Political oppression equals bad karma

Still shuffling:  Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley and the Wailers

A news story came across the wire about an hour which I thought was interesting.  Sharon Stone (yes, that Sharon Stone) is quoted as saying that the earthquake that occurred in China recently is the cause of bad karma.  The Chinese government (in all their oppressive glory) has just been manhandling the Tibetan people, peaceful monks, and their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Stone linked the bad behavior to the earthquake, citing karma as the reason why.  Do bad things and karma will shake your country like a rag doll.  

The fun little tidbit about this story is that the Chinese government released a statement saying that they are going to ban Stone's movies in their country.  I don't know if anyone told them, but they don't need to really ban her movies...no one goes to see them anyhow.  

Not only is she taking flack from the Chinese but there is also a huge backlash about her statement.  Oversensitive people are going online and speaking out against her because they feel that she is being cold and heartless because 60,000 plus people died.  Listen people, she didn't come out and say 'Oh, those 60,000 (plus) people deserved to die because the Tibetan people are being oppressed.'  She feels that karma is flexing it's muscle and trying to stop what is happening.  She is stating her opinion and standing up for her belief that the Chinese government shouldn't be douche bags.  And honestly, sad to say because it is in fact Sharon Stone, I agree.  

I don't really believe in karma, or spiritual revenge, or anything along those lines.  However, with the worldly outcry against this whole situation with China and Tibet, you would think that an organization such as the United Nations would step in and try to calm everything down.  I'm not saying a call to arms is needed, but can't we just sit them on a couch and ask them how they really feel?  

Turning the page at work

The ipod shuffle (it's like the truffle shuffle, but without the Hawaiian shirt):  Seconds by U2

Many new faces and new programs are coming into work.  The store manager left close to three weeks ago to move back home and get a new job.  So out the door she went, and in walked a new manager.  Good guy, as far as I know.  He hasn't been around long enough to make too many enemies yet.  Yet.  

So with a new regime (sounds a bit totalitarian) in place at work, new programs and new thoughts are brought into the building.  The one great thing I like about this new guy is that he at one time owned his own grocery store.  So that means he will actually give my side of the store something more than a second glance.  He and I have had some at length conversations about what needs to happen in order to run two excellent, money making departments.  So new plans are laid, with me on the bottom level.  I am starting to get support from the executive who was suppose to be there the entire time, but his attention span is that of a goldfish.  That would be a good comparison.  

So we had a sit down chat session amongst our new manager and the team leads today.  It went well.  It could have easily gone another two hours.  I don't even have the attention span for that, so thankfully we kept it to an hour.  The main focus was on communication.  Great feed back from all around.  One thing that was brought up was making sure that there are employees in each department at night time in order to make the store looking great for the morning.  It made me laugh on the inside in the fact that I have run my department (and then departments) for close to two years now and have not always had a closer.  It was never really an issue to everyone.  They just shrugged it off and figured whomever was opening would be able to play catch up in the morning.  This is something I have come not only to deal with, but also to embrace.  It makes the first two hours I am at the store go by quickly.  However, one of our clothing departments managers today had the audacity to say, after just one night of not getting everything picked up, that their departments were the 'red headed step child' of the store.  All I could do was laugh to myself.  He is a very selfish person and very moody, so if everything doesn't go right he gets bitchy is the best way to describe it.  

Afterwards, the other grocery managers and I were talking about that comment and they had the same reaction.  What a little bitch was the main consensus.  But we just come in every morning, punch the clock, and go to work.  That's what we do.  There is a reason why some of the grocery managers are well respected within the store (and to some degree, I fall into that statement, as conceded as it sounds.)  Every department has it's pluses and minuses.  It just feels like the food side has a few more minuses than others.  One of the biggest minus is being forgotten about throughout the day and the huge amount of effort we put into our side of the store.  

Getting to know me...150+ posts in

The ipod shuffle:  I sure can smell the rain by Blackhawk

You know, I remember when email surveys were all the rage.  Now, it has moved to blogs and myspace pages and the whatnot.  As much as people don't like them, it is hard to resist reading them or filling them out.  Or not, whichever.  

1. What is your Full name: Michael Edward Litzner
2. What color trousers are you wearing now: Khaki shorts
3. What are you listening to right now? the ipod.  Daydream Believer by the Monkees...Yes, the Monkees
4. What are the last 2 digits of your phone number? 39
5. What was the last thing you ate: yogurt
6. If you were a crayon what color would you be: orange
7. How is the weather right now: overcast and a bit windy
8. Last person you talked to on the phone: A
9. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex: how tall they are
10. How are you today? I'm good.  I don't work tomorrow, and I'm okay with that
11. Favorite Drink: Water is refreshing, and milk rocks.
12. Favorite Alcoholic drink: A good stout or scotch
13. Favorite Sport: Baseball and hockey
14. Do you wear contacts: I tried contacts in college.  Didn't like em too much.  Wearing glasses for twenty two years will do that to you.
15. Siblings:Shel and Chuck
16. Favorite Month: I like January.  Right in the middle of winter
17. Favorite Food: Pasta
18. Last Movie you Watched: 'Dead Alive'  It was awesomely horrible
19. Favorite Day of the Year: (that's specific)  I'll go with 8 May
20. Summer or Winter: Winter
21. Hugs or Kisses: Hugs.  They are just happy
22. What book are you reading: No Country for Old Men.  As well as Young Stalin.
23. Favorite Board Game: Dude...Risk.  I also love me some monopoly
24. Favorite Smells: The rain.  The spring time rain when it comes up in the air before it starts.  It just smells refreshing.  
25. Can you touch your nose with your tongue: yes I can
26. Do you still talk to your best friend from high school? It's been close to a year, but I try to keep in touch via the internet.  
27. What time did you get up this morning? 5:15.
28. What did you have for breakfast? coffee
29. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Borders
30. What kind of car do you drive? Jeep Cherokee
31. What is your favorite sandwich? It's peanut butter jelly time!
32. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Ireland 
33. Where would you want to retire? Saint Thomas, USVI
34. Favorite time of day? Dawn
35. What did you want to be when you were little? A firefighter.  
36. What is your best childhood memory? While we were building the cabin, Chuck and I would partake in week long and some times month long games of Monopoly.  Mainly because we would only be at the cabin for the weekend.  It was our dad's game from when he was younger, so it was pretty beat up.  

