The New Employment Environment

I am totally taken back by the new Job Market that we are facing these days. I've been looking for a job for about a year and the old days are dead and gone. Now I have to have a Linkedin page, search for jobs on sites like indeed.com & monster.com, read Craigslist ads, Email my Resume and then possibly get a one on one job interview, but more often than that, a Telephone interview.

Not only are employers checking for drug abuse, they have access to your Credit Scores now and search the Web for any Social Media you participate in. What ever happened to my "Time Off" being my business? I'm rather outspoken on occasion, does that make it a risk to be myself online? I am now to be judged by my Social Media conduct and not just my ability to perform the job in a Professional manner now?

Computing has come a long way toward making everything more efficient, but we hit the point of diminishing returns in regards to employment. When an Employer is able to access your out of work habits and thoughts, it really starts to get to the heart of how Social Media is changing our lives at a pace that outstrips most everything else. We might as well get on with the whole implanted RFID & GPS location devices at this point. Oh wait... Too late... Your new fancy American Express Blue card uses RFID and your phone has a GPS locator built into it.

Does anyone else find this scary?

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Sad but not unexpected news

Sad but not unexpected news: http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-news/2011/07/23/amy-winehouse-dead-at-27/

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Car Crashes

Traffic Accidents Collisions...

There is NO such thing as a Traffic "Accident"... I don't know where people ever got that term from, but when your vehicle collides with another, it's called a "Collision". There is nothing "Accidental" about driving into something else, it's preventable.

Did that car "Accidentally" change lanes and clip somebody else's bumper thus causing an "Accident" or was there an impatient lane diver with poor judgement piloting the vehicle? What about the Drivers that txt, put on their makeup, read (yes read, I've seen this, it's scary), fiddle with their radios, dig around for a CD, mess with their GPS, etc... Isn't that "Distracted Driving"? So if they HIT something, it's not accidental because they could avoid a collision by NOT doing any of the above, right??? So it's NOT an accident when you hit something, it's a collision and chances are that the driver did something foolish to cause it!

What about aggressive drivers that weave in and out of traffic? If they hit something shouldn't it be called an "Intentional" because they were driving like boneheads? How could it be an "Accident"? They're driving super stupid and hit your car... The only accidental thing that happens is when your fist lands upside their head... OR, better yet, you can say you were bending over to tie your shoe, stood up and didn't realize how close they were standing to you when your head breaks their nose... That's an "Intentional Accident" with a smidgin of pre-meditation, where your head "Collided" with theirs, thus the loud and satisfying crunch you heard and it darn sure was no "Accident"!

What about the person that cuts you off when you are obviously too close for them to do it safely? And then they simply DIE right in front of you. This usually happens to me when I'm in a rush to get some place, but I think the rate doubles when I'm on my Motorcycle. If you lay into the horn, they still ignore you and proceed on their brain dead journey. Now if I hit them, it's because either A) I saw the possibility that they might cut me off and didn't slow down. B) Slowed down too fast and skidded into them (wet or dry), so I was going too fast in the first place. C) I needed a new car and if I can hit right at the front fender, the Insurance is going to pay because it's their fault!

The way I see it, when a Collision occurs, both parties share part of the blame. That can range from 50-50% to 99-1%, but there are always ways of preventing a collision. If you get cut off and you hit the person, YOU didn't take into account that the idiot would really do it and slow down to allow the idiocy to stream past the front of your vehicle.

If you have a "Lane Dodger" coming up behind you (if you failed to see them, it's your fault for not looking), and they hit your vehicle cutting you off, it's your fault for not slowing down a little bit and leaving them enough space to hang themselves. If it's a collision at an intersection, chances are: A) Lack of understanding on just what "Yeilding the Right of Way" means or B) I bet a good part of the time, lack of using Signaling Devices...They even make vehilces with optional Directional Signals now too! I swear, I see them around here all the time! The only exception to this is if you have a collision with a Cab in my area... Then it's 100% their fault!

So in conclusion, my take on Car Crashes = Traffic Accidents Collisions...

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Passing Time

Does anyone else hum the Jeopardy song while passing time waiting for something?

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Comments about Nancy Grace on Twitter

WARNING: I'm not sure if you like Nancy Grace or not, so if you do, DON'T follow this link, you won't appreciate the humor.

While I do believe her initial involvement in the Casey Anthony Case was genuine, she turned it into a Trial by Media and made, I'm sure, a killing in ratings with a good chunk of the female audience following this case IMO. The Hollywood Reporter posted some rather funny Tweets about Nancy Grace's reaction to the Verdict, here's the link: Casey Anthony Verdict: See the Best Tweets About Nancy Grace's Reaction. 

