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HOME, 2015.

A photo posted by tlc (@tlcollins) on Aug 29, 2015 at 6:02am PDT

#ZacharyHammond #AndreGreen #ChristianTaylor #stopkillingmypeople

Has the whole world gone crazy?
#andregreen
#zacharyhammond
#christiantaylor

Isn't a year of this shit long enough?  Why have we not put a stop to this!?!?
How many of our kids have to die before we wake up and call for a HALT to all this!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!???

#stopkillingmypeople

For me this is not, nor will it ever be a "RACE" thing... it's an AUTHORITY thing.  When you give a bunch of neurotic, ego-driven, couldn't make it in the military, types a gun, and tell them they are "boss"... bad shit is GOING to happen.

Just sayin' 0_o

Autonomy

NPR is one of my favorite places for the “stereotypical news” — all “news” is the same news, in the same format, for the most part .. all the same lead stories… but, NPR, for me, goes a bit more in depth into the “stereotypical news”, allowing me to digest it a bit more, before I form my opinion on that topic.  Other than Larry Wilmore, and @Midnight, NPR is probably my #1 source for keeping up with current affairs here and around the world.  This week it is the asinine idea of defunding Planned Parenthood that has dominated, and after all this time with abortion being this hot subject.. I am just over it.

I am a woman, so where I stand on health care, and medical decisions regarding women’s health should be a given.

Having been raised the daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher, I am more than familiar with Man’s feeble attempts at interpreting what the Bible says, and then try to shape society into their vision of what that means.  For many millennium men of the “church” have been using all sorts of methods to make sure that what they believe is LAW.  So, for me the religious arguments hold absolutely ZERO weight.  If you can’t give me a better argument than “Because I say so”… then I am not interested in your logic.  Trying to regulate a government and, in effect a society, based upon the religious opinion of a minority of ONE religion, is just asinine.

Consider those yelling the loudest, and those that stir up this debate among the public… it’s not women.. although there are some women that choose to be rude… mostly, those keeping the the shit pot stirred are the men politicians, and the media.  Why in the world would they want so badly to decide what medical procedures a woman can or cannot have… Why this need to control a woman to the very core of her womanhood, which is the ability to give birth to life.  Frankly, I find it pervy and creepy, and it needs to stop.

Here is what I, and many women (and their families), know about Planned Parenthood: They assists Women in Family planning, Health and Wellness care, and Medical care.

I do not need, want or desire to know any more than that, because the details are an invasion into another woman’s privacy, and that is just rude.  It is none of my business.  There are no caveats, or expansions for that statement in regard to another woman’s medical health in my mind.  It is NONE of my business.  My OPINION does not matter one little bird turd.  It is HER body, it is HER life, SHE has to live with the decisions she makes with it… no one else.  And WE are not here to judge her decisions.  We are here to offer her kindness, love, and support, because life is hard… we don’t need judgment from others.

And, I do not HAVE to like her decision, or even be particularly comfortable with how she chooses to face life — as long as she is not harming another Autonomous being.  

Planned Parenthood is much more than just the 3% activity that drives people batshit crazy.  But, more than what it is, and does for women, is what it represents.  It represents the idea that women should have autonomy over their own body.  That’s it.  Autonomy — we all want it, but we can’t have what we won’t allow another.

So, that thing you said last night... 

about how I don't ask for permission...

Honestly... 

Give someone a kiss!

Wild Ride

Whew... I know that it has been a good long while since an update in this space, but life has been a WILD RIDE recently!

So after the career stability for the past decade and more, I took a risk, and left for a contract position that had massive potential.  It lasted for 30 days.
The day my contract cancelled I had a moment of "OH MY GOD! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!" but, after a few deep breaths, and a conversation with a friend, I calmed my ass down, and switched into "hunting" mode.

Just about 4 weeks later, I am digging into a new position, with a small, but growing, technology company near my home, and I am having FUN again each day!  I have my fingers in all the gooey project "pies", and am gaining confidence with every passing day.

