Hackers

Way back before computers were ever a thing, the term "hacker" was someone who was not very good at golf.   

We all know the pretty world of golf with the pristine greens for the perfect put, etc.  For those of us of a certain age, the movie Caddy Shack holds a lot of truth when the less-than-perfect working class golfers meet up with the snobby golfers who think they are perfect.  

Caddy Shack came out over 40 years ago.  Today it's taken on a new twist.  There is a new show where a couple of young men who are unabashedly-less-than great golfers tour world class courses like the Olympic Club in San Francisco and the courses near Monterey such as Pebble Beach, Spanish Bay, Spy Glass, etc.  

They wear baseball hats that say "Fighting for Par" and shirts that say "Talk Birdie to Me."

They are suckie golfers and they don't care.  People love them and they have a huge following. 

 

Bad Joke: Asian Men

 ...ok..... I'm not a perfect person and I have a warped sense of humor.  God forgive me for what I'm about to write.  

California has experienced two mass shootings back-to-back in the past few days -- one in northern California and one in southern California.  The northern California shooting hit shockingly close to home in Half Moon Bay.  Both of the perpetrators were Asian men of mature years.  

Now...how does the media twist this to a hate crime?  All we have been hearing for the last three years is, "Stop Asian hate!  Asian people are VICTIMS!  Stop the tragedies against us!  White people SuCK!"  (side note:  Most anti-Asian skirmishes are committed by black people...however, black people can't be held responsible for anything as that would be RACIST).  Yawn. 

Well, the Asians are victims all right.  They are victims at the hand of somebody who shares their Asian heritage and gene pool.  The media is now trying to desperately spin this into a racial hate crime.  The problem is how can the media do that when the perpetrators are Asian committing crimes against other Asians?  Or, Asians against other non-whites?  White people are OUT of the blame pool on this one, but the media is still trying to tie white people in one way or another for a reason for the tragedy.  

I'm not completely heartless.  I'm sorry for the innocents who lost their lives to some deranged, angry Asian men.  

Do you know what the gunman's name was?  It was He Khan Szhoot.  

 Bad joke.  I warned you. 

Business Email

For an industry that tries to pride itself on innovation, mine clings to antiquated technology like insisting fax machines are still relevant.  They are trying to insist that email is still relevant as well.  It's not.

Email is like Forrest Gump's famous movie line with a twist, "Email is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're going to get."

My inbox is flooded with cleverly disguised spam, meeting requests, requests for information, lengthy documents I need to read for a myriad of subjects, etc.  There is no rhyme nor reason to any of it.  Any email is a potential career landmine or something to be deleted.  Each email needs to be dealt with and constantly switching mental gears to deal with or delegate to somebody else is exhausting given the myriad of subjects.  

There.  I vented. 

 

Martin Luther King Day

 Please don't judge this post unless you read the entire thing.  Well, go ahead and judge because your opinion does not drive me.  

Going back about 25 years or so I was involved in a contentious labor-management contract negotiations.  Just my being female and in the room was something new.  Both sides of the committees were crusty, brash men.  The term PC had not even been coined yet.  

During one of the meetings labor proposed that Martin Luther King Day be recognized as a holiday under the new contract.  One of the management representatives snorted back, "Go ahead and shoot four more of those fucking niggers and take the whole week off for all I care."

I write this not to stir up racism.  I write this to point out how far we have come since then.  Management has taken a total 180* turn by endorsing DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).  And yes, MLK Day is now a recognized holiday under the contract. 

Dancing At The Grocery Store

 I've been known to bust a move at grocery stores, in line at the DMV, or wherever.  This video just makes me smile.  I love seeing people from all walks of life just dance for the pure joy of it.  Talent, or lack thereof, does NOT matter.  See?  I'm not the only one who breaks out in spontaneous dance.  Justin Timberlake breaks out dance moves in the grocery store aisles as well. 

The Visit From MRH

 MRH and I go back to the early 1980's.  We were partners in crime in high school.  We both had a twisted sense of humor and used our seniority on the danceline as a weapon against the young-in-newbies.  We even choreographed together for the danceline our senior year.  MRH was an esteemed student of jazz dancing who also had a background in ballet.  Me?  My parents did not have the resources to send me to dance class so I used to copy the Solid Gold Dancers, and any other dancers on variety show television I could get my hands on.  I used to "tape" the dance sequences so I could break it down.  I also tried to mimic figure skating moves from Dorothy Hamil at the local skating rink. 

