Is Starbucks your “office”?

Everyday I think all my full-time entrepreneur friends have the BEST life!  In the middle of the day they can stop what they are doing and head out to Starbucks to meet someone to talk business or just to sip coffee and reminisce about life.  Having been a full-time entrepreneur in a past life I realize that sounds a lot more glamorous than it really is.  The truth is, you may get the chance to do that from time to time, and attend networking events during the day, and other things that being trapped by a 9:00-5:00 does not allow, but at 2:00 am when you suddenly jump out of bed because the project you’ve been working on for 4 weeks pops into your head…there is no going back to sleep until you figure that out!

My friend AS is one of those entrepreneurs who gets to do her thing everyday instead of marching to the beat of the corporate drummer.  And the other day (Monday, August 6th to be exact) after she made her way to local Starbucks to meet up with a friend for a little social time she encountered quite the scenario due to some men who decided that on that particular day Starbucks was going to be their “office.”  Upon reading her status update on Facebook I responded with a comment and specifically made mention to blogging about this issue.  Due to other things I decided I wanted to do on Monday and Tuesday night I did not write said blog post and had all intention of doing so today.  Well…let me just say that this behavior at Starbucks must be an epidemic!  Because last night as I lay in bed reading other blogs that I follow regularly I came across a very interesting post from Intuit – they wrote a post titled: 8 Rules of Etiquette for Working in Coffee Shops.  Read more here.  Perhaps this is where I should say “great minds think alike.”

Now, without further ado I’d like to share with you AS’s post and all the comments that followed.  I’ve used initials for all those who commented with the exception of my comments which say HEATHER.  Let’s face it – I’m blogging and always speaking my mind so I have no reason not to say which comment it mine, but out of respect for the others who commented I will not post their names.

AS: Just found myself at the center of a Starbuck’s etiquette controversy: I was in a crowded, in-town location that was full of middle-age white guys with laptops using the Starbucks as an office. I was there to meet a friend for coffee and to socialize, the entire point of a Starbucks. We hadn’t been seated for two minutes before a guy turns to us and says, “Ladies, people are trying to work here so you need to lower your voices.” Before either of us can say anything a debate breaks out around us about whether or not Starbucks is “the library,” that ended in name calling. Clearly, people are riled up about proper coffee house behavior. To me, this is a PSA for coworking–there is no expectation of silence at Starbucks.

Oh the comments this status update stirred up!

MF: Geez louise! These guys better get a grip. They’re in a coffee house for chrissakes!  Hey, somebody break out a guitar! 😉

KG: Agreed! You give up your right to privacy ( & quiet) the moment you walk to into Starbucks, the nerve!

JC: I witnessed this same kind of thing at my regular Starbucks one morning. A guy who uses Starbucks as his office was upset because another guy was on his phone. He berated the guy in front of everyone and when it got back to the manager, he was actually the one the that got in trouble. All of the staff told him that what he did was not appropriate. Turns out he had been kicked out of another Starbucks before. I haven’t seen him in a long time!

UH: Are you serious? Starbucks is not your private office…they have appropriate places to conduct business…its just a courtesy on Starbucks part to let people come in with their computers and “work”. I just can’t believe it.

KW: Smh. Wow. The WHOLE Starbucks and other coffee houses as offices has gotten so out of control. It is NOT an office. I have even seen them ask ppl to move so they could plug up!

KY: ‎AS I believe this deserves a tweet to Starbucks Howard Schultz I have NEVER seen a sign at ANY Starbucks (or Caribou or any other coffee house) that required a vow of silence. Sheesh….totally out of line if you ask me!

KTC: You were right. They were wrong. IMHO.  People should work in coffee shops because they like that environment, not because they don’t have their own office space.  Interesting interaction though, thanks for posting.

KY: KTC Think they should rent an office suite somewhere instead of freeloading an office for the price of a coffee? Just sayin’

HEATHER: What is this world coming to? Now, if I’m on a restaurant trying to enjoy a meal I do have a problem with phone conversations (when overly loud) but if you want a quiet workspace go rent one or work from home…or just anywhere but a coffee house. I’m really tired of everyone feeling entitled to EVERYTHING these days!

OH: makes me wish I were there

KY: OH I know… maybe we should schedule a group meeting with a speaker! LOL

HEATHER: I would have said something to the for sure! And then they would have become the subject of my blog (although that may still happen because I’ve been on a rant lately)!

