Thoughts of the DogMan

Times Change

2007-06-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted forever. My life has made so many turns in the last few years that I can't even list them all. I surprised myself though, and bought a restaurant. What a change this has been for my life, good and bad.. though the bad isn't bad. It's simply a big change and the only downside is the time it consumes. I would never have guessed. I've managed restaurants before, and busy ones at that, but being an owner is... well, just plain busy.

I love the place, it's a diner with a fantastic menu and a great atmosphere. I bought into a franchise, and the location I bought has been in business for about 5 years so it had a good customer base and I really didn't have to worry like others do who start their own place.

I find myself working about 90 hours a week, which is too much. And my off time is usually spent running errands, doing paperwork, or other busy work for my diner. On occasion, I sleep. When I first bought the place I looked at accounting options for my payroll and taxes... I have one word for this, "robbery." Just to have someone do my payroll -for 5 employees- it was well over $300. For other accounting, taxes, etc, it just added to the cost. So I do my own payroll, taxes, accounting, daily paperwork, and whatever else comes up. It takes up so much of my time, sometimes I wonder if I'm just to damn stubborn and should have just paid the money.... But really, It's just to much! Hence, Quickbooks is now my new best friend.

I've been at this now since January and I hope things get better for my time management. It's looking up.

A Tidbit

2006-06-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm in line at the C-store today, and the guy in front of me is paying for his items... the total was $3.97. Of course, he tells the clerk to hold on, he's got the change. So the guy digs through his pocket and lays a handful of mixed change down on the counter and slowly counts through it to get the correct amount, pockets the rest, then grabs his items and leaves.

Ok, I used to work in a C-store (the best job I ever had, mind you) and I'd see this occur daily. No big deal, I don't like a pocket full of change weighing me down either. Though I'm the type that just empties it into a jar at the end of each day, saying I'll cash it in at some point and buy something just for me, something I wouldn't normally spend money on. Anyway, working in the C-store, it was always the same people who did this everyday without exception. They were anal about it. They usually had some little type of coin purse, just bulging with the stuff. So I pose this question: If they always pay with exact change, where do they get all that change?

I know, one of the many conundrums facing us that will probably go unanswered.

Hmmm

2006-04-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

Just creating a post til life comes back to normal for me and I have time to do things that I like... Such as, rant and rave on here!

Driving Me Crazy

2005-09-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

Let me ask you this... Why in the world do they market, advertise, develop, research, and sell cars that do 3 or 4 times the legal speed limit? I have a real problem with that. I mean really, how many people ever even get the chance to open their car all the way up and absolutely max the speed anyway? I'm sure there are a few people that have, and many more people who have gone over a 100 mph, but what purpose does that serve? Why are we building faster cars every day?

Even a better question - Why are we buying them? OK, I'm Joe Shopper looking for a new car. My criteria: I want so much speed its sick. I want horsepower and acceleration that would make Mario Andretti envious. I want all wheel cornering so I can hug turns at Mach 7 and not loose control. I want all the little bells and whistles that come with the car like satellite tracking, DVD and X-Box. A stereo that will go up so loud the cops will know where I'm at at all times when it's only on half volume. I want a fin on the back. I want low-profile racing wheels with rims that cost a paycheck each. I want tinted windows, leather seats, remote control, and everything else imaginable. I want to spend 600 bucks a month on a car payment, and another 300 on insurance. Better yet, lets lease the S.O.B. so when I'm done payin I can start all over again with something even faster, and maybe two fins on the back.

WHY, WHY, WHY? I have never understood it. What the hell does a fin do on a Honda anyway? Does anyone really know? Or do you just buy them because? Don't get me wrong... I like luxuries as much as the next guy. But it would seem to me they oughta have a point! Some of the things mentioned above have a point... a remote for instance. You can never have too many of those. But really, a car that accelerates from 0-60 in a few seconds, a top speed of 210 mph? Why? Only 1 out of every 1000 buyers will ever actually even get close to that speed in their car.

OK... in the defense of you fancy car buyers, I can see one good reason to have a car just as described above: CHICK MAGNET. Guys right now are making a thousand excuses about how it's not.. it's a thrill to have that much power, I liked the color, its good on gas, etc. Bull shit. You did it for 1 reason.. well, 2 but they go hand in hand. You wanna look cool and you wanna get laid. The sad part is, it works. Granted, the girls that get attracted to a guy simply cause he has a fin on the back of his car are probably not keepers, but if you're just lookin for a roll in the hay and a little bit of arm decoration, you're probably going about it the right way. Girls right now are all denying that they would ever think a guy was cool because of his car. After all, that would be quite shallow wouldn't it?

Let me get down to my real complaint here... the above is just a little bit of a head shaking wonderment. If I were to poll each and every one of you about whether drunk driving should be a crime, most of you would say it should be - I would assume anyway. Hell, lets take a poll and then we'll all know for sure. Leave your comments, say what you think. Personally, I think people get off way too easy. How many people do you know that have 3 or 4 DWI's, had their licenses revoked, and still have a car, buy booze and put that all together and try for 5? Anyway, back to my point. So, it's a crime to drink and drive. Why is it a crime? Because it's dangerous. People get killed that way. When you drink and drive you made a choice to put people at risk because of your stupidity. You're impaired, you have less control, less judgment, and your reaction time increases. You swear you're ok to drive, you know what you're doing, you're in control, you're a veteran at it, you know you're limits, you're just having some fun. Any arguments so far? It is an absolute tragedy when people die because some dumb ass with a few too many decided to get behind a wheel... no one will argue with that will they?

So, if its a crime because it's a huge risk to the public, and you hate people who drink and drive, why do you speed? That's what this post is all about. I think people who speed are no different than the people who drink and drive. Oh, now I've got about 90% of you hating my guts and calling me a dumb ass, but listen to my logic. Let's talk about sheer numbers first. Go ahead, look it up... but about 500 times more people die each year in auto accidents due to excessive speed than to DWI's, and about 2000 times more accidents occur. That should end the argument right there but I'll go on. If you're speeding, your reaction time increases. It's simple science, you can't argue with it. You have less control over your vehicle. Again, science.. something about momentum. You make a choice to speed in spite of this. But wait... You're a good driver! You know what you're doing. You're in control. You're a veteran. You know your limits. You're just having some fun! Hmmm, weren't some of those things on the list of why we hate drunk drivers? But drunk drivers kill people you say? Oh yeah... so do speeders.

We live in such an impatient world. We're on our way home, dodging in and out of lanes cause that stupid son of a bitch in the fast lane is only going 75. Forget the fact that the speed limit is 65, but you gotta tail gait him/her, wait for that little break and cut into the middle lane, dart around him, back to the fast lane, then really lay on the gas just so they know you were really pissed that they slowed you down. How dare they go in the fast lane while going a mere 75 anyway? So, you commute 15 miles to work... you average 80 all the way home.. If you do the math on that about the time it saved you, had you only gone the speed limit of 65, it saves you exactly 3 minutes and 45 seconds.

