Been collecting again …
- Your awwwwww story for the day: An unlikely mother.
- But this is pretty awww-some, too. Especially if you consider what would have happened had the government gotten to the money before an honest man did.
- The 10 jobs with the happiest workers. (And I’m in two of those jobs; I should be delirious with joy.)
- The dogs of Cat Island. This is in some ways a horrible story. Yet so weird it’s funny. BTW, this is from the Paladin Press blog, and if you poke around a bit you’ll find a few entries by somebody you know.
- The amazing Katherine Albrecht has been blogging about her cancer treatment. You go, Katherine. You’ve got a lot of people out here rooting for you.
- Proof of Ron Paul’s shocking racism.
- Will a simple Firefox add-on negate the evil SOPA?
- The “government is making us fat” meme is gaining ground.
Thanks for sharing the proof that Ron Paul is racist, not that we needed proof. He is racist because he is libertarian (they are all racist, sexist, anti-semitic), caucasion, male, wears a suit and has a succesful medical practice and ably represents his constituents who must be racist because the keep reelecting him. Must be all those disenfranchised voters in his district that makes it happen.
The real answer to the question, is how has he voted?
On the story about the cash being returned, obviously since the money was placed in two envelopes to keep it under the 10,000 limit, the original owner should have the money confiscated under RICO. That’s what would have happened if the government had found it first. What a shame we’ve come to this, where people cannot use the legal tender of the land without reporting to someone.
The found-money tale hit home with me and made me feel guilty.
Yesterday, at a mall in a Big City an hour and a half away, I found some money on the floor. Not a huge amount, but more than I have ever found. My daughter and I were just walking along and I saw people actually stepping on some money (two wads of it). They hadn’t dropped it since it was in front of them when I saw it, but had just walked over it. I picked it up and looked around to see if anyone was fiddling in their pocket, wallet, or purse, but, oddly, this one part of the mall was almost empty (while the mall as a whole was generally very crowded). This money was not in or near the entrance to any particular store, but was in a crossroads-type spot. I couldn’t see anyone who could have possibly dropped the money. So I told my daughter we were going to sit and wait to see if anyone came looking for it so we could give it back. We sat there for a while but no one showed up. Eventually, I went on about my business. But it bothered me thinking someone might have lost their Christmas money or something.
I have found money in bars before, and have turned it in to the owner or bartender and then made sure the money went back to the person who dropped it when they noticed it missing. After I got home I started wondering if I could have done more to find this money’s rightful owner. I think I’ll call or write an email to the mall and tell them if someone is asking about lost money to have them contact me.
OK, I’ll go with Firefighters, OE’s, Physical Therapists, and of course people in financial services have no conscience so I’m sure they’re happy. As for the rest, I’ve rarely met more unhappy people in my entire life than authors (mostly drunks or drug addicts…Claire excepted of course), psychologists (perverts/voyeurs), Teachers (drunken, whining pervs), and ARTISTS??? Seriously??? Neurotic, whining leeches are happy?
EN, I’m with you on writers. I became one entirely by accident (in one bleary night while working as a designer) and for two years afterward, I denied being one. In those years I worked with a lot of artists, writers, printers, filmmakers and other creatives and I considered writers to be, hands down, the most disreputable of the lot. Not only drunks and whiners, but people who tended to stick everybody else with checks for restaurant meals and lie about their billable hours.
I actually have known quite a few happy artists. But yeah, given how many writers and artists are hugely depressive types, it’s strange to find them on the list of happiest occupations.
Still, for all our angst as creative people, we do tend to live unusually self-determining lives, and that counts for something when it comes to “happy occupations.”
Kent, good on you for trying to return the money and for your honest self-examination.
Well, my job ain’t on the happy list. Two jobs ago, I found an envelope with $420 in it and turned it in-turned out it was a student’s air fare home(I found this out almost by accident, three months later). On a different note, at the same place(a small college), I found a wallet jammed with credit cards,and a student ID, so I turned it in to the Lost and Found, same as I had done with the cash-the guy called my supervisor and claimed there had been cash in it,and that my department would have to pay it back!-if there was cash in it, I didn’t see it-I didn’t look past the student ID (I was trying to decide where to turn it in-Lost and Found, or the police dept-the cops there were decent,and would return things). Whatta prick.
In junior high school, a friend of mine had an older Siamese cat that “adopted” a hamster he had! The cat would allow the hamster to eat from her bowl(hamsters are garbagetarians-they’ll eat about anything)-the cat didn’t mind the hamster,and the hamster wasn’t the least scared of the cat.
Got one job on the list – teacher. But do I get partial credit for being a rider on your writing coattails, Claire? 😀
Hey, it’s not my coattails when you write about your life in court, Hobbit. And it never was my coattails, as you well know.
As long as you’re a writer and you’re happy, take all the credit you want!
True, but you are someone with an Actual Book. Or several. That’s much more of a writer – I’m just a typist, otherwise. 😀
The comments about writers just made me more appreciative for my favorite writer Robert A. Heinlein. He once wrote that if you’re a writer and have finished writing something, that you should wash your hands afterward.
He also wrote those who recite their own poetry should be shot.
Sounds like he really knew what he was talking about.
Are you “delirious with joy,” Claire?……
I’m one of those happy, depressed artists types, and yes, it’s possible to be both…..the happiness comes from being able to decide work habits and certain opportunities, but the depressing part is usually money related….especially when the rest of the economy tightens up…..
I’m always astounded when people lose big amounts of money….you’d think they’d have the sense to guard it by putting it somewhere safe from accidental “falling out”…..I always think if they’re that careless then maybe they shouldn’t have it to begin with….
I’ve never found any money laying on the ground, so I can’t say what I’d do if I found it, and that’s the real honest answer……
One of my friends was renovating a house he had bought and while hauling the old woodstove out of the basement, they tipped it on its side and the firebricks fell out- along with $40,000. The previous owner had died and apparently told no one where he had hidden it. I used to love hearing him tell that- and made him repeat it often.
In 1964, I was newly married and went to the grocery store. I had $17. – grocery money for the whole week. While looking at the produce, I managed to set my wallet down and walked away from it. Deciding not to buy anything, I walked home.
I had barely gotten home when a young man came to my door and asked if I’d lost my purse. I looked in my pocket then, and was horrified to see it was missing.
He gave it to me, intact – then smiled and went on his way. I was so upset I didn’t even think to get his name, but I remembered to thank him.
This is a bit late. Just gotten it myself.
http://ak.imgag.com/imgag/product/preview/flash/pdShell.swf?ihost=http://ak.imgag.com/imgag&brandldrPath=/product/full/el/&cardNum=/product/full/ap/3173936/graphic1
Ohhhh, Jim B. — that’s wonderful! I loved the moment where the little guy gets impatient and takes a cookie. Thanks for posting it here.
I downloaded the wallpaper, too. 🙂