tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26522443768131304652024-02-06T22:01:04.121-05:00Sorry Bob Publicist For Happiness, Purpose, and Possibility. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger435125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-55812771897617905892022-04-11T12:36:00.008-04:002022-04-11T12:47:09.226-04:00Nashville - Day One - Standing Next To Dustin Lynch! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p>After we went to Snooze for breakfast; loving the food there, the service, and the vintage décor, we headed to Broadway! Honky Tonk Central. </p><p>It was about 9:15 am, gray, cool, raining on and off. </p><p>Broadway is one long street with tall bars on every floor, many with rooftops. The buildings stand like linebackers, some are flashy, some are more humble, but they are all huddled together, keeping a watchful eye on the drinkers, the dancers, the homeless people with their funny signs (I need money for a hooker. Let's go Brandon. I need money for weed. I need money for a penis transplant, FK Joe Biden!). Watching as the singers walk around with guitars strapped on their backs, as band members roll amps and drums on wheeled carts. They watched as men unloaded beer from long trucks and disappeared into the Honky Tonks with case after case after case. </p><p>John and I had the whole street to ourselves, practically. My body was shot through with adrenaline. I'm here! We made it! If I die now, I die happy! (Well, okay, I'd have liked to listen to a band or two, but that was going to happen soon enough!) </p><p>The rain was now heavier, and John and I dipped under a closed bar with an awning. Several homeless men were wandering around, muttering to themselves. We live near Philly, so this is nothing new. If anything, these homeless people were more polite, much quieter. And later, once Broadway started filling up, they would whip out the entertaining signs. </p><p>Tootsies was supposed to open at 9:30. It didn't. So we ventured into a gift shop looking for an umbrella. They only have the very tall kind, like you'd use on a golf course. Or maybe in a back alley as a weapon. </p><p>We were surprised how actually SMALL the area was that we were in. The Ryman was merely yards away, and the Predator arena was across the street. </p><p>We wandered down the street, toward The Stage and John Rich's place, then crossed the street to Kid Rock, Luke Bryans, and Jason Aldeans. (Fun Fact, they are all owned by one corporation). There were cameras set up on the sidewalk in front of Aldeans. People huddled under the roof/awning. People scurrying about carrying microphones. </p><p>I ducked in and tried to blend into the small crowd. </p><p>"What are you doing?!" John is a rule follower. </p><p>"Just trying to figure it out. Maybe we'll see a famous singer!"</p><p>I pressed up against the brick wall, and about an arms length away from me was a short guy wearing a backwards baseball cap. </p><p>Ok. There are many guys walking around baseball caps in Nashville...but this guy...</p><p>"I think that's Dustin Lynch." I told John. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjcOC7Z55aRsZlBBNodHROjClW74fEGMiklOZncqFKD_r-XcXpQGLpVQl1s3yO4lQPLvH_lmbgcMN2IwpkdSnGCigWp2Zq9HGh1asHehlldvUmWV6z4vmwk107LrUxzVCbe__DAJ9k1GinjlNdy08EHYb6cU1KjkJJ2ONlL1WhsQwjZPv9bJXaFYH/s1624/IMG_2627.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="884" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjcOC7Z55aRsZlBBNodHROjClW74fEGMiklOZncqFKD_r-XcXpQGLpVQl1s3yO4lQPLvH_lmbgcMN2IwpkdSnGCigWp2Zq9HGh1asHehlldvUmWV6z4vmwk107LrUxzVCbe__DAJ9k1GinjlNdy08EHYb6cU1KjkJJ2ONlL1WhsQwjZPv9bJXaFYH/s320/IMG_2627.JPG" width="174" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Remember, John isn't a Country fan. He'd know Toby Keith, Blake, Morgan Wallen, Hardy, Ern, Miranda, Carrie, and of course, Dolly. </p><p>I had to pull up photos of Dustin Lynch on Google. </p><p>"I don't think it's him." John said. </p><p>"It could be him." </p><p>"Go tell him you're his biggest fan and see what he says." </p><p>But I'm not his biggest fan, and at the moment, every song he sang escaped me. </p><p></p><br />So, it wasn't until they started "rolling" the cameras that we found it, indeed, it was<a href="https://youtu.be/rC1JalAExKY"> Dustin Lynch</a>! <p></p><p>After we found out who he was, we left, headed to Tootsies. The sun started to come out, but I stopped at another gift store to inquire about small umbrellas. </p><p>Behind the counter were three lanky young guys. </p><p>"Dustin Lynch is right next door!" I told them. </p><p>"Who?" None of them knew Dustin Lynch. </p><p>None of them even liked Country Music. </p><p>I couldn't imagine working in a store, in a town like that. It would be like me working at a gift store at a Soccer stadium, where the only music they played was a mixture of Punk Rock and Tool. </p><p>Anyway, they only had large umbrellas, so off we went. </p><p>We were only a few feet away when a woman chased us down. She had remembered seeing a box of small umbrellas in the stock room. I picked out a red one, and away we went. I was touched by the gracious customer service. And the rest of the day, we saw those little red and blue umbrellas everywhere we went. So her good deed, also paid off in sales for the store!</p><p>Almost 10 am now, had only been in town for 3 hours, and I'd had the best Bloody Mary ever (Snooze), had a celebrity "run in", found a small umbrella (thanks to great Southern Hospitality customer service) and now we were heading back to Tootsies - the tall lavender building that would bet the first official "Honky Tonk" to start off our day. </p><p>“Nashville is wicked. It’s like a proper music community, but it’s also quintessentially american. You bump into people there with cowboy hats that spit in jars and call you ‘boy.’ I just love that.” – Ed Sheeran</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-66573637239197711582022-04-10T15:03:00.001-04:002022-04-10T15:03:44.933-04:00Nashville - Dreams Come True - Day One <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="252" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JStZdGNfDm0" width="303" youtube-src-id="JStZdGNfDm0"></iframe></div> Nashville. <p></p><p>It was "my" place. </p><p>My destination vacation dream. </p><p>Then, in 2019, when my husband was retiring in 2020 and he warned me, "DO NOT PLAN ANY PARTIES FOR HIM." I promised I would NOT PLAN ANY PARTIES FOR HIM. </p><p>He had told me once something like that, I didn't listen, and boy was he mad. </p><p>But. I mean. Retiring. A cop? A K9 cop? </p><p>I called one of his friends, my heart thudding like the midnight train that flies by our town every night, and said, "Ok, maybe we just surprise him with a few people at MaGerks. Just a few."</p><p>Five minutes later I called back; "Forget it. No one. He'll be mad. Maybe not. But Dude, I will be nervous from now until April 4th of next year. It's not worth the anxiety of wondering if he'll be mad or not!"</p><p>He always stressed to me: "If I die in the line of duty, I don't want a big deal made of it!" He didn't like Commendations, trophies, etc. He's just the kind of guy; he does a good job, he knows it, the people that count know it, and that's all that matters. </p><p>So. </p><p>Imagine my surprise. </p><p>When he texts me at work, that "GUESS WHAT? A few of the guys are taking me to Nashville for my retirement." </p><p>Nashville huh? </p><p>The only reason John even knew of Luke Combs or Morgan Wallen was because I played them!</p><p>So, I did the only thing I could do...I bought a ticket to go by myself (flights were super cheap on SouthWest - 49 bucks!). If you can't join them, go later and enjoy! I really only cared about listening to LIVE COUNTRY MUSIC. Not about getting drunk and sloppy (I've had about 30 years of practice at that). </p><p>Then Covid happened. </p><p>Sigh. </p><p>Being stuck together for over a year, John learned much more about Country music than he ever wanted to. Now we had Hardy and Ern in the rotation, and even some Walker Hayes (only if he was feeling really generous!) Our local bars, the kind with juke boxes, also really got to know Morgan, Hardy, and Ern. I'm sure Cross Roads and Skyline couldn't have pushed us out the door fast enough to get us to Nashville!</p><p>A few weeks into 2022, prior to Inflation and Heart Attack Gas Prices, Southwest Airlines was having a 59 sale to Nashville. Nonstop. The departure times were perfect. I had a credit I needed to use by the end of the year, and asked John if he'd want to go. He said sure. </p><p>We were scheduled to leave on April 5th, Tuesday. </p><p>That weekend, call it weather, systems glitches, or what you will, but Southwest cancelled almost half a thousand flights. (They weren't the only airline to do so.)</p><p>Maybe Nashville was just not in my cards. And in case they weren't in my cards, we eyed a get out of the house since we have a wonderful dog sitter scheduled, to Jim Thorpe. Been there a thousand times, but what's ONE MORE? </p><p>But by Monday, Southwest seemed to get it's propellers spinning, and by Tuesday morning at 7:10 am, we were IN NASHVILLE!</p><p>I was so excited to see EVERYTHING COUNTY just as soon as we stepped off the airplane and into airport. There was a SINGER singing in a little cafe! <iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/GUvuAxKec8k" width="480"></iframe></p><p>It was raining, but the wonderful Airbnb we were staying in said we could check in as soon as we landed (AMAZING!!!! I know some Airbnb's dislike the "early" request, and we were pushing it with an 8am arrival, but...WOW!! (Here's the wonderful link for the beautiful <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/plus/31513722?source_impression_id=p3_1649616245_yfl03Wuuj8RWruIe" target="_blank">Jill and Buds Nashville Airbnb</a> ). </p><p>Oh, on top of it all, we took our first Uber ride ever. Yes, we've been living in the dark ages.</p><p>After we dropped off our stuff, we headed to <a href="https://www.snoozeeatery.com/restaurant/tennessee/east-nashville/" target="_blank">Snooze East Nashville </a>. Love the decor. Very vintage! I started the day off with a Bloody Mary and some peppered/maple bacon. Our server had just moved from California (she's be the second transplant from CA we'd meet) and was LOVING Nashville. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMvxjVC9f4lmWEq_GyHvgQxdqXszbD-Z7xCGBqcaswXdH4CltBvRzNbbBPQlWV7zZtlB9QHLlTzc9C3gm_9EeKuyAnVKDN9SShmNnrGmC3WhEFDtArHjaYOPqdlPngmLcJe31INcre5TN1TBNe5tPnfh_CPQlzV8O7313q0cXuO842VhYQeNEd8zd/s1624/IMG_2615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="884" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMvxjVC9f4lmWEq_GyHvgQxdqXszbD-Z7xCGBqcaswXdH4CltBvRzNbbBPQlWV7zZtlB9QHLlTzc9C3gm_9EeKuyAnVKDN9SShmNnrGmC3WhEFDtArHjaYOPqdlPngmLcJe31INcre5TN1TBNe5tPnfh_CPQlzV8O7313q0cXuO842VhYQeNEd8zd/s320/IMG_2615.JPG" width="174" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>So far, so good. And we're just getting started! Stay tuned for Part Two: We discover we are standing next to Dustin Lynch but don't want to be making it obviously that we are standing next to DUSTIN LYNCH. </p><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-84471764175597673372021-09-16T06:06:00.001-04:002022-04-10T13:40:55.628-04:00All The Timelines<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaj7-PfFzEYrXAL04pKYjHA1RtMHuFSF7lk8iOHZjDnnMaS3LDjxhfQ2BeAdddp0KbpYke6Ila8Kh8QAaET3X6vQUZABK0Bq6m5P5Wdwpdt9vIVdmmUoef81B3-ILGISwhLrxOflrND8tIGAilZqvlfFQtLcM1PIHdat8VybFAK0VCUIsA47U5IdCa/s2048/friendly%20bar.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaj7-PfFzEYrXAL04pKYjHA1RtMHuFSF7lk8iOHZjDnnMaS3LDjxhfQ2BeAdddp0KbpYke6Ila8Kh8QAaET3X6vQUZABK0Bq6m5P5Wdwpdt9vIVdmmUoef81B3-ILGISwhLrxOflrND8tIGAilZqvlfFQtLcM1PIHdat8VybFAK0VCUIsA47U5IdCa/s320/friendly%20bar.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><br /> I published this here prior to - what I had envisioned to be my extended winter/writing journey to Florida in winter of 2021. I like to understand ideas, movements...how they came to be. I like to try and understand history. History though, is about as wide and vast as the midnight sky when you're flying on the Red Eye from New York to Montana. And, as we now know, history, and "facts" seem to depend on the storyteller. