Of Mice and Memes

I am not a meme. A meme is defined by Webster’s thusly: A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. I am a man. Which is defined by Webster’s as an adult male human. I’m not a virus that spreads itself from host to host, infecting a whole room. But, for some reason, I tend to get blamed when people around me act out.

This makes for interesting social interaction. I say interesting, because it is one of the strangest dichotomies I’ve experienced. When thrown in to a new group, I tend to be quiet, I observe, and then I choose a person or two to get to know. This allows me to relax a bit more and gauge what is acceptable in a group. But sometimes, this doesn’t work. Observe the phenomenon in action.

This Saturday, I went to the birthday party of a friend of mine whom I used to date. When I arrived, I was rather soft-spoken and spent time getting to know the folks that were there already. Started out with small talk, then we started making jokes. It was great. Folks hanging out, drinking and cracking wise. As more people showed up, more jokes were made and more fun was had. Mind that in all of this, we are at a person’s house, plenty of booze is available, and everyone is laughing with everyone else. As the evening progressed, and more alcohol flowed, the comments got bawdier and more outrageous and odd. The capper, and what completely stuffed it for me, was when the hostess decided to move a perfectly decent house party to a bar. I may not have the rule book with me, but that sounds like a party foul if ever one could be called.

Now, to the REALLY fun part; today on IM, I learned of the sordid aftermath of the seemingly successful shindig. Hint for you menfolk out there: Never ask a drama queen if her party went okay, because anything that went wrong will invariably be your fault. I asked the hostess if she enjoyed the party and the “truth” came out. It wasn’t as fun as it could have been because I was there. I was making everyone be dirty and bawdy. I was making everyone be loud. I should have been enough of an adult to realize that the party wasn’t meant to be fun.

I was supposed to have psychic powers and realize that when people are laughing at a joke and joining along, they are really deeply offended and really find that kind of humor offensive. Oh, I also learned that I have a pied piper affect on folk. They really didn’t want to be loud and naughty… they didn’t act that way because of personal propensities… they didn’t act out because of being tipsy from the drink. No my friends. They were this way because I started it. I was the puppet master of ceremonies pulling the strings in my wicked little ways to offend to maximum result.

Bullshit.

I am a man, not a meme. If you’re offended speak the fuck up or SHUT THE FUCK UP.

-Jesse W.

Holiday Wishes

Today is the day before Thanksgiving. A time when we reflect on the fortunes that have befallen us in the midst of daily Peril. The First Thanksgiving is a story we all know well, at least until the ACLU does something about it. Though the Pilgrims suffered innumerable hardships in the new world, they took the time to give thanks for those things that lined that dark storm cloud with silver.

So, I’m going to take this holiday to focus on the fact that I am now working again after 6 months of unemployment. That I love where I work and that the people here are great. That, though I’m missing a foot, I can still walk. That, though my right arm is paralyzed, I can function like a normal person with just one arm. That, though my friends are scattered all over the place, the Net keeps us together.

For all the Libs, Lefties and Democretins who decry this holiday as racist; go sit naked in a tub full of sharp, yet rusty, scissors and razor blades. This holiday season; give us the gift we’ve been wanting for years: The gift of you shutting the FUCK up.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

-Jesse W.

Another Brick in the Wall

I started blogging because I thought I had a lot to get off of my chest. I’d often interject my unwanted, and oft times unappreciated, two cents into any conversation within hearing range. Thus I started to rant in this forum. Thankfully my readership is so small that my reader shouldn’t be too disappointed that there is no new stuff today.

But wait! Something has popped into the noggin!

See, I’ve just started seeing a new woman. We met at a Halloween party that was being thrown by a friend from High School. I was dressed as a dashing Pirate and she was in a nifty little Kitty costume. We had a rather frank discussion about our sexual proclivities, what we did for work, adoption, etc. And, we had an all around enjoyable, drunken time. I got her number after the party.

