Emotions leveled,
Preparing for the trek home,
I begin anew.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Life Lessons From The Fishe 1 - Quelling A Lifetime of Overreacting
I grew up as a Small Town American, and very very proud of that fact. Most people I encountered--primarily friends of my Father and Mother--were willing to lend a hand when asked.
I was also willing to lend a hand, and did not even need to be asked, but often--as a child--offered to help out first, before anyone asked at all.
I have been away from the idyllic life of my youth for many years now, and have come to regret it! I have become an overreactive machine, running on autopilot, reacting strongly to the slightest misgiving and slights. Is it a wonder I don't have many friends?
The Firefishe isn't a bad guy, but neither is he a prime candidate for Mr. Congeniality, either. My life has been one of having to deal with other people in my formative years, largely adults, of course, but also having to put up with rude behavior and the subject of that rudeness from within my own peer group.
I know I didn't do the best I could, or I wouldn't be blogging this. I overreacted most of the time to the slightest prevarication, usually to my detriment, as those involved were usually stronger than me. I've never been a Charles Atlas. I'd learned to become passive, and then, as I became an adult, I learned to put up a defensive front not even an interplanetary invasion force could penetrate.
Such has been my experience, of my dealings with people on a day-to-day basis. I've been rather lackluster in the area of Human Friendship Building, and it has hurt me greatly.
So here I am now, at 42, and wanting to 'go back to the way it was.' It's not just a 'flash in the pan' desire, either. I feel that my past is calling for me to come back to an earlier time of Joy, Happiness, and Full Desire! Okay, so what does that mean? It means that, Today, I can choose to incorporate what my childhood-from-my-past wants me to experience in my Present Today.
Sounds new-agey, doesn't it? Well, yes, and it is! I have been new-agey for a very long time, and resonate with this view: That we all are capable of experiencing a 'new age' of Joy, Love, and Fulfillment in our lives. (Disclaimer: --> I desire this and want this, but I've found it very difficult to allow it and those feelings to bloom forth as flowers in my present-day life. Why? Keep reading!)
The 'why' part stems from the aforementioned defensive psychological shielding I put up in my formative years to 'protect' (we're never really in need of psychological protection, as we have strong minds; if we'd only choose to use them!) myself from what I perceived then as 'possibilities of 'imminent attack' from 'other people,' a label I would use repeatedly as a means of comparison.
Ergo, I, Myself, was never as good as 'other people,' and never would--or could--be.
I mistreated myself like this for many years, until the day I couldn't take any more of it, turned off my emotions successfully for about an hour and a half, and was forced to pull over to the curb and park, so heavy were the tears that poured forth after having been forcefully held in check, I could not drive anymore! I thought I could self-hate indefinitely and decided to withdraw my participation by forcing myself mentally to exclude all emotional channels and outside emotional influence--a/k/a 'involvement with people.'
The human body, it is said, has a variety of subtle energy bodies that interpenetrate this physical universe and the non-physical, spiritual, part of our existence. This would seem to be a correct assumption: Forceful mind-focus upon a part of one's being one considers a 'non essential' part of the body as a whole--namely the emotional body--and try to force it's exclusion. Well, it didn't work.
It doesn't work. It won't work. It can't work. We are emotional beings, and that emotion is what gives us our Drive, gives us our Passions! Passions uncontrolled may lead to addictions, but Passions properly channeled lead to Victory! Victory in Joy, Love, Happiness, and Fulfillment.
I bring this up today because of an incident that happened at a local place I and my wife frequent. The store in question is a book and music store that has--treasure of treasures--a cafe with Free Internet! My wife and I met Online, and we are always to be found doing something creative with our computers, especially at this particular venue.
I had purchased a large tub of microwave popcorn and had asked the clerk to microwave it for me. I also presented a coupon for a free drink I had been given two days before. The drink was prepared first, and I made the request that the clerk make it without a cover on it, so that I could get to the whipped cream easier. Well, the clerk responded in a manner which was quite unlike her normal responses, replying with something like 'I'm not going to prepare it that way, because it's messy and, besides, you won't be able to enjoy 'all the good stuff' properly, anyway.' (Whatever that means--the entire drink is crushed ice, flavoring, milk, and whipped cream--ergo, it's all 'good stuff!').
So I, somewhat disgruntled at being 'told off,' let her do her thing, and I got my drink. I don't know if this was a matter of 'instant-karma' coming to the fore, but I tried to take the lid off, and it was practically welded on to the rim of the plastic cup! This met with disaster, as I worked to pry off the lid, finally doing so and splashing about a third of the top-contents of the drink on my table, part of my laptop computer--fortunately not on anything vital--and the floor!
Now on to the popcorn tub. This store rents and sells movies and movie related items, such as tie-in products, action figures, and the like. They sell these big theater tubs of Act II brand Movie Theater Butter popcorn. This tub has a microwave-reflective bottom which has the unpopped kernels in it, with an expanding piece of plastic sandwich bag-like material over that to keep them captive during microwaving as they rise
Well, the end-result of this monster tub of RF-induced movie theater madness is that the plastic bag material tends to rip apart, spewing popcorn everywhere in the microwave oven, necessitating its regular cleanup. The clerks have gone to not following the directions on the popcorn, listening for the kernels to stop popping as it's written on the side of the tub and, instead, doing it their own way.
I should've let the matter go. I should've let the matter go. I should've let the matter go! But I didn't!!
Another clerk popped this popcorn for me two days prior to this, giving me the coupon for the free drink I used today--at my behest, as I suggested that I would have unpopped kernels in the bottom of the tub. Well, I didn't then and I didn't today. Both times the clerks prepared my popcorn and not a single unpopped kernel in sight when I reached the bottom, save for two or three, which are normal for this type of popcorn.
The Entire Point: I ended up ranting that I'd go inform the manager, which I did, ending up pouring all the popcorn out of the tub into a plastic bag, realizing the error of my ways when I found that there were no unpopped kernels, apologizing to the manager at that point as well as the clerk at a later point. I ended up feeling useless, foolish, and wanting for social decorum and feeling as though I had really messed up on another daily chance of personal friendship building!
I felt deeply sorry, and apologized to the clerk again, after an hour or so had passed. I asked the clerk for forgiveness. I'm not afraid to admit when I've been wrong so I asked her for her forgiveness. She gave it to me! Simple and direct forgiveness!! I decided to give my emotional self a break for a change and accept it without judgment.
The Moral
Give unto others the freedom to be themselves at all times. Discount minor offenses and look to the bright side of having a cover on a cup with a lot of joy inside of it. The joy will usually be drawn up through a straw after the whipped topping is scooped out by a spoon of alacrity that fits perfectly through the hole in the top of the lid!
Warm Regards,
--The Firefishe
I was also willing to lend a hand, and did not even need to be asked, but often--as a child--offered to help out first, before anyone asked at all.
I have been away from the idyllic life of my youth for many years now, and have come to regret it! I have become an overreactive machine, running on autopilot, reacting strongly to the slightest misgiving and slights. Is it a wonder I don't have many friends?
The Firefishe isn't a bad guy, but neither is he a prime candidate for Mr. Congeniality, either. My life has been one of having to deal with other people in my formative years, largely adults, of course, but also having to put up with rude behavior and the subject of that rudeness from within my own peer group.
I know I didn't do the best I could, or I wouldn't be blogging this. I overreacted most of the time to the slightest prevarication, usually to my detriment, as those involved were usually stronger than me. I've never been a Charles Atlas. I'd learned to become passive, and then, as I became an adult, I learned to put up a defensive front not even an interplanetary invasion force could penetrate.
Such has been my experience, of my dealings with people on a day-to-day basis. I've been rather lackluster in the area of Human Friendship Building, and it has hurt me greatly.
So here I am now, at 42, and wanting to 'go back to the way it was.' It's not just a 'flash in the pan' desire, either. I feel that my past is calling for me to come back to an earlier time of Joy, Happiness, and Full Desire! Okay, so what does that mean? It means that, Today, I can choose to incorporate what my childhood-from-my-past wants me to experience in my Present Today.
Sounds new-agey, doesn't it? Well, yes, and it is! I have been new-agey for a very long time, and resonate with this view: That we all are capable of experiencing a 'new age' of Joy, Love, and Fulfillment in our lives. (Disclaimer: --> I desire this and want this, but I've found it very difficult to allow it and those feelings to bloom forth as flowers in my present-day life. Why? Keep reading!)
The 'why' part stems from the aforementioned defensive psychological shielding I put up in my formative years to 'protect' (we're never really in need of psychological protection, as we have strong minds; if we'd only choose to use them!) myself from what I perceived then as 'possibilities of 'imminent attack' from 'other people,' a label I would use repeatedly as a means of comparison.
Ergo, I, Myself, was never as good as 'other people,' and never would--or could--be.
I mistreated myself like this for many years, until the day I couldn't take any more of it, turned off my emotions successfully for about an hour and a half, and was forced to pull over to the curb and park, so heavy were the tears that poured forth after having been forcefully held in check, I could not drive anymore! I thought I could self-hate indefinitely and decided to withdraw my participation by forcing myself mentally to exclude all emotional channels and outside emotional influence--a/k/a 'involvement with people.'
The human body, it is said, has a variety of subtle energy bodies that interpenetrate this physical universe and the non-physical, spiritual, part of our existence. This would seem to be a correct assumption: Forceful mind-focus upon a part of one's being one considers a 'non essential' part of the body as a whole--namely the emotional body--and try to force it's exclusion. Well, it didn't work.
