Common Sense Idiots!
You've seen them. They're clueless. They don't think. They just do. They're Idiots without Common Sense! Don't Be An Idiot!
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Common Sense Idiots!
History Repeats Itself
Another global idiot in the works! Does Ahmadinejad really believe he can get away with acting like a dictator in this age of instant Tweets and global photo ops? Apparently he learned nothing from the 1979 "revolution" with the Shah where protesters were beaten in the streets. If you haven't seen the photos from the last couple of days, just Google "iran protests" and look at the news items. It's obvious that the supporters of Mir
Hossein Mousavi are getting the attention they require to make the world aware of the situation.
Ahmadinejad is an idiot if he believes the people won't require an accurate count of the votes from the election. Just as George W. Bush finally agreed to a recount in the election in Florida against Al Gore, Ahmadinejad needs to offer a recount to Mousavi and stand by the result. If there's nothing to hide, ...<< MORE >>
Hossein Mousavi are getting the attention they require to make the world aware of the situation.
Ahmadinejad is an idiot if he believes the people won't require an accurate count of the votes from the election. Just as George W. Bush finally agreed to a recount in the election in Florida against Al Gore, Ahmadinejad needs to offer a recount to Mousavi and stand by the result. If there's nothing to hide, ...<< MORE >>
Here's Looking At You Kid!
The wave of online social networking has brought to light a new type of idiocy, the person who doesn’t understand the difference between public and private behavior. If you post something on your blog, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or Twitter page, your information is public which means that anyone, including your boss, can view it.
So if you’re griping about how you hate your work and can’t stand your boss, you might want to clean out your desk now because chances are your boss may be Googling you and reading that information while you’re tweeting your latest update about calling in sick because you just couldn’t stand to sit through another day on the job.
A recent example of this stupidity occurred when a couple of Domino’s Pizza guys decided it would be funny to post videos of themselves on YouTube doing disgusting things ...<< MORE >>
Papal Penile Posture Preposterous
It was with great difficulty that I didn't kick something through a stained glass window when I read about the pope's (yes, the supposedly "infallible" one) still unwavering stance on condemning condom use even in places like Africa with its outrageous outbreaks of HIV infections and other STDs. So it's ok to beat a woman and force her to give birth to 5-8 kids but god forbid you want to prevent another pregnancy for an overpopulated planet by using a safe method that might also prevent nasty diseases - no, the Catholic Church believes god wants everyone to suffer. What a global idiot! This one is out of the park. They're still preaching using abstinence alone! J.C.! That's totally irresponsible. Hello? Isn't anyone paying attention in the Vatican or are they too busy polishing the relics from the past?
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Spastic Spamming Spoils Spontaneity & Slows Socializing
I've noticed an alarming trend lately with my computer use. I'm spending an increasing amount of time deleting spam and trying to make my real message interaction more appropriate so I can move on to more relevant activities in my life like exercising and spending time with the family. You may have realized this same problem with your technology use: the more you use technology, the more "junk mail" you get and the more social interactions you have, the more people want to grab your attention to their agenda which is usually to sell you something.
I am, by nature, a social person. However, I want to choose my interaction time with others and not be avalanched by requests for my time and resources. I'm already spending way too much time attached to a keyboard and sitting in a chair for so long isn't healthy for ...<< MORE >>
Eight is more than enough!
It's been a boom year for idiots so far. So many idiots, so few moments to write them all in a blog. But this one takes the cake so far, the octuplet* mom, or rather, what do you call the mother of 14 kids? A world class idiot! Not only is she an idiot for having used fertility drugs to conceive the first six kids, but the 2nd set of 8 at once is just unbelievable! The fact that those people around her who supposedly care for her well being must have all been seriously off their rockers to allow this woman to go through with this incredibly stupid plan is at the very least, negligent.
We have a population problem on this earth already. I know the religious zealots and large family kooks out there will argue that statistics show we are barely replacing ...<< MORE >>
Travel Tolerance
It's barely a new year and already I'm disgusted by my fellow humans. My hopes for sanity remain a distant
mirage. The news item of the Irfan Family kicked off AirTran Airways was appalling. Yes, I can understand how it happened based on the current idiotic
fervor that's happening across America since 9/11, especially since our current government encourages this kind of turn in your neighbor mentality. However, what doesn't make sense is that we seem to have forgotten our history in favor of current trends.
Why is it that one of the smaller minority of racial groups, European Americans, feels it's ok to torment
other Americans because of their appearance? Remember Timothy McVeigh and the profiling that happened to innocent people who happened to look like the American stereotypical "terrorist" from the Middle East? The evil doer there was as apple pie looking as the next Midwestern bigot! ...<< MORE >>
Insanity in Mumbai
The situation in Mumbai is horrific. Young boys
(younger than 30 is a boy in my book, especially those who play with guns!)
killing innocents, men, women and children and singling out those of American
and British nationality is like something out of a weird Steven King sci-fi,
badly scripted late night movie. What do they think they will accomplish by
these acts of unforgivable violence? I'm not from India, have never been there
and only have acquaintances who have, but I feel a kinship with the people I
see on the news reports both TV and online and it makes me sick to see what
they have to endure. Apparently they passed over anyone who appeared or claimed
to be Muslim. Why does it matter? Since the 9/11 attacks on the US, I've been
educating myself on other cultures and religions, especially Muslim/Islam, in
an effort to teach others around me tolerance for other ways of believing and
thinking. ...<< MORE >>
(younger than 30 is a boy in my book, especially those who play with guns!)
killing innocents, men, women and children and singling out those of American
and British nationality is like something out of a weird Steven King sci-fi,
badly scripted late night movie. What do they think they will accomplish by
these acts of unforgivable violence? I'm not from India, have never been there
and only have acquaintances who have, but I feel a kinship with the people I
see on the news reports both TV and online and it makes me sick to see what
they have to endure. Apparently they passed over anyone who appeared or claimed
to be Muslim. Why does it matter? Since the 9/11 attacks on the US, I've been
educating myself on other cultures and religions, especially Muslim/Islam, in
an effort to teach others around me tolerance for other ways of believing and
thinking. ...<< MORE >>
Fashion Faux Pas
Congratulations to Barack Obama and Joe Biden on their history-making sweep of the presidential race. We watched the edge-of-your-seat election coverage flipping between about 9 networks across the DirecTV satellite spectrum so we wouldn't miss anything. The concession speech of McCain's was pitch perfect and the best lesson in good sportsmanship my kids could have. The acceptance speech of Obama was spot on for its relevance and intensity.
Now, let's talk about the glaring situation that couldn't be ignored. What were the women thinking? All through this election for the past couple of years we could count on the women to be the epitome of style and class and possess that je ne sais quoi quality of panache that set them apart from the other women around them. WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT? Did they all give their stylists the day off? Did they go into their closets with their ...<< MORE >>
Now, let's talk about the glaring situation that couldn't be ignored. What were the women thinking? All through this election for the past couple of years we could count on the women to be the epitome of style and class and possess that je ne sais quoi quality of panache that set them apart from the other women around them. WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT? Did they all give their stylists the day off? Did they go into their closets with their ...<< MORE >>
Make 'Em Laugh!
