Rule #3 Always Go With Your Gut

On my birthday in 2003 I wanted to go bowling, but I didn't want to go by myself. So I asked my brother if he wanted to go with me. He said yeah, so I suggested that we take our three sisters with us. Two of them still were/are under the iron curtain of our step-father so, I wanted to ask my mom if the two youngest could go with us. I called my mother at her job, but she wasn't at her desk. So I decided to call her cell-phone and still no answer. My brother and my sister's tried to convince me that we could go, and there wouldn't be no problems, but I knew better. I know how my step-father's mind works and I know how my mom's works too. I didn't want to hear any arguments or yelling and what not, so I told them we have to wait. After an hour my mom calls and I ask her if we can take our sisters with us. She says yes, and I told her how I didn't want to take them without her permission, and how my siblings thought otherwise. My mom then tells me that I made the right choice. After I hung up the phone with her I spoke and saved a message onto my cell-phone. I said, "Next time go with your gut".

Nine times out of ten a person's gut feelings are right. When you go against that feeling you can get hit....Hard.

The reason I'm making this one of my rules isn't just because of the choice I made on my birthday five years ago. Its because of the new responsibility at work that we have. All tobacco products are at the service desk, and now all of the pressure is on myself and my co-workers to proof anyone that look under 30. Cause if we don't and we get "stung"(err...I mean if we fail) from a police sting, we would end up getting stung...err I mean fired from our jobs. Not only that but we could get arrested and fined. So I'm not to thrilled about wearing handcuffs, because they are NOT accessories. So I have to remember to ALWAYS go with my gut no matter what. Customers can say they are old enough, they can try and say there expired I.D. is still valid, they can even yell at me (let it out), but the one thing they aren't going to do is make me risk my job for some lame addiction that will eventually be the end of them. Friend, Foe, or co-worker, I'm not going to jail for you.

Always go with your gut!

What is Culture?

Before I vent I just wanted to let anyone who's going to see Iron Man know that there is a scene after the credits finish rolling. It definitely hints as to who is going to be in the next film. I was surprised.


Okay its venting time.

I was going to post this sooner but I've been working six days (with one exception) a week for the past 4 weeks now, so I haven't really been motivated to do the blogging thing. This topic had been on my mind for awhile now, but I must admit that the fire isn't burning inside like it was when it first crossed my mind.

Question? What is culture?

One night when I was watching the news they were talking about the black community and how we as a people don't snitch when someone is murdered. That its a part of our culture. When I was a kid I was taught that the meaning of the word is "a way of life". In a way, it kind of made sense, but I thought it was meant to be in a positive way.

The next day I called my mom and asked her what she thought the definition of "culture" is, and she sent me a text of a definition that she found.

Culture-beliefs customs practices and social behavior of a particular nation or people.

Alright when put its put that way it makes sense, but then I found another definition of the word in an Oxford dictionary.

Culture-The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

When I saw that one I realized that English language seem to have too many parameters for word definitions.

I guess the point i'm trying to make is that there is something about how the word is being used that just doesn't sit right with me.

When I think about the word culture, I think about music, religion... stuff like that. I never thought of it as something negative like not telling the authorities if you witnessed someones life being taken (No Snitching).

Honestly I don't know what I would do if I witnessed a murder. I do know that my reason wouldn't have anything to with grudges with the police or anything like that. My reason would be a little more selfish...Fear of death.

The second fall bruised my leg

The second time I fell was in February. This fall seems to be the complete opposite to the first. It had no meaning, I got hurt badly, there was snow and ice on the ground, there were no cars involved, and I was on the hill that is our drive way.

You have no idea how much it hurt to take the fall that I didn't see coming. I'm such an idiot. The whole winter I went without buying any boots. My right foot can't take heavy shoes so I decided not to buy any. Nike UPS don't have any grip, so If you ever wear any, don't wear them outside during the winter.

I try to take the garbage bin out to the curb the day before garbage day, so I don't have to worry about getting up early in the morning to do it. Also because its a pain trying to get the garbage bin down when you have two vehicles in the driveway.

Everything started off normal. The cats wanted me to feed them before I left-I fed them.

Check all of the doors in the house and the stove to make sure they were secure-CHECK.

Went outside and locked the door behind me -CHECK.

Now there I was in the middle of winter, on the day before garbage day. My mother was home but her car wasn't blocking the driveway. I don't know why, but for some reason I wasn't being cautious like I normally do when I am walking during the winter. I grabbed the garbage bin and started walking with it. When I started walking down the hill, I experienced an eye opener.

Like I said I wasn't being cautious, and because of it, I didn't see the ice. That wasn't the only thing I didn't see that day (didn't see that fall coming). I slipped on that patch of ice, fell backwards onto my lower right leg, and then my upper body fell forward. As I slid down the rest of the hill, the garbage bin fell over and slid with me. Not beside me...NO. It slid onto me. When I realized I didn't break my leg (think I came close) I turned over and pushed the garbage bin aside. I took out my phone and tried to call my mother for help, but I guess she was asleep. So I was all alone.

At first I didn't want to stand on my leg. I was afraid that the damage was worse than I thought. I knew I sprained my leg, I just didn't know how bad. Then for some reason I decided that I wasn't going to let anyone laugh at my expense or give into my injury. I got up reclaimed my dignity and put the garbage can to the curb. If you thought I was an idiot for wearing those sneakers, you must definitely think I'm one for walking to work without getting medical attention for my leg. I was lucky it healed. I kind of put my job before my health again. I have to remember that my health is more important.