We started talking somewhat regularly on the phone, and it was during these conversations that I found that she had voted for Kerry. I was somewhat appalled and taken aback, immediately knee-jerking that she was a frothing Lib. So, ready for a good argument, I started to point out the inconsistencies, lies and treason that were the very fiber of her candidate. Later she confessed that she didn’t really follow politics, so didn’t know what any candidate stood for except by 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th hand accounts. But now that I know she doesn’t follow politics, I know how to deal with her when it comes to election choices. And she has a sweet ass, so I let the political stuff slide.

But the thing is, she isn’t the only one. Rock the Vote, Vote or Die, etc. are vehicles setup by a mass media that caters to the lowest common denominator. Today’s 18-29 demographic would rather get their news from John Stewart than any other source. I would find this humorous were it not so sad. Major decisions that will effect the future survival of our great nation, and the protections of our Civil Liberties from extremist “pro”gressive groups, are half in the hands of the uninformed and brainwashed.. They accept the things that they are told as mother’s milk.

It’s actually interesting to watch. I’ve spoken with quite a few Kerry voters (Who still have their Kerry – Edwards stickers on by the way. Can you say, “The dream is dead.”?) and have asked them why they voted for the treasonous son-of-a-bitch. The reasons they gave me were nothing more than the regurgitated agitprop of the DNC and the far Left with a little Michael Moore sprinkled in. When confronted by this lunacy, I would ask the individuals where they got their facts and were they from reputable sources. This made them either wither or get very, very angry and reactionary. Asking a liberal to support their decisions with facts is like kicking The Hulk in the rocks. The reaction isn’t good. However to the uninformed a request to support their strongly-stated assertions is like Kryptonite.

So remember, when confronted by a seeming Lib, Lefty or Democretin, always ask for the facts to back up their groupthink.. This will help you determine if you’re dealing with a propaganda zombie, or merely an uninformed citizen in need of gentle guidance. Remind them that if they don’t research their political views, then they need to do a couple of things:

1. Don’t just repeat what you have heard and state it as God’s truth.
2. Do a little research from both ends of the spectrum
3. Try having an original though, it might be refreshingly different
4. Stay the FUCK out of the voting booths, because you don’t deserve to decide anything concerning the future of my country.

So remember that the uninformed aren’t that bad…they just need to be quiet on subjects about which they have no knowledge. Also, they need to remember to not foment strife by repeating unverified info that they are just passing down the line. A good talk will help. Sometimes also a baseball bat.

Until we meet again,

-Jesse W.

The Big Picture

Random thoughts will often skitter across the forefront of my brain on a day-to-day, hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute basis. And the thoughts will come at the strangest times. My brain is no respecter of time, location or propriety. I mean, I really don’t want to be having thoughts of planning my grandmother’s birthday party while in the shower detailing the undercarriage.

Today, while driving to work, I thought about what I would give, what I would ultimately sacrifice for the good of the nation and its future survival. Now, not everyone who will read this knows me personally. They don’t know how I came to be in my current condition. They don’t even know that I do all of my typing one-handed because my right arm doesn’t work below the elbow. They don’t know that if I walk, I do so only with the aid of a prosthetic lower Right Leg because mine was taken from me due to a brief moment of stupidity. To put it in terms that bureaucrats and the general public can grasp (Labels and all, you know), I am disabled.

It’s not a bad gig, the handicapped thing. I get great parking spots, lots of understanding, and loads of sympathy from the ladies. I’m not complaining. Well, At least not too loudly. I do have diminished balance, have to do everything with one hand, look a little odd due to the scars and missing limb, and have excruciating hand pain. Thankfully I have Schedule 2 narcotics that take care of that. So, what is the point of all of this? Simple. I work every weekday for a full eight hour shift and deal with rush hour traffic just like you.

