I love the fact that, in this country, we are able to send mail for such a small amount of money. The fact that I can send a letter to New York for 41 cents and it gets there in a matter of days is amazing to me. In fact, growing up it was the main way I communicated with my Grandma in Michigan and it was a great tool. So, there ARE positive things about the United States Post Office.

BUT, when things go wrong, they REALLY go wrong. And trying to get an answer is a pain in the butt. Let me explain:

I was planning to move to Texas, so I forwarded my mail to Texas several months ago. This was true for Deana as well. However, when it became clear that I was NOT moving to Texas, I purchased a post office box at The UPS Store close to my work. I then put in a NEW forwarding order to get my mail from Texas to the new address in California. That was six weeks ago. I have yet to receive one piece of mail, including the confirmation of the change order. I have received OTHER mail that has been sent directly to the new address, however.

So today I finally broke down and called the Frisco post office to find out if they even received the change order. They confirmed that they DID and that they have been forwarding the mail. They told me I should call the local post office to confirm what was happening on their end. Overall, this was a pleasant conversation because, well, they are very nice in Texas.

I called the Brea post office and they gave me the run around almost from the beginning – they get too much mail to tell if they were receiving mine, the problem was with the UPS Store, the problem was the Frisco post office, etc. I pushed (those who know me in person know I am pushy!) so he said he would talk to the carrier. I was on hold for a LONG time and then he came back and said, “what is your name again?” He then told me I wasn’t even in the system (never mind that earlier he told me he couldn’t see Texas information in his system) and then I realized he was spelling my last name phonetically instead of the way it really is spelled. Anyway, I gave up and said I would call the Frisco post office to confirm what address they were forwarding to, since my previous conversation didn’t touch on that.

I called and got the same pleasant lady, who quickly told me she couldn’t confirm the address because her system had been down all day. ?!?!!?!!? How did she check earlier? And then I was reminded that when the mail was first forwarded to Texas they received the order but didn’t deliver the mail. When I called THEN, I was told an additional form needed to be filled out to give the carrier permission to deliver to the house. Have you ever heard of that before?!?!!?!

So, who knows what the freaking problem is! All I know is that I have weeks of mail that hasn’t been delivered. I am going to fill out a new forwarding order, per their suggestion, but I will also pray over the card first. I will also call much sooner if I don’t get my freaking mail!

Don’t tell anyone, but I’d be willing to pay 45 cents per envelope just to be able to actually receive my freaking mail!

People have been addicted to alcohol, drugs, illicit behavior……many things! I have fallen into the trap of addiction and I have heard the first step is admitting you have a problem. So, here it is:

I AM ADDICTED TO GUITAR HERO!!!!!

It started slowly, this addiction. I would play on weekends with friends, known as “girl’s night out” etc. We would throw in Sing Star and Dance Dance Revolution for good measure. But slowly, ever slowly, the call of the guitar began rumbling in the core of my mind. Now, I have been known to stay up until 3am trying to unlock another song or get that solo on hard level down! It doesn’t help that my friends are as addicted as I am – and yes, I was not alone in the early morning “studio recording” session!

Today, we vowed to hide the guitars and go on with our lives – we would NOT be ruled by this addiction. But we took a small “toke” on it earlier…….but we fought it and now I am over here blogging about it!

Yes, I am addicted!

Today is the 12th day I have had this dreaded flu. I am still not 100%, but it’s the first day I feel ALMOST human. I am tired of being tired, of aching all over, of having a low grade soar throat, of having gunk in my head and chest, of hitting the wall at about 2pm…..yeah.

Yes, the news is true…..the flu shots this year were not very effective and the flu is spreading all over. So many people at work, who also happened to get the shot, have this flu. It’s like the plague in some departments. So many people are coughing and lethargic! Yes, I am lethargic too! Can you believe ME being LETHARGIC!?!!?! Tis true.

