As posted on Facebook...
25 Random Things About Steve
1. I write constantly.
Note that I don't think I'm technically a good writer, but rather I am to writing what a typical bar-room piano player is to fine music. Enough said.
2. I don't share well.
I tend to be very guarded with the things that are the most important to me...the more important it is, the more guarded I will be. Sometimes things do leak out though in what I write, if you pay attention.
3. I have an incredibly short span on attention.
The older I get, the shorter it seems to become. In a conversation, if you don't get my attention in the first five minutes, you will probably never get it.
4. I don't hold grudges.
I can think of only one person in the whole wide-world that I have negative feels towards for something they did...and this person had to work hard at accomplishing it.
5. There is a scene in the movie Rocky II that makes me cry.
Seriously, there is.
6. I am slowly losing my hearing.
I need to get this checked. Too many years of playing music too loudly.
7. I've never smoked anything in my life.
I will die not having smoked a cigarette or a cigar. In fact, I've never used any tobacco products.
8. I've never tried any recreational drugs ever in my life.
I had the opportunity once or twice, but I was smart enough to say "no thanks". My head under normal conditions is a scary place.
9. I support Gay Rights.
Actually it's more like I don't not support Gay rights, if that makes sense. In my mind, if two people want to get married, why the hell should I care? If a gay couple who has a loving, stable relationship want to adopt a child, why not? I'm amazed that some folks seem to think that being gay is something that can be transmitted via direct contact...that if you let "them" get married that they will somehow "replicate". Note that I am 100% straight myself.
10. I grew up poor.
We lived in a housing project in downtown Scranton. I was ashamed of it then, I'm proud of it now.
11. I am a frustrated musician.
I wish I had musical talent. Hell, I even have a guitar...that I can't play.
12. I don't believe in conspiracies.
Conspiracies require a bunch of people to work together and keep their mouths shut. Neither happens all that much in the real world.
13. I think that astrology, ESP, tarot card reading, crystal balls, etc. are horse$hit.
Come to me...give me $25...and I will gladly make up crap to tell you so that you can feel better about yourself. Think about it: if these kinds of powers did exist, wouldn't someone be using them to say win the lottery or something like that? I am a natural skeptic who lives by the saying "extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof".
14. I have suffered from incredibly bad Acid Reflux.
I'm taking a "proton pump inhibitor" daily to prevent my stomach sludge from eating through my throat.
15. I love planting flowers in the Spring.
I plant Spring flowers every year around my birthday...as a present to myself.
16. I don't like dogs.
No offense to all the dog lovers out there, but I had one growing up. The all seem, well, stinky.
17. I am very sensitive to smells.
See #16. I have candles in my office at home just to make things smell better.
18. I have been known to sing "Dancing Queen" out loud to myself while driving.
I know...see #9.
19. I don't have a lot of friends, but those I have I am loyal to.
I'm a pretty introverted person, so I'm not one for having hundreds of friends and acquaintances. But when I do have someone I consider to be a friend, they are someone I would do anything for.
20. When stressed I clean/organize.
When I feel as if things are way out of my control, I have a tendency to clean as a way of somehow garnering control over my environment.
21. I love "first person shooter" video games.
I have Doom, Half-Life and a few others that I play.
22. I am a firm believer in accepting personal responsibility.
I am responsible for what I do and say; if I screw up I apologize and try to make things better. I expect the same from others.
23. I like being busy.
It goes with my short span of attention.
24. I am good at math but I can't do math in my head.
I can conceptualize things like numbers, problems, etc., but I can't really do the work associated with them without the benefit of at least a pencil and paper.
25. I am spiritually unsure.
I'm not sure if there is a God, although I don't discount the possibility. What I am sure of is that it's not possible to know everything, so best to keep one's options open in cases like this.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sunday Morning
Ever have a day when things just didn't seem to click for you?
Yesterday started off well enough: I got up early, but that's not uncommon for me. After taking my youngest daughter to work at 7am, I did some things around the house and then spent about an hour cleaning up outside. I love the notion that it's getting warm enough to start doing outside activities. Anyway, from there I had to take my mother shopping (I usually take her on Sunday, but this week it worked better to do it on Saturday). From there things seemed to slide down hill.
Again, I'm not sure just wasn't working right for me, but I felt as if I had little patience. There was also a certain "anxiety" about me, although I'm not sure that is the right word to describe how I was feeling.
Maybe it was just the different routine, maybe it was the changing weather, who knows. Damn, I sound like some 75 year old lady who gets wigged out whenever she can't go to the store on Fridays at 10am. What's wrong with me?
