Politics can be a crazy thing and in Colorado they can be really crazy.
One of the many things I love about Colorado is that it can be progressive and forward thinking. Two things that Coloradoans really love are the environment and a healthy lifestyle. Think about it. We have beautiful mountains running through our state and people want to preserve that beauty. And the mountains and open space also open themselves to hiking, running, biking, and other outdoor activities. It's no wonder that Colorado often tops lists of most eco-friendly and healthiest states.
Earlier this year Denver launched a large bike-share program. There are about forty bike share stations throughout the city and you pay by the hour to rent a bicycle. One would think that this is a great thing. For those who don't own cars, this is a way for them to get around town. Riding a bike is healthy and one less vehicle on the road is good for the environment. Totally harmless and a great idea, right? Not so, according to Republican gubernatorial candidate, Dan Maes. Let's just say that Maes puts the "guber" in gubernatorial.
Maes has criticized the bike share program and has implied that there is something evil lurking in the program. Denver happens to be a member of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), an international organization that promotes sustainable development, and the ICLEI happens to promote and encourage bike sharing. You'd think that sustainable development would be a good thing, but apparently the "international" part of the organization is what terrifies Maes. Maes has said that the bike share program threatens to convert Denver into a United Nations community and that the program could threaten our personal freedoms. Um, really?
Let's ignore the fact that Denver joined the ICLEI in 1992 along with about 600 other cities in the United States, apparently in this political climate anything influenced or inspired by an international organization or foreign countries is a dangerous thing. Maybe Maes thinks that by being a member of this organization we will sign our rights away to the United Nations and we will become like other European countries—because, you know, guaranteed government-sponsored health care, civil rights for gays and lesbians, religious freedom, and politics that are not influenced by religion are bad things.
The only thing that could possibly make matters worse is the fact that the bicycles are all painted red, and I'm surprised that Maes didn't bring that up. Red bicycles are obviously socialist or communist or fascist or something un-American. If people start sharing and borrowing bikes, what else could that lead to? Renting and borrowing books? Sharing knowledge? God help our society!
Showing posts with label Stupidity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stupidity. Show all posts
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Stupid Reviews
Whenever hearing or reading a review, whether it be a book review or a movie review or any kind of review, I always try to take it with a grain of salt. Unless the review is coming from a family member or a close friend who knows my style and taste, I know to not get my hopes up or to get too excited. People just have different interests and tastes, and that's perfectly fine. I've been given glowing reviews and recommendations on things that I ended up not liking, and I'm sure there are a lot of things I really like that others would not like. It's just the way of the world and that's what keeps things fun and interesting.
But there is such a thing as a stupid review. Last night, while looking for something good to watch from Netflix, I stumbled across North Face. It was listed under the "Popular in Boulder, Colorado" category. The movie is set in the 1930s and it is about two German mountain climbers and their Austrian rivals who set out on a treacherous mountain climb of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps. The movie is absolutely beautiful, stunning, intense, exciting, and moving, and I would recommend it to family and friends (and they can take that review and recommendation with a grain of salt, if they wish).
But now I must return to the stupid review part of this post. In addition to being listed under "Popular in Boulder," North Face is also listed under "Foreign Films" and "German Language." It's a foreign film, and, to Americans, that usually means that the movie is not in English. Yep, that's why they call it a foreign film, buddy...
But there is such a thing as a stupid review. Last night, while looking for something good to watch from Netflix, I stumbled across North Face. It was listed under the "Popular in Boulder, Colorado" category. The movie is set in the 1930s and it is about two German mountain climbers and their Austrian rivals who set out on a treacherous mountain climb of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps. The movie is absolutely beautiful, stunning, intense, exciting, and moving, and I would recommend it to family and friends (and they can take that review and recommendation with a grain of salt, if they wish).
But now I must return to the stupid review part of this post. In addition to being listed under "Popular in Boulder," North Face is also listed under "Foreign Films" and "German Language." It's a foreign film, and, to Americans, that usually means that the movie is not in English. Yep, that's why they call it a foreign film, buddy...
Monday, February 08, 2010
Priorities
It has been snowing here in Colorado for the past two days. The snow was supposed to stop at about 10:00 a.m. this morning. It snowed all day and, at times, got worse throughout the day. The drive to work was slow going. In some places the roads were plowed, but in other places the trucks simply dropped the chemical to melt the snow and ice and left behind them a mess of slush. Eventually I made it into the office.
I have a huge window in my cubicle so I could watch the snow fall all day. I was often looking down into the back parking lot and was amused and annoyed that I never saw anyone come by to plow our lot. Our lot already has a bad history. One of our employees slipped on the ice in the parking lot and broke her elbow. A few weeks ago another employee slipped on the ice in the parking lot. She didn't break anything and she was fine, and she's lucky because she is pregnant. So after a pregnant woman slips and falls on the ice, you'd think that the building managers would be better about keeping the snow and ice cleared from the parking lot. Apparently that's not the case. When I left the office this evening, the sidewalks were barely shoveled and the lot was covered with snow and ice. Ironically, a small patch of sidewalk surrounding the bike racks was shoveled recently. So, in spite of a huge parking lot and several walkways, they decided to clear the area around the bike racks. There were no bikes attached to the bike racks and I wonder how many people would actually ride their bike through 4 or 5 inches of snow while it was still snowing. And at time the snow was falling sideways! Apparently walking across the parking lot and getting in and out of it isn't as important as keeping the area near the bike racks clear.
I have a huge window in my cubicle so I could watch the snow fall all day. I was often looking down into the back parking lot and was amused and annoyed that I never saw anyone come by to plow our lot. Our lot already has a bad history. One of our employees slipped on the ice in the parking lot and broke her elbow. A few weeks ago another employee slipped on the ice in the parking lot. She didn't break anything and she was fine, and she's lucky because she is pregnant. So after a pregnant woman slips and falls on the ice, you'd think that the building managers would be better about keeping the snow and ice cleared from the parking lot. Apparently that's not the case. When I left the office this evening, the sidewalks were barely shoveled and the lot was covered with snow and ice. Ironically, a small patch of sidewalk surrounding the bike racks was shoveled recently. So, in spite of a huge parking lot and several walkways, they decided to clear the area around the bike racks. There were no bikes attached to the bike racks and I wonder how many people would actually ride their bike through 4 or 5 inches of snow while it was still snowing. And at time the snow was falling sideways! Apparently walking across the parking lot and getting in and out of it isn't as important as keeping the area near the bike racks clear.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Going Tramp...
