Goodbye 2014

WOW, it's been 10 months since I last posted anything on this particular blog. OK..

2014- for John C Thomas, 2014 is the year of LOSS. Tremendous. Just caps off a very, very bad year for me personally. My mom type Edith passed away days before Mother's Day via complications from liver cancer. Devestating. One of my MAIN heroes, Robin Williams passed away via a cowardly act- no matter how dismissed or explained away. Harold Ramis' death affected me nearly as much. As a matter of fact, the Comedy genre as a whole took a tremendous hit. 2014 was no laughing matter for Comedy- along with the Bill Cosby controversy, check out the legends and talent the world of comedy lost just THIS year: Joan Rivers, David Brenner, Sid Ceasar Jan Hooks, Rik Mayall, Mickey Rooney, Ann B Davis.

I worked with, admired, and was influenced by the following broadcasters and announcers who passed away. Russ Cassell, Monty Dupuy, Casey Kasem and Don Pardo. Musically Johnny Ramone, Jimmy Ruffin, Joe Cocker, Bobby Womack and Johnny Winter left us. Steeler coach Chuck Knoll died. Though I didn't agree with her politics, poet Maya Angelou is a loss that didn't go unnoticed by me. What little TV I watch is about to get smaller. Kinda sucked saying goodbye to the The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and The Colbert Report w/ Stephen Colbert on the same day. The HBO series Boardwalk Empire ended in a very rushed and shortened season. Mad Men and The Late Show w/ David Letterman are ending. Colbert will take over for Dave next year.. LEMONADE!!

Other prominent 2014 things I didn’t care for were:

• Obamacare
• The ebola madness
• Death by cop incidents
• Cuba kiss and make up
• Celebrity nude photos leaked
• NFL domestic violence issues an their reaction/action
• The whole Sony Pictures debacle that turned into an international incident
• The Democrat. Republican, Constitution, Libertarian, AND Tea Party political parties
• Tar heel football frustration
• Drones -both private and government/ military
• Isis and their beheadings
• My personal decline physically/ mentally, and spiritually.
• The days and weeks of “Black Friday” madness
• Crashing Spacecraft
• Gay marriage – almost as ridiculous as traditional marriage.
• Merry Friggin Christmas- one of Robin Williams' last movies- what a stinker
• Christmas 2014 madness
• Legal refer madness
• The Stock Market –artifical inflation thereof this pyramid/ ponzi scheme
• TV/internet/ radio ads for lawyers suing pharmaceutical and other corporations
• Ice bucket challenge madness
• 130+ kids among the 141 killed by terror bastards in Pakistan

I do feel fortunate and lucky in many ways. News wise, landing on a comet was pretty cool. The ice bucket challenge, while annoying as crap to me, WAS actually kind of good. CDC oil legalization is a triumph for our state. Still working. Still recovering from my accident 2 years ago. All good.

A couple of months ago, I read a fortune cookie that suggested I tell people how I feel about them. I had mixed results with this one. Probably a mistake as some people don't want to know the seriousness of how someone feels about them; especially unsolicited. Very awkward with negative and positive results. Also made me very sad one case. OK to good in others. Emotional liberation has it's price.

Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.

The most positive, the most important thing to happen to me this year was my personal resolve to get closer to my family and those I care about. I made it a goal in my life to let those I care and love about KNOW how I feel about them. Especially my wife and close friends. Despite all my personal loss and decline this year in nearly all aspects of my life/faith/financially, I have my family and those I love and care about. Everything I do good or right, all my talent, everything I have achieved, overcame, enjoy, will do, means nothing without my family. Everything is meaningless without them. And my close friends.

I am a very thankful and consider myself lucky. I am a wealthy man in some things. I just hope to stop this downward slide. In 2015, I hope to accept my past without regret, face my future with confidence and without fear. Thanks to everyone out there.#BringIt.

Off My Chest- The Cons Of Humor

It's been a while-- just over a year. Here I go again.