KW: @ OH & KY ~ Count me in for the group meeting! Lol… I will bring a power point and all!

KW: @KY ~ I have seen cases where they do NOT buy anything! And I really think that should b a deal breaker. Smh…

KY: @KW That is even MORE unbelievable!

KY: And yes, PPT is perfect!

KY: @Heather, blogging on this… DEFINITELY!!!

KTC: …@ KY, OH, KW …. maybe a flash mob…

AP: Call me crazy, but when I need it to be “library quiet” I go to the library.

AS: ‎KY I am planning on contacting Starbucks Howard Schultz about this. I’m a huge fan of his book “Onward,” which is all about Starbucks as a place to socialize and connect with community.

VK: There is no such thing to preferred atmosphere or entitlement to that preference whilst in a public space (from planes to coffee houses).
I have been both the social meeter as well as focused worker. When I want quiet but desperately need Internet/lunch I make sure to bring my sound canceling headphones.  This is a huge economical issue from the standpoint of the coffee house owner that sprung up during the recession. Someone buying one cup of coffee and parking in a seat (or two or four) for 8hrs using Internet, electricity and the bathroom.  Some coffee houses have tried to fight the library atmosphere by imposing a limit on the Internet access or in the case of @octane coffee Intown by the cemetery don’t even have plugs available, which has brought the atmosphere back to the traditional setting.

KY: ‎AS Good for you! I’d say your experience was the perfect example of a few hijacking the socializing and connecting atmosphere for the many! You go, girl!

KY: Only wish you’d gotten it on video! (DId you?)

AS: KY No video–I was too stunned to catch it.

KY: Oh well, your description paints enough of a picture! 🙂

PB: Its a coffee house. Neighborhood Socializing. Work at home if you have no office….sorry (I have been on both sides).

RPA: Ah ha! One of the very reasons that I wanted to open The BizLynks Center. There are great coworking locations throughout Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Check us out!

AS: Here’s an irony: I had just come from looking at a shared office space. Had a fight not broken out, I probably would have given him a heads up on coworking nearby.

KW: ‎@Heather ~ Yes, blog about it! What is your blog address?

TS: spill your coffee on the persons keyboard…problem solved

PR: Insanity. No, no silence. Good grief

KRG: Sheesh…would love to see what they do when I bring my 7yo twins in for steamed milk when it gets cold.

EB: Good grief!

CB: Time for a Starbuck revolution??? <smile> That is crazy!

CM: Wow. another reason I can avoid Starbucks.

JS: Wow , Starbuck’s office

RL: I would have LOvED to be there!

PT: I think so many people are out of work and trying to minimize overhead by not having internet access at home. They use Starbucks instead (or Caribbou or Pannera or…..). I am amazed that they are allowed to stay for so long with maybe the purchase of a single coffee. There is one coffee shop that doesn’t allow that to happen. Will be interesting to see how long he lasts.

KW: So who is all in for THE STARBUCKS FLASHMOB that Kristen Colier suggested? Rehersal at my house…Lol

CD: Unbelievable!

KRG: AS, message me which Starbucks. The littles and I are ready for a field trip!

I completely understand the need/want to reduce the cost of overhead especially given today’s economy.  Here’s an idea…find a little space in your own darn home then.  When you enter a public place that was originally created as a meeting place for friends to gather and enjoy some downtime you certainly are stepping across the line when you get mad at people for talking!  That being said, I’m not overly fond of the children who are allowed to release constant blood curdling screams while I’m out to eat.  It’s funny how parents can ignore that type of behavior, but grown men who take over the local Starbucks cannot overlook the fact that people are at Starbucks to relax and meet up with friends!  Maybe someday we will all find a way to get along together – even at the local coffee shop!

Two Wrongs (“rights”) do NOT Make a Right!

If you don’t agree with Chick-fil-a slinging mud won’t help!

If you do agree with Chick-fil-a slinging mud won’t help!

I kind of wish we could make a lot of this stuff in the news just go away.

Today I encountered this on Facebook.  And I actually “liked” the picture from the standpoint that both sides should be able to do what they feel is necessary.  I don’t like it because I don’t believe two wrongs make a right (or two “rights” make a right).

Below are the comments that followed the picture.

Comment 1: Nice. How sad this is. They had better watch out. God will only put up with this for so long.

