Media News Sources Blocked

Instagram joins the latest media news outlets that is being blocked by Russia. Damn. Yep, they can only hear/see what Russia wants them to see. Did you know that they are telling Russians that the Ukraine is full of NAZI’s and they are taking back what is theirs. They also bombed a maternity ward hospital. Fucking bastards. I am pretty sure that my site isn’t banned, and in fact, I have more and more international readers than I do readers from the United States. Crazy huh? And if you haven’t been watching the news or can’t … McDonalds, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and even Paypal have shut down operations or will be shortly. Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, … yeah, all are now history for Russians.
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While the people have nothing to do with the war, it is the citizens who are being punished. When Trump bombs with a drone, we the people in the U.S. didn’t get punished … other than having to hear/see his obnoxious voice/face. I think I saw over 2 million refugees have fled, although if you aren’t white you aren’t going to be admitted. Even in the U.S., white Ukrainians were refused asylum. So, don’t try to enter the U.S. from Mexico, where they are still racists. Last I checked there was still a war in Afghanistan, but I don’t see anything in the news about that 20+ year war. Why? Brown skinned people.

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And here is the latest coronavirus number for the U.S.
DAILY AVG. ON MAR. 11 14-DAY CHANGE TOTAL REPORTED
Cases 35,036 –49% 79,400,847
Tests 973,360 –12% —
Hospitalized 31,323 –43% —
In I.C.U.s 5,725 –46% —
Deaths 1,272 –33% 965,746
It appears that “most” of the U.S. has done away with masks as most people have gotten the shot and booster. In Colorado we are at a 90% vaccination rate.

Okay … many of you are wondering if I watched the new Batman. And yes, as a matter of fact, I watched it twice and then had to watch the YouTube spoiler review since evidently I missed a ton of shit since I don’t read the comic book or keep up with any of the “Easter eggs” they put in the show. It is NOT a superhero movie. Go in thinking … this is the DARK Knight who is going kick the shit out of a lot of people. There are a lot of long, boring scenes. This is NOT your DC Avengers movie. This is also not Oscar worthy. He wears a costume most of the movie. It is him or a stunt guy? Right. Would I recommend you spend the extra cash to see it? No. It will come to HBOmax. It will come to blu-ray/dvd one day. Instead you should watch the Amazon Jack Reacher. It has a real plot, with real people characters, not a comic book rebooted, reboot. Technically Batman should be dead. He’s just a man, not an immortal.

 

 

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Real Life G.O.T. (Game of Thrones)

Can you imagine how the Game of Thrones would have resulted if The King of the North (Jon Snow) told The Dragon Queen that he was going to “sanction” her if she attacked? Yeah that bullshit wouldn’t have done shit. So why does the world thing that doing sanctions is going to do anything to Russia? So if you are under a rock and didn’t know, Russia invaded Ukraine. Millions of innocent lives dramatically changed forever. Thoughts and prayers don’t seem to do enough. Colorado will be home to over 11 thousand refugees.

The new Batman reboot comes out this week. I’m torn whether or not I want to see it. I’ll give you my two cents if I do. The 355 is a cool action adventure with female leads. I liked it. And did you see “Inventing Anna” on Netflix? I kind of liked it. I didn’t like Anna. Let’s be honest, she was a bitch who took advantage of whomever she could. She has no remorse, even after sitting in jail. And also, her voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. My favorite CBS tv crime show is coming back, Criminal Minds. I’m currently binge watching from the beginning, and it is still the scariest shit I’ve seen. Real life serial killers.

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Slot Machines

I love playing slots. The slot machines in Blackhawk and Central City in Colorado are just okay. The slots in Vegas are totally overboard and wow factor. Some go as high as the ceiling and have giant screens, some have 3 screens. So I found this website that actually lets you play for free. They call it practice. I think that is an awesome idea as you can really understand which games pay better based on the bonuses and multipliers and free spins. The graphics and animations are pretty amazing, considering it is all on your computer monitor. I haven’t tried playing on my iPhone or iPad.

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The software they use for each game is exactly like the software used on the computers/slots in Vegas. I discovered that a machine uses a random number generator (RNG) each time you hit the spin button, so in theory … each spin is independent of the prior spin and every spin has a lucky chance at winning the jackpot. So if you want to check it out and play for free, just go to slots.lv — but if you want to play for real money, then use my referral link and you get free gaming money. It’s hard to just watch your pretend money multiply and you could have won that if you used real money. I used a credit card, which of course had to be verified by fraud, since it is an international company used for online gambling. My Caesars Rewards credit card was as good as any as I get tons of points from that card that I can use for free hotel rooms and free game play when I am in Vegas. The first time you deposit money into your gaming account you get a bonus … I put in $250 and they gave me $500 for a total of $750. So I am still playing on their free money bonus. But I always practice first before I play for real. I am pretty sure you have to be of legal age. So have fun! Only gamble what you are willing to lose.

