Memorial Day Weekend!

Nothing special to do this weekend, not even a BBQ to attend because a lot of my friends are away for the long weekend, so I headed out to my condo pool.

There are some Craft Festivals going on in Delray tomorrow and I may go to that weather permitting………the forecast is predicting rain for Sunday so that is an iffy thing marked on my calendar!

Wow, just about everyone is on Facebook, Twitter and Bebo and now I understand employees even use it at the office!

It makes me wonder, are all these young professionals hanging out in cyberspace wasting the employer’s time?

This topic came up while I was sitting by my pool today and I got a different perspective on this subject. I was speaking to a businessman that owns a small business. His view was that allowing his employees to use his computers on his dime sometimes was essential to team building and a sense of collective purpose. What purpose?????

He claims he did his research with other employers of small business companies and they feel it can actually increase a workers productivity. Well, you can’t prove that by me. I’m retired now but for 42 years of being in the Legal profession, I didn’t have time to go pee let alone socialize on Facebook while working on the clock! Then again, we didn’t have all this technology 42 years ago either! LOL But we did have it the last 20 years of me being in the workforce.

I feel that allowing this, it opens up portals of communication to the world and can also have serious drawbacks for businesses and most definitely damage to a company’s confidentiality and reputation if employees who post rumors, leak company information and being the office bully to other colleagues. Employees forget that their boss has the capability of reading their emails, so keep your opinions of the company and co-workers to yourself.

But my neighbor said that when he gives his people a deadline and they meet it, he didn’t care how they used their downtime. He actually feels that it makes his employees more loyal and dedicated. 

I disagree with this man but that is my personal opinion. If I were the employer and I’m paying someone to work 8 hours a day and that person is spending 4 of those hours on Facebook, I would feel like I’m getting screwed! I’m sure there is always something to do in a busy office! Or at least, make yourself look busy! LOL

One thing is for sure is that Social networking is here to stay! I’ve known that employers check on potential employees behavior just by googling their name or checking to see if they are on Facebook and check out all their photos just to see if they are misbehaving.

I just heard on the News today that the DMV is now allowing young 16 year olds to take their driver’s license test ONLINE! WHAT? What about the “on the road” test? Dah!

You have the draw the line somewhere! What the hell is the Governor of my State thinking?

Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend!



“Shoulda,Coulda, Woulda"

I’m not always able to stick to my plans every day when looking at my “To Do” list, and heck, I have to accept this fact upfront because it certainly could alleviate a lot of unnecessary stress for myself.

My moods were swinging all over the map the other day rushing to get to the dealership for a repair that was still under warranty yet, I was informed once I got there that the part needed to be ordered. Therefore, I was less likely to follow through on my original agenda for the day, as I have a tendency to be a methodical person and like things done in an orderly fashion.

Once I got home, I received an email from the Dealership that the part had arrived and I could go back to have it put in. Did I forget to mention that my wait turned into four and one half hours! Grrrrrrrr! I don’t even what to go there with the details!

I tried to suppress my feelings so I could remain open to them but I was annoyed that I missed my Silver Sneakers Class because of this.

Maintaining objectivity now became exhausting and my day was unproductive. I kept telling myself that I would feel much better once I gave myself permission to temporarily relinquish control.

So, I went home with my day all screwed up and as usual my phone is always ringing off the wall the minute I put the key in the door.

Do you have friends that continue to ask you questions about things that happened 20 years ago, that perhaps you choose to forget about them? Hmmmm! And, people wonder why I have such severe insomnia??? I don’t want to continue reliving my past…

I try so hard not to focus on the past but to focus on the future instead. When we spend too much time looking back at past events, we get caught up in the “shoulda, coulda woulda,” mental talk.

I’ve learned from my past and I had a hard time of letting it go. Yet, sometimes, people want to keep bringing up painful memories for some reason or another.

Life is best when you can allow what you do to flow directly from who you are. I realized that when my actions are filled with purpose and meaning, they are the ones that create the most value.

Life hands us many different situations and circumstances.

There is a wealth of abundance in the person you are. To fully tap into that abundance, you just gotta let your actions be guided by real and meaningful purpose.

I work hard to allow my efforts to flow from who I am. And, I find that real value will flow from those efforts. I find that energy grows stronger and stronger when I commit to make something meaningful to happen, it truly creates a new source of energy.

Ever notice that what you must have, you suddenly have the ability to acquire and what you must know, you suddenly are able to discover? True intention is not merely a mental exercise. It is a powerful, gut force.

Today is Mother’s Day and I’m anxiously waiting for my son’s visit from Boston.

Happy Mother’s Day to all out there that apply!

The Bathing Suit!

When I was a teenager in the late 50s, the bathing suit for the mature figure was-boned, trussed and reinforced. They were built to hold back and uplift, and they did a good job.

Today's stretch fabrics are designed for the prepubescent girl with a figure carved from a potato chip.

The mature woman today has a choice, she can either go up front to the maternity department and try on a floral suit with a skirt which made me look like a chubby cheerleader!

 

What choice did I have? I wandered around, made my sensible choice and entered the chamber of horrors known as the fitting room. The first thing I noticed was the extraordinary tensile strength of the stretch material.

The Lycra used in bathing costumes was developed, I believe, by NASA to launch small rockets from a slingshot, which gives the added bonus that if you manage to actually lever yourself into one, you would be protected from shark attacks. Any shark taking a swipe at your passing midriff would immediately suffer whiplash.

The problem is that modern bathing suits have no bra cups. The mature woman is meant to wear her boobs spread across her chest like a speed bump. I realigned my speed bump and lurched toward the mirror to take a full view assessment.

The bathing suit fitted all right, but unfortunately it only fitted those bits of me willing to stay inside it. The rest of me oozed out rebelliously from top, bottom and sides. I looked like a lump of Playdoh wearing undersized cling wrap.

As I tried to work out where all those extra bits had come from, the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtain, "Oh, there you are," she said, admiring the bathing suit. I replied that I wasn't so sure and asked what else she had to show me.

I struggled into so many bathing suits that I got so exhausted.  I tried on a pretty black bathing suit with such a high cut leg I thought I would have to wax my eyebrows to wear it!

Finally, I found a suit that fitted; a poka dot, sarong style with a loose blouse-type top. It was bulge-friendly, so I bought it but still not happy but when you live in South Florida and most pools have chlorine, it ruins the bathing suits fast. 

Most complexes now are transforming their pools to salt water which is better for your skin and cheaper to maintain.  Wish my Condo Association would step up to the plate and make the change over but I doubt it.

 So, if you happen to be on the beach or near any other body of water this year and I'm there too, I'll be the one in a long wrap coverup.