So I looked up where the company I work for falls in the ranking of Fortune 500 companies. #39 I can't believe it's that high. The top 5 are: Exxon Mobile, Wal-Mart Stores, GM, Chevron and Ford. There are some impressive names right around our rating. I've said it before, I'll keep saying it, "I refuse to believe that these other companies are being run the way ours is.''

When I worked in Lansing I thought it was bad that we had a paunchy, overweight, divorced with two children, gay man who was dating an underling, as our "Sales Manager" dress up as a sales fairy and flit around the office sprinkling sales dust.

But then I transferred to Kalamazoo and they passed out camouflage buffs, turned a conference room into War Room headquarters with giant pieces of paper taped to the walls, the managers all had walkie-talkies and they called the War Room whenever anyone made a sale and the War Room marked it on the papers.

But now Southfield has taken the cake. These idiots went to a dollar store and bought miniature fake dollar bills. When we get monitored and say our script correctly, if we are scored 100% we get 2 fake dollars. If we get 80% (or miss one out of five) we get 1 fake dollar.

Then sometime during the week they open the "store". The store actually being any empty cubicle where they put out the other junk from the dollar store and Costco. Then we can take our dollars and shop.

What kind of junk? Well yesterday there were 6 oz bottles of grape Gatorade, tiny packages of chips, cookies, candy. Some notebooks, pens, highlighters. Microwave popcorn.

Now I REFUSE to believe that Bill Gates motivates his people this way. Or Dow Chemical or UPS or any other company. This is one of the stupidest things I have come across yet.

Woman admits stealing $2.3M to play lottery

Bookkeeper at doctor's office spent $6K a day on tickets

RIVERHEAD, New York (AP) -- A former bookkeeper for a doctor's office pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing more than $2.3 million from her employer to buy lottery tickets.

Annie Donnelly, 38, of Farmingville, New York, spent as much as $6,000 a day playing lotto and scratch-off lottery games, prosecutors said.

She faces four to 12 years in prison for stealing the money from her employers, Great South Bay Surgical Associates.

Donnelly, who is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail, also will have to repay the money. She is charged with second-degree grand larceny.

"She obviously had a gambling problem," said Donna Planty, assistant district attorney. "She appeared to be caught up in the high of winning."

Investigators believe Donnelly may have won jackpots of $5,000 or even $25,000, but never enough to cover the amount stolen overall, Planty said.

Defense attorney George Vlachos declined to speak with reporters. A telephone call to the employer was not immediately returned.

Planty said that between June 2002 and November 2005, Donnelly wrote company checks for cash, petty cash, or checks payable to herself and falsely listed them as payments to vendors associated with the medical office.

She used the money to "feed her pathological addiction," said Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota.
The average check was for less than $3,000, and Donnelly wrote them in oddly numbered amounts to avoid being caught, prosecutors said. She also would "move money around" to different accounts to elude discovery.

Prosecutors said that in the first year Donnelly stole $41,261 and that the thefts increased each year, with nearly $1.4 million stolen in 2005.

I still say that embezzlers should be charged per incident not as one. $2.3 million is how many bank robberies? how many individual checks did she write? Each time she did that she had intent and when she went into work that day she had planning. True it's a non-violent crime but it's still a crime and she started the first year she was employed there.

And how in the hell is she going to repay $2.3 million? First of all, during the time she's in prison she either won't have to or won't be able to pay. When she gets out, what kind of job will she get? Probably won't pay very well. Usually they are given very small repayment amounts, like $50 a month. She would be dead, her great, great grandkids would be dead and would still owe most of it even if the 3rd and 4th generations were to pay. Not counting interest.

Goes to show that companies STILL don't have procedures in place to catch these theives.

First the Nazis came…

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—

because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—

because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—

because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—

because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me—

and there was no one left to speak out for me.

What IS her problem?

Ok so before I had kinda noticed that Florence (not her real name) was making smarky remarks when I would be talking to Jeri (not her real name) about celeb gossip. But then I thought maybe I was being overly sensitive because of my other problems. So I asked Jeri if she noticed. She said she hadn't but that the specific incident that triggered my question she kinda had noticed. Hmmm. So then I asked Cindy (not her real name) and she said she doesn't pay attention to Jeri & I or Florence. So then I wasn't sure.

Today Florence, Cartman and I were the only ones working. Around 2:30 Florence says kinda loud, and I wasn't sure who she was talking to, I hadn't heard Cartman, "Pam Anderson is such trailer trash". So I said, " Oh I love her". And as I was saying, in the same breath, "as a matter of fact, I just put up a picture of her at my desk", that bitch says, "you would". WTF??

