Computers Crash/Court Case/Rites of Passage
I felt compelled to write an entry, but now I’m sitting here wondering, what the heck am I going to say?
The entire computer system crashed at work yesterday. Imagine an emergency hospital who puts all of their clients payments, prescriptions, emergencies, everything, into their computer. Then imagine it crashing at about…..7pm at night and having to put in EVERYTHING again for that ENTIRE day.
Yep, that was me. Only took me…..3 and a half hours, but I fixed it. I called the software support people, and the support lady and I were laughing and having a good ol time over the phone while we were waiting. I’m tempted to call her again to see if I can get her address as a pen pal *chuckle*. She’s in Wisconsin.
I’m so tired of work. I’m tired of how everyone is so tense with each other, stabbing each other in the back, gossiping about each other. It really is ridiculous. I hate how I never have time to go out with my friends. I haven’t even had the chance to go visit my friend Phil and his new baby, and that was what, almost a week ago he had it? Shouldn’t it be a law that they can’t overload you at work?
*le sigh* They’re hiring new people though, so I should actually be able to get two days off a week now. Smaller paychecks though…..
On the 24th I have another court date for my sisters custody case, yay. Haven’t had one of those in a while, I was beginning to get worried 
This damn thing has been going on for 2 years. I think this one is going to be a basic review on Vernon (Sisters father), to see how he has been doing with the custody he’s had of Sister since last April.
I have a basic review prepared of what lies and excuses my mother will come up with to say that he shouldn’t have custody.
The list is as follows:
- He doesn’t let me have enough time with Sister, therefor he’s trying to sabatoge my relationship with her. (We’re going to convienently forget that I get her every other weekend, every other Wednesday, every other holiday, not to mention for an entire week at Christmas).
- He didn’t let me have her for Christmas Eve, even though Christmas Day was MY Holiday. ( Right. The judge said Christmas EVE and Christmas DAY were two seperate holidays, so…..we got her Christmas Eve, you got her Christmas Day AND a week afterwards. So…..what was it you were complaining about again?)
- He lets me have Sister too much which means he doesn’t want to take care of her. (Wait wait wait, weren’t you just saying you didn’t get Sister enough? I’m confused!)
- He pawns Sister off on his 70 year old step-mother after school. (Okay. Sister is 9. This woman is 70. She watches her for 2 hours top after school until Vernon gets home. My mother used to leave me at home alone in a VERY bad neighborhood when I was 8, for hours and hours at a time. I think she forgets though.)
- He’s a bad father to Sister, never does anything with her (Oh, so that’s why she’s in Brownies, he takes her to movies, and horseback riding. Okay.)
- He takes her to his apartment to molest her. (Oi, okay first off, his apartment is about an hour and a half away from here. Sister goes to school during the week, gets home about 4pm. Vernon gets home about 6pm from work in the city, which is about an hour and a half away. I seriously doubt he’s going to come home to get her, and go back down to his apartment, which means around 8pm, just to molest her and bring her back, which would be about 10pm, then go to bed. Every other weekend my mom has her, and the weekends that my mom DOESN’T have her, she’s with me! Ha!)
- He’s trying to sabatoge my relationship with Sister. (So that’s why you told Sister on Christmas Eve that she ruined your Christmas, that’s why Pete called anonymously to the house telling Sister to die. If anyone is sabatoging your relationship with Sister, it’s you)
Anyway, that’s the very basic beginning of my list, I’m sure it will grow more.
On the 19th, I have a Coming of Age rite of passage down in Baltimore. It’s for my friend Virginia’s 12 year old daughter. Basically A coming of age rite is a ritual dedicated to celebrating when a young girl becomes a young woman. Usually it’s when they get their menses. I’m not sure when they usually do it for boys. I assume its’ when they feel they’re ready to become men. There are several different rites of passage.
- Rite of Birth - When the child is born into this world.
- Rite of Growth - When they are no longer a baby, but a ‘big boy/girl’. Around the age of 4 or 5.
- Coming of Age, Rite of Adolesence - When they are no longer a boy/girl but a young woman/man. Usually around the age of 12/13, when a girl gets her menses.
- Rite of Passage - When they become an adult, usually around the age of 18.
- Rite of Motherhood - Like a baby shower, celebrating becoming a mother.
- Rite of Marriage - When their soul joins together with another in eternal love
- Rite of Wisdom - An old Native American Custom, under a different name, to celebrate when an older woman/man and their never ending knowledge. The highest respect and honor a person can achieve. They are the wise ones. For women this is usually when Menapause hits.
- Passage of Death - When a person dies, to mourn, and to rejoice that their soul has returned to the summerlands to be reborn onto the earth once again. (Pagans generally believe in reincarnation).
And it’s one big circle.
Now, some people add an extra rite in there between Rite of Adolescence and the Coming of Age Rite, to distinguish younger children and older children. I can see this happening but it gets a little confusing. So I just stick with this basic tradition. Usually Rites of Passage are given during significant times in a persons life. Odd how some of us still celebrate some of these rites without knowing it. Such as weddings and funerals 
I think rites of passage are an important role in a persons young and adult life. Even if just in theory.
Imagine for a moment, a young confused girl, not sure where she is going, who she is, (isn’t this often the case). She wants to prove herself a woman, she wants attention, she wants to KNOW for sure she is a woman, so she has sex for the first time at a very young age. And she keeps having sex in order to cling onto what little feeling she seems to gain from it. What if she becomes pregnant at 16?
Imagine again, that instead, during this confusing state, this girl was put through her very own Rite of Passage. A gathering of women young and old, sharing stories of their experiences. Showering her in praise for now she is a Goddess. Now she is a woman to be cherished and loved, and respected. She is given gifts for a woman, allowed responsibilities and respect only a woman would have.
To you think perhaps, under that mentality she would have taken a different path in her life? I’d like to think so. I’m no expert, but it’s a nice thought.
The same applies to man of course. Maybe the young men of today wouldn’t be so interested in getting laid and doing drugs if they were taken aside by his older relatives and friends and shown what a -real- man is like. What is expected as a man, and what is -respected- as a man. Who knows.
There are many stages in life people just overlook. Menapause freaks so many women out. I actually look forward to it. I also look forward to motherhood, and a -real- marriage. Heh. Maybe I wouldn’t have gotten engaged at 16 and married at 18 if I had known exactly where I was in life. And if I didn’t have the type of mother I do, to look up to.
Wow, starting out with nothing to say turned into too much to say Remind me to put up a book of shadows so all of this stuff can go into there.
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2 Responses to “Computers Crash/Court Case/Rites of Passage”
January 14th, 2003 at 12:04 pm
As far as I know, Mercury’s in Retrogade right now…computers are going to crash
People are going to gossip for as long as they have mouths…siiiiiigh…
That Rites Of Passage thing is really really interesting! I do agree, it’d probably help out someone in the long run if their coming-of-ages were celebrated. Maybe not in the ceremonial sense for some people, but maybe a party, like birthday parties…
I guess birthday parties were a form of Rites Of Passage, only people now have forgotten how to embrace a new year and instead moan that they’re getting older.
January 14th, 2003 at 4:38 pm
ha ha, yeah, Mercury is DEFINITELY in retrograde because BOTH of my vehicles are broken. My dog ate my phone, and it’s just chaos at work.