It doesn't work. It won't work. It can't work. We are emotional beings, and that emotion is what gives us our Drive, gives us our Passions! Passions uncontrolled may lead to addictions, but Passions properly channeled lead to Victory! Victory in Joy, Love, Happiness, and Fulfillment.
I bring this up today because of an incident that happened at a local place I and my wife frequent. The store in question is a book and music store that has--treasure of treasures--a cafe with Free Internet! My wife and I met Online, and we are always to be found doing something creative with our computers, especially at this particular venue.
I had purchased a large tub of microwave popcorn and had asked the clerk to microwave it for me. I also presented a coupon for a free drink I had been given two days before. The drink was prepared first, and I made the request that the clerk make it without a cover on it, so that I could get to the whipped cream easier. Well, the clerk responded in a manner which was quite unlike her normal responses, replying with something like 'I'm not going to prepare it that way, because it's messy and, besides, you won't be able to enjoy 'all the good stuff' properly, anyway.' (Whatever that means--the entire drink is crushed ice, flavoring, milk, and whipped cream--ergo, it's all 'good stuff!').
So I, somewhat disgruntled at being 'told off,' let her do her thing, and I got my drink. I don't know if this was a matter of 'instant-karma' coming to the fore, but I tried to take the lid off, and it was practically welded on to the rim of the plastic cup! This met with disaster, as I worked to pry off the lid, finally doing so and splashing about a third of the top-contents of the drink on my table, part of my laptop computer--fortunately not on anything vital--and the floor!
Now on to the popcorn tub. This store rents and sells movies and movie related items, such as tie-in products, action figures, and the like. They sell these big theater tubs of Act II brand Movie Theater Butter popcorn. This tub has a microwave-reflective bottom which has the unpopped kernels in it, with an expanding piece of plastic sandwich bag-like material over that to keep them captive during microwaving as they rise
Well, the end-result of this monster tub of RF-induced movie theater madness is that the plastic bag material tends to rip apart, spewing popcorn everywhere in the microwave oven, necessitating its regular cleanup. The clerks have gone to not following the directions on the popcorn, listening for the kernels to stop popping as it's written on the side of the tub and, instead, doing it their own way.
I should've let the matter go. I should've let the matter go. I should've let the matter go! But I didn't!!
Another clerk popped this popcorn for me two days prior to this, giving me the coupon for the free drink I used today--at my behest, as I suggested that I would have unpopped kernels in the bottom of the tub. Well, I didn't then and I didn't today. Both times the clerks prepared my popcorn and not a single unpopped kernel in sight when I reached the bottom, save for two or three, which are normal for this type of popcorn.
The Entire Point: I ended up ranting that I'd go inform the manager, which I did, ending up pouring all the popcorn out of the tub into a plastic bag, realizing the error of my ways when I found that there were no unpopped kernels, apologizing to the manager at that point as well as the clerk at a later point. I ended up feeling useless, foolish, and wanting for social decorum and feeling as though I had really messed up on another daily chance of personal friendship building!
I felt deeply sorry, and apologized to the clerk again, after an hour or so had passed. I asked the clerk for forgiveness. I'm not afraid to admit when I've been wrong so I asked her for her forgiveness. She gave it to me! Simple and direct forgiveness!! I decided to give my emotional self a break for a change and accept it without judgment.
The Moral
Give unto others the freedom to be themselves at all times. Discount minor offenses and look to the bright side of having a cover on a cup with a lot of joy inside of it. The joy will usually be drawn up through a straw after the whipped topping is scooped out by a spoon of alacrity that fits perfectly through the hole in the top of the lid!
Warm Regards,
--The Firefishe
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Verizon Wireless, The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition Smartphone, & The GPS Safety Net
There is just so much I can stand when it comes to companies trying to make a buck! I especially eschew any attempt by a company to negate my personal safety when it comes to use of the Global Positioning System.
Let me be succinct: I bought a BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone through Verizon Wireless this past summer, complete with a two-year customer service contract, to boot!
I bought this email-oriented PDA phone to be a do-it-all solution for my phone, email, and GPS Location Based needs. There are many fine third-party programs available for BlackBerry, and they are increasing in number each year. Some of the more notable software includes the following:
What this means to me as a Blackberry Power User can not be overstated enough: It completely negates my overall safety net and performance goals for this phone on this network. All that Verizon Wireless has to do is enable GPS and negate their stand that they do this for 'security reasons'--an argument that has very little merit, considering the fact that the lack of GPS on this GPS-Native handset does just that!
To this end, I am considering filing a complaint of criminal negligence against Verizon Wireless if they don't re-enable my GPS Data Stream IN FULL so that other applications of my choice can access the GPS Data Stream from the GPS Chipset on my BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone.
Please understand this: I Like Verizon, overall! I do not have any beef with the coverage, or the high-speed EV-DO network. Fact is, I'm with Verizon because of that very same EV-DO network!
However, the negation of the GPS Data Stream from the on-board GPS Chipset Hardware negates my full-enjoyment of this phone for both Safety--as well as my favorite sport: Geocaching! (Click HERE for more information on Geocaching).
I've been thinking of writing an application for Geocaching enthusiasts who happen to own BlackBerry handsets. This software would also, as a GPS Enabled Application, allow BlackBerry owners with GPS Enabled Handsets, to use the application as a stand-alone GPS application; it would be complete with a traditional GPS Satellite Page (which has a world graphic with satellite positions with their signal strengths), a Compass Page (which has a Compass Graphic, shows To and From Information Fields, and the like. Geocaching Information, as well, would be available, including use for something called Pocket Queries. (See the GPS FAQ Link Above for information on Pocket Queries.)
I can not do this when the carrier negates the Native GPS Safety and Enhancement features of the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, or when Qualcomm negates the ability of the same handset to use the GPS features when the phone is in overseas GSM Mode. Why would anyone in their right mind negate GPS Location Information for a client base that does international traveling?
GPS IS International! GPS Location Information IS Safety! GPS Mapping Software IS A Safety Solution for Overseas Travelers! Disabling native-GPS features on an so-called worldband phone in any mode is Just Plain Stupid, Idiotic, and Negligent!
I am going to go forward with this matter if I do not receive satisfaction! Please Stay Tuned!
=-Warm Regards from The Humble Fishe-=
Let me be succinct: I bought a BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone through Verizon Wireless this past summer, complete with a two-year customer service contract, to boot!
I bought this email-oriented PDA phone to be a do-it-all solution for my phone, email, and GPS Location Based needs. There are many fine third-party programs available for BlackBerry, and they are increasing in number each year. Some of the more notable software includes the following:
- BlackBerry Maps (A mapping and location lookup tool produced by Research In Motion, the company that makes the BlackBerry handsets. Enabled for phone calls from location searches.)
- Google Maps (Another mapping and location lookup solution used by a majority of BlackBerry owners nationwide. I use it constantly, and can make a phone call from the location listing when it appears.)
- MapQuest Navigator (While not specifically for the 8830 model (yet), I was able to install it, MapQuest Navigator being a Third Party J2ME Software Application, capable of being used on many J2ME Java Based Handsets. The software recognizes the GPS Chip Hardware on the 8830, but alas, can not access the GPS Data Stream, due to Verizon Wireless disabling this feature at the firmware (software-on-chip) level. This program has a GPS Satellite Screen Dialog, which shows that is "Acquiring Satellites." Due to Verizon Wireless negating the GPS Chip Hardware Dataflow, MapQuest Navigator's satellite screen only shows that the software is "Acquiring Satellites," but never does.
What this means to me as a Blackberry Power User can not be overstated enough: It completely negates my overall safety net and performance goals for this phone on this network. All that Verizon Wireless has to do is enable GPS and negate their stand that they do this for 'security reasons'--an argument that has very little merit, considering the fact that the lack of GPS on this GPS-Native handset does just that!
To this end, I am considering filing a complaint of criminal negligence against Verizon Wireless if they don't re-enable my GPS Data Stream IN FULL so that other applications of my choice can access the GPS Data Stream from the GPS Chipset on my BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone.
Please understand this: I Like Verizon, overall! I do not have any beef with the coverage, or the high-speed EV-DO network. Fact is, I'm with Verizon because of that very same EV-DO network!
However, the negation of the GPS Data Stream from the on-board GPS Chipset Hardware negates my full-enjoyment of this phone for both Safety--as well as my favorite sport: Geocaching! (Click HERE for more information on Geocaching).
I've been thinking of writing an application for Geocaching enthusiasts who happen to own BlackBerry handsets. This software would also, as a GPS Enabled Application, allow BlackBerry owners with GPS Enabled Handsets, to use the application as a stand-alone GPS application; it would be complete with a traditional GPS Satellite Page (which has a world graphic with satellite positions with their signal strengths), a Compass Page (which has a Compass Graphic, shows To and From Information Fields, and the like. Geocaching Information, as well, would be available, including use for something called Pocket Queries. (See the GPS FAQ Link Above for information on Pocket Queries.)
I can not do this when the carrier negates the Native GPS Safety and Enhancement features of the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, or when Qualcomm negates the ability of the same handset to use the GPS features when the phone is in overseas GSM Mode. Why would anyone in their right mind negate GPS Location Information for a client base that does international traveling?
GPS IS International! GPS Location Information IS Safety! GPS Mapping Software IS A Safety Solution for Overseas Travelers! Disabling native-GPS features on an so-called worldband phone in any mode is Just Plain Stupid, Idiotic, and Negligent!
