Friday, July 30, 2010
Charbroiled
If you would indulge me for a moment while I whine.
Because I work outside all day, I do my best to keep covered up as much as possible as well as slather on the sun screen. I’ve seen what the sun can do to people’s skin and how it ages people way before their time. Plus there’s that whole skin cancer thing I’d rather not experience.
Being that I have Irish blood coursing through my veins, it means I’m extra white. Even when I’m tan, I’m still pretty much the whitest person around. I wear long pants, a long sleeve t-shirt under my uniform shirt and when out on a boat, wear a hat and sunglasses. And, like I said, am constantly putting on the sunscreen and chapstick.
But kids, my God today was so fricken hot. HOT, I tell you. Scorching. Unbearable. INhumane.
And I got charred, fried, burnt to a crisp. (My face.)
See, in, say, WA state, I could be in the sun about 2 hours before I would start to get a burn. Here? It’s like 10 minutes. Yep, that’s all it takes. So again, constantly slathering on the lotion.
I could feel my face getting hotter, feel it burning, it hurts right now, (don’t even start with the jokes, I will cut you), and I was wondering how the hell that happened when I am so conscious about protecting myself.
You know how?
Because it was so fucking hot that every time I put the sunscreen on, I would sweat it right the hell back off in less than a minute. I didn’t realize this until too late today. I cannot remember the last time I have ever burnt my face like this.
IT BURNS! (Exorcist voice)
I still have two more days I have to be out in the boiling ass furnace and guess what? Those days will be HOT AS HELL as well! I’m so thrilled I can hardly stand it.
You know, I think the Chinese are on to something with that “welder’s mask” visor they like to wear. Looks stupid as hell but I bet it works. How many burnt Chinese have you ever seen?
Anyway, that’s all. I just wanted to come on here and feel sorry for myself for a minute as well as write this out so that I remember it for the future. Note to self: Find a solution. This is not good.
Oh, in other news, I did finally get my car back. Have had it back for about two weeks now. They did a pretty darn good job on it. They even did the alignment. That meant I had to get two new tires on the front so I did that on the weekend after getting the car back.
Kids, that is about the straightest alignment I’ve ever had on a car. EVAH!!!1!!1!! I drove back home and because the traffic was light, I got it up to 60mph, (in a 45 zone...don’t tell the cops), and went about 1/2 a mile without touching the steering wheel. (I chose this particular area because the road is nice and smooth and flat there.) The car did not even attempt to pull to one side or the other. I’m damn impressed.
You can tell that the left side is a bit different color than the right side but only if you are specifically looking for that. Any random person probably would not be able to tell. They did a damn good job getting that color as close to the original as possible. (Plus the left side is shinier.)
AND, the repair shop even fixed a slight scratch and small dent that was not from the accident but had been there since I got the car. (They knew this as my insurance company requires us to take it in for inspection before we get the policy for this very reason.) But they did it “free of charge” as a way to make up for taking so fucking long fixing the car.
So, like, my car is practically brand new. Or looks that way, anyway. It took too long but I’m pleased with the results.
Now I get to see if I ever get my deductible back. Said it could take 30-45 days or so.
And in other, other news....yesterday and today were Cry’s days off and I wasn’t about to let him cut that tree down out of childish spite so I backed my car up in to the base of the tree leaving him NO ROOM at all to do a damn thing. I found another way to get to work. Ha, ha asshole. And I will keep doing this every Thursday and Friday until he gets the fuck over himself.
And finally, there is a new Kindle out. And it looks sweet. And I’m thinking....get my deductible back, maybe I’ll plunk down the $189 to get it. Not sure yet. I hate spending money but it’s pretty hard to resist the new Kindle. I am going back and forth with myself.
“You don’t need it, your current Kindle works perfectly fine.”
“Yes, but, this one has all kinds of new features and it’s smaller and sleeker and has more space and you can have more books and reading leads to serious intelligence and while you are already insanely intelligent, you can never stop learning and think of what a power house you could be with 3500 books worth of intelligence!”
“Are you mad? Why on earth do you need to carry around 3500 books at one time? You can’t even possibly read that many books in a lifetime.”
“But you could give it a valiant try! And then you’ll know everything and you’ll rule the world and everyone will be your minions and have to do what you say and you’ve got a couple of people on your shit list who you would love to fuck with and make their lives miserable as hell as they do your bidding; it would be sweet nectar revenge.”
“Hmmm, well, you do bring up a good counter argument with that one. We’ll think about it.”
See? How can I resist?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Pack It Right
So, you’re moving. Moving is stressful and you don’t want to have to worry about your things, your stuff, your fine china, your breakable tchotchke, (including that hideous ceramic chicken cookie jar that your aunt gave you because she’s coming to throw you a house warming party and you have to display it in the kitchen lest you hurt her feelings). You need some peace of mind when moving and that means you need good packing material.
Back in the day, when you were a college student, it was ok for you to go to the grocery store and beg for fruit and vegetable boxes but that won’t do anymore. You have worked hard. You have new stuff. You have better stuff. You actually care about your stuff now and you do not want it torn, ripped, dented or broken.
So you’re going to need some good boxes, furniture pads, tape, etc. But moving is expensive and you don’t want to spend a lot of money on these supplies. You need discount moving boxes.
At upack.com you can find everything you need to make your transition a little easier. They have different packs you can purchase including a starter kit, a kitchen pack and on, all the way up to the deluxe moving package that is enough for a 21-28’ moving trailer or about a 3 bedroom home. They even have wardrobe boxes for all of your hanging clothes so that you don’t find yourself in the middle of the floor of your new place at 1am trying to untangle all of those hangers and having to rehang everything. The wardrobe boxes come with a bar that extends from one side of the box to the other and can hold up to about 24” of closet space per box. At only $14.50 a box, that is well worth the price to save you from a horrid hanger nightmare.