I could be sitting pretty at home, watching movies, eating whatever whilst suckling the Social Security teat. However, I choose to work rather than take the benefit. One of the biggest reasons I decide to work is the pitiful stipend afford to one by the Social Security Administration. The sum is pathetic. Lots of Government run social programs are under-funded. And the administration is trying to cut back more and restructure them with a mind toward fixing the issues in the system. And I, as a Handicapped person, might be affected one day by these decisions. So why did I vote Bush into a 2^nd term?

As you know from my previous writings, I registered Republican when I was 17 and have never, and will never, jump ship… unless a Kennedy starts running the party. With a Kennedy driving anything you know it is just going to end up in the water anyway. I was a Republican before my accident, and remain one after. And it was a hard struggle coping and learning how little the SSA would pony up were I never able to work again. I was also unemployed for 6 months after that whole fiasco, and the stipend there was atrociously small as well.

But, dear reader, do not think that I am saying that Bush is heartless and doesn’t care about the poor or minorities or the disabled. Though, people did ask me how I could vote the man back into power who was cutting back on social problems. The answer was simple: He WAS supporting every program and every agency, state or federal, that existed in these United States. Bush was supporting every French (Shudder), German, Spanish, English, etc. social program and government agency. Save of course for those proven to be giving aid and/or comfort to extremist Islamic organizations. He was protecting the very societies that these programs existed in. No society, no social programs.

The Left and even members of the Right are concerned about social issues and the continual funding of all to most to some of the social programs the government supports. I also am concerned and know that some of these programs are worthwhile and worth saving. I also think they need to be tweaked and reworked to maximize the cost benefit to the government and the support to the recipient. But, I also think that there are terrorists out there that want to FUCKING kill us.

They want to destroy our society. To the Islamofacists, we Americans are The Great Satan, and the rest of the western world is a collection of little satans. And the zealot nutjobs want to destroy every vestige of said “satans”, with their pesky democratic rule, and replace it with their Sharia Law. Daily they send suicide bombers who are clueless and hapless as to their handlers’ true motives, to kill civilians who are clueless and hapless as to what the bomber has on under his jacket, in order to destroy and cause chaos. They want to force us into appeasing them which has been the stance of the US and Europe since the 70’s. The ultimate goal is a world consumed by Sharia Law and ruled by Imams from horizon to horizon. But the appeasement has ended in America. At least it has where the executive is concerned. The waverers in Congress can all sit on a malfunctioning electric butt plug while wading in knee deep water.

So, when I think of this, I realize that it is pretty stupid to squabble about where the silverware goes when the house is collapsing. Or in danger of collapsing. Or being set on fire. The Left and the RINOs wants to play a dangerous game, using political sleight of hand, to make the very clear and present danger disappear in order to focus voters on the minutiae of life and their wrongly founded sense of entitlement. I think I can give up a little bit of a potential benefit if it means that America will continue to soldier on, long after I’m gone, after the fashion our Founding Fathers intended. I think I just might be willing to give up whatever is asked of me, if it means that this bastion of freedom will survive and continue to be the strength of the Western World.

Except for France. Fuck France.

Have a good weekend!

-Jesse W.

Woops!

A fab excerpt from the President’s Veteran’s Day Speech:

Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy pursues totalitarian aims. Its leaders pretend to be an aggrieved party, representing the powerless against imperial enemies. In truth, they have endless ambitions of imperial domination -- and they wish to make everyone powerless, except themselves. Under their rule, they have banned books, and desecrated historical monuments, and brutalized women. They seek to end dissent in every form, to control every aspect of life, to rule the soul itself. While promising a future of justice and holiness, the terrorists are preparing a future of oppression and misery.

I had to read more before I realized this wasn’t talking about the ACLU

How I Grew Up: Revolutions

Today marks the 3^rd installment in my well-written, but completely irrelevant personal narrative.

