Sunday, July 3, 2011

Things I Don't Get!!!



michael jackson- how he went from being a black man to a white woman

catholicism- it's kind of cultish to me

smoking- most everyone that does it says they hate doing it...but they do it anyway!!

breast implants- some people should just work on their personality first, try reading a book or maybe get plastic surgery on facial features. remember, nose job before bewbs if you're going to do it!! they complain about wanting a man to look them in the eyes...well if your tits are popping out of your turtleneck you might want to re-evaluate some things.

masculinity of women- since when did it become an attractive quality in women to become frat boys? you being a football "fan" is not a selling point!!! although i think that it's important to try to stay in shape..you being a "beast" in the gym and going "hard as a mother" is not really attractive


ol' man & ol' lady- this is a term that just irks me and i don't know why

independent women- i get that you want to do things for yourself & not depend on anyone else, but independent does not = bitchy attitude

bbw- one of the most overused terms EVER. there is no doubt that there are some big women that are beautiful, but just because you're big does not automatically fit you into this category

sex- as often as i would like it!!!

that is all....for now!!!

Friday, June 10, 2011

True Heroes!!!

i've been meaning to write this post for about a month now. i'm a little bored at work right now, so i decided to post. as some of you know in early May i was summoned by the catastrophe gods to Lees Summit, Missouri. Lees Summit is right near Kansas City on the border of Missouri & Kansas. ok enough with the geography lesson. i will get to the meat & potatoes. when you show up at the catastrophe site, they tell you be empathetic, but not to get too personal with the policy holders. sometimes this is very hard to do & this is why:

it was a friday and a little after noon. as we drove up to the house, there was a older wiry gentleman wearing overalls standing in his driveway. his home had recently been battered by a pretty severe hail storm. we approach him and go through the formal introductions..blah blah blah. i guess he noticed i kinda have an accent and the following dialogue took place:

OWG: where are you from?

Me: the New Orleans area

OWG: (chuckles)yeah i thought so.  i was there after Katrina. me & my church group volunteered to go gut houses & rebuild them. i sold my show car & with the money, i bought a bobcat & a trailer to go help out.

Me:  oh really? whereabouts did you work?

OWG: do you know where St. Bernard Parish is located?

Me: i grew up there

OWG: so i guess you know where Violet is?

Me: that's where i'm from. did you work in Violet?

OWG: yep i used to go to the poydras hardware store twice a day. we were working in Riverbend subdivision

Me: that's the neighborhood i grew up in!!!! i lived on Reunion Street.

OWG: we did 11 houses in Riverbend.

Me: it's a small world!!! on behalf of new orleans i can't thank you enough. 

after that brief exchange we walked around inspecting his home for hail damage.  the whole time he was telling me stories about the time he spent in new orleans. even in the state that it was in, he fell in love with new orleans and was genuinely concerned about the city & it's residents. i assured him that new orleans was making a comeback & it will be better than ever. he said he was going to bring his wife here next year. i welcomed him with open arms. on parting i probably thanked him 10 more times for what he did for our city.

sometimes in life you meet people on chance & they make you appreciate the things you have, the things we take for granted on a daily basis. they make you have hope for humanity. they make you realize that there are still heroes in the world. they don't wear uniforms & play on sundays. they don't demand millions of dollars.  they wear faded overalls & come help a city & it's people in their time of need.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

This Girl is Bat Shit Crazy!!!

it's rough in the dating world these days!! dealing with shit like this makes it almost impossible.  i'm hoping this is a joke. if not, she will be the crazy cat lady in her neighborhood. it is a pretty funny video!!!

Monday, May 30, 2011

This Kid is Amazing!!

when i was 5 i was still picking my nose and digging my drawers out of my ass!!! this kid seriously rocks!!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Beauty Fades & Dumb is Forever!!!

This is not aimed towards anyone in particular.  It's just a general statement because I see it pretty often on FB.