Not quite sure how many boxes you’ll need? Don’t know what package is right for you? You can use the “moving box estimator” to assist you. Based on trailer size or number of rooms in the house, the moving box estimator takes the guess work out of it for you. You will get what you need-not too many, not too few.
To add even more icing on the cake, or to relieve a little more stress in your life, any order over $150 comes with free shipping because when it comes to moving, you really need to hear the word, “free”, once in awhile.
One of the hardest things about moving is the packing-where should you put things, where do you start? It’s all so overwhelming! Let the experts guide you and help you so that when you arrive at your new home, you’re not a frazzled, sweaty, crazed mess. You’ll know where everything is and you’ll know it got there safely.
Oh and if you need help moving? Contact upack again because...um, I’m busy for the next couple of weeks.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Trial Run
We’ll see how this goes.
So there I was, innocently sipping on a Diet Coke when my neighbor walked by. I, stupidly, asked him if he had gotten his air conditioner fixed yet. See, last week, this lonely, miserable, complaining fuck had a guest over, a girl guest, (not like that...although I’m sure he wishes), and I thought, “Good for him. Maybe it will put him in a better mood.” He always walks around, pissed off, mumbling about some thing or other that has pissed him off lately. And let me tell you, the list appears to be endless. But, he now had a guest and he seemed excited that she was there so I was hoping for good things.
Sigh. Why do I even care about other people? Why? I never win.
At some point during her visit, his air conditioner broke. I felt bad for her in that she stayed in his house while he was at work and I’m sure it was uncomfortable even with a fan. I felt bad for him because here he finally has a guest and this shit happens. (And that was my first mistake, feeling bad.)
I’m not exactly sure what this person spends his money on but he never has any money. He had asked me about the air conditioner repairman I used recently, (my a/c went to shit but thankfully was under warranty so I got a new one..hurray!), because the guy I used was out the next day, tried to fix it, realized it needed replacement and was back out with the new unit the next day. No kidding. The other neighbors rely on some other old dude who may or may not bother to return your phone calls and may or may not make time for you to look at your a/c unit sometime in the next couple of weeks. Screw that. I live for my a/c and I’m not waiting on some old dude to decide he wants my business or not. So despite the howling protests, (and why on earth do these people CARE who I use, my GOD, I do not get that), I looked up a/c repair people on the internet and called my guy. (And this was after I placed three phone calls to old dude who never once acknowledged I existed.)
ANYway, he called my guy but because his a/c unit is not under warranty, it was going to cost him $90 to have the guy come out and whatever the charge to fix it. Neighbor guy does not have the money. (Really?) So he decided instead to contact “John”...He of the Shitty Underpants. Yep, my other next door neighbor. “John” or He of the Shitty Underpants, has been known to fix an air conditioner or two in his life time. Personally I would never let He of the Shitty Underpants touch anything of mine because he’s always tanked and on pills and when it comes time to pay his rent at the beginning of the month, he calls the ambulance instead and gets taken away for yet another “heart attack”. He’s working the sympathy route, see. He has plenty of money to drink and smoke and pop pills all month long but cannot come up with money to pay his rent.
So He of the Shitty Underpants went over to look at the other neighbor’s a/c unit. Let’s call other neighbor...Cry. Yes, that perfectly suits him. Cry needed a new compressor or some shit.
Ok, fast forward a few days to the beginning of this story. I, stupidly, asked if he got his a/c fixed. He told me he had, he said it was the compressor, He of the Shitty Underpants had fixed it and then, with no warning whatsoever, he started yelling, “And I’m cutting down that fucking bamboo tree!”
What the hell?
I said, “What the hell?”
He replied, angrily, “I’m cutting that fucking tree down on my next day off because it’s destroying my house.”
Sigh. Ok, my yard is small and there is a bamboo tree in my yard between my house and Cry’s house. Most of the stalks, (I guess they’re called), actually lean towards MY house and I’m constantly having to go to the roof and clean off the leaves as well as in my yard. The tree can reach over to Cry’s house but I typically do a good job of keeping it trimmed down.
So I stated, “No, you’re not. I can trim it up if it’s touching anything but you’re not cutting it down.”
I’ll spare you most of the drama that occurred in the following 5 minutes because it entailed him screaming and cursing and yelling that he fucking was cutting it down, fuck me if I didn’t like it, he didn’t care, it was destroying his house, everyone here only cares about themselves and now he’s going to care only about himself and fuck everyone and on and on. Periodically I would say, “Again, no, you’re not, if you would show me where this destruction is happening, I’ll trim the tree back”.
Finally I got pissed. I actually had to consult the fucking land owner. That pissed me off even more. I explained the situation. The land owner started laughing saying Cry could never operate a chain saw, don’t worry. I told him that Cry was determined to cut it down and I was furious. Land Owner said to tell Cry that it would be trimmed, Cry would not be cutting it down.
I informed Cry of this. Cry then proceeded to scream and curse again about how he can’t believe I went to Land Owner, curse, curse, curse, curse, curse, scream, froth at the mouth, blow a blood vessel, etc.
So Cry went back and screamed and wet his pants in front of Land Owner. Land Owner comes back to me and says, “Well, you know, if it’s destroying his house....” I said, “It is NOT destroying his house. I can trim it back but it does not need to come down.” So Land Owner said to allow me to trim it back. If that didn’t work then we would cut it down.
What the fuck does the asshole expect me to do? You can’t fucking speak to me in a civil fucking tone, you can’t fucking listen to reason, you can’t fucking talk calmly and come to a compromise, you just do it your way and fuck the world? No, asshole fucker, it doesn’t work that way. He left me no alternative BUT to go this route and that also pissed me off because I can’t stand having to fucking do shit like this over PETTY! ASS! CRAP! It makes EVERYONE look fucking stupid.