I got home from all the running around at about 3pm or so and basically didn't do much after that, unless you consider watching back to back Terminators (the latest episode of Terminator: Sarah Connor & Terminator 3) to be productive. By the time I got to bed I was exhausted. Whatever was bothering me seemed to take a lot out of me.
I slept relatively well last night, so that's a good omen for today. As for how I "feel", I'm going to focus on the positive. If there is one thing I truly believe at my core it's...
...no one or no thing can crawl into your head without your permission. Today I'm going to choose to focus on the good stuff.
Here's to warm Sundays in March.
Yesterday started off well enough: I got up early, but that's not uncommon for me. After taking my youngest daughter to work at 7am, I did some things around the house and then spent about an hour cleaning up outside. I love the notion that it's getting warm enough to start doing outside activities. Anyway, from there I had to take my mother shopping (I usually take her on Sunday, but this week it worked better to do it on Saturday). From there things seemed to slide down hill.
Again, I'm not sure just wasn't working right for me, but I felt as if I had little patience. There was also a certain "anxiety" about me, although I'm not sure that is the right word to describe how I was feeling.
Maybe it was just the different routine, maybe it was the changing weather, who knows. Damn, I sound like some 75 year old lady who gets wigged out whenever she can't go to the store on Fridays at 10am. What's wrong with me?
I got home from all the running around at about 3pm or so and basically didn't do much after that, unless you consider watching back to back Terminators (the latest episode of Terminator: Sarah Connor & Terminator 3) to be productive. By the time I got to bed I was exhausted. Whatever was bothering me seemed to take a lot out of me.
I slept relatively well last night, so that's a good omen for today. As for how I "feel", I'm going to focus on the positive. If there is one thing I truly believe at my core it's...
You Choose Your Attitude
...no one or no thing can crawl into your head without your permission. Today I'm going to choose to focus on the good stuff.
Here's to warm Sundays in March.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Road Apples, #19
Finally, Some Warmer Weather - It looks like Spring is finally on the way in this corner of Pennsylvania. It was in the high 50's yesterday and will get close to 60 degrees today. Saying I'm thrilled is like saying there might be a Tuesday next week. I might try and get some light yard work done today, if it doesn't rain.
In The Truly Anal-Geek Department - I bought some cord organizers yesterday at WalMart, so that the stuff I put in the office over the past week doesn't look like something out of a bad science fiction movie. It's the simple things in life...
Weekend Routine - I have this "normal" weekend routine where I take Saturday off and try not to do too much of anything, but then I spend Sunday morning cleaning, Sunday afternoon taking my mother shopping and Sunday evening getting ready for the next week of work. That changes for this weekend, as my middle daughter Korin is in a play at school and I'm going to that tomorrow, so the whole schedule has to adapt. In practical terms, that means I'll take my mother shopping today, which means that virtually everything else changes as well. No bother. Sometimes it's a good thing that the usual routine is turned on its head.
Kepler Mission - NASA launched the planet-hunting Kepler Mission yesterday. Article here. This is very exciting stuff, even if you are not a fan of Astronomy. Kepler is the first mission designed specifically to find Earth-sized planets that orbit around the "Goldilocks Zone" (not too hot, not too cold) around other stars. While hundreds of other planets have been discovered, all are much larger than Earth and most orbit far too close to their parent stars. While this will not answer the age-old question of "are we truly alone in the universe", it will definitely help to level-set expectations. My view? Kepler will find at least one Earth-sized planet in the desired location during it's mission. Hope springs eternal.
Company Stock - The stock of my employer dropped quite a bit over the past two weeks, to the point where it is now almost $17 below it's 2001 IPO price. While that's good for me as I buy the shares, it doesn't do much for anything else. I'm hoping that it's hit the cellar, if you will. There was a good sign in that it closed slightly higher (by about a penny) on Friday. Again, hope springs eternal.
In The "Not A Surprise" Department - Since I now have a nice television in my office, I now find that I actually watch more TV. I know, rather shocking. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, but all things considered, it's probably better than sitting doing nothing. I need to do a better job of staying busy in the evenings, as that will help me manage my weight a little better (or so goes the theory).
Katrina Is Back At School - From her spring-break service project in Cleveland. I'm very, very proud of her.
Okay, I need to actually start getting some things done today.
In The Truly Anal-Geek Department - I bought some cord organizers yesterday at WalMart, so that the stuff I put in the office over the past week doesn't look like something out of a bad science fiction movie. It's the simple things in life...
Weekend Routine - I have this "normal" weekend routine where I take Saturday off and try not to do too much of anything, but then I spend Sunday morning cleaning, Sunday afternoon taking my mother shopping and Sunday evening getting ready for the next week of work. That changes for this weekend, as my middle daughter Korin is in a play at school and I'm going to that tomorrow, so the whole schedule has to adapt. In practical terms, that means I'll take my mother shopping today, which means that virtually everything else changes as well. No bother. Sometimes it's a good thing that the usual routine is turned on its head.
