for the investors to profit.  That's why they invest.  PGE upper management has to make the company look good (on paper at least) to attract more capital.  PGE is an antiquated source for energy.  It's going to be more and more difficult for PGE stay in business and churn a profit, which will make investors unhappy, which leads to more of the same declining state of power lines and maintenance.  With the installation of solar and alternative energy, unless PGE is actively behind such endeavors, their entire system of energy delivery is out of date.  They need to think forward with microgrids and battery storage. 

All large corporations are slow to adapt.  PGE is no different.  However, our dependence on them and the market forces that are happening are making the decision to rely on PGE is making the inevitable demise of PGE happen on an escalated scale.

sigh..... unkept power lines and devastating fires every October.  Sorry, there's no magic wand to make investors happy when thousands of miles of are in need of massive upkeep.  It costs MONEY.  PGE cuts corners to make the financial statements look good.  It's all in vein.  Sooner or later it all catches up. 

Which brings in the California PUC. 

Their job is to make sure that PGE is doing what they are supposed to be doing.  But guess what.  An appointment to the PUC is a political favor.  It's like appointing the fox watching the hen house.  I have never heard once a politician cast any blame at the PUC.  Coincidence?  I think not.  If any of our politicians had any guts and/or integrity, they would haul in the PUC for some answers to the lack of oversight and action.... but guess what...they've all been bought and paid for and are on an extended retirement vacation in the Bahamas. 

4-Que Feinstein, Newsom, Pelosi, and all you other fake do-gooders.  Just go on camera for ONCE and own up to your lack of results despite being in politics and making promises for decades.  ....and to think these clowns are so focused on impeaching the newcomer.

Bad Penny

OMG.... Can't this turd FLUSH already?  My married assistant went to Europe to meet up with the boyfriend she professed was love of her life.  They have had a long-distance fling going for 10 years now?  I've lost track.  She was gone with lover boy for over a month.  I was so thrilled to have the office to myself.  I did not miss her one bit, and there was a part of me that (hoped) she would not come back.  With that being said, I kept up on all her work while she was out.  It was not difficult. 

Her chump of a husband has purchased a house so he can move out, but it needs work.  So....he's still at the home they shared during their marriage knowing she jetted off to Europe to ^#$% some other guy.  Do you think Chump moved out while she was gone?  NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Maybe Chump was secretly hoping she would not come back, either.  Maybe he was hoping that she would stay as that would give him more time to fix up his house. 

We are NOT that lucky.  Like a bad penny, she returns. 

Enjoying my time in the office without her, I texted her to just stay home for the week (with pay) as I had started the monthly transactions and figured I'd just close out the month myself.  I told her I was certain that I don't organize things like she does. Do you think that deters her?  HELL NO.  Here she comes into the office - after I told her to stay home. Irritated, I told her that I did not expect her to come back, and that she would ride off into the sunset with her knight in shining armour.  Her reply, "I would not do that."

WHAT?????????  For the last 10 years all I heard about was how much she loves this guy and wants out of her marriage.  Her plans were to ditch her husband and run off together when her kids graduated high school...and when that did not happen when her kids graduated college....and when that did not happen when her kids were completely independent.  That has not happened yet. 

Let's face it.  This turd will not flush.

I flatly asked her if she was going to run off with boyfriend or what.  She went on to say how "weird" it was to be with somebody different after being married for so long.  Also, she found some of his habits annoying.  Of course, when you're with somebody 24/7 for over a month tooling around Europe in a motor home crammed together getting annoyed with each other is pretty much guaranteed.  Neither one could go off with friends, go to work, or socialize with anybody else except each other.  Quite frankly, being stuck with Assistant for any length of time is like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard. 

I'm totally reorganizing the processes at my office that will eliminate her job.  It becomes effective February 1, 2020.  I have to give her the news.  But.....maybe I don't.  She's the type that will slip on a banana peel in the hallway or find something to sue over.  I don't know what that would be as she pretty much got paid to do nothing. 

In the meantime, I want to set up Chump with a friend of mine.  I think they would be a great couple.  Both are really nice and have their act together.  Both own a home.  Both are great and caring parents.  Both have good hearts.  Both have good jobs.  Both have similar interests.  Both are from the the area.  Both are down on their luck with love. 

Sonoma County Homeless

Here's the real deal on why action on homelessness is not happening.  There are several reasons. 

1.  Nobody can escape the law of supply and demand.  As long as Sonoma County is (still) a desirable place to live, land and building will be expensive;
2.  Everybody points to "the government" to take action on homelessness.  The "government" is nothing more than extension of YOU.  What are YOU doing to address it;
3.  Once "the government" steps in and provides free housing, you can bet your @ss EVERYBODY will be a hard luck case and demand assistance;
4.  We already provide subsidized housing.  It's called "the projects." 
5.  Most homeless people have family that kicked them out.  There's a reason for that;
6.  If the government sanctions and provides for the homeless, they become responsible for it.  We live in a litigious society where every banana peel is a liability. It won't be long before somebody sues because the toilets aren't the right height, the bed provided caused back problems, food allergies, one resident harassed another, etc. 

Again, homelessness isn't special to California.  Don't worry.  We will all have to move away soon due to repeated wildfires and all this will be for not. 

Impeachment

Here's the truth about impeachment:  they are TERRIFIED of another Trump re-election.  They can't stand the thought.  However, it begs the question that if democrats (and other politicians) were successfully doing their jobs, they would not be threatened by the possibility of Trump being re-elected.

I told you all almost 4 years ago Trump had Washington running scared.  Whether or not you agree with his tactics, he's shaking it up.  

While we're at it, I'm sick of Gavin Newsom running around Sonoma County like he's some sort of hero.  He did NOTHING except show up for media opportunities.  It was nameless, invisible volunteers who coordinated the shelters and food for fire evacuees.  Why should Newsom get all the credit?  Again, if he were so great and wonderful San Francisco would have been cleaned up with affordable housing while he was mayor.  NOT.  Same with all the other politicians who showed up to hand out food they had nothing to do with preparing, coordinating and transporting....yet there they are....all in front of the camera....like they did something. 

Want to do something Newsom and other do-gooder politicians?  Hold the PUC accountable.  Are not they the sanctioned oversight of PG&E?  Oh, damning one of their own is political suicide. 

Do You Have Power?

That's the common greeting in Marin and Sonoma Counties this week.  We don't greet each other with 'good morning' we greet each other with 'do you have power'. 

The answers are strange.  One block in Novato will have power, and the other will not.  There seems to be no rhyme nor reason.  All we know is that it's PGE's way of saying FU to everybody. 

Here's the kicker:  With all the power outages we are scrambling to purchase gas powered generators.   The pollution the gas generators emit contributes even more to global warming, which feeds the winds and dry conditions which fuel the wild fires.  It's a viscous cycle. 

Does anybody else see the irony? 

On Fire - AGAIN

Sonoma County is on fire....again. I've managed to find the sliver of Sonoma County that actually has electricity and an operating internet service.  Our power has been out since Saturday.  The entire county is on edge.  Schools and some businesses are closed.  The air has an unhealthy level of smoke.  At times like these, a sense of humor is paramount. 