 

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Colorado is Cursed

Thursday afternoon hellfire winds tore through the Rocky Mountains, knocking down power lines sparking the first of many wild winter fires that would destroy the lives and homes of many. The Mile High city has seen less than an inch of rain and zero snowfall. As of now, the fires still burn like mad on New Years Eve. Over 600 high-end luxury homes, … gone. Burned to the ground. The Target in Superior … gone. 36 and McCaslin was hell yesterday. The sky darkened as the black smoke traveled for miles blocking out the sun, where it was only a bright pink ball hidden in the clouds of smoke.

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If you text REDCROSS to 90999 you can donate $10 to help the effort. They add it to your cell phone bill.

Pray for the much needed snow & precipitation to extinguish these flames of doom. Give thanks that you and your family are safe and still have a place to call home.

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And were you one of the few million who ventured out to see the all new Spiderman movie? <raises hand> Yes, it was a great movie and well worth the 2 hours of mask wearing. Matrix fans?  Yeah, guilty. What did I think of the reboot? I will just say that I loved the first and even the 2nd one. The 3rd was kind of a stretch, but I was highly disappointed that they recast Morpheus. Fishborne didn’t die. He just wasn’t invited back to the party. Truth? Don’t waste your time. You will be sad. Do you like scary movies? Antlers and Old are both thumbs up from me. And if you are reading this, then you made it to New Year’s Eve!!! Yay you’re not dead! Let’s all have a drink that 2022 is going to be a bigger, better, safer adventure for all of us. Cheers!

 

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Cooking 101

 

If you can read English, and follow directions, you can be a good cook. Over the years I have read dozens of cookbooks. This one, the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, 11th edition, is the best cookbook ever. Seriously, it has tons of useful information and of course, amazing recipes. As you learn many of your favorites you start to understand the importance of the different ingredients. The other cookbook that I really admire and sometimes use, is The Joy of Cooking. It  is more  advanced.

There are literally hundreds of recipes and after you experiment with some of them you will find a plethora of menu ideas. If you wanted to be a baker and learn about different kinds of breads and how they are made, this is the book that will teach you. I have only dabbled lightly with the Joy of Cooking. One thing is it if full of information. Why go to a culinary cooking school when you can just read and learn from this amazing cookbook? Besides, don’t you get tired of always having the same thing for dinner? Spaghetti every Monday. Tacos on Tuesday. Hamburgers on Wednesday. Yeah, you get the point. Spice things up, literally, with some variety in your menu planning. Did you know Julia Childs was a simple  stay at home wife who became a famous chef? True story.  How did you like the green chili? Yeah, I loved it too. I don’t make it often, but when I do I smother all my Mexican food and French fries with it.

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Did you see the new Paranormal Activity – Next of Kin movie? Wow, not what I thought it was going to be. I was thinking like, you know, ghosts and shit, but oh no. It is far worse than that. It is scary. People die. Could be based on a true story, but either way, it is bone chilling. If you watch it, there is a scene where I am literally yelling “Bitch don’t go down there.”  Laugh now, you won’t be when you watch it. And sadly, Google and Disney at are war as my YouTube subscription just lost ESPN, abc, and FX, which are owned by Disney.

And here is the latest from the NY Times regarding COVID.

DAILY AVG. ON DEC. 17 14-DAY CHANGE TOTAL REPORTED
Cases 125,838 +20% 50,663,217
Tests 1,592,057 +68% —
Hospitalized 68,659 +18% —
Deaths 1,294 +15% 804,266

Did you see “And Just Like That” episode 3? I was thinking, how could they make the show even more awkward for the audience? Well, that would be easy. Just write in Natasha the stick figure with no soul. Boom. Wish granted. Big … sorry, JOHN, gives his ex-wife, Natasha, a sizable amount in his will. Well, good job Patrick King. Everyone hated the tension in the series, way to bring it back with the reboot. It gets better next week, … Stanford makes an exit — stage left … forever.