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. <p></p><p>Anyway. I was working on a BIG BOOK OF LIFES ANSWERS. SOMETHING THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. I had to keep going back and going back in order to try and understand how we got HERE. Here: where goodness now evil, and evil is now goodness. Where every week there is a new FEAR being used to threaten Freedom. People are unhappy, drifting, lack confidence and faith in themselves, and anxiety is the BIG WORD of the day: from people that seem to be not only pushing anxiety on you, but also promising the "cure" to ease that anxiety. </p><p>I was concerned on my journey to Florida (with several stops along the way - West Virginia! Virginia! South Carolina (Bluffton and Greenville!), Florida: St. Augustine, Clearwater, Naples). And so, I guess this is the last thing I wanted people to see. To maybe follow the timeline and figure things out (people love a good puzzle!). </p><p>My timeline chart was also for me. My brain is like a garden these days...planted haphazardly, with periods of focus, but more so than not, periods of researching what to plant, where to buy the best seeds, where to put the best seeds, what is the history of the plant, then once I figure it out, is it even worth it? Will anyone see these plants? What is there is a drought? Too hot? Too cold? Is there a point? What if they grow too big? What if they don't grow at all? What, if I've wasted my time? </p><p>But once I got to where I was going, this timeline would help me maybe. The roadmap I need to understand humanity. Where we started. Where things went wrong. Looking to history as perhaps the answer to our anxiety instead of pills and potions. </p><p>I did not last long in Florida (oh, how I wanted to!), for many reasons, but the most pressing reason is that everyone else wanted to embrace freedom, sun, sand, and smiles! Places to stay were scares. My bank account groaned every time I made a purchase. And The President has said the <br />Winter of Death was upon us, and maybe I should be close to family just in case few of us made it through. It's now Spring, 2022, and I'm happy to report,<b> we all somehow made it through</b> even though we travelled, showed off smiles everywhere we went, and were blessed we weren't forced to make any medical choices in order to keep our jobs. </p><p>This timeline might be of use to you, dear reader. Or not. </p><p><br /></p><p>BC</p><p>Philosophy relies on logic and observation (common sense)</p><p>Psychology relies on questionable “scientific methods” – too many variable in human behavior. </p><p>1650 BC – Eloquent Peasant (The Golden Rule)</p><p>850 BC – Homer Greek Poet who praised Virtues</p><p>535 BC – 475 BC) Heraclitus of Ephesus (a Greek philosopher higher self restrains, lower self pleasures, spirit balances the two. </p><p>470 BC-399 BC Socrates – (knowledge) The Unexamined Life is not worth Living </p><p>427 BC – 347 BC – Plato (more of a socialist) greek philosopher – Sparta - philosophical ideas go back to Plato and the belief man has positive ability to make moral choices. The Chariot, good and bad horses. Plato’s vision of the triple nature of the soul, or psyche, as explained though the allegory of the chariot It furnishes an unmatched symbol of what a man is, can be, and what he must do to bridge those two points and attain andreia (courage) arête (excellence), and finally Eudaimonia (full human flourishing).</p><p>384 BC – 322 BC Aristotle – Individual. Virtues lead to happiness. Man is goal seeking animal, his life only has meaning if he is reaching and striving for goals. All men, by nature, desire knowledge. Happiness is a goal in life. </p><p>360 AD – 416 AD: Pelagius was a British-born ascetic moralist, who became well known throughout ancient Rome. He opposed the idea of predestination and asserted a strong version of the doctrine of free will. </p><p>354-430 – St. Augustine believed man brought his fall on his own, however, he could not rise on his own: for that, he needed God. (a bit of philosophical conservatism but in the end, doesn’t believe in absolute self determination) </p><p>It's worth noting that all the terms—communism, socialism, fascism and Marxism—describe ideologies that ascribe central importance to some notion of collective good. They all begin by rejecting the notion that man is an individual and that government ought to protect individual rights.</p><p><br /></p><p>31 BC – 476 AD – Fall of Roman Empire: </p><p>1) Moral Decay. 2) Rapid expansion (Power/Greed). Too many wars, not enough $ or people. Used gladiators to fight to entertain people (who were unemployed) Diversion/Distraction. Slaves gave rise to laziness of land owners which contributed to a decline of virtues. Lack of assimilation. Barbarians beat Romans by Guerilla warfare. </p><p>Town Crier is form of communication. </p><p>1250 AD (born 1225AD died 1274 – Thomas Aquinas – from Italy. Priest promotes Aristotle and Virtues. “Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man's own will.” Promoted 4 Cardinal Virtues: Justice. Prudence. Temperance. Fortitude. </p><p>10th Century – Norse/Vikings had some colonies in Canada</p><p><br /></p><p>1492 – 1500 (15th Century) – Extensive European Colonization of America </p><p>1439 – Printing Press </p><p>1483-1546 – Martin Luther felt that man couldn’t control himself. He was a product of God (Good) or Evil (devil). </p><p>1513 Ponce de Leon (Spain) lands in what will be Florida and named it La Florida after the Easter season (festival of flowers)</p><p>1516 – Sir Thomas Moore writes Utopia (creating the word which means perfection)</p><p>1611 – Sir Thomas Dale gives people property, which makes them work harder because they have pride. Prior to that, work was communal and people were dying despite overabundance of resources. </p><p>1622 – Pope Gregory establishes congregation for propagating faith “propaganda.” </p><p>1669 – John Locke (1632-1704, 72y/o) publishes several works – believes in rights of life, liberty, and estate (what we now call pursuit of happiness). </p><p><br /></p><p>1600-1800 (200 years, all of 18th century)– Age of Reason ENLIGHTENMENT – Inspires American & French Revolution. Rational Thinking. </p><p><br /></p><p> 1704 – First Newspaper in Colonies; Boston News Letter </p><p><br /></p><p>1718 – Voltaire (pen name) used with to attack church. Advocated freedom of religion, expression, separation of church state, writer of more than 20,000 letters and 2,000 books. (November 1694 – 30 May 1778 -84y/o) French. In a letter to Jean-Baptiste Rousseau in March 1719, Voltaire concludes by asking that, if Rousseau wishes to send him a return letter, he do so by addressing it to Monsieur de Voltaire. A postscript explains: "J'ai été si malheureux sous le nom d'Arouet que j'en ai pris un autre surtout pour n'être plus confondu avec le poète Roi", (I was so unhappy under the name of Arouet that I have taken another, primarily so as to cease to be confused with the poet Roi.) This probably refers to Adenes le Roi, and the 'oi' diphthong was then pronounced like modern 'ouai', so the similarity to 'Arouet' is clear, and thus, it could well have been part of his rationale. Indeed, Voltaire is known also to have used at least 178 separate pen names during his lifetime</p><p><br /></p><p>1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840.The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from about This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, improved efficiency of water power, the increasing use of steam power, the development of machine tools and the rise of the factory system. Textiles were the dominant industry of the Industrial Revolution in terms of employment, value of output and capital invested; the textile industry was also the first to use modern production methods.[1] The Industrial Revolution began in the United Kingdom and most of the important technological innovations were British.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way. In particular, average income and population began to exhibit unprecedented sustained growth. Some economists say that the major impact of the Industrial Revolution was that the standard of living for the general population began to increase consistently for the first time in history, although others have said that it did not begin to meaningfully improve until the late 19th and 20th centuries. At approximately the same time the Industrial Revolution was occurring, Britain was undergoing an agricultural revolution, which also helped to improve living standards.</p><p><br /></p><p>1689 - Second Treatise of Government – by John Locke </p><p>1776 – Common Sense – Thomas Paine </p><p><br /></p><p>1781 – KANT (German. 1724 – 1804 – 80y/o) Socialism. People are stupid. </p><p><br /></p><p>1775-1783 (American Revolution)</p><p><br /></p><p>1776 – USA – Declaration of Liberty – Let the King know we wanted to be separate and build country based on Independence from the crown and liberty for all. USA built on freedom of people to REASON. </p><p><br /></p><p>1765- 1769 Sir William Blackstone wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England and published it in four volumes through </p><p><br /></p><p>1765-1769. 1723 -1780 (57) He was an English jurist who He was the leading legal authority on English law, upon which much American law is based. Law students in America hear about him frequently in law school. In The Rights of Englishmen, Blackstone described the source of the rights of the people. </p><p><br /></p><p>1776 – Adam Smith publishes Wealth of Nations;the magnum opus of the Scottish economist and moral philosopher. First published in 1776, the book offers one of the world's first collected descriptions of what builds nations' wealth, and is today a fundamental work in classical economics. By reflecting upon the economics at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the book touches upon such broad topics as the division of labour, productivity, and free markets.</p><p><br /></p><p>1789- The Government The original bureaucracy of the federal government consisted only of employees from three small departments — State, Treasury, and War under President George Washington. </p><p><br /></p><p>1789 until 1799 The French Revolution (French: Révolution française [ʁevɔlysjɔ̃ fʁɑ̃sɛːz]) was a period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France and was partially carried forward by Napoleon during the later expansion of the French Empire. The Revolution overthrew the monarchy, established a republic, experienced violent periods of political turmoil, and finally culminated in a dictatorship under Napoleon that rapidly brought many of its principles to Western Europe and beyond. Inspired by liberal and radical ideas, the Revolution profoundly altered the course of modern history, triggering the global decline of absolute monarchies while replacing them with republics and liberal democracies.[1] Through the Revolutionary Wars, it unleashed a wave of global conflicts that extended from the Caribbean to the Middle East. Historians widely regard the Revolution as one of the most important events in human history</p><p><br /></p><p>1800-1929: Government spending didn’t exceed 12% of National Income. Little Regulations. Free Markets. Nonprofits began in order to help community. When Government was limited, people flourished: 19 century Great Britain & Japan, 20th Century Hong Kong, 19th & early 20th century America. </p><p><br /></p><p>1800 to 1850. Romanticism (also the Romantic era or the Romantic period) was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement </p><p>that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature, preferring the medieval rather than the classical. It was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution,[1] the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment, and the scientific rationalization of nature.