I work in a hospital, been an EMT on an ambulance crew. I've seen accidents and victims of accidents that will haunt my sleep forever. Do you wanna know what's even more haunting? Blood and gore is nothing anymore. Try the look of utter sorrow and despair on a mothers face when she finds out her child is dead. Or try a whole family, or kids being orphaned. Try looking at a guy who just lost his 3 kids and wife because someone wanted to save 3 damned minutes. Would I trade 3 minutes for your life? Nope. I would hope that you wouldn't want to trade 3 for mine either. But daily we do it. By the millions. 3:45 multiplied out by all the work days in the year that you commute adds up to pert near 1000 minutes! That's hours of saved time! Next time you see a couple of kids outside playing and being cute in only the way that kids can, stop and ask yourself if even 1000 minutes is worth one of their lives. Would you give up an entire day to save one kid? Do you got the balls to go knock on their mom's door and tell her that you wanna kill one of her kids to save a couple minutes? Every day, without exception, lots of people are killed because of simple impatience. Each and every one of those drivers did not wake up that morning and say "today is the day I'm gonna kill someone." Each of them were confident in their ability to drive. Each of them, the day before, would have told you that they weren't the idiot on the road that was going to kill someone. I wonder what they have to say the day after?

Slow your ass down, enjoy the ride, let someone else enjoy their life.

Oh, How I've missed you people!

2005-09-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

Summer semester was hell. I was so busy, I just gave up on any type of personal enjoyment or relaxation. I'm back, with a vengeance, and the posts will be coming soon. Including, the long awaited "Politics of the DogMan".

Coming Soon:

2005-05-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

The Politics of the DogMan

If You Are One Of THOSE People

2005-05-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

If you're one of those people that go to a fast food restaurant, and make your order so complicated that even a genius couldn't figure it out, lol... I hate you.

I had a half hour last night for dinner... So I went for fast food. The lady in front of me was ordering some burgers, about 6 or 7 of them. All of them were different, one only ketchup, another without pickles or onions, another plain BUT with some other kind of cheese on it.... she went on and on and on, added some nuggets, a salad (after all, she's all kinds of healthy eating fast food, right?) and some drinks. It took her forever to order, then of course since I was behind her, it took forever to get my order taken.

So this lady stands there waiting for her food, full on thinking that her order is going to be just what she asked for. "ARE YOU STUPID?" I wanted to scream at her? Where the hell did she think she was? a $50 a plate restaurant? It was McDonald's for crying out loud! Some high school kid is going to totally screw that up.

So of course, she gets her food and immediately starts opening burgers to check her order.. to make sure he list of burgers for her spoiled rotten, overly picky, coddled, McChildren is just so. What do you know? It wasn't even close. Who would have guessed? Let me ask this.... Why did she deem it necessary to open each burger and check it in the first place? CAUSE SHE KNEW IT WOULD BE WRONG!!!!!!!!!!! We all know that, they know that, and she knows that. It's written in stone. So why bother?

Then she has to go over it all again... 4 or 5 times, with the person at the counter. So, again, I can't get my food cause the person who would give it to me is otherwise occupied. 18 minutes. That's how long it took from the time I walked in the door til the time I got my food. That left me 12 minutes, right? It took 5 minutes to get there, and would take me 5 minutes to get back... that left me 2 whole minutes. I ate my dinner 2 hours later, microwaved.

Lady, I really don't like you very much. Every bite of microwaved dinner only escalated that dislike.

Oh, How Soon We Forget

2005-05-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

A recent topic of local interest has been about a city ordinance in the small town of Cedar Fort. It has been a topic that has plagued many cities in the county I live in. Its a huge issue actually, with people getting very wound up on both sides. It was an issue in my city just a few years back, and it makes all kinds of news. The local papers are flooded with letters to the editor. What is this topic you ask? The legalities of selling beer on Sunday. Yep. I'm not even sure what to say about that other than I'm amazed it's an issue. In Utah County, I think there are only 2 cities where it's legal to sell beer on Sunday. The rest of the cities, it is illegal. Stores are required in those cities to cover their beer, on Sunday or put up banners across it at the very least, that inform the shopper of the law stating they are not allowed to sell beer on that particular day. Though some cities have moved to just posting a little sign, stating as much.

I so struggle with this. Not because I can't decide one way or the other, but I can't see how its even an issue. Beer is legal. Right or wrong, it is legal so I won't even debate that. (If you don't like that beer is legal -because it can be bad for you- then work to make it illegal. Just remember while you're doing that that 7-11 nacho's are bad for you too, do you want someone telling you that you can no longer by them? Oh, and bacon, don't forget that too. Anyway... since it is a legal item for adults, lets debate the issue at hand. One day out of the week it is illegal to purchase in stores. Why is that? What possible difference can it make? It's an inconvenience at best for beer drinkers. They simply buy it on Saturday, or drive a few extra miles to one of the cities that sell it on Sunday. So what's the harm then you ask?

Name one valid reason for not selling beer on Sunday that does not involve religion. Yes, Utah is a state that is mostly populated by Mormons, dominated by religion. I think it's a wonderful place to live, and wouldn't move if you paid me to. But the narrow mindedness of people never ceases to amaze me. Not only that, but the battles they pick. Outlawing beer sales on Sunday does not curb drinking on Sunday. We have some serious issues here in Utah worthy of our worry and letters to the editor. Yet, we pick something as pointless as this.

Last I checked, we were not supposed to make laws based on religion. I've heard the arguments many times about how our countries constitution was based on religion, that it is an inbred part of it. That the morals and standards of our founding fathers religious values were drafted in the very heart of papers that we consider the basis of our freedoms. Nothing could be more correct. If we've learned nothing else in the last couple hundred years, it should be that the Constitution is an evolving thing. That the Bill of Rights was drafted by men more brilliant than me, with a foresight that they didn't even know they had. Why do I say it like that? Because the drafters of our Constitution owned slaves, did not believe that women had any rights. They drafted an item that was as close to perfect as such a thing can be. Those men, however insightful, were far from perfect.

So over the centuries, we as a nation have evolved. Why did we make it legal for women to vote? Because it was the right thing to do. We did our nation end slavery? Because nothing could be more wrong than one human being owning another. We are far from perfect and we have a long way to go. Race is still a big issue in our country, so are the rights of minorities and woman. Many believe that the tables have even turned to where a white, Christian, middle class, heterosexual, adult male is the one who is in the minority. We have issues like abortion, gay rights, the right to die, the right to wage war, or prosecute those that do, foreign policy, poverty, education, health insurance, privacy, child molesters, a rape committed every 7 seconds, a murder every 21, children being born addicted to crack, nuclear weapons, pollution and depletion of natural resources... There are so many issues along this line that I couldn't even begin to name them all. Yet, we worry about who's selling beer on Sunday and who is not. I just shake my head in awe.