I am going to go forward with this matter if I do not receive satisfaction! Please Stay Tuned!
=-Warm Regards from The Humble Fishe-=
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Humble Fishe Goes Treasure Hunting
Wanting to try my hand at the Narrative, I present my fellow Geocachers with this small anecdote of a cache find, from start to finish.
--Firefishe and the Burr Oak Cache--
Part One
--
"A Chanceful Hike, Rotted Out Boots, and a Photographer"
I originally intended to just take a short walk for an hour or so in Grindstone Park, but decided to see if there were any caches nearby.
Having already logged one other cache in this park, I decided to do so; seeing as my cache finds only number 103, I figured this would be a fairly easy, though reasonably challenging regular style cache to find.
So, off I go, following the trail, going *across the bridge* and pausing just slightly after the silo on the right hand side where the trail makes a gradual right turn and goes off to where people and their dogs run.
That's when I decided to look at the gps. A bit on my trusty gps tool (and probably a shameless plug, as well ;0): My Garmin GPSmap 76CSx has been the best of everything to me in the handheld gps world. The SiRF Chipset receives signals my eTrex Vista Cx might otherwise not (although the Vista Cx is a bit more handy when it comes to 'stealth' activity), and really makes Garmin's '76' series of handhelds with the built-in compass--which works only when the handheld is held level--shine!
My old GPSmap 76S doesn't even come close, when the unit was held level, the signal reception suffered greatly, as the '76' series' antennas are all vertically polarized and work best when held nearly straight up and down! And I really needed the compass in this densely wooded area!
Getting back to where I was before: I stopped at the junction just past the silo, took a look at the gps, then looked at the trails around me.
The indicator was showing I needed to go left, instead of right as I had originally planned. Well, I figure the 'gps don't lie' (it usually doesn't, so long as I have the 'map' for the area in my head, first) so I started moving in the direction of my bearing line on the gps's displayed map--then currently set to the routable roads map set. I quickly switched to topo mode (I have a 1gb card in this thing with just about all of the Eastern United States in it!) so I'd have a few more notable land features, such as the local river and rivulets--including one labled "Intermittent Stream" (which I'll get to later).
Well, I followed the only available trail, keeping track of where I was walking in my head as well as what was happening on the gps screen. I walked through a narrow part of the trail where the woods came close to each side, then came to an open area--complete with a strangely curved, cast iron pipe coming out of the ground. I also came to a place where I figured I might have some difficulty, and so I did! The trail ended at the water's edge, or just a bit up on a sort of mini bluff where the trail ended, forming the bank up from the river.
I was at a loss, so I looked at the gps again. The bearing line to the cache was indicating somewhere off to the right, so I followed it...straight along another trail that I thought might lead to a decent river crossing. When I arrived at a point nearly opposite the cache (on the other side of the river, and up and over a rocky bluff), and indicating something like 435 feet or so, I looked around for a way to cross.
I went up the trail a bit, then back to where I had originally been standing, as I could find nothing that looked workable without swimming. Not having swimwear on helped in this decision making process ;o). Coming back, I looked down to an area that looked like it might be workable, then looked across the bank and noticed something I had not noticed when walking from the other direction: a person with a 35mm camera doing a close-up shot of a flower on the other bank!
Well, not wanting to disturb said person, I quietly meandered my way down a small wash, to the river's edge, then proceeded to take closer inventory of my choices. The overall condition of the crossover area in question might've been fairly workable to a person with hiking boots that did not have a hole where the upper had recently come apart from the outsole, and I didn't really care to get the inside of my Merrel's soaked, thus ruining an otherwise worthy cache attempt--as well as a pair of fairly costly hiking boots!
The person across the way was standing up from their flower photo session, and I was able to strike up a conversation. Apparently, they had crossed in this very same location, probably having come from the same parking lot where I was parked. Their hiking boots were apparently in better shape than mine, so, after inquiring as to whether there was a more workable crossing up or downstream, I was pollitely referred to a 'possible bridge,' then decided to persue my quarry from the other side of the main walkway bridge near the parking lot. I waved goodbye, wished the photographer well, and began the second leg of my journey.
Part Two
--
"A Different Trail, Working the GPS Electronic Compass, and an Intermittent Stream"
Having crossed the bridge back to the other side of the river, I began looking for a trail that would take me along the proper side of the river and then to the cache.
The Grindstone Park parking lot is really a small, self contained park area in and of itself. It has a nice paved section of trail that winds along a short distance to the bridge (the trail turns to dirt on the other side of the river), a covered picnic pavilion, and a large, plastic 'privy' for when-you-just-have-to-go *snicker* ;o). Apparently, there is also another trail head of sorts, as well.
This trail is another path that has been worn into the side of the bank on the park side of the river, and apprently sees heavy use. Seeing as I really had no other choice in the matter, I decided, wisely, to follow this trail's course. The trail took me up onto the bluff, and causes one to pass directly underneath a condo or apartment complex of some kind, although not really so near it due to the rocks and outgrowth from the side of the bluff face, itself. The trail is narrow, rocky, and it is not recommended that small children be allowed on it without a tremendous amount of adult supervision, if not outright hand holding and rope tying (to the parent, presumably, and not the family dog!)
Having passed this narrow piece of [i]Sod du Mort[/i] I was faced with a small stream, or rivulet, crossing. This was easily accomplished thanks to a relatively small opposite bank with a lot of hand holds, primarily consisting of young saplings and other plant matter. Having availed myself of 'Nature's Bannisters', I found that I was a bit in a pickle about where my course should be. Enter the electronic compass!
The Garmin GPSmap 76CSx has a very accurate electronic compass that, so long as it is calibrated prior to each trip (which is standard for this type of system regardless of manufacturer, at least to date that I am aware), is as highly functional as its manual counterparts. I usually keep the compass function turned off to conserve battery power, so I turned the function on by holding down the Page button for a few seconds until the 'Compass Turned On' display popped up on the bottom of the screen.
Then the fun began! :o) It's nice to not have to carry multiple instruments when desired. (Although it's wise to *always* carry more than one when you're out in rougher and more remote country, actually, it's a requirement and would in all probability save one's life in a jam!) Having the entire navigational system in one complete package makes more sense to me as the years progress.
Before I turned on the compass feature, the Bearing Pointer arrow was pointing this way and that, waiting for me to move the gps to get the compass indicator to move, which is my usual method. With the compass on, all I had to do was wait for the fluctuations to stop, then look in the general direction of where the Bearing Line on the map was indicating I should go.
A word about Bearing Lines vs Course Lines. Course lines are great when you need to know and keep tabs on the route from where you initially started, then use something called the Course Pointer to keep you properly in the center of the course line. This is fine for boats on open water, but I find it rather useless in heavy forest cover, such has Grindstone Park. To me, the Bearing Line, which moves with you as you move, is a bit more helpful, as it gives a visual reference to your destination--in this case Burr Oak Cache--directly from where you happen to be. So long as you make a Waypoint at where your car is parked, not using a Course Line isn't a liability, so as finding your original starting point is concerned.
So I let the compass point the way, then looked around for visual references. As I'm behind some trees, and can't really see anything toward the larger river which this stream runs in to, I decide to let the compass and gps have their way; I didn't regret this decision. I did end up having to go up a fairly steep and rocky ridge, then down a decent hill, but this didn't deter me. I had to move a bit more slowly than usual up the slope, and selected my footing--and my young tree hand holds ;o)--somewhat more carefully than usual, as the slope was wet and slippery from recent rains.
Compressing this up a bit, I made my way down hill to a well-marked trail, with a well-marked and worn (looked like it was burned!) trail sign indicating Burr Oak. The Burr Oak was defniitely there, huge and round and decently old, so far as trees go. I was a bit confuddled about location, and I didn't want to really poke around too heavily as the area was fairly open. However, there wasn't anyone around save for that photographer I met, and I didn't see anyone else at all. Still, it's nice to read about your cache, so I popped out my equally trusty Palm Tungsten T3 PDA and CacheMate, a PalmOS geocaching application.
The Description section was similar to the note on my Garmin's waypoint note, so far as the Author was concerned. The Hints section gave me what I needed to be quick and decent about logging the cache. I use the Hints often and regularly, especially in urban locations where stealth and brevity in 'presence before the cache' are necessities if you don't want to find it plundered later by uncouth geomuggles. I may keep off the Hints section on days in which I really desire to 'test my mettle,' but I'm in this sport/pasttime/addiction ;o) *snicker* for a reasonable treasure hunt, not as a difficulty and/or speed maven; in short, I just like to have fun, and not get too competitive with it, least of all with myself.
Well, I found it in the place indicated, and I have to say that, for an open area, the hiders did a bangup job of keeping the thing hidden. I didn't even see it at first until going past it, down to a small creek, than back up again. It was coming back that I found it.
Took: kcmose carabiner signature item
Left: Loose change from pocket
I went back trying out the TrakBack feature of the GPSmap 76CSx, but found it to be too cumbersome. Unless you're going to be going in relatively straight lines with well-defined turns at well-defined corners, I don't advocate the use of TrakBack or other similar features on other gps units when you walk ten feet, turn around, go back twenty feet, turn around again, then walk five feet, go right for 100 yards, then turn left for 50 feet...you get the picture!
After logging the cache and rehiding the container in a more or less similiar fashion in which I found it (just where did that camoflage piece of *forest material go, was it on top, or on the side? ;-?), I took another look at the gps map. I was still in topo mode, and I needed to plot my way back, as I had gotten needlessly turned around whilst cache logging. I took a look at where my CAR waypoint was, and panned my cursor arrow on the gps display toward that general location. During the act of panning, my arrow stopped momentarily over a small water course, and the words "Intermittent Stream" popped up.
