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stag's LiveJournal:
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| Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 | | 7:28 pm |
Update on jobs
Today I went back to the group home in the early am to drop off my college transcripts as requested. Then I went back to Super Pantry for a battery of tests. It took all day with a short break for lunch and my little brain is hurting now. The range of topics covered were standard. Everything from 'sexual harassment in the workplace' to 'upselling' soda and cigarettes. But one thing threw me for a loop. One of the last tests was titled "The Patriot Act". The background for the test talked about how laundered funds were used to finance the 9/11 attacks. It explained how money laundering works, how it's tracked and what agencies need to be contacted if one suspects money laundering. Money transfer systems like banks, casinos, and Western Union can be used for money laundering. And we have a Western Union machine. It's expected of us, to be on the look out for unusual large money transfers or cumulative transfers that are unusually large. Ok, I don't get when I was recruited a counter-terrorism agent at minimum wage. It all sounds like a bad sit-com on NBC. :/ For those who don't know EXPRESS recruiters is having a Job Fair from 9am til 4pm. That's where I'll be until I go back in for more training at Super Pantry. So, I'll be going to a Job Fair before going in for more training at a job I got hired at, while waiting to here if they want to hire me at the group home. I'm covering all my bases. :) Current Mood:  weird | | Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 | | 1:00 pm |
Interview and giggles
Well, the interview at the group home went fairly well. I showed up early, answered all the questions and then was given a quick tour of the place. Afterward, my interviewer asked that I bring back to her my college transcripts tomorrow. Which I'll do. I interviewed well. I feel very positive about this job and I hope that I get it. Please, please, please! Now, a funny thing happened as I was driving there. I was listening the classical station on my mp3/radio when I leaned to the side to check my map. I must have pushed a button accidentally because the radio switched to a christian station. Then I heard approximately the following: "And now a word from Rhonda Reah, author of 'The Purse-Uit of Holiness'." "Recently as I was applying my make-up I squeezed the tube of foundation too hard. It came out in blobs and made a big mess. I don't know about you, but for me this stuff is 'Beige Gold'. I wondered what comes out of us if we are squeezed too hard. How strong is your foundation?" I think I would have wrecked the truck if I'd not already been parked. I also thought this person was a joke until I found her on the net and this description of her book: Every woman can relate to the endless search for the perfect purse. And Rhonda Rhea knows they are also on a constant lookout for the perfect spiritual life as well. Now, any woman who loves to laugh and who longs to know God in a closer, sweeter way need shop no further than The Purse-uit of Holiness. With a sharp wit and keen insight, Rhea takes women into an in-depth but always entertaining study of 1 Peter 1:15-16. Whether they carry designer handbags or landfills on shoulder straps, women will love following Rhea heavenward in this hilarious and enlightening book.Ok, I had to look it up because I don't like what I call biblical shorthand. 1 Peter Chapter 1 Verses 15-16 reads :
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." What the hell does that have to do with shopping? The other thing that happened was that I got a call from Toy R Us to come in for a group interview tomorrow. I think I covered this before, but I will talk about it again. If you've not been to a group interview it is very much like a momma vulture feeding her young. The mother vulture is the potential employer. Everyone that comes to the meeting are her chicks. And the rancid tidbit she is holding over them, enticing them to jump and snap, is the job everyone wants. I think I'll drop back and maintain a calm attitude during this interview. I can't see anything going wrong that way. UPDATE: Well, it looks like I wont be going to TOYS R US tomorrow. Super Pantry called back and said they wanted me to start tomorrow. I'll be training in the daytime for the overnight shift. Meanwhile, I'll be hoping that I will still get hired at the group home. Current Mood: happy | | Monday, June 22nd, 2009 | | 9:05 pm |
I is intelligent
I had therapy today and my therapist told me that I had the ability to overcome my emotional problems because I'm very intelligent. Not taking compliments well, I shrugged it off. Later, two things happened to me that may force me to change my mind. Or it may reaffirm my long standing belief that I'm not smart, but rather there are a whole lot of people that are dumber than me. At 1pm today, I had a job interview at the local Super Pantry. At first the manager wasn't sure what to do. He remembered calling me on Thursday for the interview, but he didn't remember what he did with my application. The interview took about 20 minutes. Then K, the manager (btw: Are managers of convenience stores supposed to have blood on their shirts?) tells me that I have to complete the last part. It's a math test with seven simple word problems about giving change after a purchase. You know, 'the total comes to $17.45 and the customer hands you a $20.00'. And below that is a line that reads '___$20, ___$10, ___$5, ___$1, ___Quarters, etc.' I