Alrighty guys/gals....I'm going to switch my profile.

I've had a multitude of problems with this profile...sending messages mostly, but also receiving at times as well.  I'd like to say it's just good ol Myspace acting up, but not too many other people really complain about this as far as I am hearing.  Because of this, I decided I'd just get a new profile...it was about time anyway, because this profile was just too cluttered up....it's a fresh start and a way to perhaps "naturally" end up losing the people who don't care to either be on my list or read this anyway.

Sooooo....

If you want to subscribe to my new blog (which has no entries currently...I'll be fixing that soon), go to:

This little link right here goes to my new blog, if you'd like to subscribe.

And if you'd like me to subscribe to yours...well...send that one an invite, alright??

To those who may read this and just not care to communicate further...well I'm sure it was a blast at some point or another. :)  Take care, and may the Myspace gods wish well upon me.

1:54 PM - 14 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Do you have opinions?? Surely you do... (Volume 2)
Category: News and Politics

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog asking people to respond with their opinions to a series of questions.  The response was great...apparently people have a LOT of opinions....and, of course, they're all valid. 

Well...it's time for a Volume 2.  As before, answer as many or as few as you like...and I'll try to reply to as many of you as I can!

The questions:

1.  George Bush has stated that we should "stay the course" in Iraq...meaning that we should stay there until the full job is done...no early withdrawls.  Do you agree with him?

2.  The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) defends 1st Amendment rights to all people...this includes the KKK and child molesting groups like NAMBLA.  Does that offend you?

3.  Convicted felons are stripped of the right to vote.  Do you believe this is a just punishment?

4.  Tests show that American students are falling further and further behind the rest of the world in core areas like math and science.  What would you believe are some causes of this?

5.  Speaking of school, some people are pushing to get "Intelligent Design" taught in public schools here in America.  This theory is like creationism...it states that the universe is so complex that a higher being must have created it.  Do you think that it's OK to teach this alongside evolution?

6.  If a person from your country is in a foreign land and breaks a law, do you believe your country's diplomats and embassies should do ANYTHING do to help lighten the punishment (since many foreign punishments are quite severe) that he/she will receive in that country??  Or should they have to face the music since they chose to break the law?

7.  Myspace question: If Myspace started charging a small fee for use here to help reduce some traffic, make the site run better, and perhaps give you extra features...would you pay??  If so, how much is the limit you'd pay?

As usual, post your answers below!!  It's always interesting to see what people have to say.

7:05 AM - 122 Comments - 59 Kudos - Add Comment

Take my self-written Job Satisfaction quiz!! AND...a bonus!
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

That's right, I've written another quiz.  This time, it rates your job satisfaction.  It's pretty straight forward, as are most of these things I write for fun.  There's a twist though...

The "bonus" here is really for my own humor.  I believe I had the worst job in the history of mankind when I worked in a call center for US Bank.  I've never hated life more than when I stepped into work for the day there.  THEREFORE, here's what I've done:

All the answers that generate a score of zero (0) are answers that would be true of my job at US Bank.  So if you score a 0 on the test, your job was equally was crappy as my worst job.  If you can ACTUALLY score a negative, I may be willing to admit it was worse than US Bank, but I'd have to hear about it to make a final judgement.

At any rate, the higher your score at the end, the better your job satisfaction...post your scores for your current job AND your worst job ever if you want (just to see if you can actually get a negative score honestly).

Here we go...you can skip questions that don't apply to you if you wish:

1.  What would you say about the pay where you work?

A)  The pay is atrocious compared to comparable jobs...just awful. (-4)
B)  The pay is below average for what most people would get paid for this. (0)
C)  The pay is pretty good..can't complain. (+3)
D)  The pay is awesome...couldn't ask for more. (+6)

2.  When it comes to coming into work on time or taking your breaks...

A)  Every minute is micromanaged...if you're late by a minute or two, there can be reprecussions. (0)
B)  Things aren't exactly rigid, but it's noticed if you're late by a few minutes or take long breaks. (+2)
C)  Pretty fluid...as long as you get your work done, you're golden. (+5)

3.  How often do you deal with pissed off customers?

A)  Daily, and often. (0)
B)  Sometimes.  Some days more than others. (+2)
C)  It's pretty rare. (+4)
D)  I don't deal with them at all. (+6)

4.  How would you say your vacation (paid time off) benefits are?

A)  What time off?  All time I take off is unpaid. (-4)
B)  It's alright...could be better, could be worse. (0)
C)  Pretty good...I'm satisfied. (+3)
D)  Awesome! (+5)

5.  What would say of the attitude of your superiors?

A)  Total dicks.  Can't stand dealing with them. (-4)
B)  They're alright, but I wouldn't want to hang out with them. (0)
C)  I'm satisfied. (+3)
D)  I couldn't ask for better supervisors/managers. (+6)

6.  When it comes to getting promotions...

A)  All based on who smooches ass better...you gotta play the game to get ahead. (-3)
B)  I believe it's more on favoritism and ass kissing, but some merit-based promotions do occur. (0)
C)  Except for a few instances of favoritism, I'd say it's pretty merit based. (+3)
C)  It's merit based and fair. (+5)

7.  How's the morale at your job?

A)  People hate their jobs and can't wait to quit. (0)
B)  More people dislike their job than like it. (+2)
C)  Overall, it's not bad at all..some grumblings here and there. (+4)
D)  Excellent...great work environment. (+6)

8.  When certain circumstances come up (sickness, funerals, problem with the kids, etc.)...how understanding and flexible is your employer?

