A Rant

Unless you have been hiding under a rock recently, I am sure you're aware of the issue the U.S. is facing with its budget and debt ceiling. And even though I am an NPR/PBS News hour-oholic, I tend to keep my opinions out of most politics, but after reading an article today, I can't keep my mouth shut any longer.

I am sure this post will make me unpopular, so I want to preface it with this: I believe that it is only through humanity and compassion that we will better ourselves and survive into the future. I have always been the person who loves the unwanted (whether it is a stuffed animal with a big black mark on its face when I was 3, or the puny plant that is about to be tossed out at the nursery just last month). I root for the underdog. I am neither democrat or republican, I am not a right winger, and I don't believe everyone should fend for themselves...

Now onto the unpopular part...

The article I just read was talking about the stalemate over the budget and the implications of what could happen after August 2. In the article it stated that we would have funds to cover medicare/medicade, social security, interest on debts, defense vendor payments, and unemployment insurance*. They would not however, be able to pay federal employees, active military members, and would leave whole government departments- such as Labor- entirely unfunded*. This made me nearly lose it. I understand the importance of taking care of the less fortunate but the nation (at this point and in my opinion) can not simply continue to take care of those that do not help the economy or productivity of the nation and completely neglect those that do.

I have been unemployed, I know exactly what I am talking about, but the truth of the matter is that if we continue to help the down trodden who are a weight on the economy while sacrificing those that are contributing to the economy, we are headed for a collapse...of everything. At which point we will no longer be able to help those in need either.

*http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43954150/ns/politics-more_politics/?gt1=43001

Get The FUCK Out Of My Car!

I sold my beloved Honda Civic. It was my first car ever and I had it for nearly 10 years and it was 16 years old. It got 30 miles to the gallon and was loyal beyond compare. But, as 16 year old cars tend to do, it began needing more and more repairs and I needed to make the decision on where to invest my money- repairing and old car, or buying a new one. In the end my trusty Red Sled (my name for the Civic) went to a terrific family that would love it and actually wanted and need it. So I feel good...But my experience selling my car, was not without its, ahem, shall we say adventure...

Some pointers to potential car buyers...

If you respond to an ad selling a 5-speed manual transmission vehicle, perhaps it is best if you can actually drive a stick. And that one time you were going to drive down the cul-de-sac in your friends car but killed it before you got out of the driveway doesn't count. I mean you need to actually be able to:

• Know when the engine is running high because you have it in 3rd gear going 50mph
• Know you must push in the clutch to start the car
• Not kill the car...twice in a three minute test drive
• Not rev the engine so hard when initially starting to move in first...each and every time you're in first
• Knowing the difference between the foot brace on the floor to the left and the actual clutch pedal...
  

I should also suggest that you know how to drive a car period. Be sure you can accomplish the simple things such as:

• Knowing how to turn the car on (i.e. you must turn the key from lock, to on, to acc, and then to start). If you turn the key to acc and think that will start the car, you are going to be there for a while
• Knowing the difference between the footbrace on the floor to the left and the actual clutch pedal... yes I know I said it above, but really? Seriously, you can't tell the difference between a unmoving hunk of plastic and a depressable clutch pedal...? Really?
• Knowing you shouldn't turn left onto a road and them pull an immediate u-turn in front of a HUGE POLICE suv that is turning left behind you, nearly getting the car t-boned and pissing off the cop.

And on a final note, if you want a seller to select you as the buyer, don't be an idiot. This means:

• Do not try to pressure the seller into selling it to you after they already politely told you that they have another person test driving the car later that evening. And no, getting into a staring contest with the seller will not increase your chances of purchasing the vehicle.

Now that I have imparted this great wisdom on you dear readers, go forth and practice non-douchbagish car buying behavior. :-)

Like The Dying, I Laugh Because There Is Nothing Left To Do

I know I am not only one who notices how lovely all of our headlines are, and how much lovelier they get with each passing year. "Record Number of Tornadoes," "War Debt in the Trillions," "Fires Heading Toward Nuclear Lab," "Water Becoming a Precious Resource." I am generally an optimist regarding the state of the world (I am sure that is a bit hard to believe considering my sarcasm, but it is true). I see the good, the honest, the inspiring, and find myself awed by how amazing the natural world and humanity is. Seeing someone hold open a shop door for a stranger, or seeing a child say thank you brings a smile to my lips. Hearing of the tireless volunteer efforts by those who put themselves in danger to help others (Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, PeaceCorps, etc.) makes me proud to call myself a member of the human race. So why is it that I find myself unable to completely block out all of the news that wraps its suffocating arms around me, enveloping me in a confusing blindness?

I think it is important to keep my head out of the sand. I listen to NPR and watch the PBS News Hour (hell, I even pick up the Economist when I am feeling particularly brainy) and absorb the recent news and status updates in my quest to be a well informed. And for the most part, I am able to keep from letting the news effect my mood or outlook, but not always...

I just read an article regarding water and its increasing scarcity. I earned my degree in natural resources, I have an aunt who is a water conservation nut, so the concept is not new to me. But this article was different... it was written from a financial perspective, listing off the values of water over traditional investments (the main one being that it is required for survival- we can live without gold, we can't live without water) and outlining the very real threat to this resource all the while saying, "so get in there and invest."