filled it out and handed it back to him. K checks out the math on his calculator and smiles at me. "You know, you're the first person to get this right?" he said. "Really?" I said. "Yes, I've had assistant managers, regular managers, and a former manager from a County Market come in here and they all failed." he said. "That is very sad." I said. The interview ended with him showing me the drawer full of rejected applications he had and that he was going to tell his bosses how well I did. Also, he gave me ANOTHER application to fill out so that he'd have one. So, I may get a call back on this job. Later this evening I went to Blockbusters at R's request to track down a copy of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". The pinhead behind the counter couldn't find it on his computer and then a small 20watt bulb lit up above his brow. He called to his coworker that he was trying to find my movie and then asked "Hey, would that be under 'Shakespeare'?" I can only assume that he was confusing it with 'A Midsummer's Nights Dream'. And that he's not seen either movie. Double Head-desk. Current Mood:  annoyed | | Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 | | 11:08 pm |
Birthday Me
Today is my birthday. I've hit the magic number 42, which as we all know is the answer to "Life, the Universe, and Everything". Strangely though, I don't feel any wiser. I feel a bit happier than I did earlier this year and I'm working towards losing some weight that I've put on, but not much more than that. AnnMarie was nice enough to bring me a cool gift in the form of a bobble-head kitty. I have no idea what to do with it, so it will go on the computer desk til further notice. Rebecca took me out to get art supplies over the weekend so that I now have more that enough stuff to draw with and on. I like big paper and such. Also, her friend HJ came over to help give me some pointers to start being able to draw in 3-D again. I went to the library yesterday and got an interesting book called "Misquoting Jesus" by Bart D. Ehrman. MJ discusses how the bible (specifically the New Testament) cannot be taken as the inerrant word of God because of copying errors, lost words, mistranslations, and something called scriptuo continua which is what happens when you hand copy a document and leave no spaces between the words, have no punctuation and no sentence structure or capitalization. Absolutely gripping book, I highly recommend it. Current Mood:  indescribable | | Monday, June 8th, 2009 | | 7:48 pm |
Cats and Jobs
Well, the Grey kitty earned her huntress horns last week. She's a full fledged kitty-killing machine now. While out with friends, we got the call from J (R's son). He said that when he and L got back from fishing he discovered one of the cats playing with a toy mouse. But it wasn't a toy, it was the real deal. He dashed to the kitchen to get a bag to collect it and remove it from the house. This was much to the kitty's chagrin. You could hear her little kitty thoughts: "Hey! I killed it! I get to play with it!" Not much of a kill really, just an inch long not including the tail. But for my money that's enough to strike fear in the hearts of any vermin that might try and invade our home. All four footers beware!! There's a new sheriff in town! ROWRR! HISS!!! HISS!! On a slightly more annoying and yet inspiring note, I got a call back from DS about the job that I applied for. It seems that I was full in the running for the position of Residential Instructor and the person I interviewed with was waiting to get back to me. I guess that's why it took 2 weeks for her to do so. But, it turns out that she was waiting to see if the state budget alloyed for them to hire another person even though one quit recently. The answer was no and they can't bring on anyone new atm. But, she said she'd keep me in mind the next time they were hiring. A matter of confusion for me is that I just saw an add in the paper for a Residential Instructor. I told my interview this and she said to call the person that was in charge of that group home and see if they were hiring. It seems that one section of the company doesn't follow what the other does. But that's ok. I'll just show up on their doorstep tomorrow and ask if I need to complete another application. Or if I can get an interview with the head of the other group home. Current Mood: annoyed | | Saturday, June 6th, 2009 | | 11:25 pm |
This is for BA
This is news to me even if everyone else has heard about it. On July 11, 2007 The International Gay and Lesbian Human Right Commission published an article about Constitutional protection for LGBT people of Thailand. In 2006, Thailand went through a military coup and annulled the previous constitution. Anjana Suvarnananda a LGBT activity debated with the military appointed constitution drafting committee so that LGBT rights would be protected in the new regime. An interview with Anjana can be found here: http://www.iglhrc.org/cgi-bin/iowa/article/takeaction/resourcecenter/438.htmlI found a more recent article from Thailand's English Language Law Resource from April 11, 2008 that stated: <cut> The 2007 Constitution, as currently written, states that ‘The Thai people, irrespective of their origins, sexes or religions, shall enjoy equal protection under this Constitution’ (Section 5) and ‘Unjust discrimination against a person on the grounds of the difference in origin, race, language, sex, age, disability, physical or health condition, personal status, economic or social standing, religious belief, education or constitutionally political view, shall not be permitted’ (Section 