Calling?

I’ve been wondering if the old adage that everyone has a calling could possibly be true.  I personally am not a religious person, so I don’t feel a “higher power” telling me to do anything, but I do have a constant nagging feeling that there is something I am meant to do, but I’m just not doing it.  I think many people feel this, but just don’t or can’t act on it. 

I feel that my “calling” is to help people, especially those who are living in poverty in underdeveloped countries.  I would love to work for a relief organization that gets food aid or healthcare aid to those countries, or maybe even a company that gets clean water to rural areas that desperately need it.  Right now, as some of you know, I have an ok job with a good company, but it’s corporate and I just don’t feel satisfied (or challenged for that matter) at all in my current position.  I feel that I have so much more to offer and I’m just not utilizing it. 

If I could create my perfect job, or career, it would be getting vaccines, food or water to people in countries that are affected by money-hungry governments and corporations taking advantage of the small farmers and townspeople that have no choice but to sell their crops for nothing close to what they should be receiving.  There are people in these countries that suffer from diseases that governments and people in the US and other first-world countries care nothing about until these diseases make their way to our people.  Polio, for instance, could be completely eradicated, however the vaccines just do not get to everyone who need them.  Cholera is an epidemic in some countries like Haiti, but because the US government doesn’t have anything to gain from sending vaccines to those countries, they don’t help (same goes for the EU).  If H1N1 hadn’t come to the United States, the government wouldn’t have offered help to Mexico, I’m sure of it.  If you look at the history of the US government helping other countries with either food, vaccines or other aid, it is usually for political reasons, and occasionally to give restitution to a group of people or country that they have wronged in the past.

I could ramble on and on, but my point is that I want to help people in some way, directly.  What is it that you’ve always wanted to do or feel the strong desire to do, but aren’t?  Or are you?

Puppy Mill Awareness

Puppy beagle

Image via Wikipedia

In May of 2008, I started a group to educate people in my area about puppy mills.  It is now a 501 (c)(3) charity and we have a website:

www.lvpmwatch.org

I will be posting more about puppy mills and the website will also have more soon…if anyone has questions about puppy mills, please visit the site or ask me!

GOP John Boehner Takes Speaker’s Gavel from Pelosi

House of Representatives

It is very disturbing to me that this man is taking over as Speaker of the House…

http://www.dickipedia.org/dick.php?title=John_Boehner

Granted, yes, this is a comical site from one of my favorite news sites (Huffington Post), but it does have some reality mixed in with actual facts 🙂

Here’s what NPR had to say…

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131052930

I wasn’t completely thrilled with Nancy Pelosi, especially her support of the big bank bailouts, but, anyone is better than John Boehner!  Come on people!!!

Interactive Midterm Election Map 2010

Just found this on NPR if anyone is interested…

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130514037

I was disappointed with the PA results, it was so close! Ugh 😦

Why be a Vegetarian?

I have a lot of people ask me why I am a vegetarian, so here are a few reasons:

  • I love animals and just don’t want to eat them
  • I don’t agree with factory farming in the United States
  • I prefer to eat healthier items
  • I like to do my part for the environment and eating/buying less meat does my part in the fight against greenhouse gasses
  • The grain grown in one year for feeding poultry and cattle in the U.S. could feed the entire world’s poverty population
  • I never liked beef or most red meat (had my first steak & hamburger at age 25 and never again since)
  • I don’t want hormones, steroids and antibiotics in my system

So, now you know…as for those of you who ask me if I’m vegan or why I’m not, basically I love ice cream and cheese, so I’m too selfish to give those up.  But, I do not drink cow’s milk, I buy almond milk (it’s so good) and I try to only buy yogurt or ice cream that is made organically with no hormones, antibiotics or steroids.

 http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

 http://www.vegetariantimes.com/

Tipping: A Short Blog

Ok, maybe I’m addicted already, here’s another one…

I put myself through college, as many people have, by serving and bartending in various restaurants over the years.  Working as a bartender is easier, most people like or love the bartender, especially a female bartender, however serving is a MUCH different story.

Too many people not only take servers for granted, but they abuse them.  Servers in Pennsylvania only make $2.83 per hour, per hour!!!  Most other states are similar, but this is a ridiculously low minimum wage and it is only because servers work on tips.  Now, I have issues with the minimum wage for servers, but that’s for another blog 🙂

My issue for now is that people do not understand that when they come in with their family (and sometimes bratty kids) for an hour or so for dinner and then leave 10%, that server just worked for about $6-8 and hour.  The work that a waitress has to do is not just bringing food out to a table, it involves having a good personality and the ability to remember who ordered what (even if it’s written down), the skill of being able to carry trays that can sometimes weigh up to 15lbs, the stamina to be able to work hours on their feet, walking quickly back and forth to and from the kitchen and the ability to do all of this, while dealing with rude people and keeping a smile on their face.  This is not an easy thing.

On a side note, if you cannot at least make eye-contact or look at your server at least once while ordering, then don’t bother to dine out.  It is rude to treat people waiting on you as if they do not deserve your attention and respect.  You may also get spit in your soda.

Maybe if everyone had to work a week as a server, they would understand that it is a tough job and the people doing it are NOT well-compensated by their employers, so they rely on the customers to TIP THEM!  A respectable tip for a good server is 20%.  If your server was not good, tell him/her and then tip accordingly, but make sure your issue lies with the server and not the kitchen or restaurant management.  If your food was wrong, sometimes it is a mistake on the part of the kitchen, if the restaurant is short-staffed, that is not the fault of the server.  If you have a server that just goes beyond the call of duty and helped you to have a truly enjoyable dining experience, then show them your appreciation with a nice big tip!

This is interesting:

http://expat21.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/the-real-reasons-why-lavish-tipping-practices-continue-in-u-s-restaurants/#comment-954