Well, let the countdown begin. I have given my 30-day notice to vacate my current residence and am beginning the process of moving to the new place. This is a great cause for celebration; We have been living kind of cramped for the last few years, and it will be nice to actually have some S P A C E. That and the neighborhood is much better than the one were living in currently. So, hopefully this change of fortune will continue through this new year, and we'll finally get things going in the direction we've planned instead of the usual moving forward to be set back again that were used to.
But, enough of that.
I just started a Twitter account, but don't ask to follow me because I have no idea how it works. I mean, I got the idea of it down, just not really sure how to get it going. Whatever, I'll probably never use it, kind of like my old Myspace account (LOL who actually uses Myspace anymore right?) I'm not sure why I've provided myself another distraction for when I'm driving, but maybe i'll get some usage out of it. If anyone knows how to twit, let me know some tips and tricks please. And also if you read this silly blog, please sign up as a reader or whatever; I know there's more than 4 people who read this damn thing because I see the page views. I promise I won't make fun of you.
Anyway, I've been a lot busier at work than usual. I suppose that's a good thing though. I was becoming worried that my co-workers were beginning to think that I'm lazy, what , with me sitting back here jamming to Pandora among other things. I had a manager come back here the other day wanting to know exactly what I did on a day-to-day basis. I felt that he was mainly just coming back here to snoop around, but I went ahead and gave him a proper presentation about everything I am supposed to do on the daily, and I think I just ended up boring him to death. It was funny because he kept trying to walk away and I kept showing more stuff. Needless to say he probably learned more than what he was trying to find out, and totally regretted coming over in the first place. Which was my entire point. But that actually makes me feel more fortunate regarding my job. I know how to do things that only 2 other people know how to do in the entire building, and I aim to keep it that way. I don't require help, I am totally self-motivated, and I get the job done. To me, if I was in upper management, those are qualities that I would count valuable to the team, and would do my best to make sure those who promote those type of activities remain un-encroached upon.
It is what it is, I guess. I didn't really want to go on about work AGAIN. But somehow, I veered towards the subject. Anyway, today I was going through some old stuff, trying to figure out what was trash and what wasn't, and I located a bunch of old papers I wrote for college. Some of them are rather bland and uninteresting but a few from my Political Science classes were very interesting. Almost creepy in regards to the present day when I wrote these paper's over 6 years ago. Time flies when your not paying attention I guess? Anyhow, I had wrote a piece on Mahmoud Ahmedinejad ( I know I probably just butchered that all to hell and back, but I just wanted to see if I could spell it from memory FAIL and if you don't kn ow who that is, then you are truly living under a rock), and how he was going to be quite the figure to watch in the coming years. That was in 2005-2006 when I wrote that. Now here we are 2012, and nearly everything I wrote in that paper in terms of foreshadowing has came to be. I will post it on here in the coming days, but I was just amazed at that. Mainly the article focused on his past, upbringing, and rise to power, but there were a few things that I speculated upon regarding certain things that have come to be when it comes to foreign policy currently. One thing that stuck out was how during my research into the topic, I read a great deal about the Straight of Hormuz and how vital it is to Iran's economy. I recall reading that Iran has always had plans in place to shut it off from the rest of the world for decades in case something like what is happening right now came to pass.
When it comes to what's going on over there right now, I fully agree with the US stance (and pretty much the rest of the world) that a nuclear Iran is not a good thing to have around. I believe though that due to much misunderstanding and past resentments, communication between Iran and the rest of the world has came to a standstill. If true dialog is to commence again, it needs to be done with equal respect by the parties involved, and no one leaves the talks until something is hashed out. Enough of this posturing by both the US and Iran (not to mention Israel), they need to get to heart of the problems presented and come to an equally satisfying solution for everyone involved, or things are going to become messy real quick.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Screaming Devil's, Never Let Them Through....
Haven't posted in a few. Been busy with planning the upcoming move, Call of Duty (lol and Battlefield 3), and other things. Did some edits this afternoon; some of these pics were not taken by me.
Yes, there is a hermit crab residing here now. His name is Mr. Batman-crab.
Yes, there is a hermit crab residing here now. His name is Mr. Batman-crab.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Up early in the morning, dressed in black
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Into the mouth of Hell, we march
Yes, I know my last post was rather lackluster in terms of subject matter. Apologies. I really never intended on writing a blog again, and now that I've decided to do it again, I'm trying to find some decent subject matter to focus on with each post. The last thing I want to do is write a boring-ass blog about the random, mundane and insipid little things that occur during my day. Alas, it seems to me that it is beginning to spiral down in that direction.
But, of course me being the ever-vigilant person that I am, I will not let my blog fall into mediocrity.
So, our nation has a bit of a worldwide political shitstorm on it's hands , right? Were currently weighing our options for voting in a new (or keeping the old) President in office, the bickering between us, Israel, and Iran seems to escalate and dwindle all in the same day, with the ever-fluctuating gas prices serving as our barometer regarding the issues between us. Meh... It's all the same isn't it? I for one, am growing tired of hearing about the same old, same old....
Whatever happened to inspiration? Was it cheapened once everyone began copying each other in almost every aspect in life? What happened to originality? I have't witnessed anything bearing one original thought in it's framework in a very long time.
"But, Jonny, what about the Ipad? That's a pretty original creation right there." An over-sized and over-priced Iphone? No thanks.
Speaking of Ipad's/Iphone's.....
During the whole Occupy silliness (because that's really what it was : silly.), I noticed so many people protesting, spread all over the nation, and complaining about Wall Street, Government, and a myriad of other topics. I also noticed how many of these people owned Ipad's, Iphone's, or any other comparable product that costs a good bit of money to obtain and to keep up to date as far as monthly data fee's, etc. How in the hell were all these people out protesting for days about not having jobs or whatever, but could afford the electronics that were being toted around? I read so many times on the news how social media played a huge part in the organization of the protests, but how can all these people afford the tech? I f they don't have jobs, how are they paying for these nice toys?
I personally don't own an Iphone. Or Ipad. Sure they are nice and all, but it's not necessary, and plus the upkeep for one doesn't seem like it would even be worth it, for me anyways. I have only owned one Apple product and that was an Ipod like 6 years ago that got stolen out of my car. Oh well. But I couldn't get my head around all these people protesting about how they don't make any money or they lost their job or whatever, and they have these items? I know I must sound redundant by now regarding this matter, but it just kind of dumbfounded me. Then it hit. Mommy and daddy money.
If you take a look at the demographic majority of the Occupy movement.... http://oag.org/the-demographics-of-occupy-wall-street/......you'll see that the majority of them are employed , single, and make less than 25k a year. Ok, I make a little over that but not very much, and I am married (very soon to be anyway) and I support others besides myself. Yeah, I could probably use an extra five grand a year or so, but I have no problem when it comes to paying my bills. I have money left over each month for various things. I go out and do the things I want to do when I want to do it. There are some things I would like offered to me by my employer, but I'm used to working my way up the ladder when it comes to my job. I realize that hard work is what it took to get me to my current position, and that's what it's going to take to get to the next step up. Not some kid straight out of college (who has no loans for himself, because their parents paid for it all), protesting about things they barely even know about. The last thing I want , and I mean this as no offense towards any of the younger gen out there just getting into the working world, is some kid who doesnt know his head from his ass speaking for the "majority" of the country when it comes to how the real world works. I will admit that at first the movement kind of grabbed my attention and at first I was supportive. But then I realized that all these kids were just complaining about shit that's gone on for a long time, and that no matter what, it's going to keep going on. Even the older people who were "Occupying" didn't even seem to know what the hell was going on. Occupy, as far as I am concerned was just a huge excuse for college kids to get out of class for the day with the blessing of their political science instructors. I said it. Love me or Hate me, I don't give a shit. I've busted my ass for everything I ever had, and I am glad. It makes you appreciate things more, instead of just being handed everything and discounting it all as expendable.
Now, I don't pretend to know everything about the whole movement or whatever. I'm sure that I'm probably way off base about a few things in that regard. Don't really care though. I know better than to take things at face value, and I always look deeper into matters I don't truly understand. It's just when I looked deeper into that, I saw nothing really of note. Just a group of people who thought they could stand outside of places and camp out, trying to shove the idealism of the 60's down the throats of corporate America. Silly. Corporate America is what made the Hippie movement what it was back in the day! Ask Google where LSD came from, and what it was used for before it was marketed illegally to the youth of the nation. the CIA has already admitted to testing it on mind control, and there are voices out there that say that the 60's-70's was nothing more than a huge, nationwide science project in regards to mind control.
OK, I may be skirting the spooky side of things a bit. I'm really not one to express belief in conspiracies and such (though last week I read through more than my fair share of them; I read so many off the wall stories about our evil government, that it made my head hurt).
Not really sure what kind of point I'm trying to drive home here. I sympathize with those who need it, and I am all for doling out a scolding when it's necessary. I know my randomness can be infuriating at times, maybe I am ADD.
