“I’m a little tired out but I’m feeling OK, but I got a little lost along the way, and I’m just around the corner from the light of day, just around the corner to the light of day” – Bruce Springsteen
Notes, happenings, and commentary from here at what we affectionately refer to as The Guam Desk.
-+- Incredibly wonderful phone call from The Awesome Daughter this morning. She and her coworkers are currently roaming around Texas on what the Air Force calls a field problem. The Wonder Kid seemed totally upbeat and happy, and I got to hear her laugh a bit, which is always a good thing (if you heard her laugh, you would totally understand). We talked about showers in field conditions, MRE’s (aka Meals Refused by Ethiopians) and other field related things. She also advised me that she would be going on temporary duty to the wilds of Indiana in July, which I believe she’s kind of looking forward to. For the first time ever, she asked about my beloved bride and how she is doing. I’m taking this as that she is being more receptive to my marriage, and think it’s a good sign.
-+- The Gorgeous One is still in the Philippines, still coming back at the end of June. She has had to once again be the peacemaker between one of her brothers and his wife, which ended up in her taking the sister in law to the doctor to get her eye looked at (which we paid for). This brother in question apparently had words with his wife after drinking way too much, and gave her a shiner for her troubles. I found this unusual, because the brother in question is generally pretty mild mannered. I still and always will believe however that there is no excuse for hitting a woman, ever. She’s also been dealing with various drama scenarios with my mother in law lately. It can be said that my bride has patience and wisdom far beyond her years, much more than I do. I will not be happy until she is back here on Guam with me.
-+- I had to take one of the new Japanese managers assigned to my department up to one of the remote sites today, to let her see some things first hand. It was a nice little reason to get out of the office, and I think she understands a few things a little bit better now.
What I find odd is how some of my male coworkers think she’s the hottest thing in the world, in particular one of my Palauan coworkers. Maybe I’m just middle aged and happily married, but I for one don’t see the attraction. The woman is “not hard on the eyes”, as the saying goes, but then again, she is not in possession of overly massive beauty either. Certainly not to the levels that some of my male coworkers feel she is. She’s nice, and I think I can work with her; beyond that, nothing else. Sorry, boys, I just don’t see the attraction.
-+- Friday evening I will once again be participating in the annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life, held at the G.W. High School track. This is a massive event that gets well supported by everyone here on Guam. If it is anything like previous years, we can expect to see around 20,000 people or more out there, lots of BBQ action going on, and people pitching in for a very worthy cause. I will be participating along with several of my coworkers, as the company will have a tent there. It’s a lot of fun, and I look forward to it every year.
-+- Just got home after stopping by the grocery store and buying my Guam Sports Bingo (nee lottery) ticket for the Thursday night draw. I’m not greedy: a million dollars would solve all of my financial problems and I could retire and live well.
-+- Instead of dinner, I’m enjoying a couple of glasses of orange juice instead. Been thinking about it for a couple of hours now, and the first glass went down really well. Ice cold and delicious. Think I’m have me another one, which will make my wife very happy indeed.
That’s about it from here at The Guam Desk, out here in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, where the women are strong, the men good looking, and the children are all above average.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Pop Culture (Such As It Is)
And now it’s once again time to take a look at pop culture from my somewhat weird perspective. Social commentary, as it were, concerning life as we know it here in the Year of Our Lord 2010.
++I took the time the other night to watch an episode of “Glee”, since my daughter and every other female I know under the age of 50 is in love with that show. Now I see why it’s so popular with the women folk, and I must admit, I even enjoyed it slightly.
++Of all the horribly bad commercials on TV, I think that the ones for hotelplanner.com are the worst of the lot. Every time I see those two guys, in their rejected-from-Kmart sweats, I feel the urge to beat the shit out of them, slowly. The best commercial on TV, by far, is the GEICO commercial with Charlie Daniels in it.
