Thin Ice

So yesterday I get a voice mail from work. I'm chillin' on the couch waiting for my brother and his wife to come over for a night of cheap wine and board games and I get this voice mail. Apparently I was scheduled to work! For the second Wednesday in a row, I get called into work when I'd written down my 'holiday' schedule and nowhere on it, when it was originally posted, was I scheduled for Wednesdays. I never work Wednesdays! I know some of the schedules were revised after the death of my co-worker, but my schedule didn't appear to change at the time. When I ask if the schedule had been changed again I get the run around. Other people too have been upset about the schedule being silently updated. The fact that I'm not being reprimanded for showing up late to work leads me to believe that the management realizes they've handled the scheduling wrong. Who knows, I could show today and get written up.

The thing that bothers me is that I'm a reliable employee, usually. I'm flexible, cooperative, prepared, and always punctual! The last thing I need is to lose this job do to a stupid misunderstanding.

I Started This Blog For Selfish Reasons

I did. I can admit it.

I don't have anything political or overwhelmingly important to say. I am not a very political person, or, I guess an overwhelmingly important one.

I have no idea how to fix the world or make sure our next president isn't a jack ass. (Hey, that bordered on political, didn't it?)

I haven't gotten off my couch long enough to finish my 'literary masterpiece' much less discover the meaning of life.

I'm pretty sure that I've stolen the majority of my original thoughts from somewhere else, but I just can't recollect where.

No. I started this blog so my family and friends could check in with me at their convenience. Haven't heard from me in a while? Check out my blog. It's great. None of it's too personal. Some of it's even slightly amusing. Hell, I even hoped that some of the people I use to know would somehow stumble upon my Fortess of Ineptitude.

Well, recently a childhood friend of mine did just that. We were partners in crime for many years even though his family moved away early on. Summer vacations were never complete without an exchange program which blessed both of our families with our combined unbridled, creative rowdiness. We drifted apart, cause that happens and I can't remember the last time I saw this friend. Then he 'googled me and next thing you know he's reading my random thoughts.

Welcome Mr. Schnettler. Good to hear from you.

Oh, I also started blogging so I would feel like I was writing something when I just can't work on my scripts. See? Selfish.

Few Things...

Are as difficult as trying to help a little, old, asian woman figure out how to use her Illinois Link Card at an ATM. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if she spoke more english than just, "Please", but she didn't. She kept babbling on to me and pointing at her cards, then to the teller machine, then back to her cards. I tried valiantly to assist her, another passerby even stopped to try and figure it out. We couldn't. I apologized, bid her farewell, and started to walk away.

When I got to the street corner I looked back and the lady was flagging down another pedestrian; gesturing wildly to the ATM and rapidly firing off 'pleases'! I hope he had better luck.

Long Time No See

Today, whilst braving the bitter cold, the crowds, and the last few days of shopping left, I bumped into an old friend whom I have not seen in a while. Several years ago when my mother was diagnosed with Cancer, well, so was this friend's father. We've always understood what the other was going through. She always asks about my mother, and I always ask about her Dad. (Both are doing well.) It's been a rough year for my friend in many respects but she keeps on motoring through. She smiles, while reflecting on the pain, and loss. It's not always easy to smile...
I hope her New Year is a good one.

Season's Greetings!

Ooooooooh! Holiday Party tonight! Raffle tickets, bad DJ, and co-workers shakin' their moneymakers! Oh yeah, I tried to break up a fight and took a right hook to the face! Yay me! "Merry F-in' What The Hell? Settle Down! Settle Down! Oh, I'm bleeding!"

Every Now & Then

I have nothing to say. Yet life goes on. The dishes pile up. The brown hairs suddenly turn grey. The metabolism slows to a crawl. Friends drift in & out of your life. The days blur into weeks. The temporary job becomes less tempoary, and a 23 year old bimbo says, "We're so old. When we were in college..."

Preachy Me!

I don't mean to jump on top of my soap box today, but have you ever worried so much about what others think of you that you forget who you're living your life for?

How about you, Mr. Persian Turtle?

Sometimes...

...Others have already expressed what I wish to say.

"Fool! I mean not That poor-souled piece of heroism, self-slaughter; Oh no! the miserablest day we live There's many a better thing to do than die!"
- George Darley

I found out tonight that a co-worker of mine, a friend, committed suicide. In my life several people, whom I have known, have chosen this route. While I will always mourn the loss, and regret the finality I have a hard time accepting the selfishness. (If this offends you, I am sorry.) Whether you are a husband with legal woes, an adolescent struggling with puberty, a lover wrestling with self-hatred, or a friend whom 'I had no idea'... think about those you claim to love. When you end it, they still suffer.

My Dear Guest...

"Welcome To Fantasy Island."

Really! ME TV (Check Your Local Listings) actually reruns Fantasy Island. It's unbelievable. It's like I went on vacation to an exotic, tropical island and fantasized about fulfilling one of my life-long dreams only to have an ironic twist shoved up my butt by Ricardo Montalban and and a raspy little midget in a white suit!

This particular episode guest starred Gary Bergoff, better known as 'Radar' from M.A.S.H, as a man who wished to fulfill his fantasy of pitching to the best players in Major League Baseball. His Wife doesn't really know about his fantasy, and guest spots by Tommy Lasorda and other big name ball players of the time make the cheesy story line. He strikes out 3 of the best players and then quits his job for a chance at the 'show' only to have his hopes dashed by Mr. Roarke.

The second story was about a middle-aged couple who wished to escape their lives and exist in a simpler time. Apparently Fantasy Island, among all it's exotic locals, also boasts a small puritanical town of, well, Puritans who live life as they would've in Salem, Massachusetts. The villian, Leslie Nielsen, rules with an iron fist and eventually accuses the newcomers of witchcraft for giving a child aspirin. The couple narrowly escape with their lives and Leslie Nilesen goes on to bless the world with the Naked Gun Series but, WOW, what a close call.

The best part of the whole episode was during the game where 'Radar' pitches in an impromptu All-Star game. Mr. Roarke and Tatoo sit in the bleachers and watch the wacky goings on. Herve Villechaize... Tattoo... Surly Midget In A White Suit... "Da Plane! Da Plane!"... is wearing a San Fransisco Giants cap. Midget? Giants? Talk about Irony!