January 2004 Archives
What is wrong with the people today??? I felt like I was in the twillight zone all day at work. First I have people having issues with bodily functions. I'm just not going to give more detail than that. Then there was this guy who looked like Biff from Back to the Future yelling at me about the return policy. Mind you he got his return done without a hitch. There was a statement in there about how he wondered how he was supposed to read my mind. The comment was so ridiculous and untimely that I must have stared at him blankly for a moment before regaining my composure. It was like he was pulling stuff out of no where to try to throw me off - that's how much sense he was making.
Apparently ours wasn't the only store with crazy people out. I guess since it was cold all week people had some stuff to get out of their systems. At the grocery store, Jon tells me, there were people doing all kinds of dumb things. Like let's park our cart in the middle of the aisle so no one else can get by. Let's go to the self-checkout lane with 2 carts full of stuff. Let's walk out in front of a car without looking while chatting on the cell phone. I think it's just one of those days... Any other explanation would just be too scary.
They said shock and awe was the tactic we used in Iraq, but I think it's alive and well here in America as well. In Kansas, Matthew Limon was sentenced to 17 years for having gay sex with a minor. He was just 18 and the minor was almost 15. Now underage sex is an issue all to itself, but the problem is that if he were straight, he would have gotten a maximum of 15 months. After the Lawrence vs. Texas case ruling sodomy laws unconstitutional the case was remanded by the Supreme Court to the Kansas court of Appeals. For the second time, Limon was condemned.
The judge in this case was Judge Henry W. Green Jr. His ruling said that "heterosexual offenses are less objectionable because they could lead to babies being born, and 'same-sex relationships do not generally lead to unwanted pregnancies.'" What is that crap? So basically he says that it's better to have an unwanted child than be gay. I'm not sure what school this man went to but was it accredited? In my opinion, he should be disbarred for making such irrational and ridiculous statements. To think he is a judge, someone who is supposed to have higher thinking power than the general population. I'm just shocked and awed at this blatant strike at not only Limon, but at the queer community.
(source: Teen's 17-year sentence for gay sex upheld)
The Friday Five
In case you've never seen this before, The Friday Five are questions posted every Friday for webloggers to answer on their blogs. I first thought this was pretty cheesy, but it gives the reader a chance to know something more about the writer than just what they normally write about. So, here's my first Friday Five:
You have just won one million dollars:
1. Who do you call first?
My boyfriend of course! Second would have to be my sister, unless I decided to surprise her...
2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
I really could use a new car, but that would come later. I'd buy something to celebrate with - maybe a cheesecake. :)
3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
Maybe the digital Canon SLR for my BF. OR a nice ring... ;)
4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
Definitely to my sister!
5. Do you invest any? If so, how?
I would invest in my country by donating to progressive organizations that counter the religious right, and educate instead of spreading hate.
Sen Frist made the comment that by giving gays and lesbians equal rights in marriage law, "activist" judges are "intent on destroying the traditional definition of family." So I guess that means Queer folks are out to destroy American families. That's right buddy, we drive around in our rainbow themed Hummers speading toxic pixie dust on Hetero Americans. Both comments are about in the same league.
Ignorance of this magnitude just cannot be ignored or forgotten. How much thought process does it take to realize one of two things. A) American families include gays and lesbians. Or are we singling queer folks out like a second-class group of people? When has that ever happened in American history, and look at what company he keeps. (historically speaking anyway) B) If one is referring to gay couples (instead of trying to confuse the issue with the emotionally charged word "family") what does he think we want? Mass orgies for our receptions? No. We want equal protection under the law. We want our families to be safe, secure, and happy just like everyone else. Unless of course you're Sen. Frist who wants just HIS family to be ok.
