NewscomaGot A Two-Pack Habit And A Motel Tan

The Zero Boss hammers Gavin Newsom and rightfully so. Oh, you know the story. Celebrity/Politician gets caught doing something naughty and then blames it on an alcohol addiction. This time, Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco admitted to having an affair with his campaign manager’s wife. Newsom, known as the Boy Mayor, has now blamed his behavior on the booze, which seems to be the trendy thing to do these days.

I’m with Zero on this one.

Newsom says that his “problems with alcohol” don’t excuse his behavior. No, they don’t. And they don’t explain it, either. Every star and politician who finds himself in a kettle of hot water trots out this tired line anyway, in the hopes that the umbrella of alcoholism will shelter them from responsibility. I would bet good money that Newsom doesn’t even have a “problem” with alcohol, in the sense of physical dependence. The affair and the alcohol abuse are both symptoms of a deeper psychological issue. One didn’t cause the other.

Debra Saunders also weighs in with some words over at the National Ledger.

Newsom’s admission that he had an affair in 2005 with his campaign manager’s wife, however, is impossible to overlook. Newsom not only betrayed Alex Tourk, a friend and onetime deputy chief of staff, but raised the question of Newsom’s character. He betrayed a friend and loyal aide, let down his staff and lost his patina of professionalism. The affair was not simply bad judgment, it was cruel.

And stupid. Now voters have to ask themselves: If Newsom could treat a good friend as he treated Alex Tourk, how does he treat people who aren’t his friends?

I like what Zero says at the end of his post. Go read it and you’ll know what I mean.

The “I Went To Rehab Because I was A Bad Boy/Girl And I’m Sorry Card” is wearing really thin. Some people need rehab themselves, and they need it because they need it. Keith Urban went to rehab and it seemed very personal and sincere.  I bring up Urban because he apparently wanted to change his life for himself and his family for the better. (Sidenote: I’ve still never heard a Keith Urban song. I guess I need to get on that.) Addiction is horrible thing, but on the other hand …

If you are using rehab as a tool to get yourself out of hot water and make yourself sympathetic for voters etc., that’s another thing all together.

Rant over.

There are sometimes I see the news and I just take a deep bone-rattling sigh at people being their own worse enemies.

Oh, and crazy.

An astronaut drove 900 miles and donned a disguise to confront a woman she believed was her rival for the affections of a space shuttle pilot, police said. She was arrested Monday and charged with attempted kidnapping and other counts.

U.S. Navy Capt. Lisa Nowak, 43, who flew last July on a shuttle mission to the international space station, was also charged with attempted vehicle burglary with battery, destruction of evidence and battery. She was denied bail.

Huh? What the hell .

Astronauts gone wild, indeed. Of course she’s innocent before proven guilty, but she still receives today’s asshat award. Here is some advice, Capt. Nowak. No love on earth is worth doing something this irrational. Love is great and all, but if you have to don a disguise and drive 900 miles to attempt a kidnapping of your “love rival” you might want to look within yourself, take a good hard look and realize that this love thing is a two way street that can’t be forced.

Endeth the advice.

Jeff over at Side Salad has been posting letters he’s received from his buddy from Iraq. They are eye-opening and I’ve headed over the last few weeks and I’ve been reading them. The letters give a small glimpse into daily life of being at war and being a friend.

I really like this blog. He’s really funny but he has his serious side. Go visit him.

Go Scout Go.

To put it bluntly, I’m tired of being my own worst enemy. I’ve been told that I do reverse ego a lot and yes, it’s true. I don’t ever want to get a big head, but in the process, I shouldn’t really beat myself into the ground. Being humble is okay, but not to the point that you damage yourself emotionally by dismissing everything as too far fetched and out of your reach. I’ve really had it. There really might be something here and I’ll never know if I keep beating myself up. I’m sick of making myself play second fiddle to….myself.

I’m so proud of her I could just pinch myself.

I try to own when I screw up. But on the other hand, it was my mistake to ever let anyone know about this web-site. I have tried to be transparent, but on the other hand, by doing that, I tend to hurt people’s feelings. And on the other hand, I have those hurt feelings too.

It’s a double-edged sword. No one’s right. No one’s wrong.

