3 Degrees of Separation

My mom sent me an email recently that I found quite interesting. This is my one lone, distant connection with a superstar... Michael Jackson. Before I relate the story that was passed along to me I have to say that despite the great musical talent he had, I find it very disturbing that the society we live in found the passing of Michael Jackson more news worthy than the changes President Obama is trying to make for our nation. I'm not sure there isn't a soul who can't tell you where they were when they heard that MJ died. But how many people can tell you about Obama's energy bill or his universal health care plan? The man was a disturbed pedophile and I find it morally repugnant that he has been so revered. Don't get me wrong. He was somebody's son, brother, father or friend and their loss is great. I just feel there are more important things going on in this world than a musician who should have been put in jail. OK, OK. I'll get off my soap box. This is just my opinion so if anyone reads this blog and is offended by what I had to say on the matter, oh well. This is my blog and I am entitled to my opinions.

Anyway, apparently I have a second cousin who who knew MJ and with his passing was reminded of his brief encounters with the superstar. My second cousin's name is Kel. I don't believe I've ever met him, nor do I ever remember meeting his father, my mother's cousin. But I do have fond memories of his grandmother, my mother's Aunt Gladys. We used to visit her during the summers when we went to visit my grandparent's. I just remember her kindness and how much she enjoyed our visits. She has since passed away.

So, my 2nd cousin, Kel, went to college in Ohio and spent his summers with his mother in Southern California. He was athletic all his life beginning with little league when he was an all-star short stop. He is about the same age as Michael Jackson as he will be celebrating his 52nd birthday this year. So please enjoy Kel's story about his encounter with Michael Jackson.

"The unfortunate passing of Michael Jackson makes me recall my brief encounters with the superstar. During one of my summers home in California, we'd play lots of basketball. Driving into the gym parking lot, someone mentioned, 'the Jacksons are here; that's their green Rolls'. Sure enough, they were in there playing ball and we ended up playing four or five games together. Michael and I were paired up against each other and had some tough games. The Jackson 5 were terrific athletes and like all good Indiana boys, b-ball was their game. Michael was a strongpoint guard with good hands and, as he displayed with his dance moves, he had incredibly quick feet. He was also a very good leaper and although always on the thin side, he could bang around when going for a rebound. He had a better than average shot, but made the most of his shooting talent because he could leap over most defenders under 6'3". After the first couple of games, though, I realized he had a distinctive rhythm in his shot and by the latter games, I could time it right and blocked a few of his shots (back in the day, I, too, was a better than average leaper and did some high jump, long jump, & triple jump when I ran track & field).

"Several weeks later when I was at the gym, the Jacksons came in again to play ball. This time, when teams were being picked, Jermaine selected me over brother Michael, which made him mad. Mike demanded to know why, to which Jermaine said that I'd played him really tough a few weeks back and that I was as good or better of a player than he was. As one might guess, both Michael and I had to bring our A-game against each other since it had now spun into a semi-feud with a public figure. Maybe this was what was in Jermaine's mind all along. We squared off again one more time a few weeks later before I headed back to Ohio in August.

"Fast forward several years and I am working the night shift in an ER in Encino. This big burly white guy comes stumbling through the lobby door. He looks like he'd been wrestling with a mountain lion because he was all bloody and scratched up. As he got closer, we could see all of these human bite marks on the guy and he was escorted by Marlon Jackson. We got the guy over to a gurney and they started to clean him up. Marlon told us they had just gotten back to the Encino family compound aftersome awards show where Michael (now the world's most popular entertainer) had been honored. There were 3 or 4 dozen fans, mostly teenage girls, at the gate of their home. Michael somehow exited the limo on the side that the fans were on, not the door where his bodyguards were expecting him to get out. As the crowd surged towards him, this bodyguard pushed his way through and got in-between the fans and shoved Michael back into the car. The crowd was literally ravenous and went ape on this poor guy.

"As Marlon is telling us what happened, he kept looking over at me. He also said that Michael was outside in the car and was really upset at what had happened and since the ER wasn't too busy, he wanted to bring his brother in for a few minutes to see the bodyguard was OK then he'd drive Michael home and come back to pick up the bodyguard. Then, after staring a me, Marlon asked where he knew me from. I told him it was playing basketball at the Newbury Park Community Center back when they lived in Westlake Village. Then Marlon remembered and told me, 'Michael is still mad at you. Every so often, he keeps peppering Jermaine as to why he chose you over him in those pick-up games.' I said that was four or five years ago. Marlon said his brother is upset over tonight's incident and seeing me would add insult to injury. So, as he brought Michael into the ER, I quietly slipped out the back hallway and made myself scarce until after he left."

