Would you like fries with that?

Maybe I'm getting old but whatever happened to the casual part time job? I recently applied and was hired to work in a casual dining restaurant. I am a full time college student right now and really working hard at making my studies my priority. I am used to working in retail and I am learning an entirely new industry. We are being set up in a brand new store with corporate trainers. The premise of proving ourselves "worthy" of this minimum wage job is that we are available to them for any hours. Currently, this has meant working 6, 4 hour shifts a week. Okay so do the math; 7.4 X 24= $150 after taxes. That's actually fine as an income for me right now, but the next part means driving nearly and hour to work at another store which requires carpooling at 5:15 am. I cannot drive my car that far since it's on it's last legs with it's 3rd engine and 190,000 miles. Pardon me, but this is a friggin' part time job which consists of making sandwiches, soup, ice cream, coffee and donuts. Most of the time I am on the register, which I have done for most of my life. In addition, there is a not-so-subtle hinting that if we want our jobs and if we want to get any raises, we have to give in to their every demand. This is what we have come to. I am not too proud to sweep, mop, clean toilets, and wash dishes, which I have done in several of my positions. It does speak to the way we treat people is business: LIKE SLAVES. Trying to work 3-4 days a week to give myself a little wiggle room while I finish college does not mean I am willing to forfeit my studies. This is why so many people just give up on trying to do better. The mentality of corporate America is get 'em, threaten them, and keep them worrying so they'll do whatever they are told to keep their job. I don't know anyone that refuses to do any type of work.But why do we make folks feel demeaned, obligated and insecure to supply our workforce. As a manager I tried to teach, be an example, uplift and encourage my employees. I must be a dinosaur, because I don't see that happening anywhere. We devalue people and then wonder why taking a life seems to be so inconsequential. If you treat people poorly and tell them they're nothing, after a while, they will believe you. Come on America! Can't we do better than that?

Debbie Downer

I have been giving a lot of thought to accusations of being negative. I can, like most people, fall into a fugue. I have been treated for depression especially after my stroke and subsequent brain injury.However, I get really pissed off when people assume that my take on things is in some way a "character flaw".
First of all, I have had several life altering circumstances that were mostly due to other's life choices like my Mom's disaterous marriages, my ex's philandering, and things I had just happen to me like my stroke, losing my home etc. ad nauseum. My outlook is rather colored by those situations. I have definite trust issues and I am the first to admit I am very gun-shy when it comes to people.I was kind of shy as a child and because of things that were said to me by my ex ie: that no one could stand me and I was useless, I feel insecure and unsure of myself. I have had brief periods of really liking myself and also found that "haters" couldn't line up fast enough to knock me back down. As if to say "oh, you feel good about yourself? Well, don't forget, you're still fat and you don't have a job". I know what's wrong with me thanks. I know I have a weight issue although I am convinced it's not problem for me, only others. I know I need a job and that is why I am trying my damnedest to finish my degree and why I fill out applications daily. I always want to scream " THANK YOU CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!! I KNOW I NEED A FRIGGING JOB!!!" I am happiest with a handful of friends, a few acquaintances, and lots of people that I have nothing to do with.Secondly, I was raised to be nice to people, even if you don't mean it or feel like it. I expect the same from others which always is disappointing and leads me to avoid people again for a while. I prefer very real people without pretense and let me tell you, those kind of people are very rare indeed. Everybody has to "front" these days. So, when you want to call me or anyone else negative, just don't. You're only making a situation worse. Try being kind instead and you may change someone's outlook on life, mine included.