I looked at that tree from every possible angle and could not, for the life of me, figure out what the hell Cry was talking about. NOTHING touches his fucking house. He claimed it was when the wind was blowing. >smack forehead< Are any of you in any way familiar with bamboo trees? Those stalks are not exactly limber. They don’t bend and flex all that much in the wind. I stood at the base of the tree and pushed and pulled on the stalks trying to get one of them to touch Cry’s house and NONE OF THEM moved more than 1/4 inch. In other words, no they fucking were NOT touching his fucking piece of shit house.
So, yesterday, I hear He of the Shitty Underpants out in his yard with a chain saw. Oh hell no mother fucker. I bolted out the door. Come to find out he was just chopping back branches from some trees that are near our properties “in case of a hurricane”. Fair enough.
We discussed the destructible bamboo tree, the tree of EVIL!, and HotSU told me that he had cut the limbs back already and Cry helped him carry the limbs to the truck. Oh, ho ho! Did we forget to fucking include that bit of information, you asshole, Cry?
This would be why I could not figure out what the hell Cry was crying about. HotSU showed me where one of the stalks/limbs had been rubbing on a small part of Cry’s house. Ok, so there was a bit of damage. Not a lot, nothing that can’t be easily (and I mean, EASILY), fixed. Ok, though. But the offending stalk/limb had been trimmed back so there was no problem anymore and no need for the fucking drama queen to insist on taking a chain saw to the whole thing. Regardless, I had HotSU cut the stalks/limbs (the two he started), lower so that Cry had nothing at all to piss and moan about. He wanted to chop the entire thing down over a limb. One fucking limb.
Instead of saying, “Hey, Serenity, you need to keep the tree trimmed because, as you can see here, one of the stalks/limbs grew towards my house and has made that scrape mark you see there. Please don’t let that happen again.”
Ok! I would have been happy to!
But I didn’t get that fucking kind of respect, now did I?
So, the deal with the Land Owner was that I would trim the tree back from Cry’s house, we would see how that went and if it worked, case closed. If it appeared that the tree would continue to DESTROY Cry’s house, the whole thing would be chopped down.
I cannot fucking wait to talk to Land Owner. I’m also taking photographs so that Cry cannot make other claims later on. He is that kind of person. And in the end, with Land Owner and Cry both in attendance, I’m going to mention that perhaps I might lend a little more credence to Cry’s claims about caring about his property if he got his fat fucking ass out and washed off the blanket of dark green mold that circles the top part of his house and cleaned the garbage up out of his yard.
Fucking piece of shit.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Future
I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to keep doing this site. I haven’t decided yet but I have to say I’m tired of putting out fluff pieces for the masses. Oh yah, people always say, “write what you want” but do you know what the fuck happens every single gottdamned time I “write what I want”? Some asshole comes along and makes a comment about what I’m writing, “You’re better than this” or they don’t find it interesting or some kind of shit.
I have a completely private journal I’ve been writing in because of that type of shit right there. Who gives a shit if what I’m writing about is petty ass bullshit? You know what, kids? A lot of what I deal with on a day to day basis IS petty ass bullshit. Right now I’m having a fucking argument with a neighbor over a fucking bamboo tree. He claims it is “destroying my house”, shouting, screaming, cursing, threatening to take a chain saw, go in to my yard and chop the whole thing down and it’s not even FUCKING TOUCHING HIS GOTTDAMNED HOUSE EVEN WHEN THE WIND BLOWS.
I asked him to show me where this tree is “DESTROYING!!!!!11!!1!!!” his house. I even set up a specific time. Did he show? No. But he still threatens. I don’t own the land so it’s not like I can get him on trespassing or things like that so let’s not even go there with that advice.
I like the tree, I want it to say, it doesn’t touch his fucking house and frankly I’m really fucking pissed off over the whole thing because he brought it up, out of the blue, raging and screaming about it and not once has he spoken to me like a fucking calm adult about it and I’m so gottdamned mother fucking pissed off and I want to write it about it here but I don’t feel free to do that because some fucking cock sucking asshole is going to come here and say, “I don’t want to read that shit, I want to read about politics, not petty ass bullshit.”
FUCK!!LK@JKL@JKJRajfknafklsdan! FUCK!!!!
I wish everyone in my life would stop trying to fucking tell me what to do, stop trying to force what they fucking want down my throat, stop fucking disrespecting me and fucking TALK TO ME LIKE A FUCKING ADULT. And if you don’t like something, be tactful and nice about it or SHUT. THE FUCK. UP!
I’ve got a lot of rage building right now and if I’m not allowed to get that the fuck out of my system, it’s going to be really bad. LET ME FUCKING VENT.
Life Imitates Art
Several reasons I don’t like to fly and will avoid it at all costs. Mainly I don’t like being cramped up in a small space for hours on end; I get claustrophobia. I also have a hard time trusting every person who works on that plane from the beginning of the build to the maintenance to the pilots. Years ago I was a courier in Seattle and often times I would deliver parts for a certain large company, well known throughout the world. I cannot possibly tell you how many times I would walk in to those facilities and one of the following two things would happen:
a) Most of the people I saw were on break and refused to assist in any way when looking for column D3 because they were too lazy or had absolutely no idea where column D3 was located. And I am not kidding in the slightest when I say that one time, I had a package to be delivered to an individual at column D3, was having a hard time finding it, (and it’s exhausting walking around these huge buildings), I asked for help from someone I saw eating a sandwich, he stated he did not know where column D3 was located, I walked and walked and walked and walked and finally, I found column D3. It was right next to the fricken place sandwich eater was sitting. You’re fucking kidding me, right?
b) I would hand over the part, they would sign for it and throw it on to a conveyor belt. Not place it there, not gently put it down, throw it. In fact, they made jokes about the sound it might make and how it was actually the company’s new name. ("That’s why we call it ‘Boing!’”, they would chortle.) Yah, how nice. I’m delivering a part to put on an aircraft and these twats are throwing them around without a care in the world.