(source: Sen. Frist questions validity of gay families)
Cardinal faces suit over 'pervert' remark
I know this was yesterday's news, but I just have to comment. I very seriously value and appreciate my First Amendment rights. I can be very outspoken, and in some other country, in some other time, I'd be in jail for some of the stuff I say. But just for a moment do I wish that we had a law where we could sue people for saying hateful, untruthful things. (I don't mean libel laws...) I'm talking about when Sen Santorum puts adultery, polygamy, beastiality, and homosexuality all in the same catagory. The man has the right to say what he wants I guess, but that also gives me the right to say i think he's an ass. Now this f*head, Cardinal Gustaaf Joos, says that gays are perverts. Not just some of them, he says, but "95% of them." All I can say is that unless he's sampled more than 1000 gay men he has no right to speak. And perhaps he is protesting too much.
Apparently the media is "amoral" due to the fact that they promote something horrible, something terrible. Can you guess what it is? EQUALITY. Yes, that's it. Equality for gays and lesbians.
First, since when has equality been amoral? Only when it's for a group of people you want to have power over or if it makes money. Second, aren't there other more important things for the church to focus on like perhaps world peace, hunger or maybe even working on bettering their own church? I'm afraid the Pope may be a frequent complaint around here - he makes such ignorant remarks so often.
(source: Yahoo! News - Pope accuses media of pro-gay bias)
MoveOn.org: Democracy in Action
The ad by MoveOn.org that you won't see on Superbowl Sunday.
Welcome to The Rhetoric where I will report and comment on ridiculous discourse aimed at minority communities (mainly the GLBT community). This idea was born from the thinking that politicians can say whatever they want about queer folks, the media will publicize it for them, and then that's that. Usually HRC makes a frown at them and life goes on. For millions of people that's not how it works.
When GLBT people hear this hateful speech day in and day out it has a definite effect. It makes some people feel like they are bad people or that it's wrong to be who you are, and if it's heard often enough some people start to believe it. I want to say how ignorant and offensive this is, and to vent in public for the people who won't/can't. I also want the people who say this stuff to be remembered. It's one thing if they can say something and have it dissappear from the public consciousness in a month, but if it's around forever someone has to live with it. I will report only what has been truthfully said, and I will quote reliable sources whenever possible. This is not meant to be damaging to anyone personally or professionally, but only to preserve the facts of ignorance and discrimination.
Today at work was so quiet. Well, at least the morning was. I had a customer come in who wanted to return some shoes that were from last season. Her receipt was past the gracious return period so she (it seemed) had strategically torn that part off. Although not required to my staff had offered to exchange it for her, but at the current price. She took umbrage at that. I had to come over and she's telling me how unfair this is - that no one told her that she only had x amount of days to return them. Um.. it's posted at the registers, service desk, front and back of the receipt. Then she's telling me how that's not very long. I reminded her of just how many months she had to return the shoes.. I understand the frustration aspect of it from her point of view, but I have to go back to personal responsibility. I can't hold everyone's hand as they walk out the door informing them of their options if they want to return something. Of course I hear on NPR today that the government wants to hold everyone's hands while they watch TV....
This week, both the FCC and Congress are taking a new look at obscenity over the airwaves. Decades of court cases and regulation have yet to establish a reliable standard of decency.
NE Ohio weather is so strange. This morning we got 3-4 inches of snow. I know this because that's how high the snow was on my car as I left for work. At about 4pm it started that freezing rain/drizzle crap and that continued until about 9pm. That way at 10pm after work I chiseled 1/4 inch of ice from my car so that I could drive once again. Now there are lightning storms going on with intermittant hail and rain. What's next, a tornado? Gotta love the weather here...
Was listening to Love Lines on the way home from work tonight again. I really can't stand that show, and I'm not sure why I keep tuning in except that there's nothing else playing at 10:30 at night that's worth listening to. (Of course this was all after I scraped the 1/4 inch of ice off of my car) Adam was talking about depression and how it should be put into perspective. He said things could be worse - that basically you could be a whore in Thailand. Yeah well that's philosophical isn't it? Ignorant, uneducated comments like that tick me off. (Of course Dr. Drew says nothing about this) Really, serious depression isn't about how bad things are in your life. It's about chemicals in your brain that affect you regardless of how your life is going. It doesn't matter if you just won the lottery - if you're clinically depressed you're still going to be depressed. It was just another ignorant comment I know, but I'm so sick of ignorant comments. I hear them all the time from policticians who know better, and Dr. Drew and Adam know better as well. They just talk out their asses for ratings. And ignorant me - I tune in...
