No Time That's Free... But Gives The Illusion I Have Some

 

With this Post I just loaded some Images and thought I'd Write the content of it second.  Usually it's the other way around, I like to mix things up about Blogging.  *Smiles*  Like all these Unpublished Posts I'm now doing coz I'm trying to shorten then, and sometimes I'm even Succeeding... and sometimes I'm not.  *Winks*  Still, I Love Blogging and what I prefer to do in my Free Time.  Since, Caregiving is all the time really, which makes for spartan Free Time or Me Time.  And so with Blogging I'm here if The Man or the Family Needs me while I'm Free to Blog when I can squeeze it in to everything else.  Whallah, you see how much Blogging I squeeze in, I'm very Creative about managing No Time that's actually Free, but, gives the Illusion I have some.  *Bwahahaha*  I began with simple French Toast Food Porn, coz... Why Not?

This {Above} is my Co-Worker Friend, Ken, when he could still do Shifts.  He hasn't now for Years due to taking a Senior Fall that almost Killed him and certainly altered Life considerably.  From going from being a Big imposing Strong Senior, to Years of just Recovering from the effects of that Fall.  What did he do?  Well, for a while now, when he, myself and Crazy Ed Worked Tuesday Night Shifts Together, I'd told both Stubborn Old Men, hey, I know you're still Strong as Oxen, but should you be doing what you do anymore at your Ages?  It's high risk now, you should Stop with the moving of huge Objects all by yourselves. 

 I just had a Premonition that each of them would have it injure them terribly if they didn't concede.  Well, it did, with each of them, Ken way worse than Crazy Ed, tho' both have since required numerous corrective Surgeries for their Injuries caused by stubbornly fucking doing it still!   Ken took a Face Plant off of a Semi Flatbed and had to have all his Facial Bones Rebuilt and Arm Reconstructions from Breaking them too!  Now he's got 9 Stents in his Heart too... he's beating The Man's Record by 3 Stents so far!  *LOL, Sigh and an Eye Roll*  Above is Three of my Industry Friends, Cyndie, Michelle and Carol, with Rocker Alice Cooper.

I got all Nostalgic again whilst trawling my Photo Archives and dug up some I dredged up.  Above was The Young Prince as a Tween with his Grandpa, right around the time The Man got his Traumatic Brain Injury and Life then forever changed for us all on the turn of a Dime.  The Accident happened on The Young Prince's 13th Birthday, talk about Unlucky 13... and 2013 being a very Bad Year for us, Yikes and it really Sucked by early August and didn't get much better for Years and Years.  In fact, did it ever get better... I'm not sure I can say it did or has???  And now here we are Living The Dream, not the Dream I had, but, we're still Living it.  As is my New Mantra when asked how I'm doing???  *Smiles*

Above is The Son at his High School Graduation.  Since his Sister never could Graduate, coz like her Son, the Seriousness of her Mental Illness meant that by High School, The Educational System had given up on her and no Schools would accept her anymore, we were Proud he got to Graduate in spite of being deemed Special Needs.  Basically, America's School Systems and even their "Alternative" and "Special Education" Programs and School don't know how to handle, Educate, or meet Seriously Mentally Ill Students at their Point of Need and don't know what to do with them for Placement.   Doesn't matter if they have a Genius IQ and are like a Sponge about Learning either... they'd much rather have a Seriously Developmentally Disabled Student that doesn't even know they're there... coz that's far Easier for The System in place.  You can Warehouse Kids with certain Disabilities... or Demographics you don't Care about or Value, and call it an Education tho'.

  And if it's not just like a Respite Day Care for the Developmentally Disabled, even if they Learn nothing or don't know they're even there... your SMI Kid is just deemed a Problem Student and Misfit they don't want, there is no inclusion for most of them.  The Son beat the Odds, he's Bipolar, ADHD and Autistic, but he Graduated with Academic Honors and he was very Athletic, which, Schools Love a talented Athlete.  He was deemed "too aggressive" for Football... go figure, we thought that was a hoot!  But, if you gave him the Ball and told him to get it across the Goal Line, he took it literally, so, the other Team's Players in his way were probably gonna get hurt and end up in the ER, or be hanging on to him as he dragged them across the Goal Line. 

 It was comical, but, you don't want Kiddos getting hurt for a Game.  *LOL*   He's super Smart but a little bit of him goes a long way.  So, the School Years were Tough, we knew every Principal and Detention Teacher on a 1st Name Basis, so did our Bosses.  *Smiles*  He thought Detention was one of his Regular Classes and would introduce that Teacher on Parent/Teacher Day, a First for her.  But, it was one of his Regular Classes every day, to be Fair.  He enjoyed that Class in fact, whatever Punishment it was meant to be was Lost on him and he thought the "Assignments" were Fun!!!  Yeah, to say The System was not frustrated would be a Lie, but they let him continue and didn't oust him like they did his Older Sister and Nephew.  And Princess T too, she took longer to Graduate, and had a Recapture Class Graduation with the other Kiddos with Issues, but she managed to.  *Whew*  The Son now Jokes tho' that he was SO "Special", he didn't even know he was in a lot of Special Ed Classes!  But, most of his Friends were too, and so they were all oblivious it wasn't Normal Classes mixed in with Mainstream ones.  *Bwahahaha*