This was right along my original breadcrumb trail I had been logging since starting out from the parking lot, and made a perfect proximity waypoint to indicate where I needed to turn to go back along the bluff.
I made it back to my car without incident, and relished in the logging of a way-overdue geocache, #104 for me! A long way to go to 1000, my next goal!
I hope everyone enjoyed this narrative.
Warmest regards from,
Firefishe
Caching In On The Journey
Note: Firefishe is my Geocaching Handle or Nickname. Look for me at www.geocaching.com. Let's Go Geocaching!
--Firefishe and the Burr Oak Cache--
Part One
--
"A Chanceful Hike, Rotted Out Boots, and a Photographer"
I originally intended to just take a short walk for an hour or so in Grindstone Park, but decided to see if there were any caches nearby.
Having already logged one other cache in this park, I decided to do so; seeing as my cache finds only number 103, I figured this would be a fairly easy, though reasonably challenging regular style cache to find.
So, off I go, following the trail, going *across the bridge* and pausing just slightly after the silo on the right hand side where the trail makes a gradual right turn and goes off to where people and their dogs run.
That's when I decided to look at the gps. A bit on my trusty gps tool (and probably a shameless plug, as well ;0): My Garmin GPSmap 76CSx has been the best of everything to me in the handheld gps world. The SiRF Chipset receives signals my eTrex Vista Cx might otherwise not (although the Vista Cx is a bit more handy when it comes to 'stealth' activity), and really makes Garmin's '76' series of handhelds with the built-in compass--which works only when the handheld is held level--shine!
My old GPSmap 76S doesn't even come close, when the unit was held level, the signal reception suffered greatly, as the '76' series' antennas are all vertically polarized and work best when held nearly straight up and down! And I really needed the compass in this densely wooded area!
Getting back to where I was before: I stopped at the junction just past the silo, took a look at the gps, then looked at the trails around me.
The indicator was showing I needed to go left, instead of right as I had originally planned. Well, I figure the 'gps don't lie' (it usually doesn't, so long as I have the 'map' for the area in my head, first) so I started moving in the direction of my bearing line on the gps's displayed map--then currently set to the routable roads map set. I quickly switched to topo mode (I have a 1gb card in this thing with just about all of the Eastern United States in it!) so I'd have a few more notable land features, such as the local river and rivulets--including one labled "Intermittent Stream" (which I'll get to later).
Well, I followed the only available trail, keeping track of where I was walking in my head as well as what was happening on the gps screen. I walked through a narrow part of the trail where the woods came close to each side, then came to an open area--complete with a strangely curved, cast iron pipe coming out of the ground. I also came to a place where I figured I might have some difficulty, and so I did! The trail ended at the water's edge, or just a bit up on a sort of mini bluff where the trail ended, forming the bank up from the river.
I was at a loss, so I looked at the gps again. The bearing line to the cache was indicating somewhere off to the right, so I followed it...straight along another trail that I thought might lead to a decent river crossing. When I arrived at a point nearly opposite the cache (on the other side of the river, and up and over a rocky bluff), and indicating something like 435 feet or so, I looked around for a way to cross.
I went up the trail a bit, then back to where I had originally been standing, as I could find nothing that looked workable without swimming. Not having swimwear on helped in this decision making process ;o). Coming back, I looked down to an area that looked like it might be workable, then looked across the bank and noticed something I had not noticed when walking from the other direction: a person with a 35mm camera doing a close-up shot of a flower on the other bank!
Well, not wanting to disturb said person, I quietly meandered my way down a small wash, to the river's edge, then proceeded to take closer inventory of my choices. The overall condition of the crossover area in question might've been fairly workable to a person with hiking boots that did not have a hole where the upper had recently come apart from the outsole, and I didn't really care to get the inside of my Merrel's soaked, thus ruining an otherwise worthy cache attempt--as well as a pair of fairly costly hiking boots!
The person across the way was standing up from their flower photo session, and I was able to strike up a conversation. Apparently, they had crossed in this very same location, probably having come from the same parking lot where I was parked. Their hiking boots were apparently in better shape than mine, so, after inquiring as to whether there was a more workable crossing up or downstream, I was pollitely referred to a 'possible bridge,' then decided to persue my quarry from the other side of the main walkway bridge near the parking lot. I waved goodbye, wished the photographer well, and began the second leg of my journey.
Part Two
--
"A Different Trail, Working the GPS Electronic Compass, and an Intermittent Stream"
Having crossed the bridge back to the other side of the river, I began looking for a trail that would take me along the proper side of the river and then to the cache.
The Grindstone Park parking lot is really a small, self contained park area in and of itself. It has a nice paved section of trail that winds along a short distance to the bridge (the trail turns to dirt on the other side of the river), a covered picnic pavilion, and a large, plastic 'privy' for when-you-just-have-to-go *snicker* ;o). Apparently, there is also another trail head of sorts, as well.
This trail is another path that has been worn into the side of the bank on the park side of the river, and apprently sees heavy use. Seeing as I really had no other choice in the matter, I decided, wisely, to follow this trail's course. The trail took me up onto the bluff, and causes one to pass directly underneath a condo or apartment complex of some kind, although not really so near it due to the rocks and outgrowth from the side of the bluff face, itself. The trail is narrow, rocky, and it is not recommended that small children be allowed on it without a tremendous amount of adult supervision, if not outright hand holding and rope tying (to the parent, presumably, and not the family dog!)
Having passed this narrow piece of [i]Sod du Mort[/i] I was faced with a small stream, or rivulet, crossing. This was easily accomplished thanks to a relatively small opposite bank with a lot of hand holds, primarily consisting of young saplings and other plant matter. Having availed myself of 'Nature's Bannisters', I found that I was a bit in a pickle about where my course should be. Enter the electronic compass!
The Garmin GPSmap 76CSx has a very accurate electronic compass that, so long as it is calibrated prior to each trip (which is standard for this type of system regardless of manufacturer, at least to date that I am aware), is as highly functional as its manual counterparts. I usually keep the compass function turned off to conserve battery power, so I turned the function on by holding down the Page button for a few seconds until the 'Compass Turned On' display popped up on the bottom of the screen.
Then the fun began! :o) It's nice to not have to carry multiple instruments when desired. (Although it's wise to *always* carry more than one when you're out in rougher and more remote country, actually, it's a requirement and would in all probability save one's life in a jam!) Having the entire navigational system in one complete package makes more sense to me as the years progress.
Before I turned on the compass feature, the Bearing Pointer arrow was pointing this way and that, waiting for me to move the gps to get the compass indicator to move, which is my usual method. With the compass on, all I had to do was wait for the fluctuations to stop, then look in the general direction of where the Bearing Line on the map was indicating I should go.
A word about Bearing Lines vs Course Lines. Course lines are great when you need to know and keep tabs on the route from where you initially started, then use something called the Course Pointer to keep you properly in the center of the course line. This is fine for boats on open water, but I find it rather useless in heavy forest cover, such has Grindstone Park. To me, the Bearing Line, which moves with you as you move, is a bit more helpful, as it gives a visual reference to your destination--in this case Burr Oak Cache--directly from where you happen to be. So long as you make a Waypoint at where your car is parked, not using a Course Line isn't a liability, so as finding your original starting point is concerned.
So I let the compass point the way, then looked around for visual references. As I'm behind some trees, and can't really see anything toward the larger river which this stream runs in to, I decide to let the compass and gps have their way; I didn't regret this decision. I did end up having to go up a fairly steep and rocky ridge, then down a decent hill, but this didn't deter me. I had to move a bit more slowly than usual up the slope, and selected my footing--and my young tree hand holds ;o)--somewhat more carefully than usual, as the slope was wet and slippery from recent rains.
Compressing this up a bit, I made my way down hill to a well-marked trail, with a well-marked and worn (looked like it was burned!) trail sign indicating Burr Oak. The Burr Oak was defniitely there, huge and round and decently old, so far as trees go. I was a bit confuddled about location, and I didn't want to really poke around too heavily as the area was fairly open. However, there wasn't anyone around save for that photographer I met, and I didn't see anyone else at all. Still, it's nice to read about your cache, so I popped out my equally trusty Palm Tungsten T3 PDA and CacheMate, a PalmOS geocaching application.
The Description section was similar to the note on my Garmin's waypoint note, so far as the Author was concerned. The Hints section gave me what I needed to be quick and decent about logging the cache. I use the Hints often and regularly, especially in urban locations where stealth and brevity in 'presence before the cache' are necessities if you don't want to find it plundered later by uncouth geomuggles. I may keep off the Hints section on days in which I really desire to 'test my mettle,' but I'm in this sport/pasttime/addiction ;o) *snicker* for a reasonable treasure hunt, not as a difficulty and/or speed maven; in short, I just like to have fun, and not get too competitive with it, least of all with myself.
Well, I found it in the place indicated, and I have to say that, for an open area, the hiders did a bangup job of keeping the thing hidden. I didn't even see it at first until going past it, down to a small creek, than back up again. It was coming back that I found it.
Took: kcmose carabiner signature item
Left: Loose change from pocket
I went back trying out the TrakBack feature of the GPSmap 76CSx, but found it to be too cumbersome. Unless you're going to be going in relatively straight lines with well-defined turns at well-defined corners, I don't advocate the use of TrakBack or other similar features on other gps units when you walk ten feet, turn around, go back twenty feet, turn around again, then walk five feet, go right for 100 yards, then turn left for 50 feet...you get the picture!