A)  It's a mark against your record no matter what.  (0)
B)  To an extent they'll understand, but not to an extreme. (+3)
C)  Very understand employer that'll work with you through troubles. (+5)

9.  How are the health care benefits?

A)  What benefits??  They aren't offered. (-4)
B)  They're there, but could be better. (0) *Use this if you don't enroll in benefits for whatever reason.*
C)  Pretty good...can't complain. (+2)
D)  Top of the line...government level benefits. (+5)

10.  What would you say about your co-workers?

A) I'm just glad I don't have to see them more than I already do.  Jerks. (-4)
B) Spotty, but I'd rather not talk to most of them...some are pretty good. (-2)
C) Friendly for the most part...good to talk to...would hang out with some. (0)
D) Many are like great friends to me...excellent situation. (+4)

Scale:

30 - 50: Excellent job.  A keeper.
15 - 29: Pretty good job.  Has its downpoints, but it's solid.
1 - 14: Well, at least it's a job...you're probably keeping your options open or looking, though.
0: As bad as US Bank?!?!  Yikes...get out now!
Below 0: The fabled job that's apparently worse than US Bank.  I want to hear about this..and don't lie to get a negative score!

(By the way, I realize that certain situations like in Question 7 where "More people dislike the job than like it" getting a +2 may seem odd...and normally it'd be a minus...but remember, it's based on my worst job being a 0...so I hope you understand.)

**For the record, my current job rates a 38.**

1:43 PM - 49 Comments - 47 Kudos - Add Comment

People are so ignorant about the south.

I was on a blogging site I post some blogs on that's based back home in Fargo, ND today, and I saw one of the regulars there (who writes for the big newspaper there actually) defending living in Fargo with this logic:

"At least it ain't in the south"  (For those of you who want the link to his blog, go to: http://www.areavoices.com/mcfeely/ and look for the blog titled "Live Blog Action" down near the bottom.  You can leave him a comment!!  I encourage it actually.)

Couple this with the amount of crap that my friends from back home have talked about the south...and I have to wonder...what's with the disrespect??  The funny thing, to me, is that many of these people have never spent any real amount of time here and so all they say about it is totally based off of 3rd party information...and any person who has ever done any research will tell you that you really can't base assumptions off of that.

So basically, to any smug dickhead from Fargo or anybody else who passes judgement on the south without really experiencing it and giving it a fair chance....OR to anybody who has been here, makes fun of it, yet thinks where they live is heaven on earth...here's what I have to say:

I'm extremely happy to live here in the state of Tennessee.  From Memphis in the west, Nashville in the middle, and the Smokies in the east, it's a great state.  It's truly a beautiful and scenic place to be that offers non-stop things to do if you're willing to do a little driving.  In fact, the south is an extremely historic place to go along with that scenery.  Outside of the northeastern US, there isn't a more historic place in the country.  Not only that, but you can't really beat the weather, ESPECIALLY in winter.  So while all the "holier than thou" types where I'm from worry about their cars starting this winter, I guess I'll be "roughing" it in 50 degree temperatures with the people down here.  While those same people are wondering if there's more to life and having fun than getting drunk, I think I'll go see something interesting here.  Yes, they do have paved roads down here.  No, there aren't really any people named Cooter or Billy Jim Bob.

Like I said in a previous blog, I feel lucky to have came down here.  The problem when it comes to where I'm originally from is that most people aren't extremely adventurous and don't really make an attempt to see much outside of the midwest.  How this breeds a false air of superiority, I really don't know.  I do know that I'm sick of defending the place to people that make fun of it for things that are actually true of where THEY live too.

You want to talk rednecks??  I don't think ND/MN people can talk about that.

Racism??  Again..go to a small town in northern rural America...a white girl with a black guy...and you tell me that racism is only a southern thing.

You want to make fun of the people here for liking NASCAR??  People from states where rodeos are a big deal can't seriously point fingers here.

So to wrap this up....before people actually rip on the south, they can buy themselves a clue by actually visiting and not ATTEMPTING to look for all that's bad about it.  If they open their eyes and their minds, maybe they'll see it for what it is....a historic, scenic place filled with nice people, great music (jazz, country, and blues have deep roots here), great beaches (Myrtle, Daytona, Hilton Head, Panama City, etc.), and delicious food (BBQ, soul food, fried chicken, "meat and 3's"). 

7:47 PM - 58 Comments - 75 Kudos - Add Comment

I say we should legalize prostitution.
Category: News and Politics

Some people may ask why, but I'd be more likely to ask, "why not"?  I'm interested in getting your beliefs and thoughts on this issue.  I don't think it'll ever happen in this country, but it has in others.  Here are my main points:

The government should not attempt to legislate people's moral codes.

In other words, the main reason it's illegal today is that people find it repugnant.  The main defense of laws prohibiting prostitution are that it's "gross" or "demeaning to women" or that it can spread diseases (we'll get to that later).  However, they're forgetting one very valuable thing...PERSONAL CHOICE.  This is largely a victimless crime.  In fact, it IS a victimless crime.  You'll never convince me that the women who get into this "profession" had no choice...and you'll also never convince me that the people who solicit them couldn't get gratification elsewhere.  Nobody's a victim.  They're acting on free will....let freedom ring, I say.

(By the way, porn's legal too.  If you support the banning on prostitution, you logically pretty much have to support a ban on porn too.  How's it really any different?)

Legalization will lead to a safer industry.