My Cinderella Moment

I survived my first week of unemployment... barely. Despite what some people may think, I worked hard at my job, even during the slow periods when things were quiet. Granted, the last few weeks I didn't have much to do since the new management took my projects away from me one by one. But I always managed to find something to occupy my time. So when I woke up the morning of July 10th with no laptop, no email and no phone I felt helpless in a way with nothing to do. So I took back control of the situation and made a list of chores to keep me busy and help me feel productive and useful. And believe me, there is plenty to do around this house and yard to keep me busy. Monday I found myself scrubbing my bathroom from top to bottom and vacuuming and dusting all the nooks and crannies of my bedroom. Tuesday I worked in the yard until the heat became almost unbearable. Then I moved inside and continued with the laundry and scrubbing down the kitchen. Wednesday I tackled the kitchen and dinning room floors. I swept and vacuumed until every speck of dirt and dust was gone. By then the manic need for complete spotlessness had settled in and I pulled out the buckets, the sponges and scrubbers, the towels and gloves and got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed and cleaned those floors until they looked brand spanking new. Three and a half hours later my knees were red and raw, my back and elbows ached, I was exhausted and dripping with sweat. But the kitchen and dinning room floors are so clean you could eat off them. I felt like Cinderella, minus the talking mice and chirping birds. Oh, and the handsome prince who sweeps me off my feet.

Needless to say, Thursday I woke up with a new plan for my days of unemployment. I'm going to sleep in and relax. I'm going to go to the movies and have lunch with friends. I will still make a list of things I'd like to accomplish each day, but my lists will be much shorter and a little less ambitious, but still allow me to feel productive at the end of the day. The guilty feeling of having so much free time is passing. I think I could get used to this forced vacation of mine!

Have you heard of Susan Boyle?

So I was talking to my mom the other day on Skype and she asked if I had seen the video on Youtube of Susan Boyle. I had never even heard of Susan Boyle. She said I had to check it out. She said that it was a video of this woman trying out on a British talent show with Simon Cowell, the infamous American Idol judge, and all his glory. I was sure I knew what the video was going to be about, poor woman. I watched it and loved it, so I thought I'd share. If you haven't heard about Susan Boyle yet, you're in for a treat. Hopefully I can get this to work.

OK. So I couldn't get embeded code to upload the video to my blog, but here is the URL to the Youtube video. I'd love to read about your reactions to the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg

Enjoy!!!

Wanted: A Rich Sugar Daddy or a Winning Lottery Ticket

I am really struggling lately with the desire to work. This doesn't mean that I want to sit on my lazy butt all day and do nothing. It just simply means that I don't really care to be employed anymore... at least not at my particular job. My colleague LOVES, LOVES, LOVES his job and can't wait to get to work in the morning. I don't get this. I don't find our job particularly fulfilling. And as for being eager to get to work in the morning... I wait until the last possible minute to get out of bed and start getting ready. I know that if I don't leave the house by a certain time I run the risk of not getting parking at the BART station. And most mornings when I do leave on time I'm hoping for a full parking lot earlier than normal or major delays either on the freeway or on BART. How sad is that?

A big part of my waining desire for a career is the uncertainty of whether or not I will be employed in a month and what my current job responsibilities are. We are in the middle of a corporate merger, I being an employee of the stronger company who bought out the weaker company. So you'd think I would have job security, right? Wrong. The powers that be are having to merge 2 very large companies, similar in size and function. So many of the jobs are duplicated. My department is still trying to figure out how many full time positions it will have now that we have merged. For budget reasons, and for functionality reasons (meaning we don't need that many people to do what we do), we won't be able to keep everyone from both companies.

First they had to decide who would be the director of our department. Well, you'd think they'd keep the current director (my boss) since he has been doing the job for several years and works for the surviving company. Nope. They "displaced" him. He found out the day before his prostate cancer surgery that upon his return from surgery he would have to interview for his own job. Ten days after his surgery (he did not take medical leave) he returned to work and interviewed for his job only to find out 2 weeks later that they would be letting him go.

Now I wait. Wait for my new boss to decide who she's going to keep on her new team. I've already had to send her my resume. She was out here (she and her entire team are located on the other side of the country!!!) to meet me and I basically had a job interview with her as she went over my resume and proceeded to tell me that she has 2 people on her team that do what I do for her. Nice. So does that mean she doesn't need me? Why keep me, someone whom she doesn't know when she can keep people she's worked with for several years? The only thing I have in my corner right now is that I am the only one on the West Coast that can do my job. That is unless she has someone who is willing to relocate.