30). Although transsexuals and homosexuals are not explicitly mentioned, there are signs that transsexuals and homosexuals will be actively using the new constitution as a basis for defending themselves against discrimination. </cut> The full article can be read here: http://www.thailawforum.com/Transsexuals-and-Thai-Law.htmlAnd later I found a tape on YOUTUBE about a trans-person in Thailand that was refused entry to a local night club after showing her ID. She threatened to sue the club and was interview on television. The corporate owners apologized, the manager that refused her entry quit, and she got to talk to the constitutional drafting board. It can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnvsaImOhUw&feature=fvhlThailand wrote a new constitution that uses language allowing LGBT people to defend themselves against discrimination. In the YOUTUBE video and the second article give account of people defending their rights by just threatening to sue. I think times are changing and there is hope. If Thailand can change it's laws to reflect the times, how can America not follow? | | Friday, May 1st, 2009 | | 9:00 pm |
Not the best day
I got a call from the temp agency that gave me the assignment with the big "W" here in town. It seems that they don't want me to come back for the second week of training. I'm not really surprised. I was unfamiliar with a lot of the terminology and felt very outclassed as everyone there was way more into programming languages, computer systems, and new tech than I was. I felt like I was asking the same questions too many times and was unable to grasp what they were trying to train me. Ah, well. I've got a line on two more jobs that I'm going to go after next week. But losing two placements in as many months does tend to wear a body down. Feeling really stupid and out of sorts tonight. Current Mood:  blah | | Friday, February 6th, 2009 | | 2:35 pm |
Happy Imbolg
Today is the first day of Imbolg. Yes, I know the calendar marked Monday as the annual celebration of when the cute little rat comes out of his burrow to mark a new Holiday. He acts as "meteorologist for a day" and tells us all what we already know. He stands (or squats) with firm admission that: "Winter isn't over, but I'm making a stab at it by demonstrating my existence. Life conquers over death as I have chosen to show up." And that's what today was for me. The clouds were gone today. No dark shadows. The temperature was over 40 today. No frozen walks or streets to bar the way. The snow was melting in happy audible fashion. It trickled down the street in a melodic invitation to the flowers. True, it's only February and their could be more snow on the way. This is but a temporary reprieve from the onslaught of butt-kicking weather. But I welcomed this respite as best I could. I got out and road around on my bicycle today. With nothing warmer than a sweater, I sailed past ice hills that gave way to puddles. I saw streets that had been buried for weeks on end. I saw a father son out walking the dog on pavement that must have seemed brand new to the mutt ("I can see where I'm peeing!") It's not the beginning of Spring, and it is not the end of Winter. But it can be the hope that Winter's end is coming and we have lots more bikeriding days to look forward to. Happy Imbolg to you! | | Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 | | 4:10 pm |
1-20-09
The End of an Error. Happy New President Everyone! | | Friday, November 28th, 2008 | | 12:57 am |
Thanksgiving
This evening I got to have a wonderful mean cooked and served by two dear friends that invited us over for the evening. There were 10 of us all together and we had a grand time. Lots of stories and laughs were told and we even played a game of scrabble. (BTW, "reveiled" is a word and will allow you to get rid of all the damned "E's" you didn't mean to draw.) Thanksgiving doesn't mean that much to me as a holiday. There are many things that I'm grateful to have in my life and I'll use any excuse to get have a feast with the people I care about. I have more than I deserve and I live happily, healthy, and safe in my home with my spice and pets. My friends call, write, and even visit sometimes. And when I can, I visit them. I working through not working and that I really don't like holiday season as much as the TV and radio keep telling me I'm supposed to. I give "thanks" because I think I am lucky. And sometimes, I think undeservedly so. It's not easy to keep an upbeat attitude. Fighting the "depression" is not as hard as grabbing the "happy". I mean that it's easy to get depressed and difficult to see how well off you are. I think I take things for granted in my life and when a holiday rolls around it makes me remember that I'm never as bad off as my lowered serotonin levels make me think I am. The first Thanksgiving? Whoa! That will really get you down. The truth is a lot nastier than the stories we were told in school and it's important to know what really happened and what didn't. The native tribes of this country didn't get a lot of say in what is thought to be the origins of Thanksgiving. The truth is, that for the way things are, a lot of people had to die. We all are here partially due to the results of wars, massacres, theft, espionage, kidnappings, forced expatriation, and murder. We are also the result of planning, team work, mistakes, miscalculations, invention, alliances, discovery, and just plain dumb luck. So, I am thankful for what I have. And not because of some date on the calendar. I'm thankful that I'm here, I'm alive, I love, I am loved.. and I'm thankful for what is to come. And I'm thankful for all of you as well. Current Mood:  awake | | Monday, November 10th, 2008 | | 6:39 pm |