During the downtime I realized that I didn't need to just find a job, I needed something that would give me the same elements that kept me at my last job for so long.  Excitement, participation, engagement, and a great interoffice culture among the team.  I wanted someone to "take care" of, and this new office is full of things that need attention.
I have to say I am pretty pleased with what I have accomplished in the first few weeks -- reorganized the file system, set up a new system for recurring invoices, and assisted with coordinating a number of on-going projects.  Every single day is something different and random!  Anyone that knows me well knows that I am loving every minute of it!

Everyone have a wondering weekend!

New Gig - week 1 (so far)

Wow!  This week so far has been... exciting, interesting, intriguing.... FUN!

For the first time in a long while, my day is FILLED -- granted, it is because at the moment I am still learning about what processes there are, and what needs to be created... but STILL...

The End of an Era

After you have worked at a company for over a decade, when you decide to leave, it's a BIG DEAL!  Oh yeah, I HAVE A NEW GIG!!!!  It is going to be fun, interesting, challenging, and fulfilling work, to be sure -- and I can't hardly wait to get started!  Wish me luck!

Truth

Newbies!

Okay y'all, I am going to tell you a secret....

I ADORE MEETING NEW PEOPLE... seriously adore it!  The past few weeks have been a flurry of new people for me to meet -- career fair, interviews, 2nd interviews, and Onboarding... w00t, w00t!

Today I met our newest team member for the first time -- and I have to say it was a bit like looking into a mirror.  We have SO many things in common -- the best of which is that we both grew up PKs (preacher's kid)!  I haven't actually met many other PKs in my life, but it always seems that when I do, it is like meeting a long lost sibling.  There was just an instant sense of connection with her, and I can already tell she and I are going to be great and formidable allies -- those nerds are not going to know what hit them! LOL

I am grateful for her arrival -- she is tasked with keeping the CEO focused on the important stuff, keep the time vampires away, and helping him with high level clients.  She is going to ROCK that position ... NO DOUBT!  She might have an uphill battle getting the CEO to let go of things and letting her actually help him, but I have no doubt that she will be a pro at that in no time at all.

Tomorrow I have a new member of the herd starting, and it is going to be exciting to watch how his knowledge and experience will be able to be leveraged to improve the team even more!  Like I said, I LOVE new people!

Maybe it was because I spent much of my younger life being the "new girl" -- I can't help but go out of my way to make newbies feel at ease, welcomed, and immediately part of the team.  I think that motivation begins with the welcome you get on your first day -- and why shouldn't it?  How you are treated when you are new says a grand amount about the dynamic of the team, and the culture of a company.  New team members can mean new ideas, fresh outlooks, and improved problem solving (because of new points of view about issues).  What's not to love about getting a new team member!?!?!?

Vacation!!! Vacation!!

I am blessedly off for the next five glorious days!
I have muted all notifications on my phone -- I have left word that I will return on Monday... I am on vacation!!!!!!  Whoo hoo!!!!

Can you tell I am excited?

This is the first vacation I have had in a good long while -- the last time I was off for any length of time it was to visit my father in the hospital.  Not exactly a relaxing time.  The "vacation" before that was back in June/July, when my mother died.  Again, not really all that relaxing.
So... this is a VACATION!!! -- *deep sigh*

I have been thinking more and more about the conversation that Bill and I had, and even the one that Larry and I had a couple of weeks ago -- and, I realized that not having a break is not good for anyone, least of all me.  I have to have some time to recharge, because otherwise I am dull and not very excited or energized.

I have a one hour season with the personal trainer on Friday morning, followed by a massage with Tamera -- I can not hardly wait.  I need to see if I can fit my nails in there somewhere... and then it will be a complete freshening (I got my hair cut last week) -- I will once more feel AND look like a lady. LOL

Happy St. Patrick's day -- be safe, don't drink too much green beer, and make it to work on time tomorrow -- unless you are like me, and took the day after St. Patty's off.

Ahhh Youth! & Purple Lights

There are days when I wonder how in the world I got roped in to  being HR at the office.  Granted, it is pretty much the  perfect job for me, however, the volume of tasks is almost overwhelming at times.