I'm buying boots next winter...Lesson Learned!

The first fall bruised my ego

New Years Eve (Oh happy belated new year everyone), I was walking home from work. I'm a fast walker, so when I saw a dog owner taking its pooch for a walk on the same sidewalk I was on, I decided to cross the street. I didn't want to come up behind the person or the dog and startle either one. So when I crossed the street, you'd think it would be the end of that.

NOPE!

At the time I thought I was having a bad New Years Eve. My wrist was hurting me, I had no one to celebrate with, and my mind was just overflowing with negative gibberish.

I swear there seem like there are times where my life seems to be written as a story. Part A seems to always be linked to part B in some way shape or form (Proof of that in a future post).

Like I was saying I decided to cross the street so I wouldn't get bitten or cause a heart attack. When I got to the other side of the street I noticed a car parked in a driveway. It wouldn't have been much of a problem except that it was blocking the sidewalk that I was on. I hate when people do that. I don't think there was snow on the ground that day so I didn't fall because of that, but when I went around the car, I slipped on a patch of mud and almost took a face plant. I only prevented that at the last second with my right hand. My thumb took most of punishment from that tumble. Well then again my package of chicken wings may have suffered the most. Then again, I was lying there in front of a white car that had its lights on, thinking to myself that if the people in that car didn't see me fall I could be a goner. I used to wish that I was never here. While I was sitting there on all fours I realized that life didn't seem so bad, although New Years Eve could have been a lot better.

If that person wasn't walking there dog, I wouldn't have crossed the street. If I didn't cross the street none of this would have ever happened. It just seemed like I was set up for some sort of cosmic wake up call or something.

If I didn't cross the street then I wouldn't have text message my brother, and told him what happened. Then he wouldn't have responded with a text, and in that text told me that he was joining the Army Reserves.

Life-the biggest coincidence on earth? Just makes me wonder!

Eeriest Thing Just Happened!

I wasn't going to blog, but the Eeriest thing just happened to me. While I was uploading some of my CD's to my computer for my new MP3, I swore I heard my dad's voice. He said my nickname! I still have the chills! I haven't spoken to him since 2005, when I went to his and my step-mom's doctor for a second opinion for my foot. It was strange, I heard it clearly as if he were here. It really freaked me out. Its too late to call him now. I think maybe I should call tomorrow. I seemed to have thought that maybe him and I never had a "father-son" connection. I think maybe I was wrong.

Not enough words in the dictonary...

I'm...Well I'm pissed. I'm more than pissed I'm...I'm at a loss for words. There aren't enough enough words in the dictionary to describe how i'm feeling right now. My MP3 player has crashed and burned. I'm sitting here at my computer desk looking down to my right at it, and I just want to throw the damn thing. Or maybe I should just throw my computer for having Windows Vista. There is a repair tool for my MP3, but its only compatible with Windows XP, and "There is no update planned, please use the prescribed OS (Windows XP)".

It always seem to come to this. You either downgrade or your screwed. I seem to recall that some people actually decided to downgrade to Windows XP. That doesn't say much about Vista. Its really sad too. I purchased some songs online at Walmart.com and I was only able to play them on this MP3 player or on my old computer. Now I'm going to lose them along with this useless black thing, that is staring up at me with a yellow triangular sign, that has an exclamation point in the center of it. Somehow I feel as if I'm being mocked. There always seem to be an irony in dilemma's occupying my life, and this one is a doozy (not).

But thats alright though...That is alright. I wanted a new MP3 player so I guess I have a reason now to get one. And its not going to be an IPOD (or another Philips gogear for that matter) either. Nope, I've had my eyes on something different. I have never been one for mainstream.

Reason for my Absence

Hi Everyone! This may sound tacky, but how is everyone doing out there?

I've been away from blogging with the exception of the repost for so long. I think I may have left an impression with my repost that it was work that was bothering me and making me stay away. While there are days where I just want to go postal on some of the bad seeds out of the customers I help, this isn't the reason.

If you re-read that post you may have noticed that when I got angry I punched a metal cabinet as hard as I could. Well recently my hand has been hurting me something fierce. When I went to the doctor to have it looked at the doctor told me that I may have fractured it. I think she called it a "Fighters Fracture". In any case my left pinky, ring finger,and wrist are affected by this and really bothers me when I type. I have been wearing a wrist brace while at work on the really bad days, and think goodness it helps.

I was supposed to go and get physical therapy, but I heard the same four words (nothing we can do) I heard about my ankle and decided why bother. I was too late, about three years too late to be precise, but like I said in another post in relation to my hand in 2005, I didn't go see a doctor back then, because I was scared I may lose my job. I was very emotional that year and I let those emotions get the better of me and snapped at customers that may have deserved it as selfish people but, still it shouldn't have come from a employee thats apart of a Grocery Chain.

I have SO much to blog about since New Years Eve, but every time I go to type I grimace in pain and step away from the computer. I think I may start with the first of two falls this winter.

Which one do you guys want to hear first? Is it going to be the first fall story, my moment in the right place at the right time that seemed like something out of a storybook, with also seemed like I was being led by something divine; or would you rather hear about the second fall. Either way I going to write about them. LOL

I'll be visiting everyone's blogs soon, till then ciao!