I think what I should say is, I have never felt like I was entitled to anything. You make your own life, your own world, your own hell. Everything that ever happens to a person, good or bad, is in direct connection to them and their actions in life. That's my belief. I guess you could say it's Karma, though that's not exactly part of my belief base, but I do think about it a lot. Over the last few years or so, I have really tried to make it a point to think my actions through, no matter how small. I know that everything that I do in life affects others in some way, shape, form or another. I try to base my decisions on how I am going to affect that other person, I really do. This life is truly a blessing. People should start treating it for what it is. Stop blaming others for the strife you suffer, and pull yourself up from your feet and do what you got to do. I don't ever forget where I came from. Ten years ago, I was a pathetic excuse of a human. I got what I deserved, though at the time I was too messed up to even realize it. I lost everything I ever had once, and had literally nothing to go off of. I lived in a trailer with no heat in the middle of the woods of Perry County for close to 3 years. I've made significant gains, and major losses. But I have never blamed anyone but myself if I ever came up short.
You could say that now things are looking up for me and mine. It is, I'll agree, but there is much more work to be done, and instead of being angry and blaming corporations and Wall Street for my problems, I realize that all my problems were in effect created by my actions/inactions. I think that's something a lot of people could start realizing. Sure, there is a lot of bad luck out there for people and families, but instead of reading those Yahoo! stories about a family living on food stamps out of the back of a van and tearing up about it, you should read a little deeper between the lines. Sometimes the reason bad things happen to people, is because bad people do bad or stupid things, and they get what they deserve. I understand when a person goes to a food pantry so they can feed themselves and their family, I've been there. But people who draw attention to their plights and ask for handouts from everyone, I don't buy it at face value. Some people out there legitimately need help with various things, but the ones that are constantly having their hands out, those are the ones you want to watch out for, because they have no desire to better their situation, because they wouldn't still be doing it. Granted, if you have a real disability or something, I can understand the need for help. But it's the other ones you have to watch out for, the true bottom-feeder's. (end rant)
But, of course me being the ever-vigilant person that I am, I will not let my blog fall into mediocrity.
So, our nation has a bit of a worldwide political shitstorm on it's hands , right? Were currently weighing our options for voting in a new (or keeping the old) President in office, the bickering between us, Israel, and Iran seems to escalate and dwindle all in the same day, with the ever-fluctuating gas prices serving as our barometer regarding the issues between us. Meh... It's all the same isn't it? I for one, am growing tired of hearing about the same old, same old....
Whatever happened to inspiration? Was it cheapened once everyone began copying each other in almost every aspect in life? What happened to originality? I have't witnessed anything bearing one original thought in it's framework in a very long time.
"But, Jonny, what about the Ipad? That's a pretty original creation right there." An over-sized and over-priced Iphone? No thanks.
Speaking of Ipad's/Iphone's.....
During the whole Occupy silliness (because that's really what it was : silly.), I noticed so many people protesting, spread all over the nation, and complaining about Wall Street, Government, and a myriad of other topics. I also noticed how many of these people owned Ipad's, Iphone's, or any other comparable product that costs a good bit of money to obtain and to keep up to date as far as monthly data fee's, etc. How in the hell were all these people out protesting for days about not having jobs or whatever, but could afford the electronics that were being toted around? I read so many times on the news how social media played a huge part in the organization of the protests, but how can all these people afford the tech? I f they don't have jobs, how are they paying for these nice toys?
I personally don't own an Iphone. Or Ipad. Sure they are nice and all, but it's not necessary, and plus the upkeep for one doesn't seem like it would even be worth it, for me anyways. I have only owned one Apple product and that was an Ipod like 6 years ago that got stolen out of my car. Oh well. But I couldn't get my head around all these people protesting about how they don't make any money or they lost their job or whatever, and they have these items? I know I must sound redundant by now regarding this matter, but it just kind of dumbfounded me. Then it hit. Mommy and daddy money.
If you take a look at the demographic majority of the Occupy movement.... http://oag.org/the-demographics-of-occupy-wall-street/......you'll see that the majority of them are employed , single, and make less than 25k a year. Ok, I make a little over that but not very much, and I am married (very soon to be anyway) and I support others besides myself. Yeah, I could probably use an extra five grand a year or so, but I have no problem when it comes to paying my bills. I have money left over each month for various things. I go out and do the things I want to do when I want to do it. There are some things I would like offered to me by my employer, but I'm used to working my way up the ladder when it comes to my job. I realize that hard work is what it took to get me to my current position, and that's what it's going to take to get to the next step up. Not some kid straight out of college (who has no loans for himself, because their parents paid for it all), protesting about things they barely even know about. The last thing I want , and I mean this as no offense towards any of the younger gen out there just getting into the working world, is some kid who doesnt know his head from his ass speaking for the "majority" of the country when it comes to how the real world works. I will admit that at first the movement kind of grabbed my attention and at first I was supportive. But then I realized that all these kids were just complaining about shit that's gone on for a long time, and that no matter what, it's going to keep going on. Even the older people who were "Occupying" didn't even seem to know what the hell was going on. Occupy, as far as I am concerned was just a huge excuse for college kids to get out of class for the day with the blessing of their political science instructors. I said it. Love me or Hate me, I don't give a shit. I've busted my ass for everything I ever had, and I am glad. It makes you appreciate things more, instead of just being handed everything and discounting it all as expendable.
Now, I don't pretend to know everything about the whole movement or whatever. I'm sure that I'm probably way off base about a few things in that regard. Don't really care though. I know better than to take things at face value, and I always look deeper into matters I don't truly understand. It's just when I looked deeper into that, I saw nothing really of note. Just a group of people who thought they could stand outside of places and camp out, trying to shove the idealism of the 60's down the throats of corporate America. Silly. Corporate America is what made the Hippie movement what it was back in the day! Ask Google where LSD came from, and what it was used for before it was marketed illegally to the youth of the nation. the CIA has already admitted to testing it on mind control, and there are voices out there that say that the 60's-70's was nothing more than a huge, nationwide science project in regards to mind control.
OK, I may be skirting the spooky side of things a bit. I'm really not one to express belief in conspiracies and such (though last week I read through more than my fair share of them; I read so many off the wall stories about our evil government, that it made my head hurt).
Not really sure what kind of point I'm trying to drive home here. I sympathize with those who need it, and I am all for doling out a scolding when it's necessary. I know my randomness can be infuriating at times, maybe I am ADD.
I think what I should say is, I have never felt like I was entitled to anything. You make your own life, your own world, your own hell. Everything that ever happens to a person, good or bad, is in direct connection to them and their actions in life. That's my belief. I guess you could say it's Karma, though that's not exactly part of my belief base, but I do think about it a lot. Over the last few years or so, I have really tried to make it a point to think my actions through, no matter how small. I know that everything that I do in life affects others in some way, shape, form or another. I try to base my decisions on how I am going to affect that other person, I really do. This life is truly a blessing. People should start treating it for what it is. Stop blaming others for the strife you suffer, and pull yourself up from your feet and do what you got to do. I don't ever forget where I came from. Ten years ago, I was a pathetic excuse of a human. I got what I deserved, though at the time I was too messed up to even realize it. I lost everything I ever had once, and had literally nothing to go off of. I lived in a trailer with no heat in the middle of the woods of Perry County for close to 3 years. I've made significant gains, and major losses. But I have never blamed anyone but myself if I ever came up short.
You could say that now things are looking up for me and mine. It is, I'll agree, but there is much more work to be done, and instead of being angry and blaming corporations and Wall Street for my problems, I realize that all my problems were in effect created by my actions/inactions. I think that's something a lot of people could start realizing. Sure, there is a lot of bad luck out there for people and families, but instead of reading those Yahoo! stories about a family living on food stamps out of the back of a van and tearing up about it, you should read a little deeper between the lines. Sometimes the reason bad things happen to people, is because bad people do bad or stupid things, and they get what they deserve. I understand when a person goes to a food pantry so they can feed themselves and their family, I've been there. But people who draw attention to their plights and ask for handouts from everyone, I don't buy it at face value. Some people out there legitimately need help with various things, but the ones that are constantly having their hands out, those are the ones you want to watch out for, because they have no desire to better their situation, because they wouldn't still be doing it. Granted, if you have a real disability or something, I can understand the need for help. But it's the other ones you have to watch out for, the true bottom-feeder's. (end rant)
Monday, January 16, 2012
No one cares, were all going to die soon anyway
Had a hell of a good weekend. Went to Athens Saturday night and drank a lot of beer. Strangely, I wasn't drunk or anything, but I did trip over a space heater several times (as well as witnessing others doing it too), so I suppose I was inebriated enough. So, back at work, or at least i'm here in spirit. Nothing really to do now, and I'm waiting on break so I can go do some much-needed grocery shopping.
So, really nothing to interesting to go on about. I looked at a new place to live Sunday; a 2-story, older home on the east side of Lancaster right next to a graveyard. Awesome. It was actually a really nice place, and it is definitely within the budget, so I'm hoping that we'll be able to move in the beginning of February, once all the tax nonsense is over with. I'm just glad I found something a bit bigger than what were used to, so hopefully it will be a welcome change. I already have everything planned out in regards to getting everything moved from house to house. It's in Lancaster, so I wouldn't have to drive long to move everything, so the plan is to acquire the property by the 1st of February, and spend the month slowly getting everything moved and transferred to the new house while working on all the various things that need attention at the old place. Besides all of the expenditures in connection to moving is concerned, I was considering buying another flat screen tv to put up in the upper living room (yes the place has 2 rooms, one up one down, that could be used for family/living rooms) so that way everybody isn't fighting over Xbox/ TV time .