Here's a song Sonoma County can relate to "Boom Boom - Out Go The Lights"  by the Pat Travers Band.  I bet you forgot about it.  You'll remember it when you play it. What a great band!!!!!  So much TALENT.

Let's not forget about Billy Squire lamenting that he's In The Dark.  Don't feel too badly, Billy, we are in the dark as well.


......and let's not forget that Midnight Oil is also lamenting that they can't sleep while their beds are burning.  Neither can we.  

Fullon Bhutt

While I was in the airport Sunday the name over the PA address system was calling "Fullon Bhutt, please come to the counter."

Sorry, my inner third grader came right out. 

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha  Full On Butt.    I was looking for a large black woman. 

It ranks right up there with: Mr. Dumas, Harry Rectim, Barb Dwyer, and Richard Cranium (aka Dick Head). 

I manage to have fun in places where others are bored to tears - the airport is such a place.  Yes, it's juvenile and I own that.  

Target Date Retirement Funds

There's a guy who is an "investment consultant" for a defined benefit pension plan I deal with.  He's from a swanky firm from the east coast and wears a suit and tie with shiny shoes.  Once a quarter we get fancy reports with: graphs, charts, Morningstar fund ratings, comparison reports, performance snapshots, expense ratios, etc., etc., etc.  This guy gets about $80,000 per year just from the one Taft-Hartley defined benefit trust fund.  It slipped out during the last report he gave that he has his own retirement funds in a low cost target date fund because "he doesn't have time" to deal with his own investment portfolio. 

Moral of the story?  Never trust the guy in the suit and put your own retirement funds in a low cost target date fund.  If it's good enough for the professional investor, it's good enough for us. 

He's got a great scam going. 

The Sick Healer

I know a lady who has devoted her life to:  yoga, meditation, veganism, spirituality, healing the energy of others, etc.  She is the holiest person I know.  She practices what she preaches and calls herself out on her own hypocrisy.  She does not shove any particular belief system down your throat, but waits until you're ready and then suggests belief systems to explore.  None are off limits.

For years she has been trying to get me to be a yoga regular as she has taught yoga for years.  I always had an excuse not to be a regular.  One day it hit me out of the blue that I should just be a regular to see what happens.  What's the worst thing that could happen?  I stretch muscles that have not been stretched in decades?   I fall down doing a balance asana?  It's time to get over myself and  I seek out classes my friend is teaching and join.  I made it about a month or so before my friend resigned from teaching.  Why did she resign?  She came down with a mystery illness that is still not diagnosed to this day.  This was May and it's now October. 

I'm genuinely worried about her.  We text and email back and forth, and I have seen her a couple of times.  My gut feeling is that she is just simply depleted from taking on and healing everybody's energy except her own. 

As for yoga, I'm still a regular and it does make a difference in the way I think and feel.  I highly recommend it.  In yesterday's class men outnumbered women (for once) and the instructor was male.  I'm really happy that it's catching on with guys as I think they need it even more than women do. 

Namaste. 

Blast from the Past 2010

Here's a post I wrote back in 2010.  Who da thunk that in 7 years from writing my post Fountain Grove would have burned to the ground?  Who said I wasn't psychic? Better yet, don't p*** me off because if you are the target of my rants sh@t will find you.  LOL

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Fountain Grove Fire Station

Oh, gawwwwwd.... the rich snobs in Fountain grove are whining about a proposed fire station in their "upscale" neighborhood. Just where is the firing squad? These people (and their gene pool) should be wiped off the face of the earth -- forever.

I have a plan of attack to rid us all of the incessant whiners whose NIMBYism smacks as to exactly what is wrong with this country.

Come July, when it's *really* dry, windy, and hot, lets douse their homes with gasoline and light them on fire.

When their "prescious, upscale" homes burn to the ground, they will get NO sympanthy from anybody as to why the fire response time was so slow.

I have but one word for the Fountain Grove Whiners "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah"

I'll buy diapers and pacifiers for all you Fountaingrovers if it will shut you up. Oh, my mistake... you're already probably using "depends" and drinking "ensure." Same fuckin' thing.

The building of the fire station has not been a secret. Please, sell IMMEDIATELY and go back to LA, Marin, or where ever the fuck you came from. I'm sure your old neighbors miss ridiculing you for striving to be a rich-bitch-wanna-be.

Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. BUH-bye.....

Dance for Joy

OK, so I'm a closet ELO fan.  I came across this video the other night when I was just chilling.  This video brings me so much JOY.  I know that's hard to believe from reading my cranky rants about whatever is bugging me at the moment. 

All I know is that I see the people in the video dancing for JOY.  It does not matter if they are professional or not, their enthusiasm is everything....and yes, that would be me dancing in the grocery store aisles at Target.  I dare you to join me.  I LOVE THIS.

Mother of the Bride

After a merry-go-round of beaus, my daughter thinks she has finally found "the one."  I'm glad she's been out in the dating world and has dated all types of guys - she knows what she wants in a man.  Sure, she's had her heart stomped on (haven't we all) and she's broken her fair share of hearts as well.  Her lowest point when dating was when I drove her from San Francisco to Oregon so she could try a last-ditch effort on a Polynesian guy who treated her like crap.  I knew she was emotional and did not want her driving that long of a distance to give him back his stuff.  There were tears all the way up and back.  I was secretly cheering the end of the relationship.  I knew she would figure it out eventually. 

Now, after graduating from college, going overseas, dating guys from the east coast, south, Australia, wherever, who is she choosing?  A guy who went to her high school right here in Sonoma County.  They did not date in high school, but hung out in groups when they were both dating other people.  They even went to the same elementary and junior high school.  Awwwwwwwww isn't that CUTE? 

I guess you have to travel the world to appreciate home and the homies.  Sometimes it's hard to beat what's in your own backyard. 

Impeachment? Who CARES????????

Impeachment so close to an election of the Reigning Orange Cheeto is such a waste of time and energy.  Does he deserve to be impeached?  Who knows.  I have such a hard time believing anything the media states.  Bottom line, who CARES? 

What do Americans want?  We want action on: health care, job security, homelessness, pension reform, climate change, green energy, prescription drugs. 

WE DON'T GIVE A FLOOT ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE

This whole impeachment thing is just an excuse for politicians to accomplish nothing by blaming the other side for inaction.  You want to know why?  Because actual change and reform takes intelligence, patience, team building, adult-like behavior and not "look-at-me-I-am-saving-the-world" by singular congressmen trying to whore the spotlight, cameras, and media trying to gratify their own egos. 

Romeo Void

Here's a song that takes me back to THEE day.  Just remember the lyrics.  I might like you better if we slept together....but then I might not.  Gamble.  The song is "Never Say Never" by Romeo Void a San Francisco band from....cough, cough, my younger years.

Never Bored

I will never be bored.  There are so many things to learn and do.  I don't understand when people say they are bored.  I simply don't get it.  There's ALWAYS something to do......learn about retirement strategies, learn a foreign language, take the dog for a walk, clean up the dog's poop, weed the garden, learn to play an instrument.

If you're bored then you're boring.  If you don't like to be alone you're not in very good company. 