++On the subject of commercials, there is one that cracks me up but gets missed by those who are unaware of the connection. There is a commercial for Keystone Light, where an old lady is standing underneath a tree. When asked what is wrong by Keith Stone, the old lady tells him that her kiki is stuck in a tree. Kiki happens to be a very beautiful girl. What is unknown to most people with no Filipino connections is that the word “kiki” is also Tagalog (language of the Philippines) slang for the vagina. When I hear the old lady say that her kiki is stuck in the tree, it makes me laugh. Either she has done something that defies the laws of physics and anatomy, or she’s a lesbian who has hooked up with a woman at least 30 years her junior. Another example of my screwed up sense of humor, maybe.
++The masses here are getting spun up in election mode again, and with it the bullshit that we all have to deal with. Normally I try to ignore all the fuss, but sometimes it’s not possible. The ones I hate the most are the trucks that drive through my neighborhood, blaring their gibberish, with pictures of “Whatever Asshole We Think Should Win” mounted in the back of the truck. A couple of times, I literally had my BB gun in my hand, hoping that a couple of potshots would hurry them on their merry way. I do not want to hear that shit in my apartment, period.
++If you haven’t had a chance to scope it out, check out “America: The Story of Us” on the History Channel. Even if you aren’t a history buff, this is a really well put together series about American history. It has some great special effects, and is extremely well written. This is one of the few things that I think I will actually spend money and buy the entire series on DVD when it comes out. It’s on the same level as Ken Burns “The Civil War” series. Historically correct, addicting as hell, and fun to watch.
++I have been doing a lot of downloading off of YouTube recently, after a friend showed me how to do it. I’ve been on a big Heart and Warren Zevon bender recently, downloading a ton of music videos. If there is anyone out there that wants to learn how to do it, email me or Google it. Pretty simple and a lot of fun.
++Went to the movies on Saturday to check out the new Robin Hood flick. Russell Crowe is really good in it, and so is Cate Blanchett. You would think that, since it was directed by Ridley Scott (who also directed Crowe in The Gladiator) that it would be sort of The Gladiator Part 2 but set in England, but it really isn’t. A very well done action flick that doesn’t overdo it. I especially liked Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, and the supporting cast is also quite good. A different spin on the legend of Robin Hood than what I expected.
++SLANG PHRASE OF THE WEEK: “Dropping a Deuce”
As in, “I really wish this stupid meeting would end so I can go drop a deuce.”
++I took the time the other night to watch an episode of “Glee”, since my daughter and every other female I know under the age of 50 is in love with that show. Now I see why it’s so popular with the women folk, and I must admit, I even enjoyed it slightly.
++Of all the horribly bad commercials on TV, I think that the ones for hotelplanner.com are the worst of the lot. Every time I see those two guys, in their rejected-from-Kmart sweats, I feel the urge to beat the shit out of them, slowly. The best commercial on TV, by far, is the GEICO commercial with Charlie Daniels in it.
++On the subject of commercials, there is one that cracks me up but gets missed by those who are unaware of the connection. There is a commercial for Keystone Light, where an old lady is standing underneath a tree. When asked what is wrong by Keith Stone, the old lady tells him that her kiki is stuck in a tree. Kiki happens to be a very beautiful girl. What is unknown to most people with no Filipino connections is that the word “kiki” is also Tagalog (language of the Philippines) slang for the vagina. When I hear the old lady say that her kiki is stuck in the tree, it makes me laugh. Either she has done something that defies the laws of physics and anatomy, or she’s a lesbian who has hooked up with a woman at least 30 years her junior. Another example of my screwed up sense of humor, maybe.
++The masses here are getting spun up in election mode again, and with it the bullshit that we all have to deal with. Normally I try to ignore all the fuss, but sometimes it’s not possible. The ones I hate the most are the trucks that drive through my neighborhood, blaring their gibberish, with pictures of “Whatever Asshole We Think Should Win” mounted in the back of the truck. A couple of times, I literally had my BB gun in my hand, hoping that a couple of potshots would hurry them on their merry way. I do not want to hear that shit in my apartment, period.
++If you haven’t had a chance to scope it out, check out “America: The Story of Us” on the History Channel. Even if you aren’t a history buff, this is a really well put together series about American history. It has some great special effects, and is extremely well written. This is one of the few things that I think I will actually spend money and buy the entire series on DVD when it comes out. It’s on the same level as Ken Burns “The Civil War” series. Historically correct, addicting as hell, and fun to watch.
