Things That Piss Me Off:
Do you know what I hate? Websites that proport to have a 'picture of the day' but then the picture never changes. Or, it changes once a month, thus negating the concept of the 'picture of the day'. Or even more infuriating, at least for me because I still check the damn site every day, the 'picture of the day' is a revolving series of just 5 pictures. So, while the picture does change from day to day, if you've seen the whole series, there's not a hell of a lot to be gained by checking anymore.
And yet, like the eternal optimist, I still look, just in case they've decided to stop pissing me off. It hasn't happened yet.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Things That Piss Me Off:
Traffic in Saskatoon sucks. I had to go somewhere this afternoon. From Delco, in the north end, to the university, which is more or less in the center of the city. There is no reason this should take any more than 10 or at worse 15 minutes. I gave myself half an hour. Can you believe it wasn't enough!?!
Traffic in Saskatoon sucks. I had to go somewhere this afternoon. From Delco, in the north end, to the university, which is more or less in the center of the city. There is no reason this should take any more than 10 or at worse 15 minutes. I gave myself half an hour. Can you believe it wasn't enough!?!
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Things That Piss Me Off:
Do you know what pisses me off? People can be so damn stupid in the name of speed.
I'm working at this rock concert tonight. There's two items that are served: draft beer and bottled vodka coolers. Now draft beer is easy. Open the tap and pour the beer into a glass. You can't do that any other way but fast. But coolers are another thing. Having to open the bottle and then pour the liquid into a glass takes some time. Certainly longer than pouring a draft beer. And its more cumbersome because there are multiple steps.
Now the first problem with this is, most girls are wimps. Not all of them mind you, but a healthy majority of them don't like to twist the cap off. Its not a purely female thing either, as there's a minority of guys that are children about protecting their hands from the slight burn of twisting off bottle caps. So they have to resort to a bottle opener. This adds a further complication to an already labor intensive activity.
This is where it gets stupid. And its not just the bottle opener people, but they are the worst culprits of this. They go to open the bottle and they just let the cap fly wherever. I have a problem with this. First of all, you wouldn't do this in your own house. How many people, especially girls, would let the table or the floor become littered with bottle caps? Why is this then okay to do in a public space? Second of all, how much time are you really saving by not catching the cap and throwing it in the garbage? I mean really! Eventually you have to pick up all the bottle caps. And the haphazard manner in which you let them fly means you end up having to grovel on the floor to get a lot of them. WOuldn't it be more expedient to use the half a damn second it takes to catch the cap and throw it away when you open the bottle!?!
Do you know what pisses me off? People can be so damn stupid in the name of speed.
I'm working at this rock concert tonight. There's two items that are served: draft beer and bottled vodka coolers. Now draft beer is easy. Open the tap and pour the beer into a glass. You can't do that any other way but fast. But coolers are another thing. Having to open the bottle and then pour the liquid into a glass takes some time. Certainly longer than pouring a draft beer. And its more cumbersome because there are multiple steps.
Now the first problem with this is, most girls are wimps. Not all of them mind you, but a healthy majority of them don't like to twist the cap off. Its not a purely female thing either, as there's a minority of guys that are children about protecting their hands from the slight burn of twisting off bottle caps. So they have to resort to a bottle opener. This adds a further complication to an already labor intensive activity.
This is where it gets stupid. And its not just the bottle opener people, but they are the worst culprits of this. They go to open the bottle and they just let the cap fly wherever. I have a problem with this. First of all, you wouldn't do this in your own house. How many people, especially girls, would let the table or the floor become littered with bottle caps? Why is this then okay to do in a public space? Second of all, how much time are you really saving by not catching the cap and throwing it in the garbage? I mean really! Eventually you have to pick up all the bottle caps. And the haphazard manner in which you let them fly means you end up having to grovel on the floor to get a lot of them. WOuldn't it be more expedient to use the half a damn second it takes to catch the cap and throw it away when you open the bottle!?!
Friday, May 26, 2006
I have to tell you this story. I have to tell you this story because its just so . . . damn . . . sad.
I bought an air conditioner last spring. It was a big 10,000 BTU bastard, complete with a remote. It was going to make my house frigid. But just about the same time I got this great idea I should buy a house, and stop paying rent all the time. Which seemed like a good idea at the time but has since proven to be untrue. But I digress . . .
So now its a year later and I don't want it anymore. I have no house to install it in, and when I do buy a house, its damn well going to have central air conditioning, because I don't do this, swelter for the character of it thing. I've got lots enough character from all the other burdens I carry. But I digress . . .
What to do with the air conditioner? Well, I bought it at Wal-Mart. Let's see if I can return it. So we drive off to Wal-Mart to see if they'll take it back.
