Cute Pups for Charity

John Scalzi is hosting a fundraising event that includes pictures of the dogs that make us happy.

So here is Miss Jackson Pi, playing with her lobster.

I am Miss Jackson Pi. I have a cute face.

Link Me Up, Scotty - Sea Change and Sexism Edition

Actual questions women were asked during job interviews. I don't even know what to say about this. 
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This explains so, so much. Sea change is never easy, and I can see how men who have traditionally made their living in low-skill blue collar jobs would feel alienated in light of the massive social changes of the last 50 years. The world has changed, irrevocably, and many men haven't yet found their new place. Speaking as a (relatively) high earning woman, I can say that if I ever found myself single again (Cthulhu forfend), there is no way I would agree to date someone who did not work and earn a decent living.
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Finally, sex education for humans.
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This family is using Cosplay and photography to help their adopted daughter deal with her feelings of  uncertainty, fear and helplessness after spending her early years homeless, neglected, and in the foster care system. Beautiful and haunting. Be sure to also check out Malice of Alice, Alice's home on the web.

H/T Juan
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Douchebags for the ages. Because no one's life can withstand continuous and meticulous examination.
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I don't really have an opinion about Caitlyn Jenner's decision to invite the public into her private life as she makes her transition, but I know there's no reason to be a douchecanoe about it. Being deliberately unkind or exclusionary says far more about you than it does about Caitlyn. Just sayin'.
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Turns out rats are not nearly as gross as Willard would have you believe. Dutch project designer Bart Weetjens, tired of seeing people die from stepping on land mines in Africa, trained a bunch of rats to detect the mines so they can be safely disarmed and moved. Rats have always squicked me out, but these furry little bastards are the bomb-diggity.

H/T Debbie

Link Me Up, Scotty - Incredulity and Hope Edition

So, it appears that Saudi Arabia is making a bid to be the head of the U.N. Human Rights Counsel. I....don't even know what to say about this.
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New research determines that competent employees are assigned more work. It also suggests that said employees don't like this dynamic one bit.

And in other news, water is wet.

For myownself, I have to admit that my attitudes about my performance have changed in the over 30 years I've been in the work force. I used to be a champion "go-getter," but have often found myself in a position where that attitude got me nothing but more work while the only additional reward was not being laid off. After over 30 years of this, having a rocket tied to my ass doesn't seem to have the return on investment it once did. Now I stick with competence and execution, and let the non-mission critical stuff take care of itself.

H/T everyone
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David Jay's photography project Unknown Soldiers provides a look into the lives of severely injured soldiers. The photographer makes a good point - these people look the way they do, are injured the way they are - because of us. "Supporting our troops" doesn't mean shit if we can't even look upon what they've sacrificed in the name of their duty with admiration and respect.
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I'm really, really trying to stay away from the 2016 Presidential election's political shenanigans for as long as I can, but Outside the Beltway's Doug Mataconis has some interesting things to say about how Republican primary candidate Mike Huckabee obviously isn't so all-fired fond of the Constitution as he'd like you to believe. I suspect that many politicians all along the political sprectrum aren't as fond as they make out. Especially when the outcome of the government working as designed threatens to slaughter their sacred cows.
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Once again, the Girl Scouts of America proves how ahead of the curve they are when it comes to gender identity.  The money quote:

"Inclusion of transgender girls is handled at a council level on a case by case basis, with the welfare and best interests of all members as a top priority," Archibald wrote in her blog post.

As for their critics? "Luckily, we don't serve our critics," she told CNN. "We are proud to serve all girls."

Brava.
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Seventy years after its disbandment, the U.S. Cavalry is making a comeback in the form of our Special Forces, who are finding that horses and mules have a lot to recommend them when it comes to the current demands of their mission.

H/T Kim
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End of life care can be especially challenging for dying veterans and their families. It makes me furiously happy that at least one VA hospital is helping people manage this most difficult of times with grace and dignity.

Miscellaneous Monday

Go forth. Make money. Pay bills.

So I started a new job a week ago. I returned to a previous employer, basically doing the same job I did for them before, but for more money.

I've changed jobs three times in the last several years. I was with my current employer for 16 years before I resigned to explore other opportunities. I liked my next job, but Moe's death interfered with my ability to be effective, so I resigned and took a job that was less challenging. I settled in quickly there, and they gave me a way to pay my bills while I was working through that first year following Moe's death. But while I'm grateful for what they did for me during the Worst Year of my Life, I was ready to take on more challenging projects. So when my first employer after the Navy asked me to come back and was willing to pay for the privilege, I said "yes." Based on the current financial plan, we should have the Big Brown House paid off in time for me to retire, and I can live with that.

Two-by-Two, the Animal Crackers Went

I bought some animal crackers at the grocery store the other day.* I just picked a brand at random, but when I opened them to have some, I noticed their "special offer" included $3.00 off to a video in something called "VeggieTales." The title of this production was, "Noah's Ark: A Lesson in Trusting God."

I have to assume I'm not their target audience, since the first thing I thought was "Well, you can trust Him to drown everyone you know and care for." Somehow I don't think that was supposed to be the point of the story, at least from their point of view.

My Historical Crush

I'm currently rereading the Federalist Papers. The last time I read them was about ten years ago, for a college level civics class. I enjoyed them then, but now I'm reading them more slowly, basically one a day, which gives me more time to think about and internalize them.

And you know what? I totally have an historical crush on James Madison. Seriously - the dude had a towering intellect, and his commentary on factions (Paper #10) is nothing short of prescient.

