Whatever Happened to the StinkinGenius?

I have been missing in action...I know, I know...how do I expect to build a loyal following if I am not even loyal to myself? No matter...in 2012 I will blog at least once a week...

Perceptions...

I was once told by my manager at my job that "...perception is reality..." For a little context, she believed I needed to cut down on the amount of time I spent on personal telephone calls at the office. When I said, "I am not on the phone that much, I mainly talk to my wife and it usually isn't for more than 2 to 3 minutes at a time since she is also at work...", she said, "well, that may be true, but the perception is that every time I walk into the area, you seem to be on the phone. Perhaps it's the timing of me walking into the area, but the perception is you are always on the phone." I couldn't argue the point because, even though I know the reality of the situation, her "perception" is completely different; and in the end, her perception is my reality. Since this conversation, I have kind of adopted the "Perception is Reality" as a pseudo-motto.

The StinkinGenius is currently following a situation down in his hometown of Houston, Texas. There is a young African-American male on trial for murder and is currently facing the possibility of serving up to 40 years in prison. This is a very real situation to say the least. If I were looking at 40 years of prison, I would want to ensure I received a fair trial and were afforded every opportunity to defend myself. Without getting into too many details and discussions over the specifics of this case, let's cut to the chase. What would you think if I told you that the prosecutors in this case used 7 of their 10 strikes on the first 7 African-American jurors on the panel without asking them a single question? Would you think it were a coincidence? Would you believe them when they said they did not realize there were no African-Americans on the jury panel? Fortunately for the defendant his legal counsel did not believe this was a coincidence. The defense attorneys objected and the presiding judge sustained their objection. When asked why the prospective jurors where struck, the prosecutors cited they were all indecisive. The "perception" in this case is a race issue, correct? I do not know the individuals and cannot say whether they are racist or not; however, it is not hard to come to that conclusion. Harris County District Attorney, Pat Lykos, also thought the perception was negative and reprimanded the two assistant district attorneys for negligence. Lykos is now under scrutiny for her actions when she only is trying to change the "perception" of misconduct and racism in the judicial system. I do not believe Lykos believes the prosecutors are racist; however, she wants to eliminate that perception.

That's all I have for right now. Until next time...Goodnight, and Godspeed!

Miss Me?

Of course you didn't!!!! Okay, so it's been nearly 4 months since my last post...DAMN!!! My bad, but a lot has happened! We have welcomed a new President into office, I have joined a LAMC, and we are in the middle of a very serious recession! Many topics to discuss and I'll get to some of them or maybe even all of them...okay, probably not all...stay tuned, the best is yet to come! Also, follow me on Twitter, StinkinGenius...

Shiny New Beach Chair...

My people, my people! The Stinkin Genius is back! I've been on vacation from my job this week and although it would seem I should have more time to post, I just wasn't compelled to do so. For those who don't know, I have a stressful job and I found that blogging is as good a stress reliever as anything else. By not being at the job, I guess I wasn't stressed out enough to post. Anyhow, SG has been busy this week. I've fried a couple of turkeys (I can't eat roasted turkey anymore, fried is what's up...) and ran countless errands. I am relaxed and tired all at the same time. I don't have any colorful stories to tell today, but I promise they'll come soon...Good night and Godspeed!

Patience is a Virtue...

Hello SG Enthusiasts! Both of you... I, like most Americans, have very little patience. I want everything to happen like yesterday. Why are we so impatient as a society? When I was 20 years old, enlisted in the USAF, and living in Los Angeles, CA, I remember visiting a car dealership with a very good friend of mine. His car had been stolen and we were window shopping and dreaming about him buying a Honda Passport. Don't laugh. We were dead serious...it was 1994, maybe '95, and Sport Utility Vehicles were just becoming en vogue. We were like, "Imagine rolling up to Club Roxbury (a club in Hollywood off Sunset Blvd.) in this!" Alas, it was all a dream, and we knew it couldn't happen. I vividly remember being bummed out about being too young to have the money/credit rating needed to acquire that vehicle. My thoughts were, "why do I have to wait to become old to have the money/credit worthiness to enjoy this type of vehicle? I want mine now!" Now, after gaining the "Life Experience" necessary to answer this question, I get it. Had my friend been able to afford to purchase that vehicle, we may have gone out even more and maybe gotten into trouble. As it were, we had just enough to really enjoy life for as young as we were and stay out of trouble. Matter of fact, I still keep in touch with most of my friends from that period in my life. Maybe if we had more money we would have wasted that "Life Experience". It's important to play the hand you are dealt in the game of Life, whether it be good or bad. Just because it may be bad now, you never know what's coming with your next draw. Hang in there, keep your head up, and keep pulling. That's why patience is one of the most important virtues to possess. I am still impatient and pray for patience in all things...and all good things come to those who wait! Hopefully, my readers will grow from my current 2 to way 2 many! Big shout out to JR and EO for hanging in with your boy! Goodnight and Godspeed!

In our thoughts and prayers...

We here at SG are headquartered in Southern California which is usually a big bragging right. However, when our natural disasters hit, they are not in the form of hurricanes or tornadoes, but wildfires and earthquakes. The earthquakes are EXTREMELY destructive, but usually do not last long (as far as actual time elapsed) and you have no warning. The wildfires are completely unpredictable and also extremely destructive. To see the shear devastation the current fires are wreaking on my fellow SoCal residents is extremely disheartening. Please know you are all in our prayers and will continue to be in our prayers after this is all under control. Big shout out to all the brave firefighters who are battling all the numerous fires around the area on the ground and in the air. God Bless...

Sometimes you just HAVE to say..."WTF???!!!"

I know...I know...you're thinking, "if you are such a Stinkin Genius, why resort to such language to express yourself?"...that is a valid point. However, sometimes proper and educated use of the English language just isn't enough to convey a certain message/tone. For example, you're driving along on the freeway, and some other "citizen" cuts you off...WTF? Or you get home after working 12 hours and not getting a bathroom break and you have to go through your "ritual". Your spouse (or significant other) knows your "ritual" and knows that you are almost home (because you talked to them for half your commute), but they still call you on the home phone and your cell phone to interrupt you and Mother Nature. When you finally cannot take it anymore, you get up, penguin walk to find the phone, answer it, and your spouse/significant other asks you a question like, "what is [insert name]'s phone number? Look it up on caller ID and call me back..."...WTF??? Or, you are at work, diligently plugging away at a problem that has surfaced and needs IT support and is really out of your control; however, a client (albeit a very important client) keeps calling to harass you because, "it's Friday Night and they want to go home!"...like it's not Friday Night in your time zone and you don't want to go home...WTF??? These are just some of the examples that sometimes call for a different type of expression. We here at SG do not begrudge anyone the use of vulgarities to express themselves because as Tom Cruise first told us in Risky Business, "sometimes you just have to say, WTF", put on your loc's (that's SoCal speak for sunglasses) and ride...Goodnight and Godspeed!