I think I have very interesting politics. In many ways, I'm conservative... in others, I couldn't be more liberal. I'm not a big fan of the government, I am a huge fan of our total right to privacy, and our ability to make decisions for ourselves. I firmly believe that our constitution was not made to protect the majority, it was made to protect the one. It is not ok to pass laws that discriminate against a single individual. It is not ok to pass laws based on the majorities values. If I remember right, that mentality led to women being burned as witches not to long ago, or a black man hung or beaten because he looked at a white girl, or women not being able to work, vote, or own property.

It amazes me -in this community especially- that we are not more tolerant of those who differ from the community norm. (I'll get to that in a minute.) Another hot topic here last year was an amendment to Utah's constitution to ban gay marriage. I was actually surprised at the amount of people who opposed it. The law passed, but not nearly by the margin that I had assumed it would. I was somewhat proud of our citizens for attempting to stand up for such discrimination. Short of religion, again, there is no reasonable justification for banning gay marriage. You can say it's immoral if you want. Maybe it is. Maybe I think it is, maybe I don't. It doesn't matter. The only possible reason for it to be immoral is because it totally defies traditional Christianity. Should we pass laws based on traditional Christian values? Not if they hinder an adult from pursuing something that effects no one else adversely. Ok, back to the start of this paragraph.....

Just more than a 100 years ago, a young man in New York by the name of Joseph Smith claimed he talked with God. He made some phenomenal statements that really contradicted what most Christians believed. He gained quite a following despite this. He was labeled as everything from an enemy of the government, to heretic, to cult leader, to brain washer, to crack pot. He was not very well liked. He was persecuted because of his differing beliefs. He was hated. Our government sent armies to kill him. He and his followers were ran out of town after town. Finally, he died a martyr at the hands of a mob. His legacy didn't die with him. Not even close. He started what is now the fastest growing church in the world. The 10th largest religion in the world. Mormonism. It's big, and it's not just in Utah. It's just concentrated here. After his death, the Mormons traveled west, where they could practice their religion without interference from the government. It still wasn't quite enough. Armies were again -unsuccessfully- dispatched to rid the nation of Mormons. Laws were passed to restrict their practices. Many years later however, Mormons are not viewed by all as crazy people or heretics. Finally, they have the right to practice their religion. Thanks to our fantastic constitution, mainstream Mormonism is legal.

And now, they try to make laws to restrict others who are not like them. Any similarities? 320 years ago, people living in Massachusetts had Europe so they could have religious freedom. They burned witches. 230 years ago brave men drafted a letter declaring their freedom, and indeed the freedom of every human to live as they see fit without tyranny. They owned slaves, repressed women, nobility was still very much a factor, and they looked down at anyone who wasn't white. 160 years ago, the Mormons traveled to a desolate area, settled it so they could practice their religion without persecution. Today, we are passing laws to forbid others from doing things that don't agree with our personal views. It's almost like undoing our own evolution.

Right Or Wrong Is Not A Shade Of Grey

2005-05-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

I think that most people agree that political correctness has gone way to far in recent years. There are probably many reasons that it is still an actual item though. There is the always present lawsuit looming over our heads, but mainly that stems from the work environment. The people we work for have to be extra careful in this sue happy world, so one can hardly blame them. Also, we all have things that offend us, and many people are hyper-sensitive to certain things, so that adds fuel to the fire. Lastly, we've become a PC world simply because it's something to do. It's politically correct to be politically correct. It's become something people do without thought or interest. We just ramble off PC crap and most of the time we don't even mean it.

Sitting in the cafeteria at work last night, sucking down enough coffee to make it through the night shift, me and a few friends/coworkers were just shooting the bull. A young lady named Malisa who hasn't worked there for very long joined us. I really like her, she's about as sharp as they come. She's an awesome nurse and she's great to work with. Someone mentioned the Britain election, and their views about Tony Blair. (I'm really not into discussing my views on heated topics such as politics or religion at work. I'll discuss issues -NOT MY VIEWS- in more relaxed settings like coffee breaks, but I try to stay neutral.) Inevitably, the point was made about Prime Minister Blair that if he loses the election, the most obvious reason will be his support of the United States in the Iraq War.

The war... a topic of its own, with diverse feelings all across the board. Malisa pipes up somewhere in the conversation, with the now cliche, "I support the troops, but I don't support the war."

That just grates on my nerves every time I hear it. Being the nice, quiet, reserved guy that I am, I just totally ignored that. Until she said it again. So I just asked her, "what does that mean exactly?"

A long look at me, a longer pause, and headshaking chuckles from those who know me well, eventually brought out a stumbling reply from her. "Well" she said, "It means just that. That I support the troops over there, but I don't think the war is right. We shouldn't be over there."

Ok, fair enough. There are a lot of people who believe the war is unjust. There are many valid arguments for the U.S. to mind its own business. But the validity of the war is not my point here. It's that stupid politically correct statement of "I support the troops, not the war." So I bit... "Why don't you support the war," I asked.

She went on about all the usuals.. blood for oil, it was a political move by Bush to take the attention away from other issues, there was never any proof of weapons of mass destruction, Bush acted prematurely and without the consent of the U.N., we are not the boss or the protector of the Iraqis, that we were never asked by them for help, etc. I think she expected an argument from me but I didn't offer one. I smiled, said ok, and went back to coffee and let the others direct the flow of the conversation. Like I said, I really don't see any point in discussing heated issues with coworkers cause it only causes problems. But her thinking is not unique and many others feel the same way, and say the same thing as my new friend did. So I bit my tongue in the name of just simply being nice.

War is either just or it is not. What are valid reasons for war? I guess they would differ from person to person but I would think that on the list could be things like: self defense, defense of others who can not defend themselves, the defense of one's property (whether it be a nation or home), basic individual freedoms such as the right to worship, vote, freedom of speech, have representation in government, freedom to choose our lifestyle, freedom from tyranny or slavery, etc. I would also think the the defense and preservation of the basics such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness would also be on the list. I guess this could be a really big list, and it would vary between people depending on their values and political issues.

So, we have a war. Some say it is unjust, that this particular war doesn't fit their criteria for risking the lives of our young men and women in the military. I'm ok with that. So, for the sake of argument, let's say that Malisa is right... the war is unjust. That means that our government has taken us into battle for reasons that are not altruistic. Basically, we conquered a nation for someone's own personal agenda. Who knows what that agenda is... power, greed, a sadistic need to kill, a diversion, control of oil, the enslaving of a nation, a foothold in the middle east to launch more takeovers, simple stupidity, who knows. But if it is unjust, it would have to be something along those lines, right?