Did the author not make the connection? Did he not see that it doesn't matter if you invest your money in H20 and become a billionaire, if a glass of water costs you a billion dollars because we mismanaged the resource and outsourced it to private companies (what do you think bottled water is???) then you still only get one glass of water. This isn't like oil, we cannot come up with a new alternative resource to replace the current one. This is it. We have the water we have, most of which is undrinkable salt water, we can't magically make more. Once it is used up, it is used up. Why oh why would you write an article that recommends investing in our downfall? Why not use that space to write about water conservation? Hell, why not just leave it blank?

Thank You For Calling XXX How May I Service You Today?

Oh my freaking god! I think I just called a sex line from work! Ahhhhhh!

It has been one of those days- you know that type, you spend all day on the phone with customer service and keep getting passed from one department to another. Worse yet, they don't even transfer you, they tell you numbers and you have to hang up and redial. Awesome. So here I was at work, doing my thing, addressing office issues with various customer service departments and I get- yet again- referred to another number. The woman on the phone said the number so fast I barely had time to even hear her. There is nothing unusual about the number, just your run-of-the-mill 1-800 number.

But when I dialed, oh god, little did I know I would be scarred for life! Who should pick up on the other end than a husky voiced recording of a woman asking me if I want to- I hang up the phone before the recording can finish. Whatever she was asking I really don't think they have enough brain bleach for me to scrub that memory away so it is better left unfinished. But now, of course, I am terrified that the work police are going to come arrest me. I can see it now, diligent RP working hard at her computer when the office door is busted down and straight-laced suits march in and haul me off to Bad Office Manager jail. Eeeek! It would be like the scene on Mr. Toads Wild Ride, where he is standing in front of the devil judge and sentenced to hell (I am not sure if this is accurate interpretation of the ride, because while fun, it never really made much sense, maybe I should watch the cartoon...)

I guess if you don't hear from me in a week or so, you will know what happened to me.

P.S. Shout out to my one reader from Germany! I don't know if you are intentionally reading this blog or if you keep accidentally stumbling upon it but either way- hi!

A Thought To Ponder...

So no, this is not a new thing entry, but it is food for thought.

If my job duties require that I spend hours on the phone with customer service to ensure my office runs smoothly, then I have to come home and call customer service to ensure my life runs smoothly... will I snap twice as soon???? Drink that in....

Monkey See, Monkey Do

So I went bouldering for the first time today and it was AWESOME!

Of course it was a little awkward, like all new things. I didn't know what to wear and I had to rent my shoes because I wasn't about to spend $100 on a new pair when I didn't even know whether I would like the sport or not. And why, by the way, must rented shoes always look in such a way that they loudly proclaim, "I AM RENTED!"? Mine had an annoying, bright orange plastic tab on the back of my right shoe, and it served no purpose what so ever. Come on people, don't make my first time any more awkward than it has to be; I mean, my muscles already ache in ways that I didn't even know where possible, must we add humiliation to the pain?

My arms feel like jelly, I have a head ache, and my super soft feminine hands are now developing blisters and callouses. But it was worth all of that and more. The combination of using all of your body while problem solving to make it to the top, is like nothing I have ever done. I will be buying a membership to the gym and going several times a week...as soon as my arms can lift more than a pencil. ;-P

On a side note, in order to use the bouldering facilities, I was required to take a belaying lesson and test (because there is a rock climbing area within the same facility). I actually enjoyed this lesson and want to become more proficient in rock climbing as well, now I just need to find a climbing partner...

Giving Blood In The Wienermobile

So, claustrophobic me decided it would be a smashing idea to participate in a local blood drive that was happening out of the Red Cross bloodmobile- or what I like to affectionately refer to as the Wienermobile. Now, to be perfectly honest, I didn't know it was happening out of the hotdog on wheels, I assumed it was in an actual building. Ha! Little did I know...

So after a 2 hour drive (this location was giving away nifty gifts as thank yous- free access to Rose Festival events, private tours, etc.) I found the location. After walking into the building to sign the paperwork and read the mandated reading, they point me back outside to the Twinkie bus. Oh joys. When I enter said bus, they proceeded to enclose me in what I can only describe as a renovated bathroom that was now a "intake room". Why the small room you ask? Well apparently they needed to give me complete privacy while asking me about my blood history... never mind the 2 inch crack between the door and the floor, I am sure it was totally private. I mean, really? They should let participants waiver their right to privacy and leave that damn door open, that room was not only small and getting smaller by the moment, but it was HOT!

After an eternal 10 minutes I finally got out and was laid down on one of their 4 donating beds. The nurse hooked me up and ran the tubing down the length of my lower arm to the bag on the floor. I never liked this, something about the tube, that is warm with my blood, tracing my arm is kinda weird. After it was all done they directed me to the snack area, which was exactly 1.5 steps from where I was laying. I turned down the offer of juice and cookies and opted for my water instead. As I sat there waiting for my ten minute recuperating period to be up, I tried to figure out if the slight dizziness and vertigo I was having was from giving blood or from the giant Twinkie (I get that way every time I am in a small-ish enclosed space). I finally decided it was the Twinkie and left, I figured it was worth the risk of falling on my face to get out of the little tin can. And whatdayaknow, it was the Wienermobile after all.

So the moral of today's story: always check to make sure a blood drive is happening in an actual building and not in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.