Ask HejiraNYC

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

It's appearing that the 2012 Presidential Election will be between Romney & Obama. Who do you think America will choose? Do you think minorities (especially African Americans) will come out in force again to cast their vote for Obama, or has the novelty worn off?

Although Romney appears to be the most charismatic and capable of the GOP candidates (which, quite frankly, is not saying a lot), he is no match for Obama wit-for-wit. The fact remains that he will be a tough sell to mainstream America, his Mormon faith notwithstanding. Although Obama has achieved a lot of his objectives during his first term in office, he has also taken some surprisingly centrist positions on issues as they relate to the war, the economy and GLBT rights, which has disenchanted many of his followers. He will definitely have more difficulty this time appealing to the Democratic base unless they can find some concrete issue to rally around. Although the U.S. economy technically entered recession under GWB's watch, unfortunately Obama will be scapgoated repeatedly for allowing the economy to nosedive and causing millions to lose their jobs. Despite the green shoots in the economy, the success of any presidential re-election campaign will rest on what is happening in the moment. If there is no additional stimulus and if congress has agreed to drastic austerity measures in spending, a double-dip recession is all but inevitable, thereby decreasing Obama's chances for re-election. However, if Obama can get the unemployment rate down to around the 8% area, he will be viewed as a saviour of sorts, thereby making him a shoo-in for a second term. At this point it's hard to say which way this will all go.

The other big variable is the ability for the GOP to organize around a single strong leader. Is Romney that leader? I don't honestly know. But I get the feeling that he will not appeal to the largest bloc of voters- the evangelicals.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Okay, I should clarify that I am not psychic. NEXT!

Ed, I'm dissapointed. I always thought of you as the next Miss Cleo.

[mezzoforte]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

So inquisitive! I shall address these one at a time...

Very important indeed! I have summer hours at work :happydance: , so I am usually at my house before sunset on Friday (yes, I take my time getting out there). When do you start croquet lessons with Kip and Tiffany?

I go out this Saturday. I'm only there Saturday mornings-Sunday afternoons until the last week of June, at which point my office commences observance of "Summer Fridays" (most holy of days). I spend most of my time out hiding from the sun outdoors (effing Accutane) and from my brother's girlfriend (the houseguest who will. not. leave.) indoors. Needless to say, anytime you're free I probably am as well.

I'm all for it. Sonny and Cher. Betty and Barney Rubble. Mel and Susan Tillis. Iman and David Bowie. All good. The key thing to remember is that we are all the same height in bed. Who cares what others think? If anything it shows the world that you are not fixated on the superficial notions that other women tend to ascribe to. It takes a person of exceptional personal conviction (and exquisite taste!) to date a short man. And I'm not saying that just because I'm short. Okay... well... maybe.

Mmm, I like this. Hadn't occurred to me that just dating a short man could be my Norma Ray moment--standing up to the world!--but I'll take it.
I've actually always thought it was more impressive on the man's part. We all love confidence and I've always found it pretty hot that a Michael J. Fox or Mick Jagger (or sure, Barney Rubble) can look proudly up at his partner, towering over him in heels. On the other hand, it's hard for me to wrap my head around stooping to kiss someone...

[mylittledemon]

Waiting on Dr. Ed...

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

Waiting on Dr. Ed...

The Dr must not be accepting any more patients for the day.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

Why does Diet Dr. Pepper taste more like regular Dr. Pepper?

No seriously. I had a nightmare with Michael Keaton in it a few nights ago. I was at my aunts house (a place I've not been in over 15 years) and we were sitting on the sofa talking. At some point Keaton stopped talking to me and quickly left the room. Then I ran to the bathroom, looked in the mirror and I was this freakish looking monster. What do you think it means? Personally I think it's the pizza I ate the night beforehand...

There is something missing in your narrative... about why you are at your aunt's house, whether your aunt was there, how Michael Keaton entered into the scene, etc. Do you remember what you were wearing and what you were discussing?

Mirrors are often a symbol of clarity- a way of seeing how others perceive you. And not always in the strictly physical sense. Do you feel some remorse over something you did to someone (whether intentionally or unintentionally)? Usually mirrors in dreams reflect an idealized or enhanced version of the gazer; however, this is quite the opposite. Are there facets of your persona that you keep hidden from the world? Do you feel some degree of dissonance from having to portray different personae for different people? It's telling that you were in conversation with Michael Keaton, whose most popular role was playing a character with a secret persona- a very dark persona, if not a virtuous one. However, he was a dark hero; by contrast you appeared to be the villain...