Blaming Insurance Companies

Here's the front page of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Y

Yes, their insurance is running out.  However, the article fails to specify exactly how the insurance companies failed to fulfill what was in the policy.  Payouts are determined by the policy purchased.  Many insureds opted for subpar coverage with lower premiums thinking they could save a few bucks.  They gambled thinking they would never need the coverage.  They lost the bet.  The insureds got exactly what their policy entailed.  I know blaming insurance companies is easy and convenient.  Everybody hates them and they are easy targets.  How 'bout some personal responsibility on the insureds part for choices made? 

No......it's so much easier to blame somebody else, stage a protest, whine, and try to get somebody else to pay. 

No, I'm not politically correct but I write the truth.  Sorry if you can't handle it. 

Pac Man Fever

This will resonate with the parents of the video game generation.  Come on, I can still see you all hovering over the Pac Man arcade game with your wrists and faces all twisted trying to get whatever the prize was. 

Attempted Murder Trial

I can't make this stuff up, people.  I've been called to act as a character witness for an attempted murder trial on behalf of the defendant who was once my boss.  It's a long, LONG complicated story and history we share that spans several decades and layers upon layers of social circles.  It would take at least a week and a couple bottles of wine to explain it all. 

Why me?  Why was I called to be a character witness?  I have not seen Boss in about 10 years.  It was not even Boss who called me.  It was his over-controlling-money-grubbing wife who made initial contact with me. 

Whatever.  There are things I learned from Boss that I carry with me to this day that could never be taught in school.  He was a great coach.  He was extremely tough and held high standards, and he taught me to be tough as well.  He did have a temper, but so do I and I gave it right back.  Was he violent?  No.  Did he get angry.  Yes.  I've witnessed many times where his face would get red.  I knew that was the precursor to the verbal vomit that was about to erupt. 

Yes, Boss liked to drink and there were times when I would be the one driving him back after an alcohol infused two-martini (at least) power lunch with his posse.  Did Boss try to kill somebody (again, long complicated story)?  My opinion is no but I'm certain Boss got *REALLY* P.O'ed and made it be known he was no longer fooling around.  

Sugar Bear - Coco Puffs - Lucky Charms - Kool Aid

Remember the 70's?  You know, when we all indulged in just about everything before we found out it was bad for us?  It was the decade of the toxins that were all packaged up and sold to us kids through advertising.  No wonder we are all 300 pounds, diabetic, and have cancer.  

Seriously, we were KIDS when this crap was marketed to us.  We begged our parents to buy it for us as everything on TV is cool and correct.  The marketing execs knew exactly what they were doing.  The way to profits was through the kids' whiny demands. Thank goddesses in a weird way that my parents could not afford packaged foods.  At the time I thought I was the biggest low-life on the planet bringing a plain and boring APPLE (OMG so embarrassing - kill me now) to school as a snack opposed to the fancy-shmancy packaged stuff the other kids had.  The cool kids went to McDonald's at least once a week.  My family never had fast food nor went out to eat.  We had to eat the stuff my grandparents grew and raised on the farm.  Boring and soooooooo uncool.  I was humiliated by my brown paper bag (not the neat-o Charlie's Angels lunch box the "in" girls had) and my boring paper bag filled with boring farm food stuffs. 

Remember Sugar Bear?  This will take you down memory lane.  Sugar as nutritious?  Surely you jest.  Surely Sugar Bear knew....


Remember the Kool-Aid Man?  He crashed through walls to sell us artificially flavored powder that was somehow made "healthy" by mom adding just a cup of sugar.


Remember Lucky Charms?   I just wanted to marshmallows and skip the oats. 

The Lung

I had a dream about an ex-boyfriend last night,  Granted, the relationship did not end well.  However, I had always hoped that there would be some sort of closure someday despite the lack of it at the time the break up happened. 

Whatever.  The breakup happened without any proper closure.  I guess it bugs me more than it could ever bug him, otherwise he would have said something to the like of, "Well, sorry, it just didn't work out between us and I wish you the best for what lies ahead."

Nope.  He said nothing.  No good-bye, kiss my *ss, see you later, thanks for the good times, nothing.  NOTHING. 

Now, back to the dream.  In the dream my ex-boyfriend was showing me sections of his chest where his lung was infected.  He was telling me of the discoloration, the rashes, etc., and what his prognosis was.  He is sick.  I don't know what he wants me to do about it.  He has burned all his bridges and everybody who could have possibly cared about him has abandoned him because he's been such an asshole and has only cared about himself.  No, he abandoned everybody else because we all got sick of placating to his narcissistic tenancies and he could not handle any criticism about himself. 

I did not know what he wanted to accomplish by communicating his sickness to me.  He has ignored me for several years.  OK... EX.....  YOU'RE SICK.  I told YOU THAT SEVERAL YEARS AGO.  I COULD SEE IT IN YOUR AURA.....WAY BEFORE YOU WERE DIAGNOSED.  He did not want to listen to anything I said about how to heal, he only wanted to spread his negative energy to get it away from himself. 

Why Wine Tastes Smokey

It's happened.  The 2017 cabernet wine I opened tonight tastes like smoke.  Maybe I should keep it as a collectors item. Speaking of fires, we are all on pins and needles as it's fire season.  Who would have ever thought that an entire swath of Santa Rosa would be leveled?

The below videos explain why my wine tastes like smoke.  One video has the location in Coffee Park where my house once stood.

Modern Art

A large ball of twine.  Christmas lights around a broomstick handle.  A pyramid of soda cans.  These are all examples of "modern art." 

Oh, you're a MORON if you don't see the aesthetic qualities in the above examples.  Why, you must be some unrefined slob (says the hoity-toity) to not shell out $1,000,000 to have it in your home.

Sorry, but the vast majority of what some call 'modern art' is nothing more than some scam artist trying to convince rich idiots that his creations made of crap are actually worth something - I don't care what backstory they try to attach to it.  

Wait.  I sense a business opportunity. 

UC Berkeley: Purchased by China

Here's something that nobody wants you to know about.  UC Berkeley has been purchased by the Chinese.  Go ahead.  Prove me wrong.  I'm waiting. 

It falls so contrary to the UC Berkeley humanitarian battle cry.....until it comes to money.

It always does. 

Fake.  Fucks. 

The Farm

This picture is my maternal grandparents' farm house in rural Minnesota.  Today it sits abandoned and trashed.  We're lucky it's not a meth lab.  Give it time, and I'm sure the meth-heads will figure it out.  The inside is equally hideous and a horrific smell comes from the basement.  The smell is nauseating.  How did it get this way?  Short answer is neglect from a specific set of cousins who basically stole this section of property and then let it rot (long story).  I'm sure when my childless uncle, who owns and operates the other half of this property, leaves this earth this particular set of cousins will be first in line with their hands out. 

It's sad for me to see the house this way.  I have many, many fond memories of this place and I dream of it often.  I can still see my grandma in the kitchen and my grandpa in his chair in the living room. 

Too Many Rats In The Cage

Think of earth as a cage.  Think of humans as rats.  There are too many rats in the cage.  Do you know what happens when there are too many rats in the cage?  They get all agitated and start to gnaw on each other. 