 The subject of this seemingly endless ramble; whiny rant, of this posting is "why don't good, smart people 'get it'? This is mainly about my continued frustration with my immediate , 'in room daily' boss and some of my co-workers. It's kind of my own fault; I've seemingly dug my own grave in this situation. Many of you who know me will reply "REALLY?!?!?! SHOCKER!!"


 My frustration begins with I tend to demonstrate the absurd by being absurd or using absurdity. Simply revealing this verbally as being such hasn't always been successful to me so I use examples and try to demonstrate in elementary levels. I often ask myself "why don't I just stop-- or even better yet, shut the hell up?"  My warped sense of humor gets me into situations at times even I can't get out of. I use obvious, 'over-the-top' antics, phrases, comments, illustrations/pictures, etc to help and if I'm lucky, get a laugh or smile. I don't know why I crave this, I just do, it's a flaw. It diffuses tough situations for me


 In the past 6 to 7 years, to my immediate, 'around me' co-workers, my sense of humor and humorous expressions aren't so obviously 'over-the-top'. I fail in my goal to demonstrate absurdity or someone else's absurdity or what I perceive is nonsense by being blatantly honest and simple. Does that make sense?


 Though this frustrates me, it's not what ticks me off. What ticks me off is that my boss and co-workers horribly and dramatically fail to articulate what they mean in explaining my obnoxious, boisterous humor. When someone new or a new co-worker is introduced to me, my boss and co-workers tell them pretty negative things in a dismissive manner, "Oh, that's John, don't believe a word he says or whatever comes out of his mouth." And I've heard this too- "Don't believe but only half of what comes out of John's mouth, and then question that!" To me this is laughable and I do consider the source. However, what concerns me and worries me is what happens if there is a time I'm giving possibly life saving instruction and it's perceived as not important. Will this person take the necessary instruction or action I request or needed? You may laugh, but I've had this happen to me a few times. The usual response is "Well, I thought he was joking."


 Eventually, these new people stick around overcome the negativity and labels put on me. I'm not smarter than anyone else here and not even funnier or the best at what I do. But I DO know when I'm licked. I give up. I really try hard to break lifetime habits and fail myself at immature actions and comments. MOST people get me and even like me where I work. I've been recognized every year for my willingness and cooperation with co-workers, partners, associates, the general public. It's the 4 or 5 people and my boss, who I truly admire and would like away from work, who seem to be the worse in this department. I'm just as guilty to a degree. I don't get these people and they don't get me. There's nothing wrong with that. We all have a job to do. As a flawed human, it angers me that they do this and they don't see the obvious- even after all these years. I think their response and actions when it comes to the above scenario disturbs me. Their unfairness and lack of things towards me that they expect from me upsets me too. But his is typical in any situation. My co workers are catty- if I do something above and beyond, I get chastised form my boss and co workers. If I compliment someone not liked or treat them nice or many times even talk to them, I'm condoning negative and bad things they do or are. If I say anything complimentary to my boss or immediate co-workers, it's immediately dismissed as "he's just joking, don't believe him".  It's gotten to a point that nothing I say positive or the like is taken as what it is.


 I think what upsets me most is that I let these people and their antics upset me. I've always been flawed and become like the environment and people around me. And to me I've become what I hate- a thinning skin whiny little bitch. I've grown accustomed to these co-workers I'm angry with. I care for them a great deal. Maybe I need a change of scenery. Maybe I'm over reacting. As I tend to do.


WHAT SAY YOU?!?!?! Comment- good or bad, negative or positive.



 FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH

 It's been over a year since I posted anything here. I've been on facebook a lot. For the most part, I don't feel what I have to say is interesting or important enough to be read or heard, really. Facebook is a lot quicker for me to share links, etc.. You can follow me at https://www.facebook.com/johncthomas

 or Twitter,

https://twitter.com/johncthomasii