But we shall see how things pan out. I still have practice photos I need to get done in preparation for the spring, so I have to squeeze in time for that as well. I don't want to get into the habit again of shooting all the time and then abruptly stop for no good reason again. I've had enough of that.
Well, since I'm being random-thought Jonny tonight, I think I might be getting a slight cold. My sinus's seem...bothered is the best word for it. Like they hurt,but not really. Whatever. Tough it out, old man.
20 minutes to go, really would like to keep writing, but I am running out of things to say beyond the random drivel above. Oh wait....
Apparently there is this new phishing scam going on that I heard about today through Facebook. I guess a hot chick (or some creepy dude in his mom's basement) will try to friend young ladies between the ages of 17-25, and send them random comments about them to their profile, stuff that begins like "Oh, you are so gorgeous, you could model!" and then escalates to, "Damn, you oughta look into getting into the adult business, you are so hot. Here's a website for you to check out,". Then if the unsuspecting young woman does become interested, the "friend" on FB, will then tell them that they have connections into that stuff, and would gladly help them out, but first they have to give them a bunch of info they use to steal whatever they can from them. I've seen a lot of stupid stuff like this online for years, but I really can't hardly believe that people are so dumb that they take it at face value and let it ride when it comes to creatures from the cesspool of the blackest depths of the internet. Most of the time, the reason a person get's targeted for this kind of thing is because they will friend ANYONE. You know the type; they got a FB profile with like 18000 friends. Look, nobody on this planet KNOWS THAT MANY PEOPLE PERSONALLY. Or even as acquaintances. I can understand if your a celebrity and you use your FB page as a vehicle to promote your particular genre of the trade, but for those of us who actually use it to communicate with others about whatever, none of us realistically have that many people in our lives we know personally. Now, I will say with all honesty, I probably only "know" about 75% of my friends on FB. The other 25%, are more than likely friends of friends, and my little sister's friends. Not that it bothers me or anything, that's just how it is. If I befriend anyone who turns out later to be hacked or isn't who they say they are, you get deleted. If you post bullshit on my wall about how many Starbucks gift cards you won last week, or any other form of promotion, you get deleted.
Also, to be honest, I really don't play any games on FB, so stop sending me requests to play Mafia War's, Farmville, Frontierville, Doucheviulle or any other stupid shit like that. I have an Xbox, and it works just fine thank you. No, I am not interested in seeing how I die in the future either. I tried that once, and it said thunder was going to kill me. How am I supposed to take that? The sound of its going to be enough to reduce me to succumb to death? Or is Thor, the god of thunder, going to come down from Asgard and kick my ass with his hammer? I say no to online games, you should too. At least the wack ones on FB.
OK I'm done.
It's been 20 minutes. I hope I have something better for you tomorrow.
Cheers.
So, really nothing to interesting to go on about. I looked at a new place to live Sunday; a 2-story, older home on the east side of Lancaster right next to a graveyard. Awesome. It was actually a really nice place, and it is definitely within the budget, so I'm hoping that we'll be able to move in the beginning of February, once all the tax nonsense is over with. I'm just glad I found something a bit bigger than what were used to, so hopefully it will be a welcome change. I already have everything planned out in regards to getting everything moved from house to house. It's in Lancaster, so I wouldn't have to drive long to move everything, so the plan is to acquire the property by the 1st of February, and spend the month slowly getting everything moved and transferred to the new house while working on all the various things that need attention at the old place. Besides all of the expenditures in connection to moving is concerned, I was considering buying another flat screen tv to put up in the upper living room (yes the place has 2 rooms, one up one down, that could be used for family/living rooms) so that way everybody isn't fighting over Xbox/ TV time .
But we shall see how things pan out. I still have practice photos I need to get done in preparation for the spring, so I have to squeeze in time for that as well. I don't want to get into the habit again of shooting all the time and then abruptly stop for no good reason again. I've had enough of that.
Well, since I'm being random-thought Jonny tonight, I think I might be getting a slight cold. My sinus's seem...bothered is the best word for it. Like they hurt,but not really. Whatever. Tough it out, old man.
20 minutes to go, really would like to keep writing, but I am running out of things to say beyond the random drivel above. Oh wait....
Apparently there is this new phishing scam going on that I heard about today through Facebook. I guess a hot chick (or some creepy dude in his mom's basement) will try to friend young ladies between the ages of 17-25, and send them random comments about them to their profile, stuff that begins like "Oh, you are so gorgeous, you could model!" and then escalates to, "Damn, you oughta look into getting into the adult business, you are so hot. Here's a website for you to check out,". Then if the unsuspecting young woman does become interested, the "friend" on FB, will then tell them that they have connections into that stuff, and would gladly help them out, but first they have to give them a bunch of info they use to steal whatever they can from them. I've seen a lot of stupid stuff like this online for years, but I really can't hardly believe that people are so dumb that they take it at face value and let it ride when it comes to creatures from the cesspool of the blackest depths of the internet. Most of the time, the reason a person get's targeted for this kind of thing is because they will friend ANYONE. You know the type; they got a FB profile with like 18000 friends. Look, nobody on this planet KNOWS THAT MANY PEOPLE PERSONALLY. Or even as acquaintances. I can understand if your a celebrity and you use your FB page as a vehicle to promote your particular genre of the trade, but for those of us who actually use it to communicate with others about whatever, none of us realistically have that many people in our lives we know personally. Now, I will say with all honesty, I probably only "know" about 75% of my friends on FB. The other 25%, are more than likely friends of friends, and my little sister's friends. Not that it bothers me or anything, that's just how it is. If I befriend anyone who turns out later to be hacked or isn't who they say they are, you get deleted. If you post bullshit on my wall about how many Starbucks gift cards you won last week, or any other form of promotion, you get deleted.
Also, to be honest, I really don't play any games on FB, so stop sending me requests to play Mafia War's, Farmville, Frontierville, Doucheviulle or any other stupid shit like that. I have an Xbox, and it works just fine thank you. No, I am not interested in seeing how I die in the future either. I tried that once, and it said thunder was going to kill me. How am I supposed to take that? The sound of its going to be enough to reduce me to succumb to death? Or is Thor, the god of thunder, going to come down from Asgard and kick my ass with his hammer? I say no to online games, you should too. At least the wack ones on FB.
OK I'm done.
It's been 20 minutes. I hope I have something better for you tomorrow.
Cheers.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Reaping the wind through this mortal shell...
A lot of stuff in the news today. Some bad, some worse. Gas prices are going to go up in our great state of Ohio by summer. Good thing I went with a small SUV instead of a huge gas-sucking monstrosity like I was looking at prior. That and I should only have a few things left to tinker with on the Honda, and we should be golden.
However...
I have been reading a lot of , let's say, conspiratorial writings lately. When you have a lot of downtime on the job, the only thing left to do is ...surf the internet! So, after reading all the usual drivel on Yahoo!, CNN, and MSN (which pretty much carry all the same stories), I began looking at some links that were on a Facebook friend of mine's page regarding a whole host of conspiracy theories and other possibly outrageous stories. Here is the link that I came across yesterday...http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sumer_anunnaki/anunnaki/anu_13a.htm#part%201
Now if you go to it, you're going to be floored by the craziness of it all. The theories of a reptilian race that holds dominion over us all is just a bit too much for me to swallow. But I found some of the subsequent links rather interesting. I'm not going to post all of them on here, but I'll just leave the one above up for people to look at because that's just the diving board in to the possibly crazy sea of insanity I was looking at last night. The amount of information is absolutely staggering. I couldn't believe how much time and effort was put into the compiling of all these theories. But then I began to imagine, what if it was all true? What if thousands of years ago, human were battling with nuclear weaponry as these crazy papers purported? There is a file on there regarding the area in India that has a blanket of ash on it that has been carbon dated as being old as hell, but the only way it could have came about was through an atomic blast. That was what really got me hooked into reading deeper into all of this madness.
But is it truly madness? Could any of it have a single iota of truth to it? Could we as humans had at one time been even further along technologically than we are now thousands of years ago? I really believe that there is probably some logical explanation for these things, but they are some curious theories to have. I mean, it does sound straight out of Star Trek, but if any of it was true then things on this planet would be a bit different. Everything that we know or have been taught about in life would be false or based on falsehoods. Things would become absolutely chaotic the world over. But it's all just theory so we should be good :)
Aside from the crazy, I've got a lot of upcoming projects and the what not coming up. I am going to be moving out of my current home to another, more spacious place, and I have many things I need to accomplish between now and then. Here's the tentative list:
-Patch hole in bathroom ceiling from chincy shower curtain-rod thing
-Fix Honda
-Get married
-Do taxes
-Paint bedroom door
-Fix door knob in kids room
-Steam clean carpets
-Somehow remove wax from carpet (lol)
That's just a start. I am going to assess this weekend everything that needs done, and hopefully it wont be a huge hit in the pocketbook. We'll see.
However...