When an industry is legal and regulated by the government, certain standards have to be met.  In the case of prostitution, this would largely be in the form of STD checks...which is something that you're most certainly NOT guaranteed today.  This in and of itself would largely eradicate any illegal businesses, since only the competely moronic would go to a brothel that didn't have their women get checked often.  Would it completely eliminate STD's??  No.  It would, however, drastically lessen the odds of transmission within the industry.

It's a large business, and those tax dollars sure would be useful.

It's going to happen anyway, whether you legalize it or you don't.  So why not let the government get a kickback??  What, our schools, roads and public assistance programs couldn't use a few extra million bucks?  Before you raise your nose at the idea of money from this industry funding these things, just remember...the porn industry pays taxes too.

Also, while we're talking about money, think about how much money we'd save by not having to go through legal proceedings for all the people caught doing this?  This is a LOT of money, folks...and a lot of jail space.  It costs quite a bit to hold somebody in jail and it costs a lot to go through the courtroom crap as well.  Is this a great use of tax dollars?

No, there wouldn't be a great rush of girls to become prostitutes.

This is the same stupid argument you get when you make the case for legalizing drugs.

"Well, if you did that, then EVERYBODY would do it!!  It'd be anarchy!"

How many people do you know that would honestly say to themselves, "Golly gee, now that it's legal to become a whore...I think I'll scrap college and give that a try."  I'm betting on not very many.  Even if a few do, who cares??  Last I checked it is THEIR BODY, is it not??  It's about as ridiculous as euthanasia being illegal (which is another topic in and of itself)...in the end, it's still our bodies and we have the right to do with it what we please, as long as it isn't hurting anybody. 

But...but...what about the children?

Is it legal to be a stripper or an escort??  Is it legal to fight constantly in front of your children??  Is it legal to let your children do whatever they want and watch whatever they want...while paying little attention to them??  Once you make all those things illegal, you can make the "What about the children?" argument with me. 

I hate this argument for 2 reasons....first, it assumes it's the worst thing you can EVER do when you have children...but I'd argue against that, as long as "business" isn't done in the home.  Secondly, most people who resort to this line of work don't even have children at home for one reason or another....and you can often guess what those reasons are.  Look at the world around us...this isn't the squeaky clean 50s anymore...that's unfortunate, but that's the way it is.  Of course, as the "oldest profession", prostitution was around then as well.

So where do you all stand?

12:10 PM - 100 Comments - 73 Kudos - Add Comment

6 things that make me happy. (A change-up)
Category: Religion and Philosophy

I've been asked to write something more positive for this blog, since I'm so good (apparently) at writing about things that I believe are wrong with this world.  So for those who have read tons of the things I've written, this is going to be a bit different.  I don't want anybody to slap themselves thinking they're dreaming...no, this is the "6 things that make me happy".  I think everybody should do a list like this actually...it's good to remember these things.

Written in the style of the "things that annoy me" (list format), we have the things that make me happy:

1.  To be in a good relationship.

Some people struggle for a lifetime to find somebody..and some people have to go through life's hardest times alone.  They have nobody with them to help them out.  I'm thankful that's not the case with me.

(P.S.  Can you believe somebody puts up with me??  Seriously.  She has to put up with me DAILY.  Think about that.)

2.  To be living in Tennessee, achieving a lifelong PROMISE to move out of not only ND, but the Upper Midwest.

Too many people get stuck living in ND...they think that moving to Minneapolis is really "getting away".  I always disagreed.  After first moving to NY briefly, I'm here in sunny TN and loving it.  Almost every day I am thankful I'm living somewhere else...I seriously revel in it.

3.  To have a job I enjoy where I'm going to be advancing very soon.

It may not be education, but after the advancement, it'll be paying better than teaching and I won't have to put up with any unruly kids.  All I'll have to do is sit in front of my computer, take long coffee breaks, and do a little work between talking to people.

4.  For the first time in a while, money isn't a huge object.

I used to have to worry about money ALL the time when I lived alone.  I didn't have the best paying job in the world, let's just say that.  Actually, my job was hell (that's my next blog).  I'd sacrifice hours at that job for peace of mind..when I needed the money.  Now, we can afford to blow money and we never really have to wonder how to conserve money to afford bills.  After my promotion in a month or so, it'll REALLY be no object.  I'm lovin' it, and I deserve it.  The reason for this??  Two incomes, of course.

5.  Of all the people I know, I'm one of the few that gets along pretty well with both parents, and both of them are in good health.

Family is huge, and I wish more people understood that.  I get along with my father VERY well since I grew up with him, and I'd rather die than have him die.  My mother and I didn't live together after the age of 5, but I have worked quite a bit lately on getting closer with her...long phone conversations and talks of her visitng here and me coming back to ND to visit haven't hurt, either.  I'm glad that I have no sore feelings with either of my parents.  I'm also VERY thankful they are both in very good health.

6.  I'm pleased with the experiences I've had so far in this life.  I don't have a lot of regrets.

I've done my share of partying, drinking, and carrying on (that's pretty much done with now..I've stopped drinking.).  I've done more than my fair share of travelling, which has always been a huge priority of mine.  I've graduated from college, and taken all sorts of courses to do it.  I've lived in 3 states in 2006 alone.  For some reason, I have had many odd things happen to me...in fact, I've had people wonder aloud to me why I've seen so many off-the-wall things.  I'm not sure, but I'm not sorry...I figure as long as it doesn't hurt me or somebody else, everything is worth seeing or doing at least once.

