Hello Everyone!
I'm still above ground, albeit barely. I've been s'danged busy that I've barely had time to blink! I guess it has kept me off the streets, but it has REALLY cut into my online time!
I hope this finds each of you well and happy!!
Happy Happy Holidays!!
Sleep and Coffee: Too Little, To Latte
I'm just sayin'
~*~
I've been thinking today, which shouldn't be such a big deal. I mean, most people do it ALL the time, right? Yeah, well... I don't typically get that luxury, so be proud of me! I have decided that there really are only two types of people, but there are many sub-divisions of the two.
There are Good People and there are Evil People.
Good:
Top Tier: There are people who are inherently GOOD human beings. (Some call them saints)
Middle: There are people who are inherently Good-Deed-Doers
Bottom: There are people who are good enough to get by but who longingly look over the fence to the Dark Side.
Evil:
Top Tier: Those folks who commit heinous crimes against living creatures; human or otherwise
Middle Tier: The living creatures who are so wrapped up in themselves that they don't know there ARE other living creatures to commit heinous crimes upon.
Bottom Tier: The peeps who are nasty just for the sake of being nasty. (I think this Behavior is a self-loathing projection, which is why it's on the bottom tier, which is closer to good.)
I'm not sure the two titles are appropriately titled, but understand that I don't mean "Evil" in a religious context. I mean it in a SOUL context. Feel free to edit or add tiers (or new titles) to either category! I look forward to hearing from you... even though I haven't been on this contraption in ages!
One more month of hockey and I MIGHT be able to get a little peace of mind... or piece of mind, whichever I need more first. 
Hopefully I won't have to travel immediately. Uggh. Suffice it to say that work has been a rather larger ache in the tuchis than usual. Face it, we each actually expect a little drama in our work lives- sometimes it's the only thing that saves us from picking off specific twits who tick us off; or as I fondly refer to it: imbecileicide. The other times we feel like we're in some sort of indefinite moron-a-thon. I have spent the last year in one such moron-a-thon.
Lucky me.
Yay You.
;o)
~*~
Hopefully you are all well and prospering!
Best Wishes,
~-==candle
I couldn't be more proud of The Ghost!
He's a very nice, hometown man- made good.
*beams at him*
Congratulations Kelly!
(and thanks for the Y-Town kudos!)
At work, I am Public Enemy #1 this week/month/year/whatever.
I can't say enough about hypocrisy and all its evils. What I can say is that I am Sick. To. Death. of all the drama surrounding said hypocrisy. What was once a pretty solid work team, has now become a posse of chronic complainers who complain about other people complaining about other people. *blinks*
WHAT??
Who do you think gets called into the "principle's" office?
That's right folks, yours truly.
*eyeroll*
I've got a giant bag of "I don't give a fat rat's whisker" about it! All I could say to the man who told me that "*I* am driving all the other managers crazy with MY complaints" was, "Ya' know ____, it's a give and take here buddy. If you think, for a red-hot second that I am the only one doing any complaining, you really need to take the blinders off and really SEE what's going on here." I also said something to this effect:
Sometimes you need to vent to get through a tough spot.
And that's the bald truth. Sometimes just getting off your chest what's weighing it down is enough to lighten the load you're carrying so you can get through the jam you're in without going bahooty.
So What!
We ALL do it. Every. Single. One. Of. Us.
I will never again be called into the principle's office to be brought up on BS charges. I will no longer be a part of this stupid, juvenile, third-grade game. So I say nothing. Absolutely nothing. I do what I'm supposed to- by my OWN standards, which are higher than anyone else's, and leave. Because that is what is going to save my sanity.
Know what? NOW I'm the enemy because I don't say anything! I do everything I'm supposed to, but I don't chit-chat with anyone about anything, because... you guessed it, 9 out of 10 times, they're complaining about someone else- and so I excuse myself and walk away!
I've been called "antisocial," "bitchy," "cold," & "distant."
Go figure!
Guess what! That's the way it's going to stay. I don't go to work to make friends. I go to work to make money. If friends happen, that's a great benefit, if not, it's not a loss.