I have been reading a lot of , let's say, conspiratorial writings lately. When you have a lot of downtime on the job, the only thing left to do is ...surf the internet! So, after reading all the usual drivel on Yahoo!, CNN, and MSN (which pretty much carry all the same stories), I began looking at some links that were on a Facebook friend of mine's page regarding a whole host of conspiracy theories and other possibly outrageous stories. Here is the link that I came across yesterday...http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sumer_anunnaki/anunnaki/anu_13a.htm#part%201
Now if you go to it, you're going to be floored by the craziness of it all. The theories of a reptilian race that holds dominion over us all is just a bit too much for me to swallow. But I found some of the subsequent links rather interesting. I'm not going to post all of them on here, but I'll just leave the one above up for people to look at because that's just the diving board in to the possibly crazy sea of insanity I was looking at last night. The amount of information is absolutely staggering. I couldn't believe how much time and effort was put into the compiling of all these theories. But then I began to imagine, what if it was all true? What if thousands of years ago, human were battling with nuclear weaponry as these crazy papers purported? There is a file on there regarding the area in India that has a blanket of ash on it that has been carbon dated as being old as hell, but the only way it could have came about was through an atomic blast. That was what really got me hooked into reading deeper into all of this madness.
But is it truly madness? Could any of it have a single iota of truth to it? Could we as humans had at one time been even further along technologically than we are now thousands of years ago? I really believe that there is probably some logical explanation for these things, but they are some curious theories to have. I mean, it does sound straight out of Star Trek, but if any of it was true then things on this planet would be a bit different. Everything that we know or have been taught about in life would be false or based on falsehoods. Things would become absolutely chaotic the world over. But it's all just theory so we should be good :)
Aside from the crazy, I've got a lot of upcoming projects and the what not coming up. I am going to be moving out of my current home to another, more spacious place, and I have many things I need to accomplish between now and then. Here's the tentative list:
-Patch hole in bathroom ceiling from chincy shower curtain-rod thing
-Fix Honda
-Get married
-Do taxes
-Paint bedroom door
-Fix door knob in kids room
-Steam clean carpets
-Somehow remove wax from carpet (lol)
That's just a start. I am going to assess this weekend everything that needs done, and hopefully it wont be a huge hit in the pocketbook. We'll see.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
It's getting darker by the minute, and i'm all out of matches..
Even though you might not think it, I still believe very deeply in God. I may not go to church, and I may not read my Bible every day of the week, but I still believe. My beliefs are a bit more different than the typical Christian, I will admit, but I still have faith in aspects of Christianity. For example, do I think it's the end of the world? Maybe. But we've been walking the line of "maybe" for 100's of years. Apocalyptic theory is nothing new; people have been espousing The End for years. Especially around the turn of centuries. It's as if the advent of a new set of 100 years gets people into dwelling on all the negative things in life. You turn on the news, and what do you see? Bad news. Sure, there is some positive stories thrown in the mix to keep you from abandoning all hope for this race, but it's always the same. What most people don't realize is, if the news was full of good things, no one would really want to watch it. Human beings are inherently wicked; the temptation to do "bad" things is an unavoidable fact of life, even for the most devout, holy, and upstanding citizens in societies the world over.
Thus, the stories that interest us all online or on TV, in the newspapers, magazines, Hell, even word of mouth are nine times out of ten negative, related to something negative, or could possibly become something with negative circumstances. I personally think that the news, these days especially, should start searching out the awesome, non-scandalous stories of human hope, perseverance, and accomplishments instead of giving press time to mothers that kill their children and get away with it, stars that get away with pedophilia, only to have their illegal actions swept under the rug just because their fans give them unconditional love and support and defend them regardless of the accusations they face. News should be about things going on in your community, local or nationwide, good and bad, but it should really focus more on the good than the bad because I believe that when all these horrible stories you read about today get air time it gives people ideas about how to handle things in their own lives, and then it spreads outward amongst us all in pandemic proportions.
Example: during the 90's you never really heard too much about murder-suicides involving entire families. Sure, instances of it happened along with all kinds of other evil shit, but these days you cant go an entire week without hearing something about someone offing their whole clan over everything from money problems to picking out the wrong kind of peanut butter at the grocery. Now you can attribute that to the major increase in media outlets as well as the rise of availability of technologies that 10 years ago, most people would not have had access to. 10 years ago, I didn't have a cell phone. I had a pager. These days, kids as young as 7 (if not younger) have cellular devices, or access to, that provide all forms of media out there. Almost all information is at your fingertips, you just have to google what you want to know now.
And stuff like that, murder-suicides, rampant theft, rape, abuse; it's always been around. It's not going to go away either.
But is all that because people don't believe in God (or any other kind of deity that might be member to a different faith) anymore? I don't think so. You look at any other society out there that has a totally different belief structure or religions, you'll have the same things, good or bad. Sometimes even worse than others. . We are all humans, from Ohio to Iraq. We are all people of this planet, though we might have different ways of looking at things.
When I was younger, and still went to church on a regular basis, I used to attend youth group at a church that was located across from my old high school. We were having a "discussion" (roughly translated to the youth pastor and the top ass kissers telling us what we should believe) about the various religions in the world and how all of them were wrong, and every single person that subscribed to them were going to go to Hell. As the inquisitive person that I am, I was full of questions and had a few scenarios in my head that I was curious about. I asked out loud what if someone never ever had the opportunity to learn about Christianity, how could they be included in with all those people that would go to Hell? I said that was like being arrested and thrown in jail for a crime you never had or could not commit. I was told simply that everyone on this planet has an opportunity to learn about God and Christ, and that you had to seize that moment when it happens and accept God into your heart and mind. That was it. That was all I got answered. I then asked about the indigenous people in places that are hard to get to, that have never seen another human being outside of their tribe or community. What about them? What about a newborn baby that is born to an Islamic family only to pass on suddenly in the middle of the night? I said it seemed unfair to me that they would be grouped in as well. I was told that that was their problem and that if an infant dies to an unsaved family, they're parents beliefs and faiths would ultimately dictate where thay would be spending eternity , and then the youth pastor wanted to get some one on one time with me about these questions I was asking. I went outside the building and talked to the guy (his name was Dave, I think). Well, talking is an understatement. I was lectured about how these questions I have are dangerous and almost bordered on heresy.
What? I wasn't aware asking questions about other people's beliefs was heresy. I just had some things I was concerned about, and I wanted a straight answer. I was told that I shouldn't ask stuff like that because it would plant seeds of disbelief in some of the other kids or something like that. I just couldn't believe that the God I had been taught about for years would condemn people because they never had a chance to learn about Him. We had been taught our God was a god of peace and love, but if you were born somewhere else whose culture didn't promote that faith, you were nothing. You were less than trash. I argued this point, and all I got was an exasperated shrug and a promise that I would be prayed for. I think it wasn't too long after that my family left the church due to some shady business regarding my stepmom and some kind of position within or whatever. It was funny because I ran into Dave (?) at Kroger's not too long after I graduated, and he didn't seem too happy to see me. I asked how he was doing, he said fine, and that was it. I got a rather curt ":Excuse me," and he was on his way. I never saw him again. I didn't realize until later on in life that was probably a good thing. My experience at that church has galvanized in me a want to stay away from churches like that. Now, I know that not all church's are the same, and that there is a lot of good ones out there (my moms for example), but I really have no desire to start going to one regularly anymore. I know how to read , I have a bible, and I understand the teachings in it.
I personally believe that you should be able to worship in any kind of faith you wish. I don't care if you worship Allah, Buddha, Jesus, the Pillsbury Dough Boy; if you're cool to me I'll be cool with you. If you're not, then i'm not. If you look at the tenets and cornerstones of all the various religions, they all inherently say the same things : don't steal stuff, don't kill anyone if you can help it (self defense), don't cheat on your old lady, don't be greedy, be good to everyone, etc. You get the point. But were all human, and to be a human, you cannot be perfect in all aspects of life. People, no matter how "good" they are, are weak to temptation, and are often going to do these things regardless of consequence. You might be a huge philanthropist, giving away millions a year to various kinds of charities, orphanages, and the whatnot, but that doesn't change the fact that you might have 2 or 3 mistresses (or misters lol) on the side. Or as I alluded to earlier, a worldwide pop star whose sold millions of albums and touched millions of people with their music who has pedo tendencies. When you have support like that, your sins can be overlooked, and they often do. When your sway over the media is so huge that when the facts of your misdoings are revealed for the whole world to see, they are pushed aside and considered irrelevant compared to the amount of good you may have done presently or in the past by your support base. Those types of people are the most dangerous to me, because it proves that a human being will go to such lengths for recognition and fame, they will also go to greater lengths to keep their image untarnished by all the bad and evil they are up to, no matter how much you sugarcoat it.
But, after chatting with someone yesterday in this same vein, I come to realize more and more that the media these days has become a double-edged sword; it gives opportunities for good as well as bad, but the capacity for doing and harboring evil is huge now, and it might be so much so that there is no way to turn it around. And really the only one running the corrupt machine of media is who holds the most money, and sadly, that's the way it's going for a lot of other things as well.