Before you go and bash your ex in your FB status you might want to consider the following:

1) at some point you chose to be with them

2) either a friend or family member has said the same thing about your ex & you either denied it or took up for them

c) there is a 78% chance that you will end up back together and/or sleeping with them  again

All of the above make you look like a moron. Let's not be morons boys and girls.

This bit of wisdom brought to you by Scott J Dalon

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

This Is Musical Talent!!

not much more i can say about this. the title of the blog says it all. enjoy!!!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

They Asked For It!!!!

so after quitting my job almost a week ago, they asked me to do an exit interview. basically wanting to know why i left the company. below is a copy of the email that was sent to the corporate hr department as well as the local management:

To whom it may or may not concern,

I pondered whether or not I should write this exit interview because I honestly think it will fall upon deaf ears. I'm sure the points I will make in this email will be countered by excuses as it has they have in the past. So why write this email you may ask. Well, I'm doing it for my fellow agents that still work for NOVA with the hopes that I'm wrong about this email falling upon deaf ears. The following reasons are why i chose to leave NOVA:

1.) At NOVA and I'm sure in all Cargill business units safety is stressed to the maximum. I do not have a problem with being safe and it being enforced. I do have a problem when it's enforced at NOVA/Cargill's discretion. We are told to wear our personal protective equipment (PPE) while boarding ships, riding launch boats etc. We are threatened with adverse action if we do not wear this required PPE. To me this is hypocritical . NOVA/Cargill wants agents to be safe only when it's beneficial to making money for the company. Case in point. Wear all your PPE on ships, but then drive sleep deprived from said ship in many cases. Sure we are told that if you work late you can call the manager and get permission to come in late. Oh but make sure you call the manager at 0700. So now I just got off of a ship at 0430. I've been working since the night before. Now I have to set my alarm clock for 0700 to call a manager. I've asked all around the river to at least 6 different agencies about their rules on agents working late/early mornings & having to come in early the next morning or even calling managers. ALL of them said that if they work late the night before they are not required in until 1200. All they have to do is send an email. They do not have to call and ask for permission. Can you see how this is hypocritical? Let's stress safety, but not when it comes to agents driving sleep deprived. Here are 2 links below stressing how dangerous it is to drive while sleep deprived. This was brought up at one of our meetings and as usual an excuse was made.

http://articles.cnn.com/2000-09-20/health/sleep.deprivation_1_sleep-deprivation-impairment-researchers?_s=PM:HEALTH

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/humanfac/94046/index.cfm

SAFETY FIRST, BUT ONLY IF IT DOESN'T INTERRUPT OUR CASH FLOW!!!!


2.) As agents at NOVA it seems that we do not get any respect from some of the local management and management of other business units. It seems every time we have an Ops Meeting it's like the agents are being burned at the stake. Going in there we as agents know that we will be getting flack for something. We do an outstanding job and I'm sorry to say mistakes will be made. It's unfortunate, but a fact of life. In the future I think that management should show more appreciation for the agents instead of pointing out what they do wrong.

      In my opinion, our management needs to stick up for the agents when it comes to other business units downing us or insisting on explanations. Mary Benson does this all the time. "Why did the agent do this? Why did the agent do that? I want an answer" I understand that she wants things perfect, but it's not going to happen. The world is an imperfect place. Stuff happens!!! When she sends these emails, NOVA management seems to think they owe her all these explanations. I don't think they do. I'm not saying ignore the issue. IMHO they should address the issue. Something like this: "Mary we are aware of the issue and we are doing our best to remedy the situation. Let us run our business unit and you run yours." Maybe not in those words, but let her know that she should not "call out" our agents at will. This makes us feel like we are just sitting ducks when our own management won't take up for us.


3.) Job security was always a concern of mine. I was told by upper management that everyone at NOVA is replaceable. WOW!! If you're not happy at NOVA we can find someone to replace you. How would you like that hanging over your head everyday you go into work? I think they should work on making employees feel secure and not expendable. Who wants to dedicate most of their life to a company that could care less about them? Having a few out of work activities does not erase the feeling of this. It's like you're giving us just enough to shut us up basically.