One of the admins at the office, a very young millennial, recently expressed her unhappiness at the pace of her career.  Mind you, she is in college, and doing everything she can to move onward and upward, but she is just not happy at how not quickly that is happening for her.  As I listen to her lament about how much it sucks to do data entry, but not be told what the purpose of the data is… I think back to when I was her age… 

I was married, a college dropout, and working a full-time job while my "was-band" (thanks Heather!) went to school.  Whatever I was doing at the time, it wasn’t important enough for me to remember the employer… I just remember having that same sort of impatience for “life to get started”.  What I wish I knew then was that I shouldn’t be wishing for time to speed up — I should have utilized that time for my own self improvements.  Ahhh.. the privilege of being young, and having the whole world in front of you.

As DINKS (double income, no kids), my husband and I don’t have to rush different directions in the morning, and recently we have gotten even closer since his company just moved in down the block.  We have been riding into work together, and have some pretty interesting discussions during the drive.  

One morning last week I slowed to let a car merge over into the lane she needed to turn, and my husband commented that we should “have a second light, a purple light, to indicate oops, I don’t know where I am going or I screwed up, and that lets the rest of us know that they aren’t just assholes — they are nervous, or unsure of their surroundings, or just plain freaked about having messed up during rush hour.  The purple light would remind us all of times when that very thing has happened to us in traffic.  It’s stressful, and makes the commute into work dreadful at times."
If everyone would just relax a bit, and not be so “GRRRRRR!” maybe rush hour wouldn’t be such a hellish experience for many people.

"PURPLE LIGHT!"

A couple of mornings later driving in alone for the first time in a few weeks, I thought “purple light” upon seeing someone with their signal on and 4 cars not letting them over.  I slowed up a tad to allow enough space for them to squeeze in, without even having to hit my brakes!  Easy, peasy!

So there’s your challenge!  In the comments, share your “purple light” moments — both when you have given a purple light, and when you could have used one.  And, then be observant for chances at purple lights on your daily adventures.

A Reprieve

Whew!  I have filled the positions that were opened, improved the team strength of the operations department, and am relatively caught up on preparing for the next two newbies coming onboard.  It has been a BUSY and productive week at the office, to say the least, but at least I accomplished a few things!

It has been a tremendously stressful few weeks, and with an important member of our staff leaving in a week, there is a sense of urgency to complete a number of things.  All this while also keeping up with the internal workings of a small company.  I had a handful of almonds for lunch y'all -- that is how busy I was today.

We had a team meeting for the techs this morning, and they had to listen to a training -- you should have heard the GROANS, and snide comments!  It made me want to smack a few of them around, and tell them to SHUT UP!  Instead, I just sipped my coffee and enjoyed the training - which was on Active Listening.  I want to view it a couple dozen more times before I try to explain any of the concept, but, I found it useful, even if others didn't.

That's how it is around my place -- I hear the good, bad, ugly, and downright stupid shit in my position, but it is all a deep education on the inner workings of people, and what motives their actions and behavior.

My proteges are doing -- well, and not so well.  I need to adjust my coaching tactics with the not so well kid.  She is more than capable -- she just needs a bit of a talkin' to about recent stuff.
The doing well kid is ... amazingly awesome.  I could not have found a more wonderful administrative assistant to add to the team.  She is thoughtful, polite, and gracious as she goes about her work.

But, vacation is coming -- a 5 day weekend to take care of some errands, enjoy some uninterrupted time with my best friend, and relax for a few days, recharge and rejuvenate.  I am hoping I can UNPLUG, but -- we will have to see.  Being a department of One, there really isn't an "OFF" time for me.

More soon... maybe.

Because NICE MATTERS!!

About 12,000 years ago mankind grunted and threw stones at each other, then slowly we learned to work together and then communicate. Communication allowed man to think and develop structure. From structure grew civilization. Manners and etiquette are rituals developed over time that makes social interaction easier and more orderly.  ~Lee Rennick, via LinkedIn.

This was an excellent article/rant about the poor manners of people these days.  Guess their momma's never told them about the flies & honey, and "don't embarrass me with poor manners".  My momma told me that every. single. time. I left the house -- the "poor manners" part.  Manners when I was growing up were just.. proper.  You didn't want to be thought ill mannered, because then other people would mention it to your momma, and whoa boy would you be in trouble.  All said... Thank you momma for teaching me good manners.