Thus, the stories that interest us all online or on TV, in the newspapers, magazines, Hell, even word of mouth are nine times out of ten negative, related to something negative, or could possibly become something with negative circumstances. I personally think that the news, these days especially, should start searching out the awesome, non-scandalous stories of human hope, perseverance, and accomplishments instead of giving press time to mothers that kill their children and get away with it, stars that get away with pedophilia, only to have their illegal actions swept under the rug just because their fans give them unconditional love and support and defend them regardless of the accusations they face. News should be about things going on in your community, local or nationwide, good and bad, but it should really focus more on the good than the bad because I believe that when all these horrible stories you read about today get air time it gives people ideas about how to handle things in their own lives, and then it spreads outward amongst us all in pandemic proportions.
Example: during the 90's you never really heard too much about murder-suicides involving entire families. Sure, instances of it happened along with all kinds of other evil shit, but these days you cant go an entire week without hearing something about someone offing their whole clan over everything from money problems to picking out the wrong kind of peanut butter at the grocery. Now you can attribute that to the major increase in media outlets as well as the rise of availability of technologies that 10 years ago, most people would not have had access to. 10 years ago, I didn't have a cell phone. I had a pager. These days, kids as young as 7 (if not younger) have cellular devices, or access to, that provide all forms of media out there. Almost all information is at your fingertips, you just have to google what you want to know now.
And stuff like that, murder-suicides, rampant theft, rape, abuse; it's always been around. It's not going to go away either.
But is all that because people don't believe in God (or any other kind of deity that might be member to a different faith) anymore? I don't think so. You look at any other society out there that has a totally different belief structure or religions, you'll have the same things, good or bad. Sometimes even worse than others. . We are all humans, from Ohio to Iraq. We are all people of this planet, though we might have different ways of looking at things.
When I was younger, and still went to church on a regular basis, I used to attend youth group at a church that was located across from my old high school. We were having a "discussion" (roughly translated to the youth pastor and the top ass kissers telling us what we should believe) about the various religions in the world and how all of them were wrong, and every single person that subscribed to them were going to go to Hell. As the inquisitive person that I am, I was full of questions and had a few scenarios in my head that I was curious about. I asked out loud what if someone never ever had the opportunity to learn about Christianity, how could they be included in with all those people that would go to Hell? I said that was like being arrested and thrown in jail for a crime you never had or could not commit. I was told simply that everyone on this planet has an opportunity to learn about God and Christ, and that you had to seize that moment when it happens and accept God into your heart and mind. That was it. That was all I got answered. I then asked about the indigenous people in places that are hard to get to, that have never seen another human being outside of their tribe or community. What about them? What about a newborn baby that is born to an Islamic family only to pass on suddenly in the middle of the night? I said it seemed unfair to me that they would be grouped in as well. I was told that that was their problem and that if an infant dies to an unsaved family, they're parents beliefs and faiths would ultimately dictate where thay would be spending eternity , and then the youth pastor wanted to get some one on one time with me about these questions I was asking. I went outside the building and talked to the guy (his name was Dave, I think). Well, talking is an understatement. I was lectured about how these questions I have are dangerous and almost bordered on heresy.
What? I wasn't aware asking questions about other people's beliefs was heresy. I just had some things I was concerned about, and I wanted a straight answer. I was told that I shouldn't ask stuff like that because it would plant seeds of disbelief in some of the other kids or something like that. I just couldn't believe that the God I had been taught about for years would condemn people because they never had a chance to learn about Him. We had been taught our God was a god of peace and love, but if you were born somewhere else whose culture didn't promote that faith, you were nothing. You were less than trash. I argued this point, and all I got was an exasperated shrug and a promise that I would be prayed for. I think it wasn't too long after that my family left the church due to some shady business regarding my stepmom and some kind of position within or whatever. It was funny because I ran into Dave (?) at Kroger's not too long after I graduated, and he didn't seem too happy to see me. I asked how he was doing, he said fine, and that was it. I got a rather curt ":Excuse me," and he was on his way. I never saw him again. I didn't realize until later on in life that was probably a good thing. My experience at that church has galvanized in me a want to stay away from churches like that. Now, I know that not all church's are the same, and that there is a lot of good ones out there (my moms for example), but I really have no desire to start going to one regularly anymore. I know how to read , I have a bible, and I understand the teachings in it.
I personally believe that you should be able to worship in any kind of faith you wish. I don't care if you worship Allah, Buddha, Jesus, the Pillsbury Dough Boy; if you're cool to me I'll be cool with you. If you're not, then i'm not. If you look at the tenets and cornerstones of all the various religions, they all inherently say the same things : don't steal stuff, don't kill anyone if you can help it (self defense), don't cheat on your old lady, don't be greedy, be good to everyone, etc. You get the point. But were all human, and to be a human, you cannot be perfect in all aspects of life. People, no matter how "good" they are, are weak to temptation, and are often going to do these things regardless of consequence. You might be a huge philanthropist, giving away millions a year to various kinds of charities, orphanages, and the whatnot, but that doesn't change the fact that you might have 2 or 3 mistresses (or misters lol) on the side. Or as I alluded to earlier, a worldwide pop star whose sold millions of albums and touched millions of people with their music who has pedo tendencies. When you have support like that, your sins can be overlooked, and they often do. When your sway over the media is so huge that when the facts of your misdoings are revealed for the whole world to see, they are pushed aside and considered irrelevant compared to the amount of good you may have done presently or in the past by your support base. Those types of people are the most dangerous to me, because it proves that a human being will go to such lengths for recognition and fame, they will also go to greater lengths to keep their image untarnished by all the bad and evil they are up to, no matter how much you sugarcoat it.
But, after chatting with someone yesterday in this same vein, I come to realize more and more that the media these days has become a double-edged sword; it gives opportunities for good as well as bad, but the capacity for doing and harboring evil is huge now, and it might be so much so that there is no way to turn it around. And really the only one running the corrupt machine of media is who holds the most money, and sadly, that's the way it's going for a lot of other things as well.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Walk straight with a clear resolution
Busier today than I have been in days. I have surprisingly had stuff coming through on a regular basis during the shift, and for that I am glad. It's good to have a consistent amount of work; keeps my hands from going idle, and my mind from wandering.
I'm also extremely glad that for once I have all the miscellaneous bills paid for this month in the first week. Woot! Usually I stretch everything out throughout the weeks in a month, but now all I have left to pay for the month of January is my car payment ($305) and the rent for February ($500). And, hopefully that will be the last time I pay rent at the place we currently reside in.
Yes, I plan on giving my 30 day notice at the end of this month, and move on somewhere else. Where? Idont know yet. Probably still in Lancaster, but if I find another place closer to Columbus that isn't an arm and a leg, i'll jump on it in a second. But it has to be 2-3 bedroom, 1-1 1/2 bath, and within $500- 700 a month.
Yeah. I know, right. Good luck to you on that one. Everything I've found thus far has been well over that for the parameters I've set. But you never know; Craigslist sometimes will have stuff pop up from time to time. Who knows, maybe my luck will change.
But, alas, we must move on somewhere. The current place is small, stuff needs fixed, and the neighborhood is growing rather too hood for my liking anymore, and if another thugged-out parolee shows up at my front door wanting to sell me magazines so they can possibly win a trip to Italy, I am going to start swinging on someone. Fo Sho'.
I'm also extremely glad that for once I have all the miscellaneous bills paid for this month in the first week. Woot! Usually I stretch everything out throughout the weeks in a month, but now all I have left to pay for the month of January is my car payment ($305) and the rent for February ($500). And, hopefully that will be the last time I pay rent at the place we currently reside in.
Yes, I plan on giving my 30 day notice at the end of this month, and move on somewhere else. Where? Idont know yet. Probably still in Lancaster, but if I find another place closer to Columbus that isn't an arm and a leg, i'll jump on it in a second. But it has to be 2-3 bedroom, 1-1 1/2 bath, and within $500- 700 a month.
Yeah. I know, right. Good luck to you on that one. Everything I've found thus far has been well over that for the parameters I've set. But you never know; Craigslist sometimes will have stuff pop up from time to time. Who knows, maybe my luck will change.
But, alas, we must move on somewhere. The current place is small, stuff needs fixed, and the neighborhood is growing rather too hood for my liking anymore, and if another thugged-out parolee shows up at my front door wanting to sell me magazines so they can possibly win a trip to Italy, I am going to start swinging on someone. Fo Sho'.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
How quickly I forget that this is meaningless
Another day coming to a rapid end. Can't say anything too exciting occurred, did however get some practice in earlier as was mentioned in my prior post.
A number of those photos came out pretty damn good in my opinion. Not that I was really doing anything more than messing around, but after looking at them, I feel pretty confident in my abilities thus far. I have much more to learn, of course, but I look forward to the numerous challenges that await me in the fantastic field of photography.
Ah. They're cheering. Again. It used to only happen 2-3 times a week, but here lately its been every damn night. Whatever. It's just a sign that i'll be leaving soon. That's right, I'm at work.
Anyway.
I'm surprised at myself that I don't really have anything to say regarding the political BS transpiring currently. It's not that i'm apathetic to it all or anything; quite the opposite actually. I read the news on CNN, FOX, and unfortunately Yahoo! (if you wish to call that drivel news. Their articles are rife with typos, misquotes, and bad links. But...you know you read it too.) I just have no comment. I learned years ago the best way to alienate yourself from people is claim allegiance to whatever political party/ideas that's opposite there own. You'll lose friends quite quickly. Or at least make people think strange things about you. So, I don't really align myself with a political party anymore.