So I’m trying to do better. It’s a hard thing sometimes, but this advice has been invaluable. And God knows, I’ve taken the heat, some deserved, some not. I thought about moving it to something more anonymous. But then that’s sort of cheating.

And on the other hand, I’m not always wrong, nor am I always right.  I’m human.

I just am.

So here we go with some good advice for anyone in managment.

1. Own it.

While many of us would prefer to forget our mistakes, initially you need to acknowledge to your supervisor and everyone involved that you’re accepting responsibility for what went wrong. If you do this right (that is, seriously and sincerely), you’ll only have to do it once.

2. Take the heat.

You may get teased by from coworkers for a long time to come. Accept gentle ribbing with a wink and a smile. However, don’t take blatant abuse from someone who can’t get past what happened. If a colleague’s teasing becomes taunting, speak with your supervisor and a human resources representative.

3. Don’t beat yourself up.

It does no good to dwell on your mistakes, which can lead to doubting your competence. “This type of thinking is actually self-destructive and only serves to hamper future effectiveness,” says Liz Bywater, president of Bywater Consulting Group, a Philadelphia-based firm focused on optimizing organizational performance. “Remember: Failure is not in the falling down but in the staying down.”

4. Learn from the past.

Solicit advice from your boss and trusted associates to help you analyze what went wrong and how you might’ve avoided the error entirely. Go back in the process as long as is necessary; however, be careful to avoid blaming anyone else, despite what you may uncover. Just learn from your own mistakes.

5. Keep it in perspective.

Seek a broad view of your career and accomplishments. “Chances are, you’ve experienced at least as many successes as failures,” Bywater says. “It’s the successes that deserve your greatest attention. Learn from them and continue to build upon your strengths.”

6. Move on.

You’ve apologized. You’ve taken your lumps. You’ve analyzed where you went wrong. Now, it’s time to move on. Don’t raise the topic of your mistake again. Your boss and coworkers want to move past this as much you do; continue to look to the future and don’t allow your career or day-to-day performance to be marred by one error.

Man, Have I made some colossal mistakes. But then again, I’ve done some good as well. So there is that middle ground we all must find to be better.

I liked this post. It’s about many things, some that are unsaid.

I also liked that it was about accepting responsibility, moving forward and getting things done.  I can take the heat, but I don’t have to be the goat either. It’s a balance.

And that’s a good thing. Because it’s moving me in a forward direction. And I think it’s fair to everyone. Including me and the people I care about.

Okay, I’m seriously creeped out.

Things from the Google search that have turned up on my blog.

• not seen pictures of franklin roosevelt (Umm…okay)
• hooterville tennessee (I asked for that one)
• birthday comments squirrel drinking beer (well, yeah, that would be Squirrel Queen)
• naked (Cool)
• lowe finney sexy tn (I’ve had TWO, COUNT ‘EM TWO search things in one day for this. Sen. Finney. TODAY. I’m sorry. And sort of weirded out. I was at your grandma’s house when you were born. EEEeeeeeehhh)
• And this is the weirdest one ….squeegee sexy. (Squeegee Monkey is my brother-in-law. He has children with my sister. He’s like my brother. AAARrrrghhhh. This one disturbs me as much as the Sen. Lowe Finney one does.)

I’m really needing some therapy right now. Or drugs.

Or both.

Yikes.

Okay campers. I did what I said earlier today and came home. The blechs have left although I’m a little tired from it all and work this morning was sort of disconcerting. I just didn’t feel good and I couldn’t muster up the Mary Sunshines.

Anyway, here is the itinerary for Nashville later this week:

1. Wednesday, We will be meeting at the Sportsman’s Grille. I’ll be there after the real job. It’s an open invitation campers.
2. Thursday, I can do lunch but I have real job stuff to do in the morning until around noon. I have late afternoon plans and then I’m have to do the real job thing at dinner but will be available later in the evening.
3. Friday is busy all darn day because I have to go get some schooling, but the night is open.
4. Saturday, I’m celebrating a lunch birthday with the Sista then I’m headed home because real life interrupts, as usual. Come one, come all.

That’s pretty generic, I know. Just pop me an e-mail and maybe we can all celebrate each other.

I’m looking forward to seeing you guys. And thanks for asking to hook up. Been a bit down today so it meant a lot.