Touchy Subject

At the risk of offending my die-hard Christian friends and family, I am going to address a little problem we're having with the boys. We are not church-goers, nor do we talk to our kids about God. We respect Christianity, but we do not practice it. We feel that when they get older and know more about the world, they can choose for themselves if they want to practice religion, whatever type of religion it is. The key is to be objective, knowledgeable, respectful, and not ignorant.

Anyhow, on our ride home this evening, the boys were discussing the moon. How did it get there? Tyler quickly said that God put it there, and made the sky, the earth, and was still working on outer space. How do I respond to that without discouraging him? We want him to know about science, but we also want him to respect other peoples' beliefs. I am also perterbed that someone keeps yapping to him about God and Jesus. He knows so much about Christianity that I find it hard to believe it's one of his friends--it has to be an adult telling him this stuff. And the only adults he's around, besides us, are the daycare staff and his teachers. I find it hard to believe a teacher has time in a public school to talk about God--so that means someone at daycare is flapping their mouths about it.

I know someone reading this is going to take this the wrong way. I have absolutely no problem with people choosing to worship God. I have a problem with people being pushy about their religion--and then being offended if I tell them to shut up (in a more politically correct manner). I especially have a problem with someone pushing it to my kids without discussing it with me first. I might agree to the discussions as long as they iterate to my kids that it's one viewpoint--and there are other viewpoints out there that are ok to learn and discuss.

Token

Nothing like announcing "I'm baa-aack" like a good rant...

Any of you heathens watch South Park, like me? This is Token--he is the "token" black kid on the show to represent "diversity". What in the hell does he have to do with me? Well it seems that I am the "token woman" in my shipyard. Nothing gets my panties in a wad faster than someone implying that I got to where I am simply because I'm a woman.

Why am I on this rant today? Because I went for another big job promotion, and made the steep cut into the final round of interviews. I didn't publicize with everyone that I was going for this job because I put enough pressure on myself--I don't need everyone else watching me succeed or fail (and later gossiping about it.) Yet, when I came back from a 10-day vacation, everyone was yapping about me "getting the job." Whaaaa? Where did they get this information? I pressed one of them--I used my womanly manupulative powers of shipyard seduction to get out of him exactly why he knows for a fact that I got this job. He f-ing showed me a bunch of corporate charts showing how far behind the curve our yard is compared to the rest of the corporation and the defense industry with diversity. Puh-leeeze...

Have I heard whether I got the job yet or not?--no (yes, it's been a while.) Perhaps all the VPs are still sitting in their tee-pees smoking the medicine pipe and pondering whether or not it's a good idea to comply with a stupid corporate directive anymore...since our shipyard is going to be spun off from Northrop Grumman in the near future anyway...

Crossroads

Time for a hormonal rant and some wallowing in my own sorrows.

I have been stuck at a crossroads ever since I earned my master's degree last May. I am torn between work and family life. I used to be career-driven--I loved my job and loved my company. I got thrills and pleasure from the challenges of work. Now work is not fun anymore--I find myself longing to be home doing projects with the kids. I don't feel that I am contributing to anything at work--and that is not a fulfilling feeling at all. My kids are growing up so fast--life is passing me by. I want to stop and smell the flowers. Go out and make memories with my husband & kids. Stop bringing home my computer to suck the life from me at night.

This transition over the past year has been hard. I went from flying high at a job I loved, to tumble down into being just another worker-bee in the crowd. Bryan says I was spoiled--I refuse to believe that there aren't a lot of jobs out there that are fulfilling. I am just not focused on that part of my life anymore. I want to focus on our kids, and make a life for them that they can fondly remember when they get older. I want to take them on weekend trips to see the wonders of the east coast...and beyond. Camping. Snow skiing. Body surfing.

I feel like I'll be disappointing my mentors at work, my husband, and my family if I don't continue to fight my way up the food chain. I need to do what makes me happy or I'll be miserable and bring everyone around me down with me. I just don't see a clear path to choose right now...and I'm getting impatient.