Your just can't trust hapiness

People have commented that I seem happier than ever and how glad they are to see that.
That bugged me a lot and then I had to muddle it about in my mind until I understood why.
I lost my job. It was the job that was supposed to be the start of a new career for me.I gave up custody of my son so that he could stay in his school district for his senior year. I moved 50 miles away to live next door to my job. I worked for a less-than- ethical person with dollar signs in front of their eyes and was fired for "talking to the employees" aka telling the truth.After losing my job I had no alternative but to move 186 miles north to live with my parents.
It is not an empowering thing at 46 to run home and live with Mom and Dad. I have a bedroom, food and utilities. I have my dog and guinea pig with me. I am in college full time and i will have my Bachelor's of Science Gerontology degree in appx.5 semesters. I am living on loans so that I am not a burden on my parents. I pay for my insurance, car repair, gasoline, my extra groceries since I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. I bought a bike too. All of my next loan will buy a car since mine is 18 years old and has 200,000 miles on it and its third engine.
What I am doing is allowing myself to enjoy life more. I have denied myself extras while raising my kids because that's what you do when you're a responsible parent. I hope to help out my parents when they need it in the future after completing my education.
The main component in my ability to enjoy life has been the removal of fear. I don't have homelessness breathing down my neck, and I did have that kind of stress from 2009 to 2011 on a daily basis.
I have been unsuccessful in finding employment up here, even part-time minimum wage jobs. I am not too proud to stock shelves and sweep floors, but I am not getting any response to the countless applications I have filled out, nor the dozens of calls I have made.
I wish that I could find a full time job, finish college and work in my field, live independently and help my Mom and Dad. I work towards that goal and I am prayerful that God has a plan. So I am happy, but it feels like a false happiness. I guess that's why it bugs me. Also, getting rid of negative people has been the best gift I've given myself. I have never been one to be a people pleas(er) and Lord knows that's still what society expects of a woman. Too bad!

Anal Cranial Inversion

My selectivity as it pertains to people has led me to befriend an interesting cast of people I'd actually like to hang out with.

The "elderly" ladies at my church are very progressive when it comes to reproductive rights, equality in marriage and woman power which I am in awe of. They are in their 70's and 80's and I see them both at church and at Red Hat meetings. They are a feisty and inspiring bunch.

At choir there is an odd little farmer that has long dirty hair and dirty overalls and a full beard. He has an astonishing grasp on modern day politics and religion. He is decidedly a lefty and speaks about the people taking back their country and making it work for us instead of us being led around by the nose by government and big business and doing their bidding. He is an strange character to be sure, but he makes a lot more sense to me than the people I see everyday that only talk about TV shows and casino trips.

Somewhere this horrible notion that God blesses His chosen with wealth seems to have indoctrinated the Republican Party and infested the American thinking process. I remember hearing about people like the Roosevelt's that felt that wealth was a sign that they needed to show gratitude to God by helping their fellow man. I can respect a church that aspires to that sort of belief.

When did people become so stupid? Maybe the conformity of the 1950's? That old feeling that Patriotism equaled Godliness? I thought the 60's was about questioning authority, but I see a whole bunch of the members of that generation selling out and giving up.
Being a follower of Christ means that I follow His teachings and seek to be like Him. In no way does that equal being a racist, sexist or homophobe. I know what the Bible says because I HAVE READ IT ALONG WITH THE TEACHINGS OF ALL OF THE MAJOR RELIGIONS! I have said it before so once again " READ A DAMN BOOK AND THINK" PLEASE!!!
This is why people exasperate me to the point of nausea and why I come off as a "negative" person. I expect so much of my fellow man alas; they seem to have their heads up their asses.

Just call me Thoreau

People disappoint and make me believe that they are really not out for their own benefit, but in the end, I find that they are. I like being a hermit because I can take or leave people at a whim. I have a few actual friends and they do not seek me out for their own adornment, enhancement or selfishness, but rather because they value me as a person. I can be myself around them and I never feel as though I have to defend myself or my views. I like to take others as they are also, but I lose all interest when someone tries to push their agenda or make broad sweeping statements and generalizations which rely on their narrow point of view. Often I have found those people to also be devoid of kindness and a desire to see others be successful or happy. Different strokes as they say; everyone will find their own happiness but it should at least NOT be at another’s expense.
I value the past for its simplicity. I would love to make a simple living and be allowed to have a small place to live and grow my own vegetables and flowers and attend worship. Clothing, expensive cars, jewelry and the like hold no sway with me. If I had 3-4 nice dresses, 2 sturdy pairs of shoes, some jeans, boots and t-shirts, I am well heeled enough in my estimation.
My goals are to live on my own, grow some food, eat sparingly and cheaply, have time to read and study, and sing. While I would love interpersonal relationships, I do not seem to have them with anyone currently available. I have learned discernment in my 47 years. I find that I value humans more when I have limited contact and that I prefer contact in which I am in their service. Everyone wants to be of value and just maybe, since we seem to devalue most people that don't meet up to our own perceptions, we miss seeing the incredible person that God made them to be, warts and all.