[2] It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on historiography,[3] education,[4] and the natural sciences.[5] It had a significant and complex effect on politics, and while for much of the Romantic period it was associated with liberalism and radicalism, its long-term effect on the growth of nationalism was perhaps more significant.</p><p>The movement emphasized intense emotion as an authentic source of experience. </p><p>1800 Gov Grows</p><p>During the 1800s, while more and more federal employees were landing their jobs through patronage, the bureaucracy was growing rapidly as new demands were placed on government. As the country expanded westward new agencies were needed to manage the land and its settlement. And as people moved into the new areas, a greatly expanded Post Office was necessary. The Civil War sparked the creation of thousands of government jobs and new departments to handle the demands of warfare. After the war, the Industrial Revolution encouraged economic growth and more government agencies to regulate the expanding economy.</p><p><br /></p><p>1807 – Hegel – German (Marxist socialism- follower of Kant, </p><p>Marx was follower of him. 1770-1831 (61) the word crisis—another word Hegel made famous—and history on Hegel’s terms is a series of crises. Indeed, “periods of happiness in history” are, in Hegel’s words, “empty pages.” They contribute nothing to mankind’s advance. During peacetime, he wrote, “civil life becomes more extended, every sphere is hedged in … and at last all men stagnate.” Men are better off, Hegel decided, when they are forced to face danger and uncertainty, forced to rise to the occasion. “Let insecurity finally come in the form of Hussars with glistening sabers, and show its earnest activity!</p><p>1859 – Charles Darwin Origin of Species. Only strong survive. Natural Selection. (1809-1882 (73))</p><p>1867 – Karl Marx – dethrone God and capitalism. (1818-1883 – 65y/o) – Hypocrite, lived off Engles.</p><p>1879 – Germany – Birth of Psychology Wilhelm Wundt opened the Institute for Experimental Psychology at the University of Leipzig in Germany in 1879. This was the first laboratory dedicated to psychology. Wundt called himself a “Psychologist.” </p><p>1881 – Pendelton Act (Civil Service) </p><p><br /></p><p>The spoils tradition was diluted in 1881 when Charles Guiteau, a disappointed office seeker, killed President James Garfield because he was not granted a government job. After Garfield's assassination, Congress passed the Pendleton Act, which created a merit-based federal civil service. It was meant to replace patronage with the principle of federal employment on the basis of open, competitive exams. The Pendleton Act created a three-member Civil Service Commission to administer this new merit system. At first only about 10 percent of federal employees were members of the civil service. Today, about 85 to 90 percent take this exam.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>1884 – Fabians arise. Delay. Harass. Isolate. </p><p>GBS (George Bernard Shaw) called smallpox vaccines “witchcraft” </p><p><br /></p><p>1891 Freud first started writing </p><p>(born in Austria/Germany 1856 died 1939 83y/o) became popular when writing about sex/taboos</p><p><br /></p><p>1887 – Railroad Regulation </p><p>Interstate Commerce Commission, set up in 1887 to monitor abuses in the railroad industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>1895 – Democrat William Hearst buys NY Paper. Sells papers using crime/death/and pseudo science (status science) Owned San Francisco Examiner prior to that. Uses death/crime scenes to sell. William Randolph Hearst 1863 –1951) was an American newspaper publisher who built the nation's largest newspaper chain and whose methods profoundly influenced American journalism.[2] Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887 after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father. Moving to New York City, he acquired The New York Journal and engaged in a bitter circulation war with Joseph Pulitzer's New York World that led to the creation of yellow journalism—sensationalized stories of dubious veracity. Acquiring more newspapers, Hearst created a chain that numbered nearly 30 papers in major American cities at its peak. He later expanded to magazines, creating the largest newspaper and magazine business in the world.</p><p>He was twice elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives, and ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of New York City in 1905 and 1909, for Governor of New York in 1906, and for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1910. Nonetheless, through his newspapers and magazines, he exercised enormous political influence, and was famously blamed for pushing public opinion with his yellow journalism type of reporting leading the United States into a war with Spain in 1898.</p><p><br /></p><p>1902 – James Allen – As A Man Thinketh </p><p><br /></p><p>1903- Ivy Lee was a journalist at the New York American, the New York Times, and the New York World. He got his first job in 1903 as a publicity manager for the Citizens' Union. Many historians credit Lee with being the originator of modern crisis communications. His principal competitor in the new public relations industry was Edward Bernays.</p><p>He authored the book The Best Administration New York City Ever Had. He later took a job with the Democratic National Committee. American publicity expert and a founder of modern public relations. The term Public Relations is to be found for the first time in the preface of the 1897 Yearbook of Railway Literature. Best known for his public relations work with the Rockefeller family. His first major client was the Pennsylvania Railroad, followed by numerous major railroads such as the New York Central, the Baltimore and Ohio, and the Harriman lines such as the Union Pacific. He established the Association of Railroad Executives as a public relations service for the entire industry. Lee provided advice to major industrial corporations, including steel, automobiles, tobacco, meatpacking, and rubber, as well as public utilities, banks, and even foreign governments. Lee pioneered the use of internal magazines to maintain employee morale, as well as management newsletters, stockholder reports, and news releases to the media. He did a great deal of pro bono work, and during World War I, he became the publicity director for the American Red Cross. born near Cedartown, Georgia, the son of a Methodist minister, James Wideman Lee, who founded an important Atlanta family. He studied at Emory College and then graduated from Princeton. He worked as a newspaper reporter and stringer.. (July 16, 1877 – November 9, 1934</p><p> </p><p>1900 more Gov Regulation - </p><p>In reaction to the excesses of Gilded Age millionaires, many Americans demanded that the government regulate business and industry. As a result, a group of independent regulatory commissions emerged as the 20th century dawned. The first of these agencies was the Interstate Commerce Commission, set up in 1887 to monitor abuses in the railroad industry. Reform movements of the early 20th century demanded that government regulate child labor, food processing and packaging, and working and living conditions for the laboring classes.</p><p>1910 - John Dewey (1859-1952 93) </p><p>- John D. Rockefeller’s PR experts said, "Mr. Rockefeller, give away one dollar so they let you keep the other nine." Rockefeller did this to an extraordinary degree, creating universities and many other famous institutions. He created Teachers College at Columbia University. Dewey and the hundreds of people in his immediate orbit serenely agreed that cooperation was the highest virtue, sociology was the future, psychology provided the essential truths of life, God was dead, religion was obsolete, family must be belittled, and patriotism, honor, and other old-fashioned virtues must be slowly ground down to nothing. Went to John Hopkins U (1883), U of Chicago (1894), Prof Of Columbia (thru Rockfeller) </p><p>Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/10/john_dewey_is_a_fraud.html#ixzz3yWNq9qYe </p><p><br /></p><p>1913 – 1921 Woodrow Wilson Studied Hegel went to John Hopkins U (Dewey)- CPI (Creel) Income Taxes. Prohibition </p><p><br /></p><p>1914-1917 CPI President Woodrow Wilson established the Committee on Public Information (CPI) through Executive Order – George Creel heads it. Abolished by executive order in 1919</p><p><br /></p><p>1914-1918 – WWI – Allies: Britain, France, Russia, Italy, USA. VS Central Powers: Germany, Austria Hungry, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, </p><p><br /></p><p>1916. Antonio Gramsci was an Italian Marxist theoretician and politician started writing in 1916. He wrote on political theory, sociology. 1891-1937 (46) Wanted to destroy Christianity </p><p><br /></p><p>1917 – Ed Bernays (double nephew of Freud) discovers “front” magazines </p><p>(advertising) selling health/medicine advice then getting doctors to pay for advertising. First gave them away for free. (born:1881-1995 (114)) Worked for Freud for a while and used Freuds social sciences to qualify (expertize) his marketing propaganda and manipulate marketing. Works on Creel organization with Walter Lippman</p><p><br /></p><p>1917, Carl Robert Byoir (also previously a journalist) became a member of the Committee on Public Information, Independent Government Organization EO 2594 started by Prez. Woodrow Wilson. Consisted of George Creel (Chairman) and Sec of State, War, and the Navy as ex officio member. Publicly organized the United States propaganda campaign for World War I. While a part of the CPI he practiced many techniques to influence public opinion including creating a campaign that was directed towards draft-eligible non-English speaking Americans. The result of that campaign was adding over 70,000 men to U.S. troops. Byoir continued to lead a few other public relation campaigns but his next notable campaign was with the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration planning many charity balls for the President and helping establishing the March of Dimes foundation. Discontinued after nov 11, 1918. </p><p><br /></p><p>1920- John Reed starts Communist Party in Chicago – targeted journalists for recruitment </p><p><br /></p><p>1920 – Frankfurt School – Cultural Marxism. Leader Marcuse dedicated to destruction of West. Brought over in 1930 by Ed Murrow (journalist). Birth of PC (?)</p><p><br /></p><p>1920’s – The “Great” Social Theorists (Social Engineers) were trying to sell new ways of selling their salvation. </p><p><br /></p><p>1921-1933 – Republicans command presidency. Democrats’ powerstarved. </p><p><br /></p><p>1925 – Napoleon Hill: The Law of Success. Think and Grow Rich 1937. Outwitting the Devil (written in 1939 after FDR New Deal taking away much freedom – but wouldn’t be published until 2011 b/c he didn’t want to upset his religious family). </p><p><br /></p><p>1928 – TV starts to influence people</p><p><br /></p><p>1929 – Balyor University Hospital offers teachers in Dallas “health” insurance for 6.00 a month, to cover hospital bills. This is first known insurance. This is Blue Cross. Only 1% of Gross domestic product is spent on healthcare. By 1966 it was 6 percent and by 2015 was almost 18%. </p><p><br /></p><p>1932 – Aldous Huxley (English) wrote Brave New World. </p><p>Worried that group think, drugs, sex, conditioning would lead to loss of freedom. What we love will enslave us. (1894-1963 69y/o) Wrote this book after visiting the USA and being disturbed by consumerism; too busy placating desires to think independently. </p><p><br /></p><p>1933 and 1941 The Civilian Conservation Corps </p><p>was part of Roosevelt's New Deal programs to battle the Depression. Aimed at employing men between the ages of 18 and 25, over 3,000,000 men joined the CCC and became members of the federal bureaucracy between 1933 and 1941.</p><p><br /></p><p>1933-1945- Largest growth of Gov Bureaucracy </p><p>The largest growth of the bureaucracy in American history came between 1933 and 1945. Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal meant bigger government, since agencies were needed to administer his many programs. With the American entry into World War II in 1941, the needs of the war elevated the number of federal agencies and employees even more. During those 12 Roosevelt years, the total number of federal employees increased from a little over half a million in 1933 to an all time high of more than 3.5 million in 1945.</p><p><br /></p><p>1933-1945 – Hitler Leader of Germany (born in Austria 1889-1945 – 56). </p><p><br /></p><p>1933 – Gobbles (Hitler) copies Bernays Mass Manipulation hate chant, symbols, from 1933-1935</p><p><br /></p><p>1936-1945 – Concentration Camps </p><p>1936 Give Me Liberty book by – Rose Wilder Lane (she was against New Deal and said it equaled enslavement)</p><p>Credo (1936) shorter version of Give Me Liberty published in Saturday Evening Post</p><p><br /></p><p>1933-1945 – FDR – New Deal. </p><p>Expanded Govt. Social Security (which is Fabian term). Leads us into WWII. FDR does not include medical coverage as part of new deal because labor unions opposed it. </p><p><br /></p><p>1933-1945 Herbert Marcuse (German: [maʀˈkuːzə]; July 19, 1898 – July 29, 1979) </p><p>Worked for FDR. Taught at Columbia and Harvard. Founder of the New Left. Goal was to tear America apart by pitting victim group against victim group. </p><p>A German-American associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory.</p><p>he criticized capitalism, modern technology, historical materialism and entertainment culture, arguing that they represent new forms of social control. Between 1943 and 1950, Marcuse worked in US Government Service, which helped form the basis of his book Soviet Marxism: A Critical Analysis (1958). Celebrated as the "Father of the New Left", his best known works are Eros and Civilization (1955) and One-Dimensional Man (1964). in the late 1960s and the 1970s he became known as the preeminent theorist of the New Left and the student movements of Germany, France, and the US. His Marxist scholarship inspired many radical intellectuals and political activists in the 1960s and 1970s, both in the U.S. and internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>1937 – 1942 IPA – Institute For Propaganda Analysis (IPA) – educate people about methods of propaganda. the pioneering work of the Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA). In 1937, the IPA was created to educate the American public about the widespread nature of political propaganda. composed of social scientists, opinion leaders, historians, educators, and journalists. Created by Kirtley Mather, Edward A. Filene, and Clyde R. Miller, the IPA published a series of books, including:</p><p><br /></p><p> Violet Edwards (1938) Group Leader's Guide to Propaganda Analysis</p><p>Alfred McClung Lee & Elizabeth Briant Lee (1939) The Fine Art of Propaganda[3]</p><p>James A. Wechsler & Harold Lavine (1940) War Propaganda and the United States, reprinted 1972 by Garland Publishing</p><p><br /></p><p>1937 and 1938 alone, Stalin’s secret police arrested more than 1.75 million persons. Of those, more than 85 percent would be sentenced to the Gulag; more than half of those would be executed.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>1939-1945 WWII </p><p>– Allies: Britain, France, Au, Canada, New Zeland, India, Soviet Union, China, USA (America won’t get involved into Japan bombs Peal Harbor, 12/7/1941)</p><p><br /></p><p>1938 – Ayn Rand publishes Anthem</p><p>. Fountainhead 1943. Atlas Shrugged 1957. From Russia. (1905/1982 77y/o)</p><p><br /></p><p>1940-1950’s decline of morality in movies</p><p><br /></p><p>1941 (dec 7) – Japan bombs Pearl Harbor – leading USA into WWII</p><p><br /></p><p>1943 – Maslow publishes Human Motivation went to Frankfurt School</p><p><br /></p><p>1943: The Discovery of Freedom (1943) </p><p>(political history) adapted in 1947 as The Mainspring of Human Progress by Rose Wilder Lane </p><p><br /></p><p>1945 – George Orwell publishes Animal Farm. </p><p><br /></p><p>1949 Orwell publishes 1984. Crit of Communism </p><p>based on Russian Revolution. Warns about conditioning. PC. Rewriting History. (1903-1950 47) Real name: Eric Arthur Blair </p><p><br /></p><p>1946 – Viktor Frankl – Mans Search For Meaning</p><p><br /></p><p>1947 – McCarthy Hearings – Liberals are blacklisted until about 1962 in movie biz. Then in 1969 – increasing violence/sex in movies. </p><p><br /></p><p>1947 – Alfred Kinsey (Zoologist) creates Institute for Sex Research. </p><p>1948 – Kinsey publishes Kinsey Report (sex) </p><p><br /></p><p>1949 – Hugh Heffner</p><p> (born in Chicago, from Chicago) graduates from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he majored in psychology. Hefner earned his bachelor's degree. He later did a semester of graduate school work in the area of sociology, focusing on the sex research institute established by Alfred Kinsey. He went to work for Esquire magazine in Chicago. He started playboy in December in 1953 to take advantage of the “Sexual Revolution.” Hefner decided his magazine would instead cater to the cosmopolitan, intellectual male and feature more overt sexual imagery.</p><p><br /></p><p>1951 – Albert Hoyt Hobbs publishes Claims of Sociology. </p><p>Conservative Sociologist from UofP from 1937-1980. Social Problems and Scientism 1953. Vision and The Constant Star 1956. Man is Moral Choice. 1979. </p><p><br /></p><p>1951 – Eric Hoffer – The True Believer </p><p><br /></p><p>1953 - Playboy Magazine in December 1953. </p><p>The first issue features Marilyn Monroe on the cover, and sells more than 50,000 copies</p><p><br /></p><p>1957 – Vance Packard – </p><p>The Hidden Persuaders 1959, Status Seekers</p><p><br /></p><p>1963 – Mao Tse Tung </p><p>wrote essay on Political Correctness</p><p><br /></p><p>1964 – 1969 – Lyndon Johnson President “Great Society” </p><p>(Fabian Term). Entitlements. Cradle To grave. Welfare. Broke up black families and created flight from work (Purpose). Hypocrite. </p><p><br /></p><p>1968-1969 College Bombings</p><p>Almost 20 bombings on college campuses. </p><p><br /></p><p>1985 – Neil Postman </p><p>(Amusing Ourselves To Death)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-20650645472405313772021-04-26T11:21:00.001-04:002021-04-26T11:21:11.853-04:00The Amazing Marketing Diet <p> This bacon, butter, and martini lover (separately, of course) is suddenly faced with all the markers of heart disease: elevated blood work, a heart that has been wonk for years, but is now slightly more wonky. And my body went from fit to fluffy. Kardashians might like a big butt and hips, but my body (and my knees) do not. </p><p>So now, I find myself (gasp) cutting things down, or completely out. </p><p>If you know me, you know I've followed and tried just about every trendy diet. </p><p>I've been fluffy and I've been thin. I love being thin mostly because it was easy to shop at thrift stores and basically anything I wore looked amazing. And I felt amazing. And I was also recycling!</p><p>Anyway, this morning I was examining the box of Low Sugar oatmeal the husband had in the cupboard. </p><p>I'm trying to cut back on carbs (and do you know blackberries have a lot of carbs, granted, the "good kind" but still..." </p><p>I'm also trying to stay away from gluten. Years ago, blood work pointed towards gluten intolerance. But then a year later it was better (and I never really stopped eating gluten, just cut back). </p><p>The oatmeal box did not say it was gluten free, BUT, it did say it was heart healthy and could reduced cholesterol. </p><p>And while I was reading that box, Ed Bernays (known as the father of public relations) popped into my mind. I've studied him, marketing, and propaganda extensively. </p><p>Was it hearth healthy? Or did Quaker Oats fund some organization to do a "study" where the end results would be that YES, Quaker Oats is healthy for your heart. </p><p>We love anything that promises to make us feel better, look better, and is scientifically proven or recommended by doctors. Doctors are generally a trusted group. </p><p>Ed Bernays knew that. And almost every marketing campaign he worked on, he used "studies" to show how a product would benefit our human instincts to be better, belong, be someone, and be in control. </p><p>And even though I know this, I still fall for marketing promises. </p><p>I put the oatmeal box back. It wasn't gluten free, and I haven't reached the point I am willing to eat oatmeal without some butter and brown sugar. </p><p>So, I'll just stick to what has worked for me in the past: small meals, low carbs, as few preservatives as possible, non saturated fats (I'll never say goodbye to butter or bacon - what's the point of living without a little pleasure! - I'll just cut back on them). </p><p>When I was in Paramedic school, P.A. Richard Lang did some of our cardiac courses. I'll never forget he said: "You can do all the right things: eat healthy, work out, be very fit, but some people simply have in in their genetics and there is little you can do to stop heart disease or cardiac death." Honesty. No sugar coating it, and though he said diet and exercise and not smoking or drinking can help, there are some cases it wouldn't make a difference. </p><p>Though we have so many resources at our fingertips these days, it's challenging to know what sources are authentic, and what sources are corrupted by studies financed by organizations in order to sell their product and profit. </p><p>You can never go wrong with common sense. Though these days, even common sense is being subverted by experts trying to sell you on the fact that common sense isn't as smart as the product they are selling. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-10246112365786585022021-01-31T07:16:00.004-05:002021-01-31T07:16:51.726-05:00Who Owns You? <p> Something to think about from the great, smart, wise, Walter Williams. </p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Who owns you? If one owns himself, then it is he who decides how much risk he takes. If government owns you, then you don't have the right to unilaterally decide how much risk you'll take.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/williamns061114.php3</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Walter Williams - </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">http://walterewilliams.com/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Walter E. Williams, was a prominent conservative economist, author and political commentator who expressed profoundly skeptical views of government efforts to aid his fellow African-Americans and other minority groups. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOY3Bg-Y3BoJdJsfiLesUZ4vowraOerO81TszqUFlEIsnA9T45PZTpI-JZyYaIxX4xxCdi6BQagx9gqOHAVvOiXNxunyTaxjxMGZ7xwSCCZiy335H_ZQWc1Dm-uOUGmL0BucTw4NX2UU/s1024/walter+williams.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOY3Bg-Y3BoJdJsfiLesUZ4vowraOerO81TszqUFlEIsnA9T45PZTpI-JZyYaIxX4xxCdi6BQagx9gqOHAVvOiXNxunyTaxjxMGZ7xwSCCZiy335H_ZQWc1Dm-uOUGmL0BucTw4NX2UU/s320/walter+williams.