Not being stupid, I go up to customer service with my reciept first, because I'm not carrying this heavy bastard into the store, only to find out they won't take it back. That would be stupid. So we enter into negotiations with the well meaning, but otherwise inept girl at the customer service desk. I know they try but they've obviously been imbued with NO authority, so it makes you wonder why they have to man the counter that needs a decision to be made, in almost all cases. But I digress. . .
It took calling some managers but they concede that yes, if everything is on the level, they can probably take it back and refund my money. Oh goodie! So I go get the air conditioner from the truck and haul it in to be inspected. One of the stipulations was that it had to be as I said, unopened and unused.
This is where it gets stupid.
To verify that the air conditioner is unused, they have to open the crate. Keep in mind that the box is obviously untainted from when I picked it up in the store. The original tape remains on the seams. The UPC sticker is still in place. The damn thing is virgin. But her manager has told this girl that she is supposed to open the box and make sure everything is intact.
So she does.
What does she find in the box? Manual is still its plastic sheath. The remote still has the plastic sticker on the buttons. The free batteries for the remote are still shrink-wrapped. The styrofoam packing has not been disturbed and clings tenaciously to the air conditioner itself. After much discussion with another, equally clueless Wal-Mart employee, they agree that they have to take the actual air conditioner OUT of the box to inspect it. Keep in mind that everything up to this point has been absolutely VIRGIN in the box. So these two girls struggle and fuss, because this unit has never been out of the box and is stuck to the tightly packed styrofoam. So finally its out and they set it on the counter.
We're not done yet.
Having gone through that entire ordeal, they now concur that to follow their managers orders, they need to get a second air conditioner off the shelf, open it, and verify that everything in the box off the shelf, is identical to what they've just opened in the box I brought in. So the entire ordeal is repeated a SECOND time, complete with fussing with styrofoam, and two woman trying to manhandle a very heavy, unwieldy electrical device.
Conclusion? The two air conditioners are identical. I get my refund.
So what was accomplished? As I see it, only one purpose was truly served by this idiotic procession. Some $9.00 a hour Wal-Mart night manager has proceeded to make damaged stock out of what were otherwise completely factory perfect air conditioner packages. All this Captain Wizard would have needed to do was wheel my box out onto the floor and put it next to the other air conditioners. The next time it was 30 C it would have disappeared from the shelf with no one the wiser for its 1 year vacation in Watson.
I bought an air conditioner last spring. It was a big 10,000 BTU bastard, complete with a remote. It was going to make my house frigid. But just about the same time I got this great idea I should buy a house, and stop paying rent all the time. Which seemed like a good idea at the time but has since proven to be untrue. But I digress . . .
So now its a year later and I don't want it anymore. I have no house to install it in, and when I do buy a house, its damn well going to have central air conditioning, because I don't do this, swelter for the character of it thing. I've got lots enough character from all the other burdens I carry. But I digress . . .
What to do with the air conditioner? Well, I bought it at Wal-Mart. Let's see if I can return it. So we drive off to Wal-Mart to see if they'll take it back.
Not being stupid, I go up to customer service with my reciept first, because I'm not carrying this heavy bastard into the store, only to find out they won't take it back. That would be stupid. So we enter into negotiations with the well meaning, but otherwise inept girl at the customer service desk. I know they try but they've obviously been imbued with NO authority, so it makes you wonder why they have to man the counter that needs a decision to be made, in almost all cases. But I digress. . .
It took calling some managers but they concede that yes, if everything is on the level, they can probably take it back and refund my money. Oh goodie! So I go get the air conditioner from the truck and haul it in to be inspected. One of the stipulations was that it had to be as I said, unopened and unused.
This is where it gets stupid.
To verify that the air conditioner is unused, they have to open the crate. Keep in mind that the box is obviously untainted from when I picked it up in the store. The original tape remains on the seams. The UPC sticker is still in place. The damn thing is virgin. But her manager has told this girl that she is supposed to open the box and make sure everything is intact.
So she does.
What does she find in the box? Manual is still its plastic sheath. The remote still has the plastic sticker on the buttons. The free batteries for the remote are still shrink-wrapped. The styrofoam packing has not been disturbed and clings tenaciously to the air conditioner itself. After much discussion with another, equally clueless Wal-Mart employee, they agree that they have to take the actual air conditioner OUT of the box to inspect it. Keep in mind that everything up to this point has been absolutely VIRGIN in the box. So these two girls struggle and fuss, because this unit has never been out of the box and is stuck to the tightly packed styrofoam. So finally its out and they set it on the counter.
We're not done yet.
Having gone through that entire ordeal, they now concur that to follow their managers orders, they need to get a second air conditioner off the shelf, open it, and verify that everything in the box off the shelf, is identical to what they've just opened in the box I brought in. So the entire ordeal is repeated a SECOND time, complete with fussing with styrofoam, and two woman trying to manhandle a very heavy, unwieldy electrical device.
