1. Ahhh, rain. I’ve been going a bit out of my mind in this heat. The other night I asked the Wo why on earth we haven’t heard about someone totally snapping and going off the chain. Because when I’m out and about in 100+ degree heat, I feel a little insane. Maybe it’s because the effort to snap and go berserk would require sweating even more, and the air is so oppressive, it feels like you can barely breathe. But today, we finally got a nice rainshower, and even though it’s massively humid and steamy, I’ll take it. Nature was feeling rather crispy and the garden -even with regular watering- still felt like it was struggling under the oppressive dome of heat. Tomatoes are starting to come on a bit stronger, and we just hit the point where James had to can some to catch up. I’ve been cooking with them, eating the plain, just enjoying them in general – I said that Green is the New Orange this year, as Grubb’s Mystery Green has hit it out of the park with it’s gorgeous lime-green flesh and tart, bright flavoring.
2. Ahhhh, karma. It sometimes takes a while to catch up, but it’s lovely to see in action. I was paid a very high complement from a former client of mine, after learning they no longer wanted to work with a former employer. Turns out they’d kept the business there, in part, because of my efforts, and that of another person. After I was let go, the other person got pulled in another direction, and my “replacement” delivered quite the sub-par work. Not only did they recognize the quality of work I had provided, but how I also had covered for the junior person they’d assigned from another department. It highlighted, once again, the long-term price tag of cutting your work force based on salary and thinking cheaper labor (and less intelligence) can cover your spread. I’ll be waiting for another round of sweet karma to visit another less-than-ethical group, as word drifted back to me about someone claiming a snazzy idea I’d had was their own, not mine. (I actually laughed out loud, because, really? I guess the only person you’re fooling is yourself.) Re-write history all you like, but when you try to do that, reality has a way of catching up with you…. Also, will people never remember that everyone talks to each other? You just look stupid.
3. Drama be gone. I’m done with it. I’m 43 (or 50?) and I lack the interest and energy to sustain it.
4. I thoroughly enjoy my job. There are always snaggy things because, hey, it’s work, but by and large, I am happier, healthier, and despite being busier than ever, having a good time.
5. My knitting mojo has ADD. I have several projects that are screaming “ENOUGH ALREADY just FINISH ME” and yet I keep jumping from one to the next to the next. Sometimes I don’t knit at all. It’s ok. It’ll come back with a vengeance, I’m pretty sure of it.
6. Didja hear that Trader Joe’s came to town?? Ha! I tell you, my social media feed was flooded the weekend they opened, mostly by people kvetching about how long the line was. We drove by the Ward Parkway location on the Friday they opened, and never, not once, have I seen that entire parking lot filled until that day. I nodded at the crazy, as the Wo and I laughed and said, “No way are we going in!” but it was fantastic to see that many cars at a mall that was arguably teetering on the brink of disaster 10 years ago. It was also nice to finally see some KS shoppers making a pilgrimage East for once. (Our MO location sells booze – the KS one does not! You can have your better schools and top-notch snow removal, JOCO, we can buy liquor on SUNDAYS. YEAH!) We ended up going shopping there on a weekday morning, no problem, smooth sailing. The only thing about it is that a lot of the “fun” foods and snacky items play a trick on you – you think, “OH, wow, sweet potato chips! So delicious! And only $3!” and then you realize there’s only 7 ounces of chips in the bag and it’s easy to spend $75 and have half your goodies gone within a couple of days! It is like a World Market collided with a grocery store and an Aldi’s (TJ’s is owned by Aldi’s, btw), and it won’t replace our Price Chopper, certainly. But I’m really happy for what it means to our area, the tax revenue and how it will help the mall transform beyond its current state.
7. Apoplectic at Washington. I won’t even go into it any more, I just cannot believe the posturing for 2012 elections, over doing what is best for this country, and the majority of its citizens, who don’t happen to be billionaires or big business. But those are the people pulling the strings, and until we reform how our elected officials actually operate (my suggestion is that they all have to live in dormitory-style housing without free healthcare for life, for starters) they will never represent you or me. Railing against taxes is a diversion, folks. Watch the documentary “Hot Coffee” for just a taste of how big corporate America is machinating a takeover of what is supposed to be the last bastion of equality, the court system. Be horrified. Prepare for the revolution. Or the zombie apocalypse. Whichever.
8. Crazy Cat Lady has been noticeably absent. We think she may have been taken in by her daughter, and we’ve deduced this from the pile-up of newspapers (something that never fails to amuse me, btw – yes, KC Star, there’s your subscriber, CCL. I’m sure she does the crossword every day.) and the distinct lack of ambulance and fire engine activity on the street. Did you hear about that nutter who called 911 over 2100 times in a month? I guess there are crazier people to have living across the street!
That’s your Random Ort Update for the moment, peeps. Stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay enraged. But eschew the crazy.
