Xbox drama

For anyone that does not know me personally and my lovely Xbox experience... here's the long and short of it.

On August 3rd, I called Xbox support because my son was getting the dreaded E74 error. They gave me the in warranty repair, sent me the shipping materials and off it went. About two weeks later I got the email telling me they were sending it back.

Here's where the fun begins. When I originally set the repair up, I was not told that they were going to ship it Signature Required IN PERSON. So, I gave them the home address. Now, I and my husband both work and are not home during the middle of the day. So UPS shows up at 11am and leaves the note - check marking the Signature Required box. I read the slip, and for the box checked - on the back the instructions state to sign the slip and leave it on the door for them. This is what I did.

UPS comes back the next day at 3pm. They leave another slip, checking the same box and writing in all caps: IN PERSON. Now, I check the instructions on the back of the slip again, and for this option they should be checking a different box, but fine. So the UPS person isn't the brightest person in the world and might be mildly illiterate. That's OK.

I call UPS. They tell me to call back the next day and tell them to do a Will Call Pickup at the hub. I check the address and it is on my home from work, so no big deal. I call and they tell me a rep will confirm what time I can pick it up. OK. Rep calls and tells me I can pick it up between 7pm and 9pm. They close at 6pm. So, I call once again and request an intercept to have it delivered to my husbands office instead. I give them my credit card to pay for this, as there is a fee. Another 2 weeks go by and the tracking information gets less and less specific. So we call UPS again. After an hour, they finally find my package. They did not do the intercept right and it was shipped back to Microsoft as undeliverable.

I wait a few days to make sure they get it back. I receive a phone call from Xbox explaining this and giving me a new service number. So, I call Xbox again. I explain the entire situation 4 times before the gentleman on the other end of the phone finally understands my problem. He gives me another service number and says they are going to reship it. I wait another week and a half, no phone calls, no emails, no Xbox. So, I call again, and basically the same thing happens. I wait another week. I call again, I explain it and finally get transferred to a supervisor. She tells me that they were waiting for me to call and confirm the address I gave them 3 times already. No one had said I needed to call back again. She apologizes, puts me on hold while she calls various departments and gets it arranged again. She tells me, and I will quote this, "I know you don't believe me, but you will get a phone call from the dispatch hub to confirm your address within 24 - 48 hours."

I didn't. Again, there were no phone calls, no emails, no Xbox.
After another 2 weeks passes with nothing, I was attempting to find time to call Microsoft Corporate in Washington.
Yesterday, with no warning. My husband gets an Xbox delivered to his office.

My son is happy, after nearly 3 months, he finally got his console back. And it works fine now.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, they put a Customer Satisfaction Survey in the box.

I will definitely fill this out, and I will update all of my correspondence here.

A beautiful sound...

Last night, I was digging through some of my old junk. I was actually looking for a photo of myself playing Badminton (yes, I was on my High School Badminton team) for my husband's amusement. I found an old handheld tape recorder. The kind that you would record a lecture on (back in the good old days of technology). It had a tape in it still, that somehow had not melted or degraded. My husband scraped all the alkaline out of the battery compartment for me, since I had left batteries in it. I just had to see if it still worked. It did.

The tape was primarily blank. The only thing on it actually was a couple of minutes of my father saying things like "testing, testing, 1, 2, 3....". This was the best thing I have heard in such a long time. He passed away several years ago. I laughed, I cried. I think it is the first time, I have ever done both at the same time. Laughing until you cry is different. Crying with genuine sadness and feeling joy and delight at the same time is a unique sensation. As I think about this and write this article, I am smiling and my eyes are misting up.

I miss you Dad.

lunch time

30 minutes is not long enough. 1 hour is too long. I need a 40 minute lunch. That would be perfect.

What's wrong with Americans?

Notice I said Americans, not America. I am thankful to have the privilege to grow up in such a free environment with so many possibilities. I think this country is wonderful. Nothing is perfect, and that includes our government. I might complain or disagree, but don't take that as meaning I don't appreciate the fact that I have the right to complain and disagree.

So, Americans. We are portrayed around the world as rude, fat, and lazy. Honestly, they are partially right. It comes down to one thing really. We are spoiled. Spoiled rotten. We have every advantage and we don't appreciate it. We are certain we deserve it, and that it is our right.

Now, it's not a terrible thing to have such conveniences. Where I think we stray is that we forget that some people don't have them. We are lucky to live in a place where we can take things such as food, electricity, and water for granted. Everyone has a car and can drive. As much as our health care system might be flawed, no one is denied emergency medical care. Schooling is free, and they provide free transportation for the children and even free meals if needed.

I have thought about this, and I feel that the biggest mistake people in the USA make, is that they forget what opportunities living here actually provides. Not everyone is going to be a millionaire, nor is it going to be easy to achieve such success. Being American does not grant you a free ride, nor do you deserve anything other than your basic freedoms. What you DO get, is the chance to succeed. No matter where you were born, who your parents are, what your childhood was like. If you really try, you can become almost anything. That is what makes the United States of America so fantastic.

Appreciate what you already have people before you strive for more.

Facebook. GRRRR

On a normal day, I am very happy with Facebook. It is buggy, it crashes, it fails to post things and then magically posts them in triplicate later. I am OK with that. I get to hear updates from friends and family that I rarely see. It's great to see the pics and videos posted. I even play that stupid Mafia Wars games between annoying phone calls at work. Helps to keep me from thinking about how overqualified I am for my job.

I am so sick AND tired (yes, I said it) of hearing people bitch about the President. Some people post up to 10 updates per day about this. Now, an infinitesimal portion of these posts have some merit. Generally, they are uneducated doses of bullshit hashed out from someone that I can only imagine couldn't be bothered to read more than the blurb from Google News. If anyone has a real point, with, well lets say "facts", behind it, I would be overjoyed to read it. Alas, none of you actually have a point do you? If you want to point out something amusing, please share. We can all use a little more laughter in our day, can't we?

Keep your mindless pointless hate to yourself please. Or start a blog called "Reasons I don't get laid" or "What I watched on Fox News today!!" or "Morons: We have opinions too you know!". Just don't fill my damn wall with this pablum. I accepted your friend offer because I wanted to know what was going on in your life and possibly chat a little every now and then. Try to remember that, because my friends that have posts blocked is growing longer. It's unnecessary to treat people you "friended" that way. Downright tragic.

duh

Study Finds Women Wear Shoes That Cause Pain

How did someone get funding for this? HOW? HOW?

-- headline from NY Times

Why our Founding Fathers would cry..... :(

Let me put a few things forward first: I am not a Historian, I am not a Politician, I don't really belong to any "groups" of any kind. I did go to school, and I did pay some attention in Government and US History.
The United States of America grew out of some fairly simple to understand ideals. A backlash against oppression, these men fought for rights. Rights that we seem determined to undermine at every possible juncture. I am having a hard time understanding why we ourselves would want to ruin the amazing wealth of freedoms we all enjoy.
Freedom of Speech is a cornerstone of why our country is so damn wonderful. Try to remember, whether or not you like what a person has to say, it is still their right to do so. And so it is yours as well. It's lamentable how we take this for granted. Your opinion is not the only one that has the right to be voiced.
To Be Secure Against Unreasonable Search and Seizure. When you turn on Big Brother, the terrorists might as well have won. What does it matter when we give up our rights and freedoms and welcome a police state? We allowed our own President to run unauthorized wire taps. And for what? Did you sleep better knowing that The Man could be listening to your next-door neighbor talk to his brother-in-law? Did it really help? Because your next-door neighbor might be up to some serious mischief. It is possible.
No Cruel and Unusual Punishments shall be inflicted. I think Thomas Jefferson and John Adams would have put water-boarding on that list. As far as I am concerned, there is no excuse for this behavior.
Separation of Church and State. This was a big ticket item for the gentlemen that made it all happen. And yet, this is the one that gets ignored the most. You have the Freedom of Religion, so believe in whatever you like. Let your neighbor do the same. Leave it out of politics. I cannot in good faith vote for any politician that uses Religion to garner votes. It doesn't matter if my beliefs differ from theirs. Honestly, it has nothing to do with their job.
I think people tend to forget that these people are hired by all of us to do a job. Just like your gardener. Does it matter if your gardener goes to church? Or does it matter that the lawn is healthy and green?
At any rate, I can only imagine the sobs we would hear from those amazing men that wrote our Constitution with the state of our decline.