Comment 2: You are right, Cindy.  What gets me are all the so-called “Christians” who are manipulating Scripture to justify homosexuality, when it clearly speaks out against it.

Comment 3: They will love the business.

Comment 4: I don’t know but my guy tells me that this scheduled event will not go as peaceful as the one yesterday. I foresee huge problems. But I hope I’m wrong.

Comment 5: Supposed to be my GUT. iPhone!! Blah!! Lol!

Comment 6: Ya but there’s no such thing as bad publicity. My Nephew manages one in Charleston and all this has caused their sales to go through the roof. Not that they needed it. They are always busy here

Comment 7: I just don’t understand how the world can not see the only ones stirring up hate is the gay community.

Comment 8 (My Comment): Okay…I’m heterosexual and I’m absolutely appalled by all the comments above. I usually agree with the majority of the posts from Stephen and actually even like this picture he posted. Hate is coming from every angle and it’s disgusting. Tell me the last time you heard a gay person call Christians all kinds of names for living in sin, getting divorced and being hypocritical.  God tells us to love everyone.  None of us are better than anyone else and if you think you are…well then you have just as much to explain when you stand before him as you think they do for their so-called inappropriate behavior and lifestyle. It is not necessarily a lifestyle I completely understand, but I believe God makes NO mistakes and knows each of us before we are ever born!!  There is no one that would EVER choose a lifestyle that would cause them to be constantly belittled, judged, hated, beaten and killed!! I have many friends who are gay and I love each and every one of them and they would NEVER choose this for themselves.  God considers all sin equal – if you think this is a sin then I sincerely hope you have never lied, stolen so much as a quarter from your mother’s purse, looked at anyone with so much as an ounce of lust, cut anyone off in traffic or flipped anyone off.  The only one who is truly righteous is God! We are human…we are not perfect! And remember, it is Christians who are picketing the funerals  of fallen soldiers who have fought for our country…Christians for goodness sake!! What does that say about us?

Comment 9: God makes no mistakes. Agreed! Which proves homosexuality is a choice, and if not, then the lifestyle is.
I CHOOSE a Christian (not perfect by any means) lifestyle, and like other Christians around the world have been belittled, judged, hated, beaten and killed. Just as you have just done in your previous comments.

I won’t be offended by the ignorance of others.  In no way did I belittle or judge anyone – I was simply trying to point out that we all need to be respectful of each other and look in our own backyards before casting stones.  I will stand by this belief until I die – NO ONE CHOOSES A LIFESTYLE THAT WOULD CAUSE THEM TO BE CONSTANTLY RIDICULED AND THE SUBJECT OF HATE.  And I’m going out on a limb here…are you saying that people with MS, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, born with a missing limb made that choice?  Because, you are saying God makes no mistakes (as I’ve also said).  What about people who die of heart attacks who have always eaten healthy and lived a healthy lifestyle?  What about babies who die without experiencing anything in life – no Kindergarten, riding a bicycle, no sleep overs or pool parties.

I am well aware that I have friends on both sides of the fence and it is likely I have offended some of you.  That is not, and never will be, my intention.  My intention is to make people think about their thoughts and actions.  Be compassionate.  Do you hate all Muslims because of what happened on 9/11?  Do you truly, in your heart of hearts, hate all atheists?  You can disagree with a friend and make the statement “let’s agree to disagree” – how come we are not trying that here?

Late breaking Comment 10 (came in as I write this): SO if they are hanging out in the parking lot kissing and not there to spend money….they are loitering.  How stupid.  Why not just show up.  Why do you have to kiss to show love and equality.  I love my husband but we don’t kiss at Chic Fil A to show we love each other.

Yesterday I saw a comment on this being a means of being “politically correct” and how we’ve taken that too far.  I whole heartedly disagree.  This is my thought on the whole PC thing (as commented on a friend’s status yesterday)…And I may have to write a post about this, but to me the whole PC issue doesn’t even come into play in something like this.  Being PC is ensuring that people aren’t calling others nigger, fag, spick and the like.  Being PC is more about sensitivities around being downright disrespectful of others.  Hence the campaign against using the “R” word (retarded) which I have tried very hard to stop using.  To me this CFA issue is just too much. There are so many other things we need to focus on. This actually shouldn’t be news.  Sad that it is…ugh! I could really go back and forth and on and on forever about this, but that just keeps the damn fire burning!

