Hello, Violence

Posted on February 21, 2018 by KatieComeBack

I haven’t written anything in a long, long time.

I will. One day. Promise.

I don’t know if this counts as writing, really. I suppose it is in the same way Weird Al writes songs. But this isn’t a parody. Maybe more of a tribute, but “tribute” feels like I’m giving honor to something, and that isn’t quite right.

I was just compelled to write. For the first time in months. Hopefully, I’ll be driven to do something else – something that will truly make a difference in quashing the violent landscape in which we raise our children.

But for now – I write. And today, it’s a revision of some classic lyrics. While Simon and Garfunkel penned the original in 1964 (yeah, before most of your PARENTS were born, shaddup) I was inspired by the 2015 cover performed by Disturbed.

So, for this installation, please follow along to the music with the lyrics below:

(click here for audio)

Hello darkness, my old friend
I see it’s time we meet again
Witnessed yet one more ruthless shooting
Left its victims brutally bleeding
And the vision that unfolded on our screens
Haunted me
Tragic refrains of violence

It hit us in a storm of shame
That things could not remain the same
But ‘neath the halo of our grieving
We formed new enemies with shrill screaming
As our hearts were re-broken with the shots from the left and right
That fueled the fight
And smeared the stains of violence

And in the arguments I saw
No one did anything at all
Debating over all the same old things
Vested in being right, but not changing
Sanctimoniously strong, refusing any compromise
As children died
And once more came the violence

Fools! I cried. How don’t you know
Violence like a cancer grows
When you refuse to bend, we all will break
Remaining obstinate is our mistake
But my pleas fell silent through the roar

of the hurricane of violence

And the people cowed and brayed
Of the metal gods they’d made
And the world flashed out its warning
Of the monster it was forming
And the creature scribed the tears of its prophets on tombstones and on graves
Yet we remain
Prisoners of the chains of violence

I will never give up on prayers. Prayers work, and they’re hella powerful. But in addition to praying for peace, let’s pray for change. And then let’s use the abilities our Maker blessed us with and BE that change.

Can I get an Amen?

One Man’s Spam is Another Man’s Shenanigans

Posted on March 18, 2017 by KatieComeBack

Can you believe Gmail has only been around since 2004?

Okay, “only” might be somewhat misleading, as 2004 was actually THIRTEEN YEARS AGO. Basically, if Gmail was a child, she hit puberty last year and is eyeing high school and her first school dance. But, if you’re ~~old~~ ~~mature~~ well-seasoned like me, 2004 seems like pretty much last Tuesday.

I am normally horrible with dates, but I remember this time period because, due to my mad networking skills, I had the opportunity to be one of the beta testers for Gmail.

Side note: “Mad networking skills” means I was at a job where I was BORED OUT OF MY MIND, so I spent much of the day on online message boards with other HR pros who also either had a bit too much free time or just needed a break from all the freaking DRAMA <sigh> that disgruntled employees can bring. That practice continues to this day – we affectionately call it “notworking.” And yes, if you visit HR with something juicy, we probably ARE talking about you in these notworking venues. But don’t worry – we generally are a compassionate bunch, and all names are changed to protect your privacy. We’re a conscientious bunch that way. Often, we’re just reviewing the best and fairest way to handle a situation.

Rest assured, however, that there are plenty of conversations around “stupid employee tricks.”

Like when someone barfs on your desk. (Yep. That’s happened.)

Or when you get an unemployment claim from someone you fired for tardiness – she couldn’t get to work on time because she NEEDED TO STOP FOR CIGARETTES on her way to work. And we LOST the claim because, even though we had a clear attendance policy where employees accrued “points” for tardiness and being absent, and they’d be terminated if they accumulated a certain number of points, AND we had exercised progressive discipline AS OUTLINED in the policy, our handbook wasn’t super-precise about you losing your job for being late pretty much every single day. It said you could be fired for absenteeism…not tardiness SPECIFICALLY. Because common sense and reading at a fourth-grade level wouldn’t lead you to that obvious conclusion.

Or that one time a forklift operator was drinking a brown liquid that smelled like furniture polish, so we called him up to my office for questioning:

Me: Ted, we had some concerns voiced about what you’re drinking in your travel mug today. What was in there?

Ted: <blinks> I don’t know. (GREAT ANSWER. If you’re, like, four.)

Me: You don’t…know? Let’s try again. What was in there this morning?

Ted: <Long pause. Shifts uncomfortably in chair.> I can’t remember.

Me: <reaching over to grab my HUGE Bubba keg, where a tea bag is conspicuously steeping – HINT HINT> Well, think harder.

Ted: <blinks. Looks at floor. Looks out window. Blinks again. Swallows.> Uh…Orange juice?

BRILLIANT.

Anyway. Back in 2004, on one of these ~~gossip~~ professional discussion boards, someone who had just started working for Google was looking for some testers for this new email program Google was planning to launch. At the time, I was planning the escape from my first marriage, so I quickly volunteered to get a personal, private email – one the spouse couldn’t access. And, since I had one of the earliest accounts, I was able to get a very simple Gmail address – without extra numbers, characters, or underscores. But because it’s so basic, occasionally someone will “accidentally” use this email instead of their own, and I wind up receiving emails that weren’t meant for me. Often, I think people intentionally provide the wrong email address to avoid drowning in spam and special offers, but I’ve received some legit stuff, too, including student grade reports, overdue electric bills, travel itineraries, and random baby pictures.