Above is me with my Dad's Older Brother, who'd come down from the Reservation in Oklahoma to Arizona to visit us in the early 1970's, and bring our Paternal Grandma, who rarely left the Rez, to see the 1st Home my Parents Owned.  Most of my Paternal Relatives didn't Believe in Land or Property Ownership, it's a Weird concept to a lot of Indigenous People that you Own what The Creator gave to all Sentient Beings to occupy, share and use.  So, my Dad doing it was a Big Deal I guess.  It took me a long time to convince my Dad to Buy Property, he never liked the idea, he only ever did it twice, and he didn't Care about Materialistic things at all.  Mom was Tasteful, Classy and Refined with Decor.  oUR Dad Loved Kitsch and Weird Tacky shit that even I, as a total Weirdo who Loves The Weird and The Wonderful, or Oddities, would go, Dad, WTF is THAT?!  *Bwahahaha*

My Brother and I, when disposing of Dad's things after he Passed, and he didn't Own much coz he was a True Minimalist, would Laugh at some of the Tackiness and say, here YOU take it, No, YOU take it!  I did take some to remember him by, coz it still makes me Smile that he Loved it and it's beyond Weird and Tacky.  The Kiddos will see it and say Mom/Gramma, that's some Weird shit... and I'll respond, Yeah, it was my Inheritance from your Grand-Dad.  And that Explains it all. *Smiles*  If he had something tho' and you had nothing, he'd gladly share whatever he had with you and felt that's how a Society should function.  He would often give out of his Lack and never think twice about it, coz his Needs were Simplistic and Basic.  Clearly I didn't get that from him... and inherited my Mom's European Muchness and Excess Genes.  *Bwahahaha*  Above, The Young Prince as a Tween again.

The only thing Dad went overboard on was Nature, be it Plants, Animals, Fish, Birds... his Home looked like a Jungle Menagerie.  And his Plants and Creatures thrived when he was Younger, he was like a Plant and Animal Whisperer, even Wild Things responded to him and the Relationship he inherently had with them.  He Bred Exotic Fish and Exotic Birds all my Life.  And Bred some Pedigree Dogs.  I got my Love of Nature and Plants from him for sure.  By the time he got Old and Sickly tho', he couldn't take Care of them all and Neglect began to be obvious to where I had to run an Intervention for his Sake and his Pets.   I think the hardest thing for him was not battling Cancer or Dying, he was Okay with all of that, but, giving up his Animals, becoz he could no longer take good enuf Care of them, since he couldn't even take good enuf Care of himself anymore.   He Bred Exotic Birds and Exotic Fish that few people had much Success with Breeding, and Pet Shops would eagerly Buy from him.  He Believed all Living Things have a Soul and Feelings, Humans just Project our Kinds upon them, or think coz their Kind is different, it's not legitimate.  Above is my Vendor Friend Cigar Hugh.

Above is one of the Granddaughters in Mexico, I Wish she hadn't put the Heart Emoji over her Face or the Phone in front of it tho'.   I think one of her Sisters was taking a Pix of her with their Phone, of her Taking a Selfie with her own Phone?  *LOL*  Modern Kids... *Ha ha ha*  And, she'd Dyed her Blonde Hair a Light Brown this time... sometimes they Dye their Blonde Hair Dark Shades to not look so Weta and Mixed Race.  The Three Younger Siblings of The G-Kid Force are Natural Blondes.  We, and Salvador's Family, do have some Recessive Genes in the Hereditary Woodpile.  *Winks*   Those of us who got the Recessive Genes Lottery doled out, tended to Hate it tho', coz we didn't look like the rest and so people would always ask you if you were Adopted?   And, worse, the Cultures you were Born into often didn't embrace you for looking so different and misfit.   So, it can have it's disadvantages Socially and it's advantages... a total crap shoot.  I remember as a Kid having some other Kids call me a Mutt.  Being referred to like a Mixed-Breed Dog I knew was not a compliment... but, I tended to like and even prefer Mutt Dogs, so I chose to take it as a Backhanded Compliment.  Those trying to Offend or Berate you HATE that!  *Winks and Laughs*

More of Friends of mine with Rocker Alice Cooper, this time Kim joined them.  He's such a nice Guy and his Wife is a Sweetheart too.  They often come to "Sweet Salvage" Events and to our Antique Mall, he used to have Spaces at our Locations.   Anyway, speaking of Music, The Son and his Friend Garrett are going to another Concert Tonight and this time he'll try not to get hurt or blacken his other Eye by getting too near the Mosh Pit.  *LOL*  Garrett comes all the way down from Casa Grande to go to these Events, he's from the Rez by there, I don't know if Garrett's Tribe is the Gila River Community or Tohono O'odham Nation tho'?  He and The Son have been Friends a long time, both being in The Trades, they have Worked together too.  When the whole ICE Threat became a Risk, all the Indigenous Workers left and went back to their Reservations coz ICE was picking up Indigenous and not recognizing their Tribal ID's as being "Legitimate American Citizenry", can you Believe that shit?!!!  They are the only Original American Citizenry, so WTF!!!

Since there were a lot of Immigrants in the Labor Force of all The Trades, everyone was concerned about ICE Raids.  And them just indiscriminately hauling folks off, even American Citizens, and Legal Immigrants with Work VISA's, without Due Process and putting them in those Concentration Camps or shipping them off to obscure Countries none of them are from!  The Orange Felon made Deals with scary Countries with Gulag Type Prisons and Death Camps, to House Deportees... like Liberia, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Congo, South Sudan, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda!!!   None of who they're sending there are from any of those Countries and nobody will probably ever hear of them again or even be told where their Loved Ones were dumped by this Administration, probably For Profit, coz you damned sure know he's making Money off this some kind of way.  The Son is part Indigenous and Hispanic, so he said even as an American Citizen, he's not certain he wouldn't be Racially Profiled by ICE too and Targeted.