It's all just symantics really....

OK, I have spent the better portion of my day reading over 600 comments on a fark.com article. The article in question is here: http://www.divinecaroline.com/22276/83052-eight-spelling-mistakes-smart-make .
Now, I cannot argue that this article is at best an inept attempt at making people feel better about a complete lack of grammar and spelling skills. I also cannot argue with most of the commentary on FARK, however, most of the argument has little to do with the actual article.
Most of the article is, in fact, about elementary school level grammatical mistakes, not spelling. Improper conjunctions and word usage does not equal spelling. These are basic mistakes that would be expected from my 8 year old. My 11 year old should know better. I do not consider myself a "grammar Nazi", yet I do consider myself educated enough to avoid most of them. Who and whom still trip me up, and although I am a very good speller, even I make use of the spell checker to double-check.
Everyone that has graduated grade school should know the difference between they're/their/there; to/too; you're/your. Irregardless is a word. Please stop arguing about this. It is not proper word usage, but it is a word. There is a lot of slang in the dictionary, whether or not a word appears in the dictionary, does not denote it being proper.
What all of this truly shows is that people rely far too much on their spell check and do not take the time nor care to make sure they are formulating proper sentences with the correct word usage. As I have noted before, spell check cannot proof read for you.

Try this for a change. Next time you are writing an email/article/essay/posting, please read it again before you click send/submit. If everyone did that, about 70% of these mistakes would be caught and corrected.

You know who you are....

I'm making this opinion of mine completely official now. The theory has been tested numerous times and never been found faulty.

If you drive a Mustang or an Impala, you drive like a complete douchebag.

Now, I am not saying that you ARE a complete douchebag, just that you drive like one. Although, I would have to put the probability that you ARE a complete douchebag at around 92%.

All about the cheese...

I think my mother did me a great disservice as a child. The only cheese I was exposed to was Swiss, American, Cheddar and Parmesan. These are not the best cheeses out there.
As of the past decade, I have begun to learn about the fantastic varieties of cheese out there. They are SO GOOD! Baked brie is downright decadent and creamy. An aged Irish Cheddar is so much better than the old orange stuff. A good sharp Provolone makes you almost cry when you eat it. On sandwiches, try some mild Provolone, Havarti, Muenster, or Gouda instead. Instead of Parmesan, put on some grated Romano to give it a little bite. Pepper Jack is my favorite snacking cheese now. I won't eat American at all anymore except for possible on a hamburger. I'm going to try to pick up something different every time I'm at the store just to try them. Cheese is the yummiest and tastiest of all the food groups. Don't limit yourself, don't be afraid. Cheese is your friend.

It's September 11th.....again.

Today is a hard day for me, and I will explain why. Most everything you see or hear that has anything to do with September 11th has an agenda behind it. Companies and politicians use it for false patriotic dribble. News stories abound about a man that lives in a part of the country with more cows than people who is too terrified to leave his home because of "terrorists". Putting a flag on your SUV does not make you patriotic, try sending a box of cookies to those poor guys stuck in Iraq instead. States that were not affected by this tragedy put up memorials and have ceremonies in a desperate attempt to not be the only state that didn't do it. All of this makes me a bit ill. It's pretentious, it's hypocrisy, it's disgusting. We are far more respectful of Pearl Harbor than we are of 9/11. You might wonder why I have such a strong opinion about this topic, the answer is simple. I was there. I was not in the towers, but I was in Manhattan on that day. I don't shy away from talking about it, but rarely do I go into much details. I will now describe what my experiences were that day, and you decide if waving a flag at a memorial in Arizona does anything other than giving you a false sense of being a good patriotic citizen.

It was Tuesday and the weather was mild. I got on the express bus from Queens to mid-town Manhattan same as any other day. Traffic was neither good nor terrible. I got to work about 10 minutes before 8am, I was nearly always the first person in. Our offices were split into two buildings next to each other. I worked for a while in one office and went downstairs to go back to the other office. Since I was already downstairs, I went outside to have a quick cigarette break before heading up into the other office. I notice a huge plume of smoke coming from downtown. Very black, dark smoke. I watched it as I finished my cigarette. On my way to the elevator, I mentioned it to the security guard who told me that the radio said that a small plane hit the World Trade Center.

I proceeded upstairs and quickly sent my mother an email to let her know that a plane hit the WTC and that my building wasn't very close, and I was fine. News tended to get exaggerated the further west it went, so I didn't want her to worry. I also called my husband and left him a voicemail letting him know so he could check it out on the TV. A co-worker showed up and I told her about it and we found a small radio to listen to the news broadcast. At this time they were still reporting that it was a small private jet. They were on site in front of the building. A few more people trickled in and we all just sat there listening to the broadcast.

The second tower was then struck. The woman on the broadcast couldn't say anything other than Oh My God, over and over. We could hear what sounded like an explosion and people yelling in the background. Then she said - A large plane just hit the second tower, it's on fire. They are both on fire. There were about 6 of us at this point, listening. We all knew that this was no longer a tragic accident. Terrorist was not a word I generally used or thought about, but two of us said at the same time, This is a terrorist attack. There was no mistaking it. One of the girls in the office said, Oh shit, I'm reserves. The lady on the radio was telling us about the fire department trying to get into the buildings, two of the girls were desperately trying to call their husbands on their cell phones. Cell phones weren't working already. My husband called me on my office line. One of the executives walked in at this point, we updated him and he listened to the broadcast with us. The local information wasn't very good, just what they could see first hand. My husband was telling me what they were saying on the news. None of us were quite sure what to do.

My husband then informed me that the Pentagon was struck as well, and they were reporting that there were 2 more missing planes out there. I mentioned to my boss, who was the only executive in the office yet, that we should all leave. He just mostly sat there in a stupor listening to the radio broadcast. In my head, I was marking out my location in the city versus other targets. The Empire State Building was only 2 blocks away. The U.N. was only a few blocks the other direction. On the radio, the mayor announced that bridges and tunnels were closing to anything other than emergency vehicles. The subway was running outbound only. I again, asked my boss to close the office so that we might have a chance to get out of the city. After a few minutes, he finally relented. We turned things off, and quietly left the office.

I wanted to catch the train to Queens as quickly as possible. All I could think about was getting to my family, I had two little children and my husband at home. So I skipped the closest subway station and booked it to Grand Central so that I didn't have to make a transfer. I could see the smoke which was now white at the base looking towards downtown. When I got to Grand Central it was locked up tight and armed police were stationed outside. At this point, I realized that it was a target as well. I hadn't even considered that before, to me it was just a big train station. So, I walked as fast as I could to the Lexington station. This was already locked up as well and completely empty. Cell phones still did not work. So, I got into line for a pay phone. I called my husband and let him know that I couldn't get out via the subway, and that I was going to try to walk over the 59th st bridge. He informed me at this point that one of the towers just fell. The woman behind me in line for the phone overheard me and asked if she could join me crossing the bridge. Of course, I said. I told my husband I loved him and would call him when I got to Queens. He said his father was coming over and they would try to pick me up when I got to the other side.