But now I'm faced with the question, do I want to work for the "new team"? I need a job. This economy is not a good one to be out of work. I could go back to school, but in what? I have so many interests how do I pick one? I feel like an 18 year old again trying to decide what to major in in college. The only difference is it's a masters degree that I'm trying to decide and I'm almost twice the age of an 18 year old. I almost wish I would get laid off so I wouldn't have to make that decision. And even if I do get hired for the new team, I still plan on going back to school in the near future (as soon as I decide what to study). So how fair is that to someone on my team who will get laid off? How fair would it be for me to stay and my colleague who LOVES, LOVES, LOVES his job to be let go? It would be different if I want to make a career out of this and stay in this field, but it doesn't excite me. I'm good at it, but I don't necessarily enjoy it. I don't hate it, but I don't really care about it either.

If only I could find a rich sugar daddy or a winning lottery ticket, then all my financial worries would be taken care of and I could take the time to find out what it is that I would truly enjoy doing for a living.

Long and Overdue...

I realize it's been quite some time since my last entry. I guess I've felt that not much has happened recently. But as I reflect I realize that's not entirely true.

Christmas

My sister, Brenda, and I drove to the Boise, Idaho area to visit our sister Jennifer and her family since we were orphans this year. (Our parents are currently serving a mission in Paraguay and won't be home for another year.) The drive up was fine. No problems with the weather. The drive home on the other hand is a different story. It was snowing when we left Jennifer's house. About 15 minutes out we decided to stop and put the chains on. I thought I knew how to do it but it wasn't going so well. I had the general idea right, but I'd never actually done it. It's not that easy. We drove that way for the next 5 hours but only went 120 miles. It was quite the adventure.

We had a great time with Jennifer's family. The kids are adorable. Abigail is just too cute for words with big beautiful eyes and the most gorgeous smile. Jacob is growing up so fast and I can actually understand him when he talks now. Granted I have to really be paying attention because he changes subjects so quickly, but he's a riot. We took him sledding at the nearby school that had a decent sized hill. He was not afraid and as soon as the sled was set down in front of him he jumped right on and sped down the hill. The coming back up proved a little more daunting to him. It was quite icy and he would end up on his stomach saying, "Help me, help me!" And we'd tell him that he was almost there and that he could make it and he'd cry back, "I can't, I can't!" And we just sat at the top laughing. I'm sure it's going to give him a complex, but I couldn't help it. It was so funny. Most of the time he made it back up on his own.

"Help me, Help me!"

Jacob, the Daredevil.

Beautiful Abigail

The Lee sisters
Don't hate us because we're beautiful!!!

I will write more later to update everyone with what's been going on since Christmas. But right now I want to go workout on the treadmill. I have a goal to do it everyday this week. Who knows what will happen next week, but I'm just concentrating on this week.

Something You Don't See Everyday!!!

I work for Wells Fargo, one of the oldest and now largest banks in the United States. It is probably one of the most well branded companies out there. The company began over 150 years ago with the Wells Fargo stagecoach. While technology out grew the need for the stagecoach, it has remained an icon and symbol for our company through the years. Vary rarely do you see one in public, except for the occasional parade or trade show. But yesterday, in downtown San Francisco, if one was walking near the intersection of Montgomery and California Streets, they would have seen the Wells Fargo stagecoach pulled by 4 gorgeous black horses, accompanied by one horse trainer on horseback, 4 SFPD on horseback and multiple motorcycle cops. It was actually kind of fun to see. Apparently, there was a contest to give away $100,000 to a worthy cause and the winner got to ride in the stagecoach up to the headquarters building to accept her prize. We have a Foundation that gives away millions of dollars each year to schools and non-profit organizations. I like to say it's the nice side of corporate America. Here are a few pictures of the event.

It Boggles the Mind!!!