Some of my Favorites: "I hate the idea of someone who's clearly crazy & dangerous going free, but that's apparently the deal with Nancy Grace," & -- "Remember, folks: in America, you're innocent until Nancy Grace spends every night for 3 years saying you're guilty." writes satirist Andy Borowitz.

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I Scream Over Ice Cream!

OK, I have to ask myself: "How many Ice Cream trucks does one town need???" It seems like we are constantly being bombarded by Ice Cream trucks all day long into the early evening. On the weekend, there seems to be a concentration of these loud, obnoxious vehicles and our house seems to be ground zero for ALL of them!

What ever happened to the Good Humor trucks with their jingly bells? I remember as a kid, hearing those bells from 500 feet away, dashing to the house, begging the Parents for $, selling my soul with promised chores and racing after the truck to get my treat. Then we had the Mr. Sofie truck that had this very nice musical melody playing in a calliope-like manner. They always came in the evening, after dinner, with their soft Ice Cream offerings. Once they announced their arrival, out of respect, they would turn off the music and start to serve the long line of eager young faces scrambling for position around their truck.

Skip forward to present day... What the HECK is going on with these new Ice Cream trucks? There's no subtle bells or brief music any longer. They patrol my neighborhood like sharks and play all kinds of music, appropriate or not, in a steady stream that destroys any possibility of sanity! It's like they all got together and figured out who was going to play what type of music to assure total and complete utter cacophony should their trucks overlap on their daily routes!

I did a double take the other day when I heard XMas tunes coming from one truck. Another played music for about 30 seconds, paused, then this annoying, Valley Girl type voice goes: "Hello?"... These two rocket scientists came down my street following each other in direct competition, shattering the peace and quiet of a Sunday afternoon. As if that wasn't offense enough, these two genius's then stopped to have some sort of discussion side by side for about 5 mins and didn't bother to turn off the racket emanating from their respective trucks. Visions of Bazookas, Wire Guided Rocket Launchers and Shot\Machine Guns were rattling around my mind as this assault on my Musical Last Nerve was taking place!

On average, in a single day, I would say there are at least 9 Ice Cream trucks that visit my neighborhood in Summer, on a Daily basis. On a Sunday, I have counted between 12-15 visits, sometimes by repeat offenders, in a single day. At what point is this considered noise pollution, disturbing the peace or flat out harassment? I'm all for free enterprise, but surely there has to be some sort of ordinances that protect the residents from this constant assault?

Why are these trucks allowed to stop and "Stand" directly in front of my house while the customers throw their garbage out on the street rather than use the garbage slot on the truck 3 feet to their right? I remember our old Ice Cream truck people telling us not to litter and to use their can. This newer generation of trucks don't seem to care at all about their impact on a neighborhood and are only intent on sales of their products...

So let's predict how much longer it's going to take before I lose it... Before I break down and start screaming at the Ice Cream trucks, chase them down the street swinging a baseball bat at their Speakers to kill the awful music spewing forth with a handful of litter in the other hand that was deposited on my front lawn with no care from the vendor???

Place your bets folks, place your bets before you miss out and the event is over... In case I owe you money, if this does occur, you will probably be able to contact me in the local Jail. I'll pay up once I can raise enough cash to bail myself out.

I can't be the only person that's experiencing this...
Uggggggg! Enough said...

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JUST A BIKER

Reposted with permission from another forum:

JUST A BIKER:

I saw you hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.
But, you didn't see me, put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk.
But, you didn't see me, playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you change your mind about going into the restaurant.
But, you didn't see me, attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you, roll up your window and shake your head when I drove by.
But, you didn't see me, driving behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you, frown at me when I smiled at your children.
But, you didn't see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you, stare at my long hair.
But you didn't see me, and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves.
But, you didn't see me, and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves to those that had none.

I saw you, look in fright at my tattoos.
But, you didn't see me, cry as my children where born and have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you, change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.
But, you didn't see me, going home to be with my family.

I saw you, complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.
But, you didn't see me, when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you, yelling at your kids in the car.
But, you didn't see me pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you, reading the newspaper o r map as you drove down the road.
But, you didn't see me squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you, race down the road in the rain.
But, you didn't see me, get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you, run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.
But, you didn't see me, trying to turn right.

I saw you, cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in.
But, you didn't see me, leave the road.

I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.
But, you didn't see me. I wasn't there.

I saw you, go home to your family.
But, you didn't see me. Because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker, a person with friends and a family.
But, you didn't see me.