By this time, there was no traffic at all, I actually walked straight up the middle of 3rd Ave. It was sort of like the post apocalyptic movies, other than the odd person walking by, there was no one, and it was very very quiet. The scene changed quite a bit when I got to the bridge. I have no idea how many people were doing the same thing that I was, but it was definitely in the hundreds, if not thousands. There were some cops desperately trying to tell people that they couldn't walk on the bridge, but they really couldn't do anything about it. We all just walked past them. The eastbound lanes were blocked up with traffic of people still trying to exit the city, those on foot went on the westbound lanes. When emergency vehicles came through, we parted like the red seas for them.

The bridge was far longer than I had originally thought, walking it gives you a whole new perspective. There were men in business suits, women in high heels, and pregnant women. The weather was actually quite nice, and some of us noticed and were thankful it wasn't too hot out. We talked, but not much and not at all once we got to the middle of the bridge. Then we could see downtown. We could the huge plumes of smoke covering the lower city. We could not see the towers at all. I did not yet know that the second tower had fallen as well. I think it took about an hour to cross the bridge, we weren't walking fast. I stopped at a bodega on the other side and bought a bottle of water. There was a huge line of people at the pay phone, and traffic was intensely bad as the police were blocking off all the roads for emergency vehicles only.

I decided the best course of action was to walk down Northern Blvd and try to get out far enough that my father-in-law could come pick me up. I walked for probably about 3 more miles, found another pay phone. I had been hoping my cell phone would work when I got to Queens, but it did not. I called home, my husband had finally gotten through to our family in Arizona and let them know I was OK and getting out the city. He also told me about the second tower. I let them know where I was and his father set out to pick me up. I sat on the curb with about 6 other people that had been walking with me still. And I waited. I waited for about an hour. I called home again. His father had just returned, there were too many closed off roads for him to get to where I was. I said, OK. I will keep walking and see how much closer I can get.

So, I started walking some more. I am not sure how many more miles I walked, I just kept going. I just wanted to get home to my family. I spotted a Queens bus picking people up, and I ran for it. It didn't go where I was going, but it did go to Main St. in Flushing, where I figured I could catch another bus to home. I swiped my metro card, got on and stood in the crowded bus, thankful to be out of the sun for a bit. It wasn't hot, but spending hours and hours walking in the sun was starting to wear me out. Eventually, the bus got to Flushing. I got off and walked to where I knew the other bus was. This bus was MTA and I did not have to pay any fare. The MTA stopped charging people fares that day. On this bus I actually got to sit down. I had a hard time not falling asleep. It was a 20 minute ride to the bus stop near my house. I walked another 3 blocks to home. Walking inside my house to my family was the biggest feeling of relief I have ever had. It was around 5pm when I got home. I then found out there was only one more plane out there and it crashed in Pennsylvania. Mostly, I figured it was shot down. I still tend to think that is most likely what happened. And, as sad as I am for the families of those on that plane, I think that was the right thing to do. They weren't going to survive anyhow.

The mayor had closed the city on Wednesday. There was no going to work. Just watching the TV and the coverage of it all. I could see the smoke from my house. Thursday, I went to work. I wasn't sure if the Express Bus would be running, so I took the train. I got off at Grand Central and walked to work from there. As, I walked down Lexington Ave, things looked normal except for the photos of the missing covering every bus stop, window, door, and post. I was crying by the time I made it to the office. It was a very somber day, people worked quietly. The only planes that flew over New York City for months were military fighters. They were unnerving, but eventually you got used to it. In fact, the first time I saw a real commercial plane over the city, probably over a year past that day, it made me a bit nervous. The fire burned for what seemed like forever. The smell lingered for quite some time. The week after the 11th, we were all called and told that our CEO said to NOT go into work the next day and to stay off the trains. We complied. Evidently, a doctor he golfed with told him he heard there were possible neurotoxin attacks planned for the subways that day. The FBI came to office to question why we didn't go to work that day. The air quality was so bad that I stopped wearing contacts after the 13th and haven't worn them since. Every holiday there were threats on the News. They raised and lowered our threat levels hourly. And yet, we went to work every day.

I had been to the WTC once before that day. I did not go in the buildings, I just walked through the plaza between them and marvelled at them. I have been to the site only once since. I have a hard time understanding my own feelings about it. I did not personally know anyone that died that day, but I was only 1 step removed from many that did. I raised as much money as I could for my husband's cousin's fire dept company. His company lost 6 men that day. I feel some guilt that I did not try to help. I know there is nothing I could have done, but my only thought that day was to go home to my family. I didn't even consider going down there to try to help. Afterwards, we all coped by just ignoring the variety of threats the News kept saying were going on. You went to work as if nothing would happen and if it did you would deal with it at that time.

All I ask, is be respectful. Wearing red/white/blue or putting a bumper sticker on your car only makes you feel better, it doesn't mean anything to the rest of us. If you want to show your support, bring your local fire department some home cooked food and tell them thank you. Thank your military and your local police. You may not agree with everything they do, but when the shit hits the fan, these are the people that will protect and help you. Actually do something, you can't wear support.

WTF is wrong with all of you?

The President of the United States of America is going to broadcast a speech to all school children on Tuesday morning. He is going to promote self-responsibility and staying in school and reading and what-not. How is this a problem?
Even if it were former President Bush (with whom I did not agree on anything) or President Clinton or if they revived the dead President Nixon, I would have my children watch it. These things are important. He isn't going to push an agenda to schoolkids. How much of a mentally deficient asshat do you have to be to keep your kid home from school that day so they don't get exposed to the President of our fucking country??? Are you afraid he might convince them that black people are OK? Or turn them into socialist homosexuals from hidden messages buried in the broadcast?
Really, get your head out of your ass. Maybe you should start to worry about real issues, like how to keep your 14 year old daughter from getting knocked up at a fratboy kegger.

The end of the world - postponed.

Looks like they pushed back the start date for turning on the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) until November. So we get a few more weeks before everything we know blinks out of existence, but we still don't have to go Christmas shopping!

The Top 10 List of why Top 10 Lists always fail.

10. They are never funny or accurate in any way. "Best of " is a very subjective and undefined qualification. Invariably, at least two items will anger just about anyone as to how that person/thing got on the damned list to begin with.
9. One spot is always reserved for a shout-out to a person that doesn't actually qualify even for the undefined qualifications, but did something neat.
8. The number 1 item is inevitably predictable and not surprising at all.
7. Bananas.
6. No one really cares about the results, not even the person that compiled the list.
5. There is always one item that makes no sense whatsoever, see #7.
4. There aren't enough items/people to make a complete list of 10, see #5, see #1.
3. They are in fact a list of the authors favorites, but loosely disguised as having a factual basis. This disguise does not fool anyone over the age of 12.
2. Numbered lists are for ranking athletes, to-do lists, and the wealthiest people in the world.
1.

The good, the bad, the ugly, the irrefutably stupid, and Facebook.

It seems that if you have a computer and can manage to work Internet Explorer (otherwise known as "the internet" to many of you) enough to get a Yahoo Mail account and 30 annoying toolbars installed, you also have a Facebook account. Now, you might not be able to get a picture into your profile, but somehow you can figure out how to SPAM my Facebook with pictures of cows that wandered onto your farm. These are generally the same sort of people that send personal messages by writing publicly to your wall.

Facebook is both good and evil wrapped up into one. It's super easy to find and keep in touch with people that you haven't seen in forever. Unfortunately, it's also super easy for people you probably didn't ever want to talk to again to find you. I tend to go the "total bitch" route and don't friend anyone that I don't actually want to talk to.

It's a constant barrage of polls, video's, links, weak political protests via some sort of collection of signatures, games, and my new favorite: warnings about how people are using Facebook to scam people or infect everyone with herpes or whatever (I don't actually read anything in all caps, so I'm not positive what they are complaining about).