Think about it.  That's exactly what's happening.  There are too many people clamoring for limited resources.  Why else do you think everybody is on edge these days and half a bubble off?  Why else are we so trigger happy and aggressive?  Why else would the quality of life be diminishing?

Which bring me to the term 'transplant.'  A transplant is a person who voluntarily moves away from their origins because they thought it sucked, only to want to make the place they left exactly like the place where they came from. 

Yesterday I had lunch with a west Sonoma County friend who has roots in the area that span 130 years.  Her family has held the same property for that long.  My friend is what they would call 'old school' which means they raise farm animals and have agriculture.  My friend's family has carved out the wilderness and created the gem that draws so many people to Sonoma County from other areas.  We have not fuhcupped it (yet).  Sonoma County is the way it is currently because of the pioneering efforts of my friend's family. 

Along come the moneyed transplants.

These people move in and then bitch about everything, trying to make it like the place they came from,  and they have the time and money to whine about it.  The transplants bitch about the burn day (for which my friend has a permit).  They bitch about fences that have been there for 60 years (which were disclosed when the transplants bought the adjacent property).  They bitch about the crowing roosters (again, the roosters were there before the transplants ever were).  They bitch when my friend cuts down their own trees on their OWN property (which were a hazard).  These transplant people move here, and then bitch about the people who created the place they now enjoy. 

No respect. 

Please, annoying moneyed transplants, move back to where you came from.  You're ruining Sonoma County.  To those who move here and embrace and don't bitch?  The welcome mat is rolled out for you. 

Again, too many rats in the cage. 

Cash Flow Problems

I serve as a collection agent for employee benefits trust funds.  What that means is that I am trusted with millions upon millions of dollars.  None of it is mine, and I was once asked about how I felt handling the volumes of money that I do.  I guess I don't even think about it, because after doing this for so many years the money I handle is just a number.  I also realize a worker is trusting me to make sure he gets his pension contributions in, on time, and credited to his account. 

It's month-end and it's also the busiest time of year for my industry.  What I have noticed this month is that there are several employers who have not made their benefit contributions on behalf of their employees.  This number is waaaaaaaay up from months past.  Sure, sometimes the payroll person in charge of submitting the contributions gets sick, they get new computer software, employee turnover, etc.  That's not the situation I'm worried about.  What I am worried about this month as I'm closing it out is that there are several employers owing money who usually never do.  *Huge* red flag.  Something has shifted in the last month where cash is an issue for businesses.  If they are not making employee benefit contributions in a timely manner the business is suffering  BIG TIME. 

Something is up with the economy, and it's not good.  We can go from feast to famine quickly. 

Be Careful of the One Party Government System

California is notoriously democratic.  Just like everything else in the universe, balance is required for long-term sustainability.  Call it the yin and yang, if you will.  We all think that our line of thinking is the superior way of operating.  Truth is, we need opposing viewpoints, beliefs and policies to keep things in balance and in check.  No party is completely right nor wrong. 

It's dangerous to get too entrenched into a political party.  Any government system that is over-represented in a single party should be your worst nightmare.  There's nothing to balance it out and it's doomed to collapse under its own weight.

Here's something else to ponder.  Young idealists tend to be very socialist.  After life has handed them their *ss on a platter their viewpoints change over time and they become more conservative.  Just look at political parties and their age base.   

Don't dismiss people who have rotated around the sun several times.  They have witnessed and experienced a lot more than somebody who has not really lived life yet but want to think they have all the answers.  If we cave to the thinking of youngsters we will be letting teenage-like thinking rule.  Dangerous.  The parents reigning the teenagers in are necessary, but of course, are seen as evil, mean, and out to ruin everything when in fact they are not. 

Think about that when voting.  I dare you. 

Word Games With Food

Ah yes, restaurants are constantly thinking of ways to make us believe we are eating something unique and special.  Food is an art, so artsy-fartsy foods and their descriptions are forever morphing so we all think we are so refined and sophisticated.

Let me give some examples.  Humble mayonnaise is now called "aioli."  Meat and cheese platters are now "charcuterie boards."  "Market inspired soup" is yesterday's leftovers thrown in a pot with broth.  "Pomme puree" is mashed potatoes.  Liverwurst is "rolliche." Pizza is now "artisan flat bread." Gravy is now "au jus" or "reduction sauce" depending on what you're ordering. 

You get the meaning.  I could go on and on.

Oh, one more thing to add to my name blog from the other day.  How do you get Chuck from Charles?

Stay cool, y'all.  It's hotter than Hades. 

Joe Biden = Hillary

I don't know why the Dems are so up in arms about Russia trying to influence our election process.  What is even more insidious are the Dems trying to influence our OWN election process.  The last election cycle saw Hillary trying to squash the popularity of Bernie Sanders, which was against the will of people. 

Bottom Line:  Hillary thought she was owed the presidency.  Nobody likes Hillary, except Hillary. 

Now, we are getting the media trying to push Biden down our throats like they tried with Hillary.  The press is making excuses for Biden's mess ups and trying to convince us to like him.  This will backfire.  Biden is nothing more than a bought and sold, scripted, robotic politician. There is nothing genuine about him except his dumb mouth.   Biden is Hillary 2020. 

Sonoma County Aristocracy

It exists, folks.  The Sonoma County Aristocracy.  You will know when/if you're ever accepted into it.  There is no formal coronation.  There are no invitations.  There's no news paper article announcing it.  It just IS.

Sure, you may have plenty of money; but, if you are a transplant from somewhere else (cough, cough southern California or New York) entrance into the 'club' is superficial at best.  You may be welcomed with warm smiles at parties and fund raising events thinking you can buy your way in, but you will never be one of them.  

Where you grew up is one of the most determining factors of belonging to the club.  Also, if you have relatives in the area is also a determining factor.  Where did you go to grade school?  Where does your grandma live?  If it's Sonoma County, your stock is rising.  Do you have cousins in the area?  Where do you play golf?  Hint:  The most expensive course is not where they all hang out.

Seriously, there is this web of society where the aristocracy is all connected.  There is a circle of names where they all tend to know each other.  They do business with each other.  It's all about keeping the money local and with the local families.

I have to give the 'club' credit for supporting local businesses and families.  If Sonoma County does not look after its own, nobody else will. 

FLUSH THE TOILET!!!!!!!!

I have a communal bathroom in my office building.  There is somebody who DOES NOT FLUSH THE TOILET.  It grosses me out.  She puts the lid down, but does not flush.

WHO DOES THAT?????  EVEN AT HOME!!!!!!!  GROSS!!!!

What, did she just forget that she just used the toilet and then forgot to flush?  It's not rocket science, people.  Flushing the toilet after use is just plain common courtesy - especially in a communal bathroom.  If you want to stare at your own body waste at home, knock yourself out.  Others don't want to have any reminder of what you did on the toilet.  At one point there was a note on the bathroom stall door that read, "FLUSH THE TOILET.  YOU'RE NOT AT HOME."

See?  I'm not the only one grossed out by this.  Sadly, the note did not do any good.  We have a non-flusher in the house and I'm going to figure out who it is and leave dog poo in front of their door.  If I have to look at theirs, they can look at mine.  

Now....onto another entirely different rant.

Names.  Here's a question that I have been pondering for sometime.