Shortly after 9/11, the country was almost a utopian dream. Partisanship took a backseat for a little while as the nation mourned its losses and planned its retribution. The Legislative approved nearly whole-heartedly to go into Afghanistan and kick the living Hell out of al Qaeda and their Taliban buddies. We pursued bin Laden to Tora Bora and the proceeded to pound the hell out of the Extremist strongholds there. And as we did this, we continued to gather intelligence on World Terrorism. We, along with every goddamned country in the Western World, had agreed for some time that Hussein was a huge threat and was harboring weapons of mass destruction. The previous administration thought this as well, and spoke to it; but never took a moment’s time from using interns as humidors to do a damned thing to fix it.

My favorite Texan, however, saw this threat for what it was and started to take the steps to defuse the situation and make the Civilized World just a little safer place to live. He went to the UN first. As silly as this was considering that its membership was nearly 2/3’s despotic, dictatorial, or theocratic nations, Dubya made the effort to show that we had the interests of free and oppressed nations at heart, and were not just itching to act unilaterally. And for 8 months the UN spoke mightily but acted infinitesimally to cull this madman’s actions. 8 months of warnings that if nothing was done about his WMDs, the international community might get pissy. Kinda brings the reported satellite photos of covered truck convoys booking it to Syria into perspective. So, after trying to convince “Kickback” Kofi and the avaricious French and Russian governments, who had been salivating at the thought of the Hussein promised Iraqi Oil contracts, Bush put on his ass-kicking boots and started a ramp-up.

Suddenly, all the Dims in Dimville got antsy. Utopia went bye-bye. And, wonder of wonders, the supposedly objective MSM started to spew polemic as if they were being financed by the DNC and Soros. I was starving for news that told the whole story. News that shed light on the facts hidden by the dominant agencies. Luckily, I had Eric L. as a good friend and co-worker. Eric is a stanch Republican and abhors hypocrisy as much as I do. He is the man that pointed to news sites that shed the truth on what wasn’t being said in the MSM. The ones that would call Dims and Pubs on the carpet when it was needed. Mostly it was the Dims though, because most of their causes and arguments were ill-advised and detrimental to our health as a Nation. And I learned of all of the blatant doublespeak and groupthink that was being foisted upon the unsuspecting public. The Dims from all ranges of the spectrum cried against the liberation of Iraq and the War on Terror in general.

Rome was burning while Donkeys fiddled a tune of racial profiling, socio-economic causes, imperialism, blood for oil, and puppet governments. The MSM danced and clapped and sang to the tune. And the hoodwinked masses, duped college students and white liberals rife with non-existent, unprovoked guilt cut a fine jig and rang out the choruses to the pieces played for them. They danced all the way to the election and beyond; lost in should have, would have and all the other songs they knew so well.

And I heard the music, but I just couldn’t dance. I couldn’t get the steps right as my mind dwelled on the thousands lost in The Towers and The Pentagon. As I dwelled on the gassed Kurds, murdered Kuwaitis and dissenters, tortured soccer players who didn’t bring home the gold. Pondered the “honor killings”, the justified rapes of unveiled women, the beheadings of “infidels” and the other senseless crimes committed in religion’s name against the Jews, the Christians, The Hindus, women and homosexuals. I couldn’t sing the song, “Evil America.”.

I had died and a new person had emerged. My eyes were finally open to see the world, not as the MSM wanted me to see it, but the way it really was. I was born again as a free-thinker who saw that the Pubs had their act together, mostly; and I knew which team I was going to play for. I had had my Conservative Birth.

Thus is my story. Tomorrow, something completely different.

-Jesse W.

How I Grew Up: Part 2

Yesterday, I started a tale of my birth into conservatism (South Park style) and my growing distrust of the MSM. So, let me continue my little anecdote for all my loyal readeR:

The election was finally over and we had an outstanding man in office that was surrounded by a committed and competent cabinet and advisors. Go Rovey! Then things died down a bit. Bush made us Conservatives proud with not only a tax cut, but a refund as well. I was so proud of my President. This was a new feeling as I had been numb to the Executive for the past 8 years. And then the unthinkable happened.