Some tips to not annoy everyone you know on Facebook.

1. I don't need a status update every 5 minutes. If by your status feeds I can tell how many times you've been to the bathroom today, just turn the computer off and never ever turn it back on.
2. I don't need to know if you need help with your farm/mafia/vampires/racecars. I actually play MafiaWars, and I still don't need to see it on my news feed. If I want to know, I'll check.
3. Polls. Please don't send them to me. Unless the poll is : How much of an Asshat on Facebook do you think I am?? I am not interested.
4. Politics/Religion. If you don't want to hear other people's opinions, then don't post. When I'm in the mood, I might just ruin your night by pointing out how wrong you really are. Then you have to go and cry yourself to sleep after resorting to calling me baseless names. It's not worth all that is it?
5. Quizzes. If you like them, fine. Some of them are interesting and/or funny. If you post one every now and then, that's OK. If you do 14 quizzes a day, can you please not post them? I'm not really all that interested in what Twilight character you are most like or what Celebrity you are most likely to have hot sex with. Honestly, you don't have a chance at either anyhow.
6. It's great if you have a cool video to post. Sharing is caring! However, if you post more than 1 per week, it's too much. If you are posting advertising for you company, even 1 per week is probably too much. Just stop, eventually we will all just end up hiding your updates and you will be left wondering why no one ever comments on anything you post. You will become horribly depressed and the only video you will have left to post is your suicidal note. And no one will see it.

Try to remember, all those people you call your friends have to see the bullshit you plaster all over Facebook. A little consideration would be nice.

Disasters and the Apocalypse

I love horror movies and all those disaster movies where they destroy everything. Watching them often makes one wonder: How would I survive in this situation? For me, it would totally depend on several factors I think.

Typical Horror Monster/Slasher Flick!
I tend to think I would have a 50/50 shot at this one. I'm smart enough to avoid a lot of the stupid crap and not get killed because I'm busy making out with someone instead of getting the hell out of there. I would tend to go away from the danger, not towards it, and I don't think I'd ignore all of the obvious signs that things are going badly. However, if it was bad chance and it were just me versus the bogeyman, I don't think I'd have much chance.

ZOMBIES!
There are two distinct type of zombies. There are the slow, meandering zombies that only eat you if you are A. napping, B. in a coma, C. caught by a whole swarm of them, D. trapped in a corner. I tend to think I could probably work this one out. Kind of like Shaun of the Dead, they really don't seem that hard to avoid.
Then there are the fast rabid zombie types, as in 28 Days Later. I'd be completely doomed here. No chance. I'd be either a pile of somewhat human resembling remains or a zombie myself.

Giant Monsters attacking the City!
This is the Godzilla/Cloverfield type creature. I'd put my odds at a good 50/50 here as well. Bad luck if Godzilla rampages through your apartment, not much you can do about that. But I'm pretty good at getting the hell out of cities on foot if need be. So I think I have a chance.

Apocalypse.
50/50 once again, just for the fact of not getting killed in the initial wave of destruction. Afterwards, it's usually about survival. I put my odds fairly decently on that one if surviving to that point. I have a lot of endurance when needed.

Alien/Robot Invasion.
Probably goes down to a 20/80 here. Curiosity would totally kill this cat. I'd just have to take a look at what the hell was going on. I'm not good in a fight either and don't know how to use any weaponry to speak of. The only way I'd make it was if luck was on my side.

Natural Disaster.
70/30 here. This is primarily about survival and not being stupid so I think my odds are pretty damn good.

Military Strike!
10/90. Myself versus someone with a gun. That is the same as "Me equals dead".

Viral Outbreak.
40/60. There's only so much you can do about these things. I think I have a pretty good immune system and have decent odds. I have three kids and have been exposed to an untold number of diseases already.

Jobs I would never do.

There are many things that I would never consider doing for a living.

1. Actor - I don't do well performing in front of people. I had to take an acting class in college and it was the hardest class for me that year. Not my thing.
2. Fisherman - Having never really been on a boat other than a ferry and being scared half to death while my dad rowed a canoe around a lake, this doesn't sound like fun.
3. Athlete - If you know me at all, exercise is not something I'm into. My cousin is trying to talk me into running a marathon. I tried to politely explain that I don't run unless I'm being chased by some sort of wild animal trying to eat me.
4. Politician - Even politics in the workplace bothers the shit out of me. I can't imagine doing it full time.
5. Military Personnel - I like to argue with people. I have a feeling that wouldn't go over well.
6. Diver - See my article about fears to read how I don't swim in water that contains creatures.
7. Pest Control - Bugs. Ew.
8. Air Traffic Controller - Too much stress.
9. Pilot - See Air Traffic Controller.
10. Teacher - I love my kids, but I sure as heck stopped at 3 for a reason. Having 20 + kids in front of me all day is not a good idea.
11. Farmer - I like animals, but they make lots of poop and smell.
12. Rodeo Clown - Taunting bulls? No thank you.
13. Astronaut - I've seen a show on the crazy toilet they have to use.
14. Chef - Cooking is a necessity to me, nothing more. (And yes, this does explain why I'm not very good at it.)

What's next?

Time for some deep thoughts... too bad I'm not skilled like Jack Handy.

Regardless, here are my thoughts on death, or more specifically life after death.

There are many a theory about what happens next. I mean there has to be a sequel right? There's always a sequel! From reincarnation to heaven or the dreaded limbo, there's somewhere to go. Well, these theories are all based on the main idea of having a soul. What is a soul? There really is no standard definition, but most agree that dogs can't have one. So, there's this thing, that we humans have (because we are SO much cooler than monkeys) that makes us different and special (just like Mommy always told us). You can't see it or smell or taste it. Maybe it's made from Iocane powder. Just this unmeasurable, undetectable energy that separates the "real" us from our crappy bodies. OK, well not all of us have crappy bodies, but eventually they all turn to shit, so don't argue with me just yet.

If we can all agree on this soul thing, then when the crappy body it's contained in dies and rots, it has to go somewhere. Because staying in the dieing rotting corpse would royally suck. So where does it go?

Heaven is such a nice idea. For the basis of this article I will stick to Christian theories about this, but if you really look at it, most religions are almost the same with this one. So God, has this awesome place (because he's GOD) and if you are super super good, you can hang with him when you die. There is no pain, no disease, no want for anything. Everybody you know that has died (and wasn't sent the other direction) is waiting just for you, GROUP HUG!! Sounds lovely right?

Sounds like a nightmare to me. I don't really want to hang out with a bunch of people that never did anything remotely interesting in their lives. And not having to want things? Then what in Heaven do you do with your time? If everything is perfect, wouldn't it be obscenely boring?

Then there's that reversal of fortune, Hell. Which, as much as it might not be boring, doesn't sound pleasant at all. I don't need to reiterate all the lovely images that go along with this scene, but I think it's sufficient to say that it probably smells pretty horrible down there.

LIMBO! Honestly, if it was playing the stupid Limbo game for eternity it would be just as bad in my opinion. But it's just nothing. However, you get to be conscious of the nothing. The worst torture of all. Sounds worse than Hell to me. At least in Hell you might get to see some of you long lost friends from college (even if they are being flayed at the time).

Then there's that altruistic reincarnation theory. Sounds great! Get to come back again and again, and different each time! Even get that whole karma thing going so if you were an asshat you could come back as a dung beetle. If you were awesome you could be a UNICORN! OK, maybe not a unicorn, but that would be great. Problem is that your odds are much better at coming back as a cockroach or a mosquito since there's only so many damn unicorns out there, er tigers or whatever it is that you actually wanted to be... And honestly, how do you know that being a tiger is really all that? Maybe tigers only eat people because they are jealous and miserable that their life sucks so much?

