High School Graduation Ceremonies

It's that wonderful time of the year again. Kids all across America are graduating from high school.

Big deal.

What was once a formal ceremony with significance has turned into a meaningless frat party. There are beach balls, tortillias, and other you-name-it objects being thrown around during speaches. And this is supposed to be a ritual celebrating the transition into adulthood? Puh-LEEZ!

Granted, I'm not a fan of long winded talking heads who relish in the sound of their own voice proclaiming that "this is the best class ever." However, it is supposed to be a dignified event and I can do without being hit in the head with a beach ball while I'm searching the crowd for my graduate. Grow up.

It's not just the graduates who demonstrate this childish behavior. Parents perpetuate it with hooting and holloring when asked to withhold applause and cheering until the very end. The other behavior that irks me to no end are the parents who are there only to see THEIR kid walk across the stage and then leave causing a distraction and disturbance making their exit. God help the kid who has a last name ending in Z. It's just rude to get up and leave. If you're not going to stay for the entire ceremony, please do us all a favor and just stay home.

The high school graduation ceremony has lost its significage and meaning. Why not just have one big loud, rucous party on site? Isn't that what it has evolved into?

Facebook Deals with Death

The high school I attended was pretty close. All of us were chums. Of course, after time passes, we lose that daily contact with our classmates. It's just the way life goes. Now in this electronic age we have Facebook to keep the perpetual class reunion going.

I must admit to being closer to some of my "friends" on Facebook than others. You know who you are -- especially if you read my lame blog! However, Facebooks harbors the casual acquaintences as well and people we just generally lost close touch with.

Now death happens. I got a phone call from a dear friend of mine back home stating that one of our classmates died suddenly. The guy who died was popular, smart, and good looking. I think all us girls had a crush on him or went out on a date with him at some point during our high school years.

Enter Facebook. Do I post something? I was certain my classmates would want to know, but how to tactfully and quickly spread the news.... hmmmmm....Before I could ponder the pros and cons of putting such sensitive news online, somebody already posted the news of the death.

The initial posting was from another classmate stating that one of his best buddies died and was very sad, but did not post a name. It was not long before there were status updates from other classmates who learned of the death spitting out the news -- including the name.

I guess I can appreciate people wanting everybody to know; however, I felt somewhat ackward reading some of the status updates and comments. Some of my classmates posted quasi-sympathetic blurbs like "gosh, so young" and "what happened" along with "where did he live" and the the like. They obviously have had no contact with him for a long, LONG time.

My point is that I'm not sure how I would feel about my death being posted on Facebook and having my classmates with whom I was not especially close with post flippant condolences on such a public media. I guess it would not matter because I would be DEAD! However, I would want people to know...

We are just developing ettiquite on these matters in this area, but I think I'm safe in stating that morbid details blasted to the general public are better left offline.

CA Schools Shorten Academic Calendar

Big deal..... the school year was cut by 5-7 days or something like that. The Bored Moms on Prozac Committee is up in arms about slashing education. The over-tenured teachers are pissed off about one week of not getting paid.

Really? Have any of you spent time in a classroom at the end of the year? Nothing goes on the last two weeks anyway. Teachers are showing movies in class. Text books have already been collected. All school assemblies (that last all DAY, mind you) are organized to present awards to just about every kid in the school for everything imaginable. Yes, little Johnny will receive a standing ovation for (yawn) breathing the entire semester. CLAP, CLAP, CHEER!!!!!!! Woo-HOOOOOOO! You GO little Johnny!

This self-esteem for kids shit that the Bored Moms on Prozac Committee dreamed up with the teachers' union president has gone waaaaaaaay too far. Sadly, your tax dollars are paying for this bullshit.

Now.... California needs to deal with its upper eschelon levels of total waste. We're only hitting the tip of the iceberg here, folks. The worst offenders of the public trough rip-off are those publically crying how holier-than-thou they are.