++I have been doing a lot of downloading off of YouTube recently, after a friend showed me how to do it. I’ve been on a big Heart and Warren Zevon bender recently, downloading a ton of music videos. If there is anyone out there that wants to learn how to do it, email me or Google it. Pretty simple and a lot of fun.
++Went to the movies on Saturday to check out the new Robin Hood flick. Russell Crowe is really good in it, and so is Cate Blanchett. You would think that, since it was directed by Ridley Scott (who also directed Crowe in The Gladiator) that it would be sort of The Gladiator Part 2 but set in England, but it really isn’t. A very well done action flick that doesn’t overdo it. I especially liked Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, and the supporting cast is also quite good. A different spin on the legend of Robin Hood than what I expected.
++SLANG PHRASE OF THE WEEK: “Dropping a Deuce”
As in, “I really wish this stupid meeting would end so I can go drop a deuce.”
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Notes from The Weird Side of Town
I realize that I haven’t written anything in a while about this wonderfully strange thing I like to call “My Life”, so I thought it time to do so.
++ My awesome daughter took the test to become a Staff Sergeant in the US Air Force last week. I know she was stressing about it, and even if she doesn’t make it this time, I’m incredibly proud of her. Every time someone tells her that she can’t do something, she proves them wrong. The kid is simply amazing. A great airman, a doting and devoted mother to my perfect granddaughter, and, most importantly, just a cool human being. She amazes me at every turn, and I consider it an honor that she’s my kid.
++ The Gorgeous One (AKA, my mahal, my asawa, the woman who married me in spite of my faults) and I got some good news last week. We received word from her doctor in Manila that the insurance company had in fact decided that they would pay for my beloved’s medical treatment, and we would pay the deductible. This means that we will pay a total of $140 instead of the nearly $700 that we would have had to pay if they decided not to cover it. I had no idea how we were going to pay for it if they didn’t cover it, so this is a bit of relief to both of us.
++ Financially, I’m kind of strapped right now. Between the rent and the money I had to send to my insanely beautiful wife, I have a total of $35 to live off of for the next two weeks. You would think that I would be stressing about this, but in reality, I’m not. The electricity works, my internet and cable TV work, and there’s plenty of food in the apartment. I’ve been in far worse situations, and I’m not terribly worried about it. Payday is only 10 days away, and that check will cover everything that hasn’t been paid. Life could be a hell of a lot worse.
++ Last week was my week to give training to everyone in my company. Three classes per day for three days, with the classes lasting about 30 minutes. Some people would think this to be a pain in the ass, but I tried to make it enjoyable for everyone, including me. A boring subject (in this case, security) can sometimes be fun if put into a different light, and that’s what I tried to do. Keep things low key, hit all the important points, but keep it from being dull. Throw some jokes around, interact with the people attending, keep it moving but make it fun. From the comments I received from my coworkers (including from the CEO of the company), I think I was able to accomplish that. It has been a while since I did any public speaking or teaching, and for me, it brought back a lot of memories. I enjoyed it immensely.
++ I have tried not to focus on the negative aspects of my job lately, but it gets hard sometimes. While most of the people I work with are cool, there are more than the fair share of assholes and swine that I have to deal with. Mostly, I’ve been just doing what needs to be done, keeping my mouth shut around anyone in “management” (since there are very few leaders in the company I work in, I won’t use that term), and keep my head down. Try to spend as much time as possible at field sites. Tuesdays are usually my “Weekday from Hell”, as I have to sit in a meeting with people I really don’t like. Today was a little different, in that I was able to say my piece and get the hell out relatively quickly. A good thing, since the meeting went on for 5 additional hours after I left, and, as usual, I’m sure nothing got accomplished. To paraphrase Robert E. Lee, “I would rather face a thousand deaths”.
So that’s about it from here. Between working on my book, playing on Facebook, and watching TV, I’m just relaxing and killing time waiting for 8 PM to roll around so I can call the wife and find out what’s happening in the Philippines.
That’s all from Guam, here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where the women are strong, the men good looking, and the children are all above average.