Ghosts! So you can maybe come back and be the best peeping tom of all time! You can see them, they can't see you unless you try really really hard. You can scare the poop right out of teenagers just for fun. At least it wouldn't be tiresome. This definitely sounds like the best option so far.

I don't have any answers. Just thoughts. I tend to think that the odds are greatly against any of the above being accurate in any way. But there's only one way to find out, and I'm not ready.

No more Paula.

So Paula Abdul has left American Idol. Reportedly because they wouldn't give her a 50% increase in salary (she's mad that Ryan Seacrest makes more than her). Since they already paid her millions, I really can't feel bad about this.

So now the debate is on. Will AI lose out without her? I say no. Personally, I'm glad she left. In the beginning her odd diatribes and nonsensical banter was amusing. It got tiring really fast. I, like many others, had taken to fast forwarding through her ramblings anyhow. Now, I'm not a huge fan of Kara DioGuardi, but at least she has some sort of point when she speaks. She is not very good at filling in with the something nice has to be said routine, but she tries.

Should be interesting, I'm sure they will have some interesting new guest judges this season.

easy peasy

PLEASE DON'T EVER SAY THIS

Memories

It's odd how the brain works. I knew a guy named Chester Bennington in high school. Even dated him (don't get in a tizzy, it was that high-school kind of dating that really means nothing), we were friends and in theater together. Now let me get this clear - I am not name dropping, this is an example. Knowing someone that became famous that I haven't seen in 17 years doesn't make me any better than any of you. Knowing how to spell makes me better than you :) My street cred will remain at zero.

The only reason I am even writing this article, is that as of late the radio plays their new song frequently. So it ends up on my mind.

Anyhow, if you don't know, it turns out that he became the lead singer of a band called Linkin Park. I don't listen to them other than the radio, I am not a fan of their music. In fact, I didn't know that Chester was their singer until about 8 months ago. But I digress. The point of this whole meandering tale is that now that I know I can recognize his voice on the radio. (I still don't listen to their music other than by chance.) Now, I haven't seen him in 17 years. But my brain can definitively pick out his voice. The part that I find ultimately amusing, is that I picture him as he looked 17 years ago. Curly hair, slightly shorter than me, adorable. Not exactly the same image he has now. I will always picture him dressed up with a straw hat singing in our production of Oklahoma.

A lot of back story for a simple thing that I find boggling. The mind works in very odd ways. I couldn't find my house keys for two days (they were in my pants pocket that I had worn two days previously). Yet I can pick a voice out that I haven't heard in nearly two decades. I know smells are often stuck in the long term memories. Fascinates me. That's all.

OK. A really long story for a short sum-up at the end. Sorry. Regardless, there it is.

In case this minuscule story somehow gets back to Chester (it won't). Congratulations on your success and the new song (as Sean told me it would be) is much better than your older stuff in my worthless opinion. :)

The Astounding Absuridity of Politics in the USA

I continually shake my head in amusement and wonder as I read the daily news postings. Politics has evolved into a game that is akin to Russian Roulette. Eventually, everyone loses. There are always fringe groups in every nation. People that want unreasonable things and cry loudly when they don't get their way. The problem with us, is that we give these nutjobs air time on the damn TV. And then some moron in Congress decides it would be a good idea to try to garner their votes and waste all sorts of time and energy on useless ideas.

Example: Birthers (OMG they even picked a completely retarded name to go along with their completely retarded demands)
For anyone that doesn't have TV or the Internet or friends (in which case - how the hell are you reading this blog?!?): They are the group (yes, there's more than one of them!) that claim that the current sitting President wasn't born on US Soil and is therefore ineligible to be President.

My personal opinion is that they are mostly racists and since they can't use that to get rid of the first black President, they use this absurdity instead.

Now, not only is there ample proof that Barrack Obama was born in Hawaii, which the White House has shown time and time again, but there is NO evidence otherwise. None! They have nothing! Burden of proof is on them in a court of law to challenge the legitimacy of his Citizenship. So why does anyone listen to this crap and give them 2 seconds of thought, beyond "well that's stupid"?

Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind. co-sponsored a "birthers bill" that would require a Presidential Candidate to provide a birth certificate to be eligible to run. Honestly, it's not a horrible bill, just a waste of time. It's something that isn't necessary. Congress shouldn't give these people the time of day let alone give them any support at all!

Please, Congress, I beg of you!!! Do something useful with that job we pay you to do. Stop wasting my money. MY MONEY. I pay you! 99.9999 % of the people that pay you don't give a crap about this stuff. I can only hope more people pay attention to behavior such as this during election time. You would think that you'd be a little more careful since many of you lost your jobs during the last round, but I guess another sweeping of the floor is necessary. Some people just never learn.

And to all TV networks out there. Conspiracy theories are NOT news. Tell us what's happening in Iraq/Iran/North Korea. Tell us about wildfires and serial killers. There's plenty of bad things happening in the world you can create fancy graphics for.

Everyone is afraid of something...

Even Superman has fears, every person has something (or more likely a list of somethings) that they are afraid of. Some are realistic, some have a difinitive cause, some make no damn sense at all. Here's my list.

1. Falling down stairs. Now, I have never fallen down stairs, but my entire life I have had this fear. I don't know why. I always hold the hand rail and watch my feet when going down. Going up is fine.

2. Spiders. Not an uncommon fear, I know. As a child I was bitten by a Brown Recluse and had an allergic reaction to it, ending up in the ER. That pretty much solidified it for me.

3. Swimming in lakes/oceans. I won't do it. There are creatures in the water and I can't see them. I don't care if it's just catfish, won't do it.

4. Stinging insects. I have gotten through 34 years and have never been stung by a bee or wasp. I don't feel the need to ruin that winning streak!

5. The In & Out drive-thru in SE Mesa, AZ. Don't get me wrong, it's not enough to prevent me from using it, the fear of dragging all three kids through the store is far greater. This drive-thru has this really tight turn and large stone columns that hold up a concrete slab covering it. As I sit in line, all I can think of is that large concrete slab crashing down on top of my truck.

6. Loss of balance. I don't fear heights at all. In fact, I'd be perfectly OK with hanging onto the side of the Eiffel Tower as long as I had a good hand/foot hold. Balancing precariously terrifies me, even if there is only a few inches to the ground.

7. Jail. I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't fair well in jail. I doubt this is something I'll ever have to test out, thankfully.

8. Interviews. I actually break out into a cold sweat, clammy hands and all. I have to concentrate to smile and make sure my voice doesn't waver.

I don't fear big ticket items like disasters, zombie attacks, SkyNet, or death. I mean, I'm not exactly looking forward to dieing, but I don't worry about it. Although, I do think suffocation/drowning has got to be the worst way to go.

Fun with Ignorance!

I read a lot on the Internet (I have plenty of spare time at work most days). So, I read my Facebook, blogs, and the news. I also read Cracked.com for my happy time! Anyhow, time and time again I read posts from people that are regurgitating mindless dribble from the media. I've had enough. So now, I am doing what annoys those people the most.

I'm replying with actual facts! Oh my goodness how they hate that. I knew I won in my Facebook posting war last night when the other person downgraded to calling me a Liberal. We all know how bad that name is! I've never met this person before in my life, and I could imagine the veins popping out in their head and teeth grinding down. How dare I say something that contradicts their baseless opinions!! Oh my!

It's fun. I recommend it to anyone. I used to get annoyed everytime I read a comment about how President Obama wasn't even born here!! Or, how our government should drug test people before they can food stamps. No longer. Now I simply reply (repeatedly if necessary) that even if President Obama was born on foreign soil, he is still a natural born citizen of our country since his mother was a US citizen and their entire argument is baseless and moot. And that if the Government makes those nasty people mooching all of your tax money take a drug test - you guessed it! You pay for the drug test!! Aren't taxes fun?

