Friday, July 22, 2016

Potato Vodka...

...in Crystal Light lemonade is nice at a ratio of about 4.5 ounces of vodka to 14-15 ounces of lemonade. Three of them tends to make one rather mellow on a hot summer night. Not that I would drink three of them, just saying is all.

All the best,
GB

The Job Search Continues

Over the past three weeks or so, I have applied for about 15 jobs (maybe even 20). I heard back from one, they said I was not qualified for some reason or another that they had not listed as a requirement in the announcement for the position but mentioned when they said I did not have the qualifications (truthfully, I was over qualified for that one). I also got called in for a single interview. Not a word was forthcoming from anyplace else where I applied.

As for the interview, that took place yesterday. I got a haircut the day before to make sure I looked very presentable @ $20.00. Yesterday, I got up at 0600 and donned a conservative dark gray suit, a white dress shirt, and nice conservative tie. I was out of the house at 8 and walked a mile to the Long Island Rail Road from where I took a train into Manhattan. The one way ticket was $11.50. When I got to Penn Station, I took the NYC subway downtown to the appropriate stop, another $2.50or maybe $2.75. I

 arrived at the interview location about 10 minutes early. I went to the third floor as instructed and was escorted to the second floor - go figure. I waited in the interview room for about 5 to 7 minutes. I was interviewed by two women for a grand total of 4 minutes at most, maybe it was only 3 minutes. I was not asked for either my résumé nor my armed guard license nor my pistol license - all of which it was highly stressed I bring with me. I was told about several openings in NY City but not one word about the job that I had put in for on Long Island. The available jobs were not even the same as the one for which I had applied. Then I was told that if the boss was interested in me, I would be called back for another interview. I graciously said thanks, told them to have a nice day and a nice weekend, and left.

On the way out, I was approached in the hallway by a black lab that had been roaming the office. It was sniffing at me intently. I said hi to the dog and stopped to see if it was amenable to being petted. It was not, it just sniffed a bit more and turned away.  The interview was for an armed security job, one of the jobs they offered me was as a canine officer to handle a bomb sniffing dog that I would have to shelter in my home. I guess the lab hit on the Glock 26 I had on my hip but who knows, maybe it was just curious as to who was the guy in the suit on a 90+ degree day. I just told the dog to have a nice day and walked out the door. I really meant it when I said it to the dog. I do not expect to hear from them again about a job offer.

I had to pay another $2.50 or $2.75 for the subway, another $8 and change for the LIRR (an off peak ticket as opposed to a peak ticket on the inbound trip) and went home but only after having lunch with a former co-worker and friend. Lunch with my pal was enjoyable, we had a lot of catching up to do. I am very happy I decided to call him to see if he was in his office and available for lunch.

About the interview: I have to wonder, why the fuck did I even bother calling them back to arrange it. It seems to have been a waster of money and time. My guess is they thought I was too old but who can tell. Even their fucking black lab was not very friendly. Anyway, I am still looking for a new job.

All the best,
Glenn B

This Is One Of The Most Baffling Shootings...

...that I have ever heard about. Police are now claiming that the officer(s) was or were shooting at the guy sitting there. That would be the autistic man who as holding a toy truck. Yet, they fired multiple shots and hit the other guy, the one they had ordered down on the ground and who seemingly had his hands raised in the air AND who had explained to the police that the man sitting next to him was autistic, escaped from a care center, did not have a gun, had a toy truck and was not a threat (source).

Bang-bang, shoot-shoot; happiness is not always warm gun! Folks, if you are going to shoot someone, you had better assess the situation and determine shooting is justified before you shoot.

All the best,
Glenn B

Cruz Went Way Beyond Kasich

Let's face it folks Governor Kasich proved himself a piss pants whining spoiled brat when he stayed in the running for the Republican presidential nomination while not standing any possible chance of winning it except by what in essence would have been cheating. Then he continued to show his true colors by refusing to attend the Republican National Convention. I guess though that was to be expected after his childish, rotten child at that, behavior during the months leading up to the convention.
 
Cruz, on the other hand, seemed like a responsible adult for the most part during the debates and all of the months leading up to the convention. Once things were seriously underway, I for one had thought him the best choice among all the candidates for the Republican nod. Then though, it became obvious that the voters overwhelmingly preferred Trump and that Trump would come out on top. In other words, there was not a chance for any other Republican candidate to come even close to the amount of votes he had garnered. What was a responsible person, who definitely would not vote for or in any way assist Hillary Clinton, to do? It was obvious the answer was: Support Donald J. Trump for president.

It did not matter if you were once Trump's rival, it did not matter if you platforms were different, it did not matter that you liked or disliked Trump, it did not matter if it was personal and Trump had insulted you - what mattered was that you had to do, were obliged to do, were compelled to do what was best for America. By the time of the convention, that was to support Trump 100%. Ted Cruz thought otherwise and he got up on stage and showed how little of an American he was by refusing to endorse Donald Trump. He showed himself to be in essence a sniveling little brat boy and did that the very next day when he came out and tried to defend his failure to endorse Trump by talking about his own personal issues that he had with Trump, basically saying he could never endorse anyone who had insulted his family. This from a man who had been running for the nomination as the Republican candidate for the presidency - his feelings were hurt and thus he could not do what was right!
 
Let me tell you something about America and loyalty to her. I worked in the federal government for 32 years. I (and every other federal law enforcement officer) took an oath, more than once, and was sworn thusly (or very similar to it): 

'I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.'

Ted Cruz, a U.S. Senator who also swore to defend and uphold the very same Constitution by way of a very similar oath of office, was more concerned about his personal feelings when it came to Donald Trump's nomination than he was about defending the Constitution from a want to be tyrant the likes of Hillary Clinton. Let's face it - Cruz would have run against her had he won the nomination and he would have done so vehemently but he did not win it. Yet, for Cruz and any Republican, Conservative or freedom loving American citizen, the utter defeat of Hillary Clinton in her bid for the presidency and protecting America should remain the primary goals in this election. Cruz was too small of a person to see that and decided that his feelings were more important than the future of the United States of America. What he did, when he failed to endorse Trump, was to assist Clinton in her bid to become president. Because of that, I am certain that I could never, and I do mean never, support Cruz should he run for the presidency again at some time in the future. Since his life, his loyalty, his politics seemingly are ruled by such petty emotions, in the face of the protection of our Constitution and of our country, how could I or anyone do anything but oppose him. Damn, he sounded like our nemesis, he sounded like Hillary Clinton making excuses as she always does.

All the best,
Glenn B