4.) The dreaded meetings!!!!! I've had more meetings in my 2+ years at NOVA than I had my entire life. Safety meetings from the proper operation of a toaster oven to the batteries in my smoke detector. To be honest, I think NOVA took enough of my time when I was working all those hours. I didn't need them to tell me what I should do at home in my personal life. If I want to click a link and get scammed by a Nigerian, then let me do it. If you don't have enough common sense to work a toaster oven, you should never step foot in a kitchen. To me, all these senseless meetings were an insult to my intelligence and a waste of time. If you're going to have safety meetings, stick to topics that deal with my career and do safety across the board, not when its convenient.  Also, see point 1.)  about being hypocritical. 


In closing, I hope this email helps Douglas, Michael, Darryl and future agents. They bust their butts day to day for Cargill. They are the heart & soul of NOVA. Without them no one would have a job over there. Show them the respect they deserve. Quit taking them for granted. Can they be replaced? Probably so, but then you have to train more people only for them to quit when they realized that NOVA/Cargill does not care about them. It will be an endless cycle. They only one losing out will be NOVA/Cargill.


Regards,

Scott Dalon

Friday, April 29, 2011

2 Week Notice!!!

Well for the past week, I've been contemplating accepting a job that was offered to me this past weekend. Today I decided to take that job. The following is my 2 week notice to my former employer:


"Tonight will be my last night working for NOVA. I was offered a job this past weekend and passed up the opportunity. I was then contacted again today and they made me an offer I cannot refuse. I was thinking whether or not I should take the position. While on the ship tonight, I got to thinking about recent events & decided I would have to accept the offer. Unfortunately, the position is immediate. I hate that I cannot give a 2 weeks notice or even a day, but then I think “If Nova was going to fire me, would they give me a notice or 2 weeks severance pay?”. We all know the answer to that question. They would invite me to lunch, make me sit through an hour long meeting about proper operation of a toaster oven and then call me into the office to fire me without regard. So in about 2 weeks, you will notice that I haven’t been here for 2 weeks. It was great working with MOST of the people here. I made a few good friends through Nova. I will miss working with some of you, but will definitely stay in contact. I hope there are no ill feelings. I wish everyone luck in whatever they do. Please remember to be good to yourselves and each other.

PS. I have left my phone, keys, computer etc. in my bottom drawer. Key to drawer is in usual place. Also, PPE is on my desk as you can probably see. My last time card is on Tom’s desk.


PSS. Agents- You do a great job!!! Don’t let anyone tell you any different!!! You guys are beasts. Overworked & underpaid!!"

Thursday, February 17, 2011

#FreestyleFriday


double header for you today:


#1

New species, pure funk created from fecies,
Some hip-hop shit, so Bob your head like Greise,
Gotta Straight Outta Compton johnson, believe me this shit is Eazy,
Lavish gardens full of lyrics, so fertile I'm seedy,
I've stopped competing, and now I write to pleasure my soul,
Time traveling White Chocolate, traversing worm holes,
Had Stephen Hawking gawking with how I roll,
Gave constellations constipation with my soul,
Stole Orions sword, and with it I broke every existing mold,
Ice Ages I could dish out, revenge is served that cold.

#2

Oceans of poetic caresses set in motion,
Paragraph bodies move close when,
Desire met intention, love moves, a new invention,
Sparks arise and sensitize every direction,
Confession, eyes reveal the heart reveal the soul,
Spirits intermingle, two halves create a whole,
Hold and let go, 'Fast' moves inside 'Slow,'
Sensitivity has an epiphany inside the flow,
Building you up, bathing you in your own glow,
Potential's essential, we'll explode into unknowns,
Music of a moment marraige, two sounds yet one tone.

Monday, February 14, 2011

People Even Park Like Assholes on Valentine's Day!!!

so apparently this person could not find a parking spot, so they decided to make their own.....IN THE EXIT LANE OF THE PARKING LOT!!!! well happy V-Day to you too!!!!