Now, typically, I just politely respond that they have the wrong email, and ask to be removed from their mailing lists and address books.

But, once in a while, I can’t help but respond. Like this time:

Um. What? I feed EVERY DAY, YO. He must be talking about….

He seemed really confused after that. HAHAHAHAHAHA

I suggested that he might have the wrong email; we had a good chuckle and he went away.

But it isn’t always that easy. Like this exchange the other day:

E-cigs? Oh HELL no. Smoking gives you wicked lip wrinkles. Plus I’m too poor to smoke. Because shoes.

Now, to be fair, this was the second or third email I’d received from them. I’d ignored the previous two, quickly clicking them through to the virtual trashcan, but since this was becoming a habit (see what I did there? <snort>) I thought it best to cut it off.

The end, right?

Nope.

Hoo boy. Well, I’ll try to explain….

Super basic…but….

Is this really THAT hard?! Because I’m totally losing patience here.

Spoiler alert: Nope. It clearly did not.

Attached is a copy of an order containing $113.50 in Mandarin and Passion (!!!) e-cigs.

I can’t get any more black and white than that.

Yet….

OK, folks. I think this game is over. Besides, I had just left my mammogram (public service reminder: get one, ladies!) and I was feeling a bit bruised – certainly not in the mood for battling with the cognitive equivalent of a cement block.

And now the fun begins. I go to the account, reset the password, and make up a new, random, completely fake email so I never, ever hear from them again.

Wait. I spoke too soon.

No. NO YOU MAY NOT. (And why do you need to talk to me? Does your system only work on voice command? Because I gotta tell ya, automated voice prompts usually fail me, too, but that’s fodder for an entirely different post. JUST DELETE THE BLASTED THING.)

Besides…it’s too late. I exercised some virtual street justice already. You won’t be bothering me anymore.

Oh, and P.S. – your customer, now known as Boogerface McShitterpants, might be a bit peeved when you talk to her next.

You’ve been warned.

Peace out. <offers cocky salute and exits, stage right>

There Oughta Be a Law…or Not.

Posted on July 2, 2016 by KatieComeBack

I’ve mentioned a number of times that the hubs and I disagree on many major issues – religion and politics being the top two.

Lately, he’s been using his Facebook feed to promote some of his beliefs, largely in the form of petition requests and YouTube clips. Which is fine, of course. It’s his feed, after all. Plus, to be fair, it’s really presenting as more information-sharing, not inflammatory faux-news articles with no substance. (We all have THAT Facebook friend, don’t we? The one who we have to hide or unfollow during politics season because all that’s on his feed is a sewage-filled waterfall of grammatically and factually incorrect drivel?)

So the other night, the hubs posts this:

Source: Credo

Now, before we get rolling too deeply here, please understand that I like holidays. A lot. Because that’s when all the good sales happen. Let’s have a look at the calendar:

January: Happy New Year! Go buy yourself a winter coat, at 50% off.

February: Presidents’ Day. Honor the dead guys printed on money by pulling out your cash, waving it around, and exchanging it for new bed sheets! Not to mention, it’s the week after ~~National Being Single Sucks Day~~ Valentine’s Day, so you can stock up on an eight-pound box of loneliness truffles to christen your linens.

(Side note: When I die, y’all best formally designate the day as something to do with buying new shoes. If you fail to honor my passing in this HIGHLY appropriate manner, I will TOTALLY come back and haunt your sorry @$$ by belching in your ear at completely random and inopportune times, like at funerals, during work meetings, and intimate moments with your boo. So. Kate + Death = National New Shoes Day. Got it?)

March/April: EASTER! Resurrect your wardrobe with a new dress! And if you truly love Jesus, you’ll honor His sacrifice by buying your toddler an insanely expensive, elaborate frock, complete with ruffles and bows, which will be worn for exactly sixty-five minutes while she squirms incessantly, whines about it being itchy, spills Communion juice down the front of it, and promptly proceeds to outgrow it as soon as you exit the pews. (Depressed about this? No worries, the candy’s all on sale tomorrow. Stock up on chocolate-covered therapy and gnaw the shiz outta those bunny ears.)

May: Memorial Day! Time to honor those who died while they served by grilling processed meat tubes in your new summer duds! Never mind that they were all made in China. (The clothes. Not the hot dogs. Although I make no guarantees if you bought your pseudo-food at Discount Dollar Dump.)

July: Independence Day! The US emancipated itself from Mom and Dad and celebrated by throwing a kicka$$ party and lighting things on fire. (Come on, when YOU were sixteen, you’d have treated newfound freedom exactly the same way.) Oddly, this seems to be the time of year for appliance and mattress sales. While I could insert a few too-easy-and-tasteless jokes about fireworks and mattresses, I’m still scratching my head over appliances. So I Googled, and found a few examples of why one might need something like a new microwave after the holiday:

September: Labor Day. We celebrate working Americans by kicking the kids off the Xbox and shipping them back to school – in new clothes, of course, as well as new backpacks and new shoes (And you know how THAT goes. One for you, two for me….)