Saudi Muslim Terrorists with a few cohorts from other backwards as hell Islamic, theocratic nations committed an atrocious act. Fully laden passenger airliners were hijacked and used as flying bombs. These jihadist guided missiles struck the World Trade Center Towers 1 & 2. The nation watched in horror as people flung themselves from nearly a hundred stories to escape the burning and death that was approaching them. The towers collapsed under the weight of the no longer supported upper floors. Over 3000 voices were silenced that day by madmen following false promises and spurious philosophies. In addition to the loss of thousands of innocent Civilians of all races and religions, the warped mujes attacked the nerve center of the American Military. A portion of the Pentagon was consumed in fire from another passenger liner filled near to full with highly volatile jet fuel. Yet, the bastion of our Military power stood. When the news was given to our Commander-In-Chief, I saw the man do an extraordinary thing given his surrounding and circumstances. He finished his reading of a book to a group of innocent school children. In a moment where Americans were panicking, phone circuits were packed and tears flowed like rivers, this man that would lead us to the fierce retribution for these deeds kept his cool. He showed the nation that even though we were under attack, we had a steady hand at the helm. With calm resolve, he would spearhead our retribution.

The tail had been pulled. The nose had been tweaked. The Lion was awakened. Seeking to bring the collapse of the “Great Satan”, the mohammadites, instead pulled the roof of their jihadist beliefs down upon their heads. The President made a bold statement that no spineless, concessionist, appeasement monkey Leftist could do. He declared war on Terror. He stated, in no uncertain terms, with no wiggle room, that any terrorist anywhere, anyone who harbored a terrorist anywhere and any nation that harbored, gave aid and comfort to or supported any terrorist would be dealt with decisively and with swift retribution.

The fact that Our Right-wing Republican President was bold enough to speak those words rather than cower only strengthened my political leanings. I knew that the inbreeder with the saxophone could not, would not and DID not have the strength to identify rightly, and deal with decisively, this threat to out nation. Nor would his would-be protégé, The Plank of the Democratic Party, Al “The Animated Corpse” Gore.

But more would transpire to shape me into the Right-minded Patriot that I am.

More on this tomorrow. Feel free to comment if you wish.

-Jesse W.

How I Grew Up: Part 1

I’ve had some trouble figuring out what to post here, so I thought I might share how I came to believe what I believe in terms of the way the Nation is run. To follow is the tail of my political birth and raising. So, sit a spell and let me tell you about my growth into the Political Adult that I have become:

You know, I wasn’t always political. There was a time that I didn’t care. I was blissfully unaware of the blatant hypocrisy, dirty tricks and outright partisan lies being spewed by the MSM. I was very much like modern day liberals, democrats, “pro”gressives, etc. The world was wonderful..

Then the strangest thing happened. I suddenly was awakened to the craziness that is the Left. It all happened one fateful November in 2000. Of course the beginning of this awakening started much early but, it came to fruition that month.

I had seen all of the horribly hypocritical, illegal, immoral things that the 2-term hillbilly and his harpy had gotten away with. I was amazed that perjury remained a crime after the supreme enforcer of the law of this land was caught smack in the middle of a lie in an official judicial proceeding. I was struck dumb as the country bumpkins got away with defrauding tons of Arkansanians with the lure of (marshy) real estate offerings. And when a White House aide who was found in a park had his death ruled a suicide, around about the same time as the rip-off artists were getting the 3^rd degree, something started to stir.

And then the Dims went and did it. They tried to elect the nation’s first robotic president. And then they lost. But…they… they just couldn’t fathom it. They lost. So the country went weeks without knowing *wink* who the president was. The Dims complained about confusing ballots; the race baiters claimed that Blacks (Oh yes I said Blacks and not African Americans because their asses where born here and not on the continent) were cheated out of their votes. And the party full of morons that can’t read a ballot and racists that can’t play fair whined and sued and dragged out the process denying the obvious win.