So why the hell do you support the troops in the slaughter and take over of an innocent nation? Do we disagree with WWII, but support Hitler's henchmen for slaughtering 6 million Jews? Hitler was definitely unjust, his motives far from pure. How many people did he personally kill? I really don't know, but I'm assuming not very many - if any at all. He simply sent his troops to battle, gave orders, gave others responsibilities, and the world suffered a tragic loss of lives because of it. How could those people not know they were in the wrong? How could anyone in good conscience run a gas chamber killing women, children, and elderly people by the hundreds in a batch? One could easily rationalize that it was a few select people who ran these gas chambers, the real evil ones. But wouldn't that be only the people in charge? What about the cooks, or the the soldiers simply on guard duty, or the lowly private that was ordered to pull the trigger as people were lined up on the edge of a ditch? Do not delusion yourself into thinking that it was only a select few. A colonel does not pull triggers, pull the switch on a gas chamber, does not herd people like cattle, does not pull guard duty, does not clean up afterwards. He gives the orders, average soldiers follow these orders. It took hundreds of soldiers to run each of the concentration camps, thousands of them marching door to door deciding who was a Jew and who wasn't, hundreds of thousands of them attacking people in every corner of Europe.

DO NOT GET ME WRONG AND ASSUME -EVEN FOR A MINUTE- THAT I AM COMPARING OUR SOLDIERS TO HITLER, HIS ACTIONS, OR HIS TROOPS. I am simply pointing out that unjust is unjust, from top to bottom. A war is either right, or it is wrong. The average Joe in Hitlers army made their own decisions. They supported his actions. They may not have even agreed with him, but they did not have the courage to stand up and say "No, this is wrong! I will not shoot this poor old lady, or this little kid simply because he/she is a Jew." I'm not judging them, I wasn't there. Maybe they felt like their very lives or the lives of their loved ones were at stake if they dared defy orders. Who knows what choice I'd make if I were in their shoes. I'm sure many made different choices, they did have some resistance there. But I'm not talking about those people, I'm talking about the soldiers taking lives.

I was an American Soldier. I am a veteran. I served my country, and am proud of it. A soldier is trained to follow orders. We didn't question them. We did as we were told always, without thought. That's what makes a good soldier. You put your trust in your sergeant, your captain, your general, and your president and do as you are told. That is bred into you from day one of basic training. You become an automaton. The military is a conundrum of sort. As I just stated, a soldier does not have the luxury, time, or right to question orders. However, soldiers are taught to be thinkers, to be able to act in an instant, to be able to make decisions. In one instant you are saying "yes sir" to your superior, and the next second you're barking orders to those beneath you. It is almost contradictory. Also, soldiers are held to a higher standard. A higher morality is expected of us. We are trained to kill people, and trained to have a higher standard at the same time. Part of that higher standard is the absolute to protect the innocent and weak. Each of us, soldier or not, has an obligation to ourselves to uphold that which is just. If we commit an unjust act, then we are responsible for those actions.

How many of you would attack your next door neighbor just because I told you to? Probably not one of you would. (I would hope not anyway!) What makes you think the men and women of our armed forces are any different than you and I? They are mostly kids, from all over America, from all walks of life. Most of them believe in the cause, they believe they are helping, they believe they are just. If you were in the military, and totally horrified by what was going on, thought that we were simply conquering a nation with unjust motives, wouldn't you do something? Wouldn't you get out? Would you have joined in the first place? I know that you can't just quit the military.. it's not that easy. But if I thought I was committing murder, I would find a way out. What would I rather be judged for... going AWOL or murder? Which would be easier to sleep with at night?

These soldiers are not blindly following orders. They are doing what they feel is right. They have faith in their leaders to lead them in the right direction. They feel that bringing the downfall of a terrorist and tyrant they are further securing their families here in America. They have an obligation in the military to follow orders as long as those orders a legal and just. If those orders become otherwise, they have an absolute obligation to disobey those orders. They are not mercenaries, they are average citizens doing their duty. Their duties do not include murder and the pillage of a nation. If the war is unjust, then each time an Iraqi is killed, a murder has been committed. So when you say you do not support the war, but you support the troops, all I hear is that you do not support the war, but murder by average citizens is ok because someone told them to do it.

This line has just got to go. If you really feel that the war is unjust, then don't support it any way shape or form. Become an activist -not just a stupid, pre-programmed, no thought involved individual, that says things simply out of political correctness- and do something about it. If our government has gone so far as to take over a country for no other reason than greed or something of the sort, it is time for our government to go. Fix it. If you don't think that it's quite at that point, then back them up. Fully. You can not sanction one, and not the other. The war is a complete entity, involving governments, citizens, soldiers, business, and us (and others) as a nation. It is not two different items, but an intermeshing of many things to bring about this action. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. It can't be both. It is as bad to kill one Jew -because he is a Jew- as it is to kill 6 million Jews because they are Jews. It was just and right to protect the world from the likes of Hitler. He was not here, yet we were threatened. We were ok though, but it was time to protect those who could not protect themselves. Our soldiers stepped up to the plate, and became heroes. Each and every one of them. Our nation was great, and will be remembered for a very long time for its valiant and heroic actions. WWII was not two different things, a war and the soldiers. It was just one thing, right.

Entertainment Value vs. Entertainment Values

2005-04-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

I posted yesterday from my cell phone, I wasn't sure if it would work or not. Obviously it did. I'm kinda bummed I haven't had anyone reply to my post about Series 60 phones. I really have an addiction to finding new programs for that thing.. I wonder if they have like a Nokia Addicts Anonymous where I could get some help breaking my habit. lol.

Speaking of my cell phone... I get 'alerts' on it. These alerts range from weather forecasts, ski reports, breaking news, AMBER alerts, sports scores, etc. I get a billion of them. With my busy schedule, it's about my only chance to get the news or keep up with my favorite teams. One of the categories of alerts is "entertainment." This morning (and many other mornings), under the entertainment category was a little tidbit about the Michael Jackson trial.

Does that strike anyone else as twisted that something like that falls into the category of entertainment? Either one of two things happened here. Either Jackson did it, and a little boy was molested. Or, he didn't do it and some parents are not only destroying Jackson's life, but their own child's for the sake of a few dollars, fame, or whatever their motives. Both are equally tragic. I have no opinion one way or the other on innocence or guilt.. either scenario is equally likely if you ask me.

However, when did the destruction of someones life start falling into the entertainment category? We live in a sad world when a story such as this attracts us by the millions, where it makes headlines -not for the tragedy of it, but the entertainment- of tabloids, mainstream media, and every other source of information. And we all can say that it's not us who it amuses, but it's gotta be someone, because they don't put that stuff out there unless the public is buying it. That's the sad truth, it's our fault.