Christmas: Ah…the season of greed and debauchery, where we all get sucked into the annual quagmire of buffets, potlucks, stilettos, and family obligations. We cram an entire year’s worth of guilt and unmet expectations into this six-week period, eating and buying pretty much everything that isn’t Gorilla Glued to the floor. The shopping season used to start on the day after Thanksgiving; now it pretty much starts on Thanksgiving Day and runs through January 2, at which point we start the year over again.

But we were talking about voting, not shopping.

I can certainly agree that not enough people exercise their right to vote. A pathetic 57.5% of eligible voters showed up for our last big election in 2012.

And one might sit and wonder why.

And that same person might think, “Hey! I’ll bet it’s because people are too busy. So let’s give everyone the day off so more people vote!”

And this right here is a prime example of one of those things that SOUNDS simple…but once you look at execution, is WAY more complicated than you’d think.

First, declaring a “national holiday” only means that banks and the government will be closed. And your mail won’t be delivered. (Which is super annoying, because you’ll invariably forget that there’s no mail that day, and check anyway. Even though there’s never anything you really WANT in the mail. Unless it’s your birthday or something, 99% of mail goes right in the recycle bin. Yet, most of us are still looking in there every day, regardless, as if one day the Mail Genie will appear and grant us three winning entries to Publisher’s Clearing House.)

Think about it…who stays open on holidays? Well, there’s nursing homes and hospitals, of course. Then you’ve got the service industries, like restaurants. Don’t think for a moment that Taco Bell and Mickey D’s will lose a day of revenue over this – I mean, you gotta eat more than ya gotta vote. Transportation will be running, as well. Cab drivers will work. Buses will run (they HAVE to, or how will people GET to the polling station?) Planes won’t be grounded, either. They fly every day, Christmas and Thanksgiving included. And, because everyone gets along so well when discussing the merits of their candidates, I sure hope the police station stays open, too.

And let’s ask ourselves something: If you find yourself with a day off mid-week, how many of you are really going to spend it voting? In the US, we get so few days off from work – with no mandatory leave whatsoever – will we be motivated to spend those precious, cherished free hours waiting in line to cast a vote for one of two blowhards we’re not terrifically enthused about? Oh, and remember, because it’s a holiday, daycare’s closed, so you’ve got your kids in tow. But don’t worry, everyone else’s sticky, rambunctious offspring will be there, too. THAT can only end well. <eyeroll> I suspect, though, if we’re completely honest with ourselves, many of us will use the day to recharge – we’ll sleep in, get a pedicure, have a late lunch, and yes, go shopping – instead of “wasting” half of it at the polling station.

Another thing to remember: just because a day is a holiday doesn’t mean anyone has to be paid for that day. No employer is obligated to pay for hours not worked. There are some limited exceptions, of course, like jury duty pay in some states, paid leave for bone marrow donation in Minnesota , and the many states and cities providing for paid sick leave. (Note that this shiz is pretty much changing daily, so if you’re trying to find the current law for your location, Google it.)

Now, let’s say that you work for an employer who DOES decide add this new holiday to the list of paid holidays. Even if an employer added this as a paid holiday, most of their part-time workers wouldn’t be eligible, because part-time employees usually don’t get benefits. So you lose a day of pay if you’re a part-time person and your employer closes, generally. And who’s working part-time hours? Well, a lot of people:

Source: AdvisorPerspectives

OK, full disclosure: I have no clue what this graph means. But it looks rather patriotic, dontcha think? Anyway, as an example, Wal-Mart has a ton of part-time employees who theoretically wouldn’t be eligible for holiday pay…but they’re also not likely to be closed on Election Day, either. Heck, they were open on Thanksgiving Day last year. I know because I went. (Yes, I recognize that this makes me part of the problem.) They had cops there at the ready to break up the anticipated brawls over crappy TVs, but sadly, it was a complete snoozefest. I was sorely disappointed at the general civility and lack of WWE antics. Come ON, America. HAVE WE LOST ALL SENSE OF TRADITION?

Ah, well.

Another thing to consider here is that many states already have laws in place allowing time off to vote. Some states even require that you get paid time off to vote. So what happens to those laws if the President declares a national holiday? I imagine they won’t be officially repealed, but they certainly could be. At the least, they’d be largely redundant. And it might be cheaper for an employer to close – and pay no one for the day, because they don’t have to – than to try to stay open and schedule everyone around their voting activities.

With all that said, employees DO need to understand their rights around voting, and pursue remedies if they’re discouraged from doing so. A lot was sacrificed to GIVE you this right, and the best way to honor those efforts is to cast your ballot.

Source: Truthdig

But if we DO get a holiday out of the deal, I promise I won’t judge you for exercising your rights in your new Dr. Martens. (Because I only judge Crocs. But don’t let that keep you from voting.)

These boots were made for votin’….