Of course, now I'm even more convinced we've lost our way, so there's that.

Big Girl Furniture

The Smart Man and I went to Ethen Allen yesterday and ordered our new family room furniture. We stayed almost exactly on budget, and got some really nice pieces. I did have trepidation, though - paying considerably more for furniture than I did for my first vehicle makes me hyperventilate a little, in spite of the perspective brought by time and means. I'm going to be 50 this year. When do I actually start feeling like an adult?
 

*Don't judge me. Animal crackers are delicious. And fun!

Why I Have a Lot to Look Forward To - A Non-Comprehenisve List of Gratitude

Yesterday's blog post was depressing. Like the weather, only with more swear words.

So today I shall try to "look on the bright side," since it appears to be missing outside my window.

1. The Big Yellow House is closing on Friday. Our resolution list had only three items on it, all of which were reasonable and manageable (Radon mitigation, tree trimming, and lawn maintenance prior to close). We went from listing to contract in 30 hours, and closing is happening less than a month after we accepted an offer. There's a lot to be grateful for in those turn of events.

2. For the most part, our experiences with the people who have done work both here and at the Big Yellow House has been exemplary. No "Adventures in Customer Service" - just people showing up on time, doing what they promised, and charging what they quoted. Word.

3. The Mechanicky Gal is coming for a weekend visit on Friday. THE MECHANICKY GAL. There's only a few other things in this world that make me happier than a visit with my Sister-from-another-Mister.

4. The Big Brown House is coming together. We still have quite a bit of furniture to buy, and there's a lot of blank walls, but we're making progress.

Go, us. 

Why this Weather is Making me Cranky - A Non-Comprehenisive-Whiny-Butt List

It's been raining a lot here in the Denver-Metro area. It started the day after we moved in to the Big Brown House and hasn't let up for more than a day or two since. This turn of events is starting to make my teeth hurt, so here's a non-comprehensive-whiny-butt list of why the weather is making me cranky.

1. We have no landscaping. Due to the late snow and continuing rain, the landscaping guys are really behind, which means that our yard is a lovely quagmire of mud. And we have a dog who needs to go out several times each day to take care of her business.

Our current strategy is four times a day walks on the sidewalk that borders the common landscape in the main road of our development. Jackson loves this, as she enjoys the outings. But she is a pokey-pottier. She will walk for as long as you let her without peeing. Obviously we have nothing to do with our time except take her out for four-times-daily constitutionals.

2. It's cold.I'm having to wear a fairly substantial coat when we go on Jax' walks. That's not that big a deal, actually, except I really don't like to run in the cold/rain. And since we're no longer 5 minutes away from gym, my cardio schedule is fucked. The plan was to run outside this summer, and then buy a treadmill as Fall rolled around.

This plan is not currently working. And we all know what happens to my state of mind when I don't get vigorous cardio exercise at least three days a week. I will probably have to start getting up earlier and getting to the gym until the skies clear.

3. Sunshine helps with my depression. For me, the best part of Spring is my ability to start exercising outside. We haven't seen the sun regularly in weeks.

These things are making me a bit short-tempered and emotionally out-of-control, which I hate.

C'mon, sun. I miss you.

Link Me Up, Scotty - Leadership Edition

I've worked in a a culture that rewards long hours to the detriment of family life for many, many years. This article (and the study it describes) made me think about the ways in which we present our professional selves to the world, and how best to balance our responsibilities to ourselves, our families, and our employers. As a former colleague of mine used to say, you can't coach speed, but the expectation that everyone work 60-80 hours a week is ridiculous. If associates find a way to meet their organization's expectations without doing that, then more power to them, no matter how disingenuous the method.

H/T John the Scientist
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Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin is a badass among badasses.I want to be her when I grow up.

H/T Sister Carolyn
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Another example of how America's medical establishment is just plain bad at talking about end of life, and end of life choices, in addition to surreptitious conversations about assisted suicide. I wish we could treat this subject like adults into of scared little kids. Everyone dies. Everyone. To pretend otherwise never ends well.
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I've been married for most of my adult life (albeit not to the same person), and I found this essay on marital respect gave me something to think about. While I do make an effort to treat the Smart Man with respect (this is not hard - he is eminently deserving of my respect), sometimes I fall down on the job and get snarky or make a hurtful comment. It would behoove me to keep the idea that doing things in a way different than my own is not necessarily wrong. Words to live by.

H/T Brother Larry
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Ken White over at Popehat discusses his clinical depression and anxiety with surprising candor and compassion. I am very happy that he received the help he needed, and has found some equilibrium in his life. But my middle of the night musings still center around a huge amount of regret that my Moe-Moe couldn't ask for the help she needed.
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Here is a fascinating essay called Solitude and Leadership given by William Deresiewicz to the plebes of West Point in 2009. There's something to be said for aspiring to more independent thinking, more concentrating, more reading of books. I'm as guilty as the next person of being distracted by social media to the detriment of my own effectiveness, and I aspire to do better in this area.

H/T John the Scientist
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The Wall Street Journal reports that

Tax receipts surged in April to generate the largest monthly U.S. budget surplus in seven years, the latest sign that climbing stock values, hefty corporate profits and rising incomes for wealthier Americans are improving the nation's budget picture.

Of course they do, since they're so obviously such a bastion of liberal thought and are so well known as Obama's toadies in the mainstream media. /sarcasm

H/T Brother Paul