2005-04-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I hate, loathe, and dread finals week! Nothing is as time consuming, or gut wrenching as a whole semester of hard work depending on a handful of exams. I don't know why I let it get to me so much, but I worry myself sick til I find out all my scores. Have no fear though... I shall be back online, and blogging with a vengeance very soon. Til then...

2005-04-23T02:22:00.000-07:00

I have had zero time the last while to post anything! Thanks for the comments and help on the web counter! I'm really excited to have that working. Maybe this weekend I'll have a little time to rant for a while.. I hope so.
Now I just need to add a little 'pizazz' to my page, and I'll be happy. Any suggestions on that? I still haven't a clue on how to add a picture to my profile, though I've had a few offers for help there. I'm going to have to follow up on that.

2005-04-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know how to put a counter on my blog? I want one.

The S Word

2005-04-21T02:14:00.000-07:00

If any of my old English professors read my blog they'd probably die from horror. THERE WILL BE NO CRITIQUING OF MY GRAMMAR, USAGE, SYNTAX, AND SPELLING. lol. I'll make that my only official blog rule. Oh, except the other rule that I'm always right. ; ) Just kidding.

I'm sure tired tonight, but I'm not ready for bed. It was a long day. I need some 'me' time to unwind. I'm having an inner debate on whether I have the energy to rant or not.. I do. Ok, so I had to stop by work this morning for a minute to pick some stuff up from a co-worker. She's quite the proper lady, and I usually try to be very professional in the work area. I mind my p's and q's, I'm P.C., I watch my language, I'm genuine, I work hard... etc. However, I like to swear. On occasion, little things slip out. Nothing big, no F-bombs.. just little damns and hells. Ok, so... I'm talking to another co-worker, I didn't think anyone else was around and I said "shit." Co-worker number one was around and she had something to say about that... and she was right. I was in the work place, I'm paid to act a certain way, and I have no problem with that. Mostly though, she was just teasing me. She's a nice lady and I like her.

During her teasing lecture, she suggested I get in the habit of using other words instead of swear words. Like "shoot" or "crap." They don't offend anyone, I don't get in trouble by the boss, there are a thousand bonuses and only upsides if I take her advice. The question I have though... what is the difference between shit and crap? lol. This blog is going to be crass.. but I guess it can't be helped because of the subject matter. Really though, what is the difference? They both have the same literal meaning, right? Mostly though, when one says either of those words they are not referring in any way to feces. It's just an expression of "well, that wasn't good" or something similar. So, if two words have the exact same meaning no matter how you use them... why is one perfectly acceptable and the other offensive? Who decided shit was a swear word anyway? Why can't they say that on TV? lol.

There are a bazillion different euphemisms like that anyway... Does anyone know people who are fond of saying "freakin' A"? Any questions where that is derived? Yet if the hordes of people that used that went around saying it in its original context, we'd have mouths open in disgust everywhere. What about: dang, gosh, gosh darnit, H E double toothpicks.. this list could go on for days. Aren't all of those simply a substitute for other words? Same meaning, same slang, same emphasis, everything. What if I was talking about the Jazz game tonight, and said "they totally got screwed, the refs weren't fair"? Other than the fact I'm talking about the Jazz, it's not offensive in the least, right? What if I substituted another word (you know, the real bad one) for screwed? How many would be offended then? I really just don't understand it for the most part.
I have only one real soft spot for those who are offended by cursing, and it is something I always try not to do because I can see how it could offend someone. Taking God's name in vain. That, can be offensive to the very core of people's beliefs and I think we should all be respectful of that in public. The rest of the 'swear words,' I don't give a damn about. But why is saying gosh ok again? Anyone know? lol.

My last part of this topic.... What comes to mind when some one says to you -and yes I mean this literally- "the 'S' word"? Doesn't it invoke the thought of the very word you are trying to avoid? What is the point of that?

Well, it's late and some of my angst is gone because of how tired I am. ::shakes angry fist:: It just rubs me wrong whenever I hear the word heck. If one is immoral the other is immoral. What's that old saying? A rose by another name is still a rose? Probably not right, but you get the jist of it.

Re: Me

2005-04-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

WOW! I love responses -everyone's responses both good and bad- from criticism, to agreement, to just saying hi, or the techy exchange, but... Geo's however made me sit back for a minute and think. ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! I was going to reply to it in comments but I think I'll post it and reply. And here I came to my laptop with something to really rant about today.. and Geo sidetracked me. (Which I am grateful for.) As I've said before though, I doubt I'll lose my angst on my new subject cause once I get talking about it, I'll get plenty wound up again. Geo's comment:

Hi, neighbor!Okay, here's a question: Talking or writing or photographing--of
the three modes of expression, which works best for you, and why? And why is it
important for you to spend time sharing some of who you are via the internet? I
read your whole blog, and I checked out your pictures (and liked them,
particularly some of your sky-fascination shots and the sparkler guys.) I wanted
to know more about this DogMan who left me two nice messages in a row on my
recently-neglected blogs. Thanks for your generous words. They were really
encouraging, 'specially since I've been toying with the idea of abandoning my
blogging habit for a while. Maybe I won't. It's always a little refresher to get
positive comments. Keep up your writing! It's good for you (and the rest of us)!

I probably express myself easiest by writing, but I think I prefer talking. The problem with talking is that for the most part, you need a listener or it gets kinda boring. lol. Writing however, is different. Writing is not something that requires the immediate attention/response of others. When anyone writes, they know -at best- its going to be a short amount time til they have a response. When I'm writing I do hope that people read it, but the therapy for the soul is not in having it read, it's in letting it out. The other part of writing is the arrogant side of me that thinks my opinions/thoughts matter to the world. My ideal job: an opinion columnist in printed media. (Yes, the very entity I loathe.)

Ok, so why is it important to me to share? It's a vent -a release valve, if you will- and I really believe that people need to have that. Feelings and thoughts are not something we should keep bottled up. It's just not healthy. The problem with most people is that feelings are hard to share with people face to face, or people we care about. I am in that category. Don't get me wrong, I talk plenty, but it's difficult to always be open. If someone really close to me replied to something I said with harsh criticism, it may hurt me or offend me. We're vulnerable that way. If you (the readers in general) criticize me, I take it as an intellectual challenge or constructive criticism. Why is that? I'm sure the people in my life that care about me would not want to hurt me, and some of you may want to kill me... so why do we get offended by the words of those who care about us, and care less about the words of those who hate us? Hmmm... interesting. Am I getting sidetracked? I guess writing and posting online is a sort of emotional safety net. Though I really don't think I'm that vulnerable (emotionally) to criticism, I certainly don't email all my friends and tell them to check out my new blog. In thinking about what I just said, maybe I'm much more vulnerable than I want to admit. Who knows.

