Tomato Sandwich

I got myself some lovey bakery fresh whole grain bread.  The kind with all the seeds in it, that make you know you are chewing something good.  This was to be the foundation for a great tomato sandwich.  After I got it all made and sat down for a nice lunch, I had a bite and ...nothing.  Well the bread was good, but what was this flavorless pinkish thing inside my bread?  Well it was a grocery store tomato! 

What a shame.  I have been spoiled as we grew some nice red and yellow tomatoes this year in our pots and have been eating those.  They were soooo full of taste and juice.  A little salt and pepper and man that was a good sandwich.  Now its back to the anemic looking tasteless tomatos that seem to be abundant in the stores now.  I think I might have to switch to PB&J until spring comes.

Tired

Do you ever feel tired?  I'm not talking about the physical kind of tired, I am talking about the mental kind.  I find myself longing for the days when I used to work in the mail room and run through crap load of mail to meet a pickup deadline.  At the time some of that seemed stressful, now it just makes me laugh at the thought.  There were days when I would get home and be beat from being on my feet all day, lifting things and going up and down the stairs 100 times.  But you know what?  When my day was done... it was done.

Now I sit at a desk.  I have a computer and even now a new iPad.  I can make decisions and even have people to delegate work too.  But yet I am tired.  I go to sleep at a decent time, but that doesn't mean that my brain shuts down.  Actually I don't think it EVER shuts down.  There is always a new project to worry about.  A meeting to prepare for where I have to tell clients what can and can't be done.  There is always a few people that you have to manage that are completely draining.  There are far too many dumb ass conversations that I have to listen too and people that are in positions that they have no business being in. 

Some days I long for the simple life where I can blow off this corporate world and do something completely different.  Some days I wish I could just set my brain to "operation shutdown" mode and close at least 9 of the 10 boxes that are open.  Unfortunately most of the fun things to do don't pay very much, I guess that's fair.  But since I am not a Kardashian or a house wife of Orange County, I guess I will suck it up a little longer.  My short term coping strategy...take Friday off as a vacation day : )

Penn State

A few days ago Cliff wrote a post about the sexual abuse that has been uncovered at Penn State University.  Cliff pretty much summed up how I feel about child rapists  - they sicken me to the core.  I see now that some of the Penn State students have started a blue ribbon campaign in support of the victims and to rally against sexual abuse.  I am glad at least there are a few sane individuals at that school.

However...the news tonight showed the first Penn State game since the scandal broke.  I have to say it makes me shake my head.  The crowd all holding up Joe Paterno support signs.   "We will win this for you Joe".  Seriously!?  Then in the next frame people on the sidewalk in front of his house on bended knee praying for him and bowing to his godliness. 

What the hell is wrong with people??   Not only did he not call the police he let the abuser keep his job and go on to rape others.  He has all this power and what does he do with it?  Not a damn thing. He just protects his cushy job. After all the reputation of the University is far more important than those children.  Then people ask why these victims don't come forward.   Is it any wonder??? 

No one wants to hear that their "god" is a pedophile or the protector of one.  They don't want to have to bring him down from his podium to put handcuffs on him.   They want to close their eyes and pretend it didn't happen and act like gutless wonders that let children be raped.  Very sad indeed.

Chili in the City

Today we had a Chili contest at work to raise funds for the United Way.  There were 8 entries and prizes were awarded for the Spiciest and Best Tasting Chili.  Well our man Mr. Chad won the tastiest Chili prize with his Chipotle flavored entry.  He even made it vegetarian with Veggie Round and it was the best overall. 

There were a variety of entries, some had big chunks of meat, various vegetables.  There were a few that were quite different and didn't even resemble real chili...or so we thought.

As we were tasting all of the entries, we started one of our usual "Big Bang Theory" type of conversations about what constitutes real chili.   We all agreed Chili peppers but had varying opinions on the rest.  So I went to the Official Chili Society for the rules. 

Traditional Red Chili is defined by the International Chili Society as any kind of meat or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients, with the exception of BEANS and PASTA which are strictly forbidden.

Beans are strictly forbidden?  Wow, who knew?   By this criteria I don't think we actually had a chili contest.  By this criteria the chili that we mocked as not qualifying as chili was probably the only actual chili there!!

O well, it tasted yummy.  Congrats Chipotle Chili Champion Chad.

Sometimes It's Good to be Told NO

Nobody likes to be told no...you can't do or have something, but sometimes its the only responsible thing to do.  Case in point:

Michael Jackson:  "I can't sleep, can you give me some propofol?"
Appropriate Response: "No"

But when you are rich no one wants to give you the appropriate response.  And if they do, o well, replace them with someone who will do what you want.  This week Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson.  His family is elated, and LaToya comments that "Michael" was watching over them in court. Well what a load of hooey!

Now don't get me wrong, the doc never should have been giving that drug to MJ and should definitely loose his medical license.  Hell maybe he should go to jail as well, but I can't help but feel that all this does is absolve MJ from being the master of his own demise.  Yes, he knew what he wanted and he got it.  Sure he didn't want to end up dead, but he had the money and power to demand that he didn't have to deal with the normal things the rest of the world deals with.  If he wanted a young kid to sleep in his bed, people obliged.  If he wanted the Elephant man, it was done.  If he wanted rides in his yard and a monkey, then have it he shall. 

He is not the first and will not be the last to die because he was never told no.  So while this latest trial wraps up and the doc goes to jail, lets not forget that the ultimate accountability should lie with the individual and their decisions.  After all, careful what you ask for you just might get it.