I finally figured out why Sarah Palin was asked to be McCain's running mate. The talk show hosts and other comedians got together and decided it would be better for their collective careers if they had someone to provide content for their jokes for the next four years than it would be to have a better economy or to end the war. So they must have rallied together and approached McCain and his people and asked them to come up with someone who would give them job security. Palin is their ticket to continued success in comedy. If McCain isn't elected, she can just hike back up to the north pole with her shotgun and continue on with her local political career, maybe run for Senate, and someday write a memoir about how she almost made history. What the comedians didn't really count on though is that the ...<< MORE >>
Mute the Music!
I was googling articles on Sarah Palin's hair clip to share
with my husband because the comments about it are more brutal than Carrie's
from Sex in the City when she criticized the scrunchie wearing woman with her
then boyfriend. Anyway, I find a site that has good comments and as I'm adding
more tabs from my search results, I hear this music blasted in my ears! Since I
do a lot of my internet activity late at night, I wear ear phones so I don't
wake up the household.
I finally realize the music is coming from the blog site I'd
just clicked and have to scroll all the way down the site to find the controls
to turn it off. That is the same as noise pollution in my book! If you really
want people to read your blog and share your ideas with the world, at least
have the courtesy to give them the choice to ...<< MORE >>
with my husband because the comments about it are more brutal than Carrie's
from Sex in the City when she criticized the scrunchie wearing woman with her
then boyfriend. Anyway, I find a site that has good comments and as I'm adding
more tabs from my search results, I hear this music blasted in my ears! Since I
do a lot of my internet activity late at night, I wear ear phones so I don't
wake up the household.
I finally realize the music is coming from the blog site I'd
just clicked and have to scroll all the way down the site to find the controls
to turn it off. That is the same as noise pollution in my book! If you really
want people to read your blog and share your ideas with the world, at least
have the courtesy to give them the choice to ...<< MORE >>
Sale Price May Not Register
I was buying something at the hardware store the other day
and after making my purchases and heading out to the car it occurred to me that
the total might have been a bit higher than I had expected. So after perusing
the receipt and discovering that the one impulse item I had added at the last
minute was rung up as regular price instead of the orange clearance price which
got my attention in the first place and the only reason I picked it up anyway,
I headed back into the store. Of course, by now there was a small line and I
had to wait my turn while the person in front of me tried to figure out how to
provide the correct amount for their purchase. By the time I got to the front
of the line, I was thoroughly entertained by the bevy of other customers' conversations
and goings on. The clerk who checked ...<< MORE >>
and after making my purchases and heading out to the car it occurred to me that
the total might have been a bit higher than I had expected. So after perusing
the receipt and discovering that the one impulse item I had added at the last
minute was rung up as regular price instead of the orange clearance price which
got my attention in the first place and the only reason I picked it up anyway,
I headed back into the store. Of course, by now there was a small line and I
had to wait my turn while the person in front of me tried to figure out how to
provide the correct amount for their purchase. By the time I got to the front
of the line, I was thoroughly entertained by the bevy of other customers' conversations
and goings on. The clerk who checked ...<< MORE >>
8 Items or Less
Ever browse through a clothing store, meticulously choosing
no more than 8 items to try on at one time in the fitting room, knowing it will
be a pain to re-dress and wait for another open stall only to discover that the
rooms are locked and there's no attendant in sight? Then you have to make a
decision: Is it worth it to me to try on the dress that will probably make me
look like I'm trying to look younger or the jeans that I know won't fit over my
hips or do I forget the whole thing and go somewhere else just to start the
whole process over again? If it's worth it to go ahead and track down someone
(usually someone who moves a lot slower than you would like) to unlock the door
so you can start your self evaluation in the tiny tarnished mirror, then you
have to hunt them down through the ...<< MORE >>
Don't Squeeze the Charmin
Why is it that people will spend lots of money on hair
products, body products, designer clothes, exotic home decorations and yet they
still buy the cheapest 1-ply toilet paper to wipe their butts with? Or, you
spend beaucoup bucks for a fancy hotel experience and once you get in the room
that's not that spectacular but the view and location are great just to find
out they stocked the bathroom with the thinnest TP on the planet. What gives?
Do they think they're saving money? They're not. You have to use twice to three
times as much of the 1-ply cheap stuff as you would the 2-ply soft stuff in
order to get yourself clean. It's not a saving for the environment.
Do yourself and your rear a favor, buy the good toilet
paper. Life's too short to ...<< MORE >>
It's Over When the Fat Lady Sings!
Well, the election is over and this time the fat
lady sang but she didn't win. I'm sure Hillary will figure out some way to keep
herself in the limelight, after all, Bill needs to keep busy. And for those of
you who were Friends of Bill or Hillary or anyone else running for office and advertised
your choice of candidate on your front lawn or along the local route to the
liquor store, it's now time to take the signs down and recycle them or put them
on your living room wall, whatever. Just take them down. If you read the entry
about yard sale signs hanging around way past the sale date, it applies to this
as well. We don't care anymore about who is running for superintendent or about
the local bill that didn't pass, remove the evidence and let us get on with our
lives without the constant reminder ...<< MORE >>
lady sang but she didn't win. I'm sure Hillary will figure out some way to keep
herself in the limelight, after all, Bill needs to keep busy. And for those of
you who were Friends of Bill or Hillary or anyone else running for office and advertised
your choice of candidate on your front lawn or along the local route to the
liquor store, it's now time to take the signs down and recycle them or put them
on your living room wall, whatever. Just take them down. If you read the entry
about yard sale signs hanging around way past the sale date, it applies to this
as well. We don't care anymore about who is running for superintendent or about
the local bill that didn't pass, remove the evidence and let us get on with our
lives without the constant reminder ...<< MORE >>
Riding Shotgun
I pulled up to a stoplight yesterday and looked to my right
to see a small furry face looking back. Apparently the driver of the (no idea
what kind because I was too busy staring at the dog face) car next to me had his/her
(again, too busy staring at the dog face to notice) small dog perched on their
shoulder as they were driving so the doggy could see out of the window? What an
idiot!
It's bad enough that we have to deal with those of you out
there who apparently haven't heard of headsets and still hold onto your cell
phone in one hand while eating your drive through "meal" in the other
and steering with your knees. Now we have to be wary of you because some of you
think it's ok to have Fido or Fifi (didn't get close enough to check) hanging
out in your hair while ...<< MORE >>
Check Your Work
If you're going to advertise for your business to draw in
more customers, do yourself a favor and spell check your message first. A local
florist, in keeping with the upcoming Mother's Day event, posted on their sign
board the invitation to "Suprise her with flowers!" Although most
schools these days do teach reading phonetically; at some point they usually
catch up with the correct spelling and require it by the time the student
graduates from high school. I don't know about your habits, but I am typically
reluctant to do business with people who don't seem to have their act together.
This includes being able to intelligently market their products.
