I have believed in Karma ever since I can remember. I think it began as an extension of early science lessons on cause and effect in nature, but whatever its source, the belief is solid and will always be a part of me.

Over the years this belief has restrained my sadistic desires when faced with various evil doers whom I would otherwise have exacted personal revenge upon. It is this consolation of knowing that those who harm me (and those who merely try), will meet their own justice in due time without my assistance that helps wounds heal. And it has been the threat of encountering that same justice that kept me from straying too far myself.

Looking back on the past month or two has cause me to ponder the question of just what karmic debt am I paying back?!?!?! I must have really done something awful to someone that I don't realize or recall, or maybe something small, but repeatedly. One serious problem after another blasted me out of any feeling of security in this life and tested my composure and resourcefulness in the extreme. Someone or some force in the universe was sending me a message and made sure it got through to me in no uncertain terms that I needed to shape up a few things in my life NOW, not when I felt like "getting around to it".

Fortunately, I have apparently banked a bit of good karma along the way, because I survived the traumas and actually feel at this point that I have come out better than before it all started avalanching on me. I discovered that I have abilities I thought were fading and friends that were closer than I realized.

So why am I blogging about this? To acknowledge to whomever/whatever - I GOT YOUR MESSAGE!!! To publicly thank those who assisted me when their help was critical. And to perhaps jog your thoughts into considering the what sort of karma you are accruing these days.

Repairme (formerly known as August)

Why didn't someone give me fair warning that the 8th month of the calendar year had been renamed and designated for tithing repairmen?! Not that I would have saved much in anticipation, but at least I would have had a chance to prepare my finances or at least my mindset.

During Repairme I learned that squealing brakes on foreign cars do not necessarily mean a need for repair, but it does mean paying homage to a mechanic to decide whether you will tithe 25% to 75% of your monthly income to him. I suppose getting out for 50% and to know I was not truly risking collision from an inability to stop my vehicle should leave me feeling gratefully blessed. If you believe that, I have a few other evil concepts you should be introduced to for your entertainment and edification.

Speaking of introductions to concepts, I have also been reintroduced to the true etymology of the term "technology"..... more correctly written for those of us with computer equipment either under the age of 6 months or over the ripe old age of 2 years as "techNOlogy". Yes, its technical - No, it doesn't work. As I allowed my aged desktop to limp along until the wallet recovered from the mechanic tithing, I relied on a laptop allowed to hibernate since my days as a traveling bitch with a calculator (aka auditor). I was unaware that it too was running on life support until last week. The funeral for it's HD and perhaps its memory too, is in the planning stages as I sit waiting on the prognosis from the surgeons in the techNOlogy ICU.

OMG, there are still how many days left before September?!?!?!

EL KREW de PESCADOS CRUDOS

If you didn't end up coming here from either Yelp.com or JapanForum. com then perhaps you aren't aware that I am a foodie. I don't watch cooking shows often, but I do check out restaurants, chefs and cook books. I only cook when inspired and rarely follow a recipe precisely after the first time I used it.

These days this is the crew I tend to gather for excursions in search of my two favorite cuisines - Asian (mostly japanese & korean lately) and Tex-Mex.

Procrastination!

We all do it at one time or another and I am no exception.

HOWEVER.....
I have little or no patience with people who procrastinate when others are waiting on them - especially at work!

It is inconsiderate in the extreme to sit on projects for days - even weeks - knowing that once your part in the process is done someone else will have to work on the next step(s) while facing an ever looming and unadjustable deadline.

I don't care if you are the GD King of the Universe, your selfish - me, me, me - attitude makes you the King of A_holes too! Some of us have jobs to do and they are more important than you catching up on your social life instead of completing what you are getting paid to complete in a reasonable time frame.

Yes, there are delays when data or resources are not available ( I am experiencing that right now thanks to the person inspiring this tirade), and even personal emergencies intervene. But YouTube and company gossip can damn well wait till you supply what I need to my work.

I can honestly say that my own instances of procrastination rarely impact anyone except myself and my own comfort. I wish those I have to deal with daily could say that!

What was I thinking?!?!

Or could this even be called thinking?