Then, as their hatred grows, their responses lose more and more control of the topic and the English language, and they quickly slide into the depths of the dark side, I sit back and enjoy the fact that they are seething and hopefully getting indigestion. Ignorance can be fun!


Cheers!

Word of the Day

awry

Things my parents never had to think about....

My oldest is going into 6th grade this year. Things I now have to decide are concerns my parents never had to worry about.

1. Cell phones.

-- Now, I am against a student bringing a cell phone to school. And, in general, I know where he is, whose house he's at. He is really very good about calling me to let me know what friend's house he went to. But here's the issue. I don't have a land line. My husband and I only use cell phones. The kid (and rightly so) wants to talk to his friends over the phone. So, do I get VOIP? The cheapest local calls only land line? Or should I just bite the bullet and get him the cell phone I'm going to have to get him in a few years anyhow?

2. Social Networking.

-- The kids do have their own computer (in a central location where I can keep an eye on them). They do have internet. But how much access should he have? He should be able to email his friends, but where do I draw the line? Should he get access to Facebook? What about Twitter? When is the right age for these social networking tools?

3. Online gaming.

-- With most of these games, the content of the game is not an issue at all. The problem is the interaction with other players. Most, if not all of these games have a censorship feature to prevent bad words from being displayed. There is no context censorship however. When is he old enough to deal with this?

grrr

Headline from foxnews.com: Cambridge Police Unit Demands Apology From Obama for 'Stupidly' Remark

Since when does the freedom of speech not apply to the President of the United States?

This country needs to deal a little more in realism and stop with the damn apoligies. We are not a country of 5 year olds. Grow up a little America. No need for this hurt feelings BS all the time.

Favorite City Name

Antwerp

I love saying it.

"one of my pet peeves"

Things that aggravate me to no end....

1. The saying "one of my pet peeves". I cringed each time I wrote it for this article.
2. Those window decals of the entire family (complete with dog or cat stick figures). If you have them on your vehicle, you can correctly assume that I hate you when I'm behind you on the road.
3. Crappy tattoos. If you are going to use your body for permanent artwork, please put a little thought into it.
4. Superiority. If you just lost 1.2 million on the craps table in Vegas and it didn't bother you, that only means you have lots of money. You aren't a better person than the guy that gets paid $8/hour to empty the garbage cans.
5. Feminine product commercials. Sometimes I'm trying to eat my dinner and I don't want to think about 'heavy flow'.
6. Rachel Ray. Every time I hear her say EVOO, I want to punch her. Being overly perky repulses me wholly.
7. Movie theaters. I think being at the airport is more pleasant than the movies. If I wanted to watch a movie with phones ringing and screaming children I could do that at home.
8. Fox News. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was an idea called fact-checking. Oh, how I miss those days.
9. Top Ten lists (excluding Dave Letterman - mockery and parody is always good in my book).
10. Prescription & herbal drug commercials. I don't think the FCC should allow them at all. These are things that people should discuss with their doctor, not decide upon because one has more TV ads than the other.
11. The mall. There is nothing more dreaded for me than a trip to the mall. The only reason I ever go there is for a specific store I can't get to otherwise.
12. Nondescript error codes. Can programmers stop using catch all error messages? It usually helps to know why you got the error.
13. Wizards, no not the Harry Potter kind, I mean the software kind. I am not computer illiterate and I don't appreciate being forced to go through wizards to set up something, when I know what I am doing. Keep the wizard, I don't care, but put an Advanced button on it so I can skip it if I choose to.
14. Soft Jazz hold music. I don't need to explain that one.
15. People that keep interrupting you when you are attempting to answer their question.
16. Pundits. 'Nuff said.
17. PETA They are just one example of an extremist group. Some of their ideas are fine by me, but they take it way too far.
18. Vegetarian dishes designed to be "just like" a real meat dish. They never are, and they aren't good. I actually like eating vegetarian when they care about what it tastes like, not just pretending it's something else.
19. "Oh, just one more question!" It's never just one more....
20. Prescription happy doctors. I don't just want a prescription to cover up symptoms. Maybe I'd like to actually find out what's wrong. If you don't have cancer, they don't seem to care why anymore. Takes too long to find out I suppose.

A few things I don't quite understand....

Ok, I'm lying there. There are TONS of things I don't quite understand. The universe is a big place with lots of mysteries.

Not really the point of this though. This is about everyday people behavior. I have some questions.

1. Guys: Do you lose your "Man Card" if you use your windshield wipers while it's raining?
2. Why do people that quote the Bible never follow it's rules?
3. Why is everyone's first instinct to lie? This is an inherent human ability by the way. Children have this ability long before they are capable of understanding it. They just aren't very good at it.
4. Why does anyone watch Jon & Kate Plus 8?
5. Warning labels: I could have sworn it would be common sense not to eat the frozen pizza before cooking it and not to eat the toner for a laser printer.
6. Is it really so hard to fix our History books so that children learn the real facts? They still teach them that Edison invented the light bulb. (Hint: he didn't)
7. Why do people argue the most about the things of which they know the least?
8. Why is my daughter convinced that asking me the same question every 5 minutes is going to hurry things along?
9. "Ironic" things never are.
10. The new Food Pyramid. I don't get it at all.

Sci Fi is now SyFy :(

The Sci Fi channel has been getting more and popular, especially with younger demographics. My 11 year old is addicted to the Ghost Hunters. They have all those lame B rated Horror movies that are not too scary for a toddler or my mother to watch. In general, I like the channel. I'm a big fan of Eureka, btw.

This past week, Sci Fi changed its name to SyFy. I assume this is to appear more cool to 12 year olds. Or at least that's what the balding grey haired executives figured. It's lame. It's dumb, and I predict they change it back within a year. What they had was a great name. Sci Fi.

The only other reason I can come up for the change is to move away from Science Fiction into other directions. But, really, no one cared that the terrible horror movies weren't technically Science Fiction.

Bad move SyFy. Ugh, it's hard to type something as ridiculous as that....

Doom and gloom.... oh no!

A new study (that cost the government roughly 63,500 dollars btw) says that playing in beach sand could be bad for your health. Birds poop in the sand and then you touch it. So it can cause stomach/intestinal upset. Oh boy.

Although, a bit disgusting to think about, do they really need to fund a research project to tell us this? Not only does it serve to point out just one more thing that can hurt you...I'm counting the days until the personal bubbles are required so we can't touch anyone or anything. But, the big problem... Why did we pay for this??? Does it take a scientific team to prove to us that birds poop in sand? Or that if we touch said sand and then eat a sandwich it could possibly give us a tummy ache? How dumb are we that we cannot add 2 + 2 anymore?

The human body is an amazing thing. When working properly, it generally fixes itself. It learns to fight off infections, bacteria, and virii. This of course hinges upon it actually getting infected and battling bacteria, etc. If we don't let ourselves get minorly sick, we will never be able to fight off the big stuff. The body's defenses need to train up. We aren't born knowing how to defeat all these possible enemies. Gotta keep fighting.

People that use Purell all the time are just asking for trouble in my opinion. The reason anti-biotics are prescription only, is so that people don't overuse them to the point they won't work anymore. I suffer from chronic sinus infections. They hurt, they suck and make me miserable for about 4 days on average. I get them about 6-8 times per year. I don't go to the doctor. This mystifies people. 'But the doctor would give you anti-biotics to be rid of it!' people say. This is EXACTLY why I don't go. If I took anti-biotics every time I had a sinus infection, they wouldn't work on me when I REALLY needed them to. The infections go away, they always do, and I'm pretty certain they always will.

Being a bit ill sometimes is kind of good for you in a way, helps to prevent the BIG one's that don't just go away. Sometimes the best thing you can do really is to just sleep and drink lots of fluids. Time heals most wounds, if you let it.