Yes, the public judges you by your outward appearance
and that includes the signage outside your business. First impressions are next
to impossible to change. Make yours a good one if you want to ...<< MORE >>
TMI (Too Much Information)!
Ever have a complete stranger give you their life story with
all the gory details? Why do people feel compelled to tell someone they don't
know the most intimate details of their life? And why am I one of those people
who seems to be approachable to do this to? I really don't need to know that
your husband once cheated on you or that your son is on his way to a life of
petty crime or that your aunt has some weird unpronounceable disease. I don't
know you and you're not part of my regular circle of friends and family so why
do you feel it necessary to share? Please don't. It's embarrassing,
uncomfortable and inappropriate. Share with your own circle of friends and
family and if you don't have one, maybe you should look at why and change your
behaviour so you can.
...<< MORE >>
Deep Fried Twinkies
We have an amusement park not far from home with rides and
all the great kinds of junk food you would expect. However, there's one
"treat" that I will probably never try: Deep Fried Twinkies! Yep,
just when you thought they couldn't come up with something worse than Elvis'
favorite deep-fried sandwich idea, they take one of the most toxic snack foods
ever created and make it even more lethal. Where does it go from here? Deep
fried Peeps? They'd probably melt. Or maybe not. The marshmallow plastic type
stuff they're made from might not be too far from the Twinkie artificial cake
like substance that seems to turn into bricklayer building material when left
to dry over a year or so.
I'm certain these snack "foods" will still be
around when the cockroaches have taken over the world eons from now. Maybe
that's what the cockroaches have ...<< MORE >>
See The Light
Whenever I need to make a major purchase for the house, it
seems like there's never a sale on the items needed. It seems that I'm at the
mercy of a savvy salesperson if I want to get things like window coverings, new
flooring or light fixtures. We recently did a major remodel and I was
overwhelmed by the level of detail that needed to go into every decision.
Because we chose to do most of the work ourselves and schedule the labor
separately instead of hiring a contractor to oversee the work, it became a several
month long education in the construction industry. Whew! It's amazing what you
learn by doing when you have to figure it out yourself.
One thing that required extensive research was the type of
lighting fixtures to use. It seemed like a fairly simple concept: we need light
in certain areas. ...<< MORE >>
Lane Crossers
Why can't people plan ahead? I was driving on the freeway
today in the second lane from the right (supposedly the "safest" lane
and least likely to get pulled over from) when this idiot in the lane to my
left suddenly remembers he has to exit right now. He swerves right across my
lane, zooms over the exit lane and barely makes it on the exit before hitting
the sign; totally oblivious that he almost caused at least two accidents from
those of us trying to avoid hitting him. Is this just panic mode caused by
waking suddenly from the tedium stupor induced by miles and miles of the same
scenery or did he just decide he had to pee and needed the first opportunity?
Whatever. It doesn't give him the right to put anyone else's life in danger by
reacting like a maniac. Calm down and drive to the next exit. If you have ...<< MORE >>
Water, Please
Ate out at a restaurant for dinner today and had what seems
to be a typical experience. The food was decent although nothing spectacular.
The service was fine except for one thing. We had requested glasses of water
for everyone and it took until halfway through the meal to get them. I
understand about water rationing and the now normal drought conditions here in
California but water is a pretty basic item for human survival. Surely that
could be the first item on the delivery list when someone actually requests it.
The other issue is that they automatically assume you want ice in your water. I
don't. I'm one of those people with sensitive teeth and ice water makes my
teeth hurt. I prefer room temperature water. I guess I'll have to specify that
if I want to order water in a restaurant. You really can't leave anything to
guesswork or assumption when it comes to ...<< MORE >>
Turn Out The Light!
Most people are so wrapped up in their own world that they
don't stop to think how their actions might affect others. The latest example
of this reared its head while we were camping recently. We found a reasonable
site at a state park and had just settled down in front of the campfire to chat
quietly when the neighbors in the next site returned from sightseeing and decided
to leave their high beams on so they could get ready for bed themselves. How
annoying can you be? It's in the middle of the woods. We're listening to the
sounds of nature and looking at the stars and suddenly it feels like high noon.
Have some courtesy when you're situated next to others. Use a flashlight and
shine the beam only on your area.
...<< MORE >>
Chocolate Bunny
Why is it that here in the U.S. Easter has become almost as
commercialized as Christmas? It used to be that you'd dye some eggs different
colors; the parents would hide them in the yard and you'd get a chocolate bunny
in a basket with plastic grass but you couldn't eat anything until after
church. These days they market huge baskets (still with plastic grass) with a
slew of toys made in China and candy that the kids don't seem to like. Have you
ever seen anyone actually eat one of those gummy hamburger candies? Blech! Luckily
my daughter grew out of her fondness for Peeps marshmallow candies. Almost as
disgusting as the Twinkie. But I digress.
Fortunately Easter is the last candy holiday of the season
which begins with Halloween and carries through Christmas, Valentine's Day and
now Easter. Maybe we'll be able to purge the ...<< MORE >>
Wait Your Turn
Ever have someone pull out right in front of you only to
meet up with them at a stoplight or pull into a driveway just down the road? Obviously
they must be in some huge hurry. But why on earth, if they're going just down
the road, do they have to pull out in front of me? Why can't they wait that infinitesimal
moment until after I've passed and then pull out in a frenzy to get to their
girlfriend's house that's three blocks away?
The worst drivers are those that pull out of their
driveways or side streets into traffic without actually looking to see what's
about to plow into them. Unfortunately, it's often me in my car. There's a
reason why they give the right of way to the traffic that's going by - you're
supposed to wait your turn!
...<< MORE >>
Here's Your Sign
It's spring and with this season we start to see something
that only comes out when the weather is nice but seems to stay for a long time.
That's right, I'm talking about the yard sale signs. It never fails. You see
them plastered on street signs around town and telephone poles; but does anyone
ever take them down? Not very often.
Part of the problem seems to lie in the fact that many of
the signs are difficult to read anyway so very few people pay attention to
them. Who thought it was a good idea to write your information in light pink on
tan cardboard? The message doesn't get through very well if you can't see it.
But that's for another time. You'd think that those who put up the signs would
want to take them down again if not just to avoid having ...<< MORE >>
Jaywalking
I don't mind it when people cross the street in the middle
of the block because it's usually a hassle to walk all the way to the next
crosswalk. I do mind when they do it right in front of where I'm trying to drive.
What are they thinking? That I'll have to stop because they're a pedestrian and
they can sue me if I don't? That they can play a little chicken with the cars
because they think they can run faster? Why do they have to choose that precise
moment when my car is passing to go across? They were just standing there a
moment ago and they couldn't wait another two seconds until I'm past to cross
then?
