Sunday, March 01, 2020

Sunday Stealing



1. Do you think animals dream? I know they do. I've seen my cats twitch and wiggle and then wake up with a start.

2. Have you ever been to a fortune teller or psychic? Yes.

3. How important is it to have a low stress job? HA! This is not the day to ask me that! (See post below.)

4. Do you always lock your house? Yes. It's a reflex.

5. What do you do if you feel lonely? Pick up the phone and call somebody.

6. Have you ever driven a sports car? No.

7. Have you ever fallen down the stairs? Yes.

8. What do you think about the death penalty? It's an abomination. My friend, John, was on a death penalty-qualified jury that unanimously found a man guilty of double homicide. Having been raised Catholic, this was trying for John, but he felt that serving was his duty as an American.

Imagine how he felt when, in 2003, the man he helped convict was exonerated by DNA and set free. More than 15 years later, thoughts of that man's wrongful conviction and possible execution still make him sick.

If, as a society, we feel that the death penalty is necessary, then let judges mete it out. Juries can decide guilty or innocence, the judge can decide the penalty. Jurors who are just trying to their civic duty should not be saddled with this.


9. What do you think about animal testing? By and large, it's not necessary. This isn't an opinion. I used to work for a health/beauty manufacturer. I can't speak to the pharmaceutical industry, but I know that hair and skincare products can effectively be tested in a petri dish and not on an animals.

10. What are your neighbors like?
On my left, the apartment is empty. On the right, they are happily married medical students. Even though she's not a "cat person," she likes my Reynaldo, and he adores her.
Reynaldo has won my neighbor's heart

11. Do you turn off the water when you brush your teeth? Yes

12, Are there any foods that you wouldn’t eat as a child that you now like? Spinach.

13. Is it important to always tell the truth? No

14. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? Shark. Shark veracruz, to be exact. I don't remember how it tasted. I just recall being very proud of myself for being brave enough to eat shark.

15. Do computers really help us save time? Yes. But they also help us waste more time doing stupid things, too.

16. Do you have any tattoos? Nope

17. Do you pray every day? I talk to God every day, but I don't have set prayers I recite.

18. Are you in favor of cloning? No, but to be honest, I don't think about it much.


19. How do you feel about changing your nationality? How could I even do that? Isn't my ethnicity in my DNA? Or are you asking my citizenship? I can't see changing that. I love America, and want to stay here and fight for it.

20. Would you ever buy a used car? No, because I can't drive.

21. Should you spank a child when they do something wrong? As a rule, no. But there are exceptions. When my niece was a toddler in mid-tantrum, she slugged me. I took her by the wrist and hit her hand. I wanted to show her that no one likes being hit.

22. Has science made a negative impact on society? Well, we have discovered how to shoot people up with drugs and kill them. (See #8.) That's really not a feel good, is it?


23. Have you ever gone on a blind date? Yes.

24. Do you believe there is life after death? More than I believe in anything else.

 

Why I oughta ...

There's a big presentation on Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM. If it goes well, we could regain some lost luster with my client. Or it could cause the client to give even more work to our competitor.

We've known about this for weeks. I thought I just wasn't going to be included in the presentation. That was OK. I don't know everything about everything, after all, and our new (as of January 2) and high-priced management team must know what they're doing.

Yeah, right.

I was briefed on the project at (wait for it) 3:45 on Friday. Management wants to see my efforts "first thing Monday morning."

Bastards!

There was a time -- in my long ago 30s -- that I would have been thrilled to be the go-to girl. The one they turn to when things aren't going well. The heroine who saves the day.

Now I just feel used.

Decades of agita and unnecessary drama leading to unrealistic deadlines have worn me down.

I'm going to do the best I can on Sunday. I'm going to email my efforts to my boss (also a victim of this) by dinnertime. Then I'm going to move on.

And dream of retirement.




"Why would I be mad?"

I got an email from Henry, telling me that he was upset about doing battle with the county over his health benefits. "I had an accident!" he wrote. "I didn't ask for this!" He said he looked forward to talking to this weekend.

I wrote back that I simply couldn't talk this weekend. Saturday I was celebrating my friend Nancy's birthday. Sunday I have to work. I opened and closed the email with, "Don't be mad."

He immediately wrote back that it was OK, that he understood. And then he closed with the real head scratcher: Why would I be mad?

Because two weeks ago, he tore a strip out of my hide when I didn't pick up his call during the Oscars, that's why!

Does he not remember how hurt he was, and how eager he was to lash out and hurt me? Maybe not.

Or is his moodswing on the rise, and his demons aren't as loud this week as they were two weeks ago? Perhaps.

The man is recovering from a traumatic brain injury. I have to keep reminding myself of that. And it means that I have to accept that, for us, every day can be Anything Can Happen Day.




I know He's a fan

Yesterday, the cloudless sky was my favorite color: Cubbie blue. 

This confirms my hypothesis that the Lord is a Cub fan.