For your consideration...

When did courtesy die? The majority of the public seems to be oblivious of anyone other than themselves these past two decades. If you forget to turn off your cell phone when you are at a movie/in church/at a wedding or funeral, these things happen. If you answer it without first leaving, you are an ass. If you bring your baby to the movie theater, you are an ass. If you don't control your children in the grocery store, you are an ass. If you don't give up your seat on the train to a pregnant women, or an elderly person, you are an ass.

Try this, hold the door for someone in a public place. Odds are good they won't even look at you, let alone thank you. Common courtesy is dead. I am trying hard to instill these values into my children. Maybe, just maybe, if a small portion of the public begins to show such behavior again it could spread.

I think this is due to the lack of discipline children have as of late. They are no longer punished for misbehaving. The vast majority are spoiled beyond belief. I too, was guilty of over spoiling my children. However, I recognized some of their behavioral issues were caused by this and I have been working diligently to correct this. It's natural to want to give your children whatever they want and make them happy. Unfortunately, if you do this, they will not learn to appreciate anything. Disrespect of toys and belongings only leads to disrespect of people and rules.


End rant for the day.....

Fame vs Reality

Reality TV does one thing. It proves that "Celebrity" means nothing. Being famous doesn't make you any different than anyone else. Maybe you get paid lots of money, and that makes a difference, but only if you let it.

I have over the years met a few people that most would consider famous. They really aren't any different than anyone else, except they are recognized. The fascination with "Celebrity" going on in the US right now is mind boggling.

I have my favorite actors like everyone else, but I don't care what cereal they eat for breakfast. And I really don't want to see them escaping from some ridiculous jungle scenario. These people are placed on a pedestal, and when they get drunk and fall off, we cry "For SHAME!".

Honestly, can you say you didn't know someone in college who behaved as "shockingly" as Lindsay Lohan? You did, we all did. The only difference is that it didn't make the newspaper (unless they got lucky enough to get into the police blotter!)

The "news" has become trash. Very little of the nightly news is relevant to anyone, and is so unporportionally unimportant it staggers the mind.

I am not trashing Reality TV. There are a few shows I enjoy. I watch American Idol because I like the singing competition aspect of it. I watch Gene Simmons Family Jewels, because I find his attitude about life refreshing and immensely amusing.

I am trashing the mainstream media for reporting about what Jon & Kate are doing, and filming expose's about an empty Neverland Ranch. There are always important things going on in the world. Start reporting on them. For god's sake, the Daily Show does a better job of it than NBC.

Be thankful I'm not in charge....

If I was, most of you wouldn't be allowed to drive. Permanently.

You do not need to pull right before you turn left. Your left foot needs to stay off the brake pedal. It is NEVER okay to go into reverse on a major road or highway, for ANY REASON. If you miss your turn, deal with it and go around. Yes, it might suck, but that's what you get for not paying attention.

The manufacturer of your vehicle did not install the indicator lights because they love pretty blinky lights. They are not for turning only. Clicking a little lever right next to where your hand is supposed to be anyhow doesn't take much effort. In fact, I don't think you'd burn a single calorie doing it.

My car was totally by a kid that was probably texting instead of driving. Honestly, I have no idea what the hell he was doing, I didn't ask, I don't really care. But now I have a lovely new truck, which I adore. Please stop trying to crash into me. I don't fear for my safety, my truck is very big and I'm certain I would definitely win. I don't care what happens to your car. I would like to keep my truck, and because I CAN drive, it's in pretty damn good condition.

I like it that way. So back off. Just because they let anyone drive, doesn't mean you should.

Education seems to have gone down the toilet in the US

Dear my United States Government, please find a way to repeal the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT as soon as possible. (At the very least, this would be a start.)

Our Education System is growing worse year by year and I don't see a light at the end of this tunnel. Children leave school without the capabilities to write properly, they don't understand important things like the Constitution, and math skills are negligible.

Understand, I do NOT blame the teachers. Most teachers are trying as hard as they can to comply with state and federal requirements, while dealing with children that have no parental stability at home or discipline, and growing classrooms.

Additionally, you so-called journalists out there: Do not dare call something unconstitutional until you have actually read the Constitution.

If you haven't seen it, please watch the movie Idiocracy. Enjoy it, laugh, but deep down be a little frightened that the premise might not be so far-fetched after all.

I've been reading the news....

HOW AM I NOT DEAD ALREADY???


What a miracle! I mean, I've flown in airplanes and haven't had any blood clots kill me. I've taken more than the recommended dose of Tylenol (more than once OMG). I haven't had a heart attack, and I LOVE deep fried foods. I'm slightly overweight. I've had 3 abdominal surgeries and they didn't leave any tools in there (I think). I talk to people on the internet. I've been to Mexico. I'm pretty sure I've had the West Nile Virus. Somehow, amazingly, I haven't gotten the Swine Flu.

Thank God I'm not famous and 50 yrs old!

Spellcheck & the Death of Journalistic Grammatical Integrity

I would not expect a blog to be without grammar errors. I am not by any means an English major, although, I do appreciate when peices are well written. I txt and lol like many others on the grand ol' Internet. However, if you are writing for a major publishing powerhouse, please have enough pride to proof read your work. Even if the peice is only to be published online, it still counts.

Spell Check is not a replacement for proof reading. Just because Word didn't underline your demented sentence structure does NOT mean that it is correct. Now, feel free to try to judge any grammatical or spelling errors I may have in this blog entry. Just remember, this is not my job. I do not write for a living.

Translation of this text for the younger crowds:
lrn2write n00b!
ur txt iz fail

abnormal behaviors

I think we all have a few OCD tendencies and 'abnormal' behaviors. Oddly enough, going to the public restroom got me thinking about this. I always choose the 3rd stall in public restroom. I can think of no reason for this, but I feel more comfortable if I go to the 3rd stall. So, this got me thinking... what other strange little things do I do? I came up with some interesting details about myself, which honestly don't really matter to anyone (nor should they), but they are all a bit weird.

I hate taking off my shoes or putting shoes on. I don't seem to mind wearing shoes or not, just the act of changing that status. I can wear shoes without socks, but not socks without shoes.
Filing my fingernails with an emeryboard makes my teeth hurt.
Sand. I cannot stand sand. If only the beach didn't have so much sand, I would love it.
I cannot look at a puzzle without attempting to solve it.
Plucking my eyebrows is actually a soothing activity.


Does any of this make me different than other people? I would certainly hope so. I am different, but I am sure every person out there has their own idiosyncracies that they don't mention. So in that respect, I am sure we are not very different at all.

Kings

I'm quite unhappy that this show is not being picked up for another season. It is one of the few shows on Television that requires that the viewer actually think. It has twists and more twists. The acting is incredible. I didn't know an hour long show could have so much Drama in it week to week. The tension is always high and the dialogue is exquisite. Very Shakespearean.
I suppose they had to make more room for Celebrities doing moronic things in a Jungle, and shows with more boobies.... /sigh.

Selfishness

I believe it is human nature to be selfish and it not necessarily a bad thing. Part of our natural instinct to achieve and protect ourselves. The problem is, that when you have to interact with other people it can be difficult to maintain your own selfishness and not step on the selfishness of others. We can only truly control ourselves and can only push ourselves towards our goals. It is indeed a fence that one must walk on, sometimes we stumble and we might hurt others. Sometimes we walk that line perfectly. It is not a bad facet of the human way. If we didn't have such a tendency, we would not ever grow and succeed, or find happiness. But it is a line that must be cautiously walked. I think if one is conscious of this, it makes those decisions easier.

my 2 cents for the day

Day 61

OMG OMG OMG

I can has a job!!!!!

32 - 59

OMG. I am still unemployed. This is crazy. The phone never rings with anyone not useless. Frustration. Oh, and if anyone not married to me, or in IRC with me reads this: my car was destroyed. YAY.