Now, manners are not a "law"... no one is going to arrest you for having poor manners, and your "station" in life, be it billionaire or bartender, executive or fry boy -- that makes no never-mind, it is the way in which you treat others that marks you as a truly wealthy person.

Sometimes, as part of my "debrief" after an interview, I will ask my receptionist what she thought of the candidate.  In many cases she will say "they were nice" or "they were really nervous about the interview"... but, in one case I can recall her telling me that the candidate was a bit less than polite when he arrived -- she made an excuse for him saying "perhaps he was just nervous".
"Did he say good bye, or anything when he was leaving?" Nope.  Just walked out without a smile, or a word in her direction.
This candidate was not invited back for a second interview.

How you treat people -- whether they are the CEO or the "lady at the front desk" -- matters to me, not only personally but professionally.  Poor manners can be taken as arrogance, and ignorance, and it costs you nothing to have and EXHIBIT good manners, but it could cost you a career.

Equality is Relative

As I read the recent article about the first female Afghani taxi driver, I was stuck by a sense of empathy for Sara Bahayi, this woman of steel nerves who dares to fight against the limitations that others would put on her.  It lead me to think about the state of equality for women within my own country, and to stop for a moment to consider how far we have come in America... no matter how much further we still have to go for full equality.

In the story, Ms. Bahayi details what it is like to be a female taxi driver in an area where women, just a few years ago, were not even allowed to work outside the home.  This is one woman who is risking everything, including her life, to be more independent, more self reliant, and more in control of her own future.

Thinking about the fight for workplace equality here in America, I kept hearing the words "First World Problem"...

Now, I know well enough that our feelings on equality are relative to our own environment -- so, just because working as a woman in America is not a life or death risk, doesn't mean that there isn't improvement that is needed.  But, Sara's story did make me more mindful of what I allow to "bug" me about my job, my co-workers, and the level of equality I enjoy as an American woman.

Perspective is everything!

How blessed am I that I live in a country where I can chart my own course for life -- where I can choose to be anything I am willing to put real effort toward.  Am I compensated equally -- nah, probably not -- but, at least no one is going to try to cut my head off for having the audacity to want to do something other than cook, clean, and breed.

"Don't be a dick!"

Okay, so I admit that one of my guilty pleasures is definitely superhero television and movies… sometimes a lady just needs some distraction.  Anyway… Cisco is one of the geeks that works with The Flash.  His comment made me pause for a moment to ponder his insult toward the “bad guy”.

Why are some people so… smarmy…or self-important… and just plain frustrating...?

STOP.  

A more constructive thought would be … what has scared them so deeply that they now push everyone away by acting like a dick.. in whatever language.

In this world we only control a few things.. the largest of which is our own thoughts — our self talk.  We have a choice as to whether we allow our self talk to be DEstructive, or COnstructive.  In all seriousness, there is more than enough destructive, cynical, and negative talk, and actions in this world, yours is not needed.  

Hacking Your Life - Personal Growth

I recently read an article by Gary Vaynerchuk, called…

“Hacking Your Personal Growth in 30 Seconds”.   

Lately I have been in a *funk* because of….stuff… and this article kinda slapped me in the face about my attitude lately, in the best way.

It’s 7 steps for stopping all that nasty self talk, self sabotage, and negative crap that we let drag us down into the “I can’t”  and the “there is NO way THAT will work” and the “that’s stupid” talk that we torture ourselves with at times.  It’s not easy to always be positive, and upbeat… we all have moods, or “things” .. but we can’t give up!  

1. Build up your self confidence
2. Get perspective (Gratitude.)
3. Never count on luck — there is no such thing as random luck.
4. “I literally spend double zero on my competition” ~Gary
5. Stop complaining.  “Complaining is defense”
6. Build a personal brand.
7. Be fearless, and if you can’t be fearless then ponder “in front of whom are you afraid of failing?”

All of these are really good points of advice, and a beneficial way to stop the negative self-talk, playing the victim, or giving up on your dreams before you have even tried to achieve step one.  

Gary explains his points far better than I possibly could, so go check out the article…  

The rest of his stuff is not bad either -- ♦️

🙎taleisha.collins, supreme nerd herder