One has to approach the topic of politics and voting like a savvy consumer shops for a new car. You have all these options for President, for example. When it comes time for the election there will be at least 4-5 people running for office i''m going to assume once everything is said and done. Now look at that as if you're about to buy a car. You have 5 potential options for a vehicle: the sporty, fast, girly-getting insurance policy raiser. The conventional minivan. An SUV with all the trimmings. A small subcompact that runs off of a battery. And finally Smart Car. When you compare the two things they are almost the same. Presidents sit in office for one term/ 4 years, during that time, all kinds of scandal can come up that can mar their reputation. A new car usually doesn't have any major problems within the first 4 years, but you still have to pay for it and there is some things that will come up you might not like in the long run, like the cupholder that's too small to hold anything but a can of pop and some change.
Even when it comes down to financing, its almost the same thing.
I know, it is kind of a silly comparison but in a way, it's not. Sorry, that's just how my brain works sometimes.
A number of those photos came out pretty damn good in my opinion. Not that I was really doing anything more than messing around, but after looking at them, I feel pretty confident in my abilities thus far. I have much more to learn, of course, but I look forward to the numerous challenges that await me in the fantastic field of photography.
Ah. They're cheering. Again. It used to only happen 2-3 times a week, but here lately its been every damn night. Whatever. It's just a sign that i'll be leaving soon. That's right, I'm at work.
Anyway.
I'm surprised at myself that I don't really have anything to say regarding the political BS transpiring currently. It's not that i'm apathetic to it all or anything; quite the opposite actually. I read the news on CNN, FOX, and unfortunately Yahoo! (if you wish to call that drivel news. Their articles are rife with typos, misquotes, and bad links. But...you know you read it too.) I just have no comment. I learned years ago the best way to alienate yourself from people is claim allegiance to whatever political party/ideas that's opposite there own. You'll lose friends quite quickly. Or at least make people think strange things about you. So, I don't really align myself with a political party anymore.
One has to approach the topic of politics and voting like a savvy consumer shops for a new car. You have all these options for President, for example. When it comes time for the election there will be at least 4-5 people running for office i''m going to assume once everything is said and done. Now look at that as if you're about to buy a car. You have 5 potential options for a vehicle: the sporty, fast, girly-getting insurance policy raiser. The conventional minivan. An SUV with all the trimmings. A small subcompact that runs off of a battery. And finally Smart Car. When you compare the two things they are almost the same. Presidents sit in office for one term/ 4 years, during that time, all kinds of scandal can come up that can mar their reputation. A new car usually doesn't have any major problems within the first 4 years, but you still have to pay for it and there is some things that will come up you might not like in the long run, like the cupholder that's too small to hold anything but a can of pop and some change.
Even when it comes down to financing, its almost the same thing.
I know, it is kind of a silly comparison but in a way, it's not. Sorry, that's just how my brain works sometimes.
Some homework done, still got some studying to do.
Got some practice pictures done this afternoon. After downing a half-pot of coffee (i'm not drinking as much as I did yesterday), I got to work finding stuff around the house to get some close-up shots of. I need the practice for wedding season, so here is what I have so far. A lot of it is silly; I used some toys laying around and strategically placed them in different ways. This is in no way supposed to be anything I am particularly proud of, it's just practice, and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
For a minute, I thought I was in Braveheart....
God, these night crew people are savages. Hooting and hollering like a troop of monkeys running through the jungle, the 3rd shifters here at work are a strange bunch. I mean, I worked 3 years here on nights, and we never did group cheers, got inspirational speeches, or any kind of positive, go get-em attitude and morale boosting. All we got was the "Be safe, scan all your boxes, and report any injuries immediately, no matter how minor." mantra that was given weekly if not nightly in some fashion. But I worked on a totally different op then. This back here is just primal, go balls deep as fast as you can and load the effing truck kind of work. I just happen to be back here because the chute where all the international stuff goes to is conveniently located above my head. I have the option to go to the offices up front and set up shop, but that would require a great deal of walking back and forth, and I 'm cool on that.
Besides, i'm currently serving out my self-imposed exile back here, and I couldn't love it more.
A few months ago, some co-worker's decided that they wanted to get back at me because I took some days off and didn't run it by them first. Keep in mind these are co-worker's, not management, but they would have you think otherwise if you didn't know any better. When I first started this position, I was given an impromptu speech about various things from these two, covering such basics as if I need to call off, I needed to call not only work, but both of them ASAP to make sure there was coverage for the evening. Fine. No problem. I'd be happy to. Then I was told that if I wanted to schedule a day off, I had to ask them first to see if it conflicted with either of their schedules. This took me aback, because for as long as I have worked here, anytime I wanted a day off, I got a sheet marked 'Vacation Time Request' and filled the fucker out, turned it in, and it either got approved/denied. Most of the time it was approved. Anyway these two from the very beginning sought to make me think that every little thing had to be ran through them. And I was fine with it. Plus my real boss was on his way out, and couldn't give a shit less what was going on. So, whatever. Go along to get along, right?
Well, September came, and I wanted to schedule a day off in November, right before our peak season, but before Thanksgiving, so I assumed that it would be cool. Especially since I was scheduling it off so far ahead in advance.
ME: "Hey what's up man, i'm thinking about taking November 11th off, are you scheduled off or anything?"
ASSHAT #1 (Glares at ME angrily for interrupting his Angry Birds match on his phone): "Uhh, you can't. It's peak." (ASSHAT #1 has only worked at the facility for 2 years, and thinks that everyone below him is an idiot, and that he is, "the best thing ever to walk in the doors here". I have been here almost 5, and I know damn well when peak is and when it isn't.)
ME: " Are you sure about that? I'm fairly certain peak doesn't begin til Thanksgiving week, and the day I want is 2 weeks before that." (ASSHAT #1 is pissed that I dare even assert that I know more than he does about the company we work for, regardless of tenure and experience. He gives no regard to the fact that #1 I have worked many different jobs here and I consider myself to be pretty well-rounded when it comes to my job. #2, he is some punk-ass college kid here in Cbus on his daddy's dime, and is only working here through school, so he could not give a fuck less about the day-to-day operations of this place. See, my employer is one of those one's that will give better positions to kids fresh in college than they will to someone with real-world experience because it all looks better on paper. I have been passed up on so many job opportunities here because I haven't finished college as compared to some 18 year old kid that just walked in the door and his mommy and daddy pay for him to go to Ohio State, and is in his freshman year, clueless to pretty much everything. Where you go to school to is a big thing they look at also. Bunch of BS if you ask me. But it's whatever; I've proved myself enough to secure a position that provides seclusion, a PC with internet, and a great job to perform.)
ASSHAT #1 "Well, it's different for us than it was for you guys on 3rds," He says as he eyes ASSHAT #2 coming over. He's looking at her as if he's mentally willing her to jump into the convo and throw her unneeded 2 cents in. And, of course, she does.
ASSHAT #2 "Why do you want that day off? I could understand the day before Thanksgiving, or something." Well, to be quite frank, you fucking psycho, I don't need to tell you shit. I could be taking the day off so I can sit around at home and smoke weed all day and play Call of Duty til my eyes bleed, or I might be taking it off so I could go find another job because i'm tired of your crazy ass. It doesn't matter.
I call ASSHAT #2 crazy because she truly is. The girl has admitted to visualizing herself as Bella from fucking Twilight, and that she literally tries to act like her. She also tries to catch the stray cats that run through here from time to time. I don't see a sparkly vampire in her future, but a house featured on Hoarders containing 500 cats, dead and alive.
Anyway...
MYBOSS: "Dude, just fill out the sheet like you normally do, and I'll let you know." OK cool. Will do.
The Next Day....
I got in trouble. I had been bringing my phone in unofficially since I began, and the Asshat Twins had decided to roll me to my boss's boss. and also blamed me for a few other things (which my boss knew was BS). I found out later that the two had conspired together to attempt to bring me down for even thinking that I dare could argue with one of them over something as trivial as a day off. They needed "to teach me a lesson" as it were. OK. I can play this game.
I angrily told my boss that I was going to HR and raise Holy Hell. There is nothing here that strikes fear more in the hearts of our management staff than the words, "i'm going to HR." They will do whatever it is possible to get you not to go, because they know that when HR gets involved in anything here, someone is getting fired, demoted or in other ways disciplined.
I was going, and my beef was going to be that I should not have to go through 4 people just to get one fucking day off of work. It would have been enough to get shit started. I had gotten up, and my boss said "Wait."
"Dude, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it for you." I was in awe. See, my boss was new having just came into relieve the last one that I had initially began with. "From now on, you come to me with everything." And it's been that way since. The Asshat Twins still roam around here like they run the show, but I give them no attention. I come in, do what i need to do, and get the hell out so I can get some beer before 1 AM. And so far the peace has been kept.
Besides, i'm currently serving out my self-imposed exile back here, and I couldn't love it more.
