Once again I emerge out of the Fog~~~

Once again sweet things, I have emerged from the dark recesses of my work, and can again feel the winter sun gently caress my cheek. It feels good, everything feels good.

Mmmmm~~~and the project? In a word~~~Success! Such a satisfying word, that and victory, completion, attaining the goal, grabbing the brass (although I prefer gold) ring, all those words have such a wonderful sound, and it makes a person like moi, want to celebrate.

Did I celebrate? Of course I did sweet things. I and a few of my colleagues had lunch at John’s Grill; I enjoyed my broiled salmon, salad and coffee, while the “guys” had their steaks and drinks; after all that work I needed the protein, but no alcohol, I still needed to keep a clear mind and not feel loggy headed, one can make too many mistakes in that condition.

Even when we were successful, there is still always that ‘nagging’ sense of ‘did you cover everything’, and we wanted to go back and review things now that the pressure was off. I can tell you that all was fine.

Now for some of you who’ve never visited John’s Grill, the lovely place just celebrated its centennial, the name may ring a tiny bell---it’s the place where Sam Spade would grab a bite to eat; Dashiell Hammett in real life did eat there when he worked as a detective. The ground floor has kept much of its dark wood, it has been cleaned up a bit since the 1930’s, yuppified and all those celebrity portraits, upstairs is dedicated to “The Maltese Falcon”.

I do run into a number of business associates there, and there are one or two detectives that come in there, but you can spot the tourists, they keep looking for Sam Spade. I’m not sure if it would be a place for Bullitt or Harry Callahan, Hmmmm but then again it just might be.

Oh but sweet things, I know it’s not wise to just sit on one’s laurels, even if I do have wonderful form. No my darlings, I’ll simply use the time to take a deep breath, re-group and prepare for a new campaign. Hmmmm I know that sounds like going to war, but sweet things, life is a war.

Take a look around you. Everyone fighting to keep their jobs, fighting to find a new job, fighting to keep their heads above water, to not lose their homes, their 3 cars, the expensive schools that their over indulged teenagers go to, to not lose their expensive way of life.

Ohhhhh all right I know that sounds petty, even I admit it is, there are some I know who have earned everything by their hard work, raise their children right and life decides to “taser” them in the face. To those I lend a helping hand in ways to lead them to another job. I’m mean but not that mean.

No sweet things, there are those whose mistaken and misplaced sense of “entitlement” earns them the reality shock of life and to teach them what is really important. And for them, it is a lesson they deserve.

I had a chance a while ago, to watch an old Steven Boyd movie “The Oscar”, a melodrama with a morality tale in the best, or worst 1960’s style. Boyd plays a so-so actor, who is nominated for an Oscar, he becomes completely rotten in his chase for the gold, destroying working relationships, friendships, losing all sense of reality and then in the end when he thinks he’s going to win it…….he loses everything. Boyd was woooonderful in the role. Hmmmm It reminds me of some former co-workers who acted like that.

Morality tales, they were created to learn from sweet things. It’s too bad there are so many who have not learned the lesson, the dot com boom that went bust, the housing market bubble that popped, all the warning signs were there but too many chose to ignore it, much to their regret. Too much lascivious and conspicuous consumerism, must have the latest toy, the latest gadget, and where will it get you now?

So now I’m taking my deep breath, catching up with errands, watching the Tivo’d News programs and reading my stack of newspapers. Mmmm yes sweet things, I’m “old-fashioned” I love to read the papers, to spread them out, scanning the columns for key words that jump out at me, circling articles that may have that tidbit of information that I’ll need and scanning news reports on line as well for updates.

So much has happened in the world; the Gaza situation has heated up again, and I think naughty Hamas started it, but as you all know Israel will finish it, even if it means destroying everything.

A second Bart Police officer is now on the hot seat for the Oscar Grant shooting, the only problem with video is that there is no sound, if sound was available I think much would be answered, they say “a picture is worth a thousand words” but I think hearing and seeing it in its proper context is more important. I still would love to be on that jury.

The Oakland police chief resigned and now fellow police officers are glad he did----Hmmmm I wonder why?

The FBI is now involved in investigating the Oakland police for falsifying reports which could compromise the Chauncey Bailey investigation. Oh a twist in the situation, not good.

And again there were some minor riots and arrests in Oakland when the Mayor’s office mistakenly put out a news bulletin that the ex-Bart officer that shot Oscar Grant was released on bail-----and then it turns out “oh sorry darlings it was a mistake”, the man in question is still in jail but separate from other prisoners, security you see.

It seems that if Joseph Meserleigh wants out, his family has to put up 3 million in bail or show that they have 3 million in assets, which means if they go through a Bail bondsman they have to have 3 hundred thousand. But what the Mayor’s office has done is even worse, (slightly singing) some one is going to get fired.

Some pods of migrating Gray Whales appear to be very lean as if they were starving---the blame being put on global warming.

And in tiny, somewhat quiet Alameda they have a 90 year old mystery, when the maintenance men were digging up the street to fix an old clay sewer pipe that caused a sink hole, less than 5 inches below the asphalt they found bones, human bones and a skull. The body had to have been buried there before the houses were built in 1926, but whose body is it? Hmmmm, they say it’s not Native American and no sign of foul play. Oooooh I just Love a mystery, unfortunately I’ll have to wait for the conclusion on this, pooh!

Blagojevich and Madoff have been knocked off their pedestals, which they never deserved to be on in the first place, one with hair that is just too unreal and the other…also unreal.