In light of Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue, I thought I'd share a few definitions of rogue courtesy of the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
rogue (noun):
1. vagrant, tramp
2. a dishonest or worthless person: scoundrel
3. a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave
4. an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation
rogue (adjective):
1. resembling or suggesting a rogue elephant especially in being isolated, aberrant, dangerous, or uncontrollable
2. corrupt, dishonest
3. of or being a nation whose leaders defy international law or norms of international behavior
rogue (verb):
1. to weed out inferior, diseased, or nontypical individuals from a crop plant or a field
So these are supposed to be good qualities?
rogue (noun):
1. vagrant, tramp
2. a dishonest or worthless person: scoundrel
3. a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave
4. an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation
rogue (adjective):
1. resembling or suggesting a rogue elephant especially in being isolated, aberrant, dangerous, or uncontrollable
2. corrupt, dishonest
3. of or being a nation whose leaders defy international law or norms of international behavior
rogue (verb):
1. to weed out inferior, diseased, or nontypical individuals from a crop plant or a field
So these are supposed to be good qualities?
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Oh My God, Hide Your Children!
Today it was announced that on Tuesday, September 8, President Obama will deliver a welcome back to school speech directed toward students from kindergarten to the twelfth grade. This speech is supposed to encourage children to set goals, to work hard, and to stay in school. This is a great thing, right? Here we are, encouraging children, building them up, filling them with confidence, and telling them to take advantage of all of their educational opportunities. Education is important and we need a bright, intelligent workforce for the future, right?
Well, not everyone is so happy with the president's planned speech. Naturally, several members and sects of the right wing party are going absolutely crazy! There is mass panic among the right wing, and you'd think that Armageddon was upon us. Some school districts in six states (Texas, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Minnesota) are already refusing to air the president's speech. Parents are threatening to pull their children out of school that day if their school has the audacity to air the speech. Why? Some are saying that the president shouldn't use government time and money to take away time and money from state schools by giving a "politically motivated" speech. After all we have wars, an economic crisis, and health care reform to think about! Others are afraid that this will be an indoctrination and that the president will use this as a platform to impose his "socialist" ideas upon the poor, unsuspecting children of the country.
Naturally, this is all completely nuts. And the right wingers should be reminded that Obama is not the first president to give a speech directed toward children. In 1991, George H. W. Bush gave a speech that encouraged children to study hard and to get a great education, especially in science and math. In 2001, George W. Bush gave a speech and encouraged children in the United States to each donate $1 for a charity to help needy children in Afghanistan. And let us not forget that almost every president, especially saint Reagan, warned children about the dangers of drugs.
Throughout the years, decades, and probably centuries, almost every president or world leader has spoken to children about the importance of education. But for whatever reason when President Obama is set to give this kind of speech, people are up in arms and think it is part of some grand conspiracy to take over the minds of the children. It's just silly. You would think that any parent—or any sound minded, clear thinking individual for that matter—would put a high price and value on education. And, let me remind you, part of a good education is learning critical thinking skills. And the most important part of critical thinking is learning to listen to both sides of an argument or story before forming an opinion. People might not like the president, but what is the harm in first listening to what he has to say. If he tells children to do their homework, who is harmed? If children learn from him that they can grow up to be anything they want, including president, what is the harm in that?
Current mood: annoyed with the Wingnuts
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Jewel "Again and Again"
Current drink: water...yes, water
Well, not everyone is so happy with the president's planned speech. Naturally, several members and sects of the right wing party are going absolutely crazy! There is mass panic among the right wing, and you'd think that Armageddon was upon us. Some school districts in six states (Texas, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Minnesota) are already refusing to air the president's speech. Parents are threatening to pull their children out of school that day if their school has the audacity to air the speech. Why? Some are saying that the president shouldn't use government time and money to take away time and money from state schools by giving a "politically motivated" speech. After all we have wars, an economic crisis, and health care reform to think about! Others are afraid that this will be an indoctrination and that the president will use this as a platform to impose his "socialist" ideas upon the poor, unsuspecting children of the country.
Naturally, this is all completely nuts. And the right wingers should be reminded that Obama is not the first president to give a speech directed toward children. In 1991, George H. W. Bush gave a speech that encouraged children to study hard and to get a great education, especially in science and math. In 2001, George W. Bush gave a speech and encouraged children in the United States to each donate $1 for a charity to help needy children in Afghanistan. And let us not forget that almost every president, especially saint Reagan, warned children about the dangers of drugs.
Throughout the years, decades, and probably centuries, almost every president or world leader has spoken to children about the importance of education. But for whatever reason when President Obama is set to give this kind of speech, people are up in arms and think it is part of some grand conspiracy to take over the minds of the children. It's just silly. You would think that any parent—or any sound minded, clear thinking individual for that matter—would put a high price and value on education. And, let me remind you, part of a good education is learning critical thinking skills. And the most important part of critical thinking is learning to listen to both sides of an argument or story before forming an opinion. People might not like the president, but what is the harm in first listening to what he has to say. If he tells children to do their homework, who is harmed? If children learn from him that they can grow up to be anything they want, including president, what is the harm in that?
Current mood: annoyed with the Wingnuts
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Jewel "Again and Again"
Current drink: water...yes, water
Moderation Is a Good Thing
There is a family down in Arkansas that is famous for one thing and one thing only. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar—and, yes, his name really is Jim Bob—are famous for having children, lots of them. At ages 42 and 44, Michelle and Jim Bob already have a total of 18 children. As I was getting ready for work on Tuesday, I was watching the Today Show and Meredith Viera dropped a teaser before the commercial break that the Duggar family had a "big" announcement. Well, when the Duggar family has any kind of announcement, it can be only one thing, that another baby is on the way. And, as expected, the Michelle Duggar announced that she is pregnant once again and their 19th child is on the way. This pregnancy comes only 8 months after she gave birth to her last child.