The awakening finally came when the Supreme Court was dragged in and was forced to bitch slap the corrupted, fat, rich, fascist Left by holding up the TRUE results of the election. I realized I wasn’t getting the full story. The MSM was trying to pull the wool over my eyes. The ship of American Politics was so extremely listed to the left that any plumb line would never fall to center. My world and the information in it had shifted so far to one side that barely a person around me could stand. They fell and tumbled and landed in a pile of vicious, angry, erroneous polemic.

It was in that struggle to get the truth of the election results through the Dim-o-c-RAT haze of self-delusion and messianic dreams, that I had my Political Birthday. I knew when I first registered to vote, 5 months before my 18^th birthday (My birthday was in August, the election 3 months later), I knew that the GOP was the place to hang my hat. The 2000 election made me realize why.

More on my Political Childhood next post.

-Jesse W.

*Crickets Chirping*

Not feeling very riled or topical at the moment. Perhaps some news and a blog or two and my blood will be sufficiently hot enough for something.

Stay tuned, kiddies.

Credit Where it is Due

Today marks Veteran's day in the U.S. A day to honor the valiant men and women who fought and died, who fought and were maimed, who fought and continue to do so. There will never be enough words with enough eloquence to those who place booted foot on foreign soil to ensure that no enemy boot sets down on ours.

I thank God that I live in a countrysuch as this. I think God that Heroes agree everyday to protect it. They fight for the long term safety of our nation, one terrorists' nest after another.

I am not even worthy of saluting these gallant Americans as I have never served. All I can offer is a simple thanks and my prayers for their continues safety.

To the Men and Women of the United States Armed Forces: Give 'em Hell and come back safe after the job is done! God Bless you all.

-Jesse W.

P.S. Forgive the lateness on the Veteran' Day wishes, this is only my 3rd day blogging.

Scouting the Future

Scouts. Not Army scouts or frontiersmen, but the Scouts Movement. The Scout Movement that has been shaping young men in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell of the good old UK decided to shape young boys the world over into men of society. The Girl Scouts who soon followed in 1912 did the same for young girls. I know they’ve had some bad press on occasion, but on the whole they are an organization with a rich and noble history.

Now, I was involved in Cub Scouts for a short time, and in was Boy Scouts for a much shorter time later in my life. Looking back, I realize that they are a great organization. They teach young men and women self-reliance, life-skills and a proper respect for this country, its laws and its heritage and culture. And the major players/host of Scouts today is the Mormon Church.

It used to be that every denomination had some involvement with this group. This support ranged from loaning facilities, to announcing meetings at the end of sermons to a number of other things. But now, most Protestant denominations have their own little groups that are denomination first, civic and life skills second. So, instead of having a unified group which would speak to all children regardless of belief, they gave rise to a pantheon of dogmatic organizations like the Assemblies of God’s Royal Rangers and Missionettes, as well as the Baptist Royal Ambassadors, Mission Kids and Challengers.

Now, before you think that I am bagging on church organizations, take a breath. I am a Christian. I believe in the assembly of the saints together. I believe that the churches have done a lot of great things in their neighborhoods and communities. I believe that the national bodies for the denomination also do good works on the national and global scale. I believe that children do need to hear the Gospel and seek salvation.

My beef is that not all children in Scouts are Christian. So, if these church based kids clubs are doing the same thing, they are doing it for a limited audience. It is the Mormon Church, out of all the denominations, that has chosen to set aside proselytizing for the betterment of our nation.

The Scouts teaches these young minds about civic duty, patriotism, personal responsibility and self-reliance. These are the very values we used to hold dear and 50% of this nation still does. By instilling these values into our young Americans at an early age, we are helping to prevent, in part, the decay of our national values.

So, why in the world would today’s churches not want to be a part of this? Why, when each day brings a new attack on the Christian churches and Jewish synagogues which are kept safe only in a society that espouses the values taught and preserved by the Scouting organization? Is our dogma at the moment so precious that we are not willing to lay it aside to help guarantee the continued right to believe, to preach and to spread said dogma for years to come?