Beware. I know I haven't posted in a while and I apologize that this post is going to be a venting of my frustrations. But there is a part of the human existence that truly escapes my understanding. It boggles my mind. Marriage. Now, don't get me wrong. I understand what it is and why, but I am at a complete lost as how to obtain it. I was on Facebook checking out profiles of all these people I grew up with and most of them are married. I had to log out because my frustration had reached a boiling point. Which brings me here. How do people get married? How do they find people who want to marry them? I'm having trouble just finding someone to ask me on a date. I just don't get it. And it isn't for a lack of trying. Trust me!!! I've put myself out there. I've asked guys out. In fact, I've asked more guys than have ever asked me out. I am a pro at embarrassing myself in this regard and at rejection. Well, maybe I can't say a pro at rejection, because I don't handle it well at all. But I sure have had my share of it, more than I care to. I attended singles wards for 17 years. OH MY WORD THAT'S A LONG TIME!!! Singles wards have worked for other people, but not me. I've even resorted to online dating. Yes, it is tragic. But I have done it and have met a few people. Online dating is a bit strange. But it does seem easier to get to know someone online than in person. It goes faster, that's for sure. In fact, my longest "relationships" have been online relationships. Oh, that is sad. But they've all turned out to be colossal jerks. One guy ended up not wanting to take it any further than an online thing. WHAT?!?! And another guy, he... well, he had issues. Let's leave it at that. So here I am, 35 and single. I'm in a family ward and I've found that I have more in common with the married men than I do with the women, which sucks because I can't really hang out with the men. I don't think their wives would appreciate that. But they talk about work and life and sports and politics and the economy and... whatever. The wives talk about their husbands and their kids and since I have neither, I really can't relate. So do I go back to a singles ward? The frustrating thing about that option is that I am just constantly reminded that there are a ton of single men, great single men, who do not want more than a casual friendship. Casual friendships are nice, but come on already!!! What's so terribly wrong with me? OK, so maybe I don't have a Cindy Crawford figure, but I'm pretty damn great! I'm smart, talented, I have a wacky sense of humor, I've been told I'm pretty (but to say it myself would seem rather arrogant! :-) ), I'm a good cook, very organized, capable of doing almost anything I try (I can't skateboard - I fell flat on my butt the one time I tried), I'm well rounded (physically as well as mentally! hehehe), I'm good at sports... man this list is long!!! See what I mean? Pretty damn great. Perfect? No, but who is? So why can't I find someone who wants to marry me? I'd be a great wife and mother. Well, there it is. I'm so done being alone. It sucks. But I haven't figured out how to get from point A to point B. I still want it to happen. Just because I am 35 doesn't mean I'm all washed up and out of hope. I had an aunt that said to me when I was 25 that I shouldn't worry because there are many women who never get married!!! I WAS ONLY 25!!! WOW!!! She had already given up hope on me then. Well, I'd better end this depressing tirade. If anyone has any words of wisdom, I'm open for suggestions.

History in the Making...

Well, it's over. And I am so glad. I was so tired of the arguing between the candidates and supporters and opponents of all the propositions. I read an article in the San Francisco Examiner this morning that I rather enjoyed. He was speaking for politics in San Francisco, but I think it can be applied to the country as a whole. At one point he says, "Our elections have little to do with the betterment of [our country] and mostly to do with the continuous pursuit of power." I wish I could believe that our politicians truly have our best interest at heart.

I'm glad Proposition 8 passed. I wish it meant there would be an end to the contention surrounding it, but unfortunately I see a long fight on the road ahead. There were so many arguments for and opposed and I was really torn about what I believed. But it all boiled down to what the Prophet and Apostles taught - marriage is sacred and is ordained by God between a man and a woman. For me, it was as simple as that. That is what it boiled down to. Many people may have used other reasons for supporting their decision and I'll admit, I did to at one point. You can read about that in a previous post. But after I wrote that post I came across an article refuting those reasons, pointing out the falsehoods used to twist them around to make them support their cause and I had to decide what my decision would be and why. It was simple. Marriage is sacred and ordained by God between a man and a woman. It may not be an argument that can be supported by documentation or published works other than the scriptures. But since when has faith meant that you have to have proof to believe in something. Faith is having hope and believing in things that are not seen. If there was tangible proof it wouldn't be faith, it would be knowledge. I have faith in God and in our prophet and apostles that they have directed us in the way that God would have us go.

I'm rambling. I want to add before I end this entry that regardless of how we all voted, this is a historic moment. A black man will be President of the United States. Think of all the blood, sweat and tears that have built up to this moment. I know many people who honestly did not think this was something that would happen in their lifetime. Is this the vision that Martin Luther King Jr. had? I wonder if the slaves who helped build the White House and the Capital Building had any idea that some day this country would have a black president. There are some out there that may not think this is that big of deal. But I have always loved history. In junior high and high school the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement were a couple of the most interesting topics to me. They touched my heart and moved my soul. I remember visiting the Lincoln Memorial a few years ago on one of my business trips to Washington, DC and being reminded of those feelings as I revisited those history lessons. I feel blessed to have experienced this moment in history.

