Much Ado About Nuts

So there is a proposal to ban peanuts from airplanes because 1% of the population has a peanut allergy. Apparently, in individuals with severe allergies, nut dust can be fatal. I didn't realize nuts generated dust.

Check out the article on CNN.

But have no fear! For I already have a solution to keep nuts in the hands of frequent flyers everywhere. ::The clouds part and a choir of angels sing, trumpets sound:: Chocolate covered peanuts. You're welcome, America.

Happy Meal Hell

According to an article on CNN, "a nutrition watchdog group is threatening to sue McDonald's if the fast-food giant won't stop using toys to lure children to its Happy Meals." The litigation director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest said, "McDonald's is the stranger in the playground handing out candy to children. It's a creepy and predatory practice that warrants an injunction." Dude just compared McDonald's to a child molester. Gloves off!



If they are going through with this, they might as well send demolition crews to knock down the playgrounds, too. Seriously. I take my kids to McDonald's pretty sporadically. Pretty much only when the weather is super hot or super cold. Kids need playtime even when weather conditions are bad. There aren't many inexpensive places to go for entertainment. Why aren't they attacking Chuck E. Cheese and their terrible, inedible pizza? FYI-We don't go to McDonald's for the shitty toys or the shitty food. Know your enemy, CSPI.

I Think It's Time

I haven't blogged in a long while and I think it's time for me to start again for the sake of my sanity. I need an outlet for my complaints and general observations.

Of course, the most pressing thing on my mind right now is my job search. I have been looking for several months and it seems like no one here in Raleigh is impressed by my qualifications. I can't even obtain a part-time retail job. My sense of self-worth has been obliterated.

I feel worthless. I don't want to eat because I don't feel like I've earned it. I can't engage in activities that I enjoy because it makes me feel guilty. Anything that takes my attention away from this ceaseless, drudging job search makes me feel like I'm committing a crime. That book I started on, every time I write, I feel like I'm cheating on my husband or letting down my kids.

I want to contribute to the household, but all I know how to do is research, analyze data, and write. I can't make anything. I can't sell stuff. Freelancing doesn't pay the bills.

Probably the most demoralizing thing is going on these job interviews, which all feel like blind dates gone wrong. I always feel violated afterwards. Where else can someone ask you questions that are none of their business? I can't tell people what I can do, because I've been conditioned to hide my accomplishments and intelligence. They are a threat to other people. At these interviews, I am asked to go against my nature and lay bare all my weapons.

At least in government, talent is not threatening to managers. While the race of the private sector goes to the hare, it is always the tortoise that wins in the public sector. Only time and tenacity can get you into a position of power.

Even though I am probably more of a hare, I don't really want to work to make some corporation money. I want a career in service. That is why I felt really hopeful when I was contacted for a background check with a state agency. But it has been a week and I have heard nothing.

I am really questioning this move. Why did I come here? Should I have been content with my lot in Nashville? I had a relatively prestigious job and an enormous house. Still, I felt something was missing in my life--a nagging sense that I was wasting time. Plus, Jamie's career was at a standstill. We needed to bust out of our rut, but I never thought we would bust out and land in worse circumstances.