Please understand that I love ALL my friends and family regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, and all the other reasons you could possibly think of.  I do not fault you for who you love or how you believe.  I will have a problem when you lie to me, steal from me or disrespect me.  Otherwise, I love you and all of your YOUness.  And, in my next life I want to be a spoiled dog just like Reba living in a house of people who love me so much I can do no wrong and get everything I want including many, many toys and rides in my carriage and the car and know that I never have to worry about all this stuff going on around me because I’m too busy making my family kiss my little crocked tail. *woof*

New comments came in before I finished.

Comment 11: ^^^ exactly!!

Comment 12: Ouch. I have to agree those things are done in hate. But just because they say they are Christian doesn’t mean they are. Oops some people would say that’s judging and it probably is my bad. Anyways. It’s my belief we are all gods children and I pray for peace solidarity, understanding, and compassion for us all. Oh yes let’s not forget rain!     It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings. We will see how much Chic Fil A really believes in freedom of speech.  Nothing wrong with a little PDA as long as it doesn’t go overboard and that’s for us all.    Pray for us sinners

Stop.The.Hate.

I have so many mixed emotions about everything in the news these days.  I’ve always considered myself a Christian, but when so many Christians are judging people and being down right disrespectful of others I find it hard to publicly announce my beliefs.

Let’s start with anything political…I have a firm belief that politicians should never (ever) run on the basis of religion of any kind.  Do not talk about what people “should” or “should not” do.  Do not talk about whether or not you believe in abortion or whether it is right or wrong.  Do not talk about stem cell research.  Do not talk about affairs.  Do not talk about gun legislation. And do not talk about legality of drugs.  (For the record…I do not think abortion is “right” for ME, but I cannot and will not speak for others.  I think stem cell research is extremely important in order for us to advance medicine.  What politician actually hasn’t had an affair?  Guns should be legal in order for people to protect themselves. And I think marijuana should be legalized and taxed.)

And absolutely, positively stop this war on same-sex marriages.  Why do you really care if people of the same-sex are getting married?  Here are a few thoughts that I have on the subject.  I’ve known many LGBT people through the years and count many of them among my most trusted and loving friends!  I know that through the years there has been talk of the LGBT community being a promiscuous group – often dating the exes of current partners.  But…have you EVEN seen the news or anything on TV over the past 20 years?  promiscuity is rampant in the high schools among young girls and heterosexual couples.  It’s clearly an issue with politicians and others who hold themselves in high regard.  There have been countless news stories of high schools with abundance of teen pregnancies.  There’s even a show about teenage mothers.  The divorce rates are outrageously high, and yet I know many same-sex couples who have longer lasting relationships than heterosexual couples.  The devotion they show each other is beyond comprehension in many cases.  A big problem I have is the inability for same-sex couples to act on each other’s behalf simply because they do NOT have a piece of paper stating so.  In an emergency they are unable to speak for the other at the hospital – even if it’s life or death.  This does not make any sense to me!  I have been following the most awesome blog for a while now called Raising my Rainbow – it is about a little boy who does not relate to being a boy.  He likes Disney princesses, pink, ballet, and all things girly.  Someone posted a link on Facebook and I read one post and fell in love with this little boy and his loving family.  The little boy may outgrow this, and it may just be a phase, but it could very possibly be his life (forever).  I find it impossible that a child so young would make this decision unless he was “born this way” (thank you Lady Gaga).  All I’ve ever heard through my years in and out of church has been that God does not make mistakes.  He is deliberate in his actions and he knows everything about us before we are born.  People would not choose a way of life that would be the brunt of such ridicule and hate!

My friend Lindsay posted this yesterday on Facebook (she and I used to attend the same church where her mother taught a Sunday School class I attended)…There’s a lot of attention on Christianity right now, and all I’m going to say on the matter is this:  Jesus said we are supposed to be the light of the world, set apart by His unconditional, selfless love.  No matter what else, we are commanded to show that same love to others, to everyone.  Note the use of the word EVERYONE!  We should love everyone.  I know many LGBT people who love God, and I’m quite sure he loves them too.