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-88215938179197089242020-12-13T09:11:00.000-05:002020-12-13T09:11:00.834-05:00Samuel Adams Warning of Big Government in 1771 <p>It is a tremendously important and never-ending problem for the self-governing American people to be not only adequately informed but ever alert and vigorously active in forestalling whenever possible, and combating whenever necessary, any and all threats to Individual Liberty and to its supporting system of constitutionally limited government. In this connection, it is essential to keep in mind that the greatest danger lies in the subtle and gradual, or piecemeal, approach of danger--by which the foundations are gradually eroded rather than by open and outright assault; accompanied by harsh attacks upon all who seek to alert the people to such danger whenever it threatens. This was stressed by Samuel Adams--always in the forefront, as a firebrand patriot, in the fight for Liberty and Independence, for the rights of Free Man through Freedom from Goverument-over-Man--in an essay published in 1771 in the Boston Gazette, signed "Candidus" (quoted exactly as in original text, including emphasis):</p><p><br /></p><p>"If the liberties of America are ever compleatly ruined, of which in my opinion there is now the utmost danger, it will in all probability be the consequence of a mistaken notion of prudence, which leads men to acquiesce in measures of the most destructive tendency for the sake of present ease. When designs are form'd to rase the very foundation of a free government, those few who are to erect their grandeur and fortunes upon the general ruin, will employ every art to sooth the devoted people into a state of indolence, inattention and security, which is forever the fore-runner of slavery-- They are alarmed at nothing so much, as attempts to awaken the people to jealousy and watchfulness; and it has been an old game played over and over again, to hold up the men who would rouse their fellow citizens and countrymen to a sense of their real danger, and spirit them to the most zealous activity in the use of all proper means for the preservation of the public liberty, as 'pretended patriots,' 'intemperate politicians,' rash, hotheaded men, Incendiaries, wretched desperadoes, who, as was said of the best of men, would turn the world upside down, or have done it already."</p><div><div>The economic is subordinate to higher values not only in such comparative rating but also among Man's motivating influences. Assuredly any adequate examination of pertinent historical materials proves this to be unquestionably true of the thinking of the entire generation in America of the period 1776-1787 and, second to none, of The Founders as a group. <i>They rated their economic interests and security as secondary to their ideals in seeking "Liberty and Independence"</i>--a truth which is highlighted, for example, by the Declaration of Independence, especially its closing words: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." The record proves they meant it, and equally the almost-naked, ever-hungry and shoeless men at Valley Forge who stained the snow with bleeding feet, yet fought on.</div></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-71257264014493602872020-12-03T08:17:00.004-05:002020-12-03T08:17:40.219-05:00Original Betty Crocker Crinkle Recipe<p> Original Crinkle Cookie Recipe </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iDkLRsYjPFhunvXIeFphTyTwqtCrHL4jUhdipBy3tRyrXck4sjWLOmLPi-STCrOziwKbS8dN6XYYtH9Cg3JLD_lgevjrVOBZ_cPHraQlto1ClHAdwlpH9q4DAHuhUmMkbOOyqNbLscQ/s1721/crinkle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1721" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iDkLRsYjPFhunvXIeFphTyTwqtCrHL4jUhdipBy3tRyrXck4sjWLOmLPi-STCrOziwKbS8dN6XYYtH9Cg3JLD_lgevjrVOBZ_cPHraQlto1ClHAdwlpH9q4DAHuhUmMkbOOyqNbLscQ/s320/crinkle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>1/2cup vegetable oil</p><p>4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted, cooled</p><p>2 cups granulated sugar</p><p>2 teaspoons vanilla</p><p>4 eggs </p><p>2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour</p><p>2 teaspoons baking powder</p><p>1/2 teaspoon salt</p><p>3/4 cup powdered sugar (can also roll in bits of broken candy canes for a peppermint version!)</p><p>In large bowl, mix oil, chocolate, granulated sugar and vanilla. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours.</p><p>Heat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray or use parchment paper to line cookie sheets. </p><p>Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; (and peppermint bits if you're going for the mint version) roll around to coat and shape into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.</p><p>Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-62624164361749297722020-11-29T08:22:00.001-05:002020-11-29T08:22:33.029-05:00Blue Bar Warminster PA<p> At the Blue Bar Co. We were the first customers of day. Great food. Drinks are dazzling. MASHED POTATO PIZZA with bacon is all I'm sayin. Very cool place. Props to the chef who kept coming over to have us test things he was thinking of putting on the menu. Everyone was awesome. AND THEY HAVE A JUKEBOX. Well decorated. Rooms for gaming, and to spread out. They go all out to make sure you feel like you are the most important customers they have.</p><p>https://www.bluebarco.com/</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyE8EwA7TE0ulAYfyv0imu-ctnT8V6D7Oh0q9WlrJilgtDmVZZcfNAD-lbhji6Kq1W9aaT_r43T-CmWDuyPGw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-63488470514530430712020-09-05T07:47:00.003-04:002020-11-04T03:38:33.965-05:00One To Remember by Ken Reid (hockey fans this is for you!)<p>One To Remember by Ken Reid is a fantastic hockey book!</p><p>Though I'm not a sports fan, I love sports stories. </p><p>I do love the Philadelphia Flyers though but am not an AVID fan. </p><p>This book is inspiring, engaging, full of ups and downs, but mostly it's just a reminder of dreams coming true, and dreams being put to the side and picking yourself up to forge new dreams. </p><p>A must for any hockey fan, but honestly, this book is for anyway. Written so well (like a puck floating effortlessly on the ice). </p><p>Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC. </p><p>Publishes in Sep 2020. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-36492353405139039782020-09-04T11:25:00.005-04:002020-09-04T11:25:47.813-04:00The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan<p> The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan takes place in World War II and follows the lives of four very different women. An orphan, a widowed mother, a society wife, and an single pregnant women who is a trained chef. The four women come together because they are all competing to be on a BBC radio cooking show.</p><p><br /></p><p>The story is about their friendships and the power of community. There is light romance, but it really is about the friendships of the women. </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Kitchen Front" includes recipes for all for all of the recipes. It wonderful uplifting read. </p><p>Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher. </p><p>Publish Date Feb 2021</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-47798959355039202312020-09-04T11:16:00.006-04:002020-09-04T11:16:52.171-04:00Slanted by Sharyl Attkisson <p> Slanted, by Sharyl Attkisson is a frightening look at what media has become in the last 20 or so years, with many of the influence makers roaring onto the scene within the last 12 years. </p><p>We've become so lazy, that we allow thinking to be done for us. Facts are decided by invisible unknown fact checkers.</p><p>Personal narratives are more relevant than the who what where when why and have 3 sources to back up your article. </p><p>In Slanted, Attkisson teaches us how to recognize propagandists, resist the persistence of false media narratives, and who is behind the driving forces behind today's dangerous blend of facts and opinion. </p><p>A must read for every parent, every student. </p><p>Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC. </p><p>Available Nov 2020 </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-22749761299449065602020-09-01T06:28:00.003-04:002020-09-01T06:28:52.271-04:00Socialists Don't Sleep by Cheryl Chumley <p>Cheryl Chumley’s book, Socialists Don’t Sleep: Why Christians Must Rise, Or America Will Fall, is a great book. Unlike most politicians and academicians, she understands the true greatness of America, and sounds an alarm of caution if our nation continues down its current path that wants to abolish our founding principles and values.This book should be read by everyone. America needs a reality check and this is a great place to start."</p><p>Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this wonderful ARC. </p><p>Available Mid September 2020. </p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-28223087757233605702020-09-01T06:19:00.001-04:002020-09-01T06:19:16.467-04:0012 Lesson by Scott Guerin <p> 12 Lessons by Scott Guerin is a fascinating read. </p><p>There are many people that view themselves as spiritual and have turned away from organized religion. </p><p>This is a wonderful book for those exploring spirituality. It's uplifting. An easy read that explores the author's relationship with religion and spirituality and freedom. </p><p>Very positive. </p><p>Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC. </p><p>Available October 2020 </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-70356380756418653102020-09-01T06:11:00.006-04:002020-09-01T06:11:34.528-04:00488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan <p> A funny book for "rules of life.' </p><p>Covering everything from cell phone usage to passing gas. </p><p>It's a comical take on every situation you could possibly imagine. </p><p>We need humor in the year of 2020, and this is a good place to start. </p><p>You can pick up the book and start from anywhere. </p><p>Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this ARC. </p><p>Release date: Oct 2020</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-79268795068739006742020-08-30T13:36:00.002-04:002020-08-30T13:36:23.005-04:00The Killer's Shadow - by John Douglas <p> The Killer's Shadow by John Douglas starts off great. Most of this book focuses on Joseph Paul Franklin and takes us through the late 70's right up to present day. </p><p><br /></p><p>Compared to Douglas's other books I've read, this one seemed a bit bogged down in repetition and I found myself skimming the many chapters detailing Franklin's many, many, trials. </p><p><br /></p><p>Still, a good book. One thing that disappointed me, however, what that Mr. Douglas brought up the political climate this year, and seems to buy into the propaganda that Conservatives are "racists." He used a talking point regarding President Trump, which has often been taken out of context. </p><p><br /></p><p>That was quite off putting to me, as I know many Black people that will be voting for President Trump, and they are not racist. </p><p><br /></p><p>I felt that Mr. Douglas singled out one type of hate crime, but failed anywhere to mention that there are hate crimes committed by Black People, Muslims, Left Groups, etc. </p><p><br /></p><p>For an "investigator" such as Mr. Douglas, I would truly hope he researches how President Trump has helped many people of all different races, genders, and religion. </p><p>Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. - Release Date 11/17/20</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-40331515990313955882020-08-30T13:11:00.003-04:002020-08-30T13:11:16.984-04:00How to Sleep by Rafael Pelayo Pub Date: 08 Dec 2020 <p> I have chronic insomnia - so this was a very helpful book to me. </p><p>Mr. Pelayo wrote in such a way it was charming and the chapters flowed with ease. </p><p>What set this book apart from other books I've read is that Pelayo thinks good sleep is more than just "good sleep hygiene (which I have heard from COUNTLESS doctors). </p><p>The book delves into our brains, and explains how sleep works (and doesn't work). </p><p>I also appreciated that there was a section on dreams. </p><p>One thing not really covered is shift work. Many in my family are first responders and they deal with shift work that changes every two weeks. </p><p><br /></p><p>A quick read but chock full of information. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-4155266046422171602020-07-19T07:31:00.000-04:002020-07-19T07:31:28.690-04:00The Mask WarsI've created a page that will try to keep up with areas in the USA where Masks are not required/mandated.<br />
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You'll find it in the tabs above called No Mask Required.<br />
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I'll try my best to keep up with it, but things change rapidly.<br />
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If you know of any state or area that is leaning into freedom of choice, please drop me a comment.<br />
