Kitchen Sink

K-Mart

I have used this space in the past to describe my families oath of allegiance to the blue light retailer. Over the last 10 years, the retailer, and my families allegiance to it, has been in decline. First, there was the declining stock price. Then there was the bankruptcy. Then there was the lousy service, and the crummy products. Then there was the great divestiture. Now comes the final straw.
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Kitchen Sink

Tap, tap.

Your foot makes an odd sound when it taps on a fake wood, laminate floor. It doesn’t sound like wood. It doesn’t sound like plastic. It sounds just like a piece of particle board sitting on top of a thin sponge. Why on earth am I talking about the acoustics of my living room floor? (Insert you favorite line about readership here.) Waiting at home, instead of work, waiting for a meeting…
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Kitchen Sink

What was lost is now found.

“This is Bright House Networks, how can I help you?” “I’m having a problem with my cable box.” “What kind of problem are you having with your cable box?” “I can’t watch cable TV.” “Can you be more specific?” “Yes.” “Well?” “This is where I’m supposed to describe my…
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Kitchen Sink

I never wanted to be a fireman.

Do you know what it means to “put out fires”? I’m talking about the metaphorical kind. There is a kind of thrill to spending your entire day running around putting out fires. Due to low self-esteem, I get a kick out of the fact that people think enough of me to let me try to put them out. Silly, silly me! How easily I am duped! Also, the day seems to fly. No day moves faster than…
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Kitchen Sink

Romans, faith, and God’s plan.

Believe it or not, I have recently been involved with a discussion about the Bible. Some folks were discussing the Book of Romans in the New Testement, and some described it as one of their favorite books in the Bible. Now this may seem odd, and may broadcast my ignorance like a neon marquee, but I have found Romans to be troubling. Two ideas in particular have given me pause: 1) the idea that…
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Kitchen Sink

Charged.

There is a coworker who finished their last day with us yesterday. This person was moving on to another job, an opportunity closer to home, for more money. No one can blame this person for taking advantage of the opportunity, but we can lament their leaving. I have had several conversations with this person about influence. This person talked about dissatisfaction with our department, specifically…
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Kitchen Sink

Short time.

New car delivery, state holiday, lab work, and a meeting; it is Wednesday and very little work has gotten done. The 7 to 8 a.m. hour on a Monday morning has (at times) been more productive than this entire week (so far). Have you ever had a string like that? In a matter of minutes I’ll be whisked away by my supervisor – off to another meeting. Most meetings aren’t too bad.
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Kitchen Sink

The good old days vs the good new days.

I am not immune to the affliction called “nostalgia”. It seems many adults are plagued by this irrational desire for the “good old days”. We remember events through the rose tinted glasses of our past. I remember my college days as some of my best. I remember some of the events of those years fondly. I remember some meaningful discussions with friends, and I think of how…
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