This takes me to the Chick-fil-a controversy.  I love me some CFA chicken and lemonade.  I’m not one to quickly jump on any bandwagon and follow the crowd.  I am such a picky eater and so I am currently torn between boycotting and enjoying some chicken nuggets.  I have many friends who have immediately boycotted them.  I have other friends, LGBT included, who still eat there.  I saw a post somewhere (probably Facebook as I seem to spend a lot of time there) that stated something to the effect – “You eat at a Christian establishment, knowing they have always been Christian and are closed on Sundays and yet you are surprised at their announcement against same-sex marriage.”  Hmmm…that’s an interesting point of view.  But then I see this girl post a long video on YouTube titled Chick-fil-a and Proverbs 25:21 and she also got me thinking.  When she started talking about the “biblical  explanation” for marriage it made me think we’ve evolved so much and yet so little.  If we strictly follow the biblical explanation women would have so few rights today – and I would NOT stand for that. I think we need to understand that when the Old Testament was written it was a very different time, which is why things changed in the New Testament.  Where there once was no music (musical instruments) there are now.  There are churches today that still follow the Old Testament and do not use instruments in their churches.  Yet, many, like those that I typically attend have full bands – guitars, drums, cymbals, you name it!  What would the Bible be like if it was written today?  How would the Old Testament read?  What about the New Testament?  My parents recently stopped going to their church because every time they stepped into their Sunday School class there was a discussion about “gays” – and quite frankly they were over it.  Enough with judging and bashing everyone!  Can we all just have our beliefs without being hateful to others?

We all have the right to fight for what we believe in, contribute money to where we feel it is best put to use, but I think it can be done respectfully and without slinging hate around.  I honestly haven’t looked up the organizations that Dan Cathy (or the Cathy/Chick-fil-a family) is donating to.  I just haven’t had the time in the past few days.  If they are Christian organizations about “saving the sanctity of marriage” – marriage as they believe it to be true – then I cannot fault them for that.  HOWEVER, if they are donating to organizations that brutalize and kill “gays” then I have a big issue with it.  One other thing that I thought of about the CFA controversy – why just discriminate against the LGBT community?  If God believes that all sin is equal than I think that CFA should not serve people who have committed crimes or any other sin (coveting thy neighbor’s house, or covet they neighbor’s wife, thou shalt not steal…and the list goes on.  There are 10 Commandments if you were unsure.)

Please…it’s 2012 and we need to find ways to be more tolerant and accepting of everyone. We should all be able to live our lives without shoving it down each other’s throats.  I have never encountered a LGBT who has tried to convert me or tell me my way of living is wrong.  So why would I do that to them?  It is not my place to determine they are wrong for following their hearts.

I will leave you with this that I saw on Facebook (yes, again…Facebook).

Acknowledge we are all different and strive to be a decent and loving human being.

Well good for him!

I consider myself open-minded.  I consider my parents to be kind of open-minded.  I consider my dad’s mother to be open-minded to the point that she seems to be more “aware” of things going on in society more than most grandmothers.  I do not, however, consider my mom’s mother to be open-minded.  She’s a democrat – there isn’t another choice.  She likes things a certain way – and that’s that!

The story I’m about to tell you may seem a bit all over the place.  Stay focused.

First, regarding my open-mindedness, I have never really seen race, sexual orientation, etc when talking to people.  I may notice if your outfit doesn’t match, but I don’t care about the color of your skin or whether or not you like someone of the opposite sex or the same-sex.  I had a friend once say I was the first person who didn’t judge her and her lifestyle…well, quite frankly it’s not up to me to judge her or anyone else.  I firmly believe that it’s not a decision people make.  You don’t wake up one day and decide to live a lifestyle that people “kill” people over.  I also had a black uncle when I was growing up and I thought everyone did – I didn’t realize our family was different.

Now onto the reason for this post.  I’m not a regular viewer of Dancing with the Stars, but I do watch from time to time.  As many of you may know, there was A LOT of controversy over Chaz Bono being on the show this year.  Many parents took offense to him being on the show and blew up the Internet with posts about banning the show in their house because they didn’t want to have to tell their children about Chaz being a transgender, and being born a girl.  I have no problem whatsoever with Chaz being on the show or about him being a transgender.  But I must say I did wonder what conversations might be like in households around the country.