Kepler Mission - NASA launched the planet-hunting Kepler Mission yesterday. Article here. This is very exciting stuff, even if you are not a fan of Astronomy. Kepler is the first mission designed specifically to find Earth-sized planets that orbit around the "Goldilocks Zone" (not too hot, not too cold) around other stars. While hundreds of other planets have been discovered, all are much larger than Earth and most orbit far too close to their parent stars. While this will not answer the age-old question of "are we truly alone in the universe", it will definitely help to level-set expectations. My view? Kepler will find at least one Earth-sized planet in the desired location during it's mission. Hope springs eternal.
Company Stock - The stock of my employer dropped quite a bit over the past two weeks, to the point where it is now almost $17 below it's 2001 IPO price. While that's good for me as I buy the shares, it doesn't do much for anything else. I'm hoping that it's hit the cellar, if you will. There was a good sign in that it closed slightly higher (by about a penny) on Friday. Again, hope springs eternal.
In The "Not A Surprise" Department - Since I now have a nice television in my office, I now find that I actually watch more TV. I know, rather shocking. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, but all things considered, it's probably better than sitting doing nothing. I need to do a better job of staying busy in the evenings, as that will help me manage my weight a little better (or so goes the theory).
Katrina Is Back At School - From her spring-break service project in Cleveland. I'm very, very proud of her.
Okay, I need to actually start getting some things done today.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The "Octo-Mom"
I've read and seen quite a bit about the "Octo-Mom" (a.k.a. Nadya Suleman) in the press, and I have to admit that I'm both fascinated and disgusted, all at the same time.
Fascinated
What drives someone to re-make their looks so that they resemble a celebrity?
What drives someone to treat children like they were part of some glorified Beanie-Baby collection, where having a few more is something to be desired?
Why on Earth would a doctor implant 8 embryos in a single parent who already has 6 children?
Simply put, there is a lot to dig into here. If you want a story that has political, social, religious and ethical tentacles, then this one is for you.
Disgusted
What bothers me the most about the whole Octo-Mom story is that over and above the above points of fascination noted above, there are 14 children who are going to have a hell of a tough life ahead of them unless there is some kind of intervening on the part of California. When my three daughters were younger it was very tough, so I can't imagine what it would be like to be single and have 14 kids. Children these days have it tougher than I did as a kid: the world is more complex, there is far more pressure on them to grow up sooner, and there is so much temptation out there to do the wrong thing. The 14 Octo-Kids have all of these normal pressures, plus a mother that will not be able to cope with pressure. They deserve better.
Ms Suleman clearly needs help on the mental health front. Either she is incapable of understanding what having 14 kids entails, or she is and she doesn't care. Regardless of the choice, the underlying current of mental illness is still the same.
The doctor that performed the in-vitro procedures (she had two done) needs to have his license revoked by the state of California. I know that he could argue that if he didn't do this someone else would have, but that doesn't change the fact that he knew her circumstances but yet still went ahead with this procedure which, by everything I've read on the topic (where the normal number of implanted embryos is something like 2 or 3) violates his oath as a medical professional to "do no harm".
God help these poor kids.
Fascinated
What drives someone to re-make their looks so that they resemble a celebrity?
What drives someone to treat children like they were part of some glorified Beanie-Baby collection, where having a few more is something to be desired?
Why on Earth would a doctor implant 8 embryos in a single parent who already has 6 children?
Simply put, there is a lot to dig into here. If you want a story that has political, social, religious and ethical tentacles, then this one is for you.
Disgusted
What bothers me the most about the whole Octo-Mom story is that over and above the above points of fascination noted above, there are 14 children who are going to have a hell of a tough life ahead of them unless there is some kind of intervening on the part of California. When my three daughters were younger it was very tough, so I can't imagine what it would be like to be single and have 14 kids. Children these days have it tougher than I did as a kid: the world is more complex, there is far more pressure on them to grow up sooner, and there is so much temptation out there to do the wrong thing. The 14 Octo-Kids have all of these normal pressures, plus a mother that will not be able to cope with pressure. They deserve better.
Ms Suleman clearly needs help on the mental health front. Either she is incapable of understanding what having 14 kids entails, or she is and she doesn't care. Regardless of the choice, the underlying current of mental illness is still the same.
The doctor that performed the in-vitro procedures (she had two done) needs to have his license revoked by the state of California. I know that he could argue that if he didn't do this someone else would have, but that doesn't change the fact that he knew her circumstances but yet still went ahead with this procedure which, by everything I've read on the topic (where the normal number of implanted embryos is something like 2 or 3) violates his oath as a medical professional to "do no harm".
