Tying Up Loose Ends

Battered Employee did, in fact, go to a women’s shelter, then the next morning brought her batterer to the shelter and was promptly (and rightly) tossed from the place. She also gave us her two-week notice (haha) tonight. So in a matter of just a few days, she has caused my DH to risk jail for assault and battery for defending her, caused my business potential liability for the same incident, and then gone on to expose a women’s safe house and potentially endanger the lives of everyone sheltered there. And then this evening, when she got off her shift, she ran across the parking lot and leapt into PeeWee’s arms. God, I hate being used.

I have FIVE photo requests at Riverside National Cemetery that I hope to fill this weekend, but I also have my beautiful Great Pyrenees dog, who has been so lonely all this past week while I’ve been staying late to look out for aforementioned “battered employee” .. AND .. I have to buy raffle items for the big car show .. AND .. my own car looks like the city dump

So, the plan is .. take the dog along to the cemetery, he’ll like that, then buy him a pizza (he’ll LOVE that), then get the car a quick wash, take the dog home, go shopping, post photos to FindAGrave, sleep for two or three hours, then get up to a very strong cup of Java in my new mug .. THEN! Host a classic car show to benefit Evergreen Cemetery, a very good cause.

Then, back to work on Monday!

But I’ll always have Katie.

FreeKatie Delivers

Today I received my prize for winning the “Spawn of Federline Part 2″ pool at Free Katie!

You MUST check out all the goods in the SheilaCameron store, but here’s my prize!

I just love winning stuff!

I’ve had days like this ….

Katie Holmes’ moment of clarity. 

Props to whichever Freekatian tossed her the mirror!

Last show before the big cemetery cruise

We’ve been holding raffles at our monthly cruises since the first of the year, with 50% of our proceeds earmarked for the Old Farts Racing Team fund to restore the old Evergreen Cemetery and create an endowment for on-going upkeep. This Sunday is our last show before the cruise down to Evergreen, so please buy lots and lots of raffle tickets!

The other 50% of each raffle has gone to buy prizes for the next one, so we’re not profiting from this in any way, and in fact we’ve recently decided that we will match every dollar raised in this campaign.

Buy tickets!

Dumb move, PeeWee

One of my young employees came in today all beat up, by her boyfriend.  I hung around til closing, to make sure she got in her car and out of the parking lot safely, then I came home.  Not 15 minutes later, PeeWee arrived and initiated an altercation with my DH, who happens to be 6′3″, way way bigger than the 5′2″ girl PeeWee is used to battering.

That didn’t go well. 

THEN he actually was stupid enough to take a swing at the security guard, who came to break things up!

His mama arrived to rescue him, but we are filing charges – and yes, PeeWee was stupid enough to make the first physical contact. 

For Pete’s sake, we’re a small Italian restaurant, not a stripper bar.  We don’t have fights every night.  We don’t have bouncers.  We are a “clean and well-lit place”. 

Obviously, my battered employee has some monumental decisions to make now.  I have no idea how that’s going to work out.  I really like this girl, but if she does make the choice to stay in that relationship, then I know I better start interviewing for a replacement now. 

That looks really cold in print.

No one can save a battered woman, but the woman herself.  We can have the police out every night and destroy our business, but it won’t help her unless she is ready to be helped.  Now, the fact is, I will do whatever it takes to get her out of her nightmare IF she’s ready to awaken from it.

It’s her choice.  But PeeWee is not welcome on my property.  It’s now my personal business, to have him arrested every time he trespasses.  I know that creates an untenable position for my employee, I realize that.  But there are decisions to be made.

I am a fiercely loyal person.  If she wants out, I’ll get her out.  But she better mean it.

Farewell, Sweet Basil

While some would argue that winter never truly comes to Southern California, and that in such temperate climes, basil can be grown year-round, it is in fact officially autumn and it will be many months before the garden again produces the perfect, pungent and tender basil leaves of summer.

And so tonight, it’s pasta with sausage and garden-fresh pesto!

One 10 oz jar sundried tomatoes, packed in oil
5 cloves of garlic
25 large black olives, pitted
2/3 cup lightly toasted almonds
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 very small hot chili pepper

Italian sausage, sliced and pan-fried
One of those little jars of baby asparagus, cut the ends off (or use fresh steamed asparaus in season)
Fettucini pasta, cooked, drained and still plenty hot

Put all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse lightly until it looks like pesto

Toss the pesto with the sausage, asparagus and pasta, top with freshly grated parmesan and serve with warm, crusty garlic bread.

Basil, by the way, besides being wonderful to eat, also repels houseflies and witches!

For Mrs. Arrington

Hopefully, this slideshow will work

Beneath Los Angeles

Ken Goldstein has posted a compilation of gravesite photos on YouTube, from Steve Goldstein’s exhaustive Beneath Los Angeles website. Steve’s photography, which actually draws from all over Southern California, is truly superb. I’m going to have to buy his book.

WHY?!?! does Windows insist I’m having USB power surges??

Well, because it’s Windows and therefore it’s a bug.

The problem:

Windows XP is constantly popping up an error balloon reporting “Power surge on hub port.  A USB device has exceeded the power limits …”  Clicking on error dialog reveals that an “Unknown USB Device” is to blame.

The solution:

First, make sure that you do not actually have a USB device that is exceeding the power limits of the port.  Disconnect all USB devices and restart your system.  If you continue to get the error message, it’s not a hardware problem, it’s a bug that Microsoft cheerfully included in those automatic updates and has thus far failed to patch.

Once you’ve ascertained that the only thing wrong with your USB ports are the annoying error messages, your options are to a) live with the error until Microsoft fixes it (bwhahahahahah) or b) shut it off yourself.

 Here’s how -

Right click on “Start”

Choose “Properties”

Choose “Taskbar”

Click “Customize”

Select “Power Surge on Hub Port” then change to “Always Hide”

Click “Apply”

Done!

An Afternoon at the Cemetery

Today, I made a rare (for me) weekday trip to the National Cemetery.  Since I generally go out on the weekends, I don’t see many funerals.  But this afternoon, there were at least four in progress.

Naturally, I avoid working in sections where mourners are gathered, so I found myself somewhat central between all the services.  From one, a bugle sounded Taps, from another a lone bagpipe played Amazing Grace, and from all, the Honor Guards fired their rifle salutes.

Mindful to avoid interrupting funeral processions, and observing a moment of silence after each rifle volley, I didn’t get a whole lot done, just the three photo requests I had on my list.  I didn’t go into Section 46A at all, though that’s one of the sites I am currently transcribing.

Old soldiers, of course, die every day.   I am seeing fewer and fewer WWII veteran burials now, but they’ve given way to more and more Korean vets.  Earlier this week, whilst cutting up a photo of Section BA, in the columbarium, for posting to Find A Grave, I had an inurnment for a 25 year old Persian Gulf veteran.  

How incredibly sad, that generations can be so accurately marked and measured by the wars they fought. 

While I waited for each procession to pass, I couldn’t help but wonder if those families were burying their beloved grandfathers, or their beloved children.

It was a poignant and humbling afternoon.