Secondly, and maybe equally, I love to debate. I'm good at it, I enjoy it, I'm somewhat intelligent and educated... but my strong point in any debate is that I don't care which side of an issue I take. I can do either side and never reveal what I think personally. (Though I'm definitely not doing that here, it's obvious that I'm ranting about the things that I feel.) It's not like I want this site to turn into a big, mean, argument.. I'd delete a post before I let that happen... but two differing intelligent opinions, exchanging information, stimulating minds, and piquing curiosity is like a drug to me. Addicting as hell.

My pictures... A hobby at best, though it is a form of expression for me. I wish I was better at it. I do have a better camera now, and that's helped a little. I'll tell you all a secret, my favorite thing to do is take pictures of people. Not posing, not models, but people doing what people do all day. The only problem with that is that I disagree with doing it. lol. Did that make sense? Ok... let me explain. If I was cruisin' the web one day and came across a picture of me, that someone else had taken and posted without my consent or approval, I would be livid! I'd hunt them down and destroy their hard drive. (Just kidding, though I'd consider it! lol) I'm big on people's right to privacy. But let me be honest here, I've taken a bunch of pictures of people that don't even know it, and I think I have some awesome pictures, but I don't feel that I have the right to share them. I wish I could, but I can't bring myself to do it. Oh, how I hate having morals... I've always said they are nothing but a pain in the ass. I have a friend who is pregnant, about 7 months along, and I'm trying my hardest to talk her into letting me just tag along with her for a few days and take as many pictures as a I wanted of her just doing whatever it is she does during the day. That would make a fantastic photo display. However, she's only agreed to me hanging out with her (And since we're friends and we can hangout anytime we want, she's conceded nothing... she's a shrewd lady.) but so far, she won't agree to picture taking. Go figure. ; )

I hope I answered... I tried to be honest and sincere. Thanks for the wonderful comment and questions Geo. I'm about out of time for the day so I need to wrap up and post. My latest complaint against society will have to wait til tonight or tomorrow. It oughta be a a dandy, it's about cursing.

Nokia Phones

2005-04-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

I have a Nokia 6200, and I love it. I'm always looking for new/interesting/useful/or even pointless programs for it. If anyone has any programs for Nokia phones (preferably Series 60, but I've found other software platforms that work just fine) I'd be really interested in trading, or whatever. I also have a lot of themes, ringtones, games, wallpapers, pics, desktop programs for it, etc. I'd like to get more, and would share mine in trade or with those who have none. ; )

Statistics Give Us Whatever We Want

2005-04-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

Either I should be a fortune teller, or we (as a community) need to do something about this privacy issue... It happened again today:

200,000 Ameritrade Client Files Lost
Leading online discount broker Ameritrade Holding Corp. said Tuesday it has
informed about 200,000 current and former customers that a backup computer tape containing their personal information has been lost.
Associated Press
Yahoo! News

It just irritates the hell out of me. I'm not giving up my day job to be a fortune teller. I have an Ameritrade account, I haven't received a phone call yet but I'd certainly hate to be the person on the other end of the phone if it ever comes. I would go on a tirade that would make Attila the Hun look like a pleasant individual.

As a side note: If you read my "Prejudice" post, you may wanna check out this link. It's an article about obesity related deaths. I really don't know if it has any real value other than it's somewhat interesting, it's related to what I was saying, but mostly because it's art as far as contradiction is concerned. I love statistics... because they are so easily manipulated by the author. Find me a study proving anything with statistics and I'll find you ten more that prove the exact opposite.

Every kind of media is so biased to one side or the other it's just twisted and wrong. I guess it can't be helped, because after all we'd all probably use whatever platform given to us to prove/do what what though was right and just. I mean, I wouldn't rant and rave trying to propagate something that I believed to be a lie on my blog, so why would I expect the editor of a newspaper to be any different? Sure, I can honestly say that I'm reasonable, that I try to be unbiased, and that I can view both sides of an issue with equality... But in the end my beliefs, personal motives, and all that stuff will win.

Look at gun control for instance... it's a hot topic at times, and with some it's always a hot topic. Go to the NRA website (or a million others) and read their statistics on how much crime is prevented by people owning firearms. Then, go to a gun control advocates website and look at their statistics on how much crime is perpetrated every year because of firearms. Statistics are just math, right? Math is a hard science the last time I checked. Hard science is something basically irrefutable. Yet, these two statistics couldn't show more different facts if they tried hard. It's all about the manipulation. It's all about what part you tell and what part you leave out. It's all about who you poll. It's all about the answer you want, then do what you have to to get it. All news is like that. It's amazing that any of us ever tune in at all when most reasonable people know it's about 98% bull shit. I guess it's a matter of choice, or the lack there of.

girlspit

2005-04-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

Some people have more imagination in their little finger than I could ever hope to have. Screen names for instance. Mine have always been generic and boring, with no thought at all involved, and definately no real, deep, or even humorous meaning. Say this word out loud... "girlspit." Maybe its just me, but if I say that out loud I snicker like a 5 year old. I have no idea if it means anything, perhaps a nickname or an inside joke, but that is one funny word. I guess that's just a side note, and a thanks to you folks with enough imagination to amuse the rest of us who have none. (By the way, if you haven't seen girlspit's page, you need to, it's a dandy!)

Subliminal Messages

2005-04-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

Commercials... Advertisement in one form or the other is a part of everything today. It's one of the largest industries in America. Billions of dollars change hands every day just for advertising and its related items.

I don't quite understand it. I mean, I can see if you're having a sale, a new business, new product... Advertising helps get the word out. But lets look at the established companies... I'm a Coke drinker so lets pick on them. Why do I drink Coke? I'm assuming it's cause I like it. CocaCola probably has an advertising budget the size of many countries entire incomes. The Super Bowl comes up, and Pepsi-Cola puts in a commercial, it costs them 2 million per 30 seconds and they probably run 5 commercials or so.. that adds up to a buttload of money! Do I run to the store and buy Pepsi instead of Coke? I don't. I don't even know anyone who does! So why spend the money? Who runs and buys a different product just cause the commercial was funny or some celebrity says it's their favorite?

I can see advertising during kid shows, they are atleast somewhat influenceable at that age... but the whole world? I'll tell you what would be effective as hell... Pepsi-Cola is #2 in the soda companies and it's a fair guess to say they'd just love to be #1 in sales. So, what if Pepsi held a press conference (free) and said they had just eliminated their entire marketing staff. They had cut their advertising budget to zero... that's right, no money whatsoever on advertising. They had terminated all their endorsements, no longer paid movie producers to use their product, gave up all incentives to retailers to carry or display their product... everything. They announce that the only cost now for any Pepsi product is only as much as production and shipping. Imagine what that would do to their price! Literally, it would probably cut it by 2/3's!