Hmmm...

[RickRobert]

What do you think is the best theory to disprove the supposed extinction of the thylacine?

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

There is something missing in your narrative... about why you are at your aunt's house, whether your aunt was there, how Michael Keaton entered into the scene, etc. Do you remember what you were wearing and what you were discussing?

Hmmm...

I must've dreamed about my aunt's house because she and I had been chatting on Facebook the day before (we've not spoken in ages). Keaton was sitting next to me on a sofa, almost as if he was there for an interview but we were just chit chatting. At some point he started to react strangely to me and thats when I got up and ran to the bathroom. I dont recall what I was wearing but I certainly had clothes on... haha... it was only when I got to the mirror that I realized I was hideously deformed. Thats when I woke up.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by RickRobert

What do you think is the best theory to disprove the supposed extinction of the thylacine?

Well, it's all too simple to answer these types of factual questions using a search engine. I'm giving advice and opinions. I aspire to be the Suze Orman/Martha Stewart/Dear Abby of the Ledge.

By the way, these critters were awfully cute.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by markolas

I'm not married to the idea of a BA in English - I just figured it'd be better if I had a degree in something, and I'm not interested in being an engineer or doing some kind of smarmy MBA thing.

I thought I wanted to be a graphic designer for a while, but now I don't. And other than that, I've got nothing. All I really know is that I can't keep doing these crappy office jobs...I have no tolerance whatsoever for office politics, placating people's egos, or pretending to like people when I can't stand them (which is virtually impossible for me to do anyway).

I heard somebody say once that he thought he wanted a career, but it turns out he just wants a paycheck. That's more or less the way I feel. An awful lot of people just love to work, and they'd do it even if they didn't have to. I don't, and I wouldn't.

I don't think there's any such thing as a useless degree. Would you enjoy taking the classes? Can you do it without incurring excessive debt? If words are your passion then it's a good idea. If they're not then forget it. Follow your passion. If you don't know what it is find it. You probably already know what it is but may have told yourself it's not possible or practical. Working just for a paycheck is no way to live.

I like my job and work with a lot of English majors. However, most don't make any money and are essentially admins keeping the books on schedule :blech:. I work with computer software textbooks. The only people that really make money are the writers and editors. You could consider getting into this industry, then you can be technical but not have to become a programmer. Also, the grammar and such of techie authors can be awful so having editors with strong English backgrounds is awesome.

Doing this kind of work you get to be very independent and have little supervision. I work from home a lot. Many of our authors are teachers, that could be a great job if it interests you. If you're teaching and writing books that is a really good income. Where there's a will there's a way. Practice persistence. Also, when people tell you it's not possible or you can't do it they're wrong. Forget what the naysayers say.

Fine print: I am not actually qualified to give advice in this thread since I am not HejiraNYC. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the thread owner.

[1sttimelongtime]

HejiraNYC,

I would like your advice on how to handle bat**** crazy coworkers. As a Stevie fan, you'd think I would have good experience with this, but I find myself at a loss in this situation.

While I enjoy my job tremendously, particularly since it will enable me to see many, many SN/LB shows without using vacation time (unlike you), I find myself vexed and perplexed by the behaviors of my coworkers.

One of them is a woman in her 50's who insists on using baby talk at every possible opportunity. Her teddy bear is a common topic of conversation for her. If I hear "Mr Teddy Bear and I" one more time....

Another is a young lad in his 20's. He chatters incessantly about nonsense and makes statements that are NOT funny, but then laughs uproariously at his imagined wit. He is extremely sensitive and will cry if spoken to in all but the mildest of tones.

Next we have a 20 something girl who can spend eight hours talking about old navy's sale on flip flops.

We also have a passive aggressive rastafarian dude. I dont know much about rastafarians, so I keep meaning to google them, but I keep forgetting.

I find myself becoming extremely annoyed by the nonsense and shenanigans. As a dog trainer, I have some skills up my sleeves, but I am not sure of which to use. I have tried extinction - calmly ignoring the undesirable behaviors. I must admit that I've occasionally slipped into sighs of annoyance and disgusted looks, but I am trying to maintain. I think if this works it will be a long and drawn out process.

Would severe correction work? Perhaps a one time show of force to end the nonsense? I'm quite confident that none of these people will stand up to a show of force. I will no longer have any friends in the office, but I'm thinking that is a good thing...