And then it happened!  My mother and I are driving down the road one day – I’m driving and she’s in the passenger seat having her daily phone call with my grandmother (Grammy, as we call her – affectionately known as my Crazy Grandmother when she drives us nuts with the same thing over and over) and guess what comes up??  What?  You haven’t figured it out?  Oh…I know you are smarter than that!  That’s right! Dancing with the Stars and the people on it.  I hear only my mom’s side of the conversation, but it was a doozy!  I hear this “Do you remember Sonny and Cher and their variety show in the 70s?  Well, that is their daughter Chastity.  He had an operation and is now a man – Chaz.”  Needless to say – I’m sitting in the car mouth wide opened trying to figure out what the heck that conversation was about.  My mother, after hanging up, tells me what went down.  My grandmother tells my mom she stayed up late the night before (she’s in bed usually between 7:00-8:00 depending on her day) so she could watch Dancing with the Stars, but she said “Who was that big fat guy?  He looks familiar.”  And there it was…the need to tell my grandmother that the big fat guy was born a girl.  Oh dear – I never expected that in my lifetime!  My mother gives the Sonny and Cher explanation and my grandmother simply says “Well good for him!” End of story – onto the next thing she has in her brain that day, which was probably telling my mom everything that happened that day including who called, who stopped by, and what she ate.

I say, if my Catholic no-nonsense non-openminded (or so I thought) grandmother can be accepting – than maybe more people need to consider their thoughts and actions when condemning people for their lifestyles.

Wussification of America

Questioning the title of my post – well, I couldn’t have said it better myself (maybe I could have), but I must admit I have stolen this title from The Bert Show on Q100 in Atlanta.  It is on their show that I first heard the ever so eloquently spoken words – Wussification of America.

I have to say, we are getting way out of hand with the controls we are putting on children with regard to them spreading their wings, learning things and excelling!  When I was a student I made the Honor Roll and part of the “honor” of being on the Honor Roll was my name being listed in the local newspaper.  I looked forward to this momentous event each semester (I think they were called semesters when I was in school).  It was a privilege to have your name listed in the paper and a bragging right.  I worked my ass off to get on that list.  That being said, there were at least 3 levels of classes as I recall.  I believe we had remedial classes, the “standard” classes, honors classes and Gifted and Talented.  I was in “standard” classes, but I know that if I had worked even harder than I did (and remember…I said I worked my ass off, but I’m sure I didn’t really work as hard as I could have) I could have been in the honors classes.  I point out these 3 (4) levels of classes to say this – anyone with a certain grade point average had the potential to be on the Honor Roll – even kids in remedial classes.  Everyone had an equal opportunity.  So, that makes me question why today (over 20 years since I was in High School) we are stripping kids of the chance to be on the Honor Roll.  Why do we feel it is unfair to promote the good work of students?  Why can’t kids today have their names on a special list for getting great grades?  What makes this way of doing it “more fair” to the other students?

My other problem is with sports – recently a young kid was denied the opportunity to score any more touchdowns in football because “they” (the adults – parents, teachers, coaches, etc) think it is unfair to other kids that this one kid is doing so well.  How is that unfair?  If he excels at something he should not be held back!  What happened to the saying “Use it or lose it?”  If this kid isn’t able to keep practicing and scoring he might lose his ability and not go on to get a well-deserved scholarship.  I don’t remember if he is a JV or Varsity player – if he is JV, maybe he needs to be Varsity and play with kids more on his level.

Are we going to stop letting kids take college classes at a younger age just because it isn’t “fair” to other kids their age who aren’t at that level?  What about Doogie Howser?  Are we supposed to hold back child prodigies?  Let’s be realistic here – how many people have kids that can use your iPad, iPhone, Android phone, PC or other device better than any adult you know?  Are we supposed to stop them from learning how to do these things?  You know, if we do, you may not be able to use your phone because you don’t know how it works and you sure aren’t going to take the time to RTFM (read the freaking manual).

I would like all the crazy adults out there who think these are all great ideas (no honor roll, no scoring in sports, blah…blah…blah…) to answer this – when your kid interviews for his/her first job and there are 4 other people applying how do you expect that all to play out?  The company isn’t going to hire all 5 people because scoring isn’t “fair.”  They are going to hire the best person for the job.  What happens when it’s not your kid?  How do you explain that after years of not striving to be the best, no winners or losers, and being sure you don’t hurt anyone’s feelings??  All we are doing is encouraging everyone to be mediocre.  I’m sick of it.

When I pick a doctor, dentist, mechanic, etc I want the best of group.  I don’t want the guy who was the bottom of the class.  I want a pilot that is knows the plane inside and out – not someone who just knows he’s on a plane but can’t remember what the big red button is for (just so you know…I have no idea if there is a red button in the cockpit).