There we go.  That wasn't so hard....actually, it was easy...and my blood pressure didn't rise just thinking about these things!  Like I said in the first paragraph, hopefully some people think about these things too.

7:03 PM - 41 Comments - 59 Kudos - Add Comment

The 5 best and 5 worst TV shows of our time. You're welcome.
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Notice, I didn't say of ALL time...I said of OUR time.  This is because it's impossible to really judge shows from the 50s through the 70s if you really haven't seen much of them.

Let's just start..enough riff-raff!

The 5 Worst TV Shows:

5. Family Matters

By 1989, Full House was a wildly popular (don't ask me why) show on ABC.  The network brass thought it was a WONDERFUL idea to start a show like Full House, but only for the black demographic.  Enter Family Matters.  This show is terrible, complete with one of the most annoying characters in TV history (Urkel) and the annoying and lame piano solo at the end when a life lesson was being learned.  It must have really been a blow to the ego to be another actor or actress on that show, knowing that you'd only get a minute or so of screen-time per episode so they could focus on the "wild" and "crazy" antics of Urkel.  Ugh.

4.  Laguna Beach

One thing I'll never understand is why somebody would watch a show about such rich, spoiled, unlikeable people.  The only way I'll ever sit down and make an attempt to watch this show is if I get one courtesy punch in the face to a character of my choice.  Aren't 16 year olds a little young for soap operas??

3.  Step by Step

This show had perhaps the most cardboard and boring characters in sitcom history.  That's no small feat either, since there were about 10 of them!  Sasha Mitchell played the lovable moron Cody, who eventually got thrown off the show when he beat his wife.  Other than that, I'd like to ask people who like this show to tell me what exactly it was they liked about the characters.  I am pretty sure they were designed to have no personalities whatsoever.  Ask yourself...can you even NAME them??  I'll bet most of you can't.

2.  Yes, Dear

Watching a guy with no testicles get bossed around by his domineering wife isn't a funny backdrop for a show.  it gets worse when you throw in their relatives living in the backyard.  Basically, the show's jokes revolved around how wacky and different their opinions were on raising their little children.  Sound funny??  I don't think so either.

1.  Full House

It had everything:

-  Very annoying characters...starting with Michelle and going on down the list.
-  The lame piano solo at the end when the lesson was learned.  Of course, the children really never got in trouble no matter what they do.  Wimpy parenting at its finest!
-  Very, VERY lame jokes.  If you need me to explain further, just remember one name:  Dave Coulier (Uncle Joey).  Remember his impersonations?? 

The 5 BEST shows:

5.  Cold Case Files

I find there to be very few things that are more interesting than watching how police cracked some of the oldest and toughest cases in the books.  Good show.

4.  Law and Order

A dramatic show that's very well done...the twists and turns can be pretty surprising, but they're usually not so outlandish as to make you angry you just wasted the last hour of your life.  It's been around for a while, and there's a reason for that.

3.  South Park

Wonderfully satirical cartoon written by 2 libertarians (like myself).  People that don't "get" the humor may just view it as another "gross-out" cartoon, but it's far from that.  If you need examples, just let me know.  Every episode has quite a few shots at the political landscape or the media.

2.  Married With Children

No lessons learned...no happy endings.  It was just fall-down funny from the start to the finish.  It'll always be one of my favorite shows because it broke so many of the "rules" for a successful show when it came out...and it succeeded at them all.  No family could really be funnier and more dysfunctional than the Bundy family.  Good stuff.

1.  Seinfeld

Seinfeld had the best characters in any show...EVER.  TV Guide named it the number 1 show of all time....not just among comedies...ALL shows.  There's a reason for this.  George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer are comic gold, and Jerry plays a great straight man (although he's not always the straight man).  It had the funniest situations...created the most quotable lines of ANY show EVER (bank on that)...and millions of people have probably been annoyed to death by the insistance of Seinfeld fans to incorporate some of the show's quotes into their daily lives.  I know I do.

There you have it!!  What do you think??

And please...feel free to create your own lists...either in a blog (let me know if ya do) or in a comment here!

8:42 AM - 88 Comments - 96 Kudos - Add Comment

What's the deal with American sports??

(Even though this is destined to probably get the fewest reads and comments I've ever had, that's OK...I really am interested in this.)

As the consummate sports fan, I really take interest in international competitions where the best from the USA take on other countries in various athletic competitions.  Of course, being an American has often meant that I've had many occasions in the past to be proud of the ass-whoopings we've laid upon other sad saps of the world in certain sports. 

Lately though??  This hasn't been happening.  In fact, we're getting our asses kicked all over the world.  Case in point:

1.  Basketball is OUR game.  I do not care it was invented by a Canadian, it was invented and perfected on American soil.  Playing with AMATEURS, the Americans only lost twice from 1904 to 1988.  When they introduced pros in the Olympics in 1992??  Fughettaboutit.  NO way should we lose.  However...lose is EXACTLY what's been happening.  Not only the last Olympics where we lost to freaking ARGENTINA, but in this year's World Championships where we lost to GREECE! 

2.  This year was the inaugeral World Baseball Championships.  This is OUR national pastime...remember that.  It's about as American of a game as you can get.  However, we bowed out early in the tournament because of 2 losses.  You'd guess we probably lost to another tough baseball nation like Cuba or Japan, right?  Nope...we lost to CANADA and MEXICO!!  Since this isn't a sport involving hockey sticks, we shouldn't be losing to Canada...and since there was no soccer ball present, losing to Mexico was a disgrace. 