God help these poor kids.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
I Still Hate Sleeping, TV & Other Thoughts
Just wanted to mention that I still HATE sleeping. If there is a God, I'm sure this was one of his/her practical jokes played upon humanity. Now my perception of sleeping might change if I actually could sleep well, but that's another story. As it stands now, I think I need to get a new pillow, as I'm starting to get headaches from my current one.
Wait, I need to put a little disclaimer in here.
I actually have four pillows: I sleep with one between my legs (something I do at the suggestion of a chiropractor from a few years back when I had back trouble) and I have three under my head. Well of the three under head I actually only use one of them; the other two kind of prop-up the third one where my head actually lies. I know, that sounds pretty complicated, but at least it's consistent with the rest of my life (complicated that is...). Anyway, it's the pillow that my head rests on that probably needs to be replaced.
In other news, I finally got the cable fully functioning for my new flat screen TV. I had it hooked up a few days ago, but the lower channels were very snowy, so I ripped out all of the old cable in the basement and replaced it with new cable. I think the problem with the old cable may have been interference from electrical wires or maybe even too much cable rolled up in a ball. Regardless, I measured the amount I needed, bought a run that was pretty close in length to what I needed. ripped out the old one cable, and re-ran the new cable using non-conducting plastic clips to keep it away from electrical wires, etc. The final product is a really good picture, even for 720p resolution. I still want to watch a DVD with a lot of visuals to get the whole effect.
What's next? Well I have to get my XBox 360 replaced, which I'll probably due this weekend. From there maybe I'll think about upgrading the sound for the TV, as I think it sounds a bit thin. I'm not a complete audio-head, but I do appreciate good sound. Maybe I can run audio through my Tivoli Audio radio (I highly recommend Tivoli Audio...my little desktop box sounds great)
On the work front, I find myself having a mildly difficult time adjusting to a schedule that isn't psychotically bad. Over the past year, as I've noted on numerous occasions, I've been involved with a project that really sucked everything I had out of me. I've since moved on (well actually I'm still involved, but now more from a consultative role), but instead of being booked all day every day with meetings I actually have time to read my emails, write and plan. I know, difficult concept to grasp. As Katrina would say, "le sigh".
Speaking of Katrina, she is ending her stint in Cleveland helping the under-privileged over Spring Break. I am very proud of her for doing this.
Wait, I am changing gears here so many times that this probably should be a "Road Apples" post. Oh well. My blog, therefore I can make up the rules as I go along, right? Hell, this might be the only place where I have that measure of control in my life.
Wait, I need to put a little disclaimer in here.
I actually have four pillows: I sleep with one between my legs (something I do at the suggestion of a chiropractor from a few years back when I had back trouble) and I have three under my head. Well of the three under head I actually only use one of them; the other two kind of prop-up the third one where my head actually lies. I know, that sounds pretty complicated, but at least it's consistent with the rest of my life (complicated that is...). Anyway, it's the pillow that my head rests on that probably needs to be replaced.
In other news, I finally got the cable fully functioning for my new flat screen TV. I had it hooked up a few days ago, but the lower channels were very snowy, so I ripped out all of the old cable in the basement and replaced it with new cable. I think the problem with the old cable may have been interference from electrical wires or maybe even too much cable rolled up in a ball. Regardless, I measured the amount I needed, bought a run that was pretty close in length to what I needed. ripped out the old one cable, and re-ran the new cable using non-conducting plastic clips to keep it away from electrical wires, etc. The final product is a really good picture, even for 720p resolution. I still want to watch a DVD with a lot of visuals to get the whole effect.
What's next? Well I have to get my XBox 360 replaced, which I'll probably due this weekend. From there maybe I'll think about upgrading the sound for the TV, as I think it sounds a bit thin. I'm not a complete audio-head, but I do appreciate good sound. Maybe I can run audio through my Tivoli Audio radio (I highly recommend Tivoli Audio...my little desktop box sounds great)
On the work front, I find myself having a mildly difficult time adjusting to a schedule that isn't psychotically bad. Over the past year, as I've noted on numerous occasions, I've been involved with a project that really sucked everything I had out of me. I've since moved on (well actually I'm still involved, but now more from a consultative role), but instead of being booked all day every day with meetings I actually have time to read my emails, write and plan. I know, difficult concept to grasp. As Katrina would say, "le sigh".
Speaking of Katrina, she is ending her stint in Cleveland helping the under-privileged over Spring Break. I am very proud of her for doing this.