I know that some people will read this and think it’s just a ramble, but I think it’s important.  We need to start focusing on what’s real and the fact that competition is important and it starts at a young age.

Don’t settle for the way the world expects us to act – train children that competition is good.  Keep score!  Don’t hold anyone back!  Don’t just do good – do great!  And don’t feel bad about it.  You can be proud of your accomplishments without being boastful and disrespectful of others.

Let’s stop the “wussification” of America!!

Car Window Stickers

As you know, a while back I posted that I don’t like those stickers that people put on their car windows that say Rest in Peace or In Memory of…

I wish I had a really good reason for not liking them, but I really don’t have one. I just don’t like them. And two weeks ago as well as last week I was behind cars that had these stickers. The first one really bothered me because it was for a baby. I think the dates equated to a child around 6 months old at the time of death. I wonder if that’s how that baby is best memorialized. Plus…I don’t need to be distracted while driving because I’m trying to figure out the age of someone when they die or get all upset when I realize it’s a baby! Then Friday I was behind a truck for a good bit of my ride home and it had 2 In Memory of stickers (one on each side of the back window) and in the middle of the In Memory of and the person’s name and DOB and DOD was a big bass fish. Another distraction I don’t need while driving!

Goodness people – can’t you think of any other way to pay tribute to your dead friends or family? I’m just sayin…

I hate your Trash!

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while. I hate trash and when people throw their trash on the ground! Even if it is biodegradable!

Several months ago I was on my way to my car at work so I could head home for the day and this is what I found!

I just want to know why someone can’t wrap this up in a napkin and throw it away when they get home! It’s so disrespectful of the other people around you!

Week One of our New President

Prior to the inaguration I was dead set against watching any of the news casts about it or even watching live as it happened. Quite honestly…I didn’t want him to win so why bother. And then I started realizing that made me just as closed minded as so many other Americans and I just couldn’t put myself in that category!

I watched a bit of it online at work while getting my work done at my desk. I saw part of Rick Warren’s invocation…he is awesome. And I saw part of Obama’s swearing in…they flubbed it a little bit.

I have some issues that have been on my mind since the race began for this new President…and it is about RACE. Would anyone care to tell me when this will no longer be about him being black/African American/or whatever we are calling it in 2009? First of all…he’s 1/2 black. So, when Jesse Jackson’s son runs for office will he then be called the first “fully” African American to run and possibly win the White House? Can’t we just call everyone human and call it a day?!

I realize that it is an important and historical day for our country in that many other countries would not allow such a thing to happen. Not only would they probably not vote a black man into office – they pretty much tell you who to vote for.

One of the problems I have with the situation is this…I understand that many white people are ancestors to slave owners and that many black people are ancestors to slaves. But none of us that are alive today are party to that behavior. I really don’t think I’ve even encountered anyone that would condone it or thinks it was a really good thing back then. But it is what it is…and luckily through many years of trials and tribulations we have moved away from a lot of the hatred there once was. Don’t get me wrong…I don’t live under a rock or anything, I know that there are still idiots out there who are not kind to people of other races. And this, in my opinion, is due to their upbringing and knowing no different. I know that people come in all different colors – I just don’t care to look at it like that. In my heart we are all human and should treat each other as such!

I am proud that our country was able to vote a black man into office, just like I will be proud the day a woman is elected. Just please…let’s stop focusing on that. We need to focus on what he can and will do for our country – not the color of his skin! His skin color, and for that matter the fact that he is an excellent communicator, has absolutely nothing to do with his ability to lead our country.

As I have mentioned a few times before – I will be very thankful if the people who voted him into office prove me wrong rather than prove me right that he is not ready for this position. I am trying to keep an open mind and to support him since he is my President. But I would like to focus on his abilities and not his skin color!

And one other thing…for those who I have overheard saying “I never thought I would see a black man as President” or “Now my son thinks he can be President one day” – I have something to say about that. If your child EVER thought for even a second he couldn’t be President (or anything else) because of the color of his skin it is YOUR fault for not instilling in him that he can be anything! I mean, parents are supposed to tell their kids that they can do and be anything. I do think it’s wrong for a parent who knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that his/her kid can’t sing and then sends them to audition for American Idol, but other than that there is no reason to NOT encourage your kid to be anything he/she wants to be!