How do we get Peg or Peggy from Margaret?
How do we get Bill or Billy from William?
How do we get Betsy from Elizabeth?
How do we get Dick from Richard?

You get my drift.  I had to distract myself from the non-flusher. 

Sonoma County Septic Systems

Yes, when your crap impacts others it's your responsibility to deal with it.  Literally.  There's controversy in the western part of Sonoma County about old septic systems polluting the Russian River.  Landowners will have to do their fair share of septic upkeep.

Now the landowners are whining about it.

Clue to the clueless:  When you purchase property YOU are responsible for clearing trees and brush, painting your house, mowing your lawn, keeping your fences maintained, AND dealing with your septic system. 

If you're too dumb to figure in those expenses when purchasing the property, you should have never purchased it.  Don't come whining to me saying you need a bailout to keep up YOUR property.  I don't need any of your sh**.  Literally. 

Trump Hat: Make America Great Again

Sometimes words are just not necessary.  I can't make this stuff up, people.

Gilroy Garlic Festival

I've hung onto this for a week.  The little 6 year-old boy who was shot and killed at the Gilroy Garlic Festival was the son of an industry partner.  Imagine this.  Father wakes up on a Sunday to take his kid to a family-oriented event.  Some whack job kills not only his kid, but others as well. 

Now, within a week, there have been two other shootings at public places where innocent people are just doing their thing.  What is driving all this violence? 

I can't help but notice that all three shooters were young, white males. 

.....anybody else notice????

White males are feeling isolated and threatened.  Lashing out is the response.  White males are blamed for everything that's wrong in the world.  It's the only group where racism, sexism, and discrimination is allowed and even encouraged. I'm in no way condoning the shootings, but the problem runs much deeper than the surface gun control. 

I FEEL SORRY FOR MEN.  Society has shamed them for having a penis.  They have no healthy outlets nor support.  We have shamed them for all of their natural urges and have given absolutely no direction on how to express their urges in a constructive manner.  All of that shame and anger doesn't go away.  It builds pressure over time and eventually explodes. 

Delete, Delete, Delete, Delete

Delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete

....That's all I do.....all day long....hit delete...I had no idea that would be in my job description.

I so miss the days when there was an actual effort to communicate and it took effort.

Sadly, there may be a nugget of useful information buried in the thousands of emails blasted at us daily.  Finding nuggets of useful information is the modern day version of panning for gold.   Most of it is sludge and mud and an it ends up being an utter waste of time. 

Published Again

I do more than spew stupid word vomit on this blog.  I do write some things I think of are substance, and the universe agrees.  I'm happy to say that I have been published four times this year on a national, well-known forum.  My passion has always been 'pointing out the obvious to the world at large.' 

Well, all that and I'm sitting here in my jammies drinking coffee and doing laundry completely anonymous to the world....and I like it that way.

On another note, I'm heading to Minnesota to see my family and friends.  The family dynamics are complicated to say the least.  My gorgeous niece, who got knocked up by a convicted child molester who did two years of time, keeps trying to tell the rest of the family what a great guy he is.   Of course, we're not buying it.  Even serial killers have their charming moments.  The bigger question is WHY would such a lovely, beautiful, smart young lady CHOOSE somebody like that?  I can't delve into deep psychoanalysis here, but I have my suspicions.  Aside from shaking her and asking WTF are you doing, which I have done via writing, there's nothing I can do and it's frustrating to the core.  Why did not her internal warning sirens engage when she learned the truth about this guy? 

I'm feeling it in the pit of my stomach that something is going to happen between now and the holidays where something is going to be exposed and my niece is going to have to swallow her pride defending "what a great guy he is" and leave him.  The rest of the family will silently be cheering.  I have to be careful in my interactions with my niece.  When we want to guide others (some call it butting in) we deny them to do the work they need to do to learn and grow from the experience.  We deny them the soul-growth that needs to happen during this lifetime.  We just need to butt out and let things play out......even as the acid in our stomachs is making us sick. 

The Crash is Coming

Notice anything lately?  Despite what the experts are saying about our economy, houses are sitting on the market these days.  There are signs that say 'price reduced.'  A couple years ago anything that was slightly above a dilapidated dog house sold for at least $500,000.  Still, seeing the reduced price sign is of little comfort to those who earn $25 an hour.  And guess what.  There are a lot of people who earn $25 per hour.  It's still out of reach.

While the ebbs and flows of the real estate market and economy are complex, my over-simplified sense is that we are in the beginning stages of a recession.  

We are back where we were in 2008.  It's all cyclical.

I'm Soooooooo Confuuuuuuused

What?  No cardboard?  I guess it takes cardboard to say no cardboard? 

The Wall

Here's something for contemplation.  I want you all to really think about this.  It's a poem by Robert Frost titled Mending Wall.

“…Before I built a wall I’d ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out,

And to whom I was like to give offense.

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall That wants it down.”

––––––––––from Mending Wall by Robert Frost

Yup, I'm getting all deep.  The walls can be physical or metaphoric.  Ready, set, THINK and CONTEMPLATE.

My Brother

My older brother is somebody who has always been a bit quirky but in a cool way.  In high school he was kind of a burnout and smoked a lot of weed.  He had a one-hitter in his locker.  My mother thought he was a saint (sigh).

There are two songs that remind me of him.  Of course, you've probably never heard of either band.  My brother did not do anything mainstream. 

See you in a week.


There is a reason why The Cramps had an album titled "Bad Music for Bad People."

Facebook and Instagram

By now we have all learned that nothing we do via technology is private.  Yes, that even means this stupid blog powered by the evil Google.  I don't care what big tech says about protecting your privacy:  they don't.  I warned you all years ago that Facebook was nothing more than a grab at your personal information.  Yet there you all are.  Posting pictures of your food.  Posting vacation pictures.

While Facebook  is getting all the attention right now about violating your privacy, Instagram is right there as well because Facebook also owns Instagram.  Facebook  also owns WhatsApp, Oculus VR, and FriendFeed to name a few.

Here's my advice to people who are upset about their privacy being violated on social media.  Stop posting.  However, our reliance on technology outside of social media requires privacy protection.  Big Tech has no real interest in it.  The genie is out of the bottle, folks. 

Cash and snail mail.  Cash and snail mail.  Cash and snail mail.  Repeat as often as necessary. 

Off the Grid

Quiet Rage has been up in northern Montana in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.  Internet access was spotty at best.  Some in my group complained about 'being in a third world country' with the lack of technology.  Others praised at the ability to be off their electronic leashes.

It was interesting to see come sunset witnessing as to whom was running from spot to spot like chicken little looking for a stable internet connection after being offline all day to check emails, texts, etc., while others were in awe of what Big Sky Country offered with the colors, mountains, and emerging stars. 

Do we really think we are so important that the world will stop revolving if an email goes unanswered for a bit?  I feel sorry they are trapped by their own self-importance and missing out on what is truly soulful...and they don't even realize it. 

Chewing Gum and Dog Poo

There's a special place in hell for those who leave chewing gum and dog poo in places where others can step on it. 

Boris the Spider

OK.... I'm going to go back to the 70's for a bit.  Way back in the day, the STONE age (get it????) I remember being with one of my Minnesota besties, JLB, and her older sister.  JLB's older sister had a boyfriend who had Bing Bong.  Yes, it was marijuana paraphernalia, and we used it shamelessly.  We would use Bing Bong and the inevitable munchies would ensue.

Now what.

We get in the car (please, refrain from judgement) and make the trek to Aunt ChiChi's for a cheese chilito or whatever Mexican junk food we could get our paws on given this was Minnesota the land of Scandinavian and Germanic foodstuffs.  We had no idea what real Mexican food really was.  Anyway........While we were making the trek to Aunt ChiChi's, we would listen to The Who on an 8-trek.  Millennials, do you know WTF that is?  Whatever.  Anyway, we were under the influence of a certain plant that is now legal in some states happily listening to The Who on 8-trak enroute to munchie heaven.  One song that we listened to over and over again was 'Boris the Spider.'  For whatever reason, we found that song hilarious and loved the creeepy-crawwwly-creepy-creepy-crawwwwwly-crawwwwly-creepy-creepy-crawwwwly-crawwwly.

So.....fast forward 40 years.  We now have a pet spider right here at our home in Sonoma County who lives on our deck out back.  He has spun his web.  My son feeds him flies.  My daughter wants to kill him.  The spider's name is Boris - in honor of my fond memories.  Here's both a picture of the spider and the song.  Enjoy.

....and here's my Boris the Spider

Tower of Babel

We're living a modern version of the Tower of Babel.  Literally.  Everybody is talking over each other babbling incoherently (there's that word again) trying to persuade you that their line of thinking is correct and that you're a complete idiot if you disagree.  Voices, words, images, are flying at us constantly.  Does any of it make any sense?

Go Away

We are so bombarded with information coupled with people who want our attention it's exhausting.  You are exhausted, too, with the constant pings, dings, interruptions, pleas for joining whatever social cause, and click bait.  It's come down to this:

Do you owe me money? 

Do I owe you money?

If the answer is yes to any of the two above questions you have my attention.  If not, go away and don't bug me.  Don't email me, don't call me, don't try to get in my face for any reason whatsoever.  You will only enrage me.  I don't need you telling me what I should or should not purchase.  I don't need you telling me what I should or should not believe in.  I will immediately discard whatever you're trying to push on me.  Pestering me will not increase you're chances.  Leave me alone. 

Of course, this applies to those peddling goods and services and not personal friendships. 

Exclusion at UC Berkeley

Oh yes, it's college admission/rejection season.  Some will be happy and some will be disappointed.  Each college has their own admission criteria.  Here's what I observed:  The most liberal college (UC Berkeley) has some of the most exclusionary admission practices.  They all want open borders and opportunity as we are all equal, but they don't want open classroom doors at their university.  They want to shove it in your face how 'special' they are.  Why?

They are prejudiced and bigoted as well, it just shows up in a different form.  Some of the snobbiest people are academics at so-called liberal colleges.  They judge and discriminate based on your academic path.  God forbid if you went to a community college.  You are lower than dirt.  They think they are better than everybody else.

I don't get why uber liberal colleges don't have an open door policy.  After all, they preach that everybody is equal and deserves a chance.  UC Berkeley hosts protests, marches, blah, blah, blah, for equality of all.  If they truly believed that, they would accept all who apply.  They don't.

David Lee Roth - Just a Gigolo

This video came on while I was at the gym yesterday.  I totally forgot about it, but when it played it brought back every second of that glorious year 1985.  David Lee Roth, who was the lead singer for Van Halen, was a goof ball. 

This video is a time capsule for the 1980's.  I can't think of anything that captures the 80's like this video to bring us back. 

2020 Census

It's coming up again, the census.  Who checks for accuracy when people fill it out?  All they can really count is how many get returned.  There's no way the government can verify the information that's on it.  The government is *not* that organized nor efficient.  What are they going to do if you don't fill it out, put you in census jail?  Jails and prisons are already overcrowded. 

Sigh.

Now, how do count those who are in the country illegally?  Should they be counted?  How is the government going to accurately count them should it be decided they should be included at all? 

Wait.

I can hear the arguments from both sides as to whether or not illegal non-citizens should or should not be included.  Here's where we pull out our history books for resolution.  Let's revisit the 1787 Constitutional Convention.  Our Founding Fathers (some of whom had slaves) argued vehemently among themselves about whether or not slaves be counted for the census, which also determined the number of seats in the House of Representatives.  After much arguing and deliberation, the 3/5 compromise was struck.  Three out of five slaves would be included in the numbers. 

Let's be blunt.  Illegal immigrants are our modern day slaves.  We all use them, especially wealthy democrats from Marin.  It's so ironic that the bastion of blue-voting-equality-for-all democrats are the biggest consumers of slave labor.  Well, at least Marinites want to count them as people - as long as the slaves don't live anywhere near them and are otherwise out of site. 

See how little has really changed since our country was born?  If the 3/5 Compromise worked back then, why won't it work now?  That is assuming the government can do an accurate and thorough accounting.  Don't hold your breath. 

D Day

Yesterday was D Day.  What was D Day?  It was that infamous day that was the turning point for WWII.  The allied forces stormed Normandy to meet a wall of Nazi weapons and bullets. Not many of the veterans are left.  My fear is that once they are gone, history will repeat itself but perhaps with different names.

I had the opportunity to visit Normandy about 3 years and see first-hand Omaha Beach the the scars and pillboxes that are still there.  We also visited the American Cemetery.  I did not expect to get emotional, but I did.  It was moving like visiting the tomb of the unknown soldier in Washington, D.C.

Back to Normandy.  We were on a bus with other people during the tour.  There were two schools of thought on seeing people now enjoy the beaches with their families having picnics.  One school of thought by a veteran was that 'how dare they enjoy themselves on a sacred gravesite where so many died.'  The other veteran's point of view was that he was glad families were enjoying themselves on the beach, as freedom to do so was what he was fighting for.

Who is right? 

Both of them are. 

The Journey Inward

I'm an introvert by nature.  What does that mean?  It means I generally find people exhausting.  Large parties and crowds are something I must endure.  It's hard to be an introvert in an extroverted world as we are outnumbered pretty much 4:1.  I live a quiet life in a noisy world.  I'd much rather be home reading, gardening, cooking, contemplating the big questions.

I'll stop there.  Contemplating the big questions.

You know the saying you are what you eat?  Well, I must now be a finely aged cabernet wine.  Mellow and smooth.  LOL.

I am mellowing as I age.  I am part of group of introverts speckled with a few extroverts here in Sonoma County who quietly get together to ask the 'big questions.'  We talk, journal, read, discuss, observe.  We challenge each others' viewpoints without judgement or anger. 

Here's what I'm getting to.  This process has brought me not only to my external observations/issues with the world, but also internal.  I'm beginning to recognize the hypocrisy within myself.  If I'm going to talk the talk, I'm going to walk the walk.

It's going to be a *very* long walk........

Nuclear Family Experiment

The more things change the more they stay the same.  Everybody is complaining about affordable housing.  What does that mean?  The cultural experiment of the nuclear family was created post WWII.  Prior to that several generations lived in the same house together.  Nobody ever really moved out or away. 

Back then people could not "afford" to move out of their parents' house.  

