Tag: rant

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general rant

Back in the U.S.S.R.

The political landscape in this country is a reproduction of democracy. It is not real, it is imagined. We have all noted in previous elections that it came down to a choice between the “lesser of two evils”. We tolerate this? Why should we be forced to choose any evil?

Because we too are evil, or blind, or apathetic.

I personally have not voted in a Presidential election. The first time I was even inspired to vote was in the Republican primaries, and that was for Ron Paul. I watched the blogosphere and Internet press explode with the “Ron Paul Revolution”. Some co-workers and friends were caught up in the hype. I admit that sometimes I found myself getting really excited. (I also confess that I later secretly mocked those who acted similarly towards Obama) The reason why I see red flags when a large group becomes so blindly devoted is because I know this leaves us vulnerable to subtle and even direct manipulation.

The secret board of shadowy figures that rule this planet have been pulling the strings of the public mind for so long that they no longer hide it from us. The agendas of the global elite are coming to fruition (i.e., the rise of the global bank and economy, the socializing of the United States). How do I know they are not hiding it from us? Because we know about it, and not just that, some of us think it is a good idea! I have friends I love that are devout socialists. Our bloated federal government has been promising to take care of us for so long that we forgot that this country was founded by people who took care of themselves. These patriots wanted to be freed from a tyrannical government, and wanted to live life as they saw fit.

What do we want in life? How do we want to live? Most of us are so distracted by the whirlwind of life that surrounds us that we all too often forget how to be happy. We are distracted by dead end jobs. we are distracted by merchandise, and by reality TV, and by cheese stuffed crust pizza. An early roman poet who probably felt as I do now, said “Panem et Circensus”, which translates to “bread and circuses”. Caesar had learned the equation to keep his empire at war and keep the masses subdued. Keep them entertained, and keep them waiting for handouts.

Does this sound familiar at all?

Categories
rant work

The World Has Turned and Left Me Here

The world has turned and left me here
Just where I was before you appeared.
And in your place an empty space
Has filled the void behind my face.

People come and go in your life. The types of people who make a tremendous impact on your life are usually the ones that don’t stick around too long. Maybe they disappeared because of something you shouldn’t have done or said; maybe that’s the impact – Learning a hard lesson.

How many times does this lesson need to be learned before we look back and realize that we have stood still while the world keeps turning. If we don’t take the time to appreciate the little things, and the important people in our lives, then what do we have left to live for? We can’t just meander through life and hope for the best.

Times are tough for me right now. My stress level is higher than its been in a while. The last time I was this stressed was as a Supervisor in Boise. We are doing a huge ramp up at work. 20 people in my next training class. I am just hoping we can get that many people hired in time. The whole company is depending on me to get 20 people trained. It feels like all eyes are on me. If I fail, the company hurts.

On top of this, I am part owner in another company. This company is on the brink of emerging from its cocoon. It is my job to ensure this happens. Between my 2 jobs I have not had the time to focus on the little things, nor spend quality time with those whom are important to me. I am not even sure who is important and who isn’t these days.

I have always been one who finds beauty in the small and otherwise unnoticed phenomena in life. Lately I would be lucky to make it through the day without wanting to scream. I need to take more time for me, and focus on my health, my needs, my wants. These are the rough times. This too shall pass.

Do you believe what I sing now?

Categories
rant

We Didn’t Start the Fire

Just a few days after Christmas my dad and my step mom were in for a surprise. Their RV caught fire, and with the Santa Ana winds in full effect, they could have easily lost the house. With the fast action from the Rialto Fire Department everything ended up ok, except for the RV, which is now in RV heaven. R.I.P.

Let this be a lesson to all smokers. Don’t just throw cigarette butts in a trash can. Always ensure they are no longer smoldering.

Categories
rant work

The Horizon Has Been Defeated

I spend a good majority of my day explaining boundaries to my customers. The vast majority of those that call in for web hosting support, have no idea that there is a difference between building a website, hosting a website and sending an email. Because of this, I get asked a lot of questions that I should have learned to expect by now, but still astonish me. When a customer asks me to make some new installation of a third party e-commerce solution look like the rest of their site, I should learn to not only say “That is not within our realm of support”, but also educate them as to why their question is a farce.

When I first started building websites, over 10 years ago, the internet was not the place it is now. Back then, in order to build a decent website I copied someone else’s website, learned what they did to make it cool and would then deposit some of those elements into my own. Before too long I would end up with a tapestry of patchwork and cross stitching that I could call mine. This forced me to always learn more, evolve my design style, and mature in graphical development. 10 years later, and I am still learning, but I am also now teaching.