Ex-President Bush is now living a quiet life in Texas, only 50 years later will anyone fully understand his place in history, poor man….in the same position as Herbert Hoover….despised by liberals….loved by conservatives….I think Cindy Sheehan can forget that “apology”. Although I think she never deserved one. Hmmmm I think she’s living in Berkeley now, a perfect place.

I have a friend of mine who is a chocolatier, it’s more of a hobby of his, but he loves to discover wonderful candy recipes, he calls his hobby candy shop “The Berkeley Nut Company---where the nuts come from”, he does have a strange sense of humor.

Obama is flogging his stimulus plan which I have questions about since it doesn’t seem to reflect his so-called reformist thinking and appears to neglect projects that really could make a difference, and the NY Times seems to be thinking the same as I am. And will it work fast enough before the situation deteriorates further?

I feel that only the people being creative and cash conscious will make anything work. In Europe things are bad as well; the Euro currency (which is a joke) has lost ground, I always felt that it was another bubble that had no solid gold standard foundation which is why I steered away from investing in it.

I won’t talk about the increase in layoffs, soooo depressing. It’s like hitting a brick wall going 100 miles an hour, do you survive or do you crash and burn? And everyone else gawking at the train wreck in shock.

The whole economy situation is like being on bumper cars, you try to avoid being bumped and steer a safe path, if you can.

The state of the City of San Francisco and Oakland is ridiculous and Berkeley is even worse.

I am so glad I don’t live in Berkeley, they, (being some nuclear free commission) refuse to allow a waiver to the public library to have a well know company come in and service the library’s copy machines and self check out stations because the company refused to state if they deal in any sort of nuclear technology---What idiots!! What Fools!!! A public library is the best investment in this tottering economy and that is when a city should invest more into it and not deny it a good working service program to aid the Library---

But NO!! (Snarl) Berkeley has to be so PC that it will cost the city more to find another service program and in the mean time machinery cannot be up and working to assist the public. Fools!! Idiots!!! It is thinking like that that has boondoggled anything that could be of vital use to people in the world. No wonder Berkeley has earned the title of being a city of insanity.

For me the Public Library was my safe haven from the coldness of my parents, all those books waiting to “speak” to me, and the library staff, always helpful and so patient with even the most difficult and demanding of people. I remember as a child one Librarian through her sheer force of will, cowered a gang of boys who were acting out until the police showed up and arrested them. She called each one of them by name and said that she would personally contact their parents who would be ashamed of how their children were acting.

Those boys never showed up again, at least not together.

I talked to one of my co-workers the other day and she was shocked! Shocked!! And about what? Ha, ha, ha, her son who has been taking business courses in college, has decided to study to be in …….oh sweet things are you ready for this?.....to be in the Funeral business…….I just LOVE that young man’s thinking. It’s absolutely luscious!

We are born, we live and no matter what….we eventually die….When you are born it’s in a hospital, usually….when you die…well that could be anywhere…..what happens in between the services needed depends upon your choices and lifestyle….but no matter what, we need to have our bodies (after the spirit has left) properly disposed of….either simply or elaborately and that requires a service that almost everyone will need. Ooooooh it makes such purrrrrrfect sense.

I told her to allow her sweet son to go ahead and follow his dream, his goal and to stop being shocked but be proud of his choice.

And speaking of hospitals, there is an increase in the need for trained medical assistants in all fields of medicine, Hmmm it seems sweet things, that one cannot stop being ill, even if one is out of work.

One of my friends, who had been out of work for 6 months, borrowed some funds from the bank of Mom and Dad and went back to school to be a phlebotomist---Mmmmmm try wrapping your tongue around that word. It means drawing blood and analyzing it or something of that sort, now she’s working and she’s thinking of going back to school, (after repaying the Bank of Mom and Dad), to learn more lab studies. More power to her.
And she told me it fits right in with her Goth life style, she no longer feels like a stranger in a strange land.

Mmmmm Isn’t that wonderful to find something that feels so right for you, your outlook, your life style? It makes things so harmonious.

At least we have one hero, a modest one, ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, who landed that plane in the Hudson River and everyone survived. I saw the video~~~~a perfect textbook landing or as the Los Angeles Times headlines said “Two wings and a prayer”.

But now I have to get my paperwork together and give it to my tax preparer, pooh! Such a boring thing to do, that is why I prefer to give it to someone who has the right expertise, and what I pay him I can use as a tax deduction for next year.

When I was young it didn’t take me long to learn what was good debt and what was bad debt. Bad debt is credit cards, Good debt is a home mortgage, of course I’m over simplifying my sweet things, but if I put legitimate business expenses on my credit card it becomes deductions.

Oh there is so much more, and I find it exciting to learn what I can use to gain more money~~~~ Am I avaricious? Growl~~~ Of course I am, and I admit it gladly to all you sweet yummy things.

Mmmmm at least I’m honest.

Now Valentines Day is coming and what am I going to do for that weekend? Oh wouldn’t all of you sweet, luscious, yummy things like to know~~~but….I’ll give you an idea….there is a gun show that very weekend….and I’m going shopping….I’m not sure what I plan to get, but I will look at some suggestions….like a Colt 1911….Thank you Fram, I had completely forgotten that Colt had put it out…..but I think it might be too heavy fire power for my hand….Hmmmm maybe I can find someone who can give me a “test drive” with one……Ohhhh I love that thought.

For tonight I’ll enjoy my glass of Merlot, listening to Benny Goodman play “Body and Soul” and look out onto the cold, cold skyscrape and the twinkling lights of the “city by the Bay” as a sliver of moon slowly descends the night sky.

And with that I’ll say Sweet Dreams my sweet things.