Not much else is going on in my life right now. I am seriously sleeping and veggie most of the time. But today gives me a little hope – I might get over this stupid thing eventually!

Hope my 2.28 readers are feeling well!

On a side note, you may notice that my ClusterMap is missing lots of dots! No worries, it’s been a year since I began using it (HAPPY ANNIVERSARY) and they just archived the data for this period. If you are curious and want to see it, just click on the map and then select “MAP ARCHIVE” above the map that is then displayed. NOTE that this archive map may not be available for a few days.

A great song by Dio – yes, this is an 80’s Metal band…..

Looking inside of yourself
You might see someone you don’t know
Maybe it’s just what you need
Letting the river in you flow

You can sail away to the sun
And let it burn you while you can
Or walk a long bloody road
Like the hero who never ran

You’ll feel it
You’ll feel it
You’ll feel the rush of it all

Flying away in the clouds
You know you’re loosing your control
Finding you way in the dark
Like some poor forgotten soul

You’ll feel it
You’ll see it
You’ll feel the rush of the city lights
You’ll feel it
I see it in your eyes, you’re

Caught in the middle
Just like the way you’ve always been
Caught in the middle
Helpless again

Looking inside of yourself
You might see someone you don’t know
Maybe it’s just what you need
Letting the river I know that’s in you flow

You can feel it
You can see it
You can feel the rush of thunder
You feel it
I see it in your eyes, you’re

Caught in the middle
Just like the way you’ve always been
Caught in the middle
Helpless again

(yeah, this genre really speaks to me! Either that, or I am getting very old.)

I will try to remember as many funny quotes for the week!

Interchange with Deana and Sophia at McDonald’s:

S: Mom, I am going to hide in the trash can!
D: Ew! If you do, french fries will go up your nose!
S: NO! That is not good. That’s where my boogers live!

Sophia to Gina, her mentor:

Occasion #1:
S: What’s your problem?

Occasion #2:
S: Don’t mess with me!

Rona: I always say something funny, so that’s why you can’t remember anything.

Rona: It always sounds funnier when I say it. Why do you always mess it up so much? Maybe you’re not that funny.

Deana: Excuse me, I am a Mexican and Mexicans like that kind of music.

Zack: Geena, I MISSSSSS you!

Josh: Mom, I read a book with 169 pages!

That’s all I remember right now!

SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO RONA, who is celebrating a birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY RONA!

Last week I was a little down or something on Friday. Today, I am not down, but have been fighting a cold all week. (Get out your miniature violins…..). First it was a horrible soar throat. Then the pain overcame me to where I didn’t even want to talk (a serious side effect!). Then I started getting congested. Then, my throat felt better, but my voice went away. Then the pillow in my head got thicker. Then, last night, it moved to my chest. Every time I laid down to sleep, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. So half of the night I attempted to sleep sitting up on the couch. Yeah, you guessed it, I didn’t sleep well.

Now I have a cough and it doesn’t feel pleasant. I hope it’s just because I just woke up. Yes, I did sleep – from about 5:30 this morning until I turned off the alarm at 6 and then woke with a start at 7!

I have a big presentation at work today, so I am hoping I can at least talk!

BUT IT’S FRIDAY BEFORE A THREE DAY WEEKEND SO ROCK ON!!!!!!

Thanks for everyone who responded to the ethical dilemma posed yesterday. I guess I should have been a little more clear about the “rules” of the game, however. I assumed too much – but for the future (IF such games are played) I will be more clear.

No anonymous posts, which I believe takes away from the thoughts shared and provides a cloak for intolerance or mean spirited notes. (Not to suggest that was the case yesterday, but I am just stating where I am coming from).

As promised, I will not debate this issue as it was an open forum to share views on the subject. However, as promised, here was my response to my class:

Is it fair to measure ethical behavior by certain cultures? What culture should we measure it by? That of America or that of Ecuador?