Now, if Pepsi was 2/3 the price of Coke... would I switch products? lol... Probably! Some people might not... but think about the millions of parents out there shopping on a budget, all the sudden Pepsi is looking damned good on the shelf when it's even cheaper than the generic brands on sale! Their sales would sky rocket! Wouldn't they?

Who has Nextel for their wireless company just because they pay millions to have racing called the Nextel cup? Who buys a certain beer just because they sponser the lates PGA tour? Who buys Duracell batteries just because Bon Jovi uses them? Who doesn't realize that Bon Jovi only uses Duracell because he was paid grundles of money to do so and probably receives free batteries for life? I just don't know anyone who would read these questions and raise their hands meekly and answer "I do."

Commercials and ads drive me crazy... I just hate them all for the most part. They insult us by saying that "Hey, you're stupid enough to buy our product just because we tell you to or because some celebrity got paid millions to say he/she liked it!" The thing that I don't want to even consider is that they are right... If that's the case, commercials piss me off cause they remind me how stupid the human race is.

In The Name Of God

2005-04-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I figured out how to add links to my blog here... that seemed a lot harder than it needed to be. I'm probably just stupid. You should check out the other blogs that I've linked.. they are amusing and a good read. Also linked is my photo blog, check it out if you have a minute.

The world has a new Pope. That was/is an interesting process. The Catholic church is quite interesting with their rituals. Do you ever watch movies/read books about all this mysterious -just on the edge of being evil- religious ritualistic stuff? I'm going to have to look into that more, it's something that always fascinated me. I wonder how much is fact and how much is fiction. I do know that the Catholic church has a very long dark history, and there has to be some amazing stories there. Well, I hope the new Pope is the humanitarian that the last one was. We talk about world leaders with so much power.. well if you ask me, no one is more powerful than the leader of a religion. We're talking about a guy who has the ability to influence and unite masses, who's word is absolute and beyond question. History is full of both good and bad under the rule of religious leaders, unfortunately the bad is written more often than the good.

Want my take on religion? It's easy to sum up for me... Organized religion breeds only 2 things. Hate and guilt. That's it. Real decent people usually spend their lives feeling bad about their little mistakes, begging/praying for forgiveness, when in reality they shouldn't feel bad at all since they do better than most of us in the world. They are human after all, and according to most religions, they were made weak -with faults- and would inevitably sin. So, if they believe in their religion, why don't they accept that they were made to goof up once in a while? The other part of the religionites spend their life hating the rest of us. For the most part, they don't walk around spewing hate rhetoric... but deep down, they don't like people who are not like them. They may even put on their 'love thy neighbor' face and pretend to love you... but it's a sham. They only do it because they think they are supposed to. Its sad.

Look through history and there has been more blood shed in the name of God than any other reason. Probably more than all other reasons put together. In the end, it's usually about bad people who crave power, glory, riches etc., claiming to be the spokesman for their god, rallying people to hate or fear, then slaughtering another group of people.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a God hater or a disbeliever. I'm positive that God doesn't mislead people. People are just like they've always been... greedy for one thing or the other and misuse the name of God for their own agenda. The frailty of humanity I guess. We deal with it in every aspect of life.

Prejudice, Part 2

2005-04-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

I saw on the Yahoo! News page today that the feds have changed the food pyramid and nutritional guidelines... I told you it would change. lol.

Government Issues 12 New Food Pyramids WASHINGTON -
The government on Tuesday discarded its one-size-fits-all food pyramid in favor of 12 different triangle-shaped guides, each geared to people's differing lifestyles and nutritional needs.
Inside the familiar pyramid shape, rainbow-colored bands representing different food groups run vertically from the tip to the base. The old pyramid's sections ran horizontally. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns called it "a system of information to help consumers understand how to put nutrition recommendations into action." ....
By LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writer

This stuff changes more often than high school fads.

Save Me

2005-04-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna need some help with this blog thing... my page looks plain. How do I change that? Can I add pictures? What about links to other blogs that I like, my other blog, or websites that I favor... how do I add them? If someone wants to spend some one on one time with a virtual idiot when it comes to this stuff, feel free to leave me your email address or chat name cause I'd love some help here.

I'm thinking I should put "nude teens" or something like that in my title.. lol, then I'd get more hits on my page! JUST KIDDING. It's probably not a bad idea though, so maybe you should try it and see if it works for you. I have a photo blog that I'll get around to linking up with this page soon enough.. I don't say much in it, but I sure like my pictures. For a few months I haven't updated it, but I have a hard drive full of pictures that would just love to get posted. Soon.

I haven't browsed other blogs on blogging.com yet.. I need to see what else is out there. I'm not sure how to browse the blogs yet. Do I seem like a complete non-techy? I don't know.. I'm usually ok at figuring this kind of stuff out but this site isn't as user friendly as I would have thought. It's simple to be sure, but I think that I'm missing a lot that it offers. Any HTML editing is way above my head for sure.

You know what else I want? I'd love for people to argue with me, agree with me, give me a topic to rant and rave about. Com'on people... let me have it.

Prejudice

2005-04-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, I had one visitor already! And she left a comment! I was just giddy over that, lol. I have no idea why that made me so happy, but it did.

Wait... I got on here, in a foul mood cause someone pissed me off and I was going to rant and rave. THEN, I see I had a comment left, and it stole some of my angst! I'll have to get it back I guess. As soon as I start talking about it, I'm sure I'll be equally pissed again.

To be more precise, I'm not pissed off at someone in particular.. I'm irritated by prejudice. No, I'm not talking about race, creed, religion, sexual orientation... Nothing so grandiose. I am however, talking about peoples stupidity. I'll get to the prejudice in a minute... a little background first. Anyone out there know what the #1 killer of Americans is? Heart disease. Hands down, nothing else even comes close. It is an absolutely wicked beast that shows no mercy on us, we have many preventions, some cures, and yet it wipes us out by the millions. Ok, second question.... anyone know what the #1 cause of heart disease is? Obesity. In general it's our diet, lack of exercise, and simply being overweight as a nation. ALOT overweight.

Ok, I work in the medical field... I'm no saint. I don't hit the gym everyday (translates to never), I like Taco Bell as much as the next person, I eat red meat, a salad is something I only eat as a last resort unless it has bacon on it, and I have enough bad habits to last everyone for the next 10 years. But so far my life has been ok... I'm fairly healthy, about average weight, etc.