Wait, I am changing gears here so many times that this probably should be a "Road Apples" post. Oh well. My blog, therefore I can make up the rules as I go along, right? Hell, this might be the only place where I have that measure of control in my life.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
We Are Now Officially Victims of Our Own Success
Yes, I think we Americans are, in fact, victims of our own success.
We believed that everyone should be able to live in a beautiful, brand-spank'n new McMansion that they probably couldn't afford. Guess what? Many of those folks really couldn't afford the McMansion, or are one work injury away from being kicked out onto the curb. Now we have the entire world economy on it's head because, at least part, we somehow believed that there is a McMansion entitlement.
We believed that every guy, no matter how sick, decrepit or aged, should be able to have sex whenever they want. So what did we do? We put the weight of our medical science on the problem and presto, you have "stiffy pills". Yes, we have babies that are dying of AIDS and there is no cure for diabetes, but my God, 75 year old men can in fact now have sex.
We believe that there is a magic pill to cure everything (even over and above decrepit old men having sex). In fact, I think we've taken it so far that we now have pills just in case you feel sad. Now I know, more so than most people, that there are real medical causes behind things like depression. However, I've seen first hand in my family how easy it is for pharmacology to take the place real introspection and personal change. Why face your inner demons when you can simply have a pill that makes you not want to face your inner demons?
We believe that drinking is bad, that drunk-drivers kill people and that alcoholism is a disease that is "bad". Same thing with tobacco products. We also spend millions the encourage young people not to use to use those perfectly legal products, while simultaneously both the alcohol and tobacco industries spend millions in advertising to encourage people to use those same products.
We believe that we should support families who are working poor with things like food stamps, because said families don't have enough money to buy food on their own. However we don't seem to mind that they have money for things like beer and smokes. No, for some reason it's okay to spend $5 on a pack of Newports and then claim that you don't have $5 for 2lbs of hamburger. Anyone else see the irony in someone buying food in a Convenient store (where prices are way too high by the way), using food stamps, while they talk on their cell phone?
We believe that (per a recently announced presidential initiative) everyone everywhere should have access to broadband Internet service. Maybe it's me, but I live in a more metropolitan area precisely because want access to services...services like DSL. I agree that having a phone and electricity is a necessity and that the government should facilitate that kind of infrastructure. I don't believe that there is an entitlement for streaming video for the residents of Pig's Knuckle Cover, Arkansas.
We believe that if we are wronged in some way, we have the right to get rich as a result. Get whacked by another car? Sue'm. Spill hot coffee on yourself as you attempt to drive and talk on the cell phone? Sue'm. God forbid have a spouse that is killed by a truck on the highway? For your grief you should be awarded a large sum of money in the form of an annual annuity. Money can't bring your spouse back, but damn, that Porsche will sure help in the grieving process.
We believe that obesity causes all manner of health problems, including high blood pressure. So what do we do? We create pills to combat the problem...of high blood pressure. Never mind that for some folks, this wouldn't be a problem if they didn't over-eat.
We believe that we should feel bad about starving children in Africa, as we throw away the left-overs from dinner because our children "don't like" left-overs.
We believe firmly in the separation of church and state, but we prefer that our politicians don't actually say that they believe in the separation of church and state. In fact, we have some religious leaders (such as Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino) that in fact insist that politicians vote FIRST as members of their faith and then SECOND as representatives of the majority will of the people.
We believe that it's perfectly okay for a baseball player to make millions of dollars per year doing something that 12 year old boys do in sand lots while ER nurses make barely enough to live a middle class life as they save human lives.
We believe that it's perfectly okay to celebrate the success of things like college sports programs (UConn comes to mind...) while turning a blind eye to the graduation rates for student athletes. Now this isn't true for all sports and all schools...for example Notre Dame has traditionally had very high graduation rates...but in many instances...particularly in basketball...we seem to forget that it's "Student Athlete" not "Athlete-Student".
We believe that winning isn't everything, but we want you to win anyway. Cut corners, as long as it's done in a manner that isn't easily noticeable. This happens in virtually every aspect of American society...from college sports (Florida is famous for it's college "jock factories") to business (AIG...Enron...etc.).
We believe that violence is bad and so is the objectification of women, but yet we celebrate during music awards ceremonies those "artists" that promote nothing more than glorified advertisements for "gang-banging".
We believe that women are more than sex objects...but then Madonna performs on TV or we see the latest spew from the likes of Britney Spears.
We believe that saving and thrift are virtues to be encouraged, but yet we tax the results of saving and thrift. What do we the opposites of saving and thrift...borrowing and spending? We often times offer tax breaks for them.