Some things, when using a Biblical World View, are moral absolutes – such as salvation is through Jesus only. However, even when you take a commandment “thou shall not lie” (or “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”), could you still justify the unethical action of lying such as people during WWII did? Here, I am not arguing if a lie is a lie, just as I was not really arguing if a bribe is a bribe, but rather the ethical response to such actions. For example, Corrie Ten Boom lied to the Nazis when hiding Jews, who would certainly have been put to death. Was she morally unethical or wrong to do that? What about “thou shall not lie”.

Further, I may be wrong, but I am not certain of a biblical term that would say it is wrong to pay a bribe. Certainly, I would suggest that paying something to gain access or to have a better advantage in business is unethical, but it appears in Ecuador that the monies paid seem to be evenly required. And further, a “bribe” in Ecuador does not seem to meet the criteria of the American definition of the term.

And just as shown in “The Peace Child”, a great story about a family that reached a people whom never saw a white person before, it is important to reach people in the cultural context in which they live – not only regarding the love of Christ, but in the business practices that surround them.

THANK YOU ALL for participating. I have never been to Ecuador and have never discussed with locals how this day-to-day requirement is viewed by the people. But I HAVE been to other countries, including Russia, and have seen and discussed first hand how the norms are viewed and dealt with. Thank you to those who have shared their opinions, their real life situations, and such. I am reminded that life is tough sometimes – even very smart people and theologians (are theologians people???? lol) argue over points so I know we are not alone.

Again, THANK YOU everyone for sharing. I appreciate you all.

Now Gina needs to get ready for work.

One of the assignments in my Management class at Hope International University is to discuss an ethical, business, or other dilemma with my classmates. This is a great, “real life”, test of sharing ideas and dealing with people’s reactions to your opinions and/or comments. Maybe even implementing concepts like Plan/Organize/Lead/Control. And true to form, the first week of these discussions has got my mind whirling. (Yes, for a large portion of my 2.78 readers, I DO have a mind!)

This week’s dilemma goes like this:

When [the previous professor] was working in Ecuador with HCJB World Radio (now known as HCJB Global) he encountered an interesting ethical situation. The mission organization had developed the capability of producing television programs. They wanted to get an on-air license and begin broadcasting Christian television shows. But they could not get a license.

They had set up a separate organization called ASOMA. This organization was run by missionaries and staffed by Ecuadorians. They tried for two years to get a license and while it always appeared that they would get the license, they were always denied. They found out that in the Ecuadorian culture the government officials in charge wanted them to pay a bribe to get the license. The missionaries felt this was unethical and refused to pay. The government, in turn, refused to grant the license. The missionaries tried every other means – they used their influential Christian Ecuadorian friends, they used other forms of relationship – to no avail.

After two years they turned the management of the organization over to the trained Ecuadorians. There was very little happening anyway. There was a change in government and after only two months amazingly ASOMA was granted a license. Everyone rejoiced. Later the missionaries found out that the new Ecuadorian management had simply paid a $25,000 bribe and they got the license.

We were asked : What are your feelings about what transpired? What would you recommend to the mission leaders regarding the actions of the Ecuadorian workers?

I thought about this carefully. Maybe it is because I’ve been fortunate enough to see other parts of the world, to understand America is unique, and that it’s not reliable to think the rest of the world should function like America…..but I basically responded like this:

Post #1: In our culture, the monies required to obtain a license would be illegal and immoral. If this business at hand were on American soil, I would suggest that those involved should adamantly refuse to partake in such activities and stick to their moral guns. However, as described in the situation, the culture in Ecuador appears to be very different than that of America. The “bribe”, as it were, appears to be an accepted and important aspect of business interactions in the country. While this concept fights against all that we Americans think of when business is done, that does not seem to be the case in Ecuador. Conversely, NOT giving the monies would be an anomaly. It does not seem appropriate for the mission leaders to take an ethnocentric view on the subject, especially when they are attempting to share Christ in a way that is accepted by the culture. Therefore, I would recommend that the mission leaders accept the actions of the Ecuadorian workers.