Have a great 4th, peeps! <insert fireworks and sparklers>

No Escaping the Landscaping

Posted on June 11, 2016 by KatieComeBack

Sorry for being AWOL for a bit.

I’ll offer up the sad, half-deflated balloon excuse “I’ve been busy,” which, although true, is kinda overdone. But it’s finally summer in the Midwest (well, for this week, anyway) and in addition to all the other things going on right now (which I’ll write about later), I’ve been trying to take advantage of the super-warm (read: not snowing) weather by tackling a landscaping project:

Obviously, this is the “before” picture. I’d post a “during” but it’s downright depressing. And looks pretty much the same.

Essentially, we have a 47′ X 3′ strip of land by the fence that has transmogrified* into a freakin’ mint colony. And if you’re sitting there thinking, “hey, some mint would be nice to have” – please, for the love of all that is green and flowering, back away from the trowel. Mint is to gardens like fat is to thighs: Once it gets settled in there, all it does is expand, and it’s dang near impossible to get rid of, no matter how much time you spend attempting to whittle it out. If you don’t believe me, believe the THREE JAM-PACKED yard waste bags I filled with the stuff.

*Side note: “Transmogrified” is my favorite Calvin and Hobbes word ever.

Source: disemvowel

We declared war on the Mintvasion about a month ago, when we dug out every last mint plant (and much of the surrounding dirt, because guilt by association.) We re-dug it out three weeks ago, and re-RE-dug it out AGAIN last weekend. The next step in the Mint Massacre is to head out there with kerosene and a blow torch.

Site of most recently documented successful mint removal.

This is one seriously TENACIOUS herb, folks. Despite our sub-zero winters, it comes back stronger and fuller every year. To say this crap is “hearty” is an understatement – it’s practically indestructible. If Comcast or Verizon had this level of technology, your FIOS would stay connected well past the apocalypse.

As part of mint’s world domination plan, it sends out underground runners that are several feet long and majorly aggressive. I actually unearthed one that had grown RIGHT THROUGH THE TUBER of one of my peonies. Pierced that puppy clean through like a perennial Prince Albert. (And if you don’t know what that is, I suggest you not click this link at work. I didn’t know plants were into body modification, but that’s some hard-core shiz right there, yo.) Seriously, when the next Ice Age or Nuclear Fallout or Misguided Social Media Laughingstock Presidency wipes out the human race, the cockroaches (and remaining politicians) will be channeling top-secret communications and creepy beetle pornography through mint-root cable systems long after the rest of us are worm (and cockroach/surviving politician) food.

Pro Tip: If you want mint, plant it in a container. Not in your garden, or in the neighbor’s yard (hey, they started it with their noisy dogs, I know. But despite the incessant barking, you truly do not hate your neighbors, your ex-husbands, or door-to-door solicitors nearly enough to plant this herbal hellion. Neither do you live far enough away from them to do so. Trust me, the mint will find you.) Learn from my pain and keep that botanical bully on lockdown in a solid pot on a deck or stoop.

Anyway.

Once we’re sure the mint is gone, we’re planning to lay some contractor-grade landscaping fabric down to smother any zombie survivors. (Incidentally, did you know that “contractor grade” is higher than “professional grade”? Not entirely certain of the logic there – I’m guessing it was the brainchild of the same folks who created denim sizing.) We got a 20-pound roll of it, which is enough for a double layer barrier. (Mint insurance.) As we were buying this, I found these big honkin’ staples that help hold the fabric on the ground:

High Tech Pet Humane Contain Yard Staples for Above Ground Boundary Wire Installation

Source: Home Depot

In case you’re in the market for these, you should be aware that these have a special name….

Fabric fasteners? Landstaples? Barrier Bonders?

Nope.

CRAMPONS.

I sh!t you not. Witness:

Pardon my blur. Hard to focus when giggling maniacally.

I bought these over a month ago, and I AM STILL LAUGHING. #perpetuallytwelve

And no, I do not live near France. Or Canada.

Because we think it wise to have backup protection beyond just a single box of industrial-strength crampons (you know, for unplanned mint overflow or minor weed leakage), we’re planning to secure the fabric further by tucking it under over 100 feet of stone edging. Because, while we’re at it, we’re replacing that, too. We ripped out that black plastic edging strip that the previous owners installed – I just don’t care for the look of it; it mimics the vibe of pairing cheap flip-flops with a business suit. Plus, I’m hoping that since the stone edgers are flat on top, mowing will be easier – we should be able to avoid whipping out the weed whacker and just run the mower wheel right over the edging to trim. (By the way, if you garden, and you KNOW this won’t work, please do NOT tell me. I desperately need to cling to this one last dream I still have. Thank you.)

Eventually, though, we’ll get the fabric down and the edging (50 pieces, 22 pounds apiece) set around the border. Then, we “just” have to cover it with some trap rock.

https://i0.wp.com/brachtbros.com/wp-content/uploads/3-4-clean-dresser-trap-rock.jpg

Source: Bracht Bros.

I did the calculations, and it turns out we need approximately…uh…

<math>

Apparently, we’re back to that weird mystery sizing I don’t get.