After logging the cache and rehiding the container in a more or less similiar fashion in which I found it (just where did that camoflage piece of *forest material go, was it on top, or on the side? ;-?), I took another look at the gps map. I was still in topo mode, and I needed to plot my way back, as I had gotten needlessly turned around whilst cache logging. I took a look at where my CAR waypoint was, and panned my cursor arrow on the gps display toward that general location. During the act of panning, my arrow stopped momentarily over a small water course, and the words "Intermittent Stream" popped up.
This was right along my original breadcrumb trail I had been logging since starting out from the parking lot, and made a perfect proximity waypoint to indicate where I needed to turn to go back along the bluff.
I made it back to my car without incident, and relished in the logging of a way-overdue geocache, #104 for me! A long way to go to 1000, my next goal!
I hope everyone enjoyed this narrative.
Warmest regards from,
Firefishe
Caching In On The Journey
Note: Firefishe is my Geocaching Handle or Nickname. Look for me at www.geocaching.com. Let's Go Geocaching!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Reminiscings
I am at a stage now in my life where I am not sure of where I am going or where I 've been. Have any of you out there ever been there, now, where I am? I'm sure many of you have.
I don' t know what it is that I'm seeking. Everything seems elusive, tenuous, filmy, foglike, and cloudy. Nothing is solid. Even the good ol' solid Earth under my feet and around me seems to be wavering of late. I feel lost in time.
Time. That is one elusive construct. To me, it doesn't seem so far from the days of my youth. I'm not elderly at 41, but I still can almost taste the ice cream cones, if you know what I mean? The thing is, everyone else around me has seemingly grown up and I feel like I've been left behind.
The emotions from the past are so strong, it's like they're calling me back, calling me...home? I've never felt as if I've ever been home since I moved out of my parent's house. I've never had a house of my own. Heck! I live in an RV for crying out loud! That's not to say I'm not an RV nut--don't get me wrong, I am--but at least other people who own RV's also own some private land to keep it on, a garage to keep it in, and a house to go back to. Some people even own two houses, if they're well-heeled enough.
What that last sentence should articulate to everyone is: "...if they've prepared correctly." That's my problem. I'm 41 and I'm not prepared for anything. I've done poorly at school all my life, and have been virtually shunned by people of my own peer groups. High school was bad enough, but my middle and elementary school years were hell! I wouldn't want to re-live them at all, except to go back in time, present myself as a representative of the state educational dept., and give some of my former so-called 'teachers' (and I use the term loosely, very loosely) a run down on what not to do with a particular student.
So where does that leave me now? Pining for the days of yore, that's certain. But also desiring to be able to accept where I've been with grace and push forward with vim, vigor, and a renewed and matured energy, the likes of which I've never had in my younger days. So what do I do, kind readers, what do I do?
I'm camping on a crossroads in my life, longing for more solid lodgings. I need something, something that is calling me back. Something...a part of my Spirit that was left behind or something. or something... left behind... I need to help that lost part of me find home. Here I go...
--Stephen
I don' t know what it is that I'm seeking. Everything seems elusive, tenuous, filmy, foglike, and cloudy. Nothing is solid. Even the good ol' solid Earth under my feet and around me seems to be wavering of late. I feel lost in time.
Time. That is one elusive construct. To me, it doesn't seem so far from the days of my youth. I'm not elderly at 41, but I still can almost taste the ice cream cones, if you know what I mean? The thing is, everyone else around me has seemingly grown up and I feel like I've been left behind.
The emotions from the past are so strong, it's like they're calling me back, calling me...home? I've never felt as if I've ever been home since I moved out of my parent's house. I've never had a house of my own. Heck! I live in an RV for crying out loud! That's not to say I'm not an RV nut--don't get me wrong, I am--but at least other people who own RV's also own some private land to keep it on, a garage to keep it in, and a house to go back to. Some people even own two houses, if they're well-heeled enough.
What that last sentence should articulate to everyone is: "...if they've prepared correctly." That's my problem. I'm 41 and I'm not prepared for anything. I've done poorly at school all my life, and have been virtually shunned by people of my own peer groups. High school was bad enough, but my middle and elementary school years were hell! I wouldn't want to re-live them at all, except to go back in time, present myself as a representative of the state educational dept., and give some of my former so-called 'teachers' (and I use the term loosely, very loosely) a run down on what not to do with a particular student.
So where does that leave me now? Pining for the days of yore, that's certain. But also desiring to be able to accept where I've been with grace and push forward with vim, vigor, and a renewed and matured energy, the likes of which I've never had in my younger days. So what do I do, kind readers, what do I do?
I'm camping on a crossroads in my life, longing for more solid lodgings. I need something, something that is calling me back. Something...a part of my Spirit that was left behind or something. or something... left behind... I need to help that lost part of me find home. Here I go...
--Stephen
Monday, September 18, 2006
My Beach
My Beach
Lingers on the outside edge of ecstasy,
Meandering shoreline, hugging the bleeding edge of experience,
Whole, blue sky, expanses from the horizon, to overhead, down the other side,
Heralding a dome of Life. My own experiences.
My Beach
Bridges gaps, creating, fashioning broad pathways,
A place where dimensions coalesce, intertwine, and meet.
My Beach
Is a place where the gods of old dance,
Giving the Knowledge of old to the people of today,
Blending their spirits, coupling their hearts,
Teaching how to do the sacred Dances of the Cosmos,
The Dark and Light Moon Dancing,
The Creation and Fire Dance of the Sun,
The Roiling River Dance of the Waters,
The Underworld Dance of The Passing,
The Intertwining Spirit Dance of Love,
The EnJoining of the All.
Encompasses All That...
And is a
To walk, hand in hand, and watch a sunset,
Or a sunrise,
Or cuddle with The One That You Love.
My Beach
Is Forever.
©2006 Stephen Andrew Brown. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
What Kind of a Life Is It That I'm Leading?
Hello faithful readers. I'm sorry I have not posted in a while. *Sigh* I'm a bit tired of late. I've been wandering around the countryside, traveling somewhat aimlessly in a fog of sorts.
I can't seem to see where I am going. I went back to where I've been before, but found no solace there. I should've stayed home, saved my money, and started a small business of some kind. Well, one can always start over, I guess.
What I'm struggling to say is that my inner person--you know, the one that Just Is?--has become fatigued and is running out of ideas. I'm wanting to do things, be successful, but I'm finding that I just can't seem to pull through.
I've tried everything I can think of to make forward progress. Still, that 'little, inner voice,' the one that gives out the ideas, is becoming tired, and feels worn out. Vacations do not help. Postive thinking is quickly dissipated by negative reaction, often to mundane things.
I'm hoping a recent thought to do a book series might help me realize my truest potential. If so, I must start at once. I am a horrid procrastinator, so I know the odds are not in my favor of starting it, let alone finishing it.
Does the Universe recycle and give to those who need, those things that those in need but didn't act upon them at one time owned?
I think my time grows short. Shall I Move? Shall I Dance Upon The Beach?
I think I shall.
Respectfully waiting for a Miracle To Happen,
THF
I can't seem to see where I am going. I went back to where I've been before, but found no solace there. I should've stayed home, saved my money, and started a small business of some kind. Well, one can always start over, I guess.
What I'm struggling to say is that my inner person--you know, the one that Just Is?--has become fatigued and is running out of ideas. I'm wanting to do things, be successful, but I'm finding that I just can't seem to pull through.
I've tried everything I can think of to make forward progress. Still, that 'little, inner voice,' the one that gives out the ideas, is becoming tired, and feels worn out. Vacations do not help. Postive thinking is quickly dissipated by negative reaction, often to mundane things.
I'm hoping a recent thought to do a book series might help me realize my truest potential. If so, I must start at once. I am a horrid procrastinator, so I know the odds are not in my favor of starting it, let alone finishing it.
Does the Universe recycle and give to those who need, those things that those in need but didn't act upon them at one time owned?
I think my time grows short. Shall I Move? Shall I Dance Upon The Beach?
I think I shall.
Respectfully waiting for a Miracle To Happen,
THF
Monday, May 29, 2006
Evidence of the Paranormal? You Decide! :-) (Shockwave Flash Required)
I have always been interested in paranormal investigation, and I feel that the SciFi series "Ghost Hunters" is, to the common man, what Hans Holzer is to the upper crust. (And I do like reading Hans's literary exploits in the paranormal, as well ;-) ).
Furthermore, I feel that Ghost Hunters has a little more down-to-earth approach that more people can identify with. It's fresh, in-your-face, and they don't pull any punches, at least none that I can see.
I present then, some clips from the youtube.com site from Ghost Hunters.
Furthermore, I feel that Ghost Hunters has a little more down-to-earth approach that more people can identify with. It's fresh, in-your-face, and they don't pull any punches, at least none that I can see.
I present then, some clips from the youtube.com site from Ghost Hunters.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Feeling Tired and Wondering Where We're Going
This is the hardest part of my existence: Waiting. Waiting for something to happen...to me.
My heart is filled with longing,
My Head is full of pain,
My eyes are steeped with crying,
Due to the sorrow that remains.
My wants they all are wonting,
My hopes and dreams, are unfullfilled,
My planet's people, dying,
Asleep still in their shells.
They prim, and prime, and focus,
So intensely all the day,
Upon what they call real,
And still woe rules the day.
People destroying each other,
In the name of their gods,
To light yet another fire,
Oh yes the beast of war rolls on.