Fast forwarding to 2006: Everyone wants a website, and wants it NOW! People do not want to learn how to create. Today’s internet market is composed of consumers, not customers. These people expect to have exactly what they need ready to go, as if we were some sort of psychic fast food chain with their anticipated meals being warmed under a heat lamp. There are two problems with this. The first problem is that nothing is ever exactly what is needed. There is always going to be a missing tomato, or too many onions. The second problem is that even if you do get a product close to what you ordered, it doesn’t change the quality of said product, or the fact that you only spent $3.95 and had it handed to you through the drive through window.

How does one offer this type of education to a customer while sounding sincere and empathetic? I am not sure there is a way, so for now I guess the best way is to simply add the phrase “Please contact the developer of this product for any additional support and configuration”.

How far are we going to digress in the name of convenience?

Categories
rant

Midnight Rider

I hate cars. I am tired of paying every month for a car that is aging its way towards obsoleteness. And then I have to pay for insurance. Someone please tell me what this is about; I am forced to pay some bloated company my hard earned money every month just in case something happens to my car. And then when something does happen, I not only get to pay a deductible, but then also higher insurance rates. To top it all off if something happens to my car that I can’t file as an insurance claim, I have the privilege of paying some mechanic an ungodly amount of money to tell me what is wrong, and then an unholy amount to fix it.

I hate mechanics. I think the bit Dane Cook talks about auto mechanics sums it up perfectly.

“It’s that same vibe that you get with any auto mechanic you’ve ever dealt with. Even though you’re listening and nodding, in your head you’re like “this guy is f*ckin’ me big time”. You just believe whatever they say:

Mechanic: “Yeah we had to replace the roof on your car, it was starting to peel back.  It resented the rest of the car, so we replaced that. Also, there was a tiny unicorn in your exhaust and he was jumping and poking holes in your exhaust, and he was sh*tting in your filters as well. So we had to get that out of there.”

Dane: “Wow, thank you very much. I did not know that there was a tiny mythological animal jumping around in there… that’s very dangerous. Sh*tting in filters, no way. Especially with a road trip coming up, that’s very dangerous. That little son of a b. How much is that? Seven thousand? I was going to suggest, I’d like to pay seven thousand’ish, I’d love to pay for that. Thank you for not f*ckin’ me big time!”

-Dane Cook

I pick my car up from the mechanic tomorrow. I admit that it was my fault. I should have been paying more attention to the road. I am glad my car handled as well as it did. If it didn’t I would have not only skid all over the road, but have hit a couple of cars a long the way. I am lucky (actually I thank God he spared me from an accident) that no damage came to my car other than the damage of skidding 100 feet, and that I am still alive. A couple bald spots on my tire, a little out of alignment, but all in all, no worse for the ware. $235 later and my car is back in business.

So I got lucky this time. Keep an eye out on those tiny unicorns, they’ll get ya every time.

Categories
rant work

Smoke on the Water

It’s been kind of a rough month for me. I have been going through a lot of personal issues that have absorbed most of my time. Because I am a glutton for punishment I have also quit smoking. This is not the first time I have quit, but with God’s help it will certainly be the last.

I have noticed an increase in my agitation towards everything and everyone. Mainly my frustration has been coming from my customer’s at work. I have been in the customer service industry for quite some time, but the last 3 weeks have been hellish. I have had no compassion or patience lately. I hate thinking that this is a result from my quitting smoking, but I believe this to be true.

Have I really become so dependent on nicotine that I need it in order to function properly? I think so. Since I am being so cynical I would like to point out a recent observation. This may make me feel a little better, or much worse. Either way, I almost care.

If you are going to pay someone for a product or service, it is best to understand the product or service you are purchasing. When you buy a car from the car dealership you spend thousands of dollars, yet you should never expect them to teach you how to drive. It is assumed by the Car dealership before you purchase a car that you know how to drive (They also make sure you have a drivers license, which is a good idea – more on that real soon). Buying web hosting is the same. We will help you as much as we can, however we will not help you build a website. It is assumed by us that when you purchase web hosting that you already know what domains, email addresses and FTP Clients are. Maybe we should also check for web design licenses before we allow customers to sign up.

I need some sleep. When I get home tonight I am going to fall asleep while watching Mythbusters. If I am lucky it will include a myth that involves blowing something up and causing a huge fire in the sky.