I think I need roughly 1.5 metric cubits. Or tons. Or one whole effin’ sh!tload. Essentially, one ground-up failed planet’s worth. (Sorry, Pluto, you should’ve studied harder.)

I’m exhausted already.

Good thing I’ve continued to work these wicked guns of mine:

Fear the fierce, yo.

Fortunately, I do have a 16-year-old boy who 1) has no job (Xbox is NOT A JOB, kid) and 2) likes expensive electronic toys. I smell an epic deal…. I mean, this is why one HAS kids, right? To hold in front of yourself in pictures so no one sees your thighs, and to do yard work? Time to cash in on #2. <rubs hands together in glee>

“Hey…you know that Grand Theft Undead Bloodbath Call of Halo Duty VII game you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE? Here’s your crampons, kid, get to work.”

I’d offer to pay him in pizza, but seeing as he’s a teenage boy, video games are cheaper. Even though his fave is Papa John’s, which is super cheap, and…not delicious. We have all these great wood-fired oven pizza joints around us, and my offspring prefers what the hubs not-so-affectionately calls “Republican Pizza.” I suppose I should be thankful that my son’s champagne tastes only extend to electronics, right? I mean, he COULD be asking for crab legs and a car here.

I’ll share pics of the completed project, of course. Someday. We’re just waiting for the next weekend with the right weather – warm enough for me to be outside without gloves, yet not so warm that the hubs starts to wilt. In other words, the weekend where it is exactly 74.245 degrees. And cloudy, so it stays cool, but not raining, of course, because mud, and not sunny, because hot.

I think we had one of those days in May of 2008.

Suffice it to say that my pile of supplies might BE the landscaping for awhile.

Especially since it’s only recently been nice enough for me to get my bike out again. My apologies for the math here, but Biking < Landscaping. (This formula was, in fact, in your high school algebra book. You’ve just forgotten.) I took my first ride of the season last weekend, thinking, “hey, I’ll just zip around the lake.” Yeah…no. The hubs was done after one loop, but I needed to keep going. I clocked just over sixteen miles, baby. BOOYAH. I am a stud. A stud with unfinished landscaping.

By the time we finish this project, it just might be covered in snow.

So, until next time, here’s some gratuitous pictures of what’s been blooming:

Fire hydrant photobomb.

Yeah, I totally need to mow. Or gather the hay, or something.

How’s your garden growing this year? Are you a horticultural hero? Who’s your floral foe? Gimme the agricultural gossip in the comments!

Assumptive Presentment Resentment

Posted on May 21, 2016 by KatieComeBack

So how many of you thought the full moon was last Friday the 13th?

If you’re on Facebook, you might have – because, if you have more than three friends, you probably saw this:

It was on the walls of several of my friends’ pages, and was spreading like virtual mono at band camp. (If you’ve been, you know.)

But if you’re reading this any time near May 21, and it happens to be dark, go look outside.

Yep, the full moon wasn’t last week. It’s actually Saturday.

From Farmers’ Almanac

Now, I already knew this because I work in HR, and…well…people are nuts. And we know that the most disruptive, unpredictable, off-the-wall things happen right before and during the full moon. We track it within our department so we can ensure we’re well-stocked with survival tools (chocolate and wine, obvs) in advance.

But last week, pretty much everyone was thinking the full moon was Friday the 13th. If you’d looked outside to verify this, though, you’d have seen the First Quarter Moon instead. (Which looks like a half-moon. Because geometry* is stupid.)

Source

However, nobody actually goes outside anymore, especially when what you need can be obtained on the interwebs quickly, easily, and without needing to wear pants. So if you hopped on Google, you’d quickly come up with a most excellent – and reliable – link like the Farmers’ Almanac. Or this handy site that has more information on the Moon’s phases than most of us will ever need. (Trust me. I’m over 40 35 and have never needed 98% of this, nor has it mattered whether Pluto was a planet, a dog, or…wait, what IS Pluto, anyway? A pet rock?)

Source

Anyway, the point here is that the moon phases are EASILY verified. Yet it was super-simple for the social media Pied Piper to blow a tune and make us dance. Even one of my team members questioned me when I reminded her that the full moon was coming up. “Wasn’t it last week? Facebook said…”

Why were we so quick to believe a cartoon?

Because…it was there.

This face-value acceptance happens with email, too.

Back story: I actually have a very simple email address – my Gmail addy doesn’t have any funky letters after my name. This is because I got on the Gmail train when there were only a couple hundred people trying it out. See, years ago, I was networking with an HR professional at Google. She was hitting up her peers looking for some folks to try this new beta email program they were testing called “Gmail.” So I got on THAT plane early, before all the aisle seats were taken.

It’s kind of cool. I’m, like, an email hipster, yo. <dons dark glasses and on-point denim>

But now that there are over 900 million Gmail users, it’s become a lot harder to create a unique Gmail address. Consequently, a lot of folks accidentally “forget” those extra letters when signing up for online offers, applying for jobs, and emailing long-lost relatives. The result is that I get a lot of misdirected emails. Like this one:

???

Now, the only Jason I know is the first guy I held hands with back in 8th grade, while we were watching one of the Hellraiser movies.