Some years ago there was a plane crash off the coast of California. It was coming back from Mexico, had a stop at LAX and was going to continue on to Seattle. The plane crashed in to the Pacific Ocean-I can’t remember if it was shortly after take off from LAX or before landing at LAX. It was on the news all over in Seattle because there were a number of Seattle residents on that plane. Come to find out that the cause of the crash was a faulty part and that someone who knew about this had tried to warn about this faulty part for quite some time. He was let go, called a “whistle blower” and basically ostracized. They gave this guy a bunch of shit and he was right. But no one wanted to fucking do anything about it until after the plane crashed.
I’m supposed to trust these people with my life?
I’m not really concerned about terrorists, to be honest. Sure, I don’t want any of them on my plane but I think that if I’m going to die anyway, I would do something like those guys on the plane on 9/11. People say, “You don’t know what you would do, you would probably sit there, scared and not do anything.” HA! Have you fucking met me?! The hell I would. I’m not going to sit by and let some sand nit dictate how I’m going to behave before dying. If I’m going to die anyway, I’m going to fuck up their plans. People focus a lot on the firefighters and police and such with 9/11, (yes, they were also heroes, don’t misinterpret what I’m saying), but I think more focus should be put on those who took down the terrorists in that plane. They died anyway but damn, people, they died trying. That’s a hero. Those are the kinds of people little kids should be looking up to when deciding how they are going to act in life, not the over paid sports celebrities who are always getting caught doing something stupid or illegal.
Anyway, the final thing that keeps me from flying is the airlines and TSA themselves. They’ve been coming up with some pretty stupid rules lately, ("your hands must be in view at all times for the last hour of the flight” oh fucking shut up), but what really grinds my pepper is the new charges they keep piling on that never used to be there. We’ve already spent hundreds of dollars on a ticket and any special requests or extra baggage we have; and that’s fine. But no, I’m not paying extra to carry on a knapsack, having a snack, meal or drink, (non alcoholic), or to use a blanket or pillow. That’s total bullshit. They’re looking to make up costs but they’re looking in the wrong places. Find out what is driving people away from flying not charge them up the ass for every last thing.
I used to love flying when I was younger. I thought it was thrilling and I remember on my very first plane trip across country at age 14, I could not wipe the grin off of my face. Now? It’s only if there absolutely, positively is no other possible way to get there that I will fly and even then it’s going to take some serious thinking. The airlines have been trying to make all kinds of money in these ridiculous charges left and right when what they’ve done is completely lost my business. Instead of granting me a fucking carry on, free of charge, they get no money from me at all.
This may be funny right now but these guys have a knack for coming up with things years earlier that comes out to be a little true, later on:
I think I’ll enjoy my car, instead.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
No Wonder
That explains why he wants to sue them.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Since People Only Read The Headlines...
I’m sure this will get a serious spin in an effort to make Democrats look good.
Unemployment rate falls in 39 states in June
“OMG! Like, really?! Take that you evil Rethuglicans! You said that St. Hope and Change and their ilk were doing harm to this country but look at those numbers! When did HaliburtonBush do anything like this?! Maybe you should take a backseat and let us Dems run the show, we know how to do it, idiots.”
Yah. So, let’s get to the rest of the story, mmmkay!??
The unemployment rate fell in most states in June, mainly because more people gave up searching for work and were no longer counted. ~emphasis mine
Er, yah. Now it doesn’t sound so damn peachy anymore does it? They GAVE UP looking for work because there ISN’T ANY WORK. Mr, “I’m Going To Bring Thousands and Thousands of Jobs to the American People” has failed. Failed!
I’ve been unemployed before and you know what? I never had to try that hard to find work. These people gave. up! That is NOT a good sign.
Fewer states saw job increases, the latest evidence that the economic recovery is slowing.
What economic recovery? Foreclosures, companies going under left and right, companies being taken over by the government, (my God), exactly what economic recovery are these windbags talking about? There hasn’t been an economic recovery. It’s been shit and continues to be shit. Some people are in denial, yes, spending money they don’t fucking have but overall, there is no recovery. I work in the tourist industry. There IS NO economic recovery. That’s one of the first places to look at how well the economy is doing and it ain’t doing well at all.
But only 21 states saw net job gains in June, the government said. That compared to 41 the previous month and is the fewest this year.
The decline in job creation reflects the layoff of thousands of temporary census workers. Those jobs inflated total payrolls in May and then reduced them in June.
The temporary ‘up in my personal business’ census workers inflated the numbers before but now that they are no longer needed, the numbers are back to accurate. And the census workers can kiss my ass, by the way. Twice they knocked on my door this year and once I told them to go fuck themselves and once I ignored them.
Still, the report also indicated that businesses aren’t hiring many new workers. Nationwide, private employers added a net gain of only 83,000 jobs last month. The national unemployment rate dropped to 9.5 percent in June from 9.7 percent the previous month, as about 650,000 people stopped looking for work.
No, businesses are not hiring new workers. My boss wants to hire two more people, at the least, but he won’t right now because the tourism industry is feeling the brunt of the “economic recovery” that doesn’t exist. Yes, it is normally slower in the summer time, yes but it’s much slower this year than it has ever been in the years I’ve been working here. People are not spending their money. We still do ok but we shouldn’t be looking like this until September. That’s when our “slow” season is supposed to be. Not April, May, June, July and August. So, until it picks up again, he won’t hire the two more that he wants to hire.