It's time again to take a peek at my "Search String Results." These are things that people typed into a search engine somewhere, and from the results of that search found my website. Here are the highlights from this month so far:
3) become a reverend online
7) young lovers seek perfection
8) A
11) Colored Xboxes USA
16) RANDOMNESS
20) THE MEANING OF SACRIFICING CHICKENS (<--my favorite)
(note: This site is the first result on Yahoo! when you look for #20 - that's a wee bit scary. If you're here looking for info about sacrificing chickens, you won't be finding it here. The closest you'll come is perhaps a recipe for Chicken Curry Cassarole)
Blogging from the parent's house. My brother is here from NV - it's great to see him again. He's the kind of person who is so down to earth that it's refreshing. Sometimes he jokes about being nuts, but really he's one of the most sane people I know. Last night all three of my brothers were here, and we were all in the same room just telling stories and laughing hysterically. It's funny to see how alike we all are - how like my dad we all are. I really enjoyed it.
I'm much calmer than I was the other night when i wrote that last entry, but I can't say that I'm completely over it. By no means am I done with this. This is my state as much as it is any conservative's. I just called Governor Taft's office, and I'm going to encourage other Ohioans to do the same. I'm not sure if it will do any good, but I'm certainly going to try to make a difference. (His # is 614-466-3555) I'm sure many people call and talk about how the bill is discriminatory and divisive, etc. I simply said that it goes against the Ohio State Constitution where it says that I have the right to persue happiness and safety. I think that's a pretty basic right, and this proposed law would invalidate that right.
Yahoo! News - Ohio law to further restrict gay couples
I am so completely outraged at "my" government, and so ashamed to be an Ohioan right now. [further remarks removed - more comments to follow once I've calmed down]
Finally my day off! I got up around noon and lounged around the house for a little while before running a few errands. Nothing too exciting though. I really need this day to just chill out. I got a data cable for my cell phone so that I could upload ringers and images instead of paying for Verizon's "Get it Now" service. C'mon, $1.99 for a ringer?
I read in the Suburbanite (a local paper) that the Red Cross is having a bit of a blood problem in our area. Just not enough blood in the supply. So I thought that on my day off I would go up to the Red Cross in Akron to donate. It's been many years since I've donated blood so I thought I would check redcross.org before heading up there to see if the "restriction" was still on there. Sure enough it was. "Those who are at increased risk for becoming infected with HIV are not eligible to donate blood. According to the Food and Drug Administration, you are at increased risk if: you are a male who has had sex with another male since 1977, even once;" Well, not to get real personal here, but I guess I'm disqualified. I won't lie on that little form. (Although someone once said, "It's not lying if they make you lie.") I'm a little disturbed by this. Don't they test the blood? I mean there are thousands of people in the US who are infected that aren't gay men. I also think this restriction is a bit too general. I may be gay, but that doesn't mean I'm a tramp. I've been in a monogamous relationship for over 3 years and have tested HIV- recently. I don't see myself as being in a high risk catagory. It's not being gay that makes you a risk factor, it's your behavior. I mean if a straight, single man is a raging hormone, I'd say he's more likely than I am to be a risk to the blood supply. What would you do? Would you lie on the form to do something you know is right and good?
Nothing like the fun of cleaning out your frog/fish tank late at night. For some reason this green algae likes to grow in there, and it's a pain to clean up. Yuck. I think I really freaked out the residents, but they'll be better off for the trauma.
Another night of closing the store - night 3 of 5. I forgot how tiring this can be. Had a bunch of really unpleasant people tonight. I'm not sure why unless it's the cold making people grouchy. I did meet a fellow blogger. She was telling me about how she was thinking of moving from Blogger to Moveable Type - something I've been considering for a while. I need to look a bit more into it I think.
My brother will be visiting from Reno this week. I haven't seen him in about 2 years so it'll be great to see him again. Hopefully I'll be able to get up to my parents' house where he's staying a couple of times this week. Bummer it won't be warmer though.
2 more nights...