A man who always makes a point. Source

I was pretty sure it wasn’t him…so I decided to play along.

Keeping it surreal, folks. Keeping. It. Surreal.

I don’t toy with all the misdirects – there are simply too many – so I usually just tell them they need to check their work. Like this one from earlier this week:

Do I LOOK like a Sr. Ortiz? (The answer is no. Smarta$$.)

So I wrote back – politely, this time, sans zoo animals, informing her that she had the wrong email.

She wrote back:

Okay. Word’s clearly out that I’ve been visiting psychics…but sadly, I couldn’t pick Sr. Ortiz out of a crowd of two unless one was my daddy.

I try again:

First day on the Internet, huh?

Time to shut this one down.

She seems to be gone now. But she was SO CERTAIN that this email address (which in zero way resembles anything that sounds like Ortiz whatsoever) belonged to Sr. Ortiz. Nothing I said, or wrote, was gonna convince her otherwise.

Her mind was made up.

Speaking of which….this actually happened just a couple of nights ago:

I was sitting on the sofa, attempting a conversation with the hubs, when suddenly he changed the subject entirely to share this riveting news story:

Him: So I hear there’s this sheriff in Tennessee who’s being sued – he was using his position as sheriff to push his religious beliefs on his department.

Me: …oh?

Him: He posted religious messages on social media, too…and actually SELECTIVELY DELETED messages from people who disagreed with him. You can’t do that!

Me: <furrows brow, waits for more>

Him: And now he’s actually COUNTER-SUING, claiming he’s being persecuted.

Me: <cocks head>

Him: That’s just ridiculous. You can’t use your job as sheriff to blast your religion!

Me: Um…<thinking I missed something> What…did he actually…do?

Him: <looks at me for clarification>

Me: What did he post? What did he delete? What actually…happened here?

Him: <blink>

Him: <pause>

Him: I…don’t actually know.

Me: <sigh>

The hubs had received a notice of this lawsuit via email from American Atheists. The email, which he shared with me, listed the allegations, and was essentially asking for contributions to support the lawsuit. And yes, there were links connecting to more information. As one might expect, they weren’t exactly neutral.

The least slanted link is here, and it does provide examples of what the sheriff posted. There are some definitively Christian posts. Do I think these are appropriate for a public officer to make on what appears to be a public page? Not all of them, no. There’s a post about Easter that references Bible verses and the “He Is Risen”message – that does feel exclusionary to me. (I celebrate the Christian Easter, but certainly recognize that it’s mostly candy and bunnies for a lot of folks. And if candy didn’t make me fat, it would be SO about the candy up in my pie hole. Mmm….candy….)

<ahem>

Anyway. Some of the posts I’m cool with. There are references to more generic prayer, and the phrase “God bless you.” I generally don’t take offense to stuff like this. Even if you don’t believe in that particular entity, it’s a well-wish, like “Blessed Be” or “Shalom” – it’s not like he’s saying “God smite you.” (I am totally gonna start using that, though.) And if you tell a kid that you hope Santa is good to him this year, you’re not saying YOU believe in the fat man dropping down your chimney, right? (Which, when I put it that way, sounds like one of those horrible IBS commercials, and now I have ruined the image of “leaving presents under the tree” for everybody.) On that note – is wishing someone a Merry Christmas exclusionary? Not to a shopping mall. Sure, there CAN be a Christian component to it, but our credit card bills testify to the big sack o’secular in Christmas.

Note, though, that there’s a lot of information missing from these links. While I do think the sheriff crossed a line, I haven’t seen what he felt he needed to delete from the page. According to this link, the sheriff says he removed those posts that weren’t “family-friendly”. What does that mean, exactly? Were they posts simply pointing out the desire to see more diverse viewpoints represented? Or were they filled with F-bombs?

Unfortunately, we don’t know, because neither team is serving up those posts for us to swing at.

We don’t have the whole story.

Now, I don’t want to get into a big religious debate here. I’m all about Team Coexist, and I think that intelligent people can have VERY different beliefs and can make the best choices for THEM.

Then again, I have purple hair, a nose ring, and I drink wine and swear a lot.

HR approved.

So I might not be the example you wanna follow. Or maybe I am. I’m cool either way, bro.

I’m also cool if you disagree with some of my thoughts on the subject. I respect that you’ve had different life experiences and will offer a different perspective. I hope you share your thoughts with me so we can have some intelligent, respectful dialogue.

Bottom line: We can’t coexist if we can’t listen to each other. We can’t hear anything if our personal biases work like noise-cancelling headphones to filter out different opinions.

And, most importantly, we won’t learn anything if we don’t attempt to objectively approach information. Especially opinions that are presented to us as – or in the absence of – facts.

And this is where the hubs took his bias bus and drove it solidly into the curb.

He got the email, saw “Christianity”, and reacted.

The sheriff is Christian. Therefore, the sheriff is WRONG.

There were some links included in the email. He didn’t even read them.

As far as he was concerned, that sheriff was tried, judged, and convicted.

The end.

And this – this right here – is why he and I cannot have an honest, intellectual conversation about religion.