Anyway, I'm glad he and Garrett kept in Touch even after both of them left The Trades due to all the Fuckery going on, including, but not limited to Asset Strippers and Venture Capitalists, often Buying Up smaller Companies and doing what they just do, like Human Locusts.  The Son recently heard that the last Company he Worked for who laid everyone off who'd been there 5-35 Years, asked everyone to come back!!!  He said only the very Old Workers who had 35 Years in and couldn't find Jobs due to their Age, came back, all the Younger Guys the Company screwed over said Fuck You.   The Son actually just had his new Employer ask him if he'd consider a Management Position already?  I'd always told my Spawn, Work with Excellence, somebody always Notices.  And Cultivate your Contacts and be Mentored by the ones willing to pass the Mantle as they're ready to Retire, and have you be their Prodigy, it's a Free Education that can't be Bought.

  He told them he'd think it over, in order to consult me to see what I thought about it.  It's a Fortune 500 Company, so I told him to be a Contender and rise in the Ranks, since he's so New and they're already so impressed with his Work, he could go far and fast.  Meteoric rises happen, it did with me in my Banking Career, I have always had great Mentors.  I was an AVP running several Departments for Major Lenders before I was 23 Years Old.   I beat out Contenders for Positions that had more Degrees than a Thermometer and more Experience.  And back when it was a Good Ole' Boy Network in Banking of Old White Men wearing Power Ties, and Sexual Discrimination along with Sexual Harassment was problematic and rampant, but I'm a Problem Solver and a Ball Breaker, so I did just Fine.  Rack 'em and let The Games begin!!!  *LOL and Winks*

Our Roofer just came and put the Tarps on The RV Garage Mahal Roof where it was Needed, he'd been Asses to Elbows busy, which is what I suspected.  Our Roof wasn't nearly as damaged as many actually, and now it's Tarped I have more of a Peace about any subsequent Storms not making the Roof Leak into the Interior and damaging contents.  I just don't want the Insurance Company getting hinky if it leaked and damaged some Contents and then they said, well, we told you it was fine to get it Tarped, why didn't ya?  You know how they are, I don't Trust 'em and they'll find all kinds of slimy ways to get out of paying Claims and for Damages they should cover on a Claim.  I still haven't heard from the Insurance Co. or the Lender who totes our Note and the Checks will flow thru.  So, I gotta figure out how they'll distribute Funds and how much they're paying out for the Job?   Their Deductible is ridiculously high now, due to all the catastrophic Global Weather... you could almost get a new Roof for what they wanna charge you per Claim to file one!

So, Bill Gates has joined the ranks of those influential folks Warning about AI and making suggestions about what they Need to do and FAST.  I agreed with everything he said, but, whether the Industry or our Government will do it, well, I have my Doubts, strong Doubts.  I have just about finished my 1st Book by Andrew Yang, he Warned of similar things and has viable Solutions like Gates does, among others, mostly in the High Tech Industries and many who were instrumental in Creating AI.   I just finished talking to Princess T's main Boss about AI and concerns, he Shares them and said it was refreshing to talk to another Person who sees the Red Flags he's also noticing and nobody is talking about and seems oblivious about.  

 Princess T told him, my Gramma has often Warned of things in Advance, that people should have paid more attention to and didn't, and it always comes to pass as she Predicted it would.  I'm not Proud of that, I'd rather have Peace than be Right. Also, I'm not the only one who Notices... and Collectively I don't think we make up the bulk of Society either, we're a marginal amount statistically, so we're often not taken Seriously, until it's too late.  I don't like to just have to say "I told you so...", I just Wish more Attention was paid by more who could promote Positive Change and implement Preventative Measures.  Instead of just running massive damage control behind what they turned loose and went Sideways or Haywire and overtook everyone.  Pandora's Box is wide Open... so... we'll Deal with it now or later.

Above is The Son with Comedian Jeff Ross.   He said Jeff is a really Nice Guy, I get that Vibe about him when watching his Routines actually.  I didn't realize 'til reading Andrew Yang's Books how many of my Fav Celebs were also part of The Yang Gang like I was and wanted him to be President and were very instrumental in his Campaign.  Celebs like Dave Chappelle, Donald Glover, Tommy Chong, Gwyneth Paltrow, Norm Macdonald, John Leguizamo, Anita Baker and Nicholas Cage, Mark Cuban, and Tech Giants like Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Jack Dorsey.  In fact, Yang jokes that if Elon had done for him what he did for Donnie, he'd be President now... and he could be Right.  *Too Bad Elon didn't get behind the Right One to Buy the Presidency for, we'd of had a Positive Outcome instead of this running Shitshow of Corruption, Incompetency, Insanity and Fuckery.  Le Sigh*  Yang was very Vocal about Biden stepping down, he got backlash for it and for voicing that Kamala was the Wrong choice, but for reasons that made Sense, but nobody wanted to Listen and didn't wanna Primary viable replacements to give us Voters better options for a more Winnable Candidate.