DO WANT JOB!!!!

Days 23 to 31

Yes, it really has been so bad that I only need to update this job search weekly. Got two promising emails today. One I have responded to already. The other one, I called and the job is in Tampa, Florida. You would think they would put that sort of important information in the description. Frustration is at an all time high right now. Otherwise, I searched all sites (as I do every work day) and sent out two more resumes, there are almost no new postings on most of the sites. I had a call the other day for a job that paid well, but it was so part time and the hours expected were so limited, it wasn't any good.

This economy is bad. Worse than the Great Depression. What will they call it in the History Books? The ZOMG EVEN WORSE DEPRESSION?

Sigh. On on...

21-22

More of the same. This is seriously monotonous and tedious.

I just used three words with 'ous' in them in one sentence. Awesome.

If anything actually eventful happens anytime in the future. I'll post it! I am just as tired of posting that nothing happened as you are of reading it.

number 19 and 20

No new posts today. No calls yet. This is getting highly frustrating. I'm applying for jobs both at my skill level and under, and nothing. It's hard to be motivated when faced with a huge seemingly unsurpassable blank wall.

On on.....

days 11 through 18

No update because 1. nothing happened and 2. my laptop decided it was a good time to have hardware failure (warranty expired on Jan 22nd) so YAY.

Anyhow, in that entire week I recieved zero phone calls and found two possible posting which I sent resumes too. That's it.

The job market is the worst I've ever seen it. I cannot seem to get even a crappy tech support job.

Sigh.

days nine and ten

nine was so unmentionable, there. nothing to say.

No new posts today that pay anything. I could make more answering phones. No phone calls for me. Nothing.

meh

Day eight

Forgot to update last night, so here it is.

No new postings, one good phonecall. This is a quick one, so I should hear this week if I have an interview set up. Sounds like a sort of boring job, but always hard to tell from the recruiters descriptions. And it's a good company, so that helps quite a bit. Plus, I need a job. That helps the most!

Anyhow. I will keep up the checking later today and post for day nine.

depression

I've always battled with depression. I have never had a good self image. Never thought much good about myself, although I've always tried to be a good person to others. Just not to myself. Well, it's come around. I had my worst nightmares (literally - I have had nightmares about this) come real this weekend at the dentist. I let problems get far out of control. I was in permanent denial. If it doesn't hurt it can't be that bad right? Then it gets that bad, then I was convinced I couldn't afford to take care of it, and still didn't hurt - so push off till later. Well, I'm finally being somewhat mature about it, and doing it, no matter how much it costs and how much it hurts. I have been ashamed about my teeth for such a long time, I just stopped even thinking about them. Now I'm ashamed in many more ways. This is very much my fault. Being afraid wasn't a good reason not to handle it in the first place. Now everyone knows and I feel like an super sized ass. I can't imagine anyone thinking anything good about me right now. I've fucked up, royally, caused my family a huge debt, let alone the shame I get to feel. I'm doing it now though, hurts like a bitch too. The pain I can handle, the part I have a hard time with is that when the dentist is doing the drilling and filling and whatnot, I can't swallow and I feel like I'm drowning. The hurt is more emotional than physical. I hate myself for letting this happen. I hate what I've done to others, when I always try to make sure I never do that. Sometimes when you think harm to yourself is better than harm to others, you are still harming the others.

Hopefully, I can get past this. My teeth will be fixed soon. I am going no matter how terrified I am every time I show up. No matter how much I know the dentist and people I know think I'm a retard when they see what needs to be done. I am officially reaping what I've sown.

day five

Well, a very uneventful job seeking week. Only two good postings today, one had such a horrible online app, that I wasn't able to submit to it. One requires a few things that I don't have, I'm going to send my resume anyhow, can't win if you don't play right?

No phone calls. Ick. 1st week done, with nothing remotely promising. Not a great sign. Plus about 12 large companies announced massive layoffs, so not a good thing.

Dental work being done tomorrow, the SuperBowl on Sunday. So I'm off until Monday.

day four

Nothing much happening today. One new post - sent resume. No phonecalls. No emails. Nothing.

Meh

Guess it gives me plenty of time to do the laundry.

day three

Nothing new on the job boards. I got one phonecall that had such a strong accent I could barely understand her, and I was driving. It was a recruiter so I asked her to call me back in 10 minutes so that I would be home. No call back from her. Oh well. Got two emails. One is so way beyond my skills it's not worth dreaming about - kick ass job though *sigh*. The other sounds good, and within the realm of realistic possibilities, sent my resume and phone number. And so it goes......

day two

The job hunt continues. Checked new postings (there were only 4 across all sites), sent resume to the one that fits my skills. Got 2 phone calls from recruiters so far. One for something way under paying (and I'm not asking for much either!) and another for a 7pm to 7am night shift. The actual job sounded great on the second one, but the shift is unmanagable for me. She said they are possibly opening up new positions, told her I would be very interested in a day shift position. And so it goes on. Let's see how long it takes to get a real job.......

exercising

Oh god, I'm not good at exercising. Even the little bit we've begun to do every morning, ouch ouch. But it would be awesome to drop a little of my tummy and thighs off. Here's to hoping it works.

hard work

it's hard work finding work

to do list

Re-write resume, send to the posting I found last night. Attempt to potty train toddler again. Vacuum the rest of the house. Pick up the kids rooms, dishes and clean kitchen. Pick up kids from school. Pack their clothes for overnight. Take the kids to BINGO night at the school (oh boy!). Comfort daughter when she doesn't win at BINGO. Take the kids to my mother's house. Enjoy my weekend :)

feeling better

I am feeling tons better today. YAY.

Looking for a job, somewhat daunting and exciting at the same time.

ugh

I think I have a head cold. This totally sucks. Can't stop sneezing, and runny nose. Pretty much feel like I got ran over. Bad timing for getting sick. Too much to do right now.

time to get a real job

I've been staying at home for a long time now with the kids. Time to relaunch the career! I'm actually getting a bit pumped about the idea. If only I could skip that horrid interview process. I'd rather get my toenails removed than be in an interview... aaarrrghg

report cards

The most dreaded time in a child's school year. Well, the results are in. And I'm pretty damn happy with them honestly. Lots of improvements. Now if I can get the kids to be less "social" in class.....

Little girls....

I don't recall being so emotional at such a young age. I suppose I wouldn't though, one never remembers themselves accurately. But my 7 year old daughter. Oh, the tears. The constant tears and drama. I'm at a loss of how to handle it most of the time. She cries over just about anything now. And lord knows, if told NO, wow! If told to do her chores, Good God! I think she's probably crying in the shower I told her to take.....


Sigh.

Tendency

I have the tendency to keep doing what I've always done. I don't know why. Just the way I'm wired I suppose. I go through life like I'm adhering to Newton's Laws. I tend to stay in motion until acted upon by another force. I do what I do. Is it a good or bad thing?

Bad Habits

Time to break them. Damn it's rough though.

I can has a happy?

Yes I can :)

I am happy. Not everything is perfect. Far from it in many ways, but I have a lot of love, good people around me, things are well enough. So I am happy.

I've finally realized that working hard is not a hardship, it's just how it is. Sure there are people that don't have to, but how much self-worth do they have? Life is what you make of it, and I'm planning on making the most.

hrmph

I has a sad.

My wish for the day....

Less grumpiness. All around. Everyone around me gets so grumpy all the time. Starting to get me down a bit. Maybe I'm the cause of the grumpiness? Sometimes I am I suppose, but I couldn't possibly cause ALL of it.

Here's to a happy day :)

My least favorite sound....

Whining. Definitely. The 2 year old does nothing else, and often enough the 7 year old gets going as well. Ugh.