Because as soon as you insert religion into the playlist, all he can hear is the familiar tune of his mental Pied Piper, who played the song “Christianity” and watched him pirouette.

To be completely fair, he recognized pretty quickly what he’d done. He went back to his laptop, pulled up the email, and started to do some homework on the issue.

But once that conclusion cake’s in the oven, it’s really, really difficult to pull it back out and add more sugar or more chocolate. It only takes a few minutes for batter to chemically transform, and it’s unbelievably messy to convert it back into batter again.

And today, I don’t like the smell of what he’s baking.

Cake makes me fat, anyway.

So, today, as you’re scrolling through your many social media sites, chatting with family, or watching the news, remember your bias.

And if your personal Pied Piper is blatting too loudly, shove some cake up his flute and tell him to choke on it while you rework your playlist.

*P.S. I used the word “sheriff” TEN times in this post, and if it weren’t for spellcheck, it would’ve been wrong all ten times. English spelling is also dumb.

The Caucus Circus

Posted on March 6, 2016 by KatieComeBack

By the time you read this, Super Tuesday will be a thing of the past. But, since this was my first time participating in an election that wasn’t directly for the next President, I thought I’d share some first-timer experience.

Yes, that’s correct. I am…um…old enough to have participated in many elections, and have never before exercised my right to check boxes in a primary, caucus, or any other non-general election.

Now, before you go flogging me with the judgement whip – let me explain.

First, I’ve only lived in this state for about 10 years. In my prior state, I wasn’t ALLOWED to vote in the primaries, because I’m not affiliated with any political party. I spent most of my adult life in a state that shut out those of us not willing to provide external support to one of the two major players in this twisted, broken game we call “politics.”

And why don’t I align myself with a party? Because parties are supposed to be fun, with friends, dancing, music, and great munchies. They’re NOT supposed to be some twisted version of Satan’s Zoo, where all the monkeys hoot and snort around their territory while flinging virtual dung at each other. We innocent observers stand at what we hope is a safe distance – we know the whole thing stinks, yet we’re unwilling to intervene because we might end up getting a steaming, grain-laden fecal pie right in the kisser.

So yeah, if THAT is what political “parties” are like, I think I’ll be a hermit and sit at home on the couch, eating popcorn and NOT dodging poo and NOT affiliating with either group of classless Neanderthals.

I suppose I have that in common with our esteemed former Governor Jesse “The Body” Ventura. (My dad and my brother were totally into WWE, back when it was WWF – we watched as religiously as we went to Mass – and I didn’t live here when he was Governor, so he’ll always be Jesse “The Body” to me.)

That, and these impressive guns:

Jesse The Body’s guns (image from pro-wrestlers.com)

My Guns of Steel, yo.

It’s like we’re twins.

Anyway, he’s a bit more…well, you can view his thoughts on the whole mess here, if you’re curious. But suffice it to say I’m not the biggest fan of the whole political machine, either. Normally, I happily stick my head in the sand and ignore it all until it comes time to vote for President, at which time I try to pick the least unpalatable option.

This is no easy feat. It’s much like choosing which poison to drink. Death by suffocation or severe intestinal distress?

This year, though, was a little bit different. While I haven’t yet decided which of the current frontrunners is least likely to force me to flee to a deserted island*, I did know that there was at least one candidate I wanted to push out of the running.

*I used to say “move to Canada” – but that shiz is FREAKIN COLD YO. So no.

When I first heard that Trump was running for President, I (and, I suspect, much of America) was amused. Initially, it wasn’t a terrible thing, really. Since he’s a personality of pop culture, he got a lot of people paying attention to politics that couldn’t be bothered with it all in the past. Let’s face it, if you’re of the can’t-miss-The-Bachelor, Kardashians-are-fascinating** set, there isn’t much in American politics that likely interests you.

**For the record, I don’t care about either of those, OR politics, because boring.

But once the “You’re Fired” guy runs for office? THINGS JUST GOT INTERESTING.

Trump is unabashedly and decidedly different. He’s not your mother’s politician. He’s bold, he’s brash, and he’s saying a lot of things that a lot of people want to hear. He made politics entertaining, which made it interesting to those of us who’d rather do yard work or go to the dentist than follow politics.

But we all knew that this was just a role he was playing. Right? The man’s not a politician. HE’S A FREAKING CARICATURE. He’s only making a statement. He can’t REALLY want to be President. Eventually, he’ll do the right thing and bow out.

Right?

RIGHT?

?????!!!!!!?!?!?!?!! @#($*@#($@

COME ON, AMERICA. What in the exact hell is happening here? You DO realize that this walking satire might ACTUALLY have a shot at leading the nation in a few short months?

And you know what else totally puzzles me? Trump has a HUGE following…but I have yet to meet a person that admits publicly that they’re voting for this clown. He’s like the most popular politician that NO ONE will admit they support.

ZOMG. TRUMP IS THE WAL-MART OF POLITICS.