This reminds me of driving down our rural street this
time of year when the squirrels play kamikaze pilot with the cars. They ...<< MORE >>
Don't Beat Around the Bush
Why can't people talk straight? When they want to get
something from you, why can't they just ask instead of beating around the bush
until they finally get around to the real request? It's so annoying to start a
conversation with someone thinking that they're interested in the topic just to
find out they're humoring you until they can get their own agenda met. Be
honest with your listener. If you don't care about listening to them go on
about their pet but want to ask if you can borrow their chainsaw, ask about the
chainsaw. Especially if you're one of those people who will be blabbing to
someone else that you had to endure a ten minute treatise on Fluffy's latest
mishap before you felt able to ask if you could borrow the saw. If they find
out you were just biding your time trying not to roll your eyes, their feelings
will be hurt. ...<< MORE >>
Texting While Driving
Alright you know you've seen it all when you
watch somebody texting on their cell phone while driving down the street at 40
mph. Did they forget they're driving a car? Is it so important they can't just
call the person, pop on a headset and talk while they're driving (which would
be distracting enough). No, they have to multitask and divide their attention between
finding the right letters on the tiny buttons while trying to steer with their
knees because for some reason they have to hold the phone with one hand and
text with the other. Did I mention this person looked about 15? I want to know
when these people are driving around so I can decide to stay home. So now in
addition to the drivers driving drunk and eating and drinking coffee and
smoking while behind the wheel, we need to worry about teenagers who text. What's
next? Videogames ...<< MORE >>
watch somebody texting on their cell phone while driving down the street at 40
mph. Did they forget they're driving a car? Is it so important they can't just
call the person, pop on a headset and talk while they're driving (which would
be distracting enough). No, they have to multitask and divide their attention between
finding the right letters on the tiny buttons while trying to steer with their
knees because for some reason they have to hold the phone with one hand and
text with the other. Did I mention this person looked about 15? I want to know
when these people are driving around so I can decide to stay home. So now in
addition to the drivers driving drunk and eating and drinking coffee and
smoking while behind the wheel, we need to worry about teenagers who text. What's
next? Videogames ...<< MORE >>
Harry Puffer
So Harry Potter has become Harry Puffer! Daniel Radcliffe
apparently has a smoking addiction. Can't he read or are those glasses he wears
for his role causing him to go blind? I don't know about the packaging of
cigarettes in Britain but here in the States they all have the warning on them
that smoking causes cancer. He's not the only one. I see kids as young as 11 or
12 lighting up. Do they think they look cool? They can't possible like the
taste of the stuff - it's horrid. There are a number of much better kicks you
can get that taste better and won't eventually kill you unless you overdo it. Everything in moderation.
...<< MORE >>
Lift Off!
Why do some parents let their kids drink caffeine? I see
little kids, around six or seven, drinking colas at birthday parties along with
the mile high sugar on the cake. That's a recipe for dynamite. I guarantee that
after about 27 minutes, give or take 5 minutes depending on their tolerance
level, that kid is going to be ready for lift off. What are they thinking? Or
are they just not thinking about the fact that most colas have caffeine?
Since most of these parties are in the afternoon, I
can just imagine how those kids are at bedtime. Must make for interesting
evenings.
...<< MORE >>
Painting Yourself Into a Corner
Why haven't they figured out a better way to get paint out
of a paint can without making a huge mess? Someone came up with a clever little
gadget that fits on a standard size gallon paint can and helps the paint make
it over the lip so it doesn't drip down over the directions, but it only fits
the gallon size. What about the smaller size cans? I'm doing a painting project
that requires the use of several small paint cans and the process of pouring
out the paint into a usable container is making a mess. Luckily I planned ahead
and put down a tarp but it's still frustrating. I spend almost as much time
cleaning up as I do painting!
There's got to be some clever way to create a paint
container that has a built in pour spout that will hold the paint ...<< MORE >>
Who's On First?
There are some basic pieces of information that are
essential when you are announcing an event or trying to drum up business. They
are the same no matter what type of event: school related, extra curricular
activities, small business, big business, birthday parties, etc. Your audience
needs to know the basics: What, When, Where, Who and Why.
Now most people can handle the What and the Why and get most
of the When, but when it comes to Where and Who they stumble. For example, I've
seen a number of birthday party invites for my kids that don't mention if
siblings are included or excluded. This is an essential piece of information
for those parents who have more than one child and need to figure out what to
do with the others during the event. It's helpful to let them know up front if
it's ok to ...<< MORE >>
Stop Thief!
Why is it that no matter how carefully the clothing store
clerk checks your items, invariably one of them still has the theft protection
device and the alarm goes off as you're casually trying to exit the store with
your purchase? I hate that. It happens about one in every five shopping trips
and usually because the tag was put in a weird place.
The worst location was right under the armpit of a dress which
made it almost impossible to try on the dress because the tag was pinching the
fabric together and my arm wouldn't fit through. Whoever attaches those stupid
things must be an idiot. Almost as much an idiot as the person who designed
them in the first place! They're only slightly more effective than a car alarm
which isn't much. If you really wanted to steal a clothing item, I'm sure ...<< MORE >>
Telemarketers
What's with the telemarketers that call at 8:30 at night?
I'm trying to get my kids to sleep and the phone rings with someone wanting to
add to my Directv service. I tell them that they need to call back during the
day hours. So, the following night what happens? They call again at the same
time. I tell them again, they need to call during daytime hours and we'll talk
to them but we can't speak with them now. Next night.... they call again. This
time I give my husband's favorite line, "Look, do you mind not calling
right now, I'm having sex with my wife..." Works every time. They haven't
called back.
...<< MORE >>
No, After You
Ok so you get to the door at the exact same time as someone
else, what do you do? Do you speed up and barge through to be the first one? Do
you hold back and wait for the other person to go ahead? Do you speed up to open
the door and hold it for the other person? If you're a man, would your
behaviour be different if the other person were a woman instead of a man?
Likewise, if you're a woman, would your behaviour towards a man be different
than it would be towards a woman in this situation?
Does it matter how old or young you are or does it come down
to what your mother taught you? We all go through doors daily. Most of us are
in the company of others and find ourselves in this situation quite often. What
would ...<< MORE >>
In the Clouds
Why is it that fragrance is so popular in this culture?
Every where you go you're bombarded by some kind of scent, whether it's a
coworker at your office, the person in front of you at the grocery checkout or
the rolling clouds that flow out of places like Crabtree & Evelyn at the
mall. Candles with fragrance are extremely popular and home parties to sell
them are a common social networking event. Products like Febreze make it so we
never need to smell foul odors again. Just spray on the sofa and the dog smell
goes away. The TV commercials for this product show people obsessed with
sniffing the fragrance from the product and ignoring their normal life
situations.
Are we suddenly afraid to smell ourselves and our
environment? Are we all suffering from severe allergies such that our nasal
passages are blocked so we need to ...<< MORE >>
Freedom of Religion
Most people think that the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United
States provides for freedom of religion in this country. That's not exactly
true. The amendment actually reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and
to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." In other words,
the government can't set up its own religion (like they did way back in Europe)
and can't prevent citizens from practicing their chosen religion. But most
people would tell you that it gives us the right to choose which religion we
want to follow. However, they would probably not think about the concept that
it also allows one to not have a religion at all.
<< MORE >>
Line Up!