Just posted the photos from a Jan 10, 2004 trip to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens in my photo gallery. It was so nice and warm there! Some amazing and exotic plants and flowers there.
Star Trek Enterprise makes a statement about fanaticism
I caught a little of this episode last night, but watched the whole thing today. I was amazed at the social commentary provided by the story. A group of religious zealots take over the Enterprise. They do this using their suicide bombs - an interesting parallel. They do this to go back to their home world to rid it (genocide) of heretics (those who believe the universe was created in 10 days, not 9). Anyone who does not believe as they do are their enemies. Sound familiar yet? The conclusion drawn at the end was that religious fanaticism does not lead to peace, nor anything good. The last scene is the zealots standing on the obliterated home planet, shattered by religious war.
I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before here, but I'm a big Trek fan. I have been since The Next Generation came out in the 80s. (Thanks Mike!) The reason I love Star Trek so much is the message it provides. One is that there is a better future to look forward to - that the human race will eventually overcome the obstacles in our path. The second is that there is a right and a wrong, and there is no spin, no BS, just what's right and wrong. There's the Prime Directive - mind your own business lest you screw other people up. There's the willingness to do what's right, not just what's convenient. Star Trek is not only a source of entertainment for me, but also a source of hope.
It's a sad day for the United States when the president is so well liked/respected he gets booed for placing a wreath at the gravesite of a great civil rights leader, Martin Luther King. At least they didn't shield him this time with a "first amendment zone."
I can't help thinking when Bush started this whole new space mission to the moon and Mars that maybe he's trying to get home. Seriously though, don't we have other things to focus on here on Earth?
Also read that he's going to spend $1.5 billion dollars on a marriage promotion. Do we really need that much money to promote marriage as if it was a tourist destination? Maybe the money is going to help married couples stay together. While that sounds nice, I don't feel like my tax money needs to go to people who made poor choices in their partner. Why don't we spend that money on education or healthcare? I've made some poor choices in the past, but those were my decisions. Hence, my responsibility.
They say that loves come and go, but friends are forever. I believed from experience for quite some time that no one is forever. Luckily my BF of 3 years has changed much of that thinking. But I still harbor doubts about everyone else. I've had too many friends who I thought would be lifelong friends who I haven't seen or heard from in years. Tonight I Googled my name just for fun, and an old friend popped out of cyberspace at me.
She was my friend for almost 11 years, and was my very best friend for several of those years. There are few people I have cared that much about in my life, and she was one of them. She saw me through my geeky years in middle school and through high school as I came out. She went through quite a bit with me as I struggled to find out who I was. She was the first person I came out to. It was April 2, 1994 I believe. She was shocked and hurt when I told her, and I will never forget that she held my hand the whole way home telling me that she would be there for me. Unfortunately there had been a lot of hurt that had happened to her because of my lack of self-realization. There was a lot of misunderstandings on both of our parts. Finally, she decided that it would be better if we didn't see each other again. I can't think of anything that has saddened me as much as losing our friendship. Even now as I write this I have a knot in my stomach thinking about it.
After high school and college she moved somewhere that I figured it was unlikely I would ever see her again. I discounted the thought that anything would ever be resolved, much less the idea that we would someday be friends again. She moved and now lives not very far from where I live. The idea of running into her somewhere sends a shock through me. What would I say? Would all the hurt that we both felt keep us from having any kind of dialogue? Instead of running into her randomly, I wonder if I contacted her how it would be received. If she lives nearby and there's a chance of having any kind of friendship, if I do nothing do I lose something in the process of further avoiding her? Is it worth revisiting only to be rejected?
Our friendship was a special one. It was the kind that you have so few of in your lifetime that at the end you could count them on one hand. I've tormented myself over the years thinking about how our friendship turned out, and I've gotten to a point where it doesn't hurt as badly to think about it. Opening old wounds may not be wise, but it could also be a beginning - a healing. But do I open that old scar or leave it be in peace?