In a moment of unrecognized insanity or stupidity (still not sure which yet) I made a purchase on the net whose arrival was met with serious angst. But having paid good money that is not available in abundance, I decided to put the merchandise to use in a personal "grand experiment".

I purchased customized license plate holders. Nothing too odd about that. Its even less vain and less expensive than personalized license plates. One of them is fine. "MTSG" with "Taln's M6" is pretty tame. For those of you who might actually want those explained, MTSG are my initials and M6 is for my 6th Mazda.
You snoring yet?

The other plate, however, which should have had this blog's address, has my personal email address on it! Eeeek! Spam alert! Death threats from road ragers here we come! And worse - it was MY mistake, not the vendor's.

To reduce the glut of harrassment publicizing this information on a vehicle I trek through traffic in daily could incite, I have at least put it on the front bumper. I really don't want email from every tailgater in Texas! Let's see who is so determine to contact me that they can read a mirror image behind them while doing 70mph down the highway. I am sure someone will manage.

Cartoon Character Flashbacks

Though my childhood memories are filled with mostly with being outdoors, or at least active, its amazing how quickly an odd turn of phrase can bring vision to mind that I can only explain has having watched many strange cartoons as a child.

My generation was not doled out the pretty pabulum that seems to be children’s entertainment today, unless they are allowed access to the other extreme – violence and gore laden video games.

We did not have pretty pastel colored ponies and fluffy, pudgy, purple dinosaurs. Warner Bros. gave us roosters, coyotes, rabbits (hares, not cute bunnies) and my all time favorite – skunks. Disney gave us a goofy looking hound, dour ducks, mice and many humans that were fairly attractive villains (evil without the CSI level crime scene). I also remember the drunk mouse who had a singing electric razor for a pal (what a way to calm little boy’s fears of their first buzz cut!), a moronic but comical vulture and the owlet who became the crooner of swing dance against his family’s instance on opera. It seems a few studios, like Pixar, have attempted to continue the tradition of dancing and singing bugs and other amusingly distorted real world entities in order to bridge the chasm between sickeningly sweet cuteness and nightmare inducing horror.

But what got me pondering all this was not another session in front of a TV, which I apparently did more often than I realized, but a visit to my office by the maintenance crew.

They were on a pest control mission to rid of us some uninvited, non-musical ants. During the discussion it was mentioned that another office was experiencing “German roaches”. Now aside from never having bothered to learn the nationalities of said species of vermin, I really didn’t pay much attention to the comment until colleague asked what are German cockroaches. I chimed in with “They are the noisy ones in the corner going for the beer and bratwurst.” My quip may have been on the pitiful side of witty, but the vision in my head was straight out of a 1960’s black and white cartoon. It may be a good thing for my office that my drawing skills are even worse than my jokes.

Damen und Herren, presenting the Deutschen Shaben! The lights go up and the band starts as a line of cockroaches standing up on their hind legs, wearing lederhosen, and each carrying a stein of beer, dance their way onto the stage in a multi-legged version of a Rockette’s line.

And they say video games are corrupting the younger generations?!?!?!
I think I need one of those beers instead of my morning coffee!

More money than brains!

That's my usual explanation for bad drivers. This afternoon at lunch it was really true.

On my way to get my car out of the repair shop I am flying low on an interstate highway with traffic all around. Passenger cars, 18-wheelers, delivery trucks, SUVs - all kinds. Suddenly brake lights are everywhere and quickly I find myself fast approaching a rather bright and shiney new Hummer3 ..... STRADDLING two lanes and slowing down even more! As I pray no one behind me tries to turn me into the filling of a vehicular sandwich, I see a small dog in the window of the driver's side of the H3. Finally the problem child decides on a lane and as I speed past for my own safety I can't help but shout a few obsenities - even if only to vent my own consternation.

This idiot woman had a chihuahua on her shoulder AND was talking on her hand-held cell phone while driving! Or maybe she was only listening while holding the phone for the damned dog to take the call; I really couldn't tell.

I really think auto dealers should be required to qualify buyers according to an intelligence test instead of their credit rating! But then again most intelligence tests don't measure common sense, do they?