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Thanks!<br />
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In the words of Lou Holtz: "Don't Protect Me From Dying By Not Letting Me Live "<br />
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7/16/20 on Tucker CarlsonUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-2783560993287223372020-03-19T06:52:00.001-04:002020-08-27T11:28:17.863-04:00Eliza Starts A Rumor by Jane RosenEliza Starts A Rumor is a great book. The characters and story lines were so interesting that it only took me two days to read. The story centers on a few women in a suburb outside of NYC. It touches on our present day social media boards (Facebook) and how damaging it can be. A series of women become connected through a rumor on this board, and it has devastating effects. There is a silver lining among the dark clouds for all the women, and by the end, through courage and strength, all the women are on their way to flourishing.<br />
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This book will be available June 23, 2020.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYSQpG0jk0Au90cMp0_pXy2hq3JRugeTY1QtfypE4s_igA6zqXq97dKtaKYZk9ljUQ2vlWOY8Iegbr6mvIbwMCafuF5Pjf56Qi3aNjb98VQmwNg4uNYS6l3JUqABbYLqmF2ue-MsxOP8/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYSQpG0jk0Au90cMp0_pXy2hq3JRugeTY1QtfypE4s_igA6zqXq97dKtaKYZk9ljUQ2vlWOY8Iegbr6mvIbwMCafuF5Pjf56Qi3aNjb98VQmwNg4uNYS6l3JUqABbYLqmF2ue-MsxOP8/s640/015.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-12836419861549890622020-03-16T11:04:00.000-04:002020-03-16T11:10:54.535-04:00Wuhan Strikes - Live For the Moment or Plan for The Future? It all feels just so...end of times.<br />
This Wuhan Cornoavirus Covid19 (or, to be honest, a really bad case of the flu) is crazy.<br />
On late Thursday night, March 12th, I learned that Macy's (where I'm working) would be shutting down starting Friday the 13th (the unluckiest of days) and will hopefully reopen on March 28th.<br />
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Would we be getting paid?<br />
The stories varied from "people leaders" to what we were reading on the Macy's online employee portal. One said we'd get paid for the first day of closure if we were scheduled to work. Our "people" leader said something different. Then we were told we'd be getting paid for 3 days of work out of 5 days of work the following week. Zero mention of pay the second week.<br />
That has since changed and now our online portal tells us "it's all under review."<br />
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Literally I feel every time I get so far in life (money saved, bright skies on the horizon) BOOM! Back to square one.<br />
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At times I feel like: What's The Point? and I revert back to that girl - fifteen years ago- that lived for the day, the moment, the fun, not the future.<br />
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I practiced what Tim McGraw said, "Live Like You Were Dying."<br />
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It took me quite a while to change from an impulsive life to thinking toward a future life.<br />
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Until one day I found myself saying, "Cake today? No way. I love my skinny jeans that I found at a thrift store for 5 bucks!" Ah- that was discipline. Thinking of the future. Not the moment.<br />
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My life has always been one of changes. As a Military Brat I was accustomed to moving. To adapting. Then we lived for a whole 8 years in one place...and to be honest, toward the end there, I was bored.<br />
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My parents thought I'd take it the worst when they announced we were going to move. I was headed into my junior year in highschool, had a close group of friends, and had a collection of posters on my wall that took me forever to get "just right."<br />
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I took the news well. My brother, 8 years younger, was the one that was upset. He had never known change. He'd lived almost his whole life at our house in Illinois.<br />
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Off we went though, and my next 21 years would be a series of changes, chaos, and there were as many beginnings as there were endings. The only constant in my life was change. Even after having children, you'd think they would tether me. The only thing I could tie myself to was the father of those children who worked really hard and drank even harder.<br />
We were far away from close family. And to be honest, I didn't really understand what it was like to have close family. Though my mom and dad came from large families, respectively, my parents left the small town they grew up in because of "narrow minded" "gossip mongering" relatives.<br />
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My parents spoke very little about what actually went on but from what I know, my dad came from a mostly blue collar family, was a bit of a hell raiser, and didn't practice the same religion as my mother's side of the family. My dad was also a "grease monkey" and apparently, not good enough for my mom.<br />
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Anyhow, most of the changes in my life came from me, an internal struggle. It came from the different messages I received growing up. Something not working? Adapt. Move on. Move.<br />
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I was taught that speaking up against wrongs were noble. And then promptly was vilified for speaking out. I have to say, it didn't really stop me. Though because of speaking out, I've had to adapt, move on, and move.<br />
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And then I reached an age and settled down with a partner and have spent 15 years in one spot. With one man. I've lived long enough in one spot to own a collection of bakeware, recipe books (though I'm at a time of my life I'm paring down), and Christmas decorations.<br />
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Life prior to the last 15 years was one in which I knew to never really invest in THINGS because I had a poor picker in men. The one really nice guy I married was TOO NICE, too predictable. However, his ex-wife was one sneaky cocksucker, and he hated dealing with her and I hated him being taken advantage of.<br />
After that marriage ended, I reversed and picked a guy who was the best present giver ever, but also a cheater, drug addict, and abuser. And then just when I swore off guys, the next guy comes along and he's a variation of good and rebel. He is totally opposite me. Though he has a job that thrives on chaos; in his life, he has a rhythm. He has habits he rarely changes. Part of what keeps me staying is: I can't figure this guy out. <br />
Part of what keeps me staying is...wanting to not give up on something.<br />
It's totally romantic when Zac Brown sings about his gypsy soul and how he was born for leaving.<br />
And of course, Eric Church's version of Bob Seger's Turn The Page is angsty and the only thing he's not giving up is the road no matter how exhausting and ugly it is.<br />
The culture I grew up in (and still exists today) is: If you don't like it, change it! You can be anything you identify as! Hard work doesn't pay off unless you happen to have been a NAVY SEAL, lift weights, and do a Podcast.<br />
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I'd been trying to find that steady. I'd lived the majority of my life in a cloud of chaos. As a youngster, understanding not to get too invested in the view outside my bedroom window, because it could change in a week, and often did.<br />
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As a young adult - maybe I thought that having babies would give me that sense of stability I'd never seem to find. But dang if I couldn't help being who I am and not putting up with a drunk abuser.<br />
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And though kids are the greatest joy, if you don't have a firm landing place, if you don't have safety nets, you can easily find yourself behind the eight ball. And that's where I've always been.<br />
I've always felt I'll never get out of this hole. I'll never know the feeling of living without worrying about money. I'll never know what it's like to buy a house in my name. I'll never have my own house where I can invite people over, family over. I might end up on the street one day. All it would take it one shoe dropping.<br />
I've tried everything...I've tried leaving, moving on to a better job, better area. Staying. Even if I'm unhappy, stay and make it work. I've tried making good choices. I've tried making better choices. I've tried working hard. All working hard got me (when I worked for other people) was more responsibilities. Especially when you work as a part time person. You'll receive more hours, but none of the benefits that come with it.<br />
I've tried hardly working. Hardly working seems like money for nothing, but in all actuality, for me, it tarnishes my soul. I like to feel purposeful. I like to feel proud of my work ethic. When a company treats its' employees like bodies and not like humans, I still find myself actually working simply because it's not worth the heaviness my soul will eventually drag my spirit and my self worth down.<br />
Back to the Wuhan Virus.<br />
I'd had some money saved up.<br />
I actually bought a NEW PURSE and not from a CONSIGNMENT shop. Granted, the purse cost 22.00 (but it was originally 108.00!). I waited weeks before buying it. My daughter, when I first showed it to her when it was sitting on the shelf, said, "Oh, that purse is SO YOU." And then later, a co-worker said the same thing: "It's so you!" And so, I treated myself. I was getting more hours at work while a co-worker was on leave for a few weeks, I had a tax refund, my car (knock on wood) hadn't required an emergency service for a month or so. I was feeling SO CONFIDENT I even took advantage of cheap airfare to Nashville and bought a 70 roundtrip ticket. The last vacation I took was 2013 - 7 years prior. And that was paid for by my husband.<br />
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And now, here I am again. However, this time, many people join me. Our country is thrown into chaos over a flu. A flu.<br />
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Part of me wants to get drunk, eat chips, and sing - that live for the moment girl. The other part of me says: Two weeks off? Time to GET STUFF DONE. I feel fine (so far) - use this obstacle as an opportunity.<br />
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Write. Rewrite. Clean. Exercise. Read.<br />
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It will be an inner battle. Maybe my lot in life is to just always be behind this eight ball. It could be so much worse. And the one thing I've had plenty of experience in - is chaos. Instead of treating it like an enemy, I should welcome it, and let it drive me forward.<br />
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I still would really like to get paid by Macy's though.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-79756414509923572292020-03-15T09:14:00.003-04:002020-03-15T09:14:53.199-04:00After She Wrote Him by Sulari GentillAfter She Wrote Him : Author Sulari Gentill available April 7, 2020:<br />
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This is a fascinating book that, at times, does become a tad confusing. An author creates a character who is himself a writer, who then creates a character after the author. Sound confusing? At times, it is. However, each "world" is interesting and each chapter had me hurrying on to the next one. It does all tie together nicely and this is a fresh, creative, thriller that is deeply inviting and shuts the real world out.<br />