Why is it that lines never form in an orderly fashion or
move quickly when you need to get into one? Most grocery stores and discount
department stores like Target, Kmart, Wal-Mart, Toys 'R Us, etc. have it
figured out and have separate lines set up behind each cash register and
sometimes have the registers staggered so the lines won't cross each other.
However, the smaller institutions either haven't figured it out yet or just
want to be different and sometimes cause themselves problems because of this.
Trader Joes is a good example of this. In a democratic
society where everyone works together and no one has a hidden agenda their queuing
process might work. However, we're not really a democratic society when it
comes to grocery shopping. If you're in a hurry or you have cranky kids with
you or your lunch hour ran out ten ...<< MORE >>
Slow Children Playing
What's the deal with speed bumps? Yes I understand they're
supposed to slow you down while driving by schools and quiet neighborhoods; but
they only work when the person driving over them is paying attention. If you're
driving down a residential street and you don't see the speed bump but notice
it as you thunk over it, it only slightly slows down the vehicle but it causes
the vehicle to go wild momentarily. That's not safe at all. If the vehicle is
now suddenly flying out of control towards the sidewalk, it completely defeats
the purpose of the speed bump to slow people down and make the streets safe for
pedestrians. Wouldn't it be better to put some of those hockey puck little
bumps scattered there and there so you don't actually lose control but you get
an almost constant reminder if you're driving too fast. Driving slowly over the
little bumps doesn't feel much different ...<< MORE >>
Clifford Doesn't Live Here
Which came first, the small apartment or the big dog? I
think it's cruel for people who live in small apartments, condos, cottages or
mobile homes to have really big dogs. I've seen these people walking their
Great Dane down the streets of San Francisco knowing that the only housing for
miles around consists of small flats with no real yard and lots of pavement. These
folks seem to be ok with the idea that they are forced to carry a bag with them
into which they will be scooping the excrement from their beloved pooch and
finding appropriate disposal for it. Why don't they just teach the dog to go on
the toilet and save everyone some trouble. I know they've been able to teach
cats to do this, why not dogs?
If you live in a city where your home is small and the
outdoor experience ...<< MORE >>
Gesundheit!
Why have we not come up with a better way to rid
ourselves of nose gunk (mucus) than by blowing it into a piece of paper and
wiping our nose until it's raw because of the volume? Since we can't cure the
common cold, surely we can figure out something for the symptoms better than
this? Even the softer hankerchief doesn't work if you're blowing buckets of
phlegm unless you happen to have a wardrobe of them to match every outfit and a
good laundry service. It's still not a very hygienic solution to a universal
problem. How about disposable tampons for noses? Mini ones that are made of a
gentler (recycled, of course) kind of paper or fabric that won't clog landfills
but biodegrade quickly. Designer fashion nose plugs that soak up all the snot. I
can just see it at the drug store - "I'll take a package of the Prada
Plugs, ...<< MORE >>
ourselves of nose gunk (mucus) than by blowing it into a piece of paper and
wiping our nose until it's raw because of the volume? Since we can't cure the
common cold, surely we can figure out something for the symptoms better than
this? Even the softer hankerchief doesn't work if you're blowing buckets of
phlegm unless you happen to have a wardrobe of them to match every outfit and a
good laundry service. It's still not a very hygienic solution to a universal
problem. How about disposable tampons for noses? Mini ones that are made of a
gentler (recycled, of course) kind of paper or fabric that won't clog landfills
but biodegrade quickly. Designer fashion nose plugs that soak up all the snot. I
can just see it at the drug store - "I'll take a package of the Prada
Plugs, ...<< MORE >>
Picking Up Paperclips
Why is it that we don't value education at all in this
country? We continually gripe about how poorly our students seem to be educated
when they graduate from high school yet we aren't willing to do anything about
improving the quality of that education by hiring good teachers and by
maintaining the teachers we already have. Here in California we are continually
bombarded by budget crisis issues and the first thing that seems to get cut
every time is education and support for the schools. That's idiotic! Our entire
future hangs in the balance of kids getting a decent education so they can
continue to grow this society and we want to short change them.
The teachers in our district are facing a salary cut once
again. Right now they have to pony up for their classroom way too many of the
essential supplies that you ...<< MORE >>
Blood is Thicker...
A friend of mine recently got in trouble because of
something his brother's friend did. His brother lives in my friend's house and the
brother had a friend visiting. This friend of the brother was into some very
illegal activities and by association, when the cops came to check out the
activities of the friend (probation, suspicious, etc.) they arrested everyone,
including my friend because he happened to have a collection of guns. Now even
though the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution allows us the right to bear arms,
we still have difficulty pulling this one off. I don't know about you but I am
in greater fear every day of my own government rising up against me for no
particular reason. It's not paranoia, it's plain fact based on the continued
anti-Constitutional activities of our current president. The Revolutionists had
the same fear and look what happened. There's a reason why we have that
Amendment. We ...<< MORE >>
Move It On Over
It's that time of year again when the fruit trees are in
bloom as well as the daffodils and narcissus and the bicyclists think they own
the road. Why is it that people who like to ride bikes a lot never seem to
understand that they need to share the road with the cars that weigh so much
more than they do? I see them pumping their way down the rural road, three
abreast, deep in conversation, lollygagging about the scenery while I'm trying
to get past them to get my kids to school on time. But I'm not the only one who
wishes they would move over and let us pass. The other drivers who are racing
their way to work, travel mug of coffee in hand, fiddling with their phone in
the other, switching radio stations trying to find the traffic report so
they'll know just how late they'll really be, those are ...<< MORE >>
Barbarians at the Gate
There's a gate in the neighborhood that's supposed to deter
the riff raff apparently from the rural estates. However, the gate keeps
breaking from the constant usage. There are about a hundred people who drive
through it every day and they're surprised when it can't handle that volume. So
they keep convincing each other that they have to keep fixing the gate because
they just can't stand the idea that someone might actually decide to drive
through, park somewhere and look at their view. If that were the case then I'd
be more concerned about litter and erosion than roaming gangs of teenage thugs
aimed at destruction. It would be pretty easy to spot someone leaving the scene
if they have to drive down a windy mountain road past the usual day walkers and
dog herders to get away.
Anyway, they finally seem to have come ...<< MORE >>
Virtual Virus
Don't use technology if you don't understand it. Plain and simple. Example: If you're going to email a document to people, please change it to Adobe PDF (portable document format) format so you're not spreading viruses with MS Word docs! Microsoft products, especially Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint) are the most targeted software on the planet for viruses and worms. Why tempt fate by emailing documents using these formats when a much safer version is possible! Do you want to be responsible for frying your friend's hard drive?