I'm not afraid to fight for,
The things that we believe in,
I'm just so goddamn tired,
Of the ways that we deceive in.
Mockery of others' ways,
Indignant to their light of day,
Uncaring to the sacred ways,
Sacred ways of every other.
All things they must stay the same,
Woe to any others' games,
No way! we shall look to their ways,
Ours are *always* brighter!
I tire of the endless dreams,
That go out unfullfilled,
I tire of the tireless streams,
Of thoughts that shoot to kill.
I want us to all finally see,
Desires of our most sacred dreams,
Come upon unto our reality,
And change our aching world. . .
Into an Awake world!
Humble Fishe's Thought for the Day:
WAKE UP! SEARCH FOR PEACE! FIND IT WITHIN! SHARE IT WITH OTHERS! SHARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS! --The Humble Fishe
My heart is filled with longing,
My Head is full of pain,
My eyes are steeped with crying,
Due to the sorrow that remains.
My wants they all are wonting,
My hopes and dreams, are unfullfilled,
My planet's people, dying,
Asleep still in their shells.
They prim, and prime, and focus,
So intensely all the day,
Upon what they call real,
And still woe rules the day.
People destroying each other,
In the name of their gods,
To light yet another fire,
Oh yes the beast of war rolls on.
I'm not afraid to fight for,
The things that we believe in,
I'm just so goddamn tired,
Of the ways that we deceive in.
Mockery of others' ways,
Indignant to their light of day,
Uncaring to the sacred ways,
Sacred ways of every other.
All things they must stay the same,
Woe to any others' games,
No way! we shall look to their ways,
Ours are *always* brighter!
I tire of the endless dreams,
That go out unfullfilled,
I tire of the tireless streams,
Of thoughts that shoot to kill.
I want us to all finally see,
Desires of our most sacred dreams,
Come upon unto our reality,
And change our aching world. . .
Into an Awake world!
Humble Fishe's Thought for the Day:
WAKE UP! SEARCH FOR PEACE! FIND IT WITHIN! SHARE IT WITH OTHERS! SHARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS! --The Humble Fishe
Saturday, March 25, 2006
SIMPLE ADVICE FOR LAZY RV OWNERS <*|(())))>< <--Recalitrant Fishe!!!
DO NOT EVER LET YOUR DISHES IN YOUR RV SINKS SIT FOR OVER THREE WEEKS!
*Gag Choke Cough Wheeze*
--THF
*Gag Choke Cough Wheeze*
--THF
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Friday, February 03, 2006
Humble Fishe Haiku (HumFisheKu) for January
Bold, saucy, life is
Pretentious, yearning for zeal!
Drink of life's boldness!
Pretentious, yearning for zeal!
Drink of life's boldness!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Humble Fishe's Gentle Suggestion for December
December is here. Cold is here. Snow has fallen! Welcome To The Winter Season :-)!
This the season of drawing close to one's family, friends, and neighbors, for putting aside any petty (or even non-petty ;-) ) differences and tending to the soul-needs of our fellow humans.
Many people will be caught up in the material aspect that attends this season in modern culture, namely that of buying gifts and such. This is Fine.
Many people of the Christian Faith will celebrate this time of year as the Sacred Birth of The Savior, Christ Jesus. This is Fine.
People of the Jewish Faith will be celebrating The Festival of Lights, also known as Hanukkah. This is Fine.
Wiccans and other Neo-Pagans will celebrate the Time of the Winter Solstice, the time of the season when the God of Summer 'dies' and the Spirit--or Father--of Winter, is born, to take command of the winter elements, including the element of the Winter-Soul. This is Fine.
Still others will yearn for something simpler than they are currently experiencing in their lives, either in work, play, or general relationships. This is also Fine.
Those who are drawn to the Autumn-Time-of-the-Soul will be pulled to draw upon the limitless supply of Love that the Universe has to offer at this time for such individuals. The Humble Fishe is drawn to such matters, as it so happens. This is Fine and Dandy with The Humble Fishe <*(((((>< :-). Some in the northern climes will have their Senses broadened, and their Heart of Hearts opened wide to receive what the Chill of the Winter Wind (best received properly dressed ;-) hee) has to offer in the way and manner of Winter Winds. I have received many inspiring thoughts from Just This Source ( ;-) wink wink to my Family and Friends up in Michigan...this is for you!) Still others will draw from the Bountiful Wealth of Love from the seasonal features in their given areas, whether cold or warm. The Humble Fishe's Suggestion for December:
Live and Let Live. Know what is on your side of the fence in minute detail; don't look over the side of the other person's fence, only to pine away at what you don't have.
If you want changes, then implement them, but please remember to ask your Soul and Heart-of-Hearts to be certain it is beneficial, and not cluttering to your Soul-Work.
Be Aware. Be Generous. Be Helpful. Above all though, Be In Love...With the World Around You, your Neighbor Next Door, and your Inner Self. This last one is, perhaps, the most important, for Within, One Finds The Universe, and Eternal Love.
Blessings and Light
The Humble Fishe
This the season of drawing close to one's family, friends, and neighbors, for putting aside any petty (or even non-petty ;-) ) differences and tending to the soul-needs of our fellow humans.
Many people will be caught up in the material aspect that attends this season in modern culture, namely that of buying gifts and such. This is Fine.
Many people of the Christian Faith will celebrate this time of year as the Sacred Birth of The Savior, Christ Jesus. This is Fine.
People of the Jewish Faith will be celebrating The Festival of Lights, also known as Hanukkah. This is Fine.
Wiccans and other Neo-Pagans will celebrate the Time of the Winter Solstice, the time of the season when the God of Summer 'dies' and the Spirit--or Father--of Winter, is born, to take command of the winter elements, including the element of the Winter-Soul. This is Fine.
Still others will yearn for something simpler than they are currently experiencing in their lives, either in work, play, or general relationships. This is also Fine.
Those who are drawn to the Autumn-Time-of-the-Soul will be pulled to draw upon the limitless supply of Love that the Universe has to offer at this time for such individuals. The Humble Fishe is drawn to such matters, as it so happens. This is Fine and Dandy with The Humble Fishe <*(((((>< :-). Some in the northern climes will have their Senses broadened, and their Heart of Hearts opened wide to receive what the Chill of the Winter Wind (best received properly dressed ;-) hee) has to offer in the way and manner of Winter Winds. I have received many inspiring thoughts from Just This Source ( ;-) wink wink to my Family and Friends up in Michigan...this is for you!) Still others will draw from the Bountiful Wealth of Love from the seasonal features in their given areas, whether cold or warm. The Humble Fishe's Suggestion for December:
Live and Let Live. Know what is on your side of the fence in minute detail; don't look over the side of the other person's fence, only to pine away at what you don't have.
If you want changes, then implement them, but please remember to ask your Soul and Heart-of-Hearts to be certain it is beneficial, and not cluttering to your Soul-Work.
Be Aware. Be Generous. Be Helpful. Above all though, Be In Love...With the World Around You, your Neighbor Next Door, and your Inner Self. This last one is, perhaps, the most important, for Within, One Finds The Universe, and Eternal Love.
Blessings and Light
The Humble Fishe
Humble Fishe Haiku (HumFisheKu)
December snow fall
Fashioning forgiving thoughts
Yearning wont to heal
Fashioning forgiving thoughts
Yearning wont to heal
Monday, October 31, 2005
HALLOWEEN!
It's off to the Halloween bash at MoJo's in downtown Columbia, Missouri! I'll let you know how it went after a bit.
Ta Ta, and "BOO!" HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOLKS!(XX O===|>
Ta Ta, and "BOO!" HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOLKS!(XX O===|>
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Can A Wounded Heart Heal Through Time? A Soul's Journey May Tell.
Can a soul--one with a wounded heart--escape the accumulated experiences of a lifetime, release them, and then go on its way?
I asked myself this very question after a viewing a moving animated film called Kimagure Orange Road, Summer's Beginning. Kimagure has been a franchise in Japan for quite a while, going back the late eighties and early nineties.
While a plethora of anime' titles deal with everything from intergalactic conflict to the essential battle robot scenery, the Kimagure Orange Road franchise deals with affairs of the human heart, primarily through it's three protagonists, Kyosuke, Hikaru, and Madoka. I don't really want to get too tightly focused on Kimagure Orange Road here, I just wanted to say that it is the most moving animated series of any that I have ever watched, and whilst watching, it brought back memories. . .
Enter the opening question about a soul's wounded heart.
The question may be a bit broader than perhaps first thought, if it is considered closely and thoughtfully. This is deep stuff and I don't expect everybody to 'get it.' Still, it's not unbearably hard to fathom, and I feel a distinct need to...well...'get it out.'
A friend of mine, one that's very close, once told me a story. It was the story about a man, who, when reflecting on his life of forty years, suddenly realized that he had a knack for bringing up nearly photographic memories of his past, something he had not been able to do before. It was then that this man thought to himself: "What if I could change my past? What would I do? More importantly, what would I do differently? Would I interact with the same people, only in a different way? Would I choose new people, and change my entire spectrum of friends, all together?"
These things the man pondered, until he could ponder them no more. The man was tired after this exercise, and had to wait a few days before he was able to consider these questions at any length again. When he was rested, a few days later, he went back to this pondering. The questions seemed primal to him, for he was considering that the ability to relive--in his mind--the events of his past might just one day be so real so as to allow him to 'step back' in time for a while, to interact with his past.