A Humorous Pet Peeve

Everyone has pet peeves. Some people may not admit it, but come on!!! Let's be honest. There are things that bother everyone. They are definitely different from person to person. I'll admit it. I have pet peeves. Some things I try to not let bother me, but others are just things that bug and I'm really OK with that. One thing that bugs is people who do things that don't make sense. I was trying to find a way to say that without sounding mean, but seriously. Sometimes people will do something that makes no sense what-so-ever and it totally bugs!!! Here's one example that just makes me laugh every time I see it.

The women's bathroom at work has a handicapped bathroom stall and like most handicapped stalls it is much larger than the regular ones. (OK, so this may not be the PC way to say it, but oh well. Deal with it.) As many of you may know, sometimes the stalls have pretty big gaps in the spaces between the walls and the doors, etc. and sometimes you have to be choosy as to which stall you're going to use to make sure you don't give people on the other side a show. At work, the handicapped stall was this way. But maintenance came in and put a metal slab and black padding up to keep the users of this stall modest. YEAH!!! However, someone, and I really don't know who, still feels the need to waste toilet paper to cover up the former cracks every time they use this stall. Did they not notice the metal slab that cover up the gap!?!? And every time I take down the toilet paper and flush it down the toilet. It drives me nuts because it's a stupid thing to do. Come on!!! Use some common sense and realize you don't need to waste toilet paper. Here are some pictures. I just had to take them to prove that I'm not going crazy. You may think I'm strange, but I find this hilarious and annoying at the same time. Just thought I'd share.

See how she sticks the toilet paper in between the wall and the stall to cover up the "gap"? Look at the next picture and you'll see there is no reason to do it!!!

The metal is flush with the wall and over laps the stall. Why does this drive me nuts and why am I devoting a whole entry on my blog to this? Common sense. People. Use your common sense.

Proposition 8

For those of you who read my blog who do not live in California, you may not have heard about Proposition 8. Proposition 8, if passed, will protect marriage as defined between a man and a woman. A number of years ago, we had a similar proposition up for vote in California voted down, which protected marriage between a man and a woman. Then a few years ago, many may remember that the esteemed (sarcasm!!!) mayor of San Francisco decided to legalized same sex marriage. It was quickly overruled by the California State Government. But for some reason, a few months ago, by a slim majority decision makers in our state government legalized gay marriage. Why? I have no idea. It was put to the vote several years ago and the majority of California citizens voted to keep marriage between a man and a woman. So now we are faced with Proposition 8.

Personally, while I do not support same sex marriage or relationships for that matter, I am of the belief that every human being was given the gift of free agency by God. If that is how someone feels they were created and chooses to live their life, then so be it. I don't look down on them for it. I don't agree with it, but I'm not going to shun them. Some of the funniest, kindest people I know are gay men, friends I've met and worked with over the years. So I agree to disagree. But when it comes to same sex marriage, a part of me wonders, why not? If you look at it from a strictly political point of view, under the Constitution every citizen of this country should be allowed the same rights. My problem with legalizing same sex marriage is with everything else that comes with it. Non-profit organizations and churches will be forced by law to recognize homosexuality. For example, in Massachusets a Catholic organization that provided adoptions chose to close its doors rather than provide same sex couples with adopted children. Prior to gay marriage being legalized in that state, a church would be perfectly within their legal rights to deny adoption to a gay couple due to religious beliefs. Not any more.

Just last week, a first grade class took a field trip to San Francisco's City Hall to witness their teacher's marriage to her lesbian partner. 1ST GRADERS!!! The school thought it was a great teaching opportunity. If Proposition doesn't pass, then homosexuality will be taught in our public schools as the norm right along with hetersexuality.

If there is such a fight for gay marriage rights, then why not legalize polygamy? Where does it stop? I'm all for equal rights. But when equal rights for one group takes away the rights of others, I'm not OK with that. The rights of the religious and others who choose not to believe in homosexuality is being stolen. How can they force those of us who have religious views against homosexuality to accept it and believe in it? This country was founded by people who commited treason in order to establish a place where people could be free to believe and practice what they wanted to. And now those basic rights that were established at the birth of this country are being destroyed. It's a scary time here for those who support Proposition 8. If they want to get married and have it legalized, fine. But don't take away my rights to believe, and practice and live my religion. FREEDOM OF SPEECH! FREEDOM OF RELIGION!