The worst example of the Word doc emailer I've ever seen was someone who worked for a non-profit organization and sent out an enormous newsletter monthly as a Word doc. The thing was so huge it took a long time to load as a Word doc ...<< MORE >>
The worst example of the Word doc emailer I've ever seen was someone who worked for a non-profit organization and sent out an enormous newsletter monthly as a Word doc. The thing was so huge it took a long time to load as a Word doc ...<< MORE >>
Retail Redux
This is not my week for retail therapy. Blunders at the cash
register are starting to drive me crazy. I've started double-checking my
receipts on every purchase. The weirdest one was at Toys 'R Us where I went to
pick up a couple of things with the kids the other day. We purchased a birthday
present which had two parts to it and a Little League bat. When I open the bag
at home later I find a $4.99 birthday card that seems to have made its way into
the bag and onto the receipt. There's no envelope. Apparently the clerk wasn't
thinking when they rung up the sale and just tossed it in with everything else.
Now wouldn't you ask if you thought someone was trying to buy a birthday card
without an envelope? Yeah, I would too, but apparently this person just didn't
have their act together.
<< MORE >>
"King of the Demo"
All right. I've had it with clever marketing campaigns
disguised as reality. The stunt Fred Simmons pulled on Conan's late night talk
show last night was in very poor taste. It was a train wreck to watch. I was
feeling sorry for the poor kids who had to endure their supposed Tae Kwon Doe
teacher bullying them and cursing expletives on national television, all to
promote a supposed upcoming movie. I am apparently not the audience for this
type of locker room humor. If companies and individuals want to promote a
movie, just tell us it's a pitch and let us decide if we want to watch it. I
actually appreciated it during the writers' strike when Jay Leno had talented
people on the show showcasing their various and sometimes bizarre talents. It
reminded me of Lawrence Welk, the Sonny and Cher show, the Carole Burnett Show
and the other very entertaining TV variety shows we ...<< MORE >>
Bump and Grind
As I was waiting in the car line to pick up the kids from
school today, I noticed a rather large SUV with its lights on looking like it
was about to back out of the premium parking space. Thinking it was my lucky
day, I backed up a little so the person could feel comfortable maneuvering
their vehicle into the line of traffic snaking through the parking lot. I
waited and waited and just as I was pulling out of range to be able to pull
into the space after they vacated it and the vehicles behind me were getting
antsy, (there was a rather long line of SUVs that were larger than my little
4-door normal size car and the drivers had already been to Starbucks so they were amped!) the
large SUV pulls forward over the cement divider with a thunk and exits the
parking lot.
<< MORE >>
"Who are you wearing?"
I like watching spectacles like the Oscars where celebrities
dress to the nines and parade down a red carpet. I don't like the follow up
shows with a fashion focus which always have fashion "experts"
commenting on the outfits of the other celebrities. What occurs to me about
this strange concept of criticizing others in one's own industry is that the
"experts" are often wearing outfits that appear to me to be major
fashion faux pas. Who made these people "experts" in the first place
and second, why do they get to criticize others for their clothing decisions
and get paid to harp about why they agree or not with the celebrity choices?
Unfortunately a huge industry has built up around the idea
that the average person sitting at home watching the awards shows and seeing
the fancy clothes by couture designers will want to run out ...<< MORE >>
Not Wash & Wear
I have long had the suspicion that there's a conspiracy
between the clothing manufacturers and the dry cleaning industry. It makes
sense if you look at all of the clothing labels that claim the garment is
"dry clean only." What kind of arrangement could they have made? The
dry cleaners, of course, get extra business this way and are able to charge
whatever they like to dry clean that sweater that looks a lot like another
sweater in your closet with a tag that explains how to "machine wash in
cold and lay flat to dry." However, what do the clothing manufacturers get
from this deal? Perhaps there's some kind of obsolescence built into the
fabrics that makes them fall apart quicker if they're exposed to dry cleaning
chemicals? Makes sense.
I'm a bit of a rebel on this with a devil-may-care
attitude that says I'm ...<< MORE >>
Tight Squeeze
What's the deal with water bottles that don't fit in the cup holders in cars? What's the point? Seriously. The cup holders are designed to hold water bottles, especially the back seat. You don't see too many back seat riders drinking coffee, do you? Precisely. Which is why it puzzles me that it's so hard to find a refillable water bottle that will actually fit in the cup holders of most vehicles. You'd think this would be a no brainer, but it seems to be quite a challenge. A huge market was made with the plastic not-really-meant-to-be-refilled bottles like Crystal Geyser, Aquafina, Arrowhead, etc. but now that we know they're not environmentally friendly and we want to do our part to help Mother Earth, we find a bottleneck in the process because the right sized bottle is so hard to find.<< MORE >>
"If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and dial the number again."
It's appalling that the typical lifespan of a standard piece of technology these days is getting shorter and shorter. Take the cell phone, it used to be that you could hang onto your phone for at least three years with all the parts still functioning fairly well. That isn't the case any longer. The last phone I had started to fall apart in about 9 months! The buttons were cracking and the screen had a permanent indentation from the little nub that's on the "5" button to help you find your place while you're texting while driving (Aaugh! That's a later blog!).
And to put the icing on the cake, you can't just swap out parts. The connectors don't always fit with different models of phones so the headsets and ...<< MORE >>
And to put the icing on the cake, you can't just swap out parts. The connectors don't always fit with different models of phones so the headsets and ...<< MORE >>
Holy Socks!
Why can't I find a pair of comfortable socks that won't wear
out on the first wearing? It seems that our trade buddies in China win another
one because most of the socks I find in the stores are made there and made very
cheaply. My big toes poke holes in them after wearing them only a few hours. It
doesn't help that they seem to make them smaller as well.
The same problem exists for kids' socks. It's extremely
difficult to find socks for my son that will fit in his shoes comfortably. Who
came up with the idea that all boys socks have to be tube socks? My kid hates
tube socks and won't wear them because they bunch up in the shoes and make them
very uncomfortable. But that's the only kind that's available in most stores.
<< MORE >>
Tag, You're It!
Why is it that in this day and age it still itches to put on
clothes? Many of the clothing manufacturers have adopted the idea of printing
or stamping the tag information on the fabric where the tag would normally go.
Brilliant! Why didn't they think of it earlier? Now, if only they could do that
with all clothes and shoes as well. The tags on shoes often cut into your feet
even with socks.
The problem with the old fashioned tags is if it's not
easy to detach the tag and you're forced to cut it, then you're left with just
as sharp edges of whatever bizarre scratchy fabric they've chosen to promote
their brand on. Why not attach a tag inside a pocket and add the laundry and
care instructions to it as well? That would make more sense. For those garments
that ...<< MORE >>
Don't Elect More Idiots!
Election years are very scary. The back and forth between the candidates, the hours upon hours of unending conjecture daily on who will actually win the election. The ads run by each campaign that somehow don't make their candidate look any better than the competition. And the fact that this country seems to forget that we have more than just two political parties. There's more to life than being a Democrat or a Republican. I'm usually a registered Libertarian. I re-registered as a Democrat just so I could vote for Hillary Clinton because I believe it's time we had a woman in the white house. I think Barack can do a decent job, I just believe he's still a little young and inexperienced. Give him four more years (or eight perhaps, who knows?) and he will make an excellent president next time around. However, ...<< MORE >>
Don't Be Roadkill!