 

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Colorado Green Chili

1-2 pound pork tenderloin (pressure cook it in your InstantPot for 20 minutes)
4-6 roasted green chili peppers (pulverized to a slush) [if you can’t get fresh, frozen will work]
2-3 large cloves of garlic
1 large red onion
2 jars of green salsa verde, made with tomatillos
12-16 ounces of chicken stock/broth
1 cup of flour mixed well with water to thicken to a gravy consistency

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This is my “secret” recipe. It really isn’t that much of a secret and has the same basic ingredients as other recipes. In Colorado roasted chili peppers can easily be found up and down Federal and Sheridan boulevard. There is even a big festival every year that is held in Pueblo. I still have a bouquet of red chili peppers I got there.  The chili is super popular here and you can get it at almost every Mexican restaurant, on your burritos, enchiladas, and even as a soup. It is very different than your normal red based chili. I don’t add red chili pepper like some recipes as I want it to be truly authentic. Those little black flakes are from the roasted chili peppers, not actual ground pepper. Top with scallions and sour cream and warm flour tortillas on the side for dipping. THE best green chili you will ever taste. Magically delicious.

 

 

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Another Reboot – SATC — and just like that.

Are you a Sex and the City fan? Like Dexter, they rebooted the series, and called it “And Just Like That”. I watched the first two episodes. I won’t ruin it for you. Darren Star, Carrie Bradshaw, and Miranda Hobbs give you plenty of uncomfortable awkward scenes who do plenty to ruin it. Don’t subscribe to HBO Max for this one, because it is just bad. Bad writing, bad plot, bad acting, bad hair, bad fashion. Just bad. Don’t believe me? I warned you. I loved the HBO original, and I even liked the somewhat lame movies, but this … this I have no love for … but I’ll keep watching. I read that Stanford is written off after the 4th episode since he died in real life.

 

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Who taught you how to lie?

How old were you when you realized you could tell a lie and get away with it? Oooooohh good question! It usually is one that you have to think about for a moment, and then you think about what it was that you did when you lied. Or worse, you think about the one time you decided to lie and you actually got caught. Damn. Not exactly ideal. Some parents like to live in this fantasy that their kids don’t lie, at least … not to them. My mom certainly did not teach me how to lie, and my dad wasn’t going to share HIS secrets. He was one of the biggest liars I knew and never once did he tell me the tricks of his trade. While it is something you aren’t going to ask your parents, it is something that everyone should be aware of, and what the consequences are. Just so you know, lying under oath is against the law, and if you lie in an interview, pray they don’t follow up with further questions. Termination can be an option. Remember the movie “Don’t tell mom the babysitter’s dead.”? Of course, you might not get caught and if it happens, they might just look the other way like in the movie.

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Did you know there are certain clues or signs that someone is a liar? Yep, it is true. In HR you learn all kinds of things when you interview someone face to face. Not looking at someone directly in the eyes many times can be a red flag. Whatever you do, don’t look away when asked a challenging ethics question. Don’t exaggerate your skills or abilities. Sure some things are hard to verify, but other things sometimes it takes a simple phone call. If you claim to know and have mastered Adobe Photoshop, then you should be able to detail your thought process when you retouch or edit a photo. Such as, “Well, before I touch a photo, I lock the layer and create a duplicate layer of that first layer in case if I need to revert back to original. I also like to have a “before” photo to show my results and the work that I have done.” Don’t be taken off guard or suddenly surprised when you are asked a technical question to determine your ability. Once I had an interviewer ask me to submit a marketing plan for the organization to prove my skills. I said I don’t work for free. If you want a marketing plan you hire me and I will do a SWAT analysis of your current offerings and make my recommendations for changes for improvement. In my opinion, if they are fishing for marketing plan proposals, they are already in big trouble. You better have an impeccable memory — so you can keep track of all your lies.

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Whatever you do, don’t change your “story” or lie.  Especially if you are being questioned by a police officer. Stick to your story, no matter how awful or stupid it may sound. Although, technically, you are not under oath talking to a cop, supervisor, HR representative or even your parents, so you can just lie all you want. Just remember, there are consequences for those actions. Am I saying it is okay to lie? Yes, no … maybe. Would you spare someone’s feelings by not telling the truth? “That skirt is F’ing hideous.” vs. “I love your skirt! Vintage.” Exactly, we all saw Mean Girls so we know there are all kinds of lies we tell/see.

 

And for the record, “I” didn’t teach you how to lie. You’ve been lying for years. Some people lie to themselves daily, like the ones who catch COVID and are literally on their deathbed telling the doctor they don’t have it. Millions of people don’t go to a physician for a health check because they don’t want to hear the results, so they just live in denial. Words are power. Use yours to empower.

 

 

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Veritas — Truth Serum

“A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.”