Repost this around in hopes that people will understand the biker community.
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Having Kids at 40 something

The other night I was hanging out with a few friends at my Local Watering Hole and one of the occasional female customers that I chat with asked me a strange question. Some back story first thought: I had made reference as to how young 21 seemed to me now a days. There was a table of, what could only be described as "Kids" to me, but were indeed old enough to drink Alcohol. None of them looked legal to me, but I witnessed the bartender "proof" them. I later found out that some of them were as old as, get this... 23! Now my Daughter is in her 20's and I don't recall her ever looking THAT young to me as she grew to adulthood.

So here we chatting about memory road, and out of left field she asks me "Would you ever consider having kids now at your age?" Now this is a fairly well off business woman that always dresses well and has made sure she not reliant on anybody else, this is no nut case, we've talked before and we've had decent harmless conversation. So I replied "If I was still married or with you?"

Instantly my mind was off and running... I was remembering all the Joys that I experienced as a parent... The First Step and then getting woke up every 4 hours by a hungry Baby. Holding her in my arms with that Baby smell... And then lugging around enough crap to be a portable diaper changing station. That warm feeling when you are burping them and then that WARM feeling when they regurgitate down your back. How fast that first year went while raising Baby and then how fast a year of our lives went that we didn't get out much to do anything together other than for Baby...

A particular thought went through my head. My Daughter was fascinated with the VCR's tape door slot. I eventually got one of those child-proof slot guards, but that was only after several issues arose. When the VCR stopped working the first time, I found myself cleaning out the remains of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that she didn't finish. When that VCR died, I kept it around as a project to eventually figure out what killed it in the future. It sat around my house for around 15 years before I decided it simply wasn't ever going to get fixed and that a new one was cheaper, and besides, we've moved on to DVD.

One the way to the trash, I dropped it and out popped a Dime! Yes, a dime... It seems that my little darling started her own savings account when she was young and apparently the VCR was her personal piggy bank. All of this flashed in my mind in like a second or two, like a micro burst of memory.

Fast forward to present, she replied "With me..." But it was too late, I was already laughing about the Dime and how my Daughter had foiled all attempt to repair that dang VCR! I was thinking about another Blog I had written several years ago in regards to selling "Genetic Material". Several other random thoughts bounced around my head while pondering her question.

She didn't say another word, just grabbed her purse and walked away, settled her check and left. OK, so what have we learned here? First off, don't wait until you are in your 40's to try to find a suitable mate to have children with. Secondly, if that was a pickup line or screening process, it needs work... So in the meantime, I guess that just killed any chance of having a serious conversation, or ANY conversation for that matter, with her in the future. Third lesson learned: Make Sure Brain Is Engaged Before Opening Mouth. I'll blame that on the Beer... I wasn't trying to insult her and I usually have more tact than that.

Whooooopsssieee!
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MY LIVING WILL:

MY LIVING WILL: Last night, my kids and I were sitting in the living room and I said to them, "I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug."  They got up, unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine. They are so on my shitlist!     

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10 things NOT to say to or in front of a Woman

1) The "C" Word... Ever!
2) "I told you so"
3) "My X wife said..."
4) "You're wrong!"
5) "I don't like this gift (shirt, pet slippers, rob, underwear, etc) that you just gave me."
6) "You drive like crap..."
7) "It was only a kiss!"
8) "Lifetime for Women again???"
9) "Your problem is..."
10) Any name other than hers while in bed... (Unless you're trying to break up with her.)

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After the Casey Anthony Trial

The Casey Anthony trial is over, but one couldn't tell by the Media swirl that is still running around. One can't go a single day without hearing something in regards to the trial: "She got away with murder", "I think it was an accident", "Man fights with woman while arguing over the verdict", "Casey to be released on Sun, July 17th", "The Jurors are getting threats", etc. I could go on but you get the point.

What is astonishing is that the entire Country has been sucked into this tragedy and this dysfunctional family's plights. The masses outside the courtroom trying to get a seat in the courthouse, the people milling about outside waiting for a verdict, the majority of the people expressing their outrage at the verdict, all give evidence as to just how deeply this case has affected so many people.

The news Media haven't finished with this yet either. There's InSession discussing all kinds of legal issues, HLN has Nancy Grace review the entire case start to finish, News Paper articles on all aspects of the trial, commentary all over on whether the State got the evidence in front of the Jury and any mistakes they made, and then on the flip side, we hear the same about the Defense. Commentary on the Jurors and how the system needs change...

