Friday, June 1, 2012

The Ramblings of a Happy Madman

Today on my way home from work I stopped at Del Taco. If you’ve never had Del Taco… well, it’s Mexican fast food with a different flavor than Taco Bell, plus burgers and fries on the menu. I’ve never tried their burger; I’ve heard it’s decent.

I left work at noon today – I’m lucky enough to get 40 full hours of work at my workplace as an hourly employee, as long as I have work to do. The easy way to make that happen is to be willing to do anything, and do it better than everyone else who is not on salary. Being able and willing to teach others has also been greatly beneficial to my professional life.

My key to success in all aspects of life, at least as of today (which I believe would include the entirety of my life), has become my understanding of just how important that though process can be in everyday life.

Be good at what you do. Or, get good at something, and do that.

And do right by those who trust you with information that provides them a benefit, because that information is likely providing you a benefit as well. Otherwise they’d likely not trust you with it.

Or it might be they’re just really lucky and you’re along for a dangerous ride. Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times, they say.

So the plan was a stop at Chic-fil-A, then head home to whatever came my way. Well here I am, but the line at Chic-fil-A was amazingly long, so Del Taco became the most convenient alternative since I didn’t want to work out the food issue with time in the kitchen beyond grabbing a plate and a Dr. Pepper. Oh, those 23 flavors of joy.

I had other things to do, even if my other things were even something so simple as dragging myself out to the pool and basking in the 110° heat, which does my bones a world of good. Best. Disinfectant. Ever.

So I had to have fast food. You understand.

Don’t tell Mayor Bloomberg, he may try to take over Phoenix and exploit my obvious lack of self-control with some new restriction on my freedoms.. er.. I mean regulation.

My Dr. Pepper was in a can, by the way. Twelve ounces. Take that, Bloomberg!

So I was headed to Chic-fil-A and re-routed to Del Taco, I believe, before that tangent.

They run an amazing operation, Chick-fil-A, and their business volume shows it. Everyone who has ever had Chic-fil-A loves it, as far as I know. Please tell me if I’m wrong, but be warned I may ask for signed, notarized documentation and a video statement from the person who doesn’t love that place.

Anyway, the long line at Chic-fil-A… and I ended up at Del Taco. I’m focused.

Interfacing with the young lady working the register inside Del Taco was an interesting experience. I’d say she was “working” the register, but I do not want to insinuate that she is in any way involved in prostitution. That would be a reach, although I’m not sure how much of one. I mean, thick silver eye shadow over dark eye liner for the counter at a fast food gig? I know I’m getting old, but ugh…

I was ordering an item that appeared new to the Del Taco menu. Pollo Asada Burrito. The picture made it look like it contains chicken, Pico de Gallo, rice and maybe beans, and guacamole. Guacamole… even the crap from a tube at Del Taco is good when you don’t have guacamole much. Obviously I don’t, because I’m clearly obsessing about guacamole.

So I gave the early 20-something female employee my order for the Pollo Asada Burrito, plus the coupon for “Buy one, get one free” chicken soft tacos. My role in this adventure then became watching her fuss with the register, then get irritated with it, and in doing so give me a new insight on life.

That’s an important part of what I’ve come to understand as well, during the aforementioned “entirety of my life”. I learn something from an amazing array of interactions with people I know and people I don’t know, just living life.

I don’t believe everyone understands the value of finding a lesson in simple everyday experiences. For some time, I didn’t understand this simple truth, or at least not like I do today. That tells me all I need to know.


It wasn’t the fact that she looked like she was completely unsure of what she was doing, because she simply looked so irresponsible; it was the reaction when whatever she did simply would not work for her. And trust me, the look on her face made it clear she had done everything correctly.

She was so surprised by the fact that her efforts were unsuccessful that she scoffed, flipped her head back, and then rolled her eyes as if to be telling that register it didn’t know what it was doing.

Somewhere along the way, I asked if the Pollo Asada Burrito indeed had guacamole on it. Remember, I’ve got an obsession by this time.

She replied, “To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know.”

In hindsight I want to appreciate her candor, but at that moment my opinion was more of “what a surprise.” Based on the attitude she presented by her actions, not to mention her general appearance, I didn’t believe she knew much about anything happening at Del Taco.

It’s amazing the importance of a first impression.

I just had to share this experience because it’s good for me, and I know there are people who care about me that like to know what’s going on in my life. Whether family, or people I’ve never met, I have good people interested in my exploits and my well being. That’s a great feeling.

I used to write here a lot. I haven’t been here lately because… well, just because. What’s the difference, really?? It’s a story, I’m sure, why I haven’t been here much lately writing.

Another time, perhaps.

I plan to come here more often. I may offer a microburst of though and be gone, or I may drone on and on about my moral superiority, like I have today.

The liberal left believes that since conservatism is such the “old white men” club, and that we’re so regressive in our thinking, that we conservatives “just don’t get it.”

Well I’ve got news for you, liberal left.

I have done things. You know… smoked a little weed, done a little blow.. the things that give the liberal left their supposed cover to understanding President Obama's past. And just like President Obama, I’m not afraid to admit my past.

My family knows me, and I know myself. I have found my place in life, and I’m good with who I am. I am a decent person.

Or I’m a racist. You make the call.

I believe it’s dangerous for people do be offered too much opportunity to depend on anyone other than themselves, and I believe that’s what government is trying to do to us. They want us to depend on them. I believe President Obama understands that's the end game of his political philosophy, and I believe that fact needs to be exposed. Fairly and reasonably, but exposed nonetheless.

Self reliance equals survival, and while we’re not the “Wild, Wild, West” anymore, the world has always been a place where we must all keep ourselves prepared for anything and everything. When we start to believe the “system” has our back is when we become most vulnerable.

I’ve come to believe that the more I admit my own truths, the more I am able to see why the direction President Obama wants to take America is wrong.

I believe they call it “Speaking from experience.” I plan to begin speaking from experience a little more often, here.

I sincerely thank all of you who have taken time from your life to make it to this point in my writings. I also feel slightly sorry for you, that I, of all people, am that interesting to you.

That’s self-deprecation, but you already knew that.

I’m on Twitter, if you haven’t heard.. I’m not very popular – I don’t have thousands of followers. It’s all good… I’ll get there. Trust me. I’m a heck of a guy, people are bound to start noticing. I’m good at what I do, remember?

Fridays are always fresh days… Have a good weekend!

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