The economy is not recovering. People are not spending their money. Too many people are out of work and hardly any new jobs are being created. It’s so bad that people give up looking in 39 states. Shall we continue shoving our heads in the sand just so we can save face for voting for a reckless piece of shit in to office or shall we begin to face the truth? And I don’t see it getting better for some time.
Whatever job you do have, hang on to it. This is not the time to be unemployed.
(Hat tip to FB friend, Nick)
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Wish I Banked Like Him, Too
So, I took a couple of samples from my blog, here and there, from the years and plugged each sample in to the “I Write Like” analyzer. This will tell you what great author you write like. I could not be more pleased with my results:
He’s only my favorite author. EVAH! I will devour his books when I see them and I did, at one time, own damn near every single book he ever wrote. Because he’s fucking awesome.
To be compared to him totally makes my day.
(And if any of you actually think I am taking this stupid analyzer that seriously, get the fuck off my site, now. I would hope that by now you would realize I’m not stupid and if you think I did take it seriously, and were getting ready to type me some comment about how this isn’t an accurate analyzer; it’s the same as those random quiz generators, then you need to go fuck off right this very second. Why the disclaimer? Because you wouldn’t believe some of the emails I get sometimes. So let me end this by adding this:
Some people out there think that I’m too stupid to get it when they don’t realize that they are too fucking stupid to know I already did.)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Boosting The Moral
You know, I’ve worked in corporate America and I know all about those stupid “team building” exercises and all that total horse shit that’s supposed to pump up the moral, bring about good feelings towards each other and the company and then everyone will be friends and the company will explode in to this huge, multi-billion dollar industry....bleh.
They’re usually a total fucking waste of time with a bunch of managers talking down to employees about “no I in team” and “9 yard lines” “bottom lines” and a whole bunch of other boring crap that most people don’t care about. If the people are really good at it, they might actually make you feel something for about 5 minutes-could be indigestion-before everything goes back to normal and Suzie in the cube next to you has returned to her former bitchy self.
In other words, bosses don’t appear to listen very well and wonder why moral is so low all the time. I think I should start a new series here at Serenity’s Journal called, “What the fuck NOT to do if you are the boss”.
Let’s take current events as an example.
If you were paying attention, which you probably weren’t, you will have noticed that I just got done working 10 days in a row. Not the best moral booster right there but, rumors were going around that I would get 4 days off as the schedule went back to normal this week.
Believe it or not, (I did not), that actually happened. My normal days off are Monday and Tuesday but I had to work right on through them all the way to the weekend this past week. I finally got Sat and Sun off and now, since the schedule is going back to normal, I also get my Monday and Tuesday off which makes 4 days in a row.
Ok.
It sure would have been nice if the boss had let me know that in advance that was happening-would have made working those 10 fucking days in a row in the blistering heat a little easier since I would have something to look forward to, right?
Yah, communication, bosses. And throw your employees a fricken bone once in awhile.
So anyway, I finally get to the four days off and do what I normally do on days off. I clean the shit out of my house and stay up way too late at night. Whatever, it makes me happy. (I still don’t have my car--but that’s a whole nother story.)
Then, today rolls around. I finally have everything completely done. House is sparkling since I had extra days to do it this week. Everything looks good, smells good, is organized, in its place, washed, cleaned....I still have no fucking car....so I have absolutely nothing to do today. Which means I get to spend the entire day in bed, reading or watching t.v. or movies or browsing the internet, in my pajamas. That’s awesome.
I stayed up really late last night knowing that if I wanted to, I could sleep until 11, noon, 1pm if I so desired because I had nothing! to do.
And then I hear the fucking ringing.
It’s just past 9am.
I know who the hell that is without looking. Nobody calls me on a Tuesday this early in the morning. No, it’s not my car, those assholes don’t show up until about 11 am and then promptly leave for a 2 hour lunch. It’s work.
And they can fuck. the hell. right off.
Someone didn’t show up so they’re calling me to come in.
No.
Absolutely not.
First of all, I already fucking worked 10 fucking days in a row for you last fucking week. I am NOT working 6 days this week while everybody else continues to get their time off. No, no, no! I am not the only person who works here, you fucking find someone else.
Second of all, it’s never appreciated. Ever. There are no thank yous, there is no consideration for raises or promotions later on. There’s no extra bonus at Christmas. No one asks, “What day would you like off to replace this day?”
No, you know what you fucking get when you work this hard? “You look miserable and we can’t have that around here. You could lose your job.”
That’s what the fuck you get when you work your ass off for these people.
And you want me to come in on my day off again?
No.
Hell. No.
I’m not a slave, it’s fucking hot out there, I’m still tired after what you did to me the last two weeks, I need a break, I’m not the only one who works here you CAN find someone else, you don’t fucking appreciate it at ALL, and it’s easily forgotten as within the week, at some point, you’ll be calling us “fucking idiot” like you always do, to all of us, at various, random times.
We’re just a bunch of fucking idiots to you, we are mere bodies that drive boats, we’re not human to you, you consider us uneducated, a bunch of losers and have no respect for us. You know that some of us are college educated, you know that some of us don’t drink and do drugs, you know that some of us have a high positive feed back in customer service, you know that some of us have goals but you forget that and lump us all together as nothing more than numbers that can easily be replaced.
“If you don’t like it here, you can work somewhere else” is the standard answer instead of trying to find a way to right the problem.
No, kids, they do not care.
And because of that, I no longer care.
Remember, managers, supervisors, owners, CEOs, etc: It does start from the top. If you don’t care about your employees, they won’t care about you or your goals or what you want, either. If you want to know why there is this problem or that problem, start at your own desk.
