Pissing everyone off

I know what I am about to write will piss off a bunch of people.  And I understand that I am chickening out.  I could post this on Facebook.  But I won't.  And there are very few people who know about this blog that also know it is me.  So I will be a chicken here.

Nothing pisses people off like religion.  And I am fed up with it.  Everyone is so sure that their religion is the only right one and that everyone agrees with them.

I am an Atheist.  Really.  Not agnostic.  No confused.  Atheist.  Which is the worst to be.  Because it is worse to not believe in something then to not believe in whatever the other person believes.

So one of my friends posts on Facebook today.

And it made me think.

Wasn't America founded by people fleeing from religious persecution? They didn't come to America to form a pocket of their own religion.  They came for religious freedom.  Right?

Isn't there an Amendment that specifically separates church and state?  I think there is.  And yet we have constantly broken that.  Even our money has "In God We Trust" printed on it.  And I have been questioned how I can use money (as an Atheist) with that printed on it.  Whatever. I can't win everything.

There is the argument that continually rears it's head about the Pledge of Allegiance.  Some people want to remove the words "under God" from it.  And that causes people to say it has always been a part and we should not remove it because of non-believers.  In reality, it hasn't always been in it.  It was added, I think, in the 1950's.

And finally I would just like to know... which Christian values?  Catholic?  Because America was up in arms in the 1960's when Kennedy ran for president -- he has been the only Catholic president.  Methodist?  My former's boss' daughter didn't want to go to school in CT because she had been raised Methodist and CT was full of Catholics?  Baptist?  Episcopal?  Presbyterian?  Unitarian?  Sorry if I have missed any.  I don't know the differences.  But those who are one or the other know.  Not all Christians are created equal.

I  don't care if you are Christian, Muslim, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, etc.  I don't live in a religious based country.  I understand that the majority of Americans are religious.  I don't want to change that.  Believe in whatever god you want.  Go to whatever church you want.  Learn your morals however you do.

Just don't tell me I have to.

Mean Mama

adding it up

Let me first start this post out by saying that overall work has improved... dramatically.  However... sometimes ...

It took me a while but I finally figured out what happened today.  Where to start?

This afternoon I received an email from one of the supervisors.  It was a general email that went to the entire office.  But somehow I knew it was for me.  It was a reminder that the teams have operating agreements and we need to remember to follow them.  And that one of the agreements is that we all agreed to not use our cell phones during team meetings.

So instead of stewing about it I trotted to the other side of the office and had a conversation with the supervisor.  I pointed out a few things.
    1.  The operating agreements were done before I was hired.
    2.  I have never read the operating agreements -- mostly because nobody shared them with me.
    3.  I do use my cell phone during the meetings.  I do not make calls.  I do not check emails.  I do not text.  I use the phone in the meetings to take notes.  I listen to the cases and make reminders to myself of things that I need to do in regards to those cases.
So I apologized.  I was given the option of using pen and paper to take notes or asking permission from the teams to use my phone.  I haven't yet decided which I will do.

But then I began to wonder.  Why?  Why, after 4 months, was this being brought up?  Through a supervisor?

And then I remembered an earlier conversation.

We were eating lunch (staff lunch that everybody was required to attend) and some of the people began discussing a case.  J (client) has been living in a transitional house (3 days) that is run by my friend, B.  J got kicked out.  J told the staff that she was kicked out by B because of renovations to the house and that she will be able to return once the renovations are done.  I know this is not true.  Because B has been talking to me about it - a lot.  I don't talk back, but I listen to her.  But the staff decided that B is being unethical by telling J that.  So I spoke up and said B absolutely never said that.  And since J has been lying to us about EVERYTHING since day one (she told us this was her first baby -- neglecting to mention to us that she had 4 other children she has lost custody of).  But the staff are opting to believe J.  And I backed up B. 

And then I got thrown under the bus.

When will the realize that I am getting use to being the outsider?  Pushing me into a corner in order to get me to behave?  Yeah, that really isn't going to work.

Mean Mama

Around and Around and Around

It amazes me how much Ladybug still likes merry-go-rounds.  Or are the called carousels?  Either way, she rode one last weekend.  Several times. 

But this one had interesting animals.  No horses.  No zebras.

We had...

 a toad... I think.

 a wide mouth bass... I don't really know my fish.

 A loon ... I am positive.

 an otter...

 a porcupine...

 a moose...

 a black fly... no, really

 a jack rabbit...

 and a turtle.

Just to name a few.

Mean Mama

Junior Grand Prix Skating

While visiting my mom last weekend we decided to go to the Junior International Grand Prix Skating competition -- at the last minute.  As it turned out, getting tickets was a piece of cake.  This skaters were from all over the world.  They are juniors -- so this means they are hoping to move up into the regular standing.  These are the people who hope to be in the winter Olympics in 2014.

I was excited about it and as it turned out some of them were really good.  So during one of the first breaks I quickly ran out to the car to get my camera.  No flash photographer allowed.  No video allowed.  But pictures were just fine.  As I grabbed the camera out of the back seat I remembered that I had left my memory card in my computer -- at home.  So the camera was useless. 

As a result I used my phone camera to capture some really bad shots of our day (9:30am-8pm).

We had great seats!

Mean Mama

August update

Just preparing you... major failures this month.

1.  Loose 55 pounds by December 31, 2012.  Holding steady at down 12 pounds  Still only 43 to go now.

2.  Begin writing a book.  I have a fiction and non-fiction option.  Giving myself 2 years to complete it.  Did nothing.

3.  In August I needed to get 8 hours of sleep at least three night a week. Each month after I must add one more night per week. I sucked at this.  In September I will need to get 8 hours of sleep at least 3 nights a week.  Yes, I am repeating this goal -- until I got it right. 

4.  Blog at least 12 times per month.  I was on track but I failed.

5.  Finish unpacking and putting together rooms in the house.  One room a month.  Problem is I have more rooms than months this year.  August is the kitchen.   I could not bring myself to buy curtains I was not 100% sure about.  So I got nothing to show you.

September will be BOTH the study AND the kitchen.  The dropping temperatures are letting me know that I am running out of time to winterize.  I need to get things done -- including rugs and curtains.

6.  Start a 529 account.  Done.

7.  Start a savings account. No success here either.

8.  Eat out no more then 2 times per month.  I think it is important to keep this one from last year.  Major fail.  With 2 trips to my mom's, 1 trip to my dad's and a trip to Chicago I really feel like my kitchen and I have become strangers.  One more weekend away coming up and then I plan on becoming a home body.

9.  Reinstall Photoshop and start editing photos again.  Nope.  I have curtains and rugs and shoes and school supplies and a planetbox and ... so many things to buy that I just can not justify this expense right now.  However, on a good note, I did discover how to take videos on my camera.  It was purely and accident but that just doesn't matter. 

10. Pay all bills on time. Done!  I was successful at something this month.

11. Make at least 1 pair of earrings each week.  Nope.  But I did find the bag that contained all the beads.  But I don't honestly see being able to be creative with them until I have fully unpacked the study and put everything away.  

12.  Adding a new goal this month... Ladybug will sleep in her own bed.  Please!  Were successful at this about 4 nights this month.  Not a great ratio but at least we started.

Mean Mama