Randomness

Randomness

Sunday, June 12th marks my 25th anniversary working at Ralphs.
I’ve tried to figure out exactly what that means.
What I’ve learned is:
-I took my father’s work ethic. He worked for over 40 years with the same company.

-I have lots of ‘work friends’ who are much younger than I. One thing working at a grocery store does is keep many people thinking young. What I mean by that is that they act like they’re still 20, when they’re 40. Sounds like good, huh? But I mean it in the negative. Acting irresponsibly, drinking beer while driving home from work (yup, still happens), and a distinct lack of being an adult.

-My learning and education has enabled me to discuss just about anything with anyone. From the manager who thinks anyone who disagrees with FoxNews is a socialist, to the 18 year olds who have never heard of Elvis Costello. And many things in between. I was even asked if there was such a word as ‘lackadaisical’ and what it meant. And that was from the store director!

-I still hate change.

-Customers suck. Though some are fantastic and have big hearts. Too often, though, there is the customer who seems to think the world owes them something. These people need to die.

-There seems to be an unlimited capacity for those who don’t do the work, to underestimate what the work actually is. Referring to management, that is.

Along with my constant nagging belief that I should have already written a book by now, is the same notion that I should have done something else with my career. What? I don’t know. I know, since I pick things up pretty quickly, that I could work just about anywhere, but does that mean I WANT to do it? Teaching? Nahhh. I’m non-confrontational and having to deal with teenage kids who argue everything would make me a miserable person. Writer? Well, I can sorta do that. But it is much harder for me to write something presentable than it is some people I know. And making a living writing, well that’s a rare thing now that newspapers are dead.

As it is, I do a physical job and I have the pain to show for it. But being able to do this physical job is nice. Doing this type of tangible labor is good. Nothing wrong with it. Certainly not world changing, but good honorable hard work. I don’t begrudge those with higher status/higher pay jobs. Good for you.

I think my only little doubt is that I took the easy way out. This job rarely requires me to use my brain. And when I do, it’s on something trivial or mundane. Not having to think is, in a way, the easy way to avoid having to do something HARD.
I wonder now if I’m making any sense.

Anyway, tomorrow I work and it’ll be another day. Another set of small, annoying hurdles to jump. I’ll talk to friends, customers, perform astounding feats of slight strength and work from point A to point B.

The other thing I’ve learned, after all this time, is that the job does not define me. I’m not that job. It is not me. It pays my bills. It’s what I do when I’m not with the girl I love. And when I am, it makes the job all the more tolerable.



I’ve come to believe that most people are willfully stupid. I have realized that there are those people who are just dumb and no amount of schooling will change that. But for the rest, there is this willing idiocy that I find annoying.
I’m not talking about the Judge Judy and Jersey Shore watching morons. They can’t really be helped and I generally don’t have to deal with them, so I have little enmity for them. It’s the other group I can’t take.
And that group is the smart, but dumb ones. Confused? Ok, here goes. It’s the group of people who believe in conspiracies. Those who will find connections where there are none, and believe the most grandiose and foolish things. It’s less based on logic and evidence than on the desire, the hope, that these things are true. What right wing nutjob wouldn’t want the evidence to show that Obama is a socialist? Or what tree-hugger wouldn’t love to get their hands on some Chevron memo thanking President Bush for going into Iraq. It would make their lives so much easier. But, unfortunately for them, these things aren’t true. But the willingness to disregard evidence contrary to their beliefs makes them, to me, the stupidest of the stupid.
Other things I’ve actually heard otherwise intelligent people say:

Bush was responsible for 9/11. (One friend of mine actually said “when I heard it the first thing I thought of was that the republicans did it.” Holy Shit, said I.)

Obama is a Muslim.

Nostradamus predicted ______.

The democrats are trying to ruin America.

Republicans are fascists.

Kennedy was killed by the CIA/Mafia/Cubans/FBI

I suppose I could go on. But I won’t. I’m tired and sick and I need to take my Nyquil so that I can work tomorrow.
But, and this is important, if you believe any of those conspiracy theories you need help. Serious help. Perhaps you shouldn’t be allowed to drive or vote or own a pet fish.
At the very least, do some research.




I like to play a game with the news.
Everyday I check several different sites for news. CNN, BBC, Christian Science Monitor, FoxNews, and sometimes Der Spiegel.
The game I play is called “Pin it on Obama.”

Here’s how it’s played. You check all your news sites, except for FoxNews. You have to pick out what story you think FoxNews will blame on Obama, and how. It’s actually far more difficult than you might think.

For example, after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, I wondered how FoxNews would find some way to be negative toward Obama. I never would have guessed it. The headline: “How the White House botched the story.” Damn. I didn’t even think of THAT. You crafty wily news writers.


---Update: A while ago I lost my notebook that contained all my notes and scenes for my embryonic play. I have not even attempted to start again.
I have, though, been writing. First was the “Juror Handbook”, which can be found in this here blog. And the second is one I’m working on called “Know Your Enemy.” I think it has enough yawks in it for the whole family.


---I’m not looking forward to Paul McCartney’s project of doing a bunch of standards. Following in the footsteps of Rod Stewart doesn’t seem like a good idea.