A few months ago, some co-worker's decided that they wanted to get back at me because I took some days off and didn't run it by them first. Keep in mind these are co-worker's, not management, but they would have you think otherwise if you didn't know any better. When I first started this position, I was given an impromptu speech about various things from these two, covering such basics as if I need to call off, I needed to call not only work, but both of them ASAP to make sure there was coverage for the evening. Fine. No problem. I'd be happy to. Then I was told that if I wanted to schedule a day off, I had to ask them first to see if it conflicted with either of their schedules. This took me aback, because for as long as I have worked here, anytime I wanted a day off, I got a sheet marked 'Vacation Time Request' and filled the fucker out, turned it in, and it either got approved/denied. Most of the time it was approved. Anyway these two from the very beginning sought to make me think that every little thing had to be ran through them. And I was fine with it. Plus my real boss was on his way out, and couldn't give a shit less what was going on. So, whatever. Go along to get along, right?
Well, September came, and I wanted to schedule a day off in November, right before our peak season, but before Thanksgiving, so I assumed that it would be cool. Especially since I was scheduling it off so far ahead in advance.
ME: "Hey what's up man, i'm thinking about taking November 11th off, are you scheduled off or anything?"
ASSHAT #1 (Glares at ME angrily for interrupting his Angry Birds match on his phone): "Uhh, you can't. It's peak." (ASSHAT #1 has only worked at the facility for 2 years, and thinks that everyone below him is an idiot, and that he is, "the best thing ever to walk in the doors here". I have been here almost 5, and I know damn well when peak is and when it isn't.)
ME: " Are you sure about that? I'm fairly certain peak doesn't begin til Thanksgiving week, and the day I want is 2 weeks before that." (ASSHAT #1 is pissed that I dare even assert that I know more than he does about the company we work for, regardless of tenure and experience. He gives no regard to the fact that #1 I have worked many different jobs here and I consider myself to be pretty well-rounded when it comes to my job. #2, he is some punk-ass college kid here in Cbus on his daddy's dime, and is only working here through school, so he could not give a fuck less about the day-to-day operations of this place. See, my employer is one of those one's that will give better positions to kids fresh in college than they will to someone with real-world experience because it all looks better on paper. I have been passed up on so many job opportunities here because I haven't finished college as compared to some 18 year old kid that just walked in the door and his mommy and daddy pay for him to go to Ohio State, and is in his freshman year, clueless to pretty much everything. Where you go to school to is a big thing they look at also. Bunch of BS if you ask me. But it's whatever; I've proved myself enough to secure a position that provides seclusion, a PC with internet, and a great job to perform.)
ASSHAT #1 "Well, it's different for us than it was for you guys on 3rds," He says as he eyes ASSHAT #2 coming over. He's looking at her as if he's mentally willing her to jump into the convo and throw her unneeded 2 cents in. And, of course, she does.
ASSHAT #2 "Why do you want that day off? I could understand the day before Thanksgiving, or something." Well, to be quite frank, you fucking psycho, I don't need to tell you shit. I could be taking the day off so I can sit around at home and smoke weed all day and play Call of Duty til my eyes bleed, or I might be taking it off so I could go find another job because i'm tired of your crazy ass. It doesn't matter.
I call ASSHAT #2 crazy because she truly is. The girl has admitted to visualizing herself as Bella from fucking Twilight, and that she literally tries to act like her. She also tries to catch the stray cats that run through here from time to time. I don't see a sparkly vampire in her future, but a house featured on Hoarders containing 500 cats, dead and alive.
Anyway...
MYBOSS: "Dude, just fill out the sheet like you normally do, and I'll let you know." OK cool. Will do.
The Next Day....
I got in trouble. I had been bringing my phone in unofficially since I began, and the Asshat Twins had decided to roll me to my boss's boss. and also blamed me for a few other things (which my boss knew was BS). I found out later that the two had conspired together to attempt to bring me down for even thinking that I dare could argue with one of them over something as trivial as a day off. They needed "to teach me a lesson" as it were. OK. I can play this game.
I angrily told my boss that I was going to HR and raise Holy Hell. There is nothing here that strikes fear more in the hearts of our management staff than the words, "i'm going to HR." They will do whatever it is possible to get you not to go, because they know that when HR gets involved in anything here, someone is getting fired, demoted or in other ways disciplined.
I was going, and my beef was going to be that I should not have to go through 4 people just to get one fucking day off of work. It would have been enough to get shit started. I had gotten up, and my boss said "Wait."
"Dude, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it for you." I was in awe. See, my boss was new having just came into relieve the last one that I had initially began with. "From now on, you come to me with everything." And it's been that way since. The Asshat Twins still roam around here like they run the show, but I give them no attention. I come in, do what i need to do, and get the hell out so I can get some beer before 1 AM. And so far the peace has been kept.
Dispute nothing, and keep the eye fixed on the prize...
I usually don't drink coffee after 2 PM. Not that its some kind of weird ritual I have with myself or anything, i just don't. Today, instead of my normal 2 energy drinks, either of the Monster variety or the cheap Aftershock's from Speedway, I went with a Timmy Horton's large black. I'm not jittery yet, but I do feel a certain...restlessness.
Of course, I have a very small workload today. I was done before I even finished the aforementioned cup of black coffee.
I saw the kid I mentioned the other day who wanted to buy my other car today. He was driving on my road and banging his head like a wildman. He looked more to be having an epileptic fit more so than getting down to his favorite jams. Now, to be fair, on my commute to work, I get down with it. I'm not going to lie; I headbang, scream along with my tunes; I must look rather frightening to other commuters : A bearded man going apeshit in his SUV, screaming at nothing. EEEK. But the kid I saw, he was probably a juggalo or something.
So, no plans this weekend. I would like to find something to get into though outside of the usual. I do need to really get out and start working more on my macro project so I can get my practice in before wedding season. What would be some good ideas for tiny things I could get some awesome close-up pics of? Cant do bugs, its too cold. Hmm. I could work on finishing my younger sister's senior pics; there are still a few more ideas I have for some great shots I have in my head. But with Ohio's bi-polar weather, a lot of those I cant do until we get an actual week of nothing but snow without any 50 degree days interspersed in between. Patience, I believe, will have to come into play.
(gets up and does some work)
I really want a beer. it's only 6:40, and I am ready to call it a day. Nothing to do. I really should consider using my downtime to finish college online. All this time I spend surfing the web, reading about all the craziness in the world, I could be using in a more positive manner. I know I would be able to; there is a girl that I work with that does all her online school stuff here. Plus work gives her a bonus check every year for being in school. WTF have I been doing all this time, you ask?
Well....
...it's a long story. Maybe i'll get into it later...
Of course, I have a very small workload today. I was done before I even finished the aforementioned cup of black coffee.
I saw the kid I mentioned the other day who wanted to buy my other car today. He was driving on my road and banging his head like a wildman. He looked more to be having an epileptic fit more so than getting down to his favorite jams. Now, to be fair, on my commute to work, I get down with it. I'm not going to lie; I headbang, scream along with my tunes; I must look rather frightening to other commuters : A bearded man going apeshit in his SUV, screaming at nothing. EEEK. But the kid I saw, he was probably a juggalo or something.
So, no plans this weekend. I would like to find something to get into though outside of the usual. I do need to really get out and start working more on my macro project so I can get my practice in before wedding season. What would be some good ideas for tiny things I could get some awesome close-up pics of? Cant do bugs, its too cold. Hmm. I could work on finishing my younger sister's senior pics; there are still a few more ideas I have for some great shots I have in my head. But with Ohio's bi-polar weather, a lot of those I cant do until we get an actual week of nothing but snow without any 50 degree days interspersed in between. Patience, I believe, will have to come into play.
(gets up and does some work)
I really want a beer. it's only 6:40, and I am ready to call it a day. Nothing to do. I really should consider using my downtime to finish college online. All this time I spend surfing the web, reading about all the craziness in the world, I could be using in a more positive manner. I know I would be able to; there is a girl that I work with that does all her online school stuff here. Plus work gives her a bonus check every year for being in school. WTF have I been doing all this time, you ask?
Well....
...it's a long story. Maybe i'll get into it later...
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
it's cold outside. And in here.
Ugh, they turned the heater off. Damn you, employer, damn you to Hell. Thank God for Under Armour. That stuff is probably the best kind of clothing ever. I own quite a bit actually. Let's see, I have 3 hats, a mock-turtleneck long sleeve thing i'm currently wearing, 2 hoodies, and a cut-off shirt for when it's hot. Oh, I have a pair of sandals too. OK thats it. I'm not obsessed or anything, I just love quality clothing. My mom bought me one of the hoodies a couple of Christmas's back, and I was amazed at how warm the thing was. I had a North Face jacket too, but it was nothing compared to the Armour. In my current line of work, keeping warm and keeping cool are 2 very important factors crucial to getting the job done.
They're cheering again. I can't believe that before they get started working on 3rd shift, they make them cheer, like its a damn football game. Your'e loading trucks people, not scoring touchdowns. I mean, I understand the importance of boosting morale and all that shit, but to make your people cheer before you have them load/unload trucks full of boxes for hours straight? That's almost like making someone dig their own grave and then telling them to hop in and fill the dirt back into the hole from the coffin, and to cheer doing it. I used to do that shit, and I can tell you with an absolute certainty, I do not miss it. I loaded/unloaded trucks for close 4 years until my current position. And what a drastic change it has been!