What's that old adage? "Can't win for losing?"
THIS is *exactly* why I prefer solitude to company.
Well... this year is going to be interesting...
I had a talk with my GM concerning the chef, where I informed him that I was no longer comfortable with the chef collecting his paycheck from MY back. I told him that I do far more of the chef's job than the chef does and that while I created the monster, I was going to un-create it.
We'll see how that goes. LOL!
I met another chef in Florida and we've developed a friendship. He's going to stop by here on his vacation. I don't know what will develop from there. I'll keep ya' posted. If nothing else, perhaps there will be a ...... a...... ummm... *coughs* nevermind.
I won't have much, if any, time off between now and the end of March. Yes. March. After March, I'm not sure what's going on. I'm sure I'll do SOME traveling this year, but I'm only going to go as much as the chef does. If he doesn't go, I'm not going. I will be DAMNED if he gets his bonus because *I* travel- as has happened this year. He wants it, he can EARN it himself!
... and that's what Candle has to say about that.
I don't know what I'm going to do for the rest of this weekend! I haven't had two days off (with no obligations) in a row in about a year! Nap. I think a nap is in order!
Yesh!
Let's see...
January: Worked
February: Worked
March: Worked
April: Worked and worked out of town
May: Worked and worked out of town
June: Worked and worked out of town
July: Worked and worked out of town, buried a friend
August: Worked and worked out of town
September: Worked and worked out of town
October: Worked and worked out of town
November: Worked and worked out of town, buried a friend
December: Worked and worked out of town, buried a friend
Got rid of The Boy- finally and FINALLY.
Had to give up one of the dogs to The Boy.
That's it in a nutshell.
I'm looking to do better next year!
I hope all of your holidays are going swimmingly!
Happy New Year Everyone!
There are times in my life when I wonder just where my thought train derailed. Today is such a day. As an aside, I would like to thank everyone responsible for the invention of WiFi. Why WiFi, you ask? Because without it, I wouldn't be able to tell you all what a moron I am. 
I am sitting at the Pittsburgh airport, waiting for my flight to depart. I will be waiting a very, very, very long time because, as I mentioned earlier, I am a moron. I have arrived at the airport a full six hours before my flight boards. Yes. I said SIX HOURS EARLY. See? Me. Moron.
My schedule is so packed I literally don't know whether I'm coming or going. I somehow managed to mix up my return flight time with my departing flight time. Rest assured that I now KNOW when my return flight leaves!
I'm headed to VA to look at an offer my company has made me. They've offered me the Exec. Chef position at a facility. I'm not sure, but I don't think I'm going to take it, simply for the fact that I would lose money by going there. I currently have no house payment and I would incur one there. No thanks. I really don't want a 30 year mortgage at this point in my life! I'll be dead before it's paid off!
A city not far from where I live is looking to build an arena, similar to the one I work in now. They will break ground soon and it typically takes about 18 months or so to finish. If my company gets the contract there, I will probably take that account - or it will be offered to my boss and I'll stay where I am. That's where I want to be anyway, so that'd work out great! *crosses all crossable things*
I think that's all the news I have for now...
Here's hoping you're all doing very well!!
~*MWAH!!*~
I am trying so hard to remain positive, yet my boss is Captain Negativity. *sigh*
He didn't say a SINGLE positive thing today- ALL day.
I came home four hours ago with a thrumming headache and a wrenching stomach ache and I can barely talk for the shards of glass in my throat. I am no better now.... save for the fact that I don't hear him kvetching.
This can't be good.... for anyone.
I think I'm going to bed and hoping for a better day tomorrow.
)
boxingKelly Pavlik, one of my "Hometown Heros" has won the Middleweight Champion TITLE by TKO against Jermain Taylor!!
I am *so* proud of Kelly!! I don't care what anybody says, MY town is an AMAZING town that has pumped out quite a few stars in all sorts of genres. Kelly gave props to his town AND to the Oaks, which is my spot- for myriad reasons.
On MY scorecard, Pavlik wins- hands down!