So, I see an old friend at the C-store earlier this afternoon... It was good to see him, it had been ages since we talked last. He looked like he'd put on about 80-100 pounds, but what do I care? I certainly wasn't going to say "Dude, you got way fat since the last time I saw you!" He's the same nice guy I've known forever. So, he pays for his nachos smothered in yellow death (nacho cheese), his Ding-Dongs or whatever they were, and his Diet Coke and we walk outside together. We're shooting the bull for quite some time, caught up with each other, talked about old friends, new friends, job, family, the whole spectrum of the usual... So then I light up.

Yep, you read right. I light up the all evil cigarette and smoked it. He pipes up... "You work in a hospital, you should know those are going to kill you!" Ok, first of all.. you don't need a fuckin doctorate degree to know that... any five year old can tell me that. It's a nasty bad habit, and no one knows that as well as me. But the audacity of this guy to sit there -being all kinds of overweight, nachos and Ding-Dong's long ago stomached, dying of heart disease- and tell me that smokes will kill me? Oh it drives me crazy! We all have our bad habits, some of them just smell worse than others. Perhaps I should have said to him, "If you get any fatter, or eat any more nachos your heart is going to blow up before we finish this conversatoin!" Would that have been nice? Would that have been the proper thing to say? Would most decent people ever say such a thing? Doesn't every 5 year old know that being overweight isn't healthy? Then why is it people feel so damned obligated to point out to a smoker that they smoke, and it's not a good habit? I KNOW THAT ALREADY! We all have our faults and they are simply just a part of being human. I like many people inspite of their faults, and I certainly don't make a habit of pointing their faults out to them.

Is there really anything that won't kill you? Red meat is bad, meat in general is bad, being a vegan is bad, carbs are good, carbs are bad, trans fat, saturated fat, fast food, big meals, chocolate, TV, booze, pop, pot... And those are just the every day things! Do we all walk/run/do cardio for 30 minutes a day? America takes a prescription for everything... heaven forbid we quit eating junk food, we have a pill to lower your cholesterol. We stay up late, sleep in late... that's unhealthy as hell. Who eats 16 servings of vegetables every day? Who can even name 16 different veggies? lol. Besides, as soon as you get that kind of diet going the FDA will change their minds yet again and rearrange the entire food chart on you. We all run around in our fast paced world, stressed to the nines, with all kinds of terrible habits.

Well, smoking is mine. Eat your damn nachos and bitch about my smoking if you want to... but odds are GREATLY in favor of heart disease getting you before lung cancer gets me. I told you I'd have no trouble getting pissed again. ; )

Privacy. Not To Much To Ask Is It?

2005-04-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hmmm. Now that I'm here, I'm not sure what to say. I'm not often short on words, so it's an awkward moment for me. I guess I'm making this blog so I can rant and rave about all that's screwed up in the world. If I listed all the things that piss me off, drive me crazy, intrigue me, or just get something off my chest, I'd never leave my computer.

What I'd really like is for people to leave a few posts, ask a few questions, tell me what they think about... and I'll respond. I'm hoping for a lot of responses to anything I post, otherwise this will bore the hell out of me awfully quick. So if you're here, and you read this, please leave a remark even if it's nothing more than saying you were here.

I just checked my email a few minutes ago, and there was a virus attached to one of my messages! I loathe the people who do that. Who are these people that have nothing better to do than try and destroy my computer? Where's the the thrill in this for them? There are a million so-called "evil" things in this world that I can think of to do that actually have a point to it! My friend got the same email and had written me to warn me that I'd have it in my inbox as well (of course I read the virus email before his, lol) and he mentioned that he really hoped there was a special place in Hell for the people who do this. I concur.

That guy who was convicted of spamming got sentenced to 9 years last week... I found that to be quite humorous. Now we just need to get them all, and start on the people who send junk mail to my house (via snail mail) and the world will be a much better place. Is junk mail really that effective? How often does anyone actually open a letter or email from an unsolicited source, read it, and actually buy into whatever "deal of a life-time " is being offered? There must be money in it, or it wouldn't happen... but I just don't see it. Does anyone have any marketing experience with this? There's got to be someone out there in-the-know about the whys and hows of all this junk mail.

The "do not call" list was certainly a huge step forward for mankind... right up there with traveling to the moon if you ask me. (Oh, that would be a fun topic if I could get plenty of feedback on it... Did anyone really go to the moon? Do you know people who don't believe that it's happened? Have you heard the arguments that it was simply a government produced hoax? Some say that's about the craziest conspiracy theory there is, others are convinced it never happened. I've heard the con arguments, and they aren't that bad... it's interesting to be sure.) ANYWAY..... My home phone certainly has been a much more pleasant item since the do not call list came out. I wish we'd make a few more "do not bug me about your stupid scheme, I'm not interested, and I hope you burn in Hell" lists.

This whole privacy thing is getting out of control anyway.... it seems that every day in the news some company somewhere has lost, leaked, or has had stolen a bunch of personal information. That, drives me nuts. It's not their personal information!!!!!!! It's mine damnit! and I want it back! I was talking to a friend the other day, telling her that when I started college a few years back, it wasn't a week after I registered that I started to get all kinds of mail and phone calls about student housing, student loans, student rates on credit cards, college money from the Army, just a plethora of things.... That so pissed me off. They sold my name, address, and phone number.

Think about what I just said.... THEY SOLD MY NAME. The keyword there being "my." How does one sell something that is mine? One day, I'm going to find me a smart lawyer, one who's shrewd enough to pull it off, and I'm going to sue the hell out of someone for selling something that belongs to me! I mean, really, if someone showed up on my front door and informed me that they had just bought my house from someone else who didn't own it... would that be any different? You can't sell my house cause it's mine.. I own it. I paid for it. So why can you sell my name, my email, my phone number, or my physical address? I pay alot of money each month, for my phone numbers and email address... I PAY FOR THEM, THEREFORE I OWN THEM! At the very least I'm renting them and have some rights! Same with my physical address, that cost me upwards of 100k! That's a fair chunk of change isn't it? As for my name... well, I realize that's a little different. I didn't pay for that, but certainly I own it as well... My mother gave it to me after all. I have a little certificate even stating as much, a legal document, issued by the state, saying that it is MY name.

There are companies who's entire business is built on selling personal information. These are not just little shops around the corner in some dark lit alley, with shadey wannabe private detectives.... These are multibillion dollar corporatioins who have contracts with everyone from the government, to every spam-is-us firm, to divorce lawyers. These are publicly traded corporations... Legal. Can you believe that? Its fuckin legal to sell something that doesn't belong to you! Go figure.

One day... One day I'm going to actually do it. It's a matter of just finding someone crazy enough to go along with my idea, and not charging me a lot do do it! lol.

See, I told you that I didn't usually lack for words... This started cause I was bent about getting an email virus and look where it ended! Honestly, I had to stop myself or I would have went on for days. Please... Leave remarks, say hi, tell me to go to hell, whatever.... just say something when you get here.