Who would think that one would find religion while on the toilet? If you'd think it's impossible, perhaps you would be wrong. Tonight at work I found some lovely reading material in the men's restroom. Yes indeed, while attending to your naturely duties you could read all about how Jesus can save you. I found the following published by the Fellowship Tract League:
Let us first examine Death: it happens EVERY day!. Somewhat appropriate in the restroom - it happens every day. But kidding aside, this pamphlet is designed to scare the poop out of you. The first line reads "WHAT IF YOU DIED TODAY!" (Bold nor caps my own). Before dismissing the incorrect punctuation, this statement certainly gets your attention. But it's not a ploy to make you buy life insurance, it's to help you understand that you need Jesus Christ. It basically goes on to say that if you do not accept Jesus as your savior "YOU DESERVE TO BURN IN THE LAKE OF FIRE FOR EVER AND EVER!" (again, caps are quoted) Well, that's a nice way for us all to get along. It also states that you can't get to heaven by "trusting in some church or saint" nor "by doing good works!" (I've spared you from the caps) I suppose I should be grateful to the person who saw fit to save my soul in the men's room, but I've grown tired of being force-fed Christianity. Apparently since I'm not a Christian I'm going to hell, and no amount of good deeds can save me. And they say gay people are out to convert people...
The other two pamphlets are about the same. "Where will your soul be while they are preaching at your funeral?" "The wicked shall be turned into hell..." "Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to get it." I find this all very facinating. These materials are designed to scare you into trying to save yourself. They also don't do much in the way of describing how to live with other people before you attain all mightly salvation. So basically, you could be a terrorist but as long as JC is your saviour you will ascend to heaven? This just doesn't make rational sense to me. This encourages people to do what-the-hell-ever they want while on earth with the knowledge that they are saved anyway. How has this attracted so many followers? I wonder if it is for the reason I just mentioned.
Personally, I find this offensive. I don't think anyone has the ability to jugde whether I'm going to hell or not. I don't think it should be shoved into someone's face. This isn't the kind of thing that brings people together, and I feel that is one of the things that's wrong with society today. We don't work together. It's always us versus them, you vs. me, etc. Yes they're just pamphlets, but they represent a larger problem.
And if you want to go that route, my god is a few thousand years older than the Christian one, so there. I win. And that's just what's wrong with religion.
Bush Visit Protest - Knoxville, TN, January 2004
Great pictures of the "first amendment zone."
I read an article about an Iowa voter who stood up at a Howard Dean event during a kind of Q&A session and lectured Howard Dean about being mean. He said to Dean, "Please tone down the garbage, the mean mouthing, the tearing down of your neighbor and being so pompous." Well, first I think it should be noted that when running against someone, part of your job is to tear them down. You can't go around saying things like, "George Bush has done really wonderful things, but I think you should elect me instead." How ridiculous. My second point is that Bush has done his own amount of "garbage" and "mean mouthing." (and does "mean mouthing" sound just a little grade school to anyone besides myself?)
I understand that we're all frustrated with politics. But even if you're not a Howard Dean supporter, I think we can all see the ridiculousness of this man's lecture. If one candidate did what this man said, he'd be politically trampled. Does anyone think for a minute that Bush is going to run a clean campaign?
[source: Yahoo! News: Iowa Voter Blasts Dean for Knocking Bush]
I was just reading the Beacon's commentary section when I read a succinct line about Bush's campaign programs.
"The president courted Hispanics by saying he would try to extend more legal rights to illegal immigrants ... He courted the religious right by saying he would not try to extend more legal rights to gays...
Bush has decided to offer legitimacy only to those dispossesed groups in American society who may be politically useful to him."
Very well said.
[source: Akron Beacon Journal, M. Dowd, January 9, 2004, B3]
You see them everywhere. They're driving like maniacs. They're holding up the line in the store. They're writing letters to the editor and posting on Yahoo! Message boards. Almost like an infection, morons are everywhere interfering with the daily lives of intelligent people. It may sound harsh, but they're out there and they just don't care. And while you think to yourself how pathetic some people can be, suddenly you wish you were one of them.