I was not surprised to learn that not everyone in the class held my view. One student responded to my post, indicating an unethical act is just that, no matter the cultural context in which we find ourselves.

What are your thoughts? I am curious to know. I have more to share on this topic, but I seriously don’t want to add more at this point because I’d love to hear others’ view on the subject. Maybe you will agree with me and that’s great. But maybe you don’t – help me see the error of my ways….at least try! So please, if you have time, leave a comment!

I will NOT be debating with anyone who responds. I will seriously contemplate your responses and then I will share what I posted to my class, in response to the student who disagreed with me. MAYBE I will respond to specific comments, but I will not debate them.

Hope that makes sense!

Today is Friday – a Friday after a somewhat tough week. Why was it tough? Well, overall it wasn’t a BAD week. I am happy to have loans to work on again which makes my days go faster. I really didn’t get irritated by anyone this week. So, why was it tough?

It’s been just one of those weeks where the days go too fast, there are too many things to worry about, and sometimes it’s tiring.

But today is FRIDAY! I am looking forward to the weekend, doing homework, watching movies, reading, or other such leisurely activities. But yet, a sense of hopelessness surrounds me and I can’t seem to shake it. Maybe I need to up my meds – LOL.

Ignore this weird post – just celebrate the Friday that it is……wherever you are.

This week at school a large portion of the curriculum is covering the decision process and how to make better decisions at work. One assignment I had was to write about one of the toughest decision I had to make at work. Writing about it has made me analyze myself a bit – I know that sounds out of the ordinary, huh? LOL, right.

You know, sometimes we all have to make decisions that maybe turn out to be not the best outcome for ourselves. Like me – I had to decide to be honest and forthright and, some would say, the outcome kind of sucked for me……as I didn’t get what I really wanted. On the surface, that is true – honesty can certainly mess things up. There are days when I look back and think, “if only this didn’t happen or that didn’t happen….”, but what is the point of that, really? What happened, happened, and I made a decision based on the information I knew at the time.

What is MORE important to me is this – being open and honest always works out for me. While the CURRENT outcome may not be what I had hoped it to be, I know that ultimately my life will benefit from it. For example, I know I can look myself in the mirror and know I didn’t do anything that I even hint at being ashamed about. I can walk with my shoulders high, knowing my reputation and my words can be trusted. Add in my faith in Christ, who is way more faithful than I am, and I cannot really lose, can I?

But, alas, life has a residue of its own, doesn’t it? My decision put into motion other decisions that are out of my control. These decisions affect me today even as I type, and that’s fine. Sometimes these decisions are not very fair – some are even totally off the mark, actually – but that does not diminish the quality of my initial decision. This revelation has been huge for me, as, when I am at my lowest, it is easy to blame myself for making my decision in the first place. But that is erroneous thinking! I did the right thing and I cannot carry the burden for stupid words, decisions, or actions that occur today that are out of my control.

And, on that note, I will NOT be a victim of any current crap that surrounds me! I have not changed, I am the same person I was before with the same work ethics, output, knowledge, and love for what I do – although maybe I’m a tad bit wiser. I will continue to be honest, to look myself in the mirror, and really try to rise above the words and people around me who have their own ideas and opinions of me and my work. While some of these opinions can truly affect my job, I won’t focus on them too much unless they become more official. In fact, I’ve asked for a more detailed description in some cases as ambiguous negatives were spoken to me. So, I think it’s cool and I will focus on the truth and ask others who are pretty smart for feedback, etc.

Oops, but I am getting off track!

Honesty, therefore, is never wrong. Decisions based on honesty and openness, should not be avoided, even if they’re hard to make. Focus more on the long term instead of the short term, get input from people you trust who are not “yes people”, and rely heavily of the Holy Spirit……those are my suggestions when making decisions!

Gina, Analyst of Thoughts, is out