3.  Prior to this year's World Cup, we were ranked 5th in the world in soccer.  That's right, 5th.  Granted, that was probably a bit high...however, how many games did we win in the World Cup?  One.  Now we're ranked 29th or so.  Sounds more fitting.

4.  This past weekend, we got spanked yet again in golf in the Ryder Cup.  Tiger Woods and company got beaten worse than me boxing Oscar de la Hoya.  Awful.  It was PAINFUL to watch.  All the smugness that I used to have watching this event as an American citizen has been wiped away.  We've lost 4 of the last 5 Ryder Cups against Europe.

5.  As for hockey, at the last Olympics, we played 5 games...and we won ONE of them.  Against who??  Kazakistan.  That's right, we beat a team that has more sand than ice on its terrain.  Other than that, it was a total wash.  We got manhandled.

What a headache.  I love sports...and I was so used to watching the USA murder teams.  I used to laugh when the USA played people in basketball, because it was only a matter of how much they'd win by...not IF.  In hockey, you could count on us putting on a good show.  In golf, we always were the victors.  In baseball, we SHOULD always win.  So what's happened??  Well, sports fans...

1.  Americans simply cannot pull it together as a team.  There is NO team chemistry.  We're from a "me, me, me" country, where people are more concerned with how pretty they look while performing than the team as a whole.  If you need any reassuring on that, you haven't been paying attention. 

2.  When it comes to international competitions, the other countries just seem to care more.  American athletes generally aren't getting paid to play, so they don't really care as much.  Other countries view these competitions as nearly life and death...Americans view it as a flea on their shoulder...a nuiscance, basically.

3.  When it comes down to it, other countries LOVE handing it to the USA.  It's a fact that smaller countries revel in beating us in anything....it's like sticking it to your older brother.  As the world's biggest (and probably only, right now) superpower, we have a huge target right on our foreheads and our current unfavorability around the world isn't helping matters.  These teams are geared up to play the Yanks...and decimate us.

That's my rant on sports.  I don't expect many people to read that, really...but I feel that as an American sports fan the recent failures are a little disturbing and I'm truly hoping that the trend reverses itself. 

1:19 PM - 34 Comments - 47 Kudos - Add Comment

Let's re-start the "things that annoy me" list!! Yeehaw!!!

I'm a bloggin' fool lately!!  A FOOL I tell you!

I started a list of the "50 things that annoy me" and made it to number 30 so far.  I let it go for a while, to show that I wasn't completely enveloped in anger...but now, I think it's time to start 'er up again.  (That's right, I said "start 'er up"...I'm in the south now, I have to appeal to the audience.)

So without further adieu, my fellow men, women and trans-sexuals...let's continue!

31.  Rich assholes with their nose in the air.

I was at the cable company a few days ago.  A line grew longer and longer because one rich dickhead who apparently thought it was 1991 judging by him wearing loafers without socks (not only out of date...it's gross), held up the line by INSISTING the DVR box he received be a NEW one.  Yes, he actually complained that the one he was going to receive had been in somebody else's house before.

News to this guy:  DVR boxes don't carry cooties, AIDS, or fleas.  They also aren't conversation pieces...nobody is going to ask you if it's new or not.  He's lucky I'm not cooking his food...I'd love to put a condom in his dish....and not a new one, either.

32.  Arrogance, especially in some people here on Myspace.

I've seen a lot of blogs and profiles here on Myspace.  There are a few "super-bloggers" (bloggers who have recruited thousands of people to read their daily attempts at being witty) who apparently were neglected as children, since they state how awesome they are all over their profiles.  The internet must be a wonderful tool for these people who sorely need attention and probably were used as human kicking bags during school...but it's still very obnoxious to hear one person claim his/her "awesomeness" over and over.

I'm not going to post links to their profiles here, but if you'd like an example of the people I'm talking about, shoot me a message and I can provide an example.  It's nauseating.  Some people even create photoshops of themselves to further illustrate how "awesome" they are.  Ugh.

(You know what's even funnier??  In order to get on the "Top bloggers of Myspace", some of these friend-less wonders actually download a program that autorefreshes their blog so that their number of views goes wayyyyy up.  Since "top bloggers" is based on views, they can become a top blogger here by cheating the system.  Isn't that hilarious?  I personally couldn't give two shits less if I'm on that list, but just imagining somebody ACTUALLY downloading a program so they can be deemed a cool blogger here is delightfully funny.)

33.  Politically correct crap is king.

There are many examples...some VERY obvious, dealing with things like race, television, the media, etc.  I'll give you an obscure one. 

Does anybody remember the commercial jingle for Aspercreme??  It was pretty cool actually...it said:  "You bet your sweet ass-percreme!".  That was actually pretty inventive!!  I always chuckled a little, even as a kid....

Now the jingle is: "You bet if it's Aspercreme!", set to the same background.  I am pretty sure I know why these changed...it's the same log-up-the-ass-no-sense-of-humor old bitties and uptight mothers who make complaints like this:

Aspercreme rep: "Hello, Aspercreme customer service..what can I do for you?"

Old bitty: "HOW DARE YOU!!  Your commercial says the word "ass" in it!!  What are you trying to do, convert children to Satan??  Pretty soon child molesters will be running this country!  You change that ad RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

Enough complaints like that...things change.  It doesn't make it right though.  People are so freakin' sensitive.