Holidays sans family

Thanks for the memories by fall out boy.  Although, it technically is spelt 'thnks fr th mmrs', I couldn't bring myself to seriously type that.  In fact, I had to force my fingers to type that.  That bothers me.  The inability to take the time to type words.  That is the falling off point of correct spelling and good grammar.  Not only that, the computer age has diminished the ability of students.  I was doing an interview a few weeks back and one of the questions I ask was tell me a time when you lacked a skill you needed to accomplish something.  And, no shit, the kid said 'I had to hand write an essay for English class.'  I wanted to slap him.  Just tell him to get up and leave.  I don't want to hire you.  And then I thought about it for a bit.  And then wanted to slap the teacher.  Honestly.  I fear having kids some day for the sole fact that they may give an answer like that.  

Anyway...  

I have a co-worker who is moving soon.  Her man got a regional manager job in Illinois.  So he is there and she is still working here until their kids are done with school, then the rest are moving up there.  So her time here in the ICT is almost up.  We were in the office the other day just sitting around, like we do, and she asked me how do I deal with not being around family during the holidays.  Now, granted, she has a family, but she was talking extended family.  So we talked about that for a good ten to fifteen minutes.  Now maybe she brought it up because it was on her mind (which it probably was), but also everyone I work with knows I'm a transplant.  So that may be why she brought it up.  At any rate, it was actually a real depressing conversation, but something that she really wanted to talk about, and hopefully what she wanted or needed to hear.  The end result is this:  

The first couple of holidays (which for her will be Thanksgiving, and then Christmas) are the hardest ones.  If you are use to going somewhere and seeing a bunch of family members, going from that to just a family at a table is wicked hard.  The first year I was down here, it was just A and I.  Talk about sad.  It was just...there.  Nothing special.  Now, we have K and M, and they come over after they go see their families if they have time, and it feels better.  Just having it feel like it is something other than just another dinner.  Either that or A's family is down here (which is the way it was this past year, which was great).  But yeah, getting past that first one is major.  The rest, they just follow.  And the job that my co-worker and I have is one that doesn't let you get away if you live far away (and I'm talking out of state) from family.  

The other end result of this conversation was that family always comes first, above all else.  Immediate family before everything else.  For her, it was her man getting that job in Illinois.  Sure, she didn't want to move, and he may not have wanted to move either.  Dude, it's Illinois.  If all you know is Kansas, Illinois is a huge change.  But to better your lives, sometimes you have to make a move like that.  For me, it was moving down here.  You got to go where the money is, and where it is being made.  If that means moving out to Kansas, you gotta do it.  As hard as it is to say that, it's the truth.  The money winning job is down here.  I would love to still be living in Michigan and be able to watch my nephew and niece grow up, but that isn't in the cards.  I can't remember the last time I saw my grandparents.  It has been maybe two years.  And with the kind of family I have, one that is real close, that is something that is difficult to deal with at times.    Now, we have been here for over three years, and we have our friends and our jobs and have started our lives down here.  

This just in: Hockey is more important than President

Currently playing:  'My Grandfather's Clock'  I learned this song while working on the Island.  I fell in love with it.  

I had the weekend off.  It was great to stay up late and sleep in.  The usual sleep in time for me nowadays is about 8:00 or 8:30.  Sounds early, but when I get up at 5:00, eight in the morning is just like noon.  An extra three hours or so is amazing.  But this weekend, I slept in until 9:30 on Saturday and almost 10:00 this morning.  It was very needed.  This week really wore me down, but I don't know why.  

Anyway, I was excited on Sunday afternoon to watch a little hockey.  It wasn't the Wings, they beat the holy hell out of Colorado in four games.  It was the New York/Pittsburgh game.  Anyone who watches hockey knows about the really young team Pittsburgh has.  Not only are they young but extremely talented.  I haven't gotten to see them play much this year, so I was looking forward to it.  And I go to turn the TV to NBC and....there's no game.  What the hell.  

It was a special report about the president coming to Kansas to speak at a high school graduation.  The greensburg high school graduation.  If anyone has been living in a cave, here is a quick catch up.  Tornado wipes an entire town off the map last year.  The whole fucking town.  Gone.  Sad story.  They are in the process of rebuilding the town.  Feel good story, of course.  So the president decides to speak at the graduation.  That's cool, I guess.  But did they really need to interrupt the hockey game I wanted to watch to show him landing at the air force base?  Honestly.  Then they went to the graduation.  I barely paid attention to either of my graduations, so why would I want to watch this one?  

I was looking forward to watching a hockey game and got interrupted by a PR move by a lame duck president.  Instead of putting the whole damn thing on CNN or fox news, they put it on a channel that also had the hockey game.  

This may sound ridiculous to some people, but living in Kansas has cut down on the hockey watching.  I saw maybe six games this year.  If the game would have been a Wings game, I think I would have thrown a fit.  I'm selfish, I'll admit.  There were some basketball games on today, why couldn't they have interrupted those games instead.  No one gives a shit about basketball.