++ My awesome daughter took the test to become a Staff Sergeant in the US Air Force last week. I know she was stressing about it, and even if she doesn’t make it this time, I’m incredibly proud of her. Every time someone tells her that she can’t do something, she proves them wrong. The kid is simply amazing. A great airman, a doting and devoted mother to my perfect granddaughter, and, most importantly, just a cool human being. She amazes me at every turn, and I consider it an honor that she’s my kid.
++ The Gorgeous One (AKA, my mahal, my asawa, the woman who married me in spite of my faults) and I got some good news last week. We received word from her doctor in Manila that the insurance company had in fact decided that they would pay for my beloved’s medical treatment, and we would pay the deductible. This means that we will pay a total of $140 instead of the nearly $700 that we would have had to pay if they decided not to cover it. I had no idea how we were going to pay for it if they didn’t cover it, so this is a bit of relief to both of us.
++ Financially, I’m kind of strapped right now. Between the rent and the money I had to send to my insanely beautiful wife, I have a total of $35 to live off of for the next two weeks. You would think that I would be stressing about this, but in reality, I’m not. The electricity works, my internet and cable TV work, and there’s plenty of food in the apartment. I’ve been in far worse situations, and I’m not terribly worried about it. Payday is only 10 days away, and that check will cover everything that hasn’t been paid. Life could be a hell of a lot worse.
++ Last week was my week to give training to everyone in my company. Three classes per day for three days, with the classes lasting about 30 minutes. Some people would think this to be a pain in the ass, but I tried to make it enjoyable for everyone, including me. A boring subject (in this case, security) can sometimes be fun if put into a different light, and that’s what I tried to do. Keep things low key, hit all the important points, but keep it from being dull. Throw some jokes around, interact with the people attending, keep it moving but make it fun. From the comments I received from my coworkers (including from the CEO of the company), I think I was able to accomplish that. It has been a while since I did any public speaking or teaching, and for me, it brought back a lot of memories. I enjoyed it immensely.
++ I have tried not to focus on the negative aspects of my job lately, but it gets hard sometimes. While most of the people I work with are cool, there are more than the fair share of assholes and swine that I have to deal with. Mostly, I’ve been just doing what needs to be done, keeping my mouth shut around anyone in “management” (since there are very few leaders in the company I work in, I won’t use that term), and keep my head down. Try to spend as much time as possible at field sites. Tuesdays are usually my “Weekday from Hell”, as I have to sit in a meeting with people I really don’t like. Today was a little different, in that I was able to say my piece and get the hell out relatively quickly. A good thing, since the meeting went on for 5 additional hours after I left, and, as usual, I’m sure nothing got accomplished. To paraphrase Robert E. Lee, “I would rather face a thousand deaths”.
So that’s about it from here. Between working on my book, playing on Facebook, and watching TV, I’m just relaxing and killing time waiting for 8 PM to roll around so I can call the wife and find out what’s happening in the Philippines.
That’s all from Guam, here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where the women are strong, the men good looking, and the children are all above average.
Monday, April 26, 2010
When The Body Rebels
“And the highways getting longer and the saddle’s getting cold, I’m much too young to feel this damn old. All my cards are on the table with no ace left in the hole, I’m much too young to feel this damn old.”
Garth Brooks
46 years of age is, by no one’s stretch of the imagination, considered old. With that said though, it’s pretty obvious that my body is in rebellion right now.
Actually, it started about a week ago, when I was getting out of the truck at work. All of a sudden, my lower back started to ache, right above the belt line, to a point where I was walking around like I was in my 80’s. Damn but it did hurt. All of last week, whenever I had to do anything strenuous, the back would give me fits.
By the time Sunday rolled around, I thought I was getting better. The left side of my back didn’t hurt anymore, and the pain on the right side was manageable. Still not at 100%, but better nonetheless. Since one part of me was getting better, my body had a meeting and conspired against me.
Back: We’re not all the way good yet, but better.
Stomach: Really? Think it’s time I acted a fool then. Let me send the boy running for the toilet a couple of times, let him get some exercise.
Asshole: Let me get in on the fun too. Every time he shits, I’ll make him hurt so bad he’ll want to scream like a little girl. (And he did that)
Right Knee: Oh, I need me some of that action. Time to kick in some ache.