34.  I can't listen to the radio for more than 30 minutes w/o hearing Kelly Clarkson.

I think my problem with Kelly Clarkson, other than how she became famous, is that all of her songs are essentially about the same damn thing.  I can imagine her giving input to the people who write her songs...it must be the same, every time:

Kelly: "So I was thinking...with this song, let's write about empowered women...or maybe about a strong woman...or how about a woman who doesn't need a man?"

Writer: "Um, we've done that with the last 20 songs, Kelly."

Kelly: "Just tweak it a little bit then!  Or...I GOT IT!!  Make this one about an independent woman!!"

Writer: *sigh*

And so it goes..if you don't believe me, listen to her popular songs...they're all about the same freakin' thing...how is this woman able to sell more records than bands with discernable talent?

35.  People who chew gum like they're chewing on their cud.

We all know the person who chews gum with their mouth wide open.  Even worse, many of them pop it so much it's like playing an instrument.  All of them are completely oblivious to how inconsiderate it is to be making annoying noises, too.  I'd like to say it doesn't take any talent to pop your gum, but unfortunately I can't do it so I can't say that. :(

There's only 5 this time instead of 10, because I typed more about each entry.  Next time, I'll have to do 5 more.

(One more thing.  Who knows how to photoshop??  I want to create a banner on top of my blog but I'm a technical dumbass about those things.)

11:38 AM - 46 Comments - 74 Kudos - Add Comment

Take my self-written road rage test. (And post your score!)
Category: Blogging

I have awful road rage problems, which isn't helping matters any with my high blood pressure.  I can't count how many times weekly, on my commute, I swear in my car or throw my hands up in wonderment.  But now, I have done you all a favor!!  Oh yes....I have created a test that will tell us how much of a road rage problem YOU have.  I'll post my score at the end...but you should all post your score in a comment as well and rate yourselves.

Ready??  Here we go:

1.  Somebody cuts you off in traffic.  What's your reaction?
A.  You are likely to tailgate the person mercilessly for a while. (+6)
B.   If you see the person turn off into a parking lot anytime soon, you'll follow them and have words. (+10)
C.   You utter a few choice words under your breath, and maybe give the finger. (+3)
D.   Nothing.  It's not a big deal. (0)

2.  A person turns right out in front of you, and proceeds to go under the speed limit.  Reaction?
A.  Unless I'm in a hurry, I really don't sweat it. (0)
B.  I tailgate the person a bit. (+6)
C.  I speed up really fast, and go around the person fast to show my disapproval. (+7)
D.  I not only tailgate the person, but I start weaving back and forth to signal to the person that I'm angry with their driving. (+10)

3.  Somebody with REALLY, obnoxiously loud bass pulls up next to you.  How much does it bother you?
A.  Quite a bit, since I can't hear my music and my car is shaking. (+6)
B.  Not too much, but I may shoot the person a dirty look at most. (+3)
C.  Who cares??  (0)

4.  One lane is about to close, so traffic must merge.  As the other lane is closing, a person shoots all the way up to the front and tries to "budge" in line right in front of you.  What do you do?
A.  I will NOT let them in no matter what.  They basically budged in line and no way will I let them in. (+10)
B.  I make them work for it, but eventually will let them in. (+5)
C.  I let them in.  (0)

5.  In traffic, have you ever...
A.  Had a verbal altercation? (+7)
B.  Had a PHYSICAL altercation? (+10)
C.  Neither.  No fighting with other drivers. (0)

6.  How often would you say you give somebody the finger?
A.  Probably once a day, on average.  (+10)
B.  A couple times a week perhaps. (+7)
C.  It's pretty spotty...maybe monthly, but it's hard to tell. (+3)
D.   Never.  It's pointless to do it. (0)

7.  Somebody is tailgating you, even though you're speeding or have somebody right in front of you.  What do you do?
A.  Give them a hard "brake check" (Which is shoving on the brakes quickly to scare them).  (+6)
B.  Slow down to a slower speed just to piss them off. (+6)
C.  A "brake check" AND slowing down afterwards. (+10)
D.  Nothing...it's irritating, but there's no reaction out of me. (0)

8.  If a person isn't moving at a green light, how long does it take you to honk?
A.  Almost immediately.  (+8)
B.  A couple to a few seconds. (+4)
C.  At least a few seconds. (0)

9.  You're waiting for a parking spot, and when the person pulls out, another person dives in and takes the spot even though you rightfully were waiting first.  What do you do?
A.  Park my car in the nearest possible spot and have a face-to-face altercation that could turn physical. (+10)
B.  Yell obscenaties at them and drive away fuming. (+7)
C.  Flip them the finger and honk. (+4)
D.  Nothing that will allow them to see how pissed I am. (0)

10.  Do you ever lay on the horn for seconds at a time?  You know, that really obnoxious honking that goes on for what seems like forever?
A.  That's how I honk my horn! (+8)
B.  I've done it before, but not commonly. (+3)
C.  No, that's a bit ridiculous for me. (0)

11.  Out of sheer impatience, how often do you either pass people on the shoulder of the road or in a no-passing zone?? (This includes passing people on roads in-town that you are NOT supposed to pass on..like 2 lane residential roads.)
A.  If they're going slow, I do it pretty often. (+8)
B.  Only in a hurry. (+4)
C.  I have more regard for the law and safety than to do that. (0)

There you have it.  Top score is 100 (I'd like to see anybody get that!).  Lowest you can get is 0.  Here's about how I grade it:

76 - 100: INSANE road rage.
60 - 75:  Pretty bad road rage.
40 - 59:  Depending on the day, you have your moments.  Maybe a bit angrier than average.
20 - 39: Spotty, but you're pretty good overall.
0 - 19:  Very calm temperament!