I liked and Voted for Kamala, since, well, what was the alternative, Right?  It wasn't that I felt she wasn't competent, but, she didn't parlay well when Interviewed or Debating, was too closely identified with what folks didn't like about the Biden Administration and couldn't separate herself from that, she was a Woman, and Black... and I just KNEW that America was not ready for a Woman or another Minority to become President.   Donnie only got in coz of those who resented Obama ever being a President, the Audacity of a Minority President really Frosted a lot of White folks, I am firm on that Observation.  I mean the Guy just wearing a Tan Suit caused Selective Outrage for Chrissakes!!!  Compared to the current Prez's Laundry List of actual serious Criminal Activity, lack of a Moral Compass, depravity, Cognitive decline and absolute Lunacy, well, a Tan Suit Outrage just seems quite ridiculous, doesn't it?

  

Next Month will be all of the Halloween Themed Events and I can hardly wait, it's the time of Year I most look forward to.  The "Sweet Salvage" Halloween Event is Sept. 17-20, The "Highland Yard Vintage" Halloween Market Event is Sept. 10-20, and "Halloween Wars 2026" on TV kicks off on Sunday Sept. 13th.  I've got it all Calendared for next Month.  We tried a new BBQ Restaurant nearby, their Pulled Pork Sammie was Okay, I've had better, it was a bit mushy for my taste.  Their Sauces, all of them, I tried 4 different ones, were very good tho'.  And... their Corn Fritters and their Beans were exceptional.  In fact, I could make a whole meal out of the Corn Fritters and couldn't stop eating them, they are Sublime... I could become addicted to just that Side of theirs.

The place was called "Rollin' Smoke BBQ" and I'll be a Regular for those Corn Fritters and will try some of their other BBQ Meats.  The Pulled Pork might have worked better on a Hamburger Style Bun and them not putting a Sauce on it for Takeout, which then made the Bun soggy.  I do not like soggy Breads, the Texture is off-putting to me even if the Taste is fine.  This is why I do think I'm perhaps on an Autism Spectrum coz Textures and how things 'Feel' to me and Stimulate me on a Sensory Level, can matter a lot more than it seems to for most people.  Certain Noises, Pitches, Light, Textures, interruptions in Routines can be difficult for me.  And my Filter is often very not as functional as it probably should be Socially, and when something or someone bothers me I will hold up the Mirror to them and Amplify it to a degree I know makes many folks uncomfortable.  Due to my lack of a Filter if you want to Square Off with me and Go There.  You better have ALL your shit in Order if you presume to Call me Out on mine.  *Winks*

 

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Totally killin' it for unpublished Posts into the far Future... Dawn... The Bohemian

Part Of The Machine

Well, now we Lost Beloved and Iconic Tim Curry at Age 80!  Dammit another Wrong 80 Year Old, God!!!  You KNOW Who everyone is saying "Is He Dead Yet" and it wasn't Dolly or Tim anyone was referring to Take from this Earthly Coil, Dammit! *Le Sigh*  And we also Lost Iconic Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama, Age 97.  {See Below}  We missed Breakfast so by around 11:15 a.m. I took The Man out to eat Lunch at "Dragon Garden".  Neither of us felt hungry this Morning becoz Ozempic Day is every Tuesday and it really does kill your appetite, especially right after having the Injection and for a few Days afterwards.  But since I'm Working the Night Shift, I won't be Home or get Dinner, so, I did need to eat something before going in.  We had plenty of leftovers coz I got their Combo Special which gives you Two Choices of Entree with Two Sides and Spring Rolls.  I got the Mongolian Beef and the Kung Pao Chicken, with Fried Rice, Noodles, and Spring Rolls.  The Man was very confused about what he wanted, which confused the Dear Older Lady who owns the place, coz her English isn't all that good and he wasn't communicating well, even to me, what he wanted.  So what he got wasn't what he thought he was ordering.  *Eye Roll*

He did eat it but he'd inadvertently confused her enuf about wanting Pork... and Fried Rice... that she made him a huge batch of Pork Fried Rice.  I think he wanted a Pork Entree with a Side of Fried Rice, but, whatever, it was a hearty portion, he wolfed 1/4 of it down and now there's 2/3 left for the Kiddos when they come Home from Work, plus some of my Leftovers.  Plus, his was really cheap and so the whole Meal was quite a bargain for as much food as we got, with 2/3 of it to take back Home to feed the whole Family.  I could only eat about 1/4 of mine too, but it was delicious.  The Man and I aren't big eaters anyway, never have been, we Love good Food, but always never finish the portions most folks would consider Normal Serving Size.   And now both of us take Ozempic for Type II Diabetes stabilization, we eat even less than we did before.  So, we tend to eat what ya'll would call Child Size Portions and often do order off the Children's Menu if they allow Seniors to.  *Smiles*

Now that The Man has been fed and watered, he should behave well for the Kiddos while I'm at Work.  He has his leftovers he can have some more of heated up for his Dinner, he seemed to really like the Pork Fried Rice and it wasn't a Dish he could play with.  *Smiles*  And if they leave him alone to watch his Shows, and I give him all his Night Meds before I leave for Work, he should go to Bed so early they will only have to actually watch him for a couple Hours to make sure he's doing okay.  Sometimes tho' if I am at Work, he'll insist on forcing himself to stay up until I get Home from Work, then go to Bed.  He always did that when he was Well, to make sure I got Home alright, since I always Worked 2nd Shift in my Careers too.   At the DA's Office I rarely got Home until the wee Hours of the next Morning and it's in a rough part of the Inner City right by the Jail.   