We've become a society were somehow logic, proportion and reasoning fall to the way-side as we strive to make everyone "happy", as if "happy" is some kind of chemical that, if sprayed per manufacturers directions, will have the desired outcome. Now I'm not suggesting that everything these days is messed up and that we need to return to a more virtuous past (because the past wasn't more virtuous), but I am saying that we really do have our priorities severely mis-aligned.
We believed that everyone should be able to live in a beautiful, brand-spank'n new McMansion that they probably couldn't afford. Guess what? Many of those folks really couldn't afford the McMansion, or are one work injury away from being kicked out onto the curb. Now we have the entire world economy on it's head because, at least part, we somehow believed that there is a McMansion entitlement.
We believed that every guy, no matter how sick, decrepit or aged, should be able to have sex whenever they want. So what did we do? We put the weight of our medical science on the problem and presto, you have "stiffy pills". Yes, we have babies that are dying of AIDS and there is no cure for diabetes, but my God, 75 year old men can in fact now have sex.
We believe that there is a magic pill to cure everything (even over and above decrepit old men having sex). In fact, I think we've taken it so far that we now have pills just in case you feel sad. Now I know, more so than most people, that there are real medical causes behind things like depression. However, I've seen first hand in my family how easy it is for pharmacology to take the place real introspection and personal change. Why face your inner demons when you can simply have a pill that makes you not want to face your inner demons?
We believe that drinking is bad, that drunk-drivers kill people and that alcoholism is a disease that is "bad". Same thing with tobacco products. We also spend millions the encourage young people not to use to use those perfectly legal products, while simultaneously both the alcohol and tobacco industries spend millions in advertising to encourage people to use those same products.
We believe that we should support families who are working poor with things like food stamps, because said families don't have enough money to buy food on their own. However we don't seem to mind that they have money for things like beer and smokes. No, for some reason it's okay to spend $5 on a pack of Newports and then claim that you don't have $5 for 2lbs of hamburger. Anyone else see the irony in someone buying food in a Convenient store (where prices are way too high by the way), using food stamps, while they talk on their cell phone?
We believe that (per a recently announced presidential initiative) everyone everywhere should have access to broadband Internet service. Maybe it's me, but I live in a more metropolitan area precisely because want access to services...services like DSL. I agree that having a phone and electricity is a necessity and that the government should facilitate that kind of infrastructure. I don't believe that there is an entitlement for streaming video for the residents of Pig's Knuckle Cover, Arkansas.
We believe that if we are wronged in some way, we have the right to get rich as a result. Get whacked by another car? Sue'm. Spill hot coffee on yourself as you attempt to drive and talk on the cell phone? Sue'm. God forbid have a spouse that is killed by a truck on the highway? For your grief you should be awarded a large sum of money in the form of an annual annuity. Money can't bring your spouse back, but damn, that Porsche will sure help in the grieving process.
We believe that obesity causes all manner of health problems, including high blood pressure. So what do we do? We create pills to combat the problem...of high blood pressure. Never mind that for some folks, this wouldn't be a problem if they didn't over-eat.
We believe that we should feel bad about starving children in Africa, as we throw away the left-overs from dinner because our children "don't like" left-overs.
We believe firmly in the separation of church and state, but we prefer that our politicians don't actually say that they believe in the separation of church and state. In fact, we have some religious leaders (such as Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino) that in fact insist that politicians vote FIRST as members of their faith and then SECOND as representatives of the majority will of the people.
We believe that it's perfectly okay for a baseball player to make millions of dollars per year doing something that 12 year old boys do in sand lots while ER nurses make barely enough to live a middle class life as they save human lives.
We believe that it's perfectly okay to celebrate the success of things like college sports programs (UConn comes to mind...) while turning a blind eye to the graduation rates for student athletes. Now this isn't true for all sports and all schools...for example Notre Dame has traditionally had very high graduation rates...but in many instances...particularly in basketball...we seem to forget that it's "Student Athlete" not "Athlete-Student".
We believe that winning isn't everything, but we want you to win anyway. Cut corners, as long as it's done in a manner that isn't easily noticeable. This happens in virtually every aspect of American society...from college sports (Florida is famous for it's college "jock factories") to business (AIG...Enron...etc.).
We believe that violence is bad and so is the objectification of women, but yet we celebrate during music awards ceremonies those "artists" that promote nothing more than glorified advertisements for "gang-banging".
We believe that women are more than sex objects...but then Madonna performs on TV or we see the latest spew from the likes of Britney Spears.
We believe that saving and thrift are virtues to be encouraged, but yet we tax the results of saving and thrift. What do we the opposites of saving and thrift...borrowing and spending? We often times offer tax breaks for them.