For the record, I only scored a 54 on my own quiz!!  Surely I thought I'd be in the "super pissed off" catagory.  Oh well.  I'm not big on honking or physical altercations so...that saved my score from rising too high.

Post your score in the comments and let me know what you thought!!  (Obviously, I like writing these things.)

1:00 PM - 91 Comments - 116 Kudos - Add Comment

Do you have opinions on things?? Surely you do...and b/c of that...

...I'm going to pick YOUR brain this time.  You had to chance to ask me a question, and plenty of people did...I enjoyed answering them, too.  This time though, I want you to answer as many of the questions I'm going to list as you want to.  there's no minimum and no maximum.  Typically about 1/10 of people who view a blog leave a comment, so I'm hoping we get better participation than that. :)

In addition, I feel like reading people's writings today, but I don't know who to read.  Sooooo anybody who leaves a comment, I'm going to go and read their blog, and leave my own comment.  So it'll help me out too.

The questions: (answer as many or little as you want to)

1.  From 1 to 10, how would you rate George Bush's presidency thus far?

When humans and bears fight....
Category: Pets and Animals

...shockingly enough, humans don't typically win.  I remember a story that happened right here in TN where a bear attacked a family that was on a "rugged mountain trail" (as the news report says).  Actually, here's the link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12309606

It's dated from April, but it is the latest I could find.  I was just reminded of this case, because the utter ridiculousness of it just made me shake my head.  The bear ended up killing a girl...and there was a massive manhunt...

(In fact, I think more effort was put into this manhunt than the one for Osama.  Just kidding.  HA!)

Eventually, they killed the evil bear...that EVIL and NASTY bear that was just acting according to what it is pretty much programmed to do...which is to kill other living things for lunch. 

Unfortunately, Cooter and Billy Joe from the TN Park Service killed the wrong bear.  Whoops.  However, they could perhaps take solace in this mistake by saying they killed the bear's "second in command"...you know, the right hand man in the bear terror organization, which was bent to make campgrounds unsafe all over the USA.

Eventually, they got the right bear.  I'll stop the sarcasm here just for a moment, though...because I have a point to make:

Humans do not own the whole freakin' earth.  Just because an animal kills a human being that is encroaching on the ANIMAL's territory, doesn't exactly mean it should DIE.  Hunting is what BEARS DO!!!  Meat is meat...whether it wants to eat a deer or a human, I can pretty much guarantee that it can find the nutrition it needs in it.  While bear attacks are somewhat uncommon, this bear probably wasn't wired differently than other bears...somebody was in the wrong place at the wrong time...much like the few times I've been in an elevator when somebody lets go of one of those silent farts that you can't escape from....it's a tragedy.

In short...if I don't want to risk drowning, I stay out of the ocean.  If I don't want to have a heart attack, I don't eat Whoppers.  If I don't want to smell people's armpits, I don't go to France.  (I kid, French people....really, I do.)  And if I don't want to risk going toe to toe with an animal that can make me look like a human jigsaw puzzle...I stay off of secluded trails in the forest.  Reducing risks in life isn't that difficult.

It sucks that somebody died, I'll grant you that...but human arrogance here is astounding.  It isn't like the bear was a member of a terror organization trying to car bomb us...it was acting according to natural impulses in its own home. 

11:22 AM - 39 Comments - 43 Kudos - Add Comment

Tap my brain....and ask me any question.
Category: Blogging

I just want to first say that the people who read and comment here are pretty intelligent and good people for the most part.  I did post a blog saying I was disappointed in some of them a while back, but then I got some feedback that helped me understand things better....I got rid of that blog since it isn't really something that belongs in a "blog archive".  However, I wanted to take a paragraph to say that I appreciate the people here, since they are one of the few groups of people that still appear to be worth communicating with here on Myspace.

I have some things I want to write about...but in order for me to write about something, I have to REALLY feel like I want to write about it.  In other words, I don't feel strongly enough about certain things right now to start putting pen to paper.  (Or my fingers to the keys in this instance)

So here's the idea for this blog:

Ask me a question.  Any question.  Preferably one you really don't know the answer to...but any question that you're interested in will work.  It can be personal, it can be about likes/dislikes, or it can be political in nature.  I really don't care.  Make it as deep or shallow as you like...or as controversial or non-controversial as you want too. 

After you ask...I guarantee you I will answer by using "respond" right under your question.  So give me a while...and you can check back.

The next blog is going to be me asking all of you some questions.  They won't all be softball questions either...perhaps we can get some debates on that one. :)

8:23 AM - 63 Comments - 39 Kudos - Add Comment

A few thoughts about the media.
Category: News and Politics

I have a lot to say about the media, but I'll keep it shorter than I really could for the sake of brevity.  The first thing I'd like to touch on is a common myth regarding the media, and the second thing is something that just irks me about them.

The myth that the media is liberal.

I got my idea to tackle this one by a comment on my previous blog about how the media is "98% liberal".  I remember back in the mid-90s, I still followed my parents a bit and thought more conservatively.  When it came time to write a paper for government, I wanted to show how liberal the media was.  That was one of the most difficult and worst papers I have EVER written, as I couldn't get good evidence to save my life.  That was the mid-90s, people.  Since then we have MANY more conservative commentators.  Let me throw a few famous names at you:

- Bill O'Reilly
- Joe Scarborough
- Sean Hannity
- Rush Limbaugh
- Ann Coulter
- Lou Dobbs

Of those, only Limbaugh and Dobbs were around during the mid-90s.  The landscape has changed...for the CONSERVATIVES!  I didn't even include Tucker Carlson, who is more conservative than liberal, but who fits better as a libertarian than anything.  I also won't throw in Chris Matthews either, though he seems more right than left.  Conservatives like to complain that CNN is liberal (even calling it the "Communist News Network" in a sad attempt to be witty), but what do they call Fox News then?