Monday, July 12, 2010
He Gets It
When I had a dog, she was always vying for the alpha role and if you were not consistent, you would pay for it. I did not take her to a trainer, I did not know what the hell I was doing, all I did know was that she needed to learn to listen to me and not the other way around.
I never let her sleep on my bed. She had a blanket next to the bed as well as one in the living room. This is where she was allowed to sit or lie down. Never on the bed or the couch; she was always lower than me.
I never let her walk out the door first. I led the way, not her. I never let her back in first, again I led the way, not her.
When we approached a crosswalk, she would sit and wait and would not move until I stamped the heel of my shoe on the pavement to let her know it was ok to move. (The only time she moved was when a dumb bitch came up behind her but I’ve already told that story here before and she was right to do the moving.)
And when it came to feeding, that dog was not allowed to dance around, act like a fool, jump on me or rush me. She was to sit and she was to wait. I would refill her water dish and set it down. I would pick up her food dish, put more food in it and set it down. Still she was not allowed to move. I would stand there while she sat and waited. Her eyes were glued to me. Her entire attention and focus was on me. That is exactly what you want your dog to do. In the beginning, I made her wait longer until she got it in her head that I ruled, not her. As she got better at it, her wait time went down. I would also test her. Her key word was, “Ok”. Anything else, that was not the signal to move and start eating.
You know what? It didn’t take long to train her. I was consistent, I never let her get away with anything, she knew I was the alpha and would remain the alpha and if she wanted her food or to run around outside, I was the one who would allow it and decide when it would happen. And she got it right fast. Even when I tested her at the food dish with other words, she never moved until she heard me say, “ok”.
Some people get all upset and think “OMG, that’s so cruel!” No, idiots, it’s not cruel. It’s how dogs act in the wild and it’s how these dogs know to act. They need a leader, they need a consistent leader.
I’m thrilled to see this video of a guy who rescues dogs and gets it. He totally gets it and proves that no dog is too old, too young, too dangerous, (breed stereotype), or too stupid to understand that he is the pack leader.
This is how you train dogs to be great pets and companions. You don’t treat them like humans, you don’t let them get away with whatever they want, you don’t spoil them like a child. They are dogs. And if more people on this earth knew a damn thing about dogs, like the guy in this video, maybe there wouldn’t be so many dogs in need of rescue.
It’s not the dog’s fault. It never is.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Miserable Attitudes
It’s official. St. Hope and Change is about the biggest twat I’ve ever seen. The absurdity of this asshole knows no bounds.
That’s all I’ve got for today, kids. I have one more day in a 10 day work “week”. My boss threw this at me on Sunday when it was supposed to be my Friday that I would get the distinct pleasure of working another 5 days without a day off.
I’ve been working long hours in the boiling ass heat with no break for 9 fucking days and he had the audacity today to say that I looked, “miserable” and that “we can’t have that kind of attitude around here” and that if I didn’t squash that “miserable” attitude, I could lose my job.
Hey, fucker, did it ever occur to you that the reason I look, “miserable” is because I’m FUCKING EXHAUSTED!?!?!?!
But hey, he’s not at all upset that I called my insurance company. No, this is all just fucking coincidence.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Feel Good Labels
For the LAST TIME! Those people coming from Mexico, illegally, are NOT “undocumented workers”, they are illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigrants.
Trying to put a spin on that label does not erase that what they are doing is illegal. Call people what they are, call the action of people what it is. Illegal. Immigrants. This is not a gottdamned fairy tale, this is real life. There are no purple markers here to soothe you when you’re marked wrong on your paper, it’s a big, fat, bright, red pen and it scribes, illegal immigrants.
But why would anyone care, it’s not like Arizona borders Mexico, right?! (I’m not the only one who saw that am I?)
Sigh, at least we can still have our guns.
For now.
Biden: Gee, Serenity, if you’d say something nice instead of being a smart ass all the time....
Serenity: Hey Biden, suck it. I agree with ice cream man, lower our taxes, asshole.
Biden: Oh, I was just kidding.
Serenity: I wasn’t.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Corporate Speak
Why the hell can’t people answer a damn question with a simple “yes” or “no”? Seriously.
I asked the agent if what was written to me in email yesterday meant that my car was going to be fixed, that the repair shop would fix it and I would get my car back. Instead of just saying, “yes” or “no”, I got this:
The estimate is a preliminary estimate and there is a possibility of additional damage. However, based on the shop you did not want to give [the shop] permission to do a tear down on the vehicle to check for additional damage or give them the authority to repair the vehicle.
Before the shop can start repair you have to give them authority to repair the vehicle for you by going to the shop and signing the appropriate paperwork.
The total damage at this time came it $2,358.41 after we deduct your deductible of $1,000, the total payment would be for $1,358.41.
Did you want me to issue this payment to [the shop] directly or do you want me to issue this to you? If you have not done so yet, please give [the shop] authority to repair your vehicle and know that the repair that our body shop does is guaranteed for the lifetime that you own the vehicle.
Jeezus, why can’t people just be straight? Now, the agent is saying in THIS letter that the total payment would be for $1358.41, HOWEVER, in the email yesterday, it said, “Be assured that the process is not complete until we have identified and paid for all damage related to your covered loss.”
So. It sounds like they are going to repair my car. That’s fine! That’s what the fuck I want. What I don’t get is that in the first letter they said, “Don’t worry, if there’s more damage, it’s paid for” and in this letter today it says, “That’s the total amount”.
Well which the fuck one is it?
As for getting a lawyer, look....all I want is my car fixed and my car back. If that is what they are going to do, why do I need a lawyer? I just want my damn car fixed, brought back to me and I pay nothing. Isn’t that what I’m getting here?