Just for one day. Imagine. You would have no clue how awful the world can be. For 24 hours the cynicism would melt away replaced by wonder at how Stefano will reappear on Days of Our Lives. Sadness at how hungry and poor the world is would disappear while you decide whether to go tanning or get your nails done. Anger at how the government mismanages the country would turn into blind patriotism for "One Nation Under God." For those moments of ignorance you just wouldn't know, or care to know, what the world was really about. Forget the meaning of life, what's the meaning of news broadcasts pre-empting your Friends? Your own little bubble of a world would be all you knew. Other people? Who cares! Self-gratification is what it's all about. No more turn signals or taking turns. Just doing whatever makes you happy. Perhaps the world will become a giant Playstation game.
But for the thoughtful there is no such reprieve. We may all have different positions on issues, but our minds force us to think about the "whys" in life which for many causes frustration. It's not enough to hear that Saddam has WMDs (but there's no evidence) or that the richest country in the world doesn't have health care for all citizens (while corporate CEOs buy a few more Porches). We're stuck wanting for a better world for all humanity while part of it sits and watches Jerry Springer.
Yahoo! News - Bush Plans to Send Americans to Moon, on to Mars
No one would be more excited about the possibility of Americans pioneering more manned missions into space to discover and explore. Sending people beyond our home is a testament to our ingenuity and drive to be more than we are. But it ticks me off that President Bush hasn't done much to resolve issues here on our own planet. Now, during an election year, he's coming up with a plan to make him ever more popular. How nice....
Many people I've talked to don't like police. They complain that the cops are always out to get ya and that they're on a power trip. Of course this is sometimes, unfortunately true. But there are police men and women out there who are on the job for the right reasons. I met one such officer today. He stops by the house when we're not home to check on grandma to make sure that she's doing ok. He stopped by today to give her some information about the community and some programs that can help her out. He was here for almost an hour. I figured he'd have to be in and out, but he stayed and talked with her.
I've never disliked police. Most of my encounters with law enforcement have been positive experiences. I've had my incidents where police have been unnecessarily nasty with me, but they're not all like that. I'm writing this because I know there are people out there who don't like the police, and I want to recognize the men and women out there who are doing it to serve their communities. They have to deal with the worst side of people and try not to get too cynical. It must be very difficult, and I appreciate what they do for us. And especially to the officer who stops by to make sure that grandma is ok, thank you.
Yahoo! News - Court upholds firing man for anti-gay signs
There is hope in the world! I am constantly being bombarded with Christian morality that consists of "hate thy neighbor and make him as miserable as possible." I am elated to read that someone has prevailed over the anti-gay, anti-human rhetoric that has seemingly pervaded large portions of American society. While I can admire the Christian guy for sticking to what he felt was right, I feel sorry for him in that he really believed he was doing something good. He was actively trying to make someone else's life miserable, and there can be no tolerance for that kind of behavior. There is no rational explanation for hurting a group of people for a belief in a higher power that is open to any interpretation. The conclusion that I can draw from this is that my next printer will more likely be an HP.
I just love to read the "local" section of the Akron Beacon. It contains all the banter of people in the area. Some of the letters to the editor, now called "Voice of the People," seem well thought out while others appear clueless.
Today I've seen several ridiculous statements that almost made me chuckle. One letter is entitled "Liberals need to get a life." Now that's an opening one would want to use when trying to convince people. The author, Robert, says that liberals irritate him when they continue to bring up WMDs. He then makes the assertion that the planes that hit the WTC on 9/11 were WMDs. So in that case, every country in the world has WMDs. I seem to remember a rental truck being used at one time for a bomb. So if we find a U-Haul in Iraq then we've found the WMDs?
A different writer takes issue with recent school funding issues. She contends that instead of cutting services in schools to make ends meet we should start cutting teacher’s salaries instead. She mentions that some of the teachers make $60k with 13 weeks of vacation. I don't think she's considering a few things. One is that a teacher’s job isn't one that ends at 5 - there's grading and lesson plans and shopping with their own money to help buy supplies for their classrooms. In addition, how long have these $60k teachers been teaching - 20+ years? Lastly, I believe that teachers make too little for the job they are asked to do these days. It is a dangerous thing to suggest that we begin to relegate their wages to that of the working poor.
There were some very good points made today as well. One interesting one is about the "real costs of shopping at Wal-Mart." It brings up some thoughts that most people wouldn't think of like growing the class of working poor or false patriotism.
