Insane Earthlings

Collecting garbage. Photo by Tom Franklin I have never been unemployed since I started my first job at age thirteen.   The pandemic, a couple of underlying conditions, and a “Stay at Home” order changed that. On Friday I filed for unemployment.   Since I am self-employed as an independent contractor, I would not have qualified to receive unemployment under the old rules, but fortunately Congress added a provision that covers contractors and gig workers.   Filing for unemployment got me thinking about my past jobs. I am thankful for each one of them. Even the ones that weren’t the greatest because I learned something new with each one. Way back in 1976, my family moved from Charlotte to Lake Norman. We had been camping there for years on a leased campsite in Outrigger Harbor. Outrigger was a combination marina and tiki themed family campground.  There was a tiki themed restaurant called, wait for it… Lake House 1976. Photo by ...

Peter, Paul, and Mary “With this coronavirus pandemic, we've "lost our innocence". We no longer think that raging, out of control diseases are impossible HERE. We've put away our "childish" things -- sporting events, concerts, plays, etc. This song is -- perhaps (smile) -- ABOUT loss of innocence, growing up, and being more serious about life. "Peter Paul & Mary released "Puff the Magic Dragon" exactly 57 years ago today -- on March 16, 1963. Come on, let's all sing it together. While maintaining social distance.”   Loyd Dillon Each morning I look forward to Loyd Dillon’s “On this day in History” post.   His posts are consistently positive, truthful, and thoughtful. They are often humorous. They are frequently inspiring. Sometimes they are all of the above.   And then there are the ones that make you reflect on something important. Many times, his posts trigger that spot in my brain that makes me think of a funny...

A workshop similar to the one I managed. In response to the article linked here . The Sub-minimum wage exemptions , allowed to enable places like Goodwill Industries, to provide jobs to people with disabilities is a controversial issue. And it is not quite as black and white as it seems. Yes, the Goodwill executive salaries are obscene, as are most executive salaries at large companies. And this is true of so many non-profits. I would suggest that people research executive pay at non-profits before supporting them. One way to do that is by using Charity Navigator. If they do not list themselves with Charity Navigator, then there is probably a reason for that. However, I worked for two years managing a sheltered workshop that found assembly and packing work for people with developmental disabilities. I will have to say that those workers were the happiest employees that I have ever managed. They loved having a job. They loved to have a place to socialize with others with dis...

Me and Pete Martin in his basement classroom.   My mother always spoke with enthusiasm.   One day I came home from Eastover Elementary and Mom excitedly said, “I have some wonderful news for you! I signed you up for drum lessons today!!”   She said the words drum lessons like someone might say “We are going to Disney World!!” I was really happy about this news, but I was rarely at that Disney level of excitement like my mother always was. Because my older brother, Tommy, was already a student of the same teacher, my mother had a wealth of fun facts to share about Mr. Martin.   Pete Martin toured the world as a circus drummer for Ringling Brothers. He even took the spotlight as a featured performer playing the marimba with mallets taped to his feet! Mom used her best Central High, letter girl, pep rally voice so effectively while telling me all these details that I might as well have just been told that we were going to Disney World! I wa...

I think that my New Year resolution will be to read more books. Despite the fact that both of my parents were big readers, I was not.   Dad would read most anything. Mom often read books that, from my kid point of view, seemed like soap operas. They both loved a good story. They could recognize good literature from fluff but seemed to enjoy both. Dad liked reading books about interesting people like athletes, politicians, or journalists. Mom liked reading books about ordinary, yet interesting people who came from backgrounds different from her own.   She was always looking for the common values that most of us on this planet share. And they always had a good paperback close by. But despite the example they set, I have never been someone who always has a book by the bed, or by my favorite chair, ready to read whenever a moment presents itself. That’s the kind of readers they were. Don’t get me wrong, though.   I love books. Reading is ...

Enough. Too much. Where is the outrage? Are we accepting mass carnage as just part of the fabric of America? Why? In one day, we had two mass shootings. How many tomorrow, three, four, five mass shootings? How many in a day before we march on our Capital and demand sensible gun regulations?  Ordinary citizens owning weapons of war is just unacceptable. Don’t give me any “responsible gun owner” bullshit! How can it be responsible to even own an assault rifle? The statements from Lt. Col. Matt Cooper, of Dayton, say three important things about mass shootings.  "As bad as this is, it could have been much, much worse, as I think everyone will become aware of here as more information unfolds," 9 people dead. His statement makes me realize that at this point in our country, NINE dead seems mild to many people. We have normalized this.  “Though many people were killed or injured, Carper said that the incident was over quickly, because officers were alre...