We've become a society were somehow logic, proportion and reasoning fall to the way-side as we strive to make everyone "happy", as if "happy" is some kind of chemical that, if sprayed per manufacturers directions, will have the desired outcome. Now I'm not suggesting that everything these days is messed up and that we need to return to a more virtuous past (because the past wasn't more virtuous), but I am saying that we really do have our priorities severely mis-aligned.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Road Apples, #18
It's Cold Outside...In fact it was about 8 degrees out there when I got up this morning. I thought this was supposed to be March? I want a thaw, and I want it now! It's so depressing that I didn't even bother to shovel the sidewalks yesterday. Damn, I should probably do that this morning.
There's A Cold Inside...Both of my daughters at home have colds now, with my middle daughter being very sick over the past week. Fortunately for me, I've not suffered much, at all, from anything like that. Now I do sneeze a lot normally, but I think that's from the cloud of cat hair that permeates the atmosphere of my home.
Liberation...Today at noon marks the "official" end of my engagement in a project at work that has sucked up the better part of a year. The toll? About 20 lbs in additional weight, countless weekends spent working, 13 lost vacation days and about 5 years in aging. Those aren't even the worst things though; for me, the worst part was the fact that I put a lot of effort into something that, at it's core, simply isn't a very good product. Good effort chasing bad is never a positive thing.
A/V News...I am slowly getting things together with my new TV. I hooked up the VCR (yet to be tested) and both XBoxes (regular & 360) yesterday. My regular XBox works great...the test pictures were spectacular. My XBox 360 is on the fritz and I need to bring it back for servicing anyway. Next up: connecting the cable. With a bit of luck I'll have that completed this evening. Can you say "Battlestar Gallactica in HD"?
Why Can't...I get the song "Like A Virgin" by Madonna out of my head? Is this some form of beamed-into my skull torture perpetuated by an evil alien race?Maybe if I keep singing the song "Mr Bad Example" by Warren Zevon that will somehow displace the evil Madonna stuff.
Incompetence...I have been trying to buy Long Term Care insurance from my employer, but they keep asking me for additional information, I keep sending it in, and they promptly send me letters saying that I didn't send anything in. The latest incarnation? I faxed stuff in about two weeks ago, and yes, yesterday I got a letter saying that they had not received anything. I need to think "calming thoughts".
Car News...I need to get the Cruiser inspected, but first I need my windshield repaired. What's stopping me? I have yet to check my policy to see if I have glass coverage. I need to do that today so that I can get the windshield replaced maybe this weekend. Sloth sucks.
Okay, I need to get my butt in gear and head off to work. It will be a looonnnngggg day.
There's A Cold Inside...Both of my daughters at home have colds now, with my middle daughter being very sick over the past week. Fortunately for me, I've not suffered much, at all, from anything like that. Now I do sneeze a lot normally, but I think that's from the cloud of cat hair that permeates the atmosphere of my home.
Liberation...Today at noon marks the "official" end of my engagement in a project at work that has sucked up the better part of a year. The toll? About 20 lbs in additional weight, countless weekends spent working, 13 lost vacation days and about 5 years in aging. Those aren't even the worst things though; for me, the worst part was the fact that I put a lot of effort into something that, at it's core, simply isn't a very good product. Good effort chasing bad is never a positive thing.
A/V News...I am slowly getting things together with my new TV. I hooked up the VCR (yet to be tested) and both XBoxes (regular & 360) yesterday. My regular XBox works great...the test pictures were spectacular. My XBox 360 is on the fritz and I need to bring it back for servicing anyway. Next up: connecting the cable. With a bit of luck I'll have that completed this evening. Can you say "Battlestar Gallactica in HD"?
Why Can't...I get the song "Like A Virgin" by Madonna out of my head? Is this some form of beamed-into my skull torture perpetuated by an evil alien race?Maybe if I keep singing the song "Mr Bad Example" by Warren Zevon that will somehow displace the evil Madonna stuff.
Incompetence...I have been trying to buy Long Term Care insurance from my employer, but they keep asking me for additional information, I keep sending it in, and they promptly send me letters saying that I didn't send anything in. The latest incarnation? I faxed stuff in about two weeks ago, and yes, yesterday I got a letter saying that they had not received anything. I need to think "calming thoughts".
Car News...I need to get the Cruiser inspected, but first I need my windshield repaired. What's stopping me? I have yet to check my policy to see if I have glass coverage. I need to do that today so that I can get the windshield replaced maybe this weekend. Sloth sucks.
Okay, I need to get my butt in gear and head off to work. It will be a looonnnngggg day.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Political Leanings
When asked to describe my political leanings, I usually say "Fiscal Conservative, Social Liberal". So what does that really mean?
Fiscal Conservative
For me, this means that I believe...
Social Liberal
For me, this means that I believe...