Now, I admit that some pictures of Pammy aren't the most flattering, and she IS kinda trash-tastic, but I like her because she does a bunch for PETA. Although I'm at odds with her because evidently she's opened a resturant with some chef and they are serving something mean. Veal or fois-gras. Can't remember the details. But I still like her.

Back to point. What the hell is Florence's problem with me? I've not ever been mean to her, and it's not my fault that I read all the good celeb-blogs and read the gossip for free and she pays for subscriptions and by the time she gets the mags in the mail and shows them to me and I say, "oh I saw that on _____ .com last week" that her crap is out dated and the stories have been updated. Now is it?

And it's not MY fault that she's at LEAST 100 lbs overweight and that as soon as she comes into work at 10:00 she's deciding what to eat for lunch that's 4 1/2 hours away and that I complain about being overweight when she probably prays to the Virgin Mary or St. Guadalupe every morning and night to just please lose 5 lbs so she can wear her wedding ring without it cutting off the circulation in her finger and turning it black.

I guess I'll just say, "bless her" fat butt, chubby face, fat arms, thighs etc.

PS. I think it's funny (ok I'm a little evil) that she's HUGE and yet has a subscription to Fitness magazine. Have you seen the cover models and the pictures inside? She should take the money and join Weight Watchers instead or get that magazine.

Happy Birthday Madonna!!

My favorite singer's birthday is today. I love her! Of course I never went so far as to dress up like her in the 80's (but I might wear a purple leotard for Halloween this year) but she's always been my favorite.

She totally should have won an Oscar for Evita. She was so great in it. Of course Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius but she is an awesome singer.

Confessions in Vegas was so good. Really can't compare it to the last concert at the Palace (apples and oranges). They were both good. Of course my seat at the Palace was on the floor and it was back up taped for HBO. But Confessions at MGM was cool, good seats but a little far away.

Happy Birthday!!!

Finding Neverland

I finally watched this movie yesterday. I don't know if it was the writing or if I've missed some meds but man did I cry. It was sooo good. Kate Winslet is one of THE best actresses of my time. I really like her. I even forgive her for the length of Titanic.

Johnny Depp is a really good actor. He was totally hot in this movie. Why does he look hot in his movies then for the premieres and award red carpets he looks like he hasn't bathed in days and needs a flea dip. He also brings along his girlfriend and she looks dirty and dresses like a Helen Bodham Carter wanna be. Not good.

The little boys were cute, the wife was a bitch, Kate's mom was aloof but came around. Dustin Hoffman was in it. Just really really good.

5 bones.

Leslie 5k

Update: There were a total of 6 girls in my age group and my official time was 44:29. The girl in my group that was #5 had 29:08 so there was no way in heck I would ever have been close to that. The little boy and his dad ahead of me finished in 43:11 & :12. The next time was 38:41 by a girl 12 & under. So I would have been ok if I could have finished under 40 like I was trying to. oh well.

Well darn it there were 5 girls in my age group so I didn't win anything. I didn't come in under 40 minutes either. But I didn't let any walkers pass me. Yippee!!!

I just about ran the 1st mile without stopping and I didn't walk alot, but my time was still 43 minutes. The course was flat but a little confusing in parts. Luckily there was a man with his son ahead of me that I was able to follow, I probably should have tried harder to pass them but then they would have just passed me. It was a nice day, a little chilly but a good day.

Another Race Tomorrow

Leslie 5k tomorrow. I worked 11:30-8 this week and of course didn't get up early at all on any day. Last weekend after the Clark Lake 5k I was sooo sick I didn't do a thing. Yesterday and today I called off of work, just didn't feel right.

Last year my time was 42:05 and I was the only entrant in my age group. This is the 2nd year of this race. Hopefully there won't be many entrants in my group. Most if not all of the race was flat, if I remember correctly, so I should be able to have a good finish time. There's only the Foote Race left in the Citizen Patriot series and that one is sooo hard so unless I'm in the Somerset Race in two weeks, this is my last chance to come in under 40 minutes. I should be able to do that. I have no idea what the course will be like in the Somerset race so I really need to do it tomorrow.

The next two weeks I work 8:30-5 so I need to train because the Foote Race has those two huge hills that kill. The last two races I haven't been able to run the 1st mile without stopping and my times have increased so I need to concentrate on that.

I need to check the results page, I think my walking nemesis hasn't been in the last few races. I haven't seen her. Haven't seen Betty with the hot pink clam diggers either. Donna hasn't been in a race since the Rose Run.