Reading this section always gets me thinking about issues and the people involved with them. Now if only the writers of the letters would think a bit more themselves sometimes.
Home
It's fridgid here! The latest check on the thermometer says it's about 14 degrees, but the wind chill is closer to -4. In addition the power has been off and on all day. It went out for about an hour earlier. Luckily it came back on as First Energy told us they were hoping to have in on sometime within the next 5 hours. Lovely when the heat won't work as it's around 15 degrees outside. I'm grateful that they did manage to keep it on.
Work
Work tonight wasn't too terribly bad. Not overly busy as the cold weather kept many away. But the ones who did come in - I'm not sure where some of them came from. One woman went through our clearance and came up to the registers with a cart full of stuff. Instead of loading it onto the conveyor so that it could be rung up in a reasonable amount of time she handed it one item at a time to the cashier asking about each item's price. After about 10 minutes of this and other customers waiting in line behind her I asked if I could help tell her some of the prices. She replied that she had to do each one at a time because she'd been in a car accident and had "nothin' in [her] nogen." What could I say? Some people at the service desk were rather odd. Many came in to return items that weren't on their receipts. Not sure what was with that...
Politics
Funny thing about polls is you never really know how they will turn out. Apparently a notable anti-gay organization conducted an internet poll to prove how many people were against gay marriage. They said that they would then present the results of the poll to Congress. First let's discuss how unscientific this poll was. An internet poll where you have no idea who's voting (could be someone from distant, unknown countries) and people can vote as many times as they want. What use would this be to congressmen and women? But I digress... the funny thing is that almost 60% voted in favor of gay marriage. I wonder if they'll still show the poll to Congress? [source]
Far Away
I'm just amazed and enthralled that the Mars rover, Spirit, is working out so well. I'm so happy for NASA after all the hard work they've put into this. I'm happy for the nation that there is sucess out there in all the bad news to be had. And I'm happy for humanity who gets to see another planet, and perhaps will get a perspective of how we (and our stupid problems) fit into the grand scheme of things.
In my head
Hoping to get a new cell phone Friday - our current cell provider doesn't have coverage at our new house. Guess we're too far out in the boonies. Trying to decide if I would actually use a camera phone.. I have a day off tomorrow. Wondering what to do with all that time - probably clean. Doesn't that sound fun? Maybe I'll read my Americans United newsletter and post my reactions to it here. That should be an interesting read. [grin]
On the website
Photo galleries are getting an overhaul. I've been putting them up randomly since this site went up, and they're kinda haphazardly placed on the server. Some I don't even have links to anymore. You can check out the new galleries on the "Photos" page. My boyfriend is starting to get into the blogging thing now too, but his site will be a photoblog. How exciting that my bf is going to be a webnerd just like me!
Yahoo! News - Gay support boosted Dean's lead early
I am a Howard Dean supporter. I have been since the beginning of the primary campaigning, and I still think he's the kind of person we need in the White House. Given the fact that a large number of his fundraising efforts have been by LGBT folks (as stated by the article above), I stop to think for a moment about one of the main problems I have with Dean. He supports civil unions, but not gay marriage. He says it's because government has no place in religious affairs, and that marriage is a religious institution. That's a cop out. I fundamentally agree with him regarding the religious aspect, but I don't think that giving gays and lesbians a second class alternative to marriage is the right answer. I think it's designed to please more Americans to get more votes. In the meantime it sends the message that gays and lesbians are less than heterosexuals. I understand that compromises like that are necessary for a political life, but I'm just so tired of polictical compromises. Clinton compromised on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and we can see what happened - more LGBT folks discharged from the military than before. If Dean has already compromised to this point, how much further will he go? Will he disown the community that puts him in Washington once he's there, or will he stand his ground? From everything I've seen and heard about him I believe he will focus on what is right. Either way, it's better than Bush's focus on the "Right."