What's old is new. 

Carole King

Today I went with two friends to the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco to see the musical Beautiful which is about the life of the singer/songwriter Carole King.

Who is Carole King?  I know you know her....even if you say you don't.

Carole King is the music I grew up with, but never really paid attention to the source and the soulfulness of her talent.  There are so many hit songs she wrote for artists with varied genres.  You couldn't peg her to just one.  She wrote for The Monkeys, The Animals, The Shirrells, The Drifters...all of that BEFORE she struck out on her own singing her own songs that became huge hits.

Here's her first hit she wrote with her husband for The Shirrells.

And some years later when she sang the songs she wrote

Thank you, Carol, for the many, many songs you gifted to us.   

The Wedding

My son and his husband had their spiritual bonding ceremony yesterday.  They have been married legally for a couple years now, and that was a 5 minute paper signing deal at the courthouse in San Diego where I was not even there.  So yes, there were two steps here:  the legal aspect of marriage, and the spiritual bonding ceremony.  In this instance, they were separated out where the 'traditional' format is having the legal and spiritual aspects take place at the same time.

Well, do you expect a gay wedding to be traditional?

My California bestie, M, hosted the event at her home that was built in 1886.  Her house is teaming with spiritual activity from past residents, and the spirits like it when celebrations happen.  M wants to open up her house to be a wedding venue, and this was the first one she did.  The guests actually thought it was an actual venue as the house and property are so well laid out.  M and I have along history of cooking for crowds and we put it all together.  Help came out of nowhere.  It was heart-warming to see friends and family volunteer to: lend a hand, make an appetizer, set up tables, do photography, run last minute errands, etc.  I was so moved by it all I actually cried with gratitude.

My son and his husband did not want a stuffy fru-fru wedding.  They wanted everybody to come, relax, wear shorts and flip flops, and witness their spiritual ceremony.  And people did.

The man who did the officiating was a teacher my son had in high school.  He is now retired, but he has touched so many young lives with his compassion and wisdom.  He was a mentor to many lost souls floating about.

The food?  What do you think foodies are going to serve?  And the drinks?  Let the wine and beer flow.

We had:  bbq pulled pork and chicken, buns, macaroni salad, pasta salad, baked beans, green salad, brie and goat cheeses with crackers, shrimp cocktail,  sandwich wheel roll-ups, stuffed olives, potato chips, vegetables, dips, deviled eggs, cheesy potatoes, coleslaw, Lutheran sushi (look it up ha ha ha),
pistachios, smoked almonds, tortilla chips w/ salsa, and an edible fruit arrangement with the cake.

Whew.  We did the food ourselves without any catering.  Granted, we had help and each food item were family recipe favorites that have been passed down for generations.  I loved having the family recipes there along with my grandmother's serving platters.  Everything meant something. 

How did we keep the food items chilled during the set up?  A bathtub filled with ice makes a nice, flat, wide bed to place platters on.  Keep the drain open so the ice does not melt and drown your food.

Today I'm exhausted.  I'm going down to M's to tear down the tables and chairs.  Again, I have help.  My sister and niece are here from Minnesota along with my nephews.  My daughter and her boyfriend are also here to help.

It was so meaningful to have all these family and friends come together to make the day truly special and heartfelt.  The love in the air was thick.

So, a rundown of do-it-yourself wedding.

Decorations:  Chinese lanterns (available at any party store)
Table centerpieces:  Recycled wine bottles with a picture of the 'brooms' as a label.  Place a sprig of rosemary or baby's breath inside.  Cheap.  Hearty.  Original.  Also placed personalized wine bottles sporadically around venue.

Tables:  Rented rounds with table cloths along with highboys for placing items on during for arrivals for the appetizer portion of the day.  Make sure tables are placed in shade and get umbrellas if you don't have shade.  Cheap umbrellas are $30 at discount stores  OR Craigslist or borrow some.

Dinnerware:  Bamboo plates and biodegradable utensils.  Wrap the utensils together with high-quality disposable napkins with a paper ring to add an elegant touch without the  guilt of plastic plates and the mess and stress of doing dishes.

Cake:  Local supermarket puts pictures on sheet cakes.  Used the image that was on the invitations.  Personalized.  Used edible fruit arrangements as bookends for pizazz.  It turned out really well.  Cost of the cake?  $45.  Where else can you get a cake for that price.

Drinks:  Used pitchers and beverage dispensers (you can rent them) for water, iced tea, and lemonade.  Also used coolers and plastic tubs to chill bottled items.  Had "one" signature drink (margarita).  Beer - Costco.  Wine - Trader Joe's.  Trader Joe's has surprisingly great wine for cheap.  Don't be afraid to take a risk, but do taste some prior to buying cases.  I was able to get 8 cases of wine for $2.99 a bottle during one of their closeouts.  The TJ employee encouraged me to buy one bottle to check it out.  He said I would be back.  I was.

Music:  Just about anybody can DJ these days with a computer and speakers.  Your genre is unlimited.

Food:  Accept offers of help.  Everybody has a family favorite to share.  It's amazing how people came out of nowhere and offered.  I did not assign cooking duties to anybody.  The offers of help were VOLUNTARY.  I did not solicit any - they appeared like angels.  If you don't have culinary talents nor the network of volunteers, Costco has pretty much everything.

Clean up:  Hired my friend's young adult kids to bus, refill, bar tend, etc.  They were happy to make a few bucks.

Bathrooms:  No, you don't want people using the private spaces of the house.  There are now flush-able port-a-potties complete with sinks.  You can rent one for about $175.   Flush-able ones take the grossness factor out.

Photographer:  Hired my talented niece who was more than happy do get some $ to help fund her Europe trip.  Certainly you know a family member or friend who has a flair for photography.  The shots will be genuine as family and friends intuitively *know* how to capture special moments without looking staged. 

One last thing:  Get an event insurance policy in case somebody trips, falls, drives home drunk, etc.  Cost $175. 

Opinions

Forcing your opinions on others rarely works.  Nobody has ever changed their point of view on a subject by getting in another person's face about it.  What's wrong today is that everybody thinks their opinions are facts.  Everything is an opinion, and that's a fact.  Well, that's my opinion.  I'm entitled to my opinion, as are you.  Yes, I'm OPINIONATED on MY blog, which you are in no way forced to read, forced to agree with,  and I'm not in your face about it.  I don't even solicit readers.  You're here because you happened to stumble on this site.

Here's a little quote to leave you with.  I can't take credit for it, but it really resonates with me.

"Everybody is drowning in the sea of their own opinions.  Each time they open up their mouths, they  take on more water."

......that's why I write ;)

Emergency Rooms

Hospital emergency rooms have become the drop in clinic for illegals.  And I mean drop, literally.  They get themselves pregnant so they can drop their anchor babies here in the United States as they are automatically citizens. Just ask any nurse who has spent time in a Latina clinic.  There are mothers asking the best way to get their teenage girls knocked up. 

Health insurers are doing better at establishing urgent care facilities, but they don't accept cash and there has to be enrollment and eligibility via their employer or however premiums are collected.  Patients already have to be insured to use urgent care facilities. 

In the meantime the illegals clog emergency rooms as they have no insurance. 

