Anonymous Coward

Alright, let me be clear about one thing.

I don't expect my publicly accessible blog to remain private. Everything I write here, I write with the knowledge that someone else will probably read it. If I didn't want anyone to read it, I wouldn't publish it.

That's not the issue.

The issue is that someone took my words from this blog, and pasted them over on Mayo's blog, without saying where they came from, who wrote them, or what the intention was. Without asking permission. And they did it anonymously!

I mean, what's the point in posting someone else's words anonymously without any explanation behind it? What were you hoping to achieve? If you're trying to make some kind of statement, can't you even put your own name on it? Are you too afraid to let everyone know who you are?

Yes, I am aware that when a blog is public, anyone can do whatever they want with it. I just expect most decent and mature adults NOT to. At Mayo's blog, we have all quoted each other before. But we always give credit to the original author, and the vast majority of us sign in or use some kind of screen name to post.

To make matters worse, when I commented at Mayo's to point out that this anonymous person had quoted me without permission, I was accused of altering my blog to make it look like Mayo's blog was written in relation to mine!

As if! Why would I go to the trouble?

To tell you the truth, I really don't know if Mayo's blog was written in response to mine. It could be a complete coincidence, as I stated plainly in my last entry.

But as far as my own blog is concerned, what you see is what you get. I write whatever pops into my head, and I do it pretty spontaneously. I don't waste time changing my time stamp or editing my blog title to make it appear more relevant to anyone else's blog. I have no need to make it look like I have a connection to Mayonaise. Whether any connection exists or not, it's quite irrelevant.

So for future reference to all who read this:
If you have questions about something I've written, if you want more clarification, or if you just plain don't believe me... then say it to my face. Comment me. Please. I welcome your input. Ask questions. Shoot my theories down. I am more than happy to read what you have to say and I'll even respond if warranted.

But please, please don't take my words out of context and paste them on another blog without my permission. Please. Yes, I know that anyone can do whatever they want with my words, but I'm asking you nicely to please leave them right where they are unless I give you permission to do otherwise. At the very least, give credit where credit is due. If you didn't write it, you should say who did.

Please. Be courteous. I don't think it's asking too much.

Last Thoughts

Before I start, I must point something out.

Our dear Mayo posted a blog called "The smoking gun" on Dececember 28th. The first word in the blog is "Reflection."

I wrote a blog one day before this on December 27th. The title? "Reflection." I even talked about my friend in that blog.

This is either a bizarre coincidence, or else someone just 'fessed up and blew his cover. The smoking gun indeed.

Anyway, on to the rest of my blog.

This is my last day of vacation, and I'm really sad to see it go. It was so nice to be at home relaxing, reconnecting with friends, and doing what I want with my time instead of always being on somebody else's schedule.

Tomorrow I will go back to the job I hate, working with people who are incompetent, cleaning up everyone else's mess because apparently nobody else knows how to organize themselves or get any real work done.

[sigh]

It's depressing.

I want out. I want to move out of this crappy little town and do something different with my life. I'm tired of feeling trapped. I want to be free.

So perhaps my new year's resolution should be to figure out what I really want to do with my life and actually do it. Like actually plan it out and make it happen.

I have a friend who did exactly what I'm talking about last year. Except she has a husband (also my friend) who is business-minded and makes a lot of money. He helped her plan out what she wanted to do, and he supported her when she quit her office job so she could explore her options.

Sometimes I wish I had someone who would support me like that. But I don't have rich parents or a hard working husband. It's just me, and I have to make it on my own. I can never just quit my job because I have to support myself. I have bills to pay.

I've never wanted a man to pay my way, and I still don't. I believe in earning my own money and paying my own way. But I do wish I had the support of a partner. Hmm... maybe my second new year's resolution should be to start dating again and find a worthy partner in crime.

These resolutions are already shaping up to be pretty tall. I hope I'm not reaching for the unattainable.

Am I biting off more than I can chew?

Sometimes everything feels so overwhelming. I get so tired and frustrated from trying to deal with the immensity of it all. I just want to wave a magic wand and make it all better. For me, for my friends, and especially for my family. It seems unfair that we should all struggle and never truly be happy.

Maybe I should try to be more buddhist and accept the fact that all life is suffering and nothing is permanent. The only constant is change. That means this struggle will soon pass, right?

Or... maybe I should scrap my new year's resolutions and just focus on winning the lottery. Haha! :-D

I wish I didn't have to go back to work tomorrow. Let it be known to all who read this, that these were the last thoughts of a free woman before she entered back into the servitude of "real life". Whatever that means.

....
Peter Gibbons: The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
Bob Porter: Don't... don't care?
Peter Gibbons: It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime; so where's the motivation? And here's something else, Bob: I have eight different bosses right now.
Bob Slydell: I beg your pardon?
Peter Gibbons: Eight bosses.
Bob Slydell: Eight?
Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled; that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.