Crazy Daze, Silly Knights

I have moved 21 times in my life.  No, I'm not in the military or in the witness protection program. My first move happened when I was 18 months, so that is not my fault. The few moves during my teenage years were also not my doing. The rest...well I gotta admit those are on me.  I also have helped people move over 10x in my life. A couple have just been my parents bringing me and my sister along to help friends move. The other times have been me helping other people move just because...well I have no idea.  When I turned 50 I swore i would never move anyone ever again. Last year I helped my son move and in 2 weeks I will help my daughter move. Never make sweeping declarations in life, because the opposite always seems to happen. I really should have said, "after 50 I swear I will never be broke again" and see if the world would have taken me up on the challenge.  After 30 moves, there are somethings I have learned. 1. The weather will be crap. The chances of the hot...

I've worked in offices for over 4 decades. After all of these years, I have found some truths just are universal for almost all offices. You will put off going to the bathroom to avoid certain people.  The one who complains the most about working does the least amount of work There is always 1 person who is perpetually surprised at their job People who tell you how it used to be done still do it that way, even though the rules have changed.  The person who gossips the most knows the least.  Someone has probably had sex in your office or on your desk.  If you look busy all the time, no one gives you a new project.  Most people can finish their jobs by noon.  Productivity is inversely proportional to how many productivity meetings are held.  Condiments in the refrigerator are in their own spacetime continuum.  Team building exercises often reveal those who would be the first to die in a zombie apocalypse.  Going #2 in the bathroom involves stra...

  Thoughts at 53…. One of the memories that often comes up is when I was a kid on the swing in the backyard. I would sit there and think and dream and sometimes just be still. One of the things I remember was I wanted to move to Florida and own a dolphin. I remember promising I would never be mean when I grew up. I remember singing a lot as I sat on my swing. I would make leaf piles and jump into them. I was on that thing if it was cold or warm, sunny or rainy. It was just always there…my swing on the maple tree.  It never occurred to me that one day I would not be able to just go outside and see my swing, to sit and ponder life on it. Then one day…I moved to Florida. The reality was nothing like the dream because as it turned out, I hated living in Florida. First off, no one gets their own dolphin just for moving there. It was hot and rainy. Though, we did have a pool and that helped a lot. I swam almost every day for a year and I was able to thank and dream of the possibilit...

  Chapter 1 Caroline pulled her coat tighter as the cold wind cut through her thin jacket. It had been years since she visited the Indiana and she was no longer used to the March air. Her home was 7 hours south in Kentucky where the temperatures still dipped at night, but it she could feel the warmth on her face in the day. As she thought about it, Caroline realized the current conditions were perfect because today was the day she attended her childhood friend’s funeral.                 “I hate these things,” Caroline thought as she scanned the other faces that gathered around the coffin. Most people were starting at the mahogany box as if they were waiting for something to happen, as if this was a magic trick and someone would yell, “abracadabra” and suddenly Lisa would jump out as if it was all a trick.                 “Wouldn’t...

I'm over 50 years old and going thru menopause. First off, we don't like to talk about such things...it is uncouth, something we cannot talk about...it is a woman thing. It is a time of a woman's life that we like to ignore or joke about it...but we do not recognize it for what it is...a time of ultimate change that over half of the population will go thru.  It is inevitable...and not pleasant. So picture this....you are 50ish in January of 2020...on the brink of menopause. How can it get worse? What can the world possibly throw your way that could compare to your roller coaster hormones? At this point, you already are going from crying at a leaf blowing in the wind because you can relate to its futility of beauty to wanting to punch puppy for being just THAT cute.  You have a lot of moods, none of which make sense.  By the time March 2020 rolls around, you are a seething mess of hormones...you pray your family and friends have enough bail money "just in case" you...

 Rules for online meetings: 1. Do not wait until last minute to figure out how to call into the meeting. Yes, you might be whimsical and carefree in your daily work life, but the longer it takes you to log into the meeting is the longer the meeting will take and you will be judged by those of us who show up on time.  2. Mute your damn mic. No one wants to hear you chewing, or Maury in the background. or your jazzercize playlist, or your significant other on another call. Most importantly, and I cannot stress this enough, we don't want insight into whatever melodrama you have going on. And if you are going to call those 2 women drama queens....have the decency to name them because I don't want to try and figure out who you are talking about! 3. No one likes a paper shuffler when they are speaking. If you are going to flip pages constantly, might I suggest you get your shit together BEFORE the meeting. I know, it is petty, but your paper shuffling is distracting from the point I...

    I've been working from home since the middle of March because of the pandemic. In the beginning, it was kind of thrilling, almost like a movie. In order to save humanity, you have to hide from humanity. The biggest duty you have is to not breathe on people or lick doorknobs. It is a job so simplistic that even I was sure I was able to do it...hell I thought it was a no brainer for everyone.      It is now December and the thrill is gone. Cleary, I overestimated the general population's ability to not spread a virus. COVID rages on with all the fury of a toddler learning they ate the last piece of chocolate. It's hard to believe I would miss some things in life I once took for granted.             I miss going into work. That's right, I said it. I miss the doldrum of dragging my old, tired butt out of bed, foraging for questionable leftovers in my refrigerator for my lunch, and leaving just earlier enough to be almost l...