I heard today that Mary Taylor is running for re-election next year in the Ohio House. I'm currently thinking of ways I can contribute to her never serving that particular public office ever again. If you didn't read it here before, she was a co-sponsor of Ohio's second DOMA bill (HB272). She wants to protect the sanctity of a marriage between a man and a woman. I'm not sure if she feels threatened somehow by gays marrying, but after asking twice for her rationale for supporting the bill I got no explanation. Obviously this woman doesn't represent me, and that's reason enough for me to want to boot her out of office.
Crazy holiday shoppers continue. A woman told me today that she just started her x-mas shopping for next year. For me having just made it through one season starting again so soon is rather sickening, but more power to her. Another woman complained that it wasn't fair to her that she had to take responsibility to know how much was on her MasterCard giftcard. No, no - and someone else should take care of your kids too.
So on that note - irrational, irresponsible people are what vexes me most recently. Mary Taylor and the giftcard lady. Really, Ms. Taylor should study discrimination through history so she knows what she's a part of, and giftcard lady should shop at Marcs where they don't take credit cards. (am I grumpy tonight?)
Some words better left unuttered
The only year in review I'll post - quotes from the Bush Administration that we should remember, but have been buried by the rhetoric.
I just love receiving spam. That's why most of it gets filtered out through 2 separate spam filters. Before I started filtering it all out I was getting upwards of 500 emails a day. What a waste of bandwidth. Some still make it through though, and I got a great one today. It's enough that someone has wasted my time on commercial information that I didn't even want and has taken up space in my inbox to do so, but at least make the information look like an educated adult wrote it. The subject of my most recent favorite spam was "new of leader." What exactly does that mean? When I open the mail there are several important facts that someone feels I should know. The first factoid is that employers prefer people with college degrees. Well, I'm not so sure about that in today's economy. Employers don't want to pay people much these days. It then goes on to tell me that I can earn my degree within days from a "prestigious non-accredited university based on life experience." How is it that this non-accredited university is so prestigious? I doubt they're advertising for Bob Jones. And if they were I don't think they'd give me a degree based on my life experience. An if you're advertising about getting an advanced educational degree then shouldn't your advertisement contain correct wording and grammar? I'm not sure what the point of this diatribe is, but I just have to say that not only is it the amount of spam we receive these days, but it's the banal nature of it that irks me as well. If they're going to send me crap that I didn't ask for, then perhaps they should at least make it worth my while.
It's been a really strange first day of the new year. It started with a dream that people were trying to break into my house through a basement window. As they were breaking in I was spraying them with Windex to try and keep them away. Unfortunately someone got in and snuck up behind me - he was trying to steal one of Lucy's kittens. (Lucy doesn't have kittens in real life). I woke with a start at 7am, and managed to doze until about 10:30, but it wasn't restful sleep.
It's my first day off since Christmas, and it's been rather crazy since then. Of course we don't have the staffing that we did before the holidays, so I spend most of my time running like a chicken with my head cut off. I've been very tired (and grumpy) today. I took a nap from about 6 until 8, but I was still in some strange state. I feel like I have lots of things I should or want to be doing, but I just don't have the energy to actually do any of it. Thank goodness I have another day off tomorrow. Hopefully I'll recover from the holidays more fully by then. How sad is that? Recovering from the holidays...
I can't believe it's 2004 already. It seems like 2003 went by too quickly. My parents used to tell me that the older you get, the faster time seems to pass. The past 3 years have proven that to be true. It seems like we were just having a Y2K "crisis." Many people are looking back at the past year and reflecting on what was good and bad, what was most memorable, and what they wish they had done. I'm not going to do that to you, nor am I going to give you some crappy new year's resolution that I'm not going to think about ever again tomorrow morning. I'm just going to say that I hope next year builds upon all the good that has happened this year, and I hope the same for everyone else.
In the meantime, I got to close the store tonight. You wouldn't believe how many people were out shopping at 9:30 this evening. Nothing too crazy except for the guy who came in soley to purchase baby lotion. Hope he has a good new year. And may I just wonder aloud why people feel the need to ask an employee on the phone how late we are open when the auto-attendant says we are open until 10pm? If I were the operator I would have to resist the urge with each obnoxious question to ask did you listen to the recording?
My best wishes to you for a happy new year!