So even AFTER the Trial, it's still being poked and prodded, discussed and argued over. Is there no end in sight? With the advances in technology, News is almost instantaneous now. You receive it on your TV, Cell phone or Mobile Device, Social Networking sites, RSS feeds, etc. How does one get away from this constant exposure of this sad case?

This is rash, but someone has to say it: Step AWAY from the Casey Koolaid and move on. Stop watching the coverage non-stop. Go shopping, watch other TV stations, stop discussing it with others, go out for a nice dinner, just something other than being enthralled by all the over exposure and media coverage.

I'm not saying forget this case and the lessons learned from it, but take a step back and take a break, regain some perspective.

Social Media

So, if I'm going to blog about Cell Phones, why not the entire Social Media craze? Why is it that I cannot leave the house without my phone? I seriously get Separation Anxiety if I forget my Cell at my house. I WILL turn around and drive back to get it rather than go a few hours at the risk of not "Being in touch".

We've got people wandering around, so busy looking at their Cells, that we ignore each other on the street now. The first time I saw an IPad I was totally blown away by it. Now we have all sorts of Electronic Gizmos that we cannot leave home without. A family outing has become a checklist of Digital Equipment... PSP, GPS, Cell Phone, Kindle, Digital Camera, Netbook, etc.. And DO NOT forget the spare batteries and chargers for all these devices plus all the various cables and cords to attach them to our heads, vehicle, wall, etc.. You need a whole suitcase just for your electronics now.

Then we have all our Social Networks that we belong to like MySpace and Facebook, Message Boards, Search Engines, etc. And even more questions: Which Browser should we use? Internet Explorer, FireFox, Google Chrome? How do we have time to actually do anything aside from staying in the Network? We get our news instantly through RSS Feeds to our Mobile Devices now too, so that's a game changer right there, no more News Paper required.

How much further will this go? Are we going to get to the day and age where you have a Device inserted under your skin that handles your phone calls, tracks your location, acts like a GPS when you need directions and allows you to browse all these things via your mind? Seriously, what's left to do, what direction haven't we been yet? And all this has happened in the last 30 years...

Cell Phones

The advances in Cell Phone Technology and Networking have impacted our society at even the most base level. 80-90% of Americans own a Cell, so the impact isn't Localized, it's a National event. Let me elaborate...

There are few, if any, places where your LG, Nokia, Samsung, Droid, IPhone, Blackberry, Motorola, Pantech, Sanyo, Sony Ericsson, Apple or Casio doesn't operate. How does this impact Society you ask? For one thing, when your Cell rings and you don't answer it, the person on the other side immediately thinks you've snubbed them. Face it, your Answering Machine (Wow, they still make these?) is now your Voice Mail and you carry it with you all the time. The "I wasn't home" while screening your calls doesn't cut it any more.

How deeply does this go? Have you read a book or saw a movie lately before Cell Phones? Doesn't it weird you out? Literature and Theater has lost a means to add Dramatic Tension!

Scenario 1: The Hero misses the Note left for him warning him that the bad guy is going to blow something up at a certain time and it gets blown on the floor... Nope, that doesn't work any more because nobody leaves a Note anymore, they call and leave you a Voice Mail or send you a Text Message.

Scenario 2: There's a car crash, the Hero has a broken leg and can't escape the vehicle but yet the Highway is 75 feet away. Too far to shout but oh so tantalizingly close... Nope, that doesn't work either because he just lips open his phone and calls 911 or they locate him through GPS and Cell Tower Triangulation.

Scenario 3: The Heroin is trapped in her car with a rabid dog underneath stalking her... Sooo... she calls 411, gets the Animal Control Office's number, calls them and is rescued.

Some of the best moments in Entertainment have now been nullified by our access to cheap Mobile Devices. I bet a bunch of people that read this are doing it via a Mobile Device yourself!

Think about it...

Forgive my Ads

It seem that I haven't fine-tuned my Blog to include Skin Care Products, You Tube, Free E-Mail Marketing or Webcasts yet... Please only click on an Ad that you are truly interested in, you will only get my Blog suspended if you randomly click thinking that you are helping me. Honest traffic and forecasts on what you click on is measured carefully, so please... Just follow Ads you are really interested in and don't worry about anything else! I've simplified Comments but I would prefer you have a Google ID (Gmail or other Google service) before I let you post to avoid SPAM. Gmail is free and can be and be done here quickly: mail.google.com/mail/signup.

Please Do: Leave Comments, leave Impressions, leave Reactions, Share & Email, I need the feedback so I know I'm on the right track!

Thanks All, Peace Out!

I wonder

Since the Casey Anthony Trial, has the Stock on Fabreze and Chlorox Wipes gone Up or Down? Just sayin'...