Now our Antique Mall is in an area of the City that has had decline in recent Years too and after Dark can be sketchy as well, so he wants to make sure I'm Okay.  Which is Sweet.   We live close by where I Work now, in a better Area of the same City, a few City Blocks can make all the difference in Crime and such.   Location is everything of coarse in Real Estate, really, it's the ONLY thing to consider when Buying.  But areas that used to be Nice sometimes degrade, and Gentrification happens to a lot of degraded areas and they become Nice again... so it's a constant shift over the Years.   Some Zip Codes are more desired than others, but after having worked in Criminal Law as long as I did, I know that Crime is everywhere, it's just not AS apparent in some areas.  Watch shows like "Dateline" to know Rich Folk Murder one another all the damned time too... usually when they have Financial Troubles.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my Shift Tonight, Wednesday Nights shouldn't be particularly busy tho', so I can Walk around looking at everything and visiting with Friends there when it's slow.   I try to go in early enuf to foof our Showroom and put in the Fresh Merch I'm bringing in first.  I haven't been in since last time I Worked a Shift and a lot can happen in just a few Days.   I can't recall who usually Works the Wednesday Night Shift, but, with how many folks have been Calling Out and needing coverage, it could be all us Fill-Ins again for all I know?  Last Shift I Worked we ALL were Filling In for someone whose Shift it regularly is and they were out!  That's becoming so commonplace that I think they go thru the whole List of Fill-Ins to find enuf of us to provide coverage for whose not gonna be there!

When I was in the last GOODWILL they had One lone Cashier, who was Elderly, and it was Senior Discount Day, so busy as Hell.  Lines were long waiting to be checked out coz she was the only Cashier, and she said all her Younger Co-Workers never show up for Work and they don't have extras to call who can Fill-In for whose missing.  So she was apologizing to every Customer when we got up to the Register for our Turn.  It's happening a lot in Food Service too I've noticed, short staffed, and many of the Waiters and Waitresses have Shared that they never have full Staff anymore, too many places relied on Immigrants to fill the Positions and now ICE has made it so a lot of them got picked up or afraid to show up anymore.

I ran into our Old Friend Rosendo, who had been a Waiter at our "Wildflower Bread Co." location for 13 and a Half Years.  He told me the Back Story of why he left.  He said tho' he'd been there all that time and his Customers Adored him, which, we all did, he used to Buy Bakery Items out of his own Money for Princess T when she was little, Management cut his Hours while giving full Hours to Newbies!!!  He couldn't live on Part Time Hours and Tips, so he had to find something else and resented that after such loyal Service to the Company, they did him dirty like that.   He'd had a Surgery that same Year and had to take just some time off, returning even before his Doctor wanted him to, yet they still cut his Hours, probably due to that Health Issue and getting Older.   It's not uncommon for Companies now to screw over their Older Employees with more Experience, or those nearing Retirement or earning too much at the top of their Pay Scale, and replace them with cheaper Newbie Younger Labor.

Anyway, Rosendo gave me a big Hug, a Kiss on my Cheek, and was delighted to see The Man and I again.  The Man is always very reserved coz Rosendo has a thick accent and I know The Man doesn't understand a Word Rosendo is saying to him.  *LOL*  But Rosendo always asked how The Man was doing, knowing how many close calls we'd had with his long Health and Disability Issues.   I probably knew Rosendo all 13 and a Half Years he worked for "Wildflower Bread Company".  I was so Sad to see him go, but his Mom in Mexico had been very ill so I thought perhaps at first he'd gone Home to look after her.  He's Gay, unmarried, no Kids, so dotes on his Dear Mom... she's a tiny little Sprite like he is, and he introduced her to me when she came to America for visits to see him.  She doesn't speak or understand English and my Spanish sucks.  *LOL*  I think most of his Family still lives in Mexico and he'd visit often, but had lived in the U.S. for most of his Adult Working Life, he's probably in his 50's I'd Guess, very Young looking and Fit tho' for his Age.  It was good to see him again and get caught up.  I told Princess T I'd seen him, she Adored Rosendo.

Every so often lately I'm running into people I haven't seen in a very long time, it's like Serendipity!   I'd run into John the other day who'd worked for "Circle K Convenience Stores" for many Years and Retired, so of coarse I hadn't seen him since Retirement until he came up to me somewhere else like Rosendo just did, and we got caught up too.  I'd just left a Store and gotten into our Truck when Rosendo walked up to the Driver's Window and we had an OMG Moment, since, I hadn't seen him since he quit at the Restaurant and Management was cagey about where he went or why he left after so long.  Everyone whose a Regular had been asking about him of coarse and missed him, he treated everyone so well and was an Asset to the Company IMO.  The Newbies aren't as good and don't last, aren't as reliable or as personable to Customers.   You rarely get to know any of them even if you come in all of the time.  The Man and I noticed that even the Old long time Crew at "The Waffle House" is now all gone and replaced with Newbies, many had been there for Years.  Same with "Cracker Barrel", we used to know most of the Waitresses there, now, all gone and Newbies.

But, even Vendors at our Antique Mall now don't stay as long as they used to so you really barely get to even know their Names before they're already Gone.   And the Hired Help now too, quit sooner and are a constant rotation of Newbies.  I've given up bothering to get to know the Names of most Staff and other Vendors if they're New, becoz there's no Point, they'll be Gone before you know it and you'll likely never see them again.   The Man used to tell me that in Wartime, you never bothered to get to 'know' the New Guys coz likely most wouldn't last and would be Killed Off first.  I remember thinking, that's terrible and must have been so difficult for the Newbies in such a scary situation as War... but, I can understand why.  He said better they got Killed on Day One of being there than on the last fucking Day before they got to go Home and had endured a whole Tour of Duty before their Luck ran out.  And he said the Seasoned Guys could fairly accurately Predict who wouldn't make it.