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5 Stars!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-29369556100462573522020-01-08T01:47:00.000-05:002020-01-08T01:47:08.846-05:00Working In Loss Prevention - Macys, Bloomingdales, Target Many years ago, I worked as a Loss Prevention Detective at Bloomingdales. Of course, as is often with events in life, I remember the good times. I worked with a team of people, however, there was one guy that I clicked with.<br />
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Dave was great. We had a-lot of fun and when I made a call out, he listened to me and took me seriously.<br />
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Probably because my first day on the job, he was reading the morning paper, drinking coffee, set for a relaxing day, and I was watching the monitors that were watching the shoppers on the floor and said, "Uh, Dave, I think that guy just stole some jeans."<br />
Dave sighed, temporarily looking up from the paper to watch the customer I had pointed out.<br />
"Holy Shit," Dave said, then radioed the Abington Police that he was about to make a stop.<br />
Dave chased the guy through the parking lot (we weren't supposed to step off the curb but many years ago, that rule was overlooked). One of the cops somehow got into an accident responding (nothing major, just blew out a tire on the median).<br />
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But we got the guy (rather, Dave did), and from that day, Dave and I worked really well together. Communicated. And laughed a-lot.<br />
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It was a short lived job...everyone left to become cops, join the military, or, in my case, start a sales job that brought in double what working in LP brought in.<br />
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Many years have since passed, many jobs, and yet, other than being a paramedic, loss prevention remained my most fun job I'd ever had.<br />
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In 2018 I went back to the loss prevention field, this time for Target. Well. Much had changed in the field. And Target...well, unfortunately, the store I was at went through many mangers and the whole store was going through a "makeover." I was also shocked at the amount of creepy things and creepy people (men) that preyed on customers (excuse me, "guests") at the Montgomeryville Store. And the Operations manager did NOT want the public to know about these incidents.<br />
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A new Asset Protection Manager came to our store and he was...odd. He told me I cared too much about the job and was too enthusiastic. The AP District Manager told me to do things one way, but my store manager told me the complete opposite. I had loved working at Target my first few months. I was basically solo for 6 weeks after the manager that hired me was moved to a different store and my new manager was in training for 6 weeks. I made it work. But when the new manager, Tom, came in, he was cold, had the personality of brick, spoke about hiring more diverse people, but told me I should me more like Craig and Sam (men). Hmmm. The definition of diversity means variety.<br />
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Anyway, I asked to be relocated to a different store, Tom refused, and I resigned.<br />
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Off to Macy's I went. The great thing about Macy's is that I am in plain clothes. When I arrived at Macy's - they too, were in a state of flux. Getting new cameras, new systems that identified people on TrueVue (as you walk out the door, the towers scan what you bought and match it to a receipt. No receipt, it's a good bet that it's stolen and reviewing tape can prove or disprove it.)<br />
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My manager, unfortunately, as is too common across most retail organizations, is also the Operations Manager. He is spread way too thin. It's obvious his heart is in Asset Protection. Unfortunately, training is basically bare bones. And I started during the busiest time of the season - Oct, Nov, Dec. The team I work with comes together when working a case, and of course, that's when the job is awesome. However, the team when NOT working a case, is frustrated. There's such little communication and no clear guidelines on how to handle situations. The history of that department is crazy! I keep telling the old timers they need to write a book! From a local cop who was forcing shoplifters from Macy's to have sex with him after he picked them up to take them to the station (he was fired) to a detective who was stealing his co-workers food, and also stealing merchandise and would walk out one door with it, and in another door to get a refund for it!<br />
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I used to say if I won the lottery, it's a job I'd do for free, however, there's just such a lack of caring and training from corporate. It's not just Macy's - it's all over. And the criminals have more rights than the people assigned to protect the assets of the companies.<br />
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If you're thinking of getting into Loss Prevention, do it. Despite all the problems, it's a fascinating job. You might be good at spotting shoplifters, you might be good at investigations, you might be good at internals, you might be good at auditing, you might be good making sure high risk merchandise has appropriate security measures, hopefully you'll be good at most of them.<br />
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It's a thankless job. But it can be an exciting job. And if you are lucky enough to land on a good team, you'll love your job despite the frustrations.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-82121458351057615402020-01-08T00:52:00.000-05:002020-01-08T00:52:08.748-05:00Taco Johns Potato Ole Recipe Update <h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
Taco Johns - Potato Ole Recipe</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOm6WOllA7IxWyIv34Uv6oi14GcerLUTQdU53C2vL09BKpQ4hVPVhOT8ZIFxsjqG2mT-asl5za_HsUh1YBUOmtwXCvSltMRIrzhvTw0c-41u8Zr8qB3MwkmbmN_JA8cy9ezaIA32912FPn/s1600/tacojohns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #b5653b; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOm6WOllA7IxWyIv34Uv6oi14GcerLUTQdU53C2vL09BKpQ4hVPVhOT8ZIFxsjqG2mT-asl5za_HsUh1YBUOmtwXCvSltMRIrzhvTw0c-41u8Zr8qB3MwkmbmN_JA8cy9ezaIA32912FPn/s200/tacojohns.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div>
When I move away from an area, it's usually not the people I miss, it's the food. (KIDDING) (somewhat).<br /><br />It's been years since I've been to a Taco Johns. They just don't have them on the East Coast. Yes, I know we have pierogies and cheesesteaks and hoagies, but my GOD, sometimes, I just want some damn nachos and potato oles from Taco Johns.<br /><br />I tweeted about how much I miss those potato oles - they are little crispy crown potatoes that have this fantastic spicy yet a hint of sweet seasoning.<br />Someone was kind enough to send on a recipe for homemade potato ole seasoning. I tried it out today, and it is fabulous! Granted, it's been awhile since I've had them, but they satisfied my craving! Ole!<br /><br />I used Ore Ida Crispy Crowns - but I suppose they'd work on tater tots too!<br />Cook Crispy Crowns as directed.<br />While cooking, mix:<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; padding: 4px; position: relative;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinrVAkyxoN90OGhHNlrnBqTB4V2AlKlq_5Rqm7-6z5RjUrJfNsgd_baqnk-GLjHPxG70sKYNhln7FZpwXowOYpaPg17tlWP0vEgvxjCnp71ImaTRv_crboni3nt1lzR3o8-Wc8ObMqt2v/s1600/photo%252833%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #f48d1d; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinrVAkyxoN90OGhHNlrnBqTB4V2AlKlq_5Rqm7-6z5RjUrJfNsgd_baqnk-GLjHPxG70sKYNhln7FZpwXowOYpaPg17tlWP0vEgvxjCnp71ImaTRv_crboni3nt1lzR3o8-Wc8ObMqt2v/s1600/photo%252833%2529.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.4px; text-align: center;">Taco John's Homemade Potato Ole's! So Good!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<li class="ingredient" style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span class="ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="value">4 </span><span class="type">teaspoons</span></span> <span class="name">Lawry's seasonings salt (I, however, used Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt that I got from Fresh Market)</span></span></li>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<li class="ingredient" style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span class="ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="value">2 </span><span class="type">teaspoons</span></span> <span class="name">paprika</span></span></li>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<li class="ingredient" style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span class="ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="value">1 </span><span class="type">teaspoon</span></span> <span class="name">ground cumin</span></span></li>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<li class="ingredient" style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span class="ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="value">1</span><span class="type">/2 teaspoon cinnamon </span></span></span></li>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div style="border: medium none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden;">
<br />After removing Crispy Crowns from the oven - sprinkle on to your liking and serve with sour cream/ranch dressing/or spicy ranch dressing. </div>
</div>
<div style="border: medium none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden;">
A reader suggested this recipe from Top Secrets Recipe Cookbook: </div>
<div style="border: medium none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; text-align: justify;">4 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;">2 tsp paprika</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;">1 tsp ground cumin</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;">1 tsp cayenne pepper (basically subbing the cayenne for the cinnamon)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;">Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;">Sprinkle of tator tots or crispy crowns</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;">Bake tots or crowns following instructions on package.</span><div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-42488382929173685942019-08-30T14:53:00.001-04:002019-08-30T15:31:01.467-04:00Peruzzi Toyota Is (in my opinion) Dishonest <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetZ0yTer8p8Q1D1wkpQPnMOwdgQyFGGuks98iQpL3G7jhS7vOJT3-VYeK06TxeqcQXrpum7QFcql4SRgAfW5eVigdzVNzH5_Igb3bojlulcWQtOafjIWe9CSXrfbzWiWsrXYQ-eR93Dg/s1600/car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetZ0yTer8p8Q1D1wkpQPnMOwdgQyFGGuks98iQpL3G7jhS7vOJT3-VYeK06TxeqcQXrpum7QFcql4SRgAfW5eVigdzVNzH5_Igb3bojlulcWQtOafjIWe9CSXrfbzWiWsrXYQ-eR93Dg/s1600/car.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Peruzzi Toyota in Hatfield sold me a used 2005 Lexus ES 330 for almost 7,000 in the spring (4/30/19) A few months later (less than four months!) when I went to enquire about leasing a new car and trading in the one they sold to me, they valued the car they sold me for 2,000! The General Manager, Frank Miksit, never replied to my email that thoughtfully listed my concerns and asked how we could resolve the issues. The sales guys did every sneaky sales trick you're warned about: Leaving you in cubicle. Keeping your keys, making you wait for them, then giving you a YOU'LL STILL SAVE MONEY lower price (but not near the one they said they could get you during the first HOUR). Luckily they have a Peruzzi plate on my car and I'm decorating it with lemons. In my line of work I talk to many people a day and have been telling everyone to stay away from Peruzzi. They brag about their "community service." Most companies that are busy trying to look compassionate do so because they don't want people to realize they are no better than politicians. So frustrating. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I thought I did my homework prior to picking out the Lexus. I'd test drove different cars at different dealerships. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I went twice to Peruzzi in Hatfield to look at (and drive) the Lexus. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The Car Fax was good (better than history than the other cars I had considered) and the salesman assured me the Lexus ( really, just an elite Toyota) is built to last and though the car had 128,000 miles on it, it ran well and I could easily run it to 180,000 if not 200,000 if I kept up with maintenance. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I had driven a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am for almost 12 years. The Grand Am FINALLY would not pass inspection due to all the rust. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The Lexus drove like butter compared to my Grand Am. It even had heated seats!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The sticker price was 6,416,00. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Neither my husband nor I haggled on the price (WHAT A MISTAKE). </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Well, I drove it off the lot and realized when I was driving home the rear left window did not work. We bought the car "AS IS." Maybe it was bad circuit? Nope. Turned out, it was fine. A search of my car and "complaints" showed that a few owners had the broken window problem, and could not locate the problem though they'd paid a ton of money to find out. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> Ok. I took that on the chin. My bad for not testing all the windows prior to leaving. Then the next day, driving in the light of the day (it was evening when we bought it). We noticed two small cracks in the windshield. Sigh. Again. Took it on the chin. That's what you get when buying used, even though it was marked a few thou above book value. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">THEN, one morning the car just shimmed and chugged. The engine light was blinking. Lucky, I was not far from home, and parked it. Called nearest mechanic I trusted. Long story short, all 6 spark plug clips had been broken and GLUED back on! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">He fixed the 5th plug that was causing us the misfire, however, I couldn't afford to get the other 5 fixed. I took it back to the dealership that sold it to us. Decided getting into a lease might be more my style...no surprise mechanic visits. I was going to give them a chance to make it right. Well, again, my head must look like a lollipop (SUCKER) because they wanted to charge me almost 500 to lease a CAMRY and valued my Lexus at 2,000. If you read their negative reviews on line, they promise to "make it right" but they certainly do not. SAD. At this point I'd rather visit my GYN than step inside an auto dealership. And the more I visit dealerships, the more frustrated I become with all the games. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hopefully my Lexus will last. I will win the powerball. And I will do all I can to avoid stealerships. </span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-34201001943048478232019-01-09T12:34:00.000-05:002019-01-13T05:47:02.705-05:00Girl Medic - Updated Girl Medic <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifa4paZhv2d03VTdoaF2icjT7UwEAYYG2YfVdIKXgnrjViOtkuqkpzW58EjNVnskIIl_tv2_Okf0nyoF0zUc_4I5RCm51VgCJynDMAyuXUgDvDdb8lURKN_fmbkaBJi7pXcB7vdZoXStc/s320/Girl+Medic.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="213" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girl Medic - True Stories of Life in EMS </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the summer of 2017, one of my oldest friends and former EMS partner, Darin Daley, (who had since gone on to become a cop), wanted to know how he could "gift" my book Girl Medic to a female co-worker that he also happened to be seeing secretively.<br />
<br />
Darin had never cared about my book before, other than reading it and calling it good. He never left a review for it or tried to get anyone else to buy it.<br />
<br />
It didn't take me long to realize that he wanted her to read it because there were many stories about Darin throughout the book. I had warned Darin many times that the co-worker he was interested in was leading him down a wrong road. And that he should be old enough and certainly wise enough to understand.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, Darin was arrested twice in the year 2018. Spent some time in jail. Though I knew his flaws, (we all have them, believe me, I'm not perfect), I did not ever imagine that his flaws would over-take his common sense and that he'd lose everything.<br />
<br />
This is an updated version of Girl Medic. You'll find the story of Darin's shocking, sad, unraveling in the last chapter.<br />
<br />
I tried to a year to help him. But it's impossible to help someone, when they do not want to help themselves. I'm sure there isn't one person that knows Darin that isn't pulling for him to rise from the ashes, leave toxic situations behind, and take his skills and put them to good, productive use.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Medic-Confessions-Calamity-Behind-ebook/dp/B00QGY4BFE" target="_blank"> Kindle Version of Girl Medic </a><br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girl-medic-confessions-of-chaos-and-calamity-behind-the-lights-and-sirens-laura-freed/1130075226?ean=2940161338742" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble Version </a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Medic-Confessions-Calamity-Behind/dp/1521355487/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Amazon Paperback 6.99: </a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652244376813130465.post-31122454286934171152018-07-23T08:20:00.000-04:002018-07-23T08:20:04.177-04:00Leaving My Giant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFH7bNfo7Y47njJw_e7djKfUE6vE8d1Czsrvh1C-xKf8mycmjry4D42JCtZjYCoA0P4bgwQFS6a2nWHZVzAZsSqXJcsI8cCTkIWBRg8aVv7Wa8f_T-jtJWXClKq-Bo2OXAO5dqN5F6V6eZ/s1600/IMG_6196.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFH7bNfo7Y47njJw_e7djKfUE6vE8d1Czsrvh1C-xKf8mycmjry4D42JCtZjYCoA0P4bgwQFS6a2nWHZVzAZsSqXJcsI8cCTkIWBRg8aVv7Wa8f_T-jtJWXClKq-Bo2OXAO5dqN5F6V6eZ/s320/IMG_6196.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
Most people I know who work on the Front End are always looking to leave Giant.<br />
I
know very (if any!) people who really enjoy working at Giant. What they
do love are most of the customers (unless you work on u scan, then you
dislike everyone because computers are the problem, people). I never
intended to work there very long, but my *&%$^*( sister-in-law
made a snide comment asking if this job was going to "stick." Because
I'm a writer, I've been, well, writing. Sporadically. Following through
is a challenge for me. I get distracted. I like to do research. I have
binders full of research. It's like I have my own University. My
education is paid for by grants from my husband (the third one, the one I
refuse to take his last name for fear of jinxing it since husbands last
as long with me like a meat bone lasts with a hungry dog.<br />
Anyway.
Because my in law dropped her snide remark, I set out to prove her
wrong; I lasted through many manager changes, cashier graduating
highschool to go to college, crazy holidays seasons and winter storms. A
front end manager became sick and died a few months later;easily one of
the most likeable of all the managers we've known.<br />
I promised
myself this was going to be my last year there. I'd adjusted to life
there, the money was okay (but far from great). Working at the front
desk was by far the best position I'd worked in since I'd been there.
But then, literally, within 3 days, my whole life changed.<br />
Years
ago, I'd worked as a store detective - loss prevention agent for
Bloomingdale's at the Willow Grove Mall. I worked with a great bunch of
people - all have moved on to become cops. It was such a fun job, if not
the best. My first morning on the job within 15 minutes of opening, I
spotted someone stealing and from then on, my name had a permanent place
on the leader board. I seemed to have a natural talent for spotting
shady people, and the fact I fit right in the customers gave me the
element of surprise. I looked forward to work everyday. But then my
co-workers all moved to police work, I got divorced, and moved on.<br />
On
LIVE PD, Saturday the 14th, they were following a woman that had
"allegedly" shoplifted 3 bags worth of stolen items. As time was running
out on the show, I was worried the show would end without being able to
see the conclusion of the Walmart thief. I was so excited. And when
they apprehended her, I was relieved.<br />
Sunday, I was working at
Giant when the manager began noticing someone stealing items from
bath/beauty area. His nickname for me is "Mrs. Columbo" because I have
an eye for shoplifters and have prevented or stopped quite a few. "Mrs.
Columbo - get ready to call the cops." He pointed rolled up papers at me
like a baton and then said, "Come with me."<br />
Well, my blood was
flowing, my boring day turned into an important day. YES! We were on the
hunt. All of the managers were in on it and, in the end, the would be
shady 'shopper' dumped the goods and left, which was technically a win.<br />
After
that incident, I walked back to the service desk and between the
Walmart job on Live PD, the incident at the store, I knew I was wasting
my time at the front desk.<br />
In fact, a few weeks prior, I'd sat
down with my manager and told him I was tired of all the shady customers
I was seeing at the front desk.<br />
The "lost receipt" on this empty
bag of frozen shrimp that tasted bad (yet they kept eating it!). Or the
people that return canned items from food banks (food that we don't even
carry). My boss told me these shady customers were built in to the
system, and that I shouldn't let it bother me so much.<br />
But it does.<br />
I grew up with parents trying to teach me from right and wrong.<br />
As
a teenager, movies, songs, books, encouraged readers/watchers/listeners
to rebel against tradition. And lately, it seems everything is
backwards and growing even more so: criminals have excuses declare
themselves victims, good people are painted as evil people.<br />
Most of my customers at the front desk were wonderful, honest people, but those shady people frustrated me.<br />
On
Monday I was supposed to try a 2 hour cake frosting class at Giant. But
I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to go back to bakery. And after
watching that Walmart job on LIVE PD and our little caper on Sunday, I
did something I rarely do. I called and said I wasn't going to take the
class after all. And then I used those hours I would have been working
to apply to a few loss prevention jobs. My computer wasn't working, but I
didn't give up, I used my husbands computer to apply. Within 15 minutes
I received a phone call from one of the companies (one of best in asset
protection in the business). Interview on Wednesday, luck was with me,
the second manager was there so I was able to have my second interview,
and was hired.<br />
It was all I could do not to turn cartwheels on my
way out the door. (Because I'd have ended up in the hospital and unable
to work both jobs!)<br />
The next week I'd taken off vacation (months
prior as my family was shore-bound), so, in essence, I had three more
shifts and at Giant and I was done.<br />
It's amazing how life can change for the better in a matter of days. I'm frustrated I didn't figure out where I belonged sooner.<br />
No
matter where you are, if you're stuck in a rut, pay attention to things
that happen around you, take action, and never give up hope!<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com