The general population greeted this news with shock and awe. Most people in the world think that this family is insane and crazy. People wonder how any family can afford to raise so many kids. I question how it's possible for any of these children to get any kind of individual attention and love. You wonder what kind of life the older children have, because they are probably responsible for taking care of their younger siblings. And we could also mention that this family is probably single-handedly depleting half of the world's resources. Or maybe I should say multi-handedly.
Anyway, this is a huge family, and most people, quite rightfully, think that they are crazy. However, the news of the big announcement was greeted with great excitement and many bright smiles from the media. Everyone is absolutely giddy about a new baby being added to the brood. One question, however, keeps popping into my mind whenever this family has another baby. Would they be treated the same way, would they have the same "celebrity" status, if they were anything but white and Christian? Somehow I doubt it. I have a hard time believing that the media and good Christians around the world would be as welcoming and excited if this family were African American or Latino. If they were African American they would probably be called ghetto trash or there would be hour-long documentaries about the irresponsibility of black men. If they were Latino they would probably be criticized for overpopulating the good old USA with illegal minorities. Yet, because they are Christian and white, this is a beautiful, wonderful thing meant to be celebrated. Yes, double standards do still exist.
The general population greeted this news with shock and awe. Most people in the world think that this family is insane and crazy. People wonder how any family can afford to raise so many kids. I question how it's possible for any of these children to get any kind of individual attention and love. You wonder what kind of life the older children have, because they are probably responsible for taking care of their younger siblings. And we could also mention that this family is probably single-handedly depleting half of the world's resources. Or maybe I should say multi-handedly.
Anyway, this is a huge family, and most people, quite rightfully, think that they are crazy. However, the news of the big announcement was greeted with great excitement and many bright smiles from the media. Everyone is absolutely giddy about a new baby being added to the brood. One question, however, keeps popping into my mind whenever this family has another baby. Would they be treated the same way, would they have the same "celebrity" status, if they were anything but white and Christian? Somehow I doubt it. I have a hard time believing that the media and good Christians around the world would be as welcoming and excited if this family were African American or Latino. If they were African American they would probably be called ghetto trash or there would be hour-long documentaries about the irresponsibility of black men. If they were Latino they would probably be criticized for overpopulating the good old USA with illegal minorities. Yet, because they are Christian and white, this is a beautiful, wonderful thing meant to be celebrated. Yes, double standards do still exist.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Sensitivity
I was born in Colorado, but I have lived in several states. A few years after I was born my family moved to Michigan, then Texas, and then California. Even though I had wonderful years in Michigan and Texas, California and Colorado have always had the greatest pulls on me. I spent my teenage and (many) college years in California, but something was always pulling me back to Colorado, so I came here for graduate school. I consider both home. Lately Colorado has become a refuge or a mecca for Californians. A lot of Californians have been moving here, and there is often a resentment from the Coloradoans toward the Californians. Quite frankly, a lot of people in Colorado hate Californians for the simple reason that they are from California.
Right now fires are raging in California and at the time of this posting about 127,000 acres have burned. The fires are so bad that the smoke has actually made it's way to Colorado, and our skies are so hazy and polluted that you can barely see the mountains. The land in California has burned, homes have been destroyed, and wildlife and people have been killed. What is happening is horrible, and you would think that people would feel sympathetic, but unfortunately that is not always the case. When reading the newspaper or watching TV, it's sad to see some reader or viewer comments saying things like "good, let it burn," or "we'd all be better off if California just fell into the ocean," or "they deserve it for building homes in the hills," or my personal favorite, "God is punishing California for their tolerance of gays." Well, if God punishes people for their tolerance of gays, then why does God always drop tornadoes on mobile home parks, because, let me tell you, gays don't live in mobile home parks! But I digress.
The point is, why do people feel the need to make these ludicrous comments when something this terrible is happening? Why bring your personal resentment or hatred or politics into the issue? This is an issue about humanity.
The ones making these types of comments are obviously worthless, pathetic trolls who have nothing better to do with their lives and who have absolutely nothing to offer the world. These are the people who are spineless and heartless and worth less that the foulest smelling thing in the sewers.
Fortunately I know that Colorado is a great state with a lot of great people, and the ones making these comments are just an isolated group and don't represent the state as a whole. This is a state that loves nature and the environment and we've had our own share of fire disasters. We're a lot more sensitive and sympathetic than the fools who spend their entire day posting comments to newsboards.
Right now fires are raging in California and at the time of this posting about 127,000 acres have burned. The fires are so bad that the smoke has actually made it's way to Colorado, and our skies are so hazy and polluted that you can barely see the mountains. The land in California has burned, homes have been destroyed, and wildlife and people have been killed. What is happening is horrible, and you would think that people would feel sympathetic, but unfortunately that is not always the case. When reading the newspaper or watching TV, it's sad to see some reader or viewer comments saying things like "good, let it burn," or "we'd all be better off if California just fell into the ocean," or "they deserve it for building homes in the hills," or my personal favorite, "God is punishing California for their tolerance of gays." Well, if God punishes people for their tolerance of gays, then why does God always drop tornadoes on mobile home parks, because, let me tell you, gays don't live in mobile home parks! But I digress.
The point is, why do people feel the need to make these ludicrous comments when something this terrible is happening? Why bring your personal resentment or hatred or politics into the issue? This is an issue about humanity.
The ones making these types of comments are obviously worthless, pathetic trolls who have nothing better to do with their lives and who have absolutely nothing to offer the world. These are the people who are spineless and heartless and worth less that the foulest smelling thing in the sewers.
Fortunately I know that Colorado is a great state with a lot of great people, and the ones making these comments are just an isolated group and don't represent the state as a whole. This is a state that loves nature and the environment and we've had our own share of fire disasters. We're a lot more sensitive and sympathetic than the fools who spend their entire day posting comments to newsboards.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Online News
I mentioned in a post a few months ago that these days I tend to read a lot of news online. But one of the things that I don't like about online news is that most sites give the readers a chance to comment on the stories. Every now and then, you get some thoughtful and intelligent comments, and these comments can sometimes generate some intelligent discussions about the article. But most of the time the comments aren't so thoughtful or intelligent. Reading ignorant and uninformed comments is bad enough, but one of the things that really annoy me is when people comment with the simple phrase "who cares?". I never understood the point of this and it seems to point more to the stupidity of the commentator than to the possible stupidity or irrelevance of the article. After all, this person took the time to click on the link to go to the article, the person took the time to read the article, and then the person took the time to log on to the site to comment on the article only to say "who cares." So obviously this person cares if he or she took all that time to make the comment. Needless to say, why do people waste their time (and ours) by doing this?
Current mood: resting and relaxing
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Snow Patrol "Run"
Current drink: coffee
Current mood: resting and relaxing
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Snow Patrol "Run"
Current drink: coffee
Sunday, April 19, 2009
This and That, Weekend Edition
Out of commission: I was out of commission all day yesterday because I was hit pretty hard by a terrible headache/borderline migraine. No, it wasn't a hangover, and I actually haven't had a drink in about a week. But when I'm stressed, working too hard and too many hours, eventually my body gives in and forcibly tells me that I need to rest. Unfortunately my body's way of telling me this is by hitting me hard with a headache. When I woke up at about 9:00 on Saturday morning I felt pretty awful. I took some Excedrin migraine medicine and went back to bed. I hoped that if I slept for a few more hours the headache would go away. I slept until about 2:00 or 3:00 but still felt pretty bad. In addition to still having a headache, my entire body ached. I forced myself to eat and drink something, and I sat and watched TV for a few hours, but I still wasn't feeling too good. So at about 7:00 or so, I went back to bed. Today my headache is gone, but my body, especially my neck, is still a bit achy and sore.
Work and chores: Unfortunately I can't rest too much today. I brought some work home with me this weekend, and I have quite a bit to do. I also have the typical household chores that I need to do. And I also promised to bake some Baklava Bars for a birthday celebration that we are having for my boss at work tomorrow. So, apparently it is back to the same stress-filled grind that puts me out of commission in the first place.
Snow: Because I slept for most of the day yesterday, I wasn't able to continue my live blog on the spring blizzard. When I looked out the window when I initially work up, thing still looked pretty wet and a very thin layer of snow covered the roofs on the buildings around me. But things didn't look too bad. But, like I mentioned during my live blog, Colorado is made up of microclimates. Things might be fine in my area, but things could be horrible just a few miles away. When I woke up this morning, there wasn't a trace of snow and the sidewalks were dry for the most part. But when I went shopping today I realized that things were completely different just 10 miles south. Areas like Louisville and Superior were still covered with a very thick blanket of snow, and the mountains to the west were covered with snow. Even south Boulder was a completely different picture from northeast Boulder. It's just strange.
Strategic bagging: Packing items into grocery bags is a fine art, at least in my opinion. You need to be thoughtful and strategic about how you pack things. For example, it probably isn't wise to throw the 4 pound bag of sugar on top of the potato chips and loaf of bread. And it's probably not wise to pack the heavy, 5 pound bottle of hand soap with the fragile, delicate eggs. I now have a deformed loaf of bread and probably a bag of smashed potato chips, but fortunately the eggs are fine.
Bird nests: Yesterday, when I was trying to sleep off my headache, I would occasionally hear some rustling outside of my apartment. At first I thought that maybe maintenance was doing something outside of my apartment like patching the roof or cleaning the gutters. But more and more I realized that it sounded like birds or some other kind of critter. I heard more of it this morning when I woke up. So before I went shopping today, I went outside to see if I could find what I was hearing, and, lo and behold, a little bird's head popped out of the wall next to my bedroom window. Someway and somehow, some birds have built a nest in the wall outside of my apartment. I have absolutely no idea how they could manage to do that. And, because this hole/nest is on the south side of my apartment, an area where I rarely walk, I never noticed before. So I suppose I need to tell the apartment managers and maintenance about this, but I'm not sure how they will take care of it without disturbing the nest. But also doesn't seem wise to have a bird's nest between my bedroom and the outside world.
Current mood: tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Chantal Kreviazuk "Time"
Current drink: Barq's root beer
Work and chores: Unfortunately I can't rest too much today. I brought some work home with me this weekend, and I have quite a bit to do. I also have the typical household chores that I need to do. And I also promised to bake some Baklava Bars for a birthday celebration that we are having for my boss at work tomorrow. So, apparently it is back to the same stress-filled grind that puts me out of commission in the first place.
Snow: Because I slept for most of the day yesterday, I wasn't able to continue my live blog on the spring blizzard. When I looked out the window when I initially work up, thing still looked pretty wet and a very thin layer of snow covered the roofs on the buildings around me. But things didn't look too bad. But, like I mentioned during my live blog, Colorado is made up of microclimates. Things might be fine in my area, but things could be horrible just a few miles away. When I woke up this morning, there wasn't a trace of snow and the sidewalks were dry for the most part. But when I went shopping today I realized that things were completely different just 10 miles south. Areas like Louisville and Superior were still covered with a very thick blanket of snow, and the mountains to the west were covered with snow. Even south Boulder was a completely different picture from northeast Boulder. It's just strange.
Strategic bagging: Packing items into grocery bags is a fine art, at least in my opinion. You need to be thoughtful and strategic about how you pack things. For example, it probably isn't wise to throw the 4 pound bag of sugar on top of the potato chips and loaf of bread. And it's probably not wise to pack the heavy, 5 pound bottle of hand soap with the fragile, delicate eggs. I now have a deformed loaf of bread and probably a bag of smashed potato chips, but fortunately the eggs are fine.
Bird nests: Yesterday, when I was trying to sleep off my headache, I would occasionally hear some rustling outside of my apartment. At first I thought that maybe maintenance was doing something outside of my apartment like patching the roof or cleaning the gutters. But more and more I realized that it sounded like birds or some other kind of critter. I heard more of it this morning when I woke up. So before I went shopping today, I went outside to see if I could find what I was hearing, and, lo and behold, a little bird's head popped out of the wall next to my bedroom window. Someway and somehow, some birds have built a nest in the wall outside of my apartment. I have absolutely no idea how they could manage to do that. And, because this hole/nest is on the south side of my apartment, an area where I rarely walk, I never noticed before. So I suppose I need to tell the apartment managers and maintenance about this, but I'm not sure how they will take care of it without disturbing the nest. But also doesn't seem wise to have a bird's nest between my bedroom and the outside world.
Current mood: tired
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Chantal Kreviazuk "Time"
Current drink: Barq's root beer
Friday, April 17, 2009
And a Word from Our Sponsors...
I'd like to interrupt my Live Blogging with a quick message...
Because I drink so much Barq's root beer, I signed up for the "Coke Rewards" program. Basically whenever you buy a Coke product you get a special code. You can enter these codes in your account and later redeem them for a variety of things. This morning I got a promotional e-mail with part of the subject line reading "earn double rewards by celebrating Earth Day." Initially I thought, this is great, something about the environment! Then I opened the e-mail and this is what I read: "Earth Day is a great time to celebrate the many wonders of the world—like cool, crisp refreshing water. In honor of Mother Nature, you can earn Double Points with DASANI." DASANI is a bottled water. If you really wanted to celebrate Earth Day, you wouldn't be promoting bottled water, you MORONS!
Current mood: amused and irritated
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Faith Hill "If My Heart Had Wings"
Current drink: water, filtered from the tap!
Because I drink so much Barq's root beer, I signed up for the "Coke Rewards" program. Basically whenever you buy a Coke product you get a special code. You can enter these codes in your account and later redeem them for a variety of things. This morning I got a promotional e-mail with part of the subject line reading "earn double rewards by celebrating Earth Day." Initially I thought, this is great, something about the environment! Then I opened the e-mail and this is what I read: "Earth Day is a great time to celebrate the many wonders of the world—like cool, crisp refreshing water. In honor of Mother Nature, you can earn Double Points with DASANI." DASANI is a bottled water. If you really wanted to celebrate Earth Day, you wouldn't be promoting bottled water, you MORONS!
Current mood: amused and irritated
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Faith Hill "If My Heart Had Wings"
Current drink: water, filtered from the tap!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Responses to Snow
Whenever it snows, you are bound to get absurd reactions from certain people in response to the snow. Some of my favorites include:
1. It's snowing...so much for global warming. If it's cold and snowing, that means that global warming and climate change do not exist! It's called weather people! There is a difference between weather patterns and climate change.
2. It snows in Colorado, why isn't the state prepared, why don't they plow the roads? Well, they do plow the roads, but there is a pattern/system for how they do this. They plow the interstates, freeways, and major roads first. Then they go through the secondary roads and so on. Calm down and be patient, people!
3. People don't know how to drive in the snow, it must be those Californians who are causing all the accidents. I was born in Colorado but I moved around and came here from California. Californians—sometimes justly but mostly unjustly—are not liked in Colorado. Californians are blamed for every bad thing in Colorado, and they are especially blamed for bad driving and not being able to drive in the snow. A few people have jokingly made the stereotypical assumption that I don't know how to drive in the snow because I'm from California. So I take advantage of stereotypes and, jokingly, say, "no, because I'm from California I don't know how to drive in the snow, but, because I'm from California, I do know how to shoot someone while driving 75 mph on the freeway!" I just want to remind people that that is a joke. I'm not violent or crazy, and I would never shoot anyone on the freeway...I would only think about it...
1. It's snowing...so much for global warming. If it's cold and snowing, that means that global warming and climate change do not exist! It's called weather people! There is a difference between weather patterns and climate change.
2. It snows in Colorado, why isn't the state prepared, why don't they plow the roads? Well, they do plow the roads, but there is a pattern/system for how they do this. They plow the interstates, freeways, and major roads first. Then they go through the secondary roads and so on. Calm down and be patient, people!
3. People don't know how to drive in the snow, it must be those Californians who are causing all the accidents. I was born in Colorado but I moved around and came here from California. Californians—sometimes justly but mostly unjustly—are not liked in Colorado. Californians are blamed for every bad thing in Colorado, and they are especially blamed for bad driving and not being able to drive in the snow. A few people have jokingly made the stereotypical assumption that I don't know how to drive in the snow because I'm from California. So I take advantage of stereotypes and, jokingly, say, "no, because I'm from California I don't know how to drive in the snow, but, because I'm from California, I do know how to shoot someone while driving 75 mph on the freeway!" I just want to remind people that that is a joke. I'm not violent or crazy, and I would never shoot anyone on the freeway...I would only think about it...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
This and That
Walking: I mentioned in my previous posts that I have been taking long—and some short—walks around my neighborhood. On Monday, in spite of being utterly exhausted after work, I forced myself to take another walk "around the block." This time when I passed the park near my apartment complex—and I now know that it is called Gunbarrel Commons Park—I noticed that there seem to be some exercise stations in this park. These are stations where you can do some exercises, like pull ups, step ups, triceps dips, and various other exercises. I was somewhat in a hurry to get back home to cook my dinner because I was starving, but I think that running this park and doing the exercise circuit might be a fun thing to do sometime. So I kept walking, and even though I was exhausted when I started my walk, I felt about 100% better by the time I got home. Unfortunately I didn't walk yesterday because I had to do some shopping after work, then I was eager to watch Obama's press conference. And I didn't walk today because there is a snowstorm approaching, and it's pretty cold and windy right now. But I've been enjoying these walks, and feel bad and guilty when I don't/can't walk. So, I think that I'll start walking again in a few days when we get nicer weather.
Weather: as I mentioned above, the weather is changing right now. For the past few weeks it has felt like spring. It's been sunny and warm, but we're expecting snow tonight. The reports coming from the different news sources vary. Some say we'll get a few inches, others say we'll get a foot, and yet others say we'll get over fifteen inches. So tomorrow we could have anything from a dusting to a blizzard. You never know in Colorado. It is safe to say that everyone in the office is hoping for a big snowstorm so that the office will be closed for the day.
Stupid questions: There is such a thing as a stupid question. During the presidential news conference last night, one of the questions was something along the lines of "why haven't you asked for something specific that the public should be sacrificing to participate in this economic recovery?" Um, sacrifice? So, losing jobs, homes, taking pay cuts, not getting raises, bonuses, 401k matches, losing health care and other things like that are not considered enough of a sacrifice?
Impulse buys: I think that Jello pudding cups—both chocolate and vanilla flavors—could possibly be the most impulsive impulse buy I've had to date. I suppose that is why they say make a shopping list and stick with it!
Current mood: full (just ate dinner)
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Tori Amos "A Sorta Fairytale"
Current drink: Silk vanilla soymilk
Weather: as I mentioned above, the weather is changing right now. For the past few weeks it has felt like spring. It's been sunny and warm, but we're expecting snow tonight. The reports coming from the different news sources vary. Some say we'll get a few inches, others say we'll get a foot, and yet others say we'll get over fifteen inches. So tomorrow we could have anything from a dusting to a blizzard. You never know in Colorado. It is safe to say that everyone in the office is hoping for a big snowstorm so that the office will be closed for the day.
Stupid questions: There is such a thing as a stupid question. During the presidential news conference last night, one of the questions was something along the lines of "why haven't you asked for something specific that the public should be sacrificing to participate in this economic recovery?" Um, sacrifice? So, losing jobs, homes, taking pay cuts, not getting raises, bonuses, 401k matches, losing health care and other things like that are not considered enough of a sacrifice?
Impulse buys: I think that Jello pudding cups—both chocolate and vanilla flavors—could possibly be the most impulsive impulse buy I've had to date. I suppose that is why they say make a shopping list and stick with it!
Current mood: full (just ate dinner)
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Tori Amos "A Sorta Fairytale"
Current drink: Silk vanilla soymilk
Friday, February 13, 2009
Public Service Announcement
In these tough economic times—to use a popular cliché these days—the people of this country are looking for ways to put more money in their pockets. Some people work two jobs or work freelance or sell eggs or internal organs. However, other people try to get rich quick by spending money on lottery tickets. To be perfectly honest, this might be something I'll start doing soon, too. But a word to the wise: If you buy one of those scratcher lottery tickets, please wait until you are in a safe area before you start scratching away. Scratching your lottery ticket while meandering through a busy and crowded parking lot probably isn't the best or the safest thing to do. How do you expect to collect any winnings if you cluelessly step in front of a racing car? And, I'm sorry, if I run you over and if you have a winning ticket, I'm taking it because I would really like to take a vacation to Greece. So, please, for your own safety, people, wait until you are safely in your car or safely at home before you scratch that lottery ticket.
Current mood: glad it's Friday
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Beth Waters "White Rabbit"
Current mood: glad it's Friday
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Beth Waters "White Rabbit"
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Preparations
With my vacation coming at the end of this week, I'm already starting to prepare for the trip. Yes, I'm preparing almost a week early, because I'm a planner and a control freak. As I mentioned in a previous post, this planning included haircuts, cleaning, reservations, etc.
Witness to stupidity: This has nothing to do with my preparations, but I though I should comment on it anyway. And it's been a while since I've written a post about stupid people, so here we go. Boulder is an active city with lots of people walking, jogging, and biking on the streets or sidewalks. There is an understanding that drivers look out for walkers, joggers, and bikers and walkers, joggers, and bikers look out for drivers. While driving to hair salon, I was stopped at a light and noticed a man and his son on their bikes riding in the bike lane. Since there was no traffic coming from the other directions, the father just started to ride through the intersection and through what was our red light. The son paused for a moment, but then started to follow. But just then the traffic in the opposite direction had the green arrow and started to turn into the intersection. The son sort of panicked in the middle of the intersection, and turned around and went back to the street corner. The idiot father was about fifty yards away before he eventually looked back and noticed that his son was still waiting for the light to change. That's great parenting for you!
Haircut: My hair has been a somewhat long, wild mess because it's been many, many months since I got my last haircut. I'm happy that I found a new salon—officially it's called a barber shop, I guess—where I can get a nice haircut for a good price. I've been to some really nice salons in Boulder, but I was tired of spending $60–$70 on a haircut. And if you got something like highlights, it would be well over $100. I've decided I don't want to do color or highlights anymore...at least not for a while. I got tired of spending the money to maintain it. Plus, I sort of decided to just let myself go gray. So all I really need is a cut and nothing too special. At this new place, I can get a cut for only $30. Wahoo! They also give you a massage when they are finished. I thought it was going to be a regular massage, but it turned out that they use a large, vibrating machine. (I realize that sounds somewhat naughty, but I don't know how else to describe it...) Anyway, the large, vibrating massage machine was really powerful and not exactly gentle or soothing or relaxing. It actually felt like my teeth were about to rattle and fall out of my head. But it's the thought that counts.
Shuttle: Because this is a busy travel week, I wanted to make early reservations for shuttle service to the airport. Usually I can make easy reservations online, but the company must have changed their Web site because I was redirected to the national shuttle service. You can still make reservations, but things didn't seem right. I'm not sure if I missed something when I was selecting my service, but when they gave me the rates they quoted the price as $230. Um, $230 for a trip to the airport? Is it in a limo with a mini bar? Does it come with an escort? That didn't seem right, so I quit that session and decided to phone in my reservation for the bargain price of $30. I'm still somewhat curious what you get with a $230 shuttle trip, but I suppose I'll have to find out another day.
Current mood: full—I made my world famous Vodka Cream Pasta for dinner tonight
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—David Gray "Say Hello Wave Goodbye"
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac
Witness to stupidity: This has nothing to do with my preparations, but I though I should comment on it anyway. And it's been a while since I've written a post about stupid people, so here we go. Boulder is an active city with lots of people walking, jogging, and biking on the streets or sidewalks. There is an understanding that drivers look out for walkers, joggers, and bikers and walkers, joggers, and bikers look out for drivers. While driving to hair salon, I was stopped at a light and noticed a man and his son on their bikes riding in the bike lane. Since there was no traffic coming from the other directions, the father just started to ride through the intersection and through what was our red light. The son paused for a moment, but then started to follow. But just then the traffic in the opposite direction had the green arrow and started to turn into the intersection. The son sort of panicked in the middle of the intersection, and turned around and went back to the street corner. The idiot father was about fifty yards away before he eventually looked back and noticed that his son was still waiting for the light to change. That's great parenting for you!
Haircut: My hair has been a somewhat long, wild mess because it's been many, many months since I got my last haircut. I'm happy that I found a new salon—officially it's called a barber shop, I guess—where I can get a nice haircut for a good price. I've been to some really nice salons in Boulder, but I was tired of spending $60–$70 on a haircut. And if you got something like highlights, it would be well over $100. I've decided I don't want to do color or highlights anymore...at least not for a while. I got tired of spending the money to maintain it. Plus, I sort of decided to just let myself go gray. So all I really need is a cut and nothing too special. At this new place, I can get a cut for only $30. Wahoo! They also give you a massage when they are finished. I thought it was going to be a regular massage, but it turned out that they use a large, vibrating machine. (I realize that sounds somewhat naughty, but I don't know how else to describe it...) Anyway, the large, vibrating massage machine was really powerful and not exactly gentle or soothing or relaxing. It actually felt like my teeth were about to rattle and fall out of my head. But it's the thought that counts.
Shuttle: Because this is a busy travel week, I wanted to make early reservations for shuttle service to the airport. Usually I can make easy reservations online, but the company must have changed their Web site because I was redirected to the national shuttle service. You can still make reservations, but things didn't seem right. I'm not sure if I missed something when I was selecting my service, but when they gave me the rates they quoted the price as $230. Um, $230 for a trip to the airport? Is it in a limo with a mini bar? Does it come with an escort? That didn't seem right, so I quit that session and decided to phone in my reservation for the bargain price of $30. I'm still somewhat curious what you get with a $230 shuttle trip, but I suppose I'll have to find out another day.
Current mood: full—I made my world famous Vodka Cream Pasta for dinner tonight
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—David Gray "Say Hello Wave Goodbye"
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Hypocrite? Coward? Senile?
So today, the day of the Vice Presidential Debates, McCain made an announcement that he would be giving up on the state of Michigan. Because Obama is leading in the polling in Michigan, the McCain campaign thinks that it is not worth spending the money on a state that he will presumably lose. Are you kidding me? This is the bastard—oops, candidate—who for months has been saying that he puts country first? And he is giving up on Michigan? The state of blue-collar workers? The state where the auto industry is failing? The state where unemployment is high? And he's abandoning them because they are not worth the money? Just more proof that he doesn't care about the middle class. And McCain accuses Obama of playing politics and of partisanship and not caring about the people? What a first-class idiot!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Value of Copper
While tidying up around my "office" at home, I stumbled across a newsletter that comes with my energy bill. There was one mini-article about copper, and it mentioned that stealing copper has become a really big "business" lately. It said that because of the price increase for copper, people are taking even greater risks at trying to get their hands on it. People have been trying to steal copper from electric equipment including switch cabinets, transformers, and utility poles. According to the article, these crimes can result in power outages, fires, and explosions. (That would be a bad thing.) It can also result in serious injury and even death to the criminal (that would be a good thing), so the energy company encourages people who witness such crimes to call 911. Or you can throw a bucket of water on the crook while he/she has his/her hand on a live wire, which is what I would be tempted to do, provided it doesn't result in the loss of power to my home. But maybe that's just me...
Friday, September 19, 2008
On Death and Taxes and People Who Deserve to Die
This week at work were very fortunate to get our little bonuses for the year. I was very excited about it until I opened it up and was reminded that bonuses are subject to federal and state taxes. So about 40 percent went back to the government. Yipee! I suppose I can't complain too much because I'm very fortunate to have a job in the first place and this (heavily) taxed bonus is a lot more than some people are getting right now. So I should (and I do) feel blessed.
However... It is too bad I'm not the CEO of one of these big corporations that is collapsing in the latest economic crisis and financial meltdown. Those idiots seem to be getting multimillion dollar severance packages just for running a company into the ground. I highly doubt that the people who have lost their jobs or the people who have lost their homes are weeping for these CEOs. They walk away with millions of dollars, the government bails out the companies they left behind, and most likely the "regular" people of the world will pay more taxes to fix everything. Something doesn't seem right about this picture...
Current mood: happy and bitter
Current music: iTunes on shuffle - David Gray "This Year's Love"
Current drink: soy milk - something healthy before I pour a glass of brandy
However... It is too bad I'm not the CEO of one of these big corporations that is collapsing in the latest economic crisis and financial meltdown. Those idiots seem to be getting multimillion dollar severance packages just for running a company into the ground. I highly doubt that the people who have lost their jobs or the people who have lost their homes are weeping for these CEOs. They walk away with millions of dollars, the government bails out the companies they left behind, and most likely the "regular" people of the world will pay more taxes to fix everything. Something doesn't seem right about this picture...
Current mood: happy and bitter
Current music: iTunes on shuffle - David Gray "This Year's Love"
Current drink: soy milk - something healthy before I pour a glass of brandy
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Stubbornness and Shallowness
Stubbornness: With Hurricane Ike approaching the Gulf Coast, many people were given mandatory evacuation orders. They were told to leave because this hurricane could be one of the worst in history. However, many people insisted on staying behind to "ride out the storm" or to protect their homes and belongings. I've been watching the news this morning and there is one report that some of the people who stayed behind are now trapped because the roads or bridges are washed out. They most likely don't have power and the phone lines are probably down. So there were reports that these people were standing on their roofs trying to flag for help. Part of me feels sorry for them, but another part of me doesn't. They made the choice to stay when they could have evacuated. And now other people will have to put their lives at risk to rescue these people. All for stubbornness and, quite frankly, stupidity.
Shallowness: For the past few weeks, I've been wondering why so many people seem to be crazy about Sarah Palin. I just don't like her. For one, she is a hunter, and I just don't like hunting. I just don't see why it is considered a "sport." If the animals had weapons, then it would be a level playing field. But they don't have weapons. And when the animals are shot and killed it's usually when they are doing what comes naturally to them—looking for food, looking for water, or just wandering about. They are just minding their own business, so to speak, but apparently in the minds of some people they still have the right to shoot these animals. And the bigger cowards and lazier of the hunters shoot animals from helicopters.
But that is a digression to what I title "shallowness." As I've said, I've been wondering why people are crazy about Palin. It occurred to me that people are crazy about her because in general the American public is shallow and everything is based on how you look. Palin has that girl next door, homecoming/beauty queen, class president, librarian, "hockey mom" look about her. She might be inexperience and ill-informed on what is going on in the world outside Alaska, but she's pretty and that's all that matters. She has power (as governor), she's sassy and feisty, she's challenging the boys, but she does it with a cute little smile and laugh that some women just seem to love and admire. She is totally clueless and classless, but people don't seem to care. But my theory is that if Sarah Palin looked like Janet Reno, she would not be getting this kind of reception, because I have a feeling that if she did, women (because let's face it most women are catty) and the media would be ripping her apart and tearing her down. Instead of being cute and sassy and feisty, she would be considered rude, bossy, pushy, and butch and mannish. It's maddening and frustrating for people who are smart. But Let's face it, there are a lot of stupid and shallow people out there in the word. Let's just hope they don't ruin the election for the rest of us!
Current mood: "feisty" and unforgiving
Current music: iTunes on shuffle - New Order "True Faith"
Current drink: coffee
Shallowness: For the past few weeks, I've been wondering why so many people seem to be crazy about Sarah Palin. I just don't like her. For one, she is a hunter, and I just don't like hunting. I just don't see why it is considered a "sport." If the animals had weapons, then it would be a level playing field. But they don't have weapons. And when the animals are shot and killed it's usually when they are doing what comes naturally to them—looking for food, looking for water, or just wandering about. They are just minding their own business, so to speak, but apparently in the minds of some people they still have the right to shoot these animals. And the bigger cowards and lazier of the hunters shoot animals from helicopters.
But that is a digression to what I title "shallowness." As I've said, I've been wondering why people are crazy about Palin. It occurred to me that people are crazy about her because in general the American public is shallow and everything is based on how you look. Palin has that girl next door, homecoming/beauty queen, class president, librarian, "hockey mom" look about her. She might be inexperience and ill-informed on what is going on in the world outside Alaska, but she's pretty and that's all that matters. She has power (as governor), she's sassy and feisty, she's challenging the boys, but she does it with a cute little smile and laugh that some women just seem to love and admire. She is totally clueless and classless, but people don't seem to care. But my theory is that if Sarah Palin looked like Janet Reno, she would not be getting this kind of reception, because I have a feeling that if she did, women (because let's face it most women are catty) and the media would be ripping her apart and tearing her down. Instead of being cute and sassy and feisty, she would be considered rude, bossy, pushy, and butch and mannish. It's maddening and frustrating for people who are smart. But Let's face it, there are a lot of stupid and shallow people out there in the word. Let's just hope they don't ruin the election for the rest of us!
Current mood: "feisty" and unforgiving
Current music: iTunes on shuffle - New Order "True Faith"
Current drink: coffee
Monday, April 28, 2008
Near Death Experiences (not my own) and Strange Sights
Near Death Experiences: This was a fairly quiet weekend where all I did was run some errands, do some shopping, and try to clean my apartment. I was out Sunday driving down 30th Street with nothing but green lights ahead of me. Even though my lights were green, some woman was crossing the street at an intersection up ahead. In Boulder it's not unusual for people to jaywalk or to cross the street against the light if no traffic is coming. Most people, however, follow their mothers' rule that you should look both ways before crossing the street. This particular woman, however, was crossing the street while looking down at her phone. As I got closer to her, it looked like she was text messaging someone. She was fixated on her phone, didn't look up, and didn't notice anything that was going on around her. Naturally, realizing that I potentially had an idiot on my hands, I didn't slow down too much. Hey, someone needs to scare her so that she learns a lesson and doesn't end up being someone else's roadkill! And I'm perfectly content letting that person be me! I didn't really slow down until I got near the intersection, and she finally looked up and saw my little silver car coming toward her like a bullet. She had a "surprised" look on her face when she saw me, then she looked up and realized that she was walking against a red light. She rolled her eyes, shook her head, then scurried across the remaining lanes of the street. I like to assume that she shook her head because she realized how stupid she was. I can only hope. And, don't worry, even though I was coming toward her like a speeding bullet, I definitely would have been able to stop in time. And even if I did run her over (oops), then that would simply have proven Darwin's theory.
Strange Sights: What are you supposed to think when you go to Target and the person in line in front of you is buying nothing but a 24-pack of toilet paper and two cans of air freshener? I don't know, but it certainly makes you think, doesn't it?
Strange Sights: What are you supposed to think when you go to Target and the person in line in front of you is buying nothing but a 24-pack of toilet paper and two cans of air freshener? I don't know, but it certainly makes you think, doesn't it?
Friday, January 18, 2008
Natural Selection
So it has finally surfaced that the three idiots at the San Francisco Zoo did, in fact, taunt the tiger. One of the idiots admitted to yelling and "waving" at the tiger. This idiot also had a blood alcohol level of 0.16 which is twice the legal limit for driving. So these guys had shots of vodka, smoked some pot, then decided to taunt the tiger. The tiger got out and attacked and killed one of the idiots. I suppose you could feel sorry for the guy and his family, but you also have to think that this is simply natural selection at work. In the wild, the animals that are slower and dumber tend to be the ones killed off first. In this case, a very dumb human being was killed. Maybe the rest of us are better and safer because of it. I almost think that it is a shame that the tiger was killed before it had a chance to sink its teeth into the other two. It is mostly a shame that the tiger had to be killed at all when there was obviously human error/idiocy all around. The walls around the pen were too short. Who built the walls? Humans. The three guys taunting the tiger were simply idiots. Yet, unfortunately, the tiger, still a wild animal in spite of being in a zoo, also had to die. I might sound heartless, but I really don't feel sorry for the three guys. They sort of got what they had coming to them.
And, no, you can't use the word "idiot" too many times in one post, especially when the post is about a bunch of idiots!
And, no, you can't use the word "idiot" too many times in one post, especially when the post is about a bunch of idiots!
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