After they had their little meeting, the torture began. First, at 3:30 AM, my stomach sent an urgent message to my brain that it had need of the bathroom, right the hell now. As I was sitting on the throne where all men are equal, I noticed that my knee was hurting as well. Not a throbby or sharp kind of hurt, just a dull ache.
Going back to bed didn’t help much, and getting up was not a reason to celebrate either. The entire day has revolved around extra trips to the bathroom and doing so with back and knee pain. With all of this going on, I was understandably less than motivated about doing any serious work today. I got a few things accomplished, but nothing that required a lot of physical effort.
Now I’m home and fresh from the shower, and there has been some improvement. The knee isn’t so bad, but the back is still letting me know it cares, and I foresee the stomach having a Krakatoa-like reaction later on this evening.
I guess it’s my bodies way of telling me that I’m no longer in my 20’s or 30’s, and shouldn’t continue to act like I am. Start taking better care of things, maybe eat a little better and jack up the vitamin intake. Probably need to schedule an appointment with my beloved curmudgeon doctor again as well.
Garth Brooks
46 years of age is, by no one’s stretch of the imagination, considered old. With that said though, it’s pretty obvious that my body is in rebellion right now.
Actually, it started about a week ago, when I was getting out of the truck at work. All of a sudden, my lower back started to ache, right above the belt line, to a point where I was walking around like I was in my 80’s. Damn but it did hurt. All of last week, whenever I had to do anything strenuous, the back would give me fits.
By the time Sunday rolled around, I thought I was getting better. The left side of my back didn’t hurt anymore, and the pain on the right side was manageable. Still not at 100%, but better nonetheless. Since one part of me was getting better, my body had a meeting and conspired against me.
Back: We’re not all the way good yet, but better.
Stomach: Really? Think it’s time I acted a fool then. Let me send the boy running for the toilet a couple of times, let him get some exercise.
Asshole: Let me get in on the fun too. Every time he shits, I’ll make him hurt so bad he’ll want to scream like a little girl. (And he did that)
Right Knee: Oh, I need me some of that action. Time to kick in some ache.
After they had their little meeting, the torture began. First, at 3:30 AM, my stomach sent an urgent message to my brain that it had need of the bathroom, right the hell now. As I was sitting on the throne where all men are equal, I noticed that my knee was hurting as well. Not a throbby or sharp kind of hurt, just a dull ache.
Going back to bed didn’t help much, and getting up was not a reason to celebrate either. The entire day has revolved around extra trips to the bathroom and doing so with back and knee pain. With all of this going on, I was understandably less than motivated about doing any serious work today. I got a few things accomplished, but nothing that required a lot of physical effort.
Now I’m home and fresh from the shower, and there has been some improvement. The knee isn’t so bad, but the back is still letting me know it cares, and I foresee the stomach having a Krakatoa-like reaction later on this evening.
I guess it’s my bodies way of telling me that I’m no longer in my 20’s or 30’s, and shouldn’t continue to act like I am. Start taking better care of things, maybe eat a little better and jack up the vitamin intake. Probably need to schedule an appointment with my beloved curmudgeon doctor again as well.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Random Noise from the Guam Desk
Random noise for a Monday evening……..
-Because I was a little bored and knew no one would be around, I worked all day Saturday. It was a Good Thing, because I ended up getting a lot accomplished. I always have one or two nit-noid little projects that I can never seem to find time for, and got most of them accomplished. I made up for the extra work on Saturday by doing absolutely nothing on Sunday, not even bothering to get out of my pajamas.
-For some reason, my lower back is just killing me today. It was fine until right when I got to work, then it decided to lock up on me. Any type of bending hurts like hell, from picking stuff up off of the kitchen table to wiping my ass. Wish I had a bathtub at home to soak my bones in. Part of getting older, I guess.
-At the direction of The Gorgeous One, I have been trading emails with her doctor in Manila to get the full story on her health. Unfortunately, the news is not good. Now none of the issues are life threatening, but they do have some impact on her quality of life and a couple of other things. I forwarded the emails to Her Wifeliness and am going to have her read them herself, because explaining it all would take entirely too much time. She’s going to be disappointed, but there really isn’t a hell of a lot we can actually do about it. I sent her some money on Friday so that she could extend her airplane ticket, but at this point in the proceedings don’t know if staying there is an option, since we are pretty much out of options with the doctors.