Another Debate

We have many friends who are avid motorcycle enthusiasts--people who love cruisers and/or "crotch rockets". And we inevitably have some arguments with these people over proper road ettiquette--particularly with California motorcyclists. What brought this to mind was a recent article posted by the San Diego Union Tribune's site here. When we lived in sunny San Diego (which we miss every single day)--driving with terrible motorcyclists became the bain of our existence. I believe it's worse here than any other city I've lived in because 1. the weather is so awesome that many more people own & ride motorcycles and 2. the close proximity of many large military bases equals lots of young testosterone-filled males who over-aggressively speed & weave through traffic. Making the situation much worse is that California law has a grey area which allows motorcyclists to drive between vehicle lanes. This is what led Brad Pitt to have his little incident in the picture above. (Yes, that is Brad Pitt.)

When we lived in San Diego, Bryan had a big, nasty, beat-up redneck K-5 Blazer--we loved that damn thing! He had a motorcyclist come up on his rear quarter, carelessly weaving between the lanes, who ended up clipping the Blazer--falling over just like Brad Pitt. Bryan swears he heard applause from the other cars on the Coronado bridge that morning, and we've laughed about that incident ever since. However, we later ended up in a heated argument about it with a woman who thinks motorcyclists have every right to weave between lanes...are these people out of their minds? If it was me in my then-new Trans Am, I would've probably got out and beat the shit out of that guy for denting my car!

I don't mind sharing the road with these people--I enjoy riding motorcycles myself--but I cannot be responsible for their recklessness and stupidity.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Crappy End to a Shitty Week

We are still emotional about losing Loki, and I know there are people out there who don't understand or are incapable of feeling this kind of pain for an animal. And yes, we know there are bigger and worse things that bring more pain to families than this. My high school friend, Allison from Slice of Heaven, is going through one of those terrible moments right now--news that no one wants to hear--bringing a crappy end to a shitty week. Allison, my heart goes out to you and your family.

Another crappy thing that happened this week is that Jaci from Ravings of a Mad Housewife decided to kill Blog Fart Friday. She has good reason behind it, but those of us who don't have the time or creativity to write regular blog posts will miss throwing these things together and laughing at each other's blog farts. I know, I could go on and do it without linking up with her--but it's not the same.

We also found out that our daycare will be using their van to take our kids to school this year instead of using the school bus stop. Not so much of a big deal except that Tyler was really looking forward to riding the bus to kindergarten like all the other big kids. We haven't broke the news to him yet--we just might make the daycare tell him (hey--it's their idea.) On the upside, Brandon won't have the opportunity to get in trouble on the bus this year.

And to top it off, I had to take Tyler to the urgent care clinic late last night (after Bryan & I had been drinking at the bar--NO I didn't drive drunk.) He had a fever and complained that his chest hurt--with his chest, we didn't want to wait until Monday to see his pediatrician in case it was bronchitis or pneumonia. Of course, when we get to the clinic, I find out that his chest doesn't really hurt that bad. But the fever was real and it turns out he had the beninnings of an ear infection--so it wasn't for nothing. I'm just friggin' tired of having sick kids every Friday...it's been almost every Friday for the last 3 weeks!

UGH!

Getting Something Off My Chest

My company has launched a big corporate initiative this year to promote women and minorities--this is not a new concept for my company, but now it's been brought out in the open as one of the "Top Priorities". Rather than encouraging me, this pisses me off because I have witnessed great people being passed over for a promotion just because they weren't the right gender or color. Meaning they weren't a "minority" or female. It bugs the crap out of me that people may look at me and think I made it to where I am because I'm a woman. I bust my butt to be the best at my job, and I am smart enough to educate myself and do things to make myself a great asset for my company--I certainly don't rely on my gender to get me anywhere. It makes me sick that this country continues to make a big deal out of race & gender in the workplace--I have yet to witness someone being discriminated against for not being white or for being a woman. And I work in a shipyard. Those of you who may be offended by this, I don't apologize. You cannot blame anyone for where you are--get up, take responsibility to get where you want to be and do something constructive about it. I am a woman in a male-dominated workplace, and it drives me to be better than all of them because I'll be damned if any of them are going to question if I rose through the ranks because I'm a woman.