As for the snippy little tone in the beginning of this letter, I told the shop, when they gave me the preliminary estimate over the phone that I needed to contact my insurance company before they did anything. It wasn’t the way this agent is making it out to be. Also, I did not sign any paperwork because I had to work. They came and towed the car to do the estimate. I was not present to sign a damn thing. And I won’t be present to sign a damn thing until my next days off. (Monday and Tuesday, usually.) I just wanted to be sure it was getting repaired, to try to understand what the fuck this insurance company was telling me before I did anything. Because if they were going to total it, I would see if I could drop the claim and have the company just pay for the damages and get it fixed.
I do not want my car totaled. I do not want to have to get another car. I don’t want to have to go through a lawyer, I just want what I fucking had when I parked my damn car in the lot on Friday morning. Is that what I’m getting? I just want to know this before I ok a damn thing. Why the fuck can’t someone just tell me that is what I’m getting or no, it’s not what I’m getting.
I hate fucking corporate double speak.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
There I Was, Minding My Own Business...
...when some douche crashed in to my car with a tour bus. And I’m the one who is screwed.
(Please see update below)
Shop came and towed my car today. At about 4:30, they called me up and told me that they had an estimate ready. I would need a new fender, new quarter panel, new driver’s side door, new driver’s side mirror and they could repair the driver’s side passenger door.
Total for the bodywork? $2358.41
Whee!
Except! Guess what! That’s not all!
The alignment was also fucked up and he has to put it back up to check the suspension and any other issues. This is NOT included in that estimate. The joy of it all!
Do you know what this means, boys and girls? I’ll tell you!
It means that there is no way in hell my insurance company is not going to total this car.
And do you know what that means, kids?
It means I have NO FUCKING CAR! Oh, I might get a check for a grand or so but I have no car. AWESOME!
So, I had a nice little chat with the boss today. He swears up and down that he is not upset with me for going through my insurance. He states that he just thought it was not in my best interest and that I could have just had a 100% guarantee that the company that owns the tour van that hit me would have paid for it. It’s “just cosmetic damage”.
Oops! No, it’s not just cosmetic damage.
We discussed the possibility of the insurance company totaling it. We both believed it would probably happen. He said I just screwed myself, (not his words), and I said, “Au contraire! I don’t have a car. I don’t want to have to do this but if I have to sue that company to get another car....”
He said I had no legal standing to sue them for a new car. He said, “The insurance company will give you a check for what the car is worth. That is making you whole and the law will not be on your side.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He firmly believes that I have no standing to sue that tour company for a new car. Basically, I’m just out of luck.
How is that possible?
He did state that I could try to sue them but I won’t win.
Other people, (readers), are telling me that I can sue them and win and possibly get MORE than the price of a car, meaning, I could get a car AND some change to go with it.....he says no.
WHO IS RIGHT?
Update Ok, I just got this email from my insurance company. I’m leaving out the private information, (ie; the insurance company name), and am telling you all in advance, I CHOSE a higher deductible on purpose.
We have completed an appraisal of the damage to your vehicle which is detailed below. Payment will be issued directly to you or to your repair facility based on the information you have previously provided.
Your initial, or original appraisal, is completed based on the visible damage to your vehicle. Once repairs begin, the repair facility sometimes finds additional damage that was not included in the original appraisal. Any additional damage found, that is related to your covered loss, will be included in a supplemental appraisal written by either a professional at one of our [redacted] facilities or by a [redacted] staff appraiser. The detail below indicates if this is an original or a supplemental appraisal. Be assured that the process is not complete until we have identified and paid for all damage related to your covered loss.
Please do not hesitate to call me or email me if you have any questions. My contact information is to the left.
Original Appraisal
Gross Total: $ 2358.41
Less Deductible: $ 1000.00
Net Total: $ 1358.41
What does this say to you? Is my car getting fixed? Does this mean I get to keep my car? Wouldn’t they have told me it would be totaled in this message or am I naively wishfully thinking and hoping?
Also, yes, my deductible is high. I did this for two reasons. One, it keeps the insurance payments lower throughout the year. Two, I’ve been in a few wrecks before and I’ve never had a brand new car before....I know that the more I pay in to it, the more chance I’ll get something good out of it. (I’ve learned the HARD. WAY. MY GOD I’ve learned the hard way, kids.)
But what do you think? Does this sound like I might be lucky!? God please, let me have my car back!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Stuff The Attitude
Yes, what a wonderful day it has been. The boss came in, (the actual boss), asked what happened with the car, I told him and he came out with me to look at it. (Still in the parking lot right where it was when it got hit.) He couldn’t believe the damage. I guess he thought it was a minor scrape, (he wasn’t there yesterday), but he realized that this guy did a number on my car.
I had not really touched the car since seeing it at the end of the day yesterday so he wanted to know if I could open the driver’s side door. Nope. Key won’t turn to unlock it. So I had to go to the passenger side but the problem was that every time I tried to unlock it, it locked back up. Unlock, it locked, unlock, it locked. I even tried to hold the lock in my hand to force it to stay unlocked...nope. It locked again. So much for the “it’s only cosmetic damage” theory.
He then tried to convince me not to call my insurance company. I knew this was coming but I already made up my mind. I just want to know why on earth does it bother them that I call my insurance company. Why? Why wouldn’t I call? If they are concerned about the tour driver getting a big fat ding on his driving record, well, first of all, that is NOT my problem. He should have been more careful when he was driving the tour bus. Second of all, it wouldn’t matter if I called the insurance company or not, the police are charging the guy with hit and run. I hadn’t called my insurance company yet when the officer on scene yesterday told me he was charging the guy. DOESN’T FUCKING MATTER about the insurance company. He’s getting charged. And that is NOT my fault.
The other boss, (the one who was there yesterday), was all upset with me today because I did call my insurance company and opened a claim. What is the deal?
