Since we put up our “Now Hiring” sign in our window, we get all kinds of people coming in wanting applications. We’re in a mall, so I suppose some of the more interesting people are ones who were shopping and just wander in.

But seriously. People, if you want to apply for a job, please don’t waltz in wearing cut-offs and flip flops! At least try to clean yourself up a little, show me that you are attempting to make a good impression.

Don’t go from store to store clutching a sheaf of applications either. Bring a folder or something to put them in. Absolutely DON’T fold the app into quarters and stuff it in your pocket! Geez.

BRING YOUR OWN PEN! One of my biggest pet peeves is people who come in on a Saturday, when we’re busy, ask for an app, ask to “borrow” my pen, and then proceed to fill out the application on my cashwrap counter. It’s small, there’s only one register, and HELLO! I need to ring people up, dumbass! But really, bring your own damn pen. Come prepared.

Don’t keep coming in every few days to bug me about the status of your app. How many times do I have to say “We’ll call you if we’re interested” before you get the message?

When filling out the application, DON’T put “see resume” in the job section. That means you’re either too lazy to fill it out, or you think you’re special and don’t have to fill it out. Either way, FAIL!

Please don’t list your mom, best friend, boyfriend, fiance, or kindergarten teacher as a reference. I am not interested in talking to these people. Former co-worker is marginally acceptable, but former supervisor will be a WIN! Seriously, if you can’t come up with at least ONE person who supervised you in some capacity then you are in trouble. I’ll take volunteer experience, if the volunteer coordinator can say things like “kept their commitments” and “showed up on time for events” etc. I will accept teachers if you were their student aide. But your kindergarten teacher? Hello?

Keep track of where you have submitted applications. I called a chick once for a phone screen, said the name of my store, and got HUH? as a response. Look Dumbass, if you can’t even remember where you left applications, why on earth would I hire you??

Oh the joys of hiring.

A jury in Clackamas County found parents, who prayed while their child died instead of calling 911, not guilty of second-degree manslaughter.

In explaining their mixed verdict, the presiding juror emphasized that the Worthingtons did not intentionally cause Ava’s death, even though intent was not a requirement for a guilty verdict on either charge.

“Regardless of what the instructions were, a lot of people on the jury believed there was supposed to be intent,” said Ken Byers, one of two jurors who believed Carl Worthington was guilty of manslaughter. “Some people couldn’t clear that hump.”

Mind the word “regardless” here. The judge explains the laws that are to be applied to the case and says that intent is not necessary for a guilty verdict. And yet the jury disregards this instruction and doesn’t return a guilty verdict because the parents didn’t intend to kill their daughter – they just let her die. Oh, wait, they prayed too.

Justice was not served for that poor little girl. The way I see it, if you are relying on faith instead of modern medicine, you do have intent to kill your children – you intend to let nature take its course, if God does not see fit to miraculously heal your child and save their life. In other words, you intend to let your children die.

But all that is neither here nor there. Intent is not needed for a guilty conviction of manslaughter. It doesn’t matter if they intended to kill their child or not. Here’s the law, go read it yourself. Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree. Seems pretty cut and dried to me. It’s laid out pretty clear in the definition of neglect:

Neglect or maltreatment  means a violation of ORS 163.535 (Abandonment of a child), 163.545 (Child neglect in the second degree) or 163.547 (Child neglect in the first degree) or a failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter or medical care that is likely to endanger the health or welfare of a child under 14 years of age or a dependent person.

Then there’s this: “Other jurors backed off on the manslaughter charge, he said, because they were convinced that the Worthingtons were good people and they felt sorry for their loss.” (Ken Byers again.) REALLY? REALLY? Oh boo hoo, you let your child die, we’re so sorry for you, we won’t hold you responsible for her death, you didn’t really mean it!

Jury FAIL.

So the bicyclists in Portland are all up in arms about being ticketed for such violations as rolling through stop signs. (That’s “failure to come to a full and complete stop” last time I checked, and I have been pulled over for it while driving a car.)

You know what I have to say? Boo-hoo to you. Here’s what I don’t get. Bicycle groups and their activists get all worked up that they don’t get the same respect on the roads, that car drivers aren’t respectful, that cops target them, etc etc.

What I have to say is this. Every time I drive through Portland I have to assume that the bicyclists I see will break the law, because nine out of ten that I share the road with do break the law. They don’t stop at stop signs or stop lights, they don’t yield for pedestrians. In short, they ignore the traffic laws that I have to follow, and which they are also required BY LAW to follow as well. I have to assume that a bicyclist coming up to a four way stop is going to blow on through, and I have to wait for them to avoid hitting them.

I read about how these mass bicycle rides get upset because police won’t let them block green lights for opposing traffic – since when did being on a bicycle make you special enough to ignore red lights?

When more riders than not start following basic traffic laws, the same traffic laws I have to follow in a car, then I will start respecting them as a group. I do respect them on the roads, as I do all folks I share the roads with. But I’ll slam them as a bunch of whiny lawbreakers on my blog with impunity.

So you got ticketed rolling through a stop sign. Boo hoo. That’s the law, whether you like it or not. It’s not a question of fairness, you broke the law and deserved the ticket.

As a pedestrian, I hate bicyclists. I’ve never been run over by a car, but I have been sideswiped by a guy on a bike. And he didn’t stop to see if I was okay. For a group that gets all up in arms about their rights on the roads, bicyclists have next to no respect for peds. I’ve never seen a bicyclist yield to pedestrians, something they are also required to do by law, just like cars.

So, in short… it’s definitely a subject that makes me rant. All I want is to see this group start following the law, the traffic laws all drivers and riders ON THE ROAD have to follow. Don’t whine about your traffic ticket. Understand that YOU BROKE THE LAW and deserve that ticket.

After reading about the whole pet food recall, I about died when I realized I could have fed our kitty-babies bad food. Before the recall was announced, Theo had a cold and was having trouble smelling his dry food – so I bought him some canned food to try to tempt him into eating. I looked at Iams (one of the brands being recalled), but decided to purchase Meow Mix instead (not on the recall list). Jacob also purchased some canned food for them, but I’m 99% sure it wasn’t on the list either – I can’t remember the brand but I’ll recognize the cans. So I intend to check it out tomorrow just to make certain for my peace of mind.

Most of the time, our kitties eat dry food from local Portland company Castor & Pollux. What’s really upsetting, though, is that C & P, as well as other common natural brands like Innova and Wellness, use Menu Foods to produce their wet foods. Are there so few pet food manufacturers available that EVERYONE uses the SAME company to make their food???

Plaster the first third of your blog (at the top) with google ads. No, really, go ahead and do it. It’s not tacky and hideous design, and doesn’t smack of “I’m just trying to make a buck here, not actually contribute something useful to the intar-webs.” Really. It’ll make you look all serious and professional-like. I promise.