The 5,000 pound elephant in the white hood
My day went quite well today. I returned a couple of library books. Afterward, I filled out a release form for the University to check my references as I attempt to test for a job that may be open sometime next year. (If someone understands that, please explain it to me.) The last part of my day’s hat trick was returning to the free mental health clinic to apply to the drug manufacturers for a discount on my meds until I receive insurance. And then there’s a nice little dead fly waiting for me when I go online. For the past few days, my brother has been sending spam. This first one was titled “Potential Problem with the Obama Presidency” and had a photo of a dollar bill with the blacked-out face of the president-elect in the oval. The photo had been blacked out so that only the eyes and teeth were discernible. The second one came today with this image: http://thepeoplescube.com/images/Wealth_Spread_500.jpgI know these sites and I know my brother. What is promoted as a comical critique of the current presidential policies and quotes is nothing more than thinly veiled racism. I know this because I know my brother. I know this because this is how the both of us were raised in the suburbs of Memphis in the 80’s. It’s a code that still continues today in some political circles and on radio and television. It’s funny; if you’re white, if you only have white friends, and if you grew up in a town where none-white people will step of the sidewalk into the street to let you pass if you are white. It’s funny if you're white and you think that’s the way the world works and should work. I wrote my brother back.
Michael,
Please stop sending me this racist crap about Barack Obama. I don't think it is funny. And it is insulting to think I'm related to someone who keeps circulating spam like this.
Sean-ThomasThis is one of the reasons I don’t talk to my family. I noted that he mass emailed this to his friends, my sister, his ex-wife, my cousins, and me. But he did not send it to my little brother. Maybe there is hope in one of my siblings. Current Mood: pissed offCurrent Music: NCIS | | Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 | | 7:50 am |
Oh, Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama = 349 McCain = 162Obama skunked McCain!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for voting!
I am so happy I could just bust!
So now the long wait is over and we see a new President in office. The world is a different place than it was yesterday. I truly believe that anyone can become President now. I see a change in the way the country is run and how we are seen by the rest of the world.
After the celebration and the elation, the change comes. I want to see what happens in the next One Hundred Days. I want to see some of these promises made start to come to fruition. A rescued economy, a health care plan, a healing planet. They will come as we watch and help this new leader take office and change the direction of the country.
Shout at the sky! Sing to the moon! Dance and spin and jump as high as you can! Give thanks to you friends, the rest of the country and your Gods! Our world takes a breath of fresh air and faces the day with a new outlook. Let's make it all happen. Let's make the future something we're proud of.
Current Mood: ecstaticCurrent Music: CNN News | | Thursday, October 30th, 2008 | | 11:50 am |
| | Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 | | 8:11 am |
Faith and Doubt
I recently answered a question on a lj group concerning the doubt one has about faith. It concerned being pagan and feeling like you don't fit it. This was my response: Questioning your faith means that your always facing the challenge of it. Doubts are a reminder that your brain is still working. Those that go without doubts, those that KNOW they are "one of the elect, chosen to escape the fiery Armageddon that awaits all the non-believers" ( or in the case of pagans: Going to the summerlands), have turned off their brains. You can tell this when they invite you to turn off your brain as well and join their 'family'. Doubt is like fear, it's a warning that something really bad is coming if you don't take immediate action. Doubt of faith is a good indication that you should sit down and figure out WHY you do what you do and WHY you believe in it. Finding something that resonates with you that you read, heard, or saw is a good start. Finding meaning for keeping that connection going is the next step. Doing a spiritual inventory is a good thing. It allows you to throw out things that are no longer doing you any good. A few years ago I threw out "guilt". This year I threw out "self-loathing". If your boyfriend thinks your strange, cool. It's better than him thinking your boring. And you can remind him: "Once you go pagan, you never go back a-gain!" :) If your not trying to sell your brand of faith to the masses as the one an ONLY way to go, then you are better off than the fundies. Not BETTER, just better off. It is in the bible that followers of Christ must spread the good news to the rest of the world. And it must be a lot of work what with ticking people off at grocery stores, accosting them in bowling alleys, and waking them up at 9goddamnit o'clock on a Sunday morning. Being weird is good. You should be proud of being strange. Why would you want to be like everyone else. Fitting it just means that you are able to become unnoticed, invisible, overlooked. I'd rather be a daisy in the rose garden then just another rose. And keep acknowledging your doubt. It's a tool that helps you to change the course and aid the flow of the river that is your faith. Current Mood:  thoughtful | | Sunday, October 26th, 2008 | | 6:56 pm |