-No update on the brother-in-law situation and his kidnapping. There is still no word from the people who took him a month ago. The wife’s family had a press conference last week, but I have yet to find anything on the web that mentions it. I’m trying to remain as upbeat as possible for my wife’s sake, and I pray for him a couple of times a day, but the reality of the situation is that he’s probably dead. This event has put some Pure Fear in the hearts of the family, and I worry about my wife constantly.
-My daughter has apparently gotten into the habit of letting my wonderful grand daughter play with her cell phone, because every now and then I’ll get a phone call that the Caller ID will say is my daughter, but I will hear a little 15 month old voice in the background spouting gibberish. It’s the cutest thing you have ever heard, but may not be so cute when my daughter gets her phone bill. On my part, I only let her rattle on for a few minutes before hanging up.
-I don’t care what anyone says, there is nothing better in the world of sports than playoff hockey. The hits are harder, the game seems faster, and you get to see hockey at its purest. My beloved Colorado Avalanche are up 2-1 in their series with the San Jose Sharks, and the Godless Communist Detroit Red Wings are behind in their series with Phoenix. As for the Eastern Conference, I’m pulling for New Jersey, simply because I like Martin Broduer, who is the best goalie in hockey since Patrick Roy retired.
More later maybe. Must have Motrin for the back and a hot cup of tea sounds like a good thing to have right now.
-Because I was a little bored and knew no one would be around, I worked all day Saturday. It was a Good Thing, because I ended up getting a lot accomplished. I always have one or two nit-noid little projects that I can never seem to find time for, and got most of them accomplished. I made up for the extra work on Saturday by doing absolutely nothing on Sunday, not even bothering to get out of my pajamas.
-For some reason, my lower back is just killing me today. It was fine until right when I got to work, then it decided to lock up on me. Any type of bending hurts like hell, from picking stuff up off of the kitchen table to wiping my ass. Wish I had a bathtub at home to soak my bones in. Part of getting older, I guess.
-At the direction of The Gorgeous One, I have been trading emails with her doctor in Manila to get the full story on her health. Unfortunately, the news is not good. Now none of the issues are life threatening, but they do have some impact on her quality of life and a couple of other things. I forwarded the emails to Her Wifeliness and am going to have her read them herself, because explaining it all would take entirely too much time. She’s going to be disappointed, but there really isn’t a hell of a lot we can actually do about it. I sent her some money on Friday so that she could extend her airplane ticket, but at this point in the proceedings don’t know if staying there is an option, since we are pretty much out of options with the doctors.
-No update on the brother-in-law situation and his kidnapping. There is still no word from the people who took him a month ago. The wife’s family had a press conference last week, but I have yet to find anything on the web that mentions it. I’m trying to remain as upbeat as possible for my wife’s sake, and I pray for him a couple of times a day, but the reality of the situation is that he’s probably dead. This event has put some Pure Fear in the hearts of the family, and I worry about my wife constantly.
-My daughter has apparently gotten into the habit of letting my wonderful grand daughter play with her cell phone, because every now and then I’ll get a phone call that the Caller ID will say is my daughter, but I will hear a little 15 month old voice in the background spouting gibberish. It’s the cutest thing you have ever heard, but may not be so cute when my daughter gets her phone bill. On my part, I only let her rattle on for a few minutes before hanging up.
-I don’t care what anyone says, there is nothing better in the world of sports than playoff hockey. The hits are harder, the game seems faster, and you get to see hockey at its purest. My beloved Colorado Avalanche are up 2-1 in their series with the San Jose Sharks, and the Godless Communist Detroit Red Wings are behind in their series with Phoenix. As for the Eastern Conference, I’m pulling for New Jersey, simply because I like Martin Broduer, who is the best goalie in hockey since Patrick Roy retired.
More later maybe. Must have Motrin for the back and a hot cup of tea sounds like a good thing to have right now.