Rainyday Rambling

I am in the middle of my first 8 week accelerated program for my bachelors of gerontology. I enjoy writing, but writing APA style factoid research is tedious and makes my eyes roll in my head. Reading the research makes me think," Can't you even try to make this crap readable"? It's makes even the most interesting subject bland and dull. Perhaps I'm undereducated, but I do know good reading when I read it and brother, this is shite. I'm not sure when this happened or why but YUCK! I hate it!!

I have been pretty much laid up for the last week and in pain for several weeks before that. I have been diagnosed with fairly severe arthritic inflammation of the knee by my orthopedist. This started originally when I lived in my 1920's dream home in Grosse Pointe Park. I had 3 flights of stairs to climb and descend to do laundry and it became nearly impossible to do after 3 years. Yes, I'm fat and need to lose weight, but exercise is nearly out-of-the-question when I can barely walk. I got a big ass shot of cortisone in my knee with a rather large diameter needle and some very viscous fluid and I am feeling a little less inflamed. I walk very strangely because the arthritis has somewhat deformed my knee causing me to walk with my leg projected out at an angle. I am trying to lose the lard and exercise, and my fondest dream at this point is to be able to ride a bike this summer around the lakes in my town. Time and the orthopedist will tell.

While pining for the intellectual stimulation of the city, I find myself much more at ease in the woods. The fact that I have a decent vocabulary, I am working on my college degree, I have several years of retail management and an associates degree
( LOL), have made me a pariah in the retail sector of this community. I am perceived as a threat and can't even get a part time job selling candles and lotions. UGH! I am anxiously awaiting a call from a nursing home in a community 30 miles away about a unit clerk job. They don't have the position defined or posted yet, but I am apparently at the top of their list. Now, if my former employer can live up to their promise of a good reference, I may have a shot, but I trust that person as far as I can throw them so.........

I have been singing a lot lately which is good. I am in a community choir and I do a lot of singing at church. It's a good thing for me to have a diversion other than my studies.

Still hoping to make more human connections that aren't facebook based, but I don't get out much. Also, after some of my facebook experiences, I think I'm better off never seeing actual people anyway LOL!

Happy Days Again?

I have spent the last 3 days looking at abandoned buildings online.
I am especially fascinated by the architecture of Detroit during it's 1920's building boom.In general I am enchanted by everything from the 1920's and 30's; the movies, the clothing, the homes, interior design, the Purple Gang and I collect objects from the era.
It is sickening to me that most of the beautiful buildings of that era are left to fall apart in Detroit. I look at urban exploration videos and photographs with a longing to restore the apartments, hotels and businesses to their former glory.I know Detroit has MAJOR issues with the economy, drugs and overall corruption by it's officials. After living in Grosse Pointe Park for several years, I am surprised that all of the Pointes haven't defected from Wayne County to Macomb long ago.
The 1920's were a time of change for our country. We were leaving an agricultural era and moving into an industrial era and it was the big boom before the Great Depression.
The correlation to today's situation are more than a little uncomfortable. I am one of the 99%. I am under-educated but trying to correct that by getting my Bachelor's Degree in Gerontology. My prospects are so-so for employment even with a degree.
If I weren't living with my parents, I'd be homeless right now. I feel like one of the buildings in Detroit. Abandoned, a shell of my former self, and just waiting for the miracle that will restore me.
I'm doing my part in going to college. I am letting God do His part by letting Him guide me. I am giving myself over to whatever tasks are neeeded in my church and barring finding suitable employment, I will be volunteering in some fashion with the seniors that I love.I want to succeed like the CCC camps did in turning the country around and create a job for myself. I need to write so it must be something else God has a plan for. My typing is horrible so I am thinking on investing in voice command software for my computer. Then I can finish the 4-5 book I've already written in my head.

EVERYBODY SING!!!!

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
Let us sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again
Altogether shout it now!
There's no one who can doubt it now
So let's tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again
Your cares and troubles are gone;
There'll be no more from now on
Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let us sing a song of happycheer again
Happy happy happy days are here again