One day, during an especially vivid memory, he was able to do this, and it scared him. He found himself face to face with a love interest from his past, only this time, it wasn't in his past, it was in what was now, his present, relative to his position in time. The present he had left was his future, and the past he had traveled to was his present, at least for the moment he was there.
Considering that he was now able to interact with the past he had envisioned interacting with, he realized what that ramifications of this meant: He could change his past!
But wait! What was that calling to him from the place he had just left? He felt an overwhelming burst of emotion rush over him, seemingly begging him to return to the place he had left. He knew what it was, and became even more scared when he realized that although he was where he wanted to be, he knew that if he took this path, there might not be any turning back, and he might not even be able to remember the future that he left.
The Love-he-had-before, stood in front of him, beckoning him to her, but the man could not move. He was dumbfounded at what he had done, was even surprised that he did it in the first place, and realized that this gift was also somewhat unsettling if not dangerous, to himself. The man had always been an upstanding person, careful in his deliberations with relationships. Honesty pervaded his being and his moral training came to him as if to say: "Think of your loved ones."
He bowed to the love-interest in front of him, then indicated that he had learned his lesson. The love-interest bowed in return, then disappeared in a flash of brilliant white light. The man, too, was engulfed, and found himself standing before his bedroom mirror, the place he had been standing when the vivid memory caused him to be transported back in time.
The man looked at himself in the mirror: He seemed a bit different, but he could not put it to words, at first. Then it came to him. He said inwardly: "I am who I am because of all my past experiences, each one moving with, cascading into, and having become part of the others, to make up the whole of what I am now. All my experiences, all my relationships, all the things that make up what I call 'me' is as it should be--because I experienced them the way I did, all the way up to now, in this moment."
The man thought of the love-interest from his past that had appeared before him. It occurred to him that he didn't now remember that person as a love-interest, but that is what she had been to him during sojourn back in time.
There was a long pause. Then the 'Ah Ha!' aspect of the experience reverberated through his being. That so-called 'love-interest' was his soul, showing itself to him in a form he could understand. He knew what it meant, and suddenly, his life was changed from within. He could go back in time if he wanted to. The memories were there, just as vivid as before. Perhaps, he thought, he should take a real loved one along with him--perhaps his wife--so she could share in his past. Maybe he could teach the technique to others.
A feeling of concern uprooted the man from his current line-of-thought: it came through him from his inner self, as if it was talking to him through a long tunnel. It said, simply, "Experience, Know W hat Is Truly Real, and Know!" "Learn, Learn, Learn!"
This message was not lost on the man, and he knew what could be done if he wanted to. He also knew that he had reponsibility to not hurt the feelings of others, and be faithful to them, as well. This made the man a bit more purplexed about his position in the universe-at-large, but he also knew it made him more than he had been.
The man then went downstairs to have dinner with his wife.
The moral, if any, of this story is this: Be who you are. Know who you are. Learn who you are and where you came from, before you appeared on Life's Scene. Know where you've been, why you're here now, and where you're going. It isn't enough to just go along in life, one must experience to get anything of any real lasting value to take with you when you depart this mortal coil.
Live, however, as if this is the only place you need to be, for--whatever it's worth--it probably is.
No Suggestions, Only Love. Be Well My Friends.
Respectfully, Stephen
I asked myself this very question after a viewing a moving animated film called Kimagure Orange Road, Summer's Beginning. Kimagure has been a franchise in Japan for quite a while, going back the late eighties and early nineties.
While a plethora of anime' titles deal with everything from intergalactic conflict to the essential battle robot scenery, the Kimagure Orange Road franchise deals with affairs of the human heart, primarily through it's three protagonists, Kyosuke, Hikaru, and Madoka. I don't really want to get too tightly focused on Kimagure Orange Road here, I just wanted to say that it is the most moving animated series of any that I have ever watched, and whilst watching, it brought back memories. . .
Enter the opening question about a soul's wounded heart.
The question may be a bit broader than perhaps first thought, if it is considered closely and thoughtfully. This is deep stuff and I don't expect everybody to 'get it.' Still, it's not unbearably hard to fathom, and I feel a distinct need to...well...'get it out.'
A friend of mine, one that's very close, once told me a story. It was the story about a man, who, when reflecting on his life of forty years, suddenly realized that he had a knack for bringing up nearly photographic memories of his past, something he had not been able to do before. It was then that this man thought to himself: "What if I could change my past? What would I do? More importantly, what would I do differently? Would I interact with the same people, only in a different way? Would I choose new people, and change my entire spectrum of friends, all together?"
These things the man pondered, until he could ponder them no more. The man was tired after this exercise, and had to wait a few days before he was able to consider these questions at any length again. When he was rested, a few days later, he went back to this pondering. The questions seemed primal to him, for he was considering that the ability to relive--in his mind--the events of his past might just one day be so real so as to allow him to 'step back' in time for a while, to interact with his past.
One day, during an especially vivid memory, he was able to do this, and it scared him. He found himself face to face with a love interest from his past, only this time, it wasn't in his past, it was in what was now, his present, relative to his position in time. The present he had left was his future, and the past he had traveled to was his present, at least for the moment he was there.
Considering that he was now able to interact with the past he had envisioned interacting with, he realized what that ramifications of this meant: He could change his past!
But wait! What was that calling to him from the place he had just left? He felt an overwhelming burst of emotion rush over him, seemingly begging him to return to the place he had left. He knew what it was, and became even more scared when he realized that although he was where he wanted to be, he knew that if he took this path, there might not be any turning back, and he might not even be able to remember the future that he left.
The Love-he-had-before, stood in front of him, beckoning him to her, but the man could not move. He was dumbfounded at what he had done, was even surprised that he did it in the first place, and realized that this gift was also somewhat unsettling if not dangerous, to himself. The man had always been an upstanding person, careful in his deliberations with relationships. Honesty pervaded his being and his moral training came to him as if to say: "Think of your loved ones."
He bowed to the love-interest in front of him, then indicated that he had learned his lesson. The love-interest bowed in return, then disappeared in a flash of brilliant white light. The man, too, was engulfed, and found himself standing before his bedroom mirror, the place he had been standing when the vivid memory caused him to be transported back in time.
The man looked at himself in the mirror: He seemed a bit different, but he could not put it to words, at first. Then it came to him. He said inwardly: "I am who I am because of all my past experiences, each one moving with, cascading into, and having become part of the others, to make up the whole of what I am now. All my experiences, all my relationships, all the things that make up what I call 'me' is as it should be--because I experienced them the way I did, all the way up to now, in this moment."
The man thought of the love-interest from his past that had appeared before him. It occurred to him that he didn't now remember that person as a love-interest, but that is what she had been to him during sojourn back in time.
There was a long pause. Then the 'Ah Ha!' aspect of the experience reverberated through his being. That so-called 'love-interest' was his soul, showing itself to him in a form he could understand. He knew what it meant, and suddenly, his life was changed from within. He could go back in time if he wanted to. The memories were there, just as vivid as before. Perhaps, he thought, he should take a real loved one along with him--perhaps his wife--so she could share in his past. Maybe he could teach the technique to others.
A feeling of concern uprooted the man from his current line-of-thought: it came through him from his inner self, as if it was talking to him through a long tunnel. It said, simply, "Experience, Know W hat Is Truly Real, and Know!" "Learn, Learn, Learn!"
This message was not lost on the man, and he knew what could be done if he wanted to. He also knew that he had reponsibility to not hurt the feelings of others, and be faithful to them, as well. This made the man a bit more purplexed about his position in the universe-at-large, but he also knew it made him more than he had been.
The man then went downstairs to have dinner with his wife.
The moral, if any, of this story is this: Be who you are. Know who you are. Learn who you are and where you came from, before you appeared on Life's Scene. Know where you've been, why you're here now, and where you're going. It isn't enough to just go along in life, one must experience to get anything of any real lasting value to take with you when you depart this mortal coil.
Live, however, as if this is the only place you need to be, for--whatever it's worth--it probably is.
No Suggestions, Only Love. Be Well My Friends.
Respectfully, Stephen
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Cell Phones, Bad Company Policies, and Wages
October 18, 2005 Wednesday
Dateline - Missouri
---------
Cell Phone Miasma
All the cell phone companies in the world need to take a lesson: Do Not Create Stupid Policies!
Case In Point: Cingular Wireless
Money's been a little tight these last couple of months, so I finally had to call the cell phone company to (I loathe these words, their use takes so much time in maintenance after you use them) Make Payment Arrangements!
So what do I get? I've had service with these guys for about four months now. Four months, out of a two year service agreement. Two years! You'd think that a company as large as Cingular would want to consider helping a long-term customer with a bit of minor financial trouble. All I needed to do is extend the payment time a few weeks--no more than three--so I would have enough moola in the bank for rent, food, and my phone bill.
This is no minor account, it's connected to a Handspring Treo 650 Smart Phone with all the trimmings that PalmOS has to offer. I have full MediaNet GPRS on this thing, and pay $145 a month for 1500 standard minutes and 3000 nights and weekend minutes, and pay an extra $7 bucks a month to up my weekend and night beginning time from 9pm to 7pm.
So I call these bozos and what do I get? I get this response from a first-level customer service tech: "You can't make payment arrangements until you've had a minimum of six months of service."