I'd like to think that, all things considered, I have a simple, live and let live attitude about things.
Fiscal Conservative
For me, this means that I believe...
- As a former President once said, "Government is too big and spends too much money". Not all government spending is bad, but the government does get involved in things that it shouldn't. For example, the entire system of farming price supports seems way out of whack.
- The tax system is far too complicated. Think about it: the tax code is written by lawyers (most members of Congress are current/former lawyers) and is so complicated that it can only be interpreted by...you guessed it...lawyers.
- The tax system acts as an incentive against investment and savings, and in fact encourages irresponsible behavior by allowing a tax deduction for borrowing (interest credit for home equity loans) but not for savings (which are taxed).
- The tax system taxes the wrong thing: income. I am a strong believer in consumption based taxes as a replacement for taxing income. Think about it...such as system would be progressive (rich folks spend more...so they would be taxed more; the opposite would be true for poorer folks) and would encourage more reasonable consumption.
- Governments should be prohibited from operating in a deficit. None of us could run perpetual deficits in our home budgets, so why should the government?
Social Liberal
For me, this means that I believe...
- The government is the only entity with the reach to ensure that everyone can "pursue life, liberty and happiness", so it should play a role in prohibiting discrimination.
- People don't decide to be "gay" any more than they "decide" to be black, Hispanic, white, etc., so why do we not allow gay folks to marry? I'm not talking about requiring any religion to recognize a gay marriage, but the government, for purposes of property rights, should.
- The government is the only entity with the reach to ensure that greed doesn't result in our environment being poisoned in the name of greed. Don't "believe" in Global Warming? Okay...fine with me...but do you believe that pouring crap into the air is actually GOOD for any of us? Probably not.
- There are some things that free markets do not do well, namely those where the profit incentive actually makes things worse. No where is this more true than in health care. In our current health care system, everyone in the supply chain is clamouring to make a double digit return, from doctors, to drug makers, to insurance carriers. And people wonder why the cost of heath care increases so much? It's very reasonable for the government to take some of the profit motive out of the current system...some, but not all.
I'd like to think that, all things considered, I have a simple, live and let live attitude about things.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Response to Comment, Howard Stern
I received this comment a week or so ago, but I didn't respond at the time...so I hope the original commentator doesn't mind if I respond now.
thecraptacular said...I think is that Howard Stern is misrepresented in Media, and whoever does not listen on the everyday basis gets a preconceived notion of him that he is some sort of 'bad boy' that needs to be taken off the air. it gets difficult, as a fan, to hear these misrepresentations on the everyday basis.
February 21, 2009 12:43 PM
First, thanks for the comment.
Second, I agree with what you wrote.
Third, along the same lines as the comment above, what's amazing is that so many people seem to believe that, for example, Howard Stern's audience consists of longshoremen, guys sitting in garbage trucks or 18 year old males skipping high school classes. For example, two of the truly smartest people I've met...my old boss Bob and a former co-worker Shannon are big Howard Stern fans. Both are very professional...successful...white collar...and not what some would "expect" to be a Stern fan. Hell, I'm not what you would expect a Stern fan to be.
Now are there things on the Howard Stern show that I don't like? Sure, (such as when Stern starts talking about how model wife...honestly, that's tough to relate to or care about) but when that happens I have this incredibly complex tool that I use to remedy the situation: I change the channel. People who don't listen to the show have no clue as to how varied the show can be...there is always something different going on...which is why I can have parts of the show that I don't like but still enjoy it overall.
thecraptacular said...I think is that Howard Stern is misrepresented in Media, and whoever does not listen on the everyday basis gets a preconceived notion of him that he is some sort of 'bad boy' that needs to be taken off the air. it gets difficult, as a fan, to hear these misrepresentations on the everyday basis.
February 21, 2009 12:43 PM
First, thanks for the comment.
Second, I agree with what you wrote.
Third, along the same lines as the comment above, what's amazing is that so many people seem to believe that, for example, Howard Stern's audience consists of longshoremen, guys sitting in garbage trucks or 18 year old males skipping high school classes. For example, two of the truly smartest people I've met...my old boss Bob and a former co-worker Shannon are big Howard Stern fans. Both are very professional...successful...white collar...and not what some would "expect" to be a Stern fan. Hell, I'm not what you would expect a Stern fan to be.
Now are there things on the Howard Stern show that I don't like? Sure, (such as when Stern starts talking about how model wife...honestly, that's tough to relate to or care about) but when that happens I have this incredibly complex tool that I use to remedy the situation: I change the channel. People who don't listen to the show have no clue as to how varied the show can be...there is always something different going on...which is why I can have parts of the show that I don't like but still enjoy it overall.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)