You may be asking what set me off. I am interviewing for a big promotion, and the first thing people around me have asked is "How many other women are interviewing?" Because as long as a woman is going for the job, they all assume no man will ever get it. What a bunch of shit. I will not be known as the person who got that job just because I am a woman. That doesn't mean I'm withdrawing my application--it just means that there is a fire under my butt. I am now driven to show everyone in my company that I am the most qualified and best person for the job, reagardless of gender. And if I don't get the job, I will know that I did my best and didn't just sit back waiting for a hand-out.

Our Son, the Serial Killer

You know, I started writing this blog entry a few days ago to poke fun at our first-grader's sketches. He is very creative in his drawings, and like many little boys, he's obsessed with monsters. I had scanned a few of his drawings into the computer, but needed to pull the really "creative" ones out of the bin where I store the kids' keepsakes before I could scan it. Alas, I have now been sidetracked by yet again another note from his teacher.

I knew he was in trouble the minute I walked through the door at daycare. It was another sealed note. And before we even got home so I could open and read it, I had already started into him about his behavior at school. When I asked him what happened, he said that he got 5 cubes for playing "guns" and one cube for not putting his name on a math paper. I was taken aback--he truly didn't know why he was in such deep trouble with his teacher, and he was clearly upset about this. I tore open the envelope and the teacher assigned him detention. He is a FIRST GRADE BOY. He didn't understand what he did wrong at all. I understand the absolute no tolerance to guns at school, but he does not. No warning, just detention. And a cube for not putting his name on a paper. Now I'm pissed. At the teacher. I understand we've had problems with his behavior at school, but this seems absurd. He should have had detention for doing something crazy, like cutting a hole in his friend's shirt. Instead this woman drops the hammer when he has no idea what he did wrong. Needless to say, Daddy will be making a visit to the school tomorrow (he's the family pit bull). Brandon really is a good kid--he's just a typical little boy. Not the soon-to-be serial killer that his teacher seems to think. Oh, by the way, I am not one of those delusional, overprotective and overbearing parents who thinks my kid is an angel--my sister and both my in-laws were school teachers, and I know my kid can get rowdy and out-of-control if you give him an inch. I just think this teacher has not clearly laid out her expectations, severely punishes him for petty things but doesn't punish him nearly enough for the more severe things...ok, enough ranting. And yes, we do have other children. They just aren't creating nearly as much drama as the oldest right now. Believe me, they all have their moments, and we love them all the same. I'm sure someday soon you will be hearing all about the other brothers.

Accountability

Heads up: This is not about my family—rather; I end up on my soapbox about the state of our economy. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. --Jennifer

I don’t know how many of you have read this book, or ever even heard of it, but Jack Welch’s “Winning” is the best book on management I’ve ever read. (disclaimer: I’ve only read 4 management/leadership books)

I am in middle management at work, and I strongly agree with many of Welch’s points. I recently pulled this book out to let one of my employees have a read, and before I gave it to him, I opened it up to have a quick glance. Right there on the page are these paragraphs on the relationship between companies, the government, and the economy:

“Obviously, the government is a vital part of society. First and foremost, it does nothing less than protect us all from the insidious and persistent challenges to national security that are with us now and for the foreseeable future. But government provides much more: the justice system, education, police and fire protection, highways and ports, welfare and hospitals. The list could go on and on.

But even with the virtues of government, it is crucial to remember that all of its services come from some form of tax revenues. Government makes no money of its own. And in that way, government is the support for the engine of the economy, is it not the engine itself.

Winning companies and the people who work for them are the engine of a healthy economy, and in providing the revenues for government, they are the foundation of a free and domestic society.”

I wonder what he would have to say about the government’s gargantuan bailout of the banks and automakers? I am dangerously close to stepping on my soapbox, so I’ll just say a few things: I don’t think it’s a bailout at all—I think it’s postponing the inevitable. And where is the accountability for the stupid decisions these companies have made over the years? What about the irresponsible people to agreed to ludicrous loans to live way beyond their means? Nobody is holding anyone accountable, and we are feeding the monster with more money—delaying the inevitable. And that’s all I’ll say about that…I don’t want to come across as one of those weird conspiracy-theory, gloom & doom, anti-government and anti-media people. I just thought it was strange to open a book written well before we were aware of today’s economic crisis and see that written on the page. Oh, and I did get on my box and preach to some poor unsuspecting folks about this at work yesterday. Sorry, guys…