Annoying Things
A short listing of the things that are currently annoying the hell out of me…..
PEOPLE WHO HIT “REPLY ALL” ON ALL EMAILS
If you want to voice your opinion on something that you are working on in a collaborative effort, it’s great. I’ve done it a few times when it relates to projects I happen to be involved with. Unfortunately, where I work, people do it in an irritating fashion. A few of the swine that work in the Corporate HQ have a habit of sending out emails to everyone in the company over trivial bullshit, and invariably there will be at least 3 people who will “reply all” to let everyone in the company know that they are in fact irreversibly stupid. I don’t know who they are trying to impress, but it’s not working on me.
What would be cool is to see someone do a “reply all” when they have completely snapped, gone bat-shit crazy and just wanted to vent. THAT would be entertaining.
TURTLE RACERS
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, this is when you have two cars driving the same speed, usually lower than the posted speed limit, and one is trying to pass the other because they happen to be going 1 MPH faster than the car getting passed. This is highly annoying to those of us who regularly ignore the posted speed limit, like me. If you aren’t willing to do the speed limit, fine. Keep your happy ass in the right lane, and let the Big Dog run.
“IT IS WHAT IT IS”
This particular phrase has gained some popularity where I work, to the point that everyone is now using it way too often. In fact, it’s a rare thing to have a conversation about a work related issue when this phrase doesn’t get used. I find it annoying and it just shows that some of my coworkers have zero imagination.
PARANOID BEHAVIOR
There are some people in our corporate HQ who act strangely paranoid all the time, particularly when it comes to saying anything derogatory about the company or the executive management team in general. They act as if someone is actually monitoring what they say and will later use it against them. These same people probably shouldn’t come over to where I work, where we speak our minds and use colorful language to do so. These same people would probably be offended if they heard one of the executives referred to as an “ass-monkey”, which is one of the tamer names used in the building where I work.
CRAZY PEOPLE
I’ve always had a problem with people who live right on the edge of insanity. I don’t mean those of us who are crazy in a good way; I’m referring to those who are out of their minds all the way around. The people who obsess about the painting of a parking lot. Those who yell random gibberish at strangers on the street for no apparent reason. Where I live, most of these folks happen to gather at the grocery stores, which is odd in its’ own right.
PEOPLE WHO STARE AT THE MENU IN FAST FOOD PLACES
I’m one of those guys who pretty much knows what I want to eat when I walk into a place, so it’s irritating to be behind someone who stands in line for 10 minutes and still can’t decide what they want to eat. It’s fast food, not trying to decide whether or not to invade the Asian land mass. Pick something and move on.
MEETINGS FOR THE SAKE OF HAVING A MEETING
There are enough utterly pointless moments in life without having to endure meetings that accomplish nothing, other than to say “we had a meeting and discussed it”, whatever “it” happens to be. We do this on a regular basis where I work at, once a week at least, and it’s a day that I can pretty much write off as far as getting anything accomplished.
Music on My Mind
NOTE: If you have been reading my gibberish for a long time, like since the mid 2000's, you may have seen this before. If not, enjoy.
Music. Its something that’s a very personal thing to most of us. For some of us it defines us, shapes our feelings, becomes far more than just something that helps to get us through the day or background for our lives.
There are people who write for magazines that make a very good living as music critics. They listen to it, analyze it, form their opinions and then tell their readers whether or not something is good, mediocre, or whether it is shit.
There’s more to music than that, though, whether something is good or bad. Those two criteria are pretty basic but don’t cover the whole thing. Music, like any other artistic endeavor, is about feelings, location, a moment in time or a place, a whole spectrum of intangibles that are impossible to explain and damn hard to understand.
A song can mean different things at different times in different locations. A prime example of this has occurred in my own life. My musical tastes have always been in the classic rock-country-southern rock areas, with a taste of punk, jazz, and classical thrown into the mix for good measure. I try to be open minded about all kinds of music, but there are types and artists that I usually avoid like the plague because in my mind they aren’t worth wasting my time on.
