I’ve already stated that I work part time. I put in three days a week at a Drop-In Center, which is a socialization center for people who have a mental health diagnosis. It’s a job requirement that the staff also have a mental health diagnosis as well. It’s so we can better relate to our clients.

I drive for the center. I go out and pick these people up and take them to the center. In the afternoon, I take them home. In between, I interact with them.

These are people who by and large will never be a contributing member of society. A good portion of these people also have developmental disabilities such as mental retardation on top of being schitzophrenic, or bipolar, or whatever they have. Seeing these people struggle against what you don’t even think about helps me do my best to make it through the day. Most of them are happy, because they can’t even conceive of the things that are beyond them. They look forward to coming to our center like normal kids look forward to going to Disneyland.

Me? I feel like Charlie Gordon in Flowers for Algernon. I remember when I was an Information Technology Manager, my work affecting hundreds of employees and thousands of customers. I used to eat stress and deadlines like candy. Now I must carefully manage myself. If I get too excited or stressed, I end up on the manic side of the scale. That means my productivity drops to zero and I run around like a headless chicken, followed quickly by my ending up back in the closet, screaming like I’m being tortured. I dream about being an IT manager again only 3 to 4 times a day. Followed by the realization that I still have a long way to go, plus there are things that must change externally to me as well before I can go job hunting again.

This article, Albright Still Unqualified, rips the Clinton Secretary of State a new one. I always knew she was in over her head. I just didn’t realize that she put on cement overshoes before wading in.

I for one would not want to discourage Alan Paige from doing anything he wants to do. He was a fearsome linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings back in the 70′s. I have no doubt he could still stick your left foot in your right ear if he wanted to.

Today is one of my work days. I did manage to get up early and make it through my blog and news list. I’m running out of time, so posting is light this morning.

Right now my two Sun Conures Rocket and Corkscrew are on me, cleaning me. They’re not happy unless they can spend some time on Daddy. I even have a special shirt for them to tear up. They are especially noisy when I get back from being out. They don’t quiet down until I put on their shirt and let them out. I keep their visits down to about 10 minutes or so, then put them back so they can have a “poopy break” so they don’t do it on me.

The one thing I wanted to comment on is this story, where Governor Davis made an interplanetary gaffe:

As if California didn’t have enough trouble with illegal Mexicans, they have to worry about illegal Venusians and Martians as well. Heh.