The Trophy Generation Stumbles Into Employment

Nope, you LOST and if you didn't have fun then you lost twice.

When I was growing up I played sports, mainly softball. The way it worked was if you won - by that I mean you WON more games than your opponents you were declared the winner and you got a trophy. If you didn't win and by that I mean you LOST more games than your opponent then you didn't get a trophy. Now here's the tricky part. If you wanted to get a trophy you MADE your parents go to City Hall and demand a trophy for you (back in my day our parents did what we told them to do) and if the mayor didn't agree to this fabulous idea then everyone protested until the mayor resigned and you got your loser trophy. Hahaha! I'm picturing my mom as I told her she had to go to City Hall because her wittle dumplin' didn't get a trophy for losing.

No, instead if you wanted a trophy you tried harder, you practiced more and you might be the champs next season but then again you might not. It was actually possible to get through your adolescence WITHOUT a trophy. I know, I still have nightmares thinking about it. Oh, and guess what? In order to win that championship you played to win, that means the coach played the kids with the most skill so the team had the best chance of winning. If you rode the bench all year then you either needed to practice more or at the END of the season you quit and found something else to do. I know, harsh isn't it? By the way, when you got the bright, shiny trophy it was really just a piece of plastic that I think they spray painted gold but it was beautiful and you EARNED it. You were the best and you got your team picture in the local newspaper and hopefully you didn't gloat about it but you probably did,

At some point in the 90's people lost their ever loving minds and determined that LOSING would hurt little Blayde's self-esteem so we gave him a shiny, gold trophy for showing up. The parent's paid extra so it was an amazing trophy complete with your name and your actual picture on it. Fast forward to the here and now and your little champ has a job (miracle of miracles.)

Elizabeth (Blayde's boss)
Blayde: Liz (she's told you numerous times her name is Elizabeth), I'm going to need Friday afternoon and all day Monday off. My bro's are coming to town and we are gonna PARTAY all weekend! I need tomorrow afternoon to prepare and Monday to recover.
Elizabeth: Blayde, we have a deadline to meet so we will be working all weekend.
Blayde: I can't work on weekends, especially when my bro's are here.
Elizabeth: Blayde, when I hired you I explained that sometimes weekend work is required.
Blayde: Wait, what? You were for real about that?
Elizabeth: Positively for real.
Blayde: That really doesn't work for me man.
Elizabeth: If you want to work for me then it's required.
Blayde: Do I get overtime pay for this man?
Elizabeth: You are salaried therefore you don't earn overtime. Besides, overtime implies that you actually worked over the normal 40 hour work week which you clearly haven't done since you began employment.
Blayde: Weekends are my down time man. Like, I need to destress and get real.
Elizabeth: I thought maybe your down time occurred when you arrived every morning at 9:30 or when you were hanging out at Hayley's desk, or over your 2 hour lunch break. Remember, all of the things we talked about when it was necessary for me to give you a written reprimand last week?
Blayde: But, man, I was like the President of my fraternity. I should get more respect around here.
Elizabeth: Around here, respect is earned. You need to decide if our company is really the best place for your "services."
Blayde: Dude, don't fire me. You know how hard it was to get this gig? I'm a Mizzou grad man, it was like almost impossible.

James (Braxlee's boss)
Braxlee: Jimmy (he's told you numerous times to call him James) Michael TOLD me to have a Merry Christmas!
James: Oh God.
Braxlee: OMG! Did you just say God? Like, I can't believe you said God in my presence! You absolutely know I'm an atheist. Like I'm going straight to HR about this. This is not a safe place for me. I need to go home now and be vulnerable. Like OMG,  I just can't even right now. Oh, and like someone put a turkey sandwhich in my fridge!
James: The other fridge was full, I'm sure it won't happen again.
Braxlee: But I'm a vegetarian, I can't have meat in my fridge, I need a new one.
James: Braxlee, we aren't buying you another refridgerator because someone put a turkey sandwhich in "your" fridge.
Braxlee: Did you just roll your eyes? That's a micro-aggression! In college, if someone rolled their eyes at us we got to go to a safe place. I need a safe place.
James: Maybe you should go home and possibly stay there. Our company might not be the best fit for you.
Braxlee: Like OMG, are you trying to fire me? I can't even. I'm calling my dad.

That's our future ladies and gentlemen. We created little monsters. It started with trophies and lord knows where it will end. OMG! I didn't mean to say lord. I hope that didn't offend you. It was lower case lord, like not the big L!

Hickory Dickory Dock...

If I made a clock it would almost look this good.

WHAT TIME IS IT?
It's time for Ahmed's 15 minutes of clock fame to be over.

#IDONTSTANDWITHAHMED #ISTANDWITHPOLICE #ISTANDWITHTEACHERS

I am genuinely irritated with this clock kid. Well, not just the kid but all the media outlets, CEO's, and US Presidents making this kid out to be boy wonder. He's not. He's also not a victim.

This is not your father's America. Horrendous things happen every day and we can not afford to ignore suspicious circumstances. I don't know what a bomb looks like, but if something is in a case that looks like a briefcase and it ticks I'm calling the police. A concerned teacher reports a suspicious item to the authorities - she did EXACTLY what she should have done, as did the principal, and the police.

Police described Ahmed as being “passive aggressive” in his answers to their questions, and didn’t have a “reasonable answer” as to what he was doing with the case.  Ahmed is telling what happened during his interrogation and people are believing it. If I'm choosing between believing the police or believing a 14 year old kid, I'm going with the police. Teachers and police - 2 groups underpaid and overworked and we choose to trust the kid.