Ever go driving down a seemingly quiet mountain road twisting and turning in and out of the dappled shadows of the trees overhead, listening to your favorite tune on the car stereo, enjoying your mastery of the curves, when suddenly you have to swerve into the other lane to avoid a jogger that you couldn't see because they're wearing the same color as the scenery? That's another idiot.
So you thought you'd take a jog, get some exercise and fresh air; maybe take the dog along (again that's a whole other blog for another day). So you lace up your running shoes and head out the door throwing on whatever pullover is handy, not thinking that maybe there needs to be more preparation before you become the next victim of the text-messaging, coffee-guzzling, tune-changing, map-reading road ...<< MORE >>
So you thought you'd take a jog, get some exercise and fresh air; maybe take the dog along (again that's a whole other blog for another day). So you lace up your running shoes and head out the door throwing on whatever pullover is handy, not thinking that maybe there needs to be more preparation before you become the next victim of the text-messaging, coffee-guzzling, tune-changing, map-reading road ...<< MORE >>
Reverse Engineering?
It's amazing what people think they can do. Whether it's a super-inflated ego or just ignorance about their own abilities, some people just will not give in. For example, why do people believe that real, life-size cars and trucks and trailers can be maneuvered in the same way as the toy versions? Today I watched while a pickup towing a medium sized trailer stopped in the middle of the street in front of one of the pizza places in town and then tried to back into the parking lot with the trailer first. It ended up blocking several other cars from getting out for quite a while. I watched for at least ten minutes before my business was completed and it lost my interest. Nope, this one wasn't thinking. I also have to mention that one of his headlights was out (that's a blog ...<< MORE >>
Nice Doggy
Why is it that people who have dogs just don't seem to
understand that the rest of the world doesn't love their dog and that their dog
doesn't necessarily love them? You can take the most down-to-earth, pragmatic,
realistic, centered, normal person and put them with their beloved pet bulldog,
"Spike", and they will insist up one side and down another that their
dog couldn't possibly bite anyone because he's just too sweet. What, are you
kidding me? Now, both my kids are afraid of dogs. We've never had a dog. We had
a cat for several years until she died a couple of years ago. We're the only
ones around our neighborhood (loosely speaking if you can call a rural mountain
community a "neighborhood") that doesn't have a dog though. Our one
neighbor who lives up the hill and comes down to visit now and then often has
his dogs trailing after him. One ...<< MORE >>
Eggzactly!
Ever go grocery shopping and spend extra time picking out just the right loaf of bread that doesn't seem to have been squeezed by too many hands just to have it end up at the bottom of a bag beneath the apples and oranges and squished anyway? That just PMO! Or opened all the cartons of eggs and jiggled each one in the tray to make sure there were no cracks or breaks unseen before carefully laying them away from everything else in the cart just to have them dumped unceremoniously into the bag with the ice cream planted firmly on top? Come on - it wasn't the bagger's first day but they probably weren't really paying attention. I think I'd like to be able to veto the choice of bagger or just do it myself at the grocery stores. If I look at ...<< MORE >>
Anticipation Part 2
Happy Valentine's Day! If you have a headache today, beware, the medicine you so desperately need may be beyond your reach even though you hold the container in your hand. The manufacturers of medicine containers must have some sort of consortium to which all belong because they all use the same stupid bottles where you have to line up the arrows in order to pry open the plastic top. They call these "Child-proof" or "Kid-safe". I call them ridiculous. I've worn down the pads on my fingers and thumbs trying to wrench open a bottle of ibuprofen so I could take some and relieve my pounding head. My kids have figured out how to get the drug containers open but I can't seem to get it open when I need to because it either requires more effort than I'm willing to expend or there's ...<< MORE >>
Anticipation
Do you remember the Heinz ketchup commercials from several years ago with Carole King singing her song, "Anticipation " while you watched the kid on TV trying to get the ketchup out of the bottle? That's what it was like watching my husband at dinner last night trying to get the relish out of a jar that had the wrong size opening for the relish to come out. It has a pop top with a small hole that's just not big enough for the relish pieces to come out so the only thing that comes out when you squeeze it is the juice. Not very good when you've got a hankering for relish on your hot dog. There are so many packages where the opening is just not the right size for the product to be dispensed. I was treating the kids with ice ...<< MORE >>
Don't Click!
I'm amazed and appalled at the volume of spam I get every day on my various email accounts. My penis (if I had one) should be about as big as the Empire State Building by now and I should have a warehouse full of Viagra and Cialis and whatever other drugs they want to sell me. Come on, do they think we're that stupid that we're going to let their emails get through our spam filters, open them and click on their links to see what they have to offer? And then maybe buy something from them? Yes, they do. Because some of us idiots out here actually do exactly that. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! Nothing can change the size of your penis. Your breasts cannot be enlarged by creams. You can't lose weight by breathing air and you can probably get a better deal ...<< MORE >>
Le Bon Mot ou Le Mot Juste?
Language is important. Using the appropriate word or phrase to accentuate your conversation can help your listener's comprehension tremendously. Likewise, if you use the correct words, you're more likely to be understood. However, if you use inappropriate words or phrases, you risk alienating your listener or at the very least causing them a fit of the giggles. Also, if you don't know what the word means, don't use it. This is especially true for words or phrases in other languages. If you are not a native speaker of that language or have received excellent tutoring in the correct use of a particular word or phrase, be careful how you use it or don't bother using it at all. You risk embarrassment for your listener and yourself. Our school has a newsletter that gets sent home or emailed monthly. The ...<< MORE >>
Don't Fence Me In
One of my neighbors is landscaping and putting in a swimming pool. Good for them, they'll need it when it gets hot this summer. Anyway, the pool is built right off their patio but their house is built on the top of a hill. In order to have the pool located near the house they had to create a mini hill and dig a hole in the middle for the water. So, technically I guess you could say it's a sunken swimming pool that's also above the ground. Anyway, that's the not the idiotic item. They need to build a fence around the pool, of course, to keep anyone from straying accidentally into the pool and they're building the standard 6 - 8' high fence all around the perimeter. But it's at the bottom of the mini hill. Which means that you can see ...<< MORE >>
Stuck in the Middle With You
I was driving through town today and pulled up to a stop
light to wait. Suddenly sirens wailed from off to the left and two Sheriff's vehicles
sped by in front of me with their backseats full headed for the local jail.
Ok. Since I was half a block from the courthouse, that's not surprising. Just as I was pulling into the intersection to make my turn, I hear more
sirens, but this time from a couple of highway patrol cars trying to make their
way through the traffic at the intersection. Now, a little forethought could
have saved them a lot of trouble and all of those poor schleps around them a bit of trauma. So, it's your typical city street with two full lanes for traffic
going in each direction (total of four lanes) with the center turn lane and a
separate right turn lane into the next street. This is ...<< MORE >>
light to wait. Suddenly sirens wailed from off to the left and two Sheriff's vehicles
sped by in front of me with their backseats full headed for the local jail.