Alas, physical punishment is out of the question, and I'm not sure a good crack upside the head will do any damage whatsoever...

Am I missing something? Getting a new job is out of the question, as I am a typical Ledgie.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by 1sttimelongtime

HejiraNYC,

I would like your advice on how to handle bat**** crazy coworkers. As a Stevie fan, you'd think I would have good experience with this, but I find myself at a loss in this situation.

While I enjoy my job tremendously, particularly since it will enable me to see many, many SN/LB shows without using vacation time (unlike you), I find myself vexed and perplexed by the behaviors of my coworkers.

One of them is a woman in her 50's who insists on using baby talk at every possible opportunity. Her teddy bear is a common topic of conversation for her. If I hear "Mr Teddy Bear and I" one more time....

Another is a young lad in his 20's. He chatters incessantly about nonsense and makes statements that are NOT funny, but then laughs uproariously at his imagined wit. He is extremely sensitive and will cry if spoken to in all but the mildest of tones.

Next we have a 20 something girl who can spend eight hours talking about old navy's sale on flip flops.

We also have a passive aggressive rastafarian dude. I dont know much about rastafarians, so I keep meaning to google them, but I keep forgetting.

I find myself becoming extremely annoyed by the nonsense and shenanigans. As a dog trainer, I have some skills up my sleeves, but I am not sure of which to use. I have tried extinction - calmly ignoring the undesirable behaviors. I must admit that I've occasionally slipped into sighs of annoyance and disgusted looks, but I am trying to maintain. I think if this works it will be a long and drawn out process.

Would severe correction work? Perhaps a one time show of force to end the nonsense? I'm quite confident that none of these people will stand up to a show of force. I will no longer have any friends in the office, but I'm thinking that is a good thing...

Alas, physical punishment is out of the question, and I'm not sure a good crack upside the head will do any damage whatsoever...

Am I missing something? Getting a new job is out of the question, as I am a typical Ledgie.

Welcome to the world of working alongside humans, who, as you can see, are not necessarily as evolved as animals. And let's face it; the only reason why you suffer such fools is to make a paycheck. You are not there to make friends or to discover the cure for athletes foot.

That being said, it doesn't sound like any of these people are necessarily harmful or are otherwise sabotaging your productivity and success. You could be in a far worse predicament- being surrounded by people who are politically motivated and manipulative. It seems to me that these people are probably not clever enough to pull such shenanigans, let alone have the self-awareness to realize how vapid and immature they come across.

You could choose to ignore these people. However, by doing so, you run the risk of being the haughty snob with a superiority complex. You could also choose to ingratiate yourself with these people, but in the end you may grow to resent the energy and the effort involved with biting your tongue. Can people change? Yes. But only if they think a change is warranted. Chances are these people believe they are well-adapted, well-liked individuals. They are probably surrounded by people who encourage their shenanigans and obnoxious behavior.

I'm afraid that short of quitting (which you will not do), there probably is no solution. The world is full of dumb, vapid and eccentric people, and thank goodness for them! Without them around, we have no reason to feel good about ourselves by comparison. I kid. Well, okay, I'm not really kidding. Perhaps one way of dealing with these people is to learn from them. There is a television show on The Learning Channel called What Not to Wear. Just picture your daily workplace routine as a television show called How Not to Act.

[1sttimelongtime]

HejiraNYC this is excellent advice and very very true on almost all counts, except the baby talking 50 year old does know she is disliked by just about everyone she meets. She has no idea why.

In any case, thank you for giving me clarity. I shall also take some advice from snoop dogg and keep my mind on the money (or in this case, concert tickets) and the concert tickets on my mind.

[LikeAWillow]

Originally Posted by 1sttimelongtime

HejiraNYC this is excellent advice and very very true on almost all counts, except the baby talking 50 year old does know she is disliked by just about everyone she meets. She has no idea why.

In any case, thank you for giving me clarity. I shall also take some advice from snoop dogg and keep my mind on the money (or in this case, concert tickets) and the concert tickets on my mind.

You are hilarious. Thank you for the laugh today

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by 1sttimelongtime

HejiraNYC this is excellent advice and very very true on almost all counts, except the baby talking 50 year old does know she is disliked by just about everyone she meets. She has no idea why.

In any case, thank you for giving me clarity. I shall also take some advice from snoop dogg and keep my mind on the money (or in this case, concert tickets) and the concert tickets on my mind.

Tell me she's not a real person. Your post was fictional, right?