The face of a kid that just hit the Victim jackpot, 

I don't know the whole story here. I have heard (and it seems pretty legit) that he actually didn't even "invent" this clock. What I DO know is that we are deterring people from speaking up when they are uncomfortable about a situation that could be dangerous. The next person that happens on something that makes them wary might just choose to ignore it. And what if it's a bomb? If we vilify the people willing to step up and speak out and celebrate the "victim" then we are setting ourselves up for potential violence. Here's the thing - you can either be safe or you can be sorry but you can't be both.

The kid now will be making the rounds, Google, Facebook, the White House. I wonder, if he had arrived at Facebook with his "pencil case" asking to see Mark Zuckerberg if security would have let him pass? Could he have taken a tour of the White House with it? And yet, he now gets to do those things. His family will sue the district and already 2 gofundme accounts are open for him, How must that teacher and those police officers feel? He's a rock star and once again we illustrate how we feel about the police in our society. He gets to roam the country trash talking the school and the police and we just watch it happen.

When I see this kid I don't think Muslim. I think of a kid and his family that are taking full advantage of a situation that was totally in their control and it is turning out much better than they could ever imagine. You want to call me Islamaphobic - go ahead, I've been called worse but why do we so quickly jump to racism and assume that he's a victim? What did he do to deserve our respect over those of the teacher and the police? Nothing. He did absolutely nothing to deserve it and yet he's getting respect and SO much more. Makes me sick.

Clue Drew Latham 1999-2015

"Daddy, the cat is turning pink."
"What?"
"He's turning pink."
"Amelia, why is the cat turning pink?" Paul sees Clue. "Amelia, you painted the cat?!"
"Just the white parts."

Clue had a pink tinge from the marker for a few weeks and a favorite family story was born.

We lived in a modified feudal system in our household. Clue held the rank of nobility and we in turn were both vassal and peasant. The dogs were a pestilence he chose to ignore. Everyday, Winky, our eternally optimist dog, would attempt to befriend Clue. She would try to kiss him every morning and every morning for 10 years he would slap her. Except, one day last week, in one blissful doggy moment Clue allowed Winky to kiss him. I imagine that was his reward to her for her years of  'doggedness.'

Until he got really sick we had a strict daily routine. After Paul's shower he would have to play with Clue for several minutes. If Paul didn't provide the obligatory play time Clue's displeasure was evident. After playtime, I would let him in to the front part of the house so he could drink his water out of the dog's bowl - which of course was actually Clue's bowl that he was allowing the dogs to use. Yes, he had his own water in the back but it was more entertaining to drink the dog's water because while he was slowly drinking the dogs could only observe. They were not allowed to drink at the same time as the lord of the Latham  manor. The water had to be fresh (of course) and any delay in providing the fresh water was met with loud remonstrations.

Yes, I'm saying that he was a diva. Yet he was also the most loving cat I've ever had the pleasure to be around and our lives were more interesting with him in it.

As his health continued to deteriorate despite daily IV fluids we knew our remaining time was short. Clue was an indoor cat only but the last 2 days we took him outside to get some fresh air and he really enjoyed it. We cuddled with and coddled him even more than usual. The look in his beautiful green eyes became sad and tired.

All four of us were available for his final vet visit. Dr. Falagrady explained to us each step and what we should expect. Her voice was calm and soothing. She gave him a shot to relax him and then they took him to insert an IV that would be used for an anesthetic and for the final barbiturate. It was so peaceful. She told us when his heart had stopped beating. She continued to pet him gently after he was gone. We left him in her trusting hands. Hopefully he passed quickly into God's trusting hands and we will see those beautiful green eyes once again.

History...it matters

I've made many mistakes and bad decisions in my life, too many to count. Many of them I regret and wish that I could erase but that's impossible. They are as much a part of my history as the good decisions that I have made. It's my history, ALL of it shaped who I am today good or bad and even if I wanted to change it - I can't. I can learn from it, and to be honest I wouldn't want it to change.

In American history we have committed horrible, despicable acts as well as many remarkable acts that changed the world. We have a dark, grisly past that the majority of Americans would likely desire to forget. Yet, we cannot erase it. It is part of our past and it cannot be forgotten, only forgiven. We can use it improve our relationships with others. We can learn from our mistakes if allowed to do so.

In the wake of the sickening crime in South Carolina many are calling for the ban of the Confederate flag in all forms (including the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard, Civil War video games, movies, books and probably more that I haven't heard of yet.) For many Americans the flag represents racism and injustice. I recognize that the flag in whatever form is seditious and I agree that it should be removed from government buildings because it sends the message that the government endorses the various interpretations assigned to the flag. However, I believe that the rapid response to expunge it permanently is wrong. Again, it's part of our history and as such it can never be entirely forgotten.

I have read of many related incidents happening, the call to rename a school named after Robert E. Lee (so far, I've only heard of one but I'm sure many will follow.)  Changing the name of the school won't change the fact that Robert E. Lee was a Confederate General in the Civil War. Trying to erase Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson and others would make for a very lopsided history of the United States. In order to accomplish this we would have to erase the entire Civil War. The Civil War is a monumental factor in the history of the United States and cannot possibly be forgotten. It is nonsensical to even attempt.

Gone With the Wind? Classic book and movie. Get your copy now while it's still available. It has been suggested that it should "go the way of the Confederate flag" and be consigned to museums. Hattie McDaniel (Mammy) was the first African American to win an Academny Award. If she were alive today would she want GWTW relegated to a museum?

Racism is vile. Defacing statues, banning video games, movies, changing school names, altering history books will not in any way 'revise' our past. Removing the 'symbols' of racism will not eradicate it.

Yes, black lives do matter. All lives matter. History matters. Leave it alone and let us learn from it.