Ok. Since I was half a block from the courthouse, that's not surprising. Just as I was pulling into the intersection to make my turn, I hear more
sirens, but this time from a couple of highway patrol cars trying to make their
way through the traffic at the intersection. Now, a little forethought could
have saved them a lot of trouble and all of those poor schleps around them a bit of trauma. So, it's your typical city street with two full lanes for traffic
going in each direction (total of four lanes) with the center turn lane and a
separate right turn lane into the next street. This is ...<< MORE >>
Patches
Well, it's cold and flu season and at least half my family
is suffering through the fevers, stuffy noses and coughs that herald this time
of year. My youngest, who is almost 7, seems to have it the worst this time. He
wheezes when he sleeps. Now a year ago, I would have had a good therapy for
this: vapor patches. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid and had a
cold, my mom would slather Vick's Vapor Rub all over my chest and neck and
under my nose and it worked like a miracle to keep my nose clear through the
night. Well, sometimes the ointment could burn a little from the camphor so
instead of using this approach with my kids, I decided to try something a
little different and was ecstatic to find a product that worked just as well
without the mess: Triaminic's vapor patch. They came in mint ...<< MORE >>
is suffering through the fevers, stuffy noses and coughs that herald this time
of year. My youngest, who is almost 7, seems to have it the worst this time. He
wheezes when he sleeps. Now a year ago, I would have had a good therapy for
this: vapor patches. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid and had a
cold, my mom would slather Vick's Vapor Rub all over my chest and neck and
under my nose and it worked like a miracle to keep my nose clear through the
night. Well, sometimes the ointment could burn a little from the camphor so
instead of using this approach with my kids, I decided to try something a
little different and was ecstatic to find a product that worked just as well
without the mess: Triaminic's vapor patch. They came in mint ...<< MORE >>
Gung Hay Fat Choy?
Happy Chinese New Year. And Happy Mardi Gras from Tuesday -
got a little distracted from the election to mention it, but these two are
interrelated: Mardi Gras and the Chinese. It seems that the only place they
really celebrate Mardi Gras is in New Orleans and surrounding areas. If you've
never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you're in for a unique experience.
It's basically one huge town party where it's expected that you'll get drunk, watch
parades, and trade beads. That's the basics. But until you go there yourself
and witness the enormity of the whole thing, you really can't understand how
huge this event really is. It's enormous and the trash left afterward is
indicative of the scale of it. A large part of that trash is plastic beaded
necklaces, discarded and left for the sweepers. Those plastic beaded necklaces
have become a symbol for the decadence of the Mardi Gras experience. ...<< MORE >>
Spud for President?
The Super Bowl was such a disappointment this year because
there really were no spectacular ads that jumped out of the wash and screamed,
"Hey, look at me!" No 1984 weird extravaganza that left your jaw on
the floor. No funky frogs that made you laugh. No clever, but annoying Bud Bowl
to bet on. It was just plain vanilla. The game itself was absolutely amazing,
but I was only paying partial attention to that while waiting for the
commercial breaks. What a waste. Actually at half time I drove to the market
and gave up on the whole thing. I got back just in time for the last 4 minutes
so I didn't really miss much. Those advertisers missed the mark though. Idiots!
Now we're suffering through miserable campaign advertising
and I can't wait until this election year is over and ...<< MORE >>
Passing Fancies
Why is it that when people drive on narrow roadways and a
car approaches from the opposite direction, they can't seem to figure out what
to do? For some reason, I seem to always come across the ones who aren't paying
attention and pull over at the narrowest place on the road and wait for me to
pass thinking they're doing me a favor. Or the ones who just push their way
through regardless of the space available and avoid all eye contact claiming
the road as their own. Then there are the ones who obviously weren't paying
attention and were caught off guard when you suddenly show up in their
windshield and they seem to freak out and either jerk to a stop where they are
(even if it's right next to the huge tree that's sticking out into the roadway
making it impossible to pass them) or they slow down slightly and try to
squeeze ...<< MORE >>
Friend of Bill?
It's interesting to me how emotional people get when they
talk about the upcoming election and the choices for president. The reasons
people are voting for one over the other: Senator McCain was a POW and
therefore deserves to be president; Hillary Clinton is a bitch and should have
been able to keep Bill from dropping trou in the oval office; Barack Obama is a
good speaker and reminds everyone of JFK. Let's hope not too closely. Get real!
You don't really know these people. Unless you're related to them, a neighbor,
colleague, friend of the family, fellow churchgoer, whatever, you really have
no idea what they are really like. All of them grew up in upper middle class
households and do not represent the majority of the population of this nation.
Unfortunately that's how it is with pretty much all of the political
representatives in Washington. They don't really have much in common with ...<< MORE >>
Pick on Someone Your Own Age!
What makes people think that they can bully others? My mother
(currently approaching 80 years young) had an absolute you-know-what for a
landlord. This guy accused her of basically trashing this dumpy little duplex
and wanted to collect hundreds of dollars in addition to the $Grand he
already had for her security deposit. He didn't bother to follow California state
law and provide receipts for work completed. He also didn't listen to her when
she explained that the stove hadn't worked since the previous landlord
remodeled the kitchen and hadn't hooked it up again!
I've got to believe this guy must be short. He also must be
balding and have a paunch. Why else would he be acting like a megalomaniac and
harassing little old ladies unless it made him feel like a bigger man. He has
to pick on those who he believes can't fend for themselves ...<< MORE >>
Web Shopping Mystery
The company sent me a paper catalog announcing a reasonable sale of winter merchandise. I actually found a few things I couldn't live without and, after spending several days in contemplation to final my decision and be ok with spending my bucks on items that may or may not enhance my existence, I finally found time to navigate to their website to make a purchase. I've bought from them before and been relatively satisfied so I wasn't worried about that. However, I was in for a surprise. I managed to find the place to enter an item number from the catalog and copied the number from the first item into the box and clicked Enter and waited while it refreshed the screen. Well, instead of confirming the item and allowing me to select a quantity, I received an error ...<< MORE >>
We Can't See You!
It's been raining on and off for weeks now and every time I drive somewhere, it bugs me to watch the other drivers. It could be pouring down "cats and dogs" and at least 1 in every 8 or so cars doesn't have their headlights on. What idiots! Don't they realize that it's not so they can see where they're going; (although from the looks of some of them, they don't seem to have a clue about that either) the headlights are so we can see them and not run into them. Duh!
There's a saying, and I think it's even a law here in California, that when the wipers are on the headlights should be too. ...<< MORE >>
What is a "Common Sense Idiot?"
You know who they are. Those people who do stupid things right in front of you and you just can't believe they would do something that idiotic. That's a Common Sense Idiot. Or someone who just doesn't get it. Their behavior is so illogical that you have to scratch your head and ask yourself, "What are they thinking?" That's the point, they're not thinking. Obviously. Because if they were; if they used their not-so-common sense, they would not have done or said what they did, or would they? This idea applies not just to individuals but groups, organizations, companies, institutions, governments, etc. Anyone can be a Common Sense Idiot! Try to show some common sense, please, so we're not writing about you next time!