LATER:  My Shift went well, I was Working with Susan and Jackson, she's a hard Worker, he's a Nice Guy but is not a Worker.  *LOL*  But, it was so slow and dead, it didn't really matter, most of the time we had nothing to do for most of the Night.  I prefer to have a busier Shift, the time goes by faster.  We had less than 300 folks thru the Doors all Day and probably only around 50 came thru between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m..  Very few Buyers, so Sales were quite flat, tho' I'd Lucked Out and had Two decent Sales earlier before I came in.  *Whew*   When I got Home I priced some more of the Hologram Pokemon Cards, which are worth more, one in particular was a very expensive Rare Card when I looked it up.  It's slow going to have to look up every Card, but you have to.  My Phone has a function that just point the Phone now and it looks it up automatically without typing anything in, I suspect some AI newer Feature way better than Google Lens.  So, that streamlines looking each up significantly, but we have a lot of Cards to look up and price.

Our Showroom wasn't messy, so clearly hadn't had a lot of traffic in there after the Weekend and whoever had been in there were tidier Shoppers and respectful.  So, I didn't have to run any damage control behind piggish people, which saves time and work, so I got everything put into Inventory quickly before my Shift began with time to just then visit with Friends until it was time to Clock In.  My Friends Jeff & Cindy are going on a Royal Viking Cruise again, their 2nd one now, same destination, for a Week.  Cindy used to be The Man's VA Nurse before she Retired, I often Work with Jeff there at the Antique Mall, they are the sweetest Couple, both are Cancer Survivors.  I'm glad they're getting to Travel since both have enjoyed Remission for a while now and been Cancer Free.  *Whew*  They have several Booths at our Antique Mall and really have good Merch, and a couple of their Booths are Seasonal Merch for Holidays exclusively, all Year Round... with Christmas, Halloween and Easter Merch available all of the time.  Cindy always asks how The Man is doing, she was his Nurse at the VA for Years.  Serendipity we got to be Friends after she and her Husband became Vendors!

Recently The Son got so Emotional coz he found his Dad looking at a Screen Saver on the TV for over an Hour, thinking it was a Program!  The TV had Timed Out and he'd forgotten how to tell it that he was still watching it so it went to the Screen Saver Mode.  But he just sat there watching it and when The Son finally realized, oh Shit, my poor Dad has been watching a fucking Screen Saver for over an Hour, he felt terrible and came and told his Dad, that's a Screen Saver Dad, let me put it back on your Programs, and gently changed it to what The Man had been watching before the TV had Timed Out.   The Son was almost in Tears when he told me what happened, he gets the most Emotionally Raw about his Dad's deterioration... I think for a lot of Male Children their Dad was always their Hero and someone to look up to, so Cognitive Decline is just Emotionally difficult to Witness.   How fragile and vulnerable they now are replaces the Strong Man they always knew.  Us Gals have more of a Dark Gallow's Sense of Humor, so after we get thru something hard or Emotional, we can see the Humor when retelling it.

All I could say when The Son told his Sister and I that Dad had been stuck watching a Screen Saver for over an Hour, we both just said, "Oh, Jesus!", but then, inappropriately saw the Humor in the absurdity of it, even tho' it's tragic and Emotionally hard becoz you don't wanna make Fun of someone's decline... but... yet... Dark Humor is still Humor and our Coping Mechanism I guess.  And, clearly he thought he was watching a Program and not Processing that it wasn't changing at all, just some lovely Scenic Image with soothing Music playing, and every so often the Image might change to another Image after a while.  I've actually had a Screen Saver and it's Music as just soothing Background Sounds when I'm doing something else, coz I don't even watch much TV, and the Screen Saver Scenes are bucolic and lovely, the Music is Spa-Like, so I don't mind them... but I'm not so far gone I think it's a Program... so the Kids know I just like the Serenity of it and realize it's a Screen Saver.  *LOL and Winks*

The Man came toddling out of our Room when I got Home from Work and asked me a question that made no sense.  I couldn't answer it coz it made no sense and I had no idea what he was talking about or asking?  He finally said he thought he'd seen a bunch of Mannequin Heads by the TV, so I think he was having a Dementia related Hallucination, he's starting to get those sometimes too.  I told him, No, there aren't any Mannequin Heads in the Livingroom... he just said "Oh, Okay..." and went back to Bed!!!   These are the things we Deal with now on The Daily as the Disease progresses and it can be worrisome to us all, you don't quite know what to do all of the time.  I can make shit up on The Fly to Deal with a lot of Crazy Shit, but with Dementia it's more Challenging to quickly come up with something that successfully distracts or soothes him and doesn't make him Scared or Agitated by what's happening to him.   

Of coarse, having Seriously Mentally Ill Family Members living here, especially the Schizophrenics, they have Psychotic Breaks and Hallucinations all of the time, so I do have Experience with those who are out of Touch and no longer Tethered with Reality sometimes.  It's how I've Learned, over the Years of Caregiving, to make shit up or go along with someone's delusions or hallucinations rather than argue with them that it's not Real, coz to them it is Real.   And you'll just escalate the inability to Emotionally Regulate and Process Reality at all if you get confrontational and try to Reason with someone who can't Reason with anything at the Moment.   It's like trying to tell someone how to Feel... they're gonna Feel their own Feelings, not yours... and those Hallucinating or having a Psychotic Episode, are Dealing with that as their Reality.