Of course I'm in last place in series points. I'll need to practice so that maybe I'll be in the invitational this year. That's 4miles. I can't even do 3 miles without being sick, I'll be the 1st one off. I did put in for the day off.

Clark Lake 5k

So I got out of work early on Friday so that I wouldn't be up late and be tired on Saturday. I went to bed about 10:30 on Friday. Saturday morning I was pretty tired but felt ok, better than last year when I was hung over on bad tequila.

Aunt Linda, Shelley and I were in each race. I was very thirsty before hand. I left my water in the car, so I snagged a bottle before the race and drank about 1/4 of it.

The race didn't start until 8:30 or so. Not too hot or muggy but not too cool either. I about died starting off. Tried to start off slow so I wouldn't get the anxiety. Which luckily I haven't been. Planet Fitness was the last race and the first one of this year that I wasn't able to run the 1st mile non-stop. This was the 2nd one. I had to really try to keep going past the onlookers and the start of the 12k, but after that I was done. Once I start walking I have such a hard time running again.

At the end of the race, when I get my time, I'm always disappointed because then I think of how I could have improved it. I ended up running in with the winners of the 12k who were breaking the course record! Ohmygosh, I ran from the 3 mile marker down the hill into the chute then I heard the guy talking about the guys coming in to break the record. I had to really run fast to get out of the way. I was nervous I was going to get run over by some tall, 1/2 naked, sweaty ugly 14 year old!

I ended up with 43 minutes. Not sure about seconds because my name wasn't on the sheet! I asked Liz about it and she sent me into the office so they could look it up. When I was at the starting line I was next to the short little old lady I've seen before. She said she was a slow runner, but she got way a head of me and stayed there. I lost her right away. There was a man pushing triplets! and after the start I never saw him either. The walkers were only 1 minute behind us and Peggi past me right away. My friend Betty wasn't there.

Aunt Linda was 3rd in her age group again. She's been 3rd in all three races she's been in! Of course there's only been 3 women entered but still a win's a win's.

Shelley was 9th in her age group in the 12k with 11 entries. Amy was 4th in her group! I was last but I don't know how many were in it.

Next race: Next week--2nd annual Leslie 5k

Happy 5th Birthday

Maddox!!!

I love Maddox! He's the cutest little boy in the world.

I love Angelina too, she's so pretty and I love how much she does for children. I loved her even when she was strange and kissing her brother and wearing Billy Bob's blood. Billy Bob is hot in a skinny, wasted old man way. His birthday was a few days ago. I haven't seen any of his movies lately but I do like him. Even though I never really cared either way for Brad Pitt I do like him and Angelina together. You know he gets down on his knees every night and totally BEGS her to marry him. She should, just because it didn't work with Billy Bob, you can tell Brad loves her and the kids. And like I said, I don't really like him or not. But I do HATE jen-jen. She is so blah. Can't act. There's no substance to her. She doesn't seem very smart, doesn't stand for anything. Just blah. Not even vanilla because that's a flavor and she doesn't have any. Only reason the last movie did any good at the box office was because of VV. Don't like him, BUT he is a good actor. LOVED, LOVED Return to Paradise. Well, of course, because my husband was in it, but vv had a good part and even Anne (used to be gay for a minute) Heche was good.

Any way. LOVE ME MADDOX.

Update on Jade

Well the vet called back last week and Jade has Swollen Hock Syndrome. It's also called Familial Amyloidosis or Familial Shar Pei fever. It's characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, which may be accompanied by swollen, painful hocks, swelling of the muzzle, abdominal pain, diarrhea and anorexia. Shar Pei's have a 22% chance of getting it while only 1% of all other breeds. This suggests it's inherited.

People get it too and that is called Familial Mediterranean Fever which is also inherited. Cows and horses get it too.

Kidney failure generally occurs between 4 to 5 years of age and is fatal. I joined a Yahoo group to get more information and some of their dogs are older than 5. One is 9.

The group moderator sent me a note to have Jodie take Jade's temperature every day at the same time for 1 week to get a baseline. Then take her temp at least 3x's a week.

I need to read more about the medicines and raw diet. I had her over yesterday and today and she seems ok.

Golfing

My golf game is stagnent. 61/21 last week it rained, the week before I shot 61 also. My chipping is awesome. My fairway shots are long. Now the problem is trouble teeing off, and still putting. I used to be a half way decent putter. The problem isn't that when I chip on I'm far away. The problem is missing 2 1/2 feet in-they just don't drop.

As far as the tee shot, I don't know what the hell the problem is there. I really need to go to the driving range. And I should probably golf on at least on of my days off.