It was me trying to mimic the ice skating moves at the local ice skating rink that got me thunked in the head by a hockey puck from one of the aspiring neighborhood hockey players.   We all had to share the same ice.  I remember him to this day.  The hockey player had a crush on my friend, NH (a lifelong friend of mine).  He thought that if he could injure me he could get closer to NH..  Wow.  What a way to start a love conversation.  "Gee, I just hit your friend in the temple with a hockey puck.  Is she ok?  Assuming she does not leave the ice rink in an ambulance, wanna go out to Bridgeman's?"

Yes, I'm dating myself.  Sigh.  Glad I took one for the team.  NH and the hockey player had two winter seasons of mad ice dating at the local neighborhood rink complete with make-out sessions in the warming house. 

You youngins don't even know what a warming house is.....never underestimate the passion and talent of a Minnesota hockey player.

ANYWAY.....

This post is about MRH coming to visit me in California.  I got a bit sidetracked (shocker).  MRH has been delt a hand of less-than-great cards.  Her daughter is getting married the first week of February and she is not invited to her own daughter's wedding.  It's a long, ugly story about MRH and her husband splitting up and the mayhem that ensued.  They were high school sweethearts, got married, had four kids together, and then it all got ugly.  They split up.  

What's tough is that I went to high school with both MRH and her ex-husband.  We have a similar circle of connections.  I don't want to weigh in with my opinion on anybody's marriage as life is complicated and messy.  

Here's where I stand.  MRH is coming out for a visit.  I know she has been through a lot with her divorce, addictions, cancer, mental health issues, etc.   MRH is vulnerable.  If I can give her a 5 day reprieve from her life in Minnesota and help her forget that she was not invited to her daughter's wedding, I will consider that a huge victory. 

I want to believe in the MRH I knew in high school.  I know she's in there somewhere.  Life has been brutal to her.   Hey, Mercy Wellness in Cotati has the goods she could benefit from.  No joke.  

I'm giving to somebody who will never be able to repay me.  I'm ok with that. 

 

 

When It Rains, It Pours

 We have not had any rain for 4 years-ish????  Trees are crying for water.  Animals come down from the hills looking for water.  Our landscape is covered with parched, dead grasses which is tinder for wildfires, which we have experienced en mass.   We are not allowed to water our lawns or gardens, take a bath, wash our windows, fill our swimming pools, etc. 

That was yesterday.

As of today we are flooding.  Just like that.  When it rains, it pours. 

Mother Nature has done a whip lash on us.  I have a feeling she is not done.  

Sesame Street Pinball Number Count: Anita Pointer

 Back in the day SYB and I used to be closet Pointer Sister fans.  I'm referring to the 1980's.  This was back in high school when I lived in Minnesota.  Before that, they did the vocals for the Sesame Street Pinball Number series in 1976.  

Dang, there were a lot of Pointer Sisters.  Today at dance class we were outside playing their music in honor of Anita Pointer.  One of the ladies in the group, who grew up in Mill Valley, went to school with one of the Pointer Sister's kids.  She said they got expelled.  Oooops.

Well, let's go back to 1976.  Get your funk on.  I remember this little ditty. 

2023 What will it be?

What will 2023 bring us? 

How about a little more patience and kindness.  How about giving people the benefit of the doubt?  How about abolishing the common practice of looking to be offended by someone when their belief system may not match yours?  

For me, I'm going into 2023 with an open heart.  Yes, I have been hurt, burned, betrayed, etc., etc., etc.  Who hasn't?  I'm not special.  I'm realizing that anger and resentment is like a hot rock.  It only burns those who hold onto it.  I'm also practicing the art of forgiveness.  I'm also realizing that people's actions are not about me.  It's about them.  There is an inexplicable lightness when one lets go of harboring dark thoughts.  It's peaceful. 

We expect perfection from an imperfect world.  Letting go of what the world is vs what I think the world should be.  

No, I'm not sitting here thinking that I have found all the answers to the universe.  I have not.  I'm a spiritual being having a human experience.  I'm limited, but willing to learn.