I love Sticker Giant!!! image © Fun Originals, 2005

Oh, wow- this is a rarity... 10:00 am on a weekday and the Casa is quiet. Shhhh... Pat & Goofy #2 are napping peacefully on the couch. Now if the phone would quit ringing maybe- just maybe- I can actually squeeze in a decent entry. I'd cross my fingers, toes and eyes, but that sure would lead to some whacked looking text, huh? ;oD

I just loooove it when someone mistakes kindness for weakness. I looooove it even more when same mistakenly assumes I'm too naive to detect such excercises in futility. And the proverbial icing on the cake is when two parties try to suck me into the middle of their immaturity. Guess what? To borrow from a colloquialism, "That dog don't hunt here!!!"

Some folks think they know me better than they do. Funny thing is, this has even happened with people who've known me for double-digits worth of years. I study people. Closely. Their words, actions, speech, mannerisms, the whole enchilada. Eventually everyone displays their "tell", some more quickly than others. Usually though, my B.S. radar has already been tripped at least once.

I can hear the questions now... "So, what's got your panties in a wad?" Maybe something. Maybe nothing. It's NOYB, regardless. "Okay... Why are you even going here?" Excellent question!!!

I've been meaning to cover this for quite a while. Now just seemed like a good time. There are certain defects of character that I've worked damned hard to modify for longer than I care to admit. Then there are others that, thank Goddess, I've been spared (maybe I already met my max quota? **LMAO**) which I simply will not abide in personal and/or professional dealings. Thing is, being in a microcosm where the degrees of separation get figuratively incestuous, I have neither the time nor patience to trifle with this bullshit. And I won't.

There are some things that just don't fly with me: gossip, dishonesty, covetness with an agenda, grandeously assumed sense of entitlement, grossly over-inflated egos... Hell- gossip alone runs down more decent people than drunk drivers! I'll put it this way. If ever I should have occasion to patronize a beauty salon in town I'm going in at the last minute and wearing some bud-style earphones so I don't have to listen to the hen party. I could give a rat's ass what anyone might think or say about me. It's really none of my business. Heck, if anyone ever has occasion to negatively flap their lips where I'm concerned, at least some poor, defenseless soul will be spared, ya know?

"Hold on, Chris. Don't you think the beauty parlor reference was a bit sexist?" Okay. Change the location to anywhere that suits you. Laundromat. Hardware store. Post office. Gas station. It doesn't matter where it occurs. The yapper's gender is immaterial. The unspiritual practice of talking trash about someone to build up one's own ego is just plain sad. Note: There's a difference between pointing out general mindsets than picking individual victims. The exception to the rule is when specific people are discussed purely on a cautionary level (ie: "Don't rent from so-and-so. S/he's been known to request sexual favors in lieu of payment. S/he tried to pull that stunt last month on a close friend of mine.") However, the latter form of communication should be excersized only on basis of credible source- not general hearsay.

An hour and forty minutes later, my wonderful guys are beginning to stir. I know shorty's going to be ravenous. I think he's gearing up for another growth spurt. Anyway... I'd best prepare something for lunch. Ciao for now!