Conclusion? The two air conditioners are identical. I get my refund.
So what was accomplished? As I see it, only one purpose was truly served by this idiotic procession. Some $9.00 a hour Wal-Mart night manager has proceeded to make damaged stock out of what were otherwise completely factory perfect air conditioner packages. All this Captain Wizard would have needed to do was wheel my box out onto the floor and put it next to the other air conditioners. The next time it was 30 C it would have disappeared from the shelf with no one the wiser for its 1 year vacation in Watson.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Monday, May 15, 2006
Friday, May 12, 2006
A few random thoughts for a Friday night:
Go Oilers!!!
Chad Michael Murray has gotta be the luckiest guy on the planet. He's starred in movies with Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff and Elisha Cuthbert. I think the devil lost out on that deal.
Does anyone want to buy a house in Watson, Sask.?
Does anyone know where to get a non-offensive calendar, but no puppy dogs or flowers or such boring crap?
Did I mention, go Oilers?
Go Oilers!!!
Chad Michael Murray has gotta be the luckiest guy on the planet. He's starred in movies with Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff and Elisha Cuthbert. I think the devil lost out on that deal.
Does anyone want to buy a house in Watson, Sask.?
Does anyone know where to get a non-offensive calendar, but no puppy dogs or flowers or such boring crap?
Did I mention, go Oilers?
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Friday, May 05, 2006
Things That Piss Me Off
Some idiot gave me a parking ticket today. And the annoying thing about that is, it wasn't for having an expired meter. This model citizen took it upon himself to write me up for having expired tags on my license plate. I guess he hadn't been able to tag anyone for a real parking ticket that hour, so to make his quota he had to write me up on a trumped up charge. Granted, somewhere along the line my sticker for Nov 06 fell off, but still I think its awfully chicken-hearted to go outside of his duly appointed duty just to mess up my day. Yes, its probably within his discretion to write the ticket but let's be real. He's supposed to be writing parking tickets not fleecing the masses for any indescretion he might realize. Is this the same jerk that's going to flag me down for a jaywalking ticket.
People are idiots.
Some idiot gave me a parking ticket today. And the annoying thing about that is, it wasn't for having an expired meter. This model citizen took it upon himself to write me up for having expired tags on my license plate. I guess he hadn't been able to tag anyone for a real parking ticket that hour, so to make his quota he had to write me up on a trumped up charge. Granted, somewhere along the line my sticker for Nov 06 fell off, but still I think its awfully chicken-hearted to go outside of his duly appointed duty just to mess up my day. Yes, its probably within his discretion to write the ticket but let's be real. He's supposed to be writing parking tickets not fleecing the masses for any indescretion he might realize. Is this the same jerk that's going to flag me down for a jaywalking ticket.
People are idiots.
Monday, May 01, 2006
I have a question.
Why have all the essential PC utilities gotten so incredibly bloated? I was on a new computer today and needed to open a PDF file. I went online to get Acrobat Reader. Its a freakin' 21 MB download! What the hell is that? I just want to read a PDF. What the hell was wrong with the simple, basic package that let me do that?
This has gotten out of control. Stop plugging up the software with useless crap! Leave it simple and basic so it doesn't take an hour to download. Geesh!
Why have all the essential PC utilities gotten so incredibly bloated? I was on a new computer today and needed to open a PDF file. I went online to get Acrobat Reader. Its a freakin' 21 MB download! What the hell is that? I just want to read a PDF. What the hell was wrong with the simple, basic package that let me do that?
This has gotten out of control. Stop plugging up the software with useless crap! Leave it simple and basic so it doesn't take an hour to download. Geesh!
Friday, April 28, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
I've had this movie quote in my head all day. Its not really applicable to my situation as the actual quote is about love, relationships and sexual orientation and the ambiguity that goes along with it. If you've seen the movie, you'll recognize the emotion that was portrayed in the moment it was said. And the last half of the last sentence really sums up, for me, how my life has changed in the last day.
So if Kevin Smith will forgive me, I'd like to quote 'Chasing Amy' for you now:
Oh, it's that simple? You fall in
love with me and want a romantic
relationship, nothing changes for you
with the exception of feeling hunky-
dorey all the time. But what about-
me? It's not that simple, is it? I
can't just get into a relationship
with you without throwing my whole
fucking world into upheaval!
So if Kevin Smith will forgive me, I'd like to quote 'Chasing Amy' for you now:
Oh, it's that simple? You fall in
love with me and want a romantic
relationship, nothing changes for you
with the exception of feeling hunky-
dorey all the time. But what about-
me? It's not that simple, is it? I
can't just get into a relationship
with you without throwing my whole
fucking world into upheaval!