I've been watching that High Profile Case of the New Mother who Murdered her 3 Kiddos and had Postpartum Depression and probably Mental Illness as well.  It's getting a lot of Polarized National Attention as it goes thru the Trial.  People on both sides having an Opinion.  It's not cut and dried whether she knew what she was doing or was Clinically Insane when she did it... only she really knows what was going on inside her own Head to do such a thing, the Kids will be Dead regardless of the Outcome of this decision in Court.  Do we want Punishment or Justice is another Issue?   The Mental Health System in this Country is appalling and just Needing or Seeking Help will not necessarily be a Solution.  So, am I surprised she went thru lots of different Docs who prescribed a slew of different Meds that didn't help?  NO.  Been there, done that, with those in our Family with Serious Mental Health Issues, there is no Cure, and often Families are denied the Help they desperately Need or ask for.

The System failed her... since at least she asked for Help, due to Mental Illness stigma and shunning by Society, many struggling with Mental Health Issues fear asking for Help or letting it be known they have a Condition affecting their Mind and Behavior... it Scares Society.  Now, whether or not she was Psychotic when she methodically killed those unfortunate Children, I don't know, I don't Believe anyone not there can say with certainty she was or she wasn't actually, not even experts.  They can speculate, a lot of Mental Health is speculation, trial and error, or just a variety of things they try depending on the Shrinks or Therapists one sees... they all could contradict one another on what should or shouldn't be done actually.  It's why you could be on Nine different Meds they try out in just a matter of Weeks like this Woman was.  Some Psychotropic Meds can cause more harm than good, both Physically and Mentally actually.  What the Public, and the Jury, need to know is that if she's found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity, she won't just Walk and have no Consequences for what she's done.  Nobody is disputing what she did, not even her, she did it.

What's being decided and debated is the Frame of Mind and her accountability for what she did that is so heinous, there has to be a Verdict on her Placement now.  Whether Premeditated Murder or Manslaughter will be the Charges?  Will it be Prison... or a Mental Institution?  And for how long if either, or both?  And, oh, BTW as a Side Note, if found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity, she may never get out like she would on a Homicide Charge of Guilty and given a Sentence that might not be a Life Verdict.   And, a lot of those who go to Mental Institutions, if they at some point are deemed "Restored" Enough not to spend their Life in one, will ultimately then concurrently Serve whatever Sentence for a Serious Crime they committed that got them put away in an Asylum when they couldn't really Stand Trial and be deemed Competent at that time.  

So, she's going away, probably for a long time, either way.  And it's tragic, either way, and regardless of what "Side" you stand on as to what should be done with her.  She had access to lots of Mental Health, yet, this tragedy still happened to the Children in spite of that.  She had apparently been a good Mother prior to that, so, no patterns of abuse beforehand and no interventions ever happened as to her Fitness to Parent.  Was it even preventable, I simply do not know for sure.  And Punishment for an Illness isn't really Justice.  You wouldn't Punish a Cripple for not Walking, a Parkinson's Victim for Shaking, but we often do as a Society feel there should be Punishment for the consequences of having a Mental Illness you have no actual Control over and cannot be Cured of and how that Disease and Condition Manifests itself.  She will have to be Institutionalized somewhere, probably for a long period of time... nothing that happens will change that Three Precious Kids under the Age of 6 are Dead and it's that whole Family's Profound Loss, including hers after the fact.  She has to Live with what she's done, regardless of what Society chooses to do to and with her.

I once had a Double Homicide File I worked and the Defendant's Name on the File was "Lucifer The Devil", yep, I Kid you NOT!  He's been a Schizophrenic, was 21, long story short an Asylum deemed him "Restored", let him out, that's when he Killed his Dad and Grandpa, hacked them to pieces.  Now, in this Case, his Mental Illness was not in Question, he was Diagnosed correctly.  They had to determine then, was he Clinically Insane... which would put him back in the Arizona State Hospital again, mebbe for Life, mebbe not... OR... did them deem him competent enuf to Stand Trial and be Sentenced to DOC for the double Homicide, which, wasn't in Question either that he did it, he did it... he was buck Naked covered in their Blood and standing in the Room with the Body Parts when they Arrested him, I saw the Photos of him restrained and looking like an Actor in a Rob Zombie Horror Movie.  The Jury struggled with Justice versus Punishment... deemed him Competent coz a Board of Shrinks had deemed him "Restored" after all, just Days before the Murders... even tho' ole Lucifer was still calling himself "Lucifer The Devil" which don't sound fucking "Restored" to me!

In fact, my Opinion is, some or all of that Board should have been up on Charges... coz if the Resident is still wanting to be called "Lucifer The Devil", really... how Sane are they?  *Eye Roll*   The System not only failed him, but his Family, Two of whom were now Dead, his Mom only Alive coz she refused to pick him up from the State Hospital saying her Son was NOT "Restored" and she was too Afraid of him to have him around her.  Dad and Grandpa thus took Custody and 48 Hours later were hacked to pieces by Lucifer.   Anyway, personally, I think he should have been remanded back to the State Hospital... not the DOC, and the Sentence they gave him for Prison was only 10 Years, which they felt was "Justice" yet "Compassionate" since he is SMI.  In DOC he probably will get very little, if any, actual Mental Health Care and be a vulnerable Adult with Prisoners not Mentally impaired... thus, a Danger to him... and probably to any Cell Mate too coz if he goes Mental again and does the Devil's Work again, it would get Messy for SURE. 