Celine Dion was a prime example. I never really liked her music, thought it to be lame, mindless housewife music. Thought she did music that had nothing to do with me. This all changed one day a few years ago in the strangest of places at the strangest of times. I was in the Philippines, taking a ride with my sweetheart, her sister, and two friends of the family. It was 95 degrees outside, and we had just finished some shopping. The night before, my sweetheart, this woman that I love more than my own life and I had spent the night talking and making love. It was one of those nights when two people really feel like one person. Anyway, we were riding along, heading to a restaurant for some seafood. She had her head on my shoulder, our arms entwined, the air conditioner in the car was blasting, the sun was shining. As we are riding, our friend puts Celine in the CD player, and plays Beauty and the Beast, her duet with Peabo Bryson.
In the space of 30 seconds, unexplainable total clarity. This wasn’t lame, and it wasn’t some crap pop song. All of a sudden, this one song actually meant something to me, became important. I know it may sound cheesy and lame to someone reading this, but at that moment in time, a new meaning was discovered. Hearing those voices singing while having this incredibly beautiful woman who loves me more than I deserve close by my side made this song and this artist important in my life. Five years have passed since this happened, and I still love this song because it reminds me of that slice of time. I joke with my wife that she’s the beauty and I’m the beast, but the song had the same effect on her as well.
It’s about moments like this one and millions of others that help to transcend music in our lives. Its OK to read critics in music publications and online. Some of these critics are really good and letting you know what’s there, kind of an overview of what the particular artist is trying to say. What is not OK is to base your selection of music based solely on what these critics have to say.
If there is a particular artist you are fond of and the critics pan their latest work, chances are there may be something there that will appeal to you in some way anyway.
Music. Its something that’s a very personal thing to most of us. For some of us it defines us, shapes our feelings, becomes far more than just something that helps to get us through the day or background for our lives.
There are people who write for magazines that make a very good living as music critics. They listen to it, analyze it, form their opinions and then tell their readers whether or not something is good, mediocre, or whether it is shit.
There’s more to music than that, though, whether something is good or bad. Those two criteria are pretty basic but don’t cover the whole thing. Music, like any other artistic endeavor, is about feelings, location, a moment in time or a place, a whole spectrum of intangibles that are impossible to explain and damn hard to understand.
A song can mean different things at different times in different locations. A prime example of this has occurred in my own life. My musical tastes have always been in the classic rock-country-southern rock areas, with a taste of punk, jazz, and classical thrown into the mix for good measure. I try to be open minded about all kinds of music, but there are types and artists that I usually avoid like the plague because in my mind they aren’t worth wasting my time on.
Celine Dion was a prime example. I never really liked her music, thought it to be lame, mindless housewife music. Thought she did music that had nothing to do with me. This all changed one day a few years ago in the strangest of places at the strangest of times. I was in the Philippines, taking a ride with my sweetheart, her sister, and two friends of the family. It was 95 degrees outside, and we had just finished some shopping. The night before, my sweetheart, this woman that I love more than my own life and I had spent the night talking and making love. It was one of those nights when two people really feel like one person. Anyway, we were riding along, heading to a restaurant for some seafood. She had her head on my shoulder, our arms entwined, the air conditioner in the car was blasting, the sun was shining. As we are riding, our friend puts Celine in the CD player, and plays Beauty and the Beast, her duet with Peabo Bryson.
In the space of 30 seconds, unexplainable total clarity. This wasn’t lame, and it wasn’t some crap pop song. All of a sudden, this one song actually meant something to me, became important. I know it may sound cheesy and lame to someone reading this, but at that moment in time, a new meaning was discovered. Hearing those voices singing while having this incredibly beautiful woman who loves me more than I deserve close by my side made this song and this artist important in my life. Five years have passed since this happened, and I still love this song because it reminds me of that slice of time. I joke with my wife that she’s the beauty and I’m the beast, but the song had the same effect on her as well.
It’s about moments like this one and millions of others that help to transcend music in our lives. Its OK to read critics in music publications and online. Some of these critics are really good and letting you know what’s there, kind of an overview of what the particular artist is trying to say. What is not OK is to base your selection of music based solely on what these critics have to say.
If there is a particular artist you are fond of and the critics pan their latest work, chances are there may be something there that will appeal to you in some way anyway.
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