Voting Early
I went in and voted early today. But because I didn't submit a change of address form, I could only do the federal ballot. That means that I was only able to vote on the three main races and not the lesser races and the bills that were on the full ballot. It felt good to get out and get that done early. I don't like crowds. To be able to avoid the lines and exercise my right as an American made me very happy. I was honored to be able to cast my vote for the highest office in the land. I'm not going to tell you who I voted for but my choices seemed to be locked on either "The Corpse and the Hood Ornament" and "THE ONLY HOPE THIS COUNTRY HAS!". My vote is cast and still a private matter between me and the booth. Or was that a dead give away? :) Whoever you support, go out and vote. It's important, it's your right, and it's one of the few ways you ever get to exercise that right. Make your voice heard. You only have a few days to decide. And whoever votes for Nader this year has to buy the first round the weekend after the election. I'm not joking. Current Mood: happyCurrent Music: Halloween shows on the Travel Channel | | 6:55 pm |
| | Monday, October 13th, 2008 | | 4:29 pm |
gakked from satyir
You are an Eco-Avenger, also known as an environmentalist or tree hugger. You believe in saving the planet from the clutches of air-fouling, oil-drilling, earth-raping conservative fossil fools.  discontent | | Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 | | 5:03 am |
He said, she said
I'm reviewing the first presidential debate on YOUTUBE as I was not able to watch it live. I'm barely half way through. Seems like a close call as to who is doing better. I've not formed an opinion as to who I think won. However, friends have made me aware of the latest Sarah Palin interviews. I fired up the YT and watched with eager anticipation. Could she deal with the tough issues? What is her opinion on the war in the Middle East, the economy, failing banks, and the Bush Administration? (You can see them here and here.) OH MY GODS! A month ago I dubbed the Republican Pres. and VP candidates: "The Corpse and the Hood Ornament." For those of you who don't remember, a hood ornament is a chrome plated figure bolted to the foremost part of the bonnet of a car. It makes a vehicle look pretty but doesn't add to the overall performance or mileage. If the Republican party were a car, she'd be the hood ornament. I cannot believe the answers she was giving. It was like watching the contestant from "Miss Teen USA" flub the question about find the US on a world map. (Well, that does make some sense as she was a two-time beauty contestant winner.) Did someone set her play button on infinite loop? She kept answering the same questions in the same exact way. Isn't anyone on duty to brief this woman? Or give her some bullet points to memorize? This is the person that may be one step away from the highest office in this country? Do we really want her to have the Nuclear Launch Codes? One second thought, it might be a good thing. She might forget them during her term. Bush had a earpiece so that he could get answers while debating Gore. For the VP debate I think the Rep's will have to hire Brian Henson to build and operate the Palin-muppet so that she will sound intelligent. Either that, or provide a laugh-track for the telecast. Until now, I've never seen Charles Gibson or Katie Couric wince while conducting an interview. And Katie has interviewed real muppets! *head desk* Current Mood: indescribable | | 3:03 am |
Stacking
Does anyone know how to make a vertical image replacement navigation menu with each button being a different than the others. That is to say that the "Links" button will be a button with the word "Links" in the background image rather than text floating over a background image. I'm building a site for a friend and have hit this almost unconquerable roadblock. I've looked here http://www.alistapart.com/articles/sprites/ for an explanation but it is not any help. All of the descriptions of image replacement menu only describe the code for horizontal menus, rather than vertical ones. I'll try to put the code up about this tomorrow so that you can see what I'm talking about. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, _stag | | Monday, September 22nd, 2008 | | 7:19 pm |
Again with the "Duh!"
You are The LoversMotive, power, and action, arising from Inspiration and Impulse. The Lovers represents intuition and inspiration. Very often a choice needs to be made. Originally, this card was called just LOVE. And that's actually more apt than "Lovers." Love follows in this sequence of growth and maturity. And, coming after the Emperor, who is about control, it is a radical change in perspective. LOVE is a force that makes you choose and decide for reasons you often can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a higher power. And that is what this card is all about. Finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. This card indicates that the you have or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that you will fall in love with. You will know instinctively that you must have this, even if it means diverging from your chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it you will never be complete. What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out. Current Mood: blank |
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