How did we get to this? 

For starters, stop paying cash under the table for your shit work you hire Mexicans to do for you. 

White Kitchens

We are reverting to an early 1990's trend of white kitchens.  EEEEEEEgads.  It's every cooks nightmare.  No, not that we are unsanitary slobs, it's just that the kitchen (for us cooks) is the busiest room in the house.  It's like putting white carpeting in a heavily traveled hallway.  Why??? 

Anybody who has a white kitchen does not actually use their kitchen - it's all for show.

The Divorce - FINALLY

My office assistant has been having an affair with a guy in England for 8-10 years now?  I can't keep track.  Rewind 30 years:  They met here in California when she was still single and he just got married and had a kid.  I guess she did not want to be a home wrecker.

Whatever.  He goes back to England and she stays here in California. 

The sparks were too hot to handle and they reconnected some 8-10 years ago.  Here's the problem:  She's married to a decent guy and they have two kids.  Mr. English Dude is twice divorced with 5 kids....AND....he's prohibited from entering the United States because of something on his record (red flag).  He's telling her it's because he used to be a Hell's Angel back in 1986, but I'm not buying it.

Cliff's Notes:  English Dude can't come to U.S. because of something that allegedly happened over 30 years ago while riding his motorcycle up and down California....hmmmmmmmmmm.

Long story short the word is out and my office assistant's husband is FINALLY filing for divorce.  Thank GODDESSES.  I usually don't drive anybody to the airport, but I will make an exception for Office Assistant as she has done less than nothing for the last 12 years.   I will even help her pack. 

Little does Office Assistant know that she's about to go from the frying pan into the fire.  She thinks the grass is greener.  Not my place to judge nor preach.  All I see is the opportunity for her to jettison out of here.  Hallelujah.  BUH-BYE. 

I don't care.  Please, Office Assistant, go across the pond to get your jollies.  Don't think you have to stick around here because you think the office will implode if you are gone.  It won't.

DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE @SS ON YOUR WAY OUT

The Pee Tree

Once upon a time a little boy (aged 4) spent a lot of time on his family's ranch in Sonoma County.  The little boy associated that being outside meant he could pee on a tree.  Little Boy goes to preschool.  The preschoolers are unleashed outside to play.  Little boy wonders off to the back corner of the playground to pee on a tree.

One would have thought North Korea was dropping a nuke directly on top of the preschool as complete overreaction and hysteria ensued.  The preschool director was reaching for any and all sexual harassment situations and investigation protocols outlined in the school's policies and procedures.  The school's swat team of of counselors swarmed in to see if any other kids experienced any trauma that could lead to PTSD that could be traced to witnessing a little boy's privates urinating on a tree.  Child protective services conducted an investigation to see if Little Boy was experiencing abuse at home.

.....all the while Little Boy had no idea what he did wrong...

Another Social Media Friendship Termination

Social media is the bane of society.  Why everybody feels the need to broadcast their personal and political beliefs is beyond me.  "A social media post totally changed my perspective on a hot button issue," said nobody - ever.

As I'm typing this another long-term friendship is totally destroyed because of social media.  The sad thing is that both of these women are good friends of mine and I love them both dearly.  Granted, they are on opposite sides politically, but I thought true friendship could endure political differences and debates.

Silly, naive me. 

My mind goes back to not-so-long ago when we all would be at each others' homes having a BBQ in the back yard on a beautiful Saturday night.  Laughter was abundant.  Wine was flowing.  We all shared parts of our lives that even the biggest social media whore would never disclose as we all sat in a circle around the fire pit as night fell.  ahhhhhhhhhh friendship.....how wonderful it is. 

.....and then social media came along......

What social media started out as "look at me, aren't you jealous" evolved into a poison political forum where truths are fabricated and vice versa.  Now, another friendship is destroyed because both women thought their positions on abortion were correct.  This is (or should I state was) a friendship that is 40 years old and goes back to childhood.  Arguing about the unborn is as fruitless as arguing about which came first - the chicken or the egg (no pun intended).

I'm genuinely sad about the nastiness both of my friends displayed at each other.  In my heart I truly believe that it would not have sunk to the level it did if they had their conversation face-to-face.  It's so easy to hurl insults and opinions from behind a screen.  I'm guilty of it myself and it's not a flattering trait.

Both friends are not budging in their positions.  That is their right, I suppose.  I'm caught in the middle.  I think both are wanting me to weigh in with my opinion.  Truth is, I don't know what the truth is.  I have held beliefs that I would have sworn to God to be truths shattered in an instant.  I have had others' opinions that I initially blown off to be bogus turn out to be (what I believe) to be truths. 

As the song Knights in White Satin indicates, "Just what the truth is, I can't say anymore......"

Another song lyric comes to mind from the late George Harrison, "The more I learn the less I know."
 
I challenge everybody to spend time wrestling viewpoints from the opposite spectrum.  There is a grain of truth in all of it.  Maybe it is just a grain, but it's there.  Don't limit yourself by surrounding yourself with people and media that only reinforces your own prejudiced viewpoint.  In my lifetime I've observed that whatever you're vehemently against has a way of showing up in your life to deal with.  For example, (dramatic license invoked) I know of a woman who is against abortion and thinks that women who have them should be stoned to death.....until.....she discovers her own daughter had one.

Hamilton

I went with a group of friends to see Hamilton.  No, not the Air Force Base in Novato (or at least there used to be a base there - now it's housing built on top of a toxic dump and a shopping center).  There has been hype about this play for about three years.  People would pay thousands of dollars to see it in NY so they could brag to their friends that they saw it.  Now that the initial hype has diminished plebes like myself have the opportunity to see it.  I was unsure about it as hyped-up productions rarely live up to the hype.  It was an opportunity to be with friends and have a good time so no matter if the production fell flat I was happy. 

Hamilton did not disappoint.

Black men played the parts of:  Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Aaron Burr, and Thomas Jefferson.  Quite the twist of history, but it worked.  The singing talent alone of the cast is enough to keep the audience engaged.  The play reminded me of School House Rock for adults, you know, putting history to catchy music and song to resonate with modern kids.

Sonoma County Traffic

We are choking on traffic.  However, the Press Democrat keeps telling us that the population of Sonoma County is shrinking and that there's been a 45% increase of those working from home.

Two and two are not adding up to four. 

Gavin Newsom

So, Gavin Newsome has "found" a surplus to combat homelessness and illegal immigrants.  Really?  What about our:  Infrastructure, crappy schools, public pension obligations, veterans, elderly, and basically everybody who has been trying to do the RIGHT and LEGAL thing all of their lives. 

Moral of the story:  Be an illegal fuh-cup and the government will bend over backwards for you to find money that does not exist.  Oh it exists, off the backs of those who have given their lives paying their taxes. 

I don't sit here pretending I have the answers.  I don't.  There are no answers.  I just get perturbed when the state cries poor mouth and then suddenly "finds" money for everybody EXCEPT those who have done the right thing.

If Newsom is so brilliant and has all the answers, why did not he solve the homeless and illegal immigrant problem while he was in San Francisco? 

pfffffffffft.  Good luck, pretty boy.  You're full of the feces that plague the San Francisco sidewalks.