Police, firefighters, teachers, etc.... they're not as innocent as they portray themselves to be. Their M.O. is to go out on permanent early disability as soon as possible so they can go fishing whenever they please. For extra cash they will offer you a great deal to paint your house.

You Suck, but Can I Copy Your Work?

OK... being fired for being honest is quite interesting. Mind you, I was never really given a solid reason for the cancellation of the administration contract other than condescending comments as to "how I could really keep the books like that." The news was just quietly delivered during a meeting when the Head Snake slithered up next to me at a meeting in progress and made the announcement. I equate it to being dumped by a guy who's too chicken to do it in private and brakes up with you in a crowded restaraunt to avoid an unpleasant scene. Gutless.

So now the mad scramble is on to make the administrative transition. I had an accounting team visit me in my office today to have a look at what I had. The records are in order. The files are neat and orderly. After reviewing everything I had and the way I had it set up they wanted me to fork over everything on a flash drive so they did not have to take the time to set things up and just copy the files over to their computer.

My question at that point was...... Well, if I suck so much and did such a shitty job, why do you want to copy my work?

Fired for Being Honest

No, I did not drink the kool-aid and partake in a group delusional fantasy. I was fired for it. It just goes to show you how powerful group-think is when it defies all logic.

See, I took care of the financials for an outfit based in the east bay. I don't claim to be a financial whiz. However, I know that when the bills come they get paid. When the checks come in they get cashed -- and leave a neat and orderly trail. The fundemental of all financial soundess is that the money coming in has to be more than the money going out. It's not rocket science, people.

I don't care how much you claim to have in 'receivables.' You can't make payroll on people promising to pay you what they owe. That's what I tried to explain, and I guess my dust bowl simple, farm economics did not impress these sophisticated know-it-alls with suits and shiney shoes.

So, I get a letter stating that my financial services are no longer needed. Fine. That's their perogitive to terminate the contract and they did just that -- including an effective date. They gave me the 30 days notice just as the contract states.

Now that they're figuring out just how much work is involved they're asking me to hang around. Really? Why would I hang around when they basically told me that the job I was doing sucked and they could do better.

My secretary and I know in our hearts that we did not misappropriate any funds. I want an independent audit prior to turning everything over. There is nothing to hide. I simply refused to cook up an inflated budget for them. I did not tell them what they wanted to hear. WE'RE GOING BROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Effective date: June 1, 2011. Come and get it. I'm done.

Note: The director of this entity is an ex state employee with a staff of ex state employees. I've never seen a group of lazier, greedier, sleazier people in my life. No wonder California is in so much trouble.

Yet Even More Facebook Annoyances that Piss me Off

Just *why* have I not deleted my facebook account yet? I guess it's a morbid facination with knowing that somebody I went to high school with many moons ago blasts a status update that s/he is getting gas at Costo. Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Facebook has now taken over the roll of the 'Home Party Sales Lady.' You all remember the uber annoying member of the PTA who hosted Tupperware parties and other useless crap "parties" where you were asked to overpay for shit you did not need. Your friendship was used for profit.

Fastforward to the social internet experience....

Now we are bombarded with status updates from our "friends" plugging products. We also have that damned "LIKE" icon that tells us why we should also "like" Bueler's Bar and Pub in Adak, Alaska (along with 15 mutual friends). We are also requested to "like" various causes and fundraisers.

Well, Facebook, take that "LIKE" thumbs-up icon and stick it up your ass.

The Age of the Grandstanding Assholes

I'm tired of our media being hijacked by grandstanding assholes drawing attention to themselves because they can throw a temper tantrum like my daughter did when she was two years old.

Never mind analyzing the statistics they spew. Never mind the same party line antics they try to justify. These days just blast yourself on YouTube or send a "fw:fw:fw:PLEASE READ I hope HE's WRONG" email to every dickhead in your address book in an attempt to pursuade others to your political thought process.

Stop it.