Now what is that all about? What kind of nonsensical inc. bureaucrat sets up a policy like this? So they think that customers in the first six months don't have to juggle the money around a bit if they fall short of the due date, and those with six months of service and beyond, do? Nay, I say! Foul, I cry! Foul as a week-old free-range chicken flattened by a semi baking in the sun on a Nevada highway! (And that's one rank-smellin' chicken, folks 8-P)
So I get transferred to a supervisor, but no answer cometh for a while. I think the XFER may have failed, as all I'm getting is silence. No hold music or nothin'! So I wait for a bit, then hang up. Just glad my minutes don't get used for service calls to Cingular Customer Service.
Temporary Services, Wages, and Wage Slaves Revisited
--
Temporary services are those somewhat-sought-after venues for people in between what are termed real jobs. Those people who are in between the rings of the upwardly-mobile employment ladder often turn to these temp services as a means to an end, primarily that of being able to have at least some work before the next canoe leaves the shelter of the cove, bound for your new, permanent employment horizon.
First off, I want to state plainly that I have not had any trouble with any of the major names in temp services. I have worked for the likes of Kelly and Manpower, and have had my share of good jobs and not-so-good jobs. I have also never worked for over $8 bucks an hour, which brings me to the second part of this missive:
So why rehash this overstated state-of-affairs of what has become known as the wage slave? Because it needs to be! Over and over and over again! Just because someone doesn't have a degree in something or other is no excuse for not paying someone commensurate with the cost of living in a given area. That's for the nice apartments, people, not the run-down ones in slumville. Come to think of it, there shouldn't be any slums, either, but that's for another post **-].
So what am I saying? I'm saying that $8 bucks an hour for unloading and moving heavy furniture is not--decidedly not appropo! Today's financial climate for housing is astronomical in contrast with what non-degreed people with little experience have to settle for when it comes to wages. $15 an hour is more like it!
Now to those of you who think that $15 an hour is way way too much, I have to ask, Why? Don't you want me to be able to buy my expensive jewelry from your jewelry store? Don't you want me to purchase my expensive cellular phone/pda from your cell shop? Trust me, folks, I ain't doin' it on $8 bucks an hour.
Waitstaff also has it rough, when congress allows restaurant owners to pay their so-called Tipped Employees $2.13 (varies by state) an hour as a base rate. $15 an hour is a more balanced minimum wage. Hell! Even entry-level workers in the trades (and they're not skilled at that level) make more than your average waitress, although the waitress can do well on a good night, but this type of income is not regular, and that is where the $15 an hour allows someone to pay their rent, food, and utility bills without worrying at night.
Another thing crosses my mind--and happened to me recently. I just dealt with a locally-owned temporary service that has been in business for eighteen years (according to the owner), that wouldn't give me the name of the company they were calling me about.
They called me this afternoon, offering me a job loading and unloading trucks--a permanent job--for three to four days a week, at $7.50 an hour. When I queried them on the name of the company, they said I wouldn't be able to get that information unless I took the job first.
Humble Fishe Asks: What Gives? Why the hush-up routine? Didn't you, the temp service, realize that you made me feel like a piece of gum on the bottom of a shoe that, before it arrived on the shoe, did 1800 miles on the left-front driving wheel of a Kenworth? Well, you did!
I want to know who a company is and what they do, decidedly before I give my consent to work there! When I asked this question: "Why do you feel a need to be so clandestine about the name of the company?" I received something completely unexpected: That of having to explain to this supposed owner of an eighteen-year-old, evidently-successful temporary service what the word clandestine meant! All I could do is think geeeeeeeeeeeeez!
That was when she reminded me of an interview I had the next day, on the 19th of October, to establish just what it is that I'm interested in. Let me tell you, that I'm not at all completely secure in these folks when their head honcho doesn't even recognize a common word in the English Language. Guess she was never a fan of Double-Oh-Seven 8-P.
Peace, Health, and Happiness to All of You
--The Humble Fishe
Dateline - Missouri
---------
Cell Phone Miasma
All the cell phone companies in the world need to take a lesson: Do Not Create Stupid Policies!
Case In Point: Cingular Wireless
Money's been a little tight these last couple of months, so I finally had to call the cell phone company to (I loathe these words, their use takes so much time in maintenance after you use them) Make Payment Arrangements!
So what do I get? I've had service with these guys for about four months now. Four months, out of a two year service agreement. Two years! You'd think that a company as large as Cingular would want to consider helping a long-term customer with a bit of minor financial trouble. All I needed to do is extend the payment time a few weeks--no more than three--so I would have enough moola in the bank for rent, food, and my phone bill.
This is no minor account, it's connected to a Handspring Treo 650 Smart Phone with all the trimmings that PalmOS has to offer. I have full MediaNet GPRS on this thing, and pay $145 a month for 1500 standard minutes and 3000 nights and weekend minutes, and pay an extra $7 bucks a month to up my weekend and night beginning time from 9pm to 7pm.
So I call these bozos and what do I get? I get this response from a first-level customer service tech: "You can't make payment arrangements until you've had a minimum of six months of service."
Now what is that all about? What kind of nonsensical inc. bureaucrat sets up a policy like this? So they think that customers in the first six months don't have to juggle the money around a bit if they fall short of the due date, and those with six months of service and beyond, do? Nay, I say! Foul, I cry! Foul as a week-old free-range chicken flattened by a semi baking in the sun on a Nevada highway! (And that's one rank-smellin' chicken, folks 8-P)
So I get transferred to a supervisor, but no answer cometh for a while. I think the XFER may have failed, as all I'm getting is silence. No hold music or nothin'! So I wait for a bit, then hang up. Just glad my minutes don't get used for service calls to Cingular Customer Service.
Humble Fishe's Gentle Suggestion to Cingular Wireless: Nix the no-payment-plan-before-six-months-has-passed rule, treat your customers who are conscientious enough to call you and make payment arrangements like friggin' Royalty, and give your first-line customer service techs the authority to assist someone who needs payment arrangements, without having to call a supervisor, save for the most obtuse difficulties where liability is a real issue and a pro's advice is needed. <*((((><
Temporary Services, Wages, and Wage Slaves Revisited
--
Temporary services are those somewhat-sought-after venues for people in between what are termed real jobs. Those people who are in between the rings of the upwardly-mobile employment ladder often turn to these temp services as a means to an end, primarily that of being able to have at least some work before the next canoe leaves the shelter of the cove, bound for your new, permanent employment horizon.
First off, I want to state plainly that I have not had any trouble with any of the major names in temp services. I have worked for the likes of Kelly and Manpower, and have had my share of good jobs and not-so-good jobs. I have also never worked for over $8 bucks an hour, which brings me to the second part of this missive:
Temporary Employees Need More Money in 2005! This is not--decidedly NOT 1960!
So why rehash this overstated state-of-affairs of what has become known as the wage slave? Because it needs to be! Over and over and over again! Just because someone doesn't have a degree in something or other is no excuse for not paying someone commensurate with the cost of living in a given area. That's for the nice apartments, people, not the run-down ones in slumville. Come to think of it, there shouldn't be any slums, either, but that's for another post **-].
So what am I saying? I'm saying that $8 bucks an hour for unloading and moving heavy furniture is not--decidedly not appropo! Today's financial climate for housing is astronomical in contrast with what non-degreed people with little experience have to settle for when it comes to wages. $15 an hour is more like it!
Now to those of you who think that $15 an hour is way way too much, I have to ask, Why? Don't you want me to be able to buy my expensive jewelry from your jewelry store? Don't you want me to purchase my expensive cellular phone/pda from your cell shop? Trust me, folks, I ain't doin' it on $8 bucks an hour.
Waitstaff also has it rough, when congress allows restaurant owners to pay their so-called Tipped Employees $2.13 (varies by state) an hour as a base rate. $15 an hour is a more balanced minimum wage. Hell! Even entry-level workers in the trades (and they're not skilled at that level) make more than your average waitress, although the waitress can do well on a good night, but this type of income is not regular, and that is where the $15 an hour allows someone to pay their rent, food, and utility bills without worrying at night.
Another thing crosses my mind--and happened to me recently. I just dealt with a locally-owned temporary service that has been in business for eighteen years (according to the owner), that wouldn't give me the name of the company they were calling me about.
They called me this afternoon, offering me a job loading and unloading trucks--a permanent job--for three to four days a week, at $7.50 an hour. When I queried them on the name of the company, they said I wouldn't be able to get that information unless I took the job first.
Humble Fishe Asks: What Gives? Why the hush-up routine? Didn't you, the temp service, realize that you made me feel like a piece of gum on the bottom of a shoe that, before it arrived on the shoe, did 1800 miles on the left-front driving wheel of a Kenworth? Well, you did!
I want to know who a company is and what they do, decidedly before I give my consent to work there! When I asked this question: "Why do you feel a need to be so clandestine about the name of the company?" I received something completely unexpected: That of having to explain to this supposed owner of an eighteen-year-old, evidently-successful temporary service what the word clandestine meant! All I could do is think geeeeeeeeeeeeez!
That was when she reminded me of an interview I had the next day, on the 19th of October, to establish just what it is that I'm interested in. Let me tell you, that I'm not at all completely secure in these folks when their head honcho doesn't even recognize a common word in the English Language. Guess she was never a fan of Double-Oh-Seven 8-P.
Humble Fishe's Gentle Suggestion To Temporary Services: Pay your workers $15 bucks an hour minimum (at present costs of living for a basic apartment, utilities, and groceries) and don't be so damn secretive 8-P about your clients! If you're in need of that much security, then you're a government front for the (here's that word again) Clandestine Services and you shouldn't be running a 'secret' recruiting station out of there, anyway! <*((((><
Peace, Health, and Happiness to All of You
--The Humble Fishe
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