(You know how THAT is, right? When you’re mingling in your social circle, everyone is singing the praises of Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and how they only buy free range quinoa and antibiotic-free tofu and would NEVER EVER support Evil Corporate Giants and their dirty High Fructose Corn Syrup profits. But if you peeked into their pantries, I suspect the contents would Equate to their Great Values coming from you-know-where. It’s the biggest retail company that NOBODY SHOPS AT. Mysterious.) <cough>

Anyway. As an Independent in this state, I can participate in either party’s caucus, as long as I agree to only participate in one or the other. I also have to have voted for that party at least once before, and generally agree with stuff they support. (I assume if you don’t really care about either party, that counts. School of Close Enough gave me a C.) So I thought it might be a good time to use my one small voice at the state caucus to vote thusly:

Image: Imgur

So off to the Republican caucus I went, to cast my vote for Not Trump.

The process started at 7. I showed up at 6:30 so I could sign in and figure out what I was supposed to actually DO. And I’m glad I did, because the place was a flippin’ madhouse. (You’d think Prince came home to visit or something.) I wedged my truck into a questionable half-space between another car and a lamppost, and headed inside.

By this time, it was 6:42, and from the end of the rather formidable line, I heard “we’re out of forms already.” Even though this state has the highest voter turnout, they simply weren’t prepared for the flood of people wanting to have a say this early in the process.

Eventually, we all got directed to different rooms, separated by “precinct.” (My precinct was green on the map. Thus begins and ends my knowledge of precincts. ???)

Once I found my room (since I’m still in my work heels, OF COURSE it was the furthest one from the door) we all had to sign in. They wanted my name, address, phone number, and email address. They got my name, my signature, my address, and a dirty look. (When you’re an independent, EVERYONE wants a piece of you come election time. Why make it easy? COME FIND ME BRO.)

There was one more spot on the form to complete….I was asked to “initial this box if you’re voting in the next election.”

I took a look at the box the volunteer was pointing to. It said, “Voting GOP Next Election?”

Waitwaitwait.

“I only initial this if I’m voting Republican, then – not if I’m just planning to vote, right?”

The volunteer confirmed this. “Right. Are you voting Republican for our next President?”

What I wanted to say: Well, that depends. BUT CERTAINLY AND MOST DEFINITIVELY NOT IF YOU CLOWNS PICK TRUMP.

What I actually said: “I’m…still undecided.”

He then gave me a name tag with my first name printed on it. I stuck it on and watched a few others sign in. Turns out that if you ARE voting GOP in the fall, you get a red dot on your name tag.

Red Color Coding Dot Labels 3/4" Round .75 Diameter Inventory Code Stickers - 500 Per Roll

Image: Amazon

Out of fifty or so caucus attendees in my little room, guess how many weren’t marked with a red dot?

C’mon. Guess.

I remember scanning the room, my eyes locating red dot after red dot, one affixed to every. single. name tag on every. single. person. Every last ever-loving one of ’em was claiming to vote Republican, no matter what.

Except moi.

That was a solo I wasn’t planning on singing. But I grabbed the mike and ran with it. The Scarlet Lemming, I ain’t.

(But seriously. Really? REALLY??!?? Even if it’s TRUMP? I judge you, Red Dot Society. I. JUDGE. YOU.)

Hell toupee:

Now it was time to get down to business.

We opened up with the Pledge of Allegiance (a nice touch, although someone needs to remind people to take their hats off. Do they not teach this in schools anymore?)

Next, after “electing” the emcee (who probably has a more official title that I can’t recall), a secretary, and two vote counters, the leader emcee dude read a statement from each of the candidates “in the running.” YAWN. No surprises there. I’m sure your mothers all think you’re as fabulous as you say you are. I’ll admit it was really difficult to ~~refrain from playing a few rounds of Candy Crush~~ focus on these little love letters. I give myself C+ for the effort (and beat two more levels. GO ME)

Finally, it was time to vote. Paper ballots (ah, good ol’ 1890’s technology!) were handed out, marked, and collected.

Then, because it was nearly 8 PM and I was hungry, I left. (Which is totally OK – you can stay and listen as some boring politics stuff gets discussed, or you can go home and eat a turkey burger. In my house, the burger ALWAYS wins. #teamhungry)

On the way out (and there were STILL people coming in!) I overheard a few of the volunteers commenting on the turnout. Last go-round, they thought they had MAYBE fifty or sixty voters for the caucus at this location. This year, there were over fifty in my precinct alone – close to a thousand total crammed into the local high school to have their say that night.

And this was consistent across the entire state.

Kind of warms my heart that so many people showed up. Because showing up means they still CARE.

My state hasn’t given up. Not yet.

Ironically, one of Trump’s claims is that “I really unify and bring people together.“ And, I suppose on Tuesday in Minnesota, he did just that. Attendance at the Republican caucus was 75% higher than it was in 2008. People unified and turned out in droves to join their voices together and make sure they were heard.

And they didn’t pick Trump. Neither did the Democrats pick Clinton:

MNCaucus

Image: politico.com

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.

Trump? You’re fired.

Carrots in My Carryon

My emotional baggage is packed with food

Tag Archives: politics

Hello, Violence

One Man’s Spam is Another Man’s Shenanigans

There Oughta Be a Law…or Not.

No Escaping the Landscaping

Assumptive Presentment Resentment

The Caucus Circus

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