Who do the conservatives want to showcase as their shining example of why the media is so liberal??  Larry freakin' King??  The guy hardly even talks about politics...he has a show that's more Oprah than anything.  Dan Rather??  Sorry, he's jobless right now.  Either put up, or shut up on this one.

"If it bleeds, it leads"

Let's face it...human nature makes us want to see the tragedies and horrible things first.  We slow down as we pass an awful accident...if we see a murder scene, we're liable to downright gawk at it.  That's just how we are.

However, this does NOT mean that regional tragedies should become national news.  It's hard enough to condense all the news that's important for us to know into 30 or 60 minutes, but including a random murder or kidnapping of the latest pretty, rich white girl "du jour" isn't exactly something that belongs on CNN or MSNBC.  In the interest of fairness though, if they HAVE to place these local stories that have no national importance on the national news, can't they include a minority for once??  They could at least PRETEND that they believe that minorities' lives are as important to them as those of a little white beauty queen.

My other qualm comes with 9/11 coverage.  We're told to "never forget" it, but anybody with a little common sense could tell you that nobody is going to FORGET it.  Has it ever occurred to these people that perhaps we don't want to re-live it all the damn time?  My local newscast, here in Nashville Tennessee, was at least half dedicated to 9/11 a couple days back....5 days after the fact.  Of course it was an important day....but we also need to move on with our lives.  We've FAR exceeded overkill on this, and THIS is the reason why Americans are so paranoid about terrorists and so hell-bent on revenge against anybody with brown skin.  Sure, we haven't had a major terror attack here since 9/11, but most Americans can't really tell that since they've seen the images of the WTC towers falling almost every day at some point on the news networks.  Plus, how can we REALLY forget when the current conflicts we hear reports about EVERY DAY were initiated as direct retaliation for 9/11?? 

Of course, any politican who has any interest in continuing the war in Iraq and gaining public support for that HAS to love this.  An American public who is made to constantly feel unsafe through continuing terror coverage and terror "alerts" (possible the least useful thing our government has EVER created) is going to be hellbent on revenge and destruction of all those that threaten their way of life. 

I see through it, and I know other people do too...why can't so many others?

6:48 AM - 44 Comments - 44 Kudos - Add Comment

Pointless rhetoric about 9/11 and in general.

The 5th anniversary of 9/11 yesterday made me realize again many things that piss me off about coverage of 9/11, and the media in general.  There are 2 things that really get to me:  the pointless rhetoric used (usually by politicians but sometimes the media) when it comes to 9/11, and the way the media handles events such as this and the news in general.  I'm going to handle the media in the next blog...for now though, pointless and ridiculous rhetoric fed to us and BELIEVED by many Americans:

1.  The people who died in the WTC attacks were heroes.

Let's not cheapen the meaning of the word "hero".  If you look up the definition of it, you'll find it means somebody of "distinguished courage or ability".  So in other words, the firefighters, police and people who diverted flight 93 were heroes.  However, the attempts to rouse up patriotism by portraying ALL people who died in the WTC's as "heroes" is ridiculous and stupid.  It's a tragedy, yes.  However, they aren't more of heroes than people who die by drunk drivers or in natural disasters.  It's being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

2.  Calling the terrorists "cowards".

Bill Maher challenged George Bush's use of the word "cowardly" to describe the terrorists and lost his TV show b/c of the "PC police".  The definition of coward is:

a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.

Does that sound like an accurate description of somebody who is sacrificing their life for their beliefs to you??  Would YOU do it?  Whether or not you agree with their beliefs, calling them cowards is inappropriate use of the English language.  Of course, I expect nothing else out of George Bush who takes ANY opportunity to use 9/11 to rouse support for the war. 

3.  The use of "Axis of Evil" and "evil-doers" to describe nations we have issues with.

Imagine for a second you are distrustful of another person because they have a different belief system than you.  Imagine that perhaps you two COULD "make up" at some point with some effort.  Then imagine that you overhear the person talking about you in inflammatory ways, labelling you "evil", among other things.  What's this do to potential diplomacy and trust between the two??  What George Bush doesn't understand is that this isn't the Old West.  You can't solve everything with intimidation and an old fashioned showdown.  Unfortunately, he's too much of a tool to ever lose the "You're with us or you're going to die" mentality.

4. The phrase "cut and run" used to describe leaving Iraq.

This is a clever conservative catchphrase that makes it seem as if anybody who supports ending the quagmire in Iraq is...well...a coward.  Let's just say that labelling somebody as a person who wants to "cut and run" isn't flattering.  How's an alternate, similar saying like "cutting your losses" work for you though??  Anybody who knows when to cut their losses and learn from their mistakes is generally thought of as wise, not cowardly.  Man, I LOVE that conservative spin machine!!  Unfortunately, they're not really all that genius or clever...Americans are just gullible and uneducated about these things.

That's it for this one.  Next up is the media...and how they screw up the news pretty much nightly. 

Let me know what you think of this one though.  It has the potential to piss some people off...and that's something I always welcome. :)

10:04 AM - 75 Comments - 70 Kudos - Add Comment