 

Dispensing more good advice … this is my favorite quote. What it means in the simplest terms — if you get drunk and your sober friend does not, chances are you will spill your secrets and or truths. You won’t remember it, but he/she will.  So keep that in mind the next time you decide to get hammered with your best “work” friends. You really don’t want your subordinate employee knowing all the dirt. Years ago I created a rule for myself that I did not associate with people from work, while I was still employed there. If one of us quits or moves on then it would be okay to “hang out” outside of work. If you go to the happy hour events with coworkers you will find out all kinds of secrets.
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Now some people think this is bad advice as they have made a lot of good or great friends from the workplace. Good for them. I also know of “friends” who had dirt on their other friends and used it to blackmail their coworkers into doing their bidding. In some companies things like, days off and preferred schedule shifts are highly coveted that can be easily granted or denied. Of course you can BE friends AT work. I am saying when you leave the building and go off into your merry little world, there really is no need to have a work friend join you.
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Women are catty (bitches) and men are … untrustworthy. And when it comes to money and the workplace, things can get even nastier. I am talking about sales people who steal sales from each other. Commissioned sales and friends in commissioned sales are not a good combination. Just remember that everyone comes from a different background and way they were raised. Simply being employed at the same company and working in the same department is not reason enough to have a new best friend. I have also witnessed when two best friends apply for the same promotion.  You can already guess where that is headed. In the game of sales, there is only ONE number one salesperson each month.
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And just in case you haven’t had a role model tell you … NEVER get drunk at a work function. Romance and the workplace is not advised. You don’t want to work with your ex if you have a bad break up, right?  I also do not advise in “friending” your new coworkers on any of your social media platforms, especially Facebook. People are weird and some people do not have good intentions. Remember, there is evil in this world, and sometimes it is in your own company. Trust no one.

 

 

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Words To Live By

Let’s play a game. I like games. Don’t you? In this game,  you are going to contemplate your words of wisdom that you feel your pupils/children/followers should know. Something that is maybe unique to you, or just plain good business sense. My grandma gave me some advice once. We were sitting in the bank and she was cosigning a personal loan for me. She looked over at me and said, “Never tell people how much money you have or don’t have. It is none of their business. If people think you have money, they will treat you nicer, but some people will just want you for your money.” She was right.

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So how do you let people know you actually have money without telling them you have money? Well, you could carry a lot of greenbacks in your wallet or money clip. I know when I saw a guy with a money clip full of 100 dollar bills, I had a feeling he was well off and probably rich. Guess what, you can have a lot of paper in your wallet without being “rich”.

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There are other ways to show you are rich without using cash. You can have an American Express charge card. You have to pay those off in full every month, so if someone is making a big purchase on that card, they obviously have a lot of money in the bank to pay it off within 30 days. When I worked at Best Buy Magnolia I sold a huge entertainment package, well over 10k. He put it on his AmEx BLACK card. That was the first time I had ever seen or touched a metal card and of course I was impressed. You have to make bank to even qualify for that card. So naturally I asked what he did for a living. He said he owned a couple of mortgage companies, so he WAS the bank. Yeah, those guys who loan you money for homes. Damn. Funny thing is he looked like an average normal guy, other than his expensive Italian shoes. One of the things I have learned working retail luxury sales, … you can NEVER tell how much money someone has just by looking at a person. “Some” things like jewelry and accessories can give you somewhat of an idea, and with women you can get a good idea by simply looking at her purse. There are some purses that are worth more than houses … yeah it is crazy insane. A leather bag worth more than a house. For men, it is usually a really, really expensive large gold watch and expensive shoes.
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Some additional thoughts on money. When people think you have money, they may ask to “borrow” it. Unless you really love that person and want to give that person a one time donation, don’t do  it. You probably won’t get your money back and you will lose a friendship over it. Trust me on this one. I have done it time and time again and the outcome is always a bad one with hurt feelings from someone. One time a “friend” wanted to borrow money and I flat out said no. She didn’t pay back the last “loan” so why would I just give her money? That’s right, her credit was zero. Steal from me once, shame on you. Steal from me twice, shame on me. Some people are just plain evil. Bad egg. Bad intentions. Bad results. Our prisons are full of them.

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“Baw weep graw weep ninny bong.”  It’s the universal greeting. Guns are not exactly friendly. – Hot Rod & Kup, Transformers G1

If Kyle Rittenfuck had a sign that had the universal greeting on it and was wearing a red cross logo, THAT might be interpreted as a “friendly”. Kup said it best, guns aren’t friendly.

 

 

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