I personally salute the Scouting organization, as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for all their hard work and support of these packs and troops. The rest of us Christians could do well to follow their example if we ever plan on raising a new generation of Americans that will preserve our way of life.

But that is just my $.02.

-Jesse W.

Family Owned, but not Family Operated.

Afternoon Folks,

So here I sit today, wondering what the hell to write here. Should I express my political outrage? Share an amusing anecdote? This blog thing is a lot of pressure.

Actually, I’ve been thinking about work and, more on point, teamwork. See, I work for a smallish/medium-sized bank here in AZ. I am not sure what the total employee count is, but it is nowhere near the total count for the company I used work for.

Said previous employer is a juggernaut in their field. Who, by the way, does mega projects in Engineering, Procurement and Construction, including, in their history some notable projects. The Chunnel. Boston’s Big Dig. The Hoover Dam. Palo Verde Nuclear (nuke-u-ler) Power Plant. Also, several infrastructure rebuilding jobs in the land of burgeoning Mideast Democracy, Iraq.

Both the company I used to work for and where I work now are privately owned. The latter has, within its company values, a clause that we endeavor to have fun 80% of the time. The former had no such proclamation. The latter is a smallish company, but the former is a huge multi-national.

So, the question that forms in my malcontent mind is, “Why was I so happy at a company where I was one face in tens of thousands, rather than the cozy small business to which I give my 40 hours a week?” There is a constant sense that something is rather wrong here. With the 80% fun time mission statement, even.

I think the difference is the sense of Community. It boggles my mind that a behemoth such as my former company had a feel just like a huge happy family. Here, I feel like it’s a family reunion where everyone is a third cousin. There is no bond there. Here, Happy Hour is ignored and opportunities to team build seem little to nil.

Now, I’m not whining because we aren’t all having pajama parties and telling ghost stories. I am merely noting how the family effect helped keep the machine well-oiled and on the road.

The benefits of the Family-type workplace:

1. You can be yourself with family and not have to be wrappped in your PC shroud.
2. You are more apt to take a minute and really listen to a family member’s problems or issues.
3. You tend to want to see family member succeed and don’t undermine or sabotage their success with whining, complaining or talking behind their back.
4. You will always go the extra mile for family.
5. With family, The Buck Stops Here!

So, here I sit; manning the helpdesk phones, watching the buck get passed from group to group, steering clear of any sensitive subjects that might actually allow me to know and bond with my co-workers. Blogging all of this.

My advice: Ask personal questions. Never turn down a lunch invitation. Always say yes to Happy Hour. Go the extra mile.

You see these people sometime more than you own real family. Get to know them. Get to like them. Get to trust them. Get together outside of work. With this, you’ll get a job you can stand, and group of folks that you can trust to help, no matter how big the issue.

But that’s just my $.02. Happy working!

-Jesse W.

P.S. Carnival of Comedy here at Striving for Average. I first found out about this on Frank J’s IMAO. Good reading. Give the Carnival and Frank a visit.

What was I Thinking?

Greetings Friends,

Well, I never thought I’d do it. For the past couple of years I’ve been from blog to blog observing, occasionally commenting. I said to myself, “This is great for them, but will never fly for me.” I didn’t feel like I really had anything to say; didn’t think my opinion mattered.

I watched the pundits and the comics ply their intellectual wares for the web connoisseur. They cited articles, weblogs, essays… media from the four corners of the web. I though that I couldn’t do that. I don’t have anything profound to say. Mt life just wasn’t that interesting. My opinions just didn’t matter enough. I’d never get anyone to read it anyway.

And this is still true today. But, Hey! It worked for the other guys.

So here is to a mediocre collection of the rantings of a desert-bound Elephant, surrounded by a sea of Absurdity.

Remember… absurdity is the Spice of Life.

Cheers,

-Jesse W.