Thursday, February 10, 2011

#FreestyleFriday

My insight on this topic, is dope as a narcotic
Every day is hardships, cope with flat pockets
Emcee's today is only food for the shark pit
Wise men know to move the stash before the narcs hit
Stepping on fakes like a welcome mat carpet
Before the day breaks, the night is at it's darkest
Lost causes, in a land that stands lawless
Hard targets, underground like Black Markets
The less they understand, the more our war machine profits
True blue, add up the facts and we're too screwed
Who knew we'd be here where we're at cause we used crude?
The revolution won't be televised, just clips posted on Youtube
Local tv news is designed to fool you
Economic fall out is political voodoo
If he who snooze lose, we can only wait for a new fuze
Before it's too late, why debate over Blues Clues

Monday, January 10, 2011

Burlesque Anyone?

so last night i had the pleasure of being invited to Fleur de Tease at OEJ's. i've had little tastes of burlesque in the past, but this was my first full show. let me tell you that this is the definition of entertainment. it was funny at times, but sexy the whole time. these women had talent. they showed just enough skin to keep you interested. it was very tasteful. oh and did i mention sexy??? rhetorical question, of course i did.  and for $15 it's like a sore peter, you can't beat it!! this is what you won't get at a burlesque show. "amber", "candi" or "skyler" (you know the coked up, fake tittied, bottled blond working her way through college) trying to convince you that she really likes the person you are from a chance meeting at a strip club just to get your money. by the way "working my way through college" usually means that she has a heroin addicted jobless boyfriend that she has to support. ok i went off on a tangent there. anyway my point is, if you haven't been to Fleur de Tease you NEED to go to one. that is all!!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Now This is Music!!!

its amazing that talent like this goes undiscovered for such a long time. seems like music these days is more about gimmick than talent. for example kesha & lady gaga. no talent hacks that have a gimmick. anthony hamilton's story is an example of talent without gimmicks or the right connections. he has raw talent. no auto-tune needed.





A soul singer who has drawn comparisons to such classic R&B vocalists as Bill Withers and Bobby Womack, Anthony Hamilton struggled for the better part of the 1990s as two of his albums went unreleased. Getting his start at age ten singing in his church choir, the Charlotte, NC, native also performed as a teenager at various nightclubs and talent shows. Always with an eye to move on to bigger things, Hamilton made the move to New York City in 1993, eventually signing with Uptown Records, epicenter for the new jack swing sound and home to artists such as Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. By 1995, Uptown was set to push Hamilton's debut album, but the company went out of business, leaving the album unreleased.

Hamilton next signed with MCA and recorded his critically acclaimed but largely overlooked 1996 album, XTC. Another transitional period followed and Hamilton ultimately found himself at the Soulife label. It was at Soulife, a relatively new venture run by some of the singer's old Charlotte friends, that Hamilton laid down tracks for another solo album and also wrote songs for such artists as Donell Jones and Sunshine Anderson. In 2000, he accepted an invitation to sing backup vocals on singer/organist D'Angelo's "Voodoo Tour" and traveled the world.
Upon returning home, Hamilton discovered that Soulife had also gone belly up.

With a second album unreleased, Hamilton spent the next two years selling songs and singing backup for artists including 2Pac and Eve. Then, in 2002 a lead spot singing on the Nappy Roots track "Po' Folks" garnered Hamilton some much-needed attention, as the song was nominated for the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2003 Grammy Awards. A subsequent gig performing at a Grammy luncheon led to a meeting between Hamilton and producer Jermaine Dupri, who quickly signed the singer to his So So Def label. Technically his fourth album, Comin' from Where I'm From bowed for So So Def in 2003. In 2005, some of his Soulife recordings were dusted off and polished up for release as Soulife, and the new album Ain't Nobody Worryin' followed later in the year, becoming his third consecutive Top Ten R&B album. 2007's Southern Comfort was another set of previously unreleased recordings; The Point of It All, a proper studio release, was issued near the close of 2008. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi