BLOGGER BLOCK

Although I have been doing a lot lately, for some reason, my blog writing has become lazy. Can't seem to concentrate enough to sit down and just gather my thoughts and somehow "stuff" just keeps getting in the way. Hopefully I will resume my ability to categorize my thinking by the time the 4th of July rolls around. My creativity seems to be waning at the moment. :-(

In the meantime, I will leave you with this song. This is off the latest Tom Jones album that I've just heard about. Bono (U2) actually wrote this song about him after Tom's request. After asking Tom a few things about himself, this is what Bono compiled. If you listen to the words, some of it actually is a chronicle of Tom's life, kinda funny actually.

Yeah, I know he's old as dirt and your parents probably listen to him, but I still think he rocks none the less. For the longest time, I've called myself a fan. Apparently not a very good one though, since I only just realized that he is actually from Wales.

Hilarious- Crime is Everywhere

Had to share this video that someone emailed me because I thought it was beyond funny.

Irony

Why is it that when I try to use the handy dandy link at the bottom of any email to unsubscribe, it takes me to the website’s hallelujah confirmation page telling me, “thank you , you are now unsubscribed”, yet, I then immediately get another “confirmation” email from that same company in my mailbox two seconds later saying, “this is an email to thank you for unsusbscribing”?

Then they want me to confirm my cancellation of getting no more email from them by clicking the link in that email.

Am I the only one who finds this extremely annoying and a little ironic?

Such talent in a sea of unknown strangers and it’s FREE.

I seem to have stumbled upon something here with this blog thing. I am a little late to the party, but in the short time I have been here, I have discovered there are quite a few fantastic writers with some amazing talent lurking about who like to take advantage of the joys of a keyboard. Far more than I ever expected to find in the “non paid and/or amateur” writing category.

Like those who find themselves here, I somehow discovered these other bloggers either from links on other sites that I frequent or maybe from an offhand comment on someone else's blog which makes me want to see what else they have to say. Sometimes, when the usual bloggers I follow have been slack in their writing, due to work, travel, etc. (which is very inconsiderate, I might add ;-)) I am forced to seek out other writers who have had some more recent activity. Sometimes I feel like a crack addict needing fresh written word on a regular basis. I figure it isn't cheating because if my regular authors had enough entries to keep me drowning in daily prose like I want, I wouldn't have to go looking to see what else there was to read out there in google land.

Every week though, I am awestruck at some of the entries that I can find. So far, I've found quite a few that I find extremely interesting and can’t wait to read more. Some times I am so intrigued and riveted by these new entries that I can spend hours going back through their older archives to read the rest. It’s like my drug and these writers are the pushers that offer the first hit for free but, ultimately you are begging for more. Rarely, has it been a "one off" on good writing style that I never come back again, but it’s happened once or twice. Hey, bad judgement happens everywhere right?

However, without fail, I always find myself learning something new. Sometimes it's information that really helped me become a more informed individual and some times it's such things that I really could have gone without knowing and still lived my life ok. But, nonetheless, I am grateful to have added that knowledge to my coffers of wisdom. On rare occasion, it's been something I really *wish* I was still oblivious to, but alas, you take the good with the bad.

Some of the bloggers I have found are downright hilarious, some brutally honest, and some are just so open, descriptive and imaginative, but each one has something that makes me come back for more. Each one impressive in its own way. I continually find myself amazed at the talent that is found in some of these writings. Some bloggers I read are interesting enough, and to me, have enough talent that they should really be published and paid for their work. I often wonder why they aren’t when I see how much crap reading material is found lately in book stores. And they expect you to pay for their books! I am thankful though that these random individuals from all walks of life, in different parts of the world, have opened up their keyboards and taken the time to entertain a bunch of cyber strangers with their silly anecdotes, intimate humorous details, fond memories and witty comments. It is then that I realize, I am glad that they haven’t yet been published, because like any commercial enterprise, their writing would likely get stale and fall under the stench of corporate America while losing all originality.

So thank you to all you bloggers who take the time to share your cleverly combined words with the rest of us. It really means a lot. I am sure I speak for all of us when I say, next time you decide to take a hiatus from writing for work, family, etc., have a little consideration and think about what you are doing to US.

Meanwhile the actual printed books that I've got stacked up in the “next on the list to read” are piling up in a corner collecting dust because I keep finding new talent out here in cyberworld. So if I never find out just who exactly "John Galt" is, I blame YOU ALL for that lapse of knowledge!!

Cotton Kills and Random Observations

Last night, I caught a show that I had not seen in quite some time. I had forgotten just how funny it was and was glad that I got a chance to see it one more time. It’s on the BBC and is called, “The Graham Norton Show”. It’s a little risque, but funny as hell. Definitely worth a shot to sit and watch it at least once. Anyway, there was a British comedian (duh) on there named Alan Carr. Again, funny as all get out. I looked him up on Youtube and watched some more of his comedy and was really impressed. Very, very funny guy. I love accidentally finding new talent or in this case old talent that I just didn’t know about.

Today, my husband and I ran a bunch of errands. Despite it being father’s day, we don’t get to celebrate it with either of our Dads. My father has passed on and his lives overseas so there isn’t a whole lot of your typical get togethers and backyard barbecuing like most families on this holiday.

So, instead, we went out to buy some new running sneakers at the local running shop. We both ended up with a new pair each that we are absolutely "chuffed" about. (Thank you BBC for teaching me UK slang :-)) I had no idea trail running shoes could be quite so comfy. I put them on and they felt like slippers. Absolutely fantastic. Those Mizuno shoe making guys rock! The sale’s girl was an absolute gem and was super patient and found us exactly what we needed. I was easy, but apparently hubby was a problem child with his pronation type and ended up trying on about 10 pairs before finding one that worked perfectly for his gait. They actually put you on a treadmill and analyze your gait via video camera to make sure the shoe is proper fitting for your particular form and running pattern. Very scientific . It went way beyond the usual, do you have these in my size and in that color?

Patient sale’s girl mentioned to us two more words of advice as she was looking at our socks. She said “Cotton Kills”. Huh, cotton kills? She clarified and said, that you never want to wear cotton socks when you run and you should always try to wear something cool max or smart wool if you can because it really is better for your feet. So that got me thinking.

Now, since I only just started running recently, I am still learning quite a lot about the sport. I have always seen the “real runners” parading around in their wicking singlets and short shorts. I, being a mountain biker, pretty much run in any old shorts and a tee shirt with the ultimate goal being that they match. Or at a minimum, I don’t have people rolling their eyes in shock at the level of fashion faux pas that I have managed to piece together. I guess you could say I am low maintenance. :-)

But, today, after looking through all the sport specific running stuff, I decided, I am going to buy a few things to make me look and feel like a runner too. After all, I have been picking up my mileage. Might as well look the part. So, I got some cool max socks, a breathable mesh hat, an UnderArmour running top and the piece de resistance....real running shorts. Okay, pssst...first thing about running shorts that I did not know, is that...get this....you Don’t have to wear undewear with them. They actually have a sewn in part which takes care of that little undergarment built right into the shorts. Wow, that’s brilliant. Why didn’t I think of that? Now, I have always known this about bike shorts, but never realized that runners enjoy the same freedom that we do. Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. I can get used to this running stuff.

So with it being about 95 degrees today, I waited until the end of the day to get my required run in, but it was still hot and super humid. Wow, talk about having the right tool for the job. This running gear was fantastic. It kept me far cooler than I have ever felt before and was super comfortable to boot. I was amazed. I had no idea that I didn’t have to suffer in drenched wet cotton t-shirts and soggy wares at the end of every run. I wish I had learned about this before. I sure am glad I know now. I am going to go wash those awesome socks so I can wear them again tomorrow...to work. :-)

And remember....forget the Crack....Cotton Kills.

How to become frustrated by your cable company in a single call

The other day, a neighbor of ours tells us that he felt that he was paying too much for his cable tv since the rates recently went up. He tells us he made a simple phone call to them and that’s all it took to have his bill reduced by $50 per month. Hmmm…, we use the same provider. He suggests we should do the same, threaten to cancel our service and jump to a competitor and they will quickly transfer you to their “retention” line where you will more than likely be offered a lower rate.

Now, normally, I wouldn’t attempt this but, we also feel that our bill is way too high so I figured I had nothing to lose. So I call them up today. The phone call starts out with Miss Customer Service pronouncing my name wrong. Okay, no problem it happens. So I correct her with the proper pronunciation. She then comes back and says thank you, Mrs..and pronounces my name wrong again, the exact same way she said it the first time. So I correct her again. She says, I am sorry Mrs. …and proceeds to pronounce my name wrong yet AGAIN. Then she adds, I apologize Ma’am, is it okay if I call you “Laura”. Sure I say. I can see this is going well already.

For crying out loud, I know that some names can be hard to pronounce, but when I say it for you…all you have to do at that point is LISTEN to the way I said it, and repeat after me. I am amazed at the stupidity of some people. Seriously, if I am ever on the phone with someone and their name is a killer to pronounce, I wait for them to say it, listen carefully, then phonetically write it down just that way so when I say it back, I don’t sound like an idiot like this woman did. Yeah, it’s the little things like this that irritate me. And believe me when I say, my surname is not that hard to pronounce. If you can read, and follow it phonetically, it’s really simple. I just don’t understand why people have such a problem with it and transpose the letters time and again. To me that is just being too lazy to read. Anyway, I digress.

I tell the woman that I want to cancel my cable service because I feel it is too expensive. So she says to me: “I apologize to hear that.” Ummm, you apologize? First off, that’s not even proper grammar and I think you mean, you are sorry to hear that. I love when I can tell when they are clearly using customer service buzz words to empathize, but it’s painfully obvious they haven’t quite grasped the technique of when to use what… It really makes me laugh.

So after she puts me on hold for about the tenth time and keeps saying, “it will just be another moment”…I am getting frustrated. What the hell is the problem here?

She comes back with some “good” news. Apparently, since all our services are bundled (cable, phone and internet), and we are paying $175 per month for all, she had a “deal for me”. Oh pray tell. She tells me she can offer me a 2 year lock in at my current monthly rate with a two year commitment. Oh wow, what a deal. You mean to tell me, that I can take the amount that I am paying RIGHT NOW, which I initially told you at the start of the phone call was too high, and you can do me a solid by locking THAT rate in for two more years!!

Wow, that really is a fantastic deal. Sign me up right now. Hello, I didn’t just fall off the last turnip truck Missy, and obviously you ARE NOT listening to what I told you at the onset of my call. So I huffily decline the “great deal” and explain to her why I would not want to lock in the same rate I have been paying if I already told you that was too much. The frustration is coming out in my tone now and I am trying to keep my cool.

So then she tells me, she will see what other options she can offer me. Yeah, why don’t you do that Sherlock. So she comes back and reminds me that I have all my services bundled and if I want to reduce my monthly bill, I can always take off some of the services I have and my bill would be reduced. Oh really? So, are you saying that if I remove a service I currently have from my bundle, I don’t have to pay for that service? And that is a way to reduce my monthly bill? Wow, I am speechless. I am so glad I called YOU to fill me in on that wonderful tidbit of lesser known info. Trying really hard to keep my cool now. I thank Captain Obvious for pointing that out, and try to calmly tell her, that I AM FULLY AWARE OF HOW THAT PROCESS WORKS!!! It is becoming very clear to me the reason why this idiot could not pronounce my name even after I told her how. So she says okay, so you don’t want to do that? NO, I DON’T WANT TO DO THAT, BUT THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE GENIUS.

Again, she puts me on hold. Finally, she comes back with one last suggestion, and says, well we have this “customer retention” offer and that would save you $15 per month for 12 months with no further commitment.

By this time, I am so aggravated, that I really am thinking of cancelling everything. Her first two offers to “save” me were so ridiculous, that I initially said “forget it” to this discounted rate offer without thinking, but then came to my senses. Then just to clarify that she has not removed any services from my bill and I would be paying this lower rate for a full year, I ask her to go over the details again. Finally, I agree because she repeated it back to me with no strings attached. So I feel confident, this really is the deal I have been waiting for her to throw me from the start of the call.

Watch, next month, I’ll get my bill and my rates will have doubled for everything.

You Want to Pay With WHAT?

Ugghh..You know some times, things just have a real way of aggravating me to no end. On my way home from class, I stopped at the market to pick up a few things...you know standard, milk, bread, deli meat. As I am standing on line, there is a young couple maybe 21 at most. I am assuming 21 since the stuff they were purchasing could not be purchased under age. They were buying some other food but, they are also purchasing about 4 BIG bottles of some sort of beer type beverage and a couple of packs of Camel cigarettes. No big deal right? Hey to each his own what you want to drink or smoke. Until the chicky asks the cashier, is it okay for me to pay for the food with my EBT and with cash for this other stuff (she gestures to the contraband like substances)? Of course the cashier says, sure, no problem. How you pay is your choice.

Now for those of you who don't know what EBT is, basically it is the modern day equivalent of food stamps. These days, it's all electronic...very high tech. Obviously, you are not supposed to be buying beer and ciggies with the tax payer funded dollars you are milking off the government so I guess that's why she wanted to pay cash for those other items.I looked up, and all I could think was, are you frieking kidding me? You have enough cash in your wallet to buy that crap, but you need my tax funding to buy your cold cuts, dinner meat and fruit? Unfrieking-beleivable. Now, I understand what food stamps are for, I am not that heartless. And, there are some people who really need them. But, this was a bunch of crap. The guy as far as I could see was a strapping young man certainly capable of getting a damn job in some field, in ANY field I would guess. The female looked just as capable to me of some sort of gainful employment. So as they are handing over their "food stamps" because they are so destitute, you know with being such able bodied individuals that they have to take government handouts, it does not go unnoticed to me that the cashier accepting them is an older woman, likely nearing 70 or so. Not to mention, not 10 feet away is a "now hiring" sign in that very establishment.So it's okay for the elderly person to work whatever job she can get to put food on HER table, but this young couple who is less than half her age gets to sit on their arses and live off the dole. It really pissed me off.

I just stood there in astonishment while I absorbed the irony and absurdity of the whole situation. There are so many families now who would kill to have any job, but either they CAN'T find one or maybe for some reason, they CAN'T work due to illness/injury etc. But nope, our welfare role will be doled out to the lazy young'uns who want to sit on their asses because somehow they have learned to work the system. The ones who just WON'T work. Using MY tax dollars. Sometimes, I just want to scream. Paper or plastic?...at least I still get some say in that decision when I spend my money.

As long as it looked clean.????!?!!!!???!!!!!

I stumbled upon this article somehow and it really grossed me out. No this is not your typical news. This was entitled: “Confessions of a Hotel Housekeeper”. The whole article can be found here.

One particular passage really made me sick. Now normally, this type of article would be bitching about hotel guests and what he/she really finds irritating about some customers. Yes, there was some of that, but this....Yuck.

"As long as it looked clean

I cut corners everywhere I could. Instead of vacuuming, I found that just picking up the larger crumbs from the carpet would do. Rather than scrub the tub with hot water, sometimes it was just a spray-and-wipe kind of day. After several weeks on the job, I discovered that the staff leader who inspected the rooms couldn't tell the difference between a clean sink and one that was simply dry, so I would often just run a rag over the wet spots. But I never skipped changing the sheets. I wouldn't sink that low, no matter how lazy I was feeling. "

Umm, yeah. I am so thankful about the high moral ground you took at the sheet changing, but come on. I know not all jobs are glamorous and some of them might not pay you as much as you think you are worth. But dammit, if you are going to take the friggen job with that understanding, do it well or go somewhere else and get a job where your short cuts might not make others sick.

If you feel you aren’t paid enough, go back to school and get a degree so you can get a job making more, making what you feel you should be paid. Maybe if your boss realized that it actually takes more than 10 minutes to really clean a room because you are being honest with your time, he/she wouldn’t expect his housestaff to be responsible for so many in such a short period. This type of behavior is just despicable. I wonder how many others take these kind of shortcuts when doing a job. Hospitals? Restaurants? Fitness centers?

It all just grosses me out so much, it’s no wonder we have a possible swine flu pandemic on our hands. I know for a fact next time I check into a hotel, I will be bringing my own cleaning stuff and doing my own “wipe downs” just in case some lazy arse found a way to disguise their own ability to cut corners.

Dirtbags abound...

A friend of my husbands called him up this morning to tell him he had just gotten a call from the police department asking him if he has deposited a check into his bank this morning from the proceeds of a private gun sale. He replied that he had.
The cop then asked him if he gave the guy the gun? He said he did not because he was waiting for the check to clear of course. A few more follow up questions about if he knew the guy, blah blah, etc.
Well it turns out that the check the guy used him was one that had recently been stolen in a home invasion. This was the check the guy tried to pay him with.
Talk about your dumbass criminals.
I don't know what it going to happen but, I hope that the cops have him call the criminal to tell him his check has cleared and his item is ready for pickup.
That's when the cops should pounce on this dumb ass.

Which brings me to another incident.
Recently, a local bike shop here was closing up for the evening. A guy came in with a very distinct looking and expensive bike and wanted to know if the shop wanted to buy it off him. The shop owner immediately recognized the bike as a customer's ride. He told the guy, "well I am closing up for now, but come back tomorrow at around 12pm lunch time and we'll see what kind of a deal we can make."
Dumb ass bike theif came back as requested with the bike and some unfounded hope.
Of course the cops were waiting for him as well as the guy who had his bike stolen so he could identify it.
Love happy endings like that. I hope this home invader jackalope meets the same ironic fate.

They Made the List of Top Ten Most Ridiculous Band Names

They may have been in the top 10 for silly names , but I think they are pretty cool. I must go and add them to the Ipod now.
Enjoy..

Movies and Bike Sales

It was a quiet, mostly uneventful weekend. Went to the movies , but by the time we got there, the movie I wanted to see had already played their last showing. So we ended up seeing that new movie UP by Disney and opted to see it in 3D. For some reason those 3D glasses cost us an extra 3 bucks per ticket for what I don’t know. In fact as you were leaving the theatre, there was a bin asking us to recycle the glasses. Ummm, you mean the ones I just paid 3 extra dollars for to use for a couple hours? Riiiight....

Anyway, the movie was very good. The storyline was excellent and as usual, Pixar’s animation was top notch and the 3D effects were way cool. I have to admit though, throughout many scenes in the movie, I was glad that I was wearing dark glasses. Let’s just say, some people, not me of course, but some people found certain parts very sad and they happened to be sitting in my row.... at one point they actually were sitting in my seat. There was a lot of sniffling going on to say the least. It was a very, very touching film though and since this one was my choice, I guess I have to reap what I sow even if it means a few girly tears. Now, generally, I never go to see sad films. I feel like why should I pay good money to hear myself sob. There is just too much sadness in real life for me to voluntarily fork up money to experience it as a form of entertainment. Ironically, had this movie not been animated, I never would have even considered it. Had someone told me the storyline itself prior, I would have emphatically declined to watch it. Yes, I thought it was THAT sad. Either Disney is trying to change their image or I am just becoming a wuss. As Nathan Fillion commented about this movie, this proves I am NOT a robot. Hey thanks...I always wondered how one determines that. :-)

So we saw the movie, I did some grocery shopping and sold ONE of my bikes today. Yes, I have a bit of a problem and I can never have just one bicycle. After all, there are different types of riding so one has to have a different type of bike for each discipline. One of my passions is biking. Don’t act surprised as I am sure you have a passion. I am sure you can relate to THAT on some level. Guys, compare it to guns, Ladies, compare it to shoes. There you go...now you see where I am coming from.

Anyway, this particular bike just wasn’t getting enough use and was spending more time hung up in the garage than outside playing, so it had to go. A nice couple came to look at it and after chatting with them about it for over an hour and he looking it over like it was as complicated as the space shuttle, (it’s a bike dude, not a Ferrari), he ultimately ended up buying it. It took a while, but he finally got the courage to ask me if I’d go down any on my asking price. He clearly was not the best negotiator in the family. I kind of had the feeling that he was trying to stall to give me the impression that he might not really be interested.

I had him pegged as interested though the minute he test rode it and returned. He came back with that glow in his eye... a glow I know all too well when it comes to bikes. He tried to nit pick a few little things, but I know what I am selling when it comes to bicycles and I am far more versed in that topic than most women who look like me normally are. I don’t just ride them, I know them inside out. My theory is if I am going to ride it, I want to know every part, nook and cranny and how it all goes together so I can fix it myself. After all, it’s a bike, not rocket science. I have some girl friends who merely know the color and brand of their bikes and that’s as far as it goes. Changing a flat is the extent of their bike mechanical skill set. I will NEVER be that girl. In fact I have toddler pictures of me with my tricycle turned upside down and me tooling with the rear wheels with what appears to be a spoon. Makes me think it might be in my genetic makeup or something, LOL.

I think I shocked my buyer a few times when he tried to throw in a few negative findings in his pathetic attempt to try to make me believe he might not really be interested. Each time, I came back with not only a valid retort, but with enough of my own knowledge on the subject that there was no way he was going to outsmart me. I could see my husband was getting a kick out of watching this, so he just let me do the talking knowing THIS was something I could handle myself. Now if only I could be that savvy about other things like how the electricity runs though my house, I’d be all right.

After about an hour and some, I started getting antsy and just wanted to move on with this as the truth was my price was more than fair and I really didn’t much care anymore if he bought it or not at this point. The idle chit chat was now beginning to cut into my dinner preparation time and I was starting to get hungry. So I finally told him, “You know, if you really aren’t sure and want to think about it some more, I only JUST put it up for sale, and you are welcome to come back. There is no pressure here and if you decide you do want it, you can always call me again.” In other words, I was trying to be polite without saying, dude get the hell out of my garage already if you aren’t going to buy it and stop wasting my time. That’s when his wife jumped in and asked him what his problem was, and was he just pausing for dramatic effect. Ahh... the honest wife. I tried not to laugh out loud at her lack of subtlety, but she definitely let the cat out of the bag. I think even she was getting tired of this and was trying to figure out why he didn’t just buy it the moment he saw it. Now, this was even cutting into HER dinner time. That’s when he made his last ditch effort to cut me down on my price. I counter offered and he said... “Deal!”. Deal?? Good grief, you could have just done that an hour ago and I would have given you the same doggone discount. After all, the ad said, Or Best Offer. That generally means it’s negotiable. Maybe next time, I should spell that out more clearly in my classifieds, so I can get to my dinner plans a little earlier. Dang tire kickers. Sheesh.

Don't Put The Candle Back....

Just got to watch the movie "Young Frankenstein" and I have to say that movie was hilarious. My sister in law used to walk around quoting lines from it to me especially that Ovaltine line because I LOVE Ovaltine and drink it all the time.
So she bought it for me for Christmas. I finally got around to watching it. Definitely worth watching if you've never seen it before. It had me laughing out loud.

Electrical Woes...

So I turn on the microwave to pop some popcorn, and somehow all the power dies. Power to the main computer, the dining room lights, the lights in the kitchen, my oven, they all die. Yet the microwave is still popping the popcorn.
What the? All these things are on the same breaker switch and in the past, if we reset the breaker, all these things would reset together and all would be well.
A visit to the breaker box and the breaker for that area has not even been tripped. So we reset it anyway.
Microwave is still working flawlessly but all the other things are dead.
What the?
We've reset every single breaker in the house just in case and nothing happens with those things...still dead.
I am at a loss. How could some of these things (which reside in different rooms) all go out at the same time, yet others are still working fine? Sometimes I hate being a homeowner.
I think it is time to call the electrician.
Cha Ching.

Bill Balsamico Signs Part 2

Bill Balsamico...Signs Part 1

He's back!!! – If you don't know him he is Bill, the owner of Casa D'Ice restaurant in North Versailles, PA (10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh ). He tells it like it is and does not give a hoot about being PC in HIS restaurant.