I sit behind a computer most of my nights now. I process international customs documents attached to packages and shipments that are required to get them over the border to Canada. It has it's off nights and it's busy ones. I'm pretty regimented when it comes to my daily grind; I arrive around 5 (I dont have to be here until 6 PM, but I like to be early), go through all my stuff from the day before, then go to my work area to process all the stuff I have for that day.
I usually get all my stuff for the day done no later than 7 PM. I get some more stuff to do around 8:30, but it's not time consuming. I mainly do a lot of data entry and tracking down packages. Then around 10 PM, I go up to the office, and fax all my paperwork. Afterwards, I go back to my area to see if I get any late shipments, and if I have nothing, I leave around 12:30 AM.
Pretty boring. But it has it's amenities. I have a computer, a desk, and most importantly, seclusion. I love the fact that I don't have to talk to anyone when I get here. I call up front to let them know i'm here at least, but I don't have to.
Now, before someone takes this the wrong way, I love my job. Or I should say, I love the company I work for. Sometimes I wish I had more to do, but the fact of the matter is, I already do a lot of stuff beyond my pay grade that other people should be doing, but I guess it's not a bad price to pay for complete autonomy in the workplace.
But I would sincerely love to be doing something more attuned to my creativity than sitting here wasting away behind a HP monitor, listening to the click-clack of the sorter going overhead. I would like to do more creative photography, and Brooke's going to kill me if I don't start practicing more close-ups and macro's. Apparently there's a lot of weddings coming up, so there is a good opportunity to make some more money on the side this year, but I want to branch out a little further this year. I deem this year the one of no f'ing around, the one where I finally let my creative juices go and to avoid all the things that are holding them back.
They're cheering again. I can't believe that before they get started working on 3rd shift, they make them cheer, like its a damn football game. Your'e loading trucks people, not scoring touchdowns. I mean, I understand the importance of boosting morale and all that shit, but to make your people cheer before you have them load/unload trucks full of boxes for hours straight? That's almost like making someone dig their own grave and then telling them to hop in and fill the dirt back into the hole from the coffin, and to cheer doing it. I used to do that shit, and I can tell you with an absolute certainty, I do not miss it. I loaded/unloaded trucks for close 4 years until my current position. And what a drastic change it has been!
I sit behind a computer most of my nights now. I process international customs documents attached to packages and shipments that are required to get them over the border to Canada. It has it's off nights and it's busy ones. I'm pretty regimented when it comes to my daily grind; I arrive around 5 (I dont have to be here until 6 PM, but I like to be early), go through all my stuff from the day before, then go to my work area to process all the stuff I have for that day.
I usually get all my stuff for the day done no later than 7 PM. I get some more stuff to do around 8:30, but it's not time consuming. I mainly do a lot of data entry and tracking down packages. Then around 10 PM, I go up to the office, and fax all my paperwork. Afterwards, I go back to my area to see if I get any late shipments, and if I have nothing, I leave around 12:30 AM.
Pretty boring. But it has it's amenities. I have a computer, a desk, and most importantly, seclusion. I love the fact that I don't have to talk to anyone when I get here. I call up front to let them know i'm here at least, but I don't have to.
Now, before someone takes this the wrong way, I love my job. Or I should say, I love the company I work for. Sometimes I wish I had more to do, but the fact of the matter is, I already do a lot of stuff beyond my pay grade that other people should be doing, but I guess it's not a bad price to pay for complete autonomy in the workplace.
But I would sincerely love to be doing something more attuned to my creativity than sitting here wasting away behind a HP monitor, listening to the click-clack of the sorter going overhead. I would like to do more creative photography, and Brooke's going to kill me if I don't start practicing more close-ups and macro's. Apparently there's a lot of weddings coming up, so there is a good opportunity to make some more money on the side this year, but I want to branch out a little further this year. I deem this year the one of no f'ing around, the one where I finally let my creative juices go and to avoid all the things that are holding them back.
Not the first, Let's hope it's not the last..
This isn't my first blog, just so you know. I had another one, but it was removed for various reasons that I had no control over, so whatever. That's all I'm saying about it right now. Maybe I'll get into it at some point in the future, but for now, fat chance.
So, my New Year was far from...let's say...exciting. Kat and I just sat at the house and played Modern Warfare 3 and drank whiskey. Killed pretty much the whole bottle, but I swear it didn't even get me drunk. Maybe it's my tolerance from all those liquor-filled days of my 20's that I so foolishly spent. Or perhaps i just didn't drink fast enough. Whatever, I don't think I got hammered last New Year's either now that I think about it.
Maybe i'm getting old, and the mirth and excitement of New Year's and all the revelry attached to it just isn't doing it anymore. I had other options, sure, but none sounded fun at all. Or maybe nothing sounded fun because where I live, you have to drive 40 minutes just to go do something worthwhile and the combination of drinking, driving, and avoiding DUI checkpoints just didn't sound like a good plan.
Now, if I lived in Columbus or closer to, I would have definitely done SOMETHING. My only other option was to go down to Athens, and that's just as far. I'm not bitching about my not doing anything this New Year's, I just think that as my "resolution" for 2012, I am going to start going out more often and to more of a variety of places than before. Kat always gives me grief because I never want to do anything or go anywhere, but I think it might be a good thing to start being more ....sociable. Not that i'm an anti-social recluse living in a cave, but I really have become quite the homebody this past year or so.
And, totally unrelated, but I have a 1996 Honda Civic that's been sitting in my front yard for 2 months now. I've had this car for about 5 years, and I intend on getting it running soon. It only needs a little bit of work, but it seems that every time I get the right tool, part, diagram; whatever I need to get the damn thing running, I discover something else that needs replaced or find out that the tools I have are inadequate to get the job done. I would love to get this damn thing running again because I would save hundreds in gas money if I was driving it instead of the Lexus every day to work. Anyway, it seems like every time I walk out my front door, I get asked if it's for sale. One day it was the mailman. The next it was some lady jogging. Last time it was some old guy who came to the door. Today, it was 2 carloads of teenagers in their shitty little Dodge Neon's, all "kitted" up (if you count any of the aftermarket stuff from the Meijer auto department). Each time I fee I have to explain the what, the why's and the when's of getting it fixed. It's like, if it was in fact for sale, there would be a bloody for sale sign in the window, or I would have at least put it on Craigslist by now. I guess really all I should do is get the parts/tools I need and get the damn thing running again.
So, amid the bitching of non-running cars and my ever-dwindling social life, I am hoping that 2012 will be a great year. Or at least I intend on it being one. I'll let you know. I plan on keeping this blog going a bit longer than the previous one.
So, my New Year was far from...let's say...exciting. Kat and I just sat at the house and played Modern Warfare 3 and drank whiskey. Killed pretty much the whole bottle, but I swear it didn't even get me drunk. Maybe it's my tolerance from all those liquor-filled days of my 20's that I so foolishly spent. Or perhaps i just didn't drink fast enough. Whatever, I don't think I got hammered last New Year's either now that I think about it.
Maybe i'm getting old, and the mirth and excitement of New Year's and all the revelry attached to it just isn't doing it anymore. I had other options, sure, but none sounded fun at all. Or maybe nothing sounded fun because where I live, you have to drive 40 minutes just to go do something worthwhile and the combination of drinking, driving, and avoiding DUI checkpoints just didn't sound like a good plan.
Now, if I lived in Columbus or closer to, I would have definitely done SOMETHING. My only other option was to go down to Athens, and that's just as far. I'm not bitching about my not doing anything this New Year's, I just think that as my "resolution" for 2012, I am going to start going out more often and to more of a variety of places than before. Kat always gives me grief because I never want to do anything or go anywhere, but I think it might be a good thing to start being more ....sociable. Not that i'm an anti-social recluse living in a cave, but I really have become quite the homebody this past year or so.
And, totally unrelated, but I have a 1996 Honda Civic that's been sitting in my front yard for 2 months now. I've had this car for about 5 years, and I intend on getting it running soon. It only needs a little bit of work, but it seems that every time I get the right tool, part, diagram; whatever I need to get the damn thing running, I discover something else that needs replaced or find out that the tools I have are inadequate to get the job done. I would love to get this damn thing running again because I would save hundreds in gas money if I was driving it instead of the Lexus every day to work. Anyway, it seems like every time I walk out my front door, I get asked if it's for sale. One day it was the mailman. The next it was some lady jogging. Last time it was some old guy who came to the door. Today, it was 2 carloads of teenagers in their shitty little Dodge Neon's, all "kitted" up (if you count any of the aftermarket stuff from the Meijer auto department). Each time I fee I have to explain the what, the why's and the when's of getting it fixed. It's like, if it was in fact for sale, there would be a bloody for sale sign in the window, or I would have at least put it on Craigslist by now. I guess really all I should do is get the parts/tools I need and get the damn thing running again.
So, amid the bitching of non-running cars and my ever-dwindling social life, I am hoping that 2012 will be a great year. Or at least I intend on it being one. I'll let you know. I plan on keeping this blog going a bit longer than the previous one.
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