 I doubt he belonged in Prison and keeping him or others Safe will be a tall order.  If they'd remanded him to ASH instead, he'd of stayed there and gotten some Mental Health Help and Care for the Criminally Insane, perhaps Compassionate Care, perhaps not... and IF he was ever released he would still have to Serve the 10 Years at DOC for the Crime.  I felt that should have been the appropriate action coz in 10 Years, well, Lucifer is probably still gonna be as Mental and Dangerous as ever IMO.  If his Meds work, perhaps he'll be meek as a Lamb, but, will he take his Meds voluntarily and on the Regular?  My Schizophrenic Loved Ones usually don't and won't, but, they haven't Murdered anyone either, but, they have Self Harmed before.   And not all Schizophrenics will be Homicidal, mebbe not even Suicidal, you can't paint that demographic with a broad brush stroke any more than you can any other demographic actually.   Anyone is capable of anything... just know that Truth. 

Well, I just "Schooled" a "Lowe's" Associate and a Personal Banker at "Synchrony Bank" about re-allocating Funds properly on Two Loans I have that they're allocating Funds and Terms improperly on.  Christ on a Bike, does anyone in any Industry anymore know what the Hell they're doing or anything about their Job or their Industry?   Two Years ago I bought a Shed with a Fixed lower Interest Rate and a Discount on the Price of the Shed lowered by 10%, it was good Terms so I agreed to them.  Then recently I bought my Fridge too and figured it was a separate Loan with different Terms, coz they gave me 0% Interest if Paid Off in 12 Months, which, I could easily do and was better Terms.  But, they lumped it all together {?} and allocated the Funds first to the Shed Loan, which has no timeline to pay it off, and then a smidgen of a paydown to the Deferred Interest Loan!

   Yeah, I know that's no "Accident" and in fact several Major Banks, including them, are currently being Sued for Predatory Practices against Borrowers and a Court will likely Rule in Favor of the Borrower coz it is Predatory Intentional Lending Practices and often Usery too.  And most Borrowers have no Clue they're being Victimized by Major Lenders like the Mob and Loan Sharks used to do.  *Resting Bitch Face*  So, anyway, after an Hour on the Phone I got an East Indian Banker allegedly Named "Andrew"... well, at least it wasn't "John" from India this time... and I know he knew Math really well and was in India coz he had to do the Amortization of Re-Allocating the Funds Manually... sucked to be Andrew... but he did a good job, once I explained HOW it should be done and told him I expected him to do the Mental Calculations of the Amortization himself tho' coz I'm Old, and Retired from Banking, and not getting Paid by his Bank to do the actual Work on my own Loan.  *Eye Roll* 

 But, now, every Month I make a Payment until the Fridge Loan is satisfied within the Terms agreed upon in less than 12 Month now, we have to make this Call and explain how I want the Funds allocated!!!  Yeah, Fun Times.  *Huger Eye Roll*    Andrew was very nice, decent enuf English he could be understood, and could understand me speaking English and what I needed for him to do to Correct and Solve a Problem.  Which, is always Helpful when Customer Service it Outsourced to 3rd World Countries so the American Company can Save a Buck and not Hire Americans to do Loan Servicing.  *Another Eye Roll*  And The Man knows I am a notorious Problem Solver and you better be part of the damned Solution and not part of the Problem if you have to then Deal with me about a Problem I have and you probably Created for me.  Becoz I am if nothing, tenacious and relentless.  You have no idea. I realized that Robert at "Lowe's" and "Andrew" in India, working for Synchrony Bank at wages way below American Bankers, wanted to Please me... they were Wise Young Men.  *Winks*

I even got Robert's Last Name coz if I ever want to make another Purchase, he wants to be My Guy.  *Winks*  And I'm Cool with that, but told him that given the rigamarole of their Lending Practices, I'd probably now wait to make another Major Purchase until these Loans are Paid Off and I will just pay Cash from now on, coz this is more Drama and a Headache than I want to be bothered by and with.   And that will Negatively impact Sales on larger expensive Purchases in the Future.  These Companies Need to know that and recognize they better Clean Up their Acts, or not make Major Sales as Customers get fed up of being Victimized by unsavory unethical Business Practices.  It's why I got out of the Banking Industry tho', I saw the direction it was going and switched over to Criminal Law becoz at least then we were Prosecuting the Bad Guys. 

 But, now the DOJ has been Corrupted, shit, I don't know what I'd do if I still had to be "Part of The Machine"???   I'm enjoying Andrew Yang's Books right now discussing "The Machine" that is the Status Quo... God I want Andrew for President and the Forward Party to be on the Ballots in 2028 with OUR Candidates that are for both the Anti-Partisan folks like me and the Non-Partisan Folks and Independents... who make up over 50% of American Voters right now, so we DO actually have a Big Voice and are beginning to be Loud in expressing it.   Coz this Corrupted Two Party System that is so Partisan and divisive, is NOT working for the American People or the Nation at all... don't be deluded into thinking it is and that their Big Corporate Donors and Billionaires are not Owning both sides and having their Voices heard above ours that only benefits them, but not you and I, and AT OUR Expense.

*******

Rage against The Machine my Friends... we Need to be Revolutionaries of our Time... Dawn... The Militant Anti-Establishment Bohemian