I explained to the actual boss, (the one who wasn’t there yesterday), and told him that I do not feel comfortable not calling. See, let’s say, six months down the road, I’m driving along and something happens and they find out it was because of this accident. Well, I’m screwed aren’t I? And you know what? I’ve been fucked enough times by companies and mechanics and the like in my life that I’m listening to my instincts and voice of reason and I’m going through the insurance company to protect myself. What part of, “I need to protect myself” do these people not get? I’m sorry, I don’t have millions of dollars laying around in my bank account that allows me to buy my way out of a situation. Ok?
Apparently a detective is being assigned the case since it’s a hit and run so I still have to talk to them. The other driver was there again today and he stated that he did not know he hit the car. I understand that driving a bigger vehicle that can happen but I find it very difficult to believe that he had NO fucking clue he plowed in to my car with all that damage. Bull. Shit he didn’t know.
My theory is that he thought it was a customer’s car and that he would just leave the scene and no one would be the wiser. Oops! You hit an employees car and it was on film. Sucks to be you, asshole.
Did a little test drive around the parking lot today and when it started up, it sounded like some beat up, old, piece of shit car. Not the way my car sounds. I drove it in a big circle, a co-worker said the wheel (driver’s side, front), was wobbling as I drove and when I parked it back in the spot, I looked again at the wheel well. If you look at the photos I posted yesterday, you can see that there is a good 2 inches between the scrunched wheel well and the tire. After one circle in the parking lot, it is now mere centimeters above the tire and one bump or pothole in the road, it will start rubbing the tire apart. But hey, it’s “drivable” and it’s “just cosmetic damage”. Of course.
And this is why I called my insurance company. Things like this may not be readily apparent and this is why I say I have to protect myself.
On Monday I am having it towed to the body shop the insurance company wants it taken to and we shall see just what is wrong with it. I’m hoping it’s something that can be repaired, isn’t too expensive because I do not want this car to be “totaled”. My car is a Kia. It’s not an expensive car. The blue book value is not much. I don’t want a fucking check for a few thousand dollars, I want my fucking car and I want it fixed.
If it’s “totaled”, I get a check for a few thousand and then what? Then what the fuck?! That’s not enough money to replace my car! I had just paid it off! I own it outright. I do not want car payments, I want my fucking car the way it was. I feel like I’m going to get screwed in this situation no matter what. And that pisses me off.
Hopefully it won’t be “totaled” but again, the damage done to this car, even if they just repaired the “cosmetic damage” may end up costing more than the fucking car is worth or close to it. And I’m going to be fucking livid.
Especially since it seems all these people care about is that the tour driver doesn’t get marks on his record. Boo fucking hoo.
Anyone know how this works? If it’s totaled, am I screwed?
Friday, June 18, 2010
Not So Fast
Today, as I was leaving work, I noticed that some douche bag completely wrecked my car on the driver’s side while it was parked, in the parking lot, at work.
Do you know how fantastic that is to go to your car to go home, after a long ass day to find you can’t drive it because of some assmunch?
So, I called the cops. They came out and started a report. In the meantime, my boss started looking over the surveillance camera.
Oh yes! Mother fucker, we have cameras. And one of them is pointed in the parking lot. And it was faced in the direction of my parked car.
And we found out who fucking plowed in to my car. AND RAN!
A tour company. A tour van that comes out all the time, was caught on camera, plowing in to my car, and LEAVING THE SCENE!
The cop is going to charge him with hit and run. And things may get real fucking interesting because my boss wants me to allow the company to just “take care of the problem” while I’m thinking, “NO! I’m going through the insurance company.”
And I get to tell him this tomorrow. And he’ll be pissed. But I don’t care, I’m protecting myself. Besides, it’s too late, the cop already came out, saw the damage, saw the footage from the camera and is charging the guy with hit and run.
And shit will hit the fan.
Which is why I got drunk tonight for the first time in AGES! And is why I have had to type this damn post over a few times but whatevs Man!
I had just paid that car off.
And some fucking piece of shit plowed in to it and ran like a bitch.
But we caught you, mother fucker. ON FILM!
SUCK IT!
Tomorrow shall be interesting.
Passing out, ciao kids.
Friday, June 04, 2010
Since The Dawn Of Time
If you have ever worked in tech support, you will enjoy this:
Actually, if you have worked with the public at all, you will probably enjoy it.
Brings me back to my tech days with printers and faxes. Believe it or not, at least 30% of the time, the unit was not plugged in. Seriously.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Look Good, Feel Good About It
So, there you are, torn. You want a nice piece of jewelry, diamonds would be nice, even rubies, emeralds or sapphire would be fabulous. But you think you can’t afford it and besides, you’ve heard the horrors of the mines; how the workers are treated, what it does to the environment, and you continue to dream, instead.
Periodically, as you walk down the busy streets of your town, you may glance in to a storefront and see the beautiful, sparkly jewelry staring back at you. “If only.....”, you think.
Listen, “If only” is now. At Diamond Nexus Labs , not only is their jewelry affordable, it looks fantastic. From bracelets to earrings, from watches to engagement rings, Diamond Nexus Labs has something for everyone. Prices start at under $150. Or maybe you already have the setting, you just want a gem/stone to go with it. They have this, too. In fact, Diamond Nexus Labs can make anything in your imagination become a reality.
And guess what? They do care about making the process cleaner and friendlier to the environment and workers. They don’t use any harsh chemicals, they recycle gold and extra production materials and everything is created in clean, environmentally friendly laboratories, not mines.
The company offers lifetime guarantees, it’s risk free and they have thousands of happy customers. And if you still aren’t sure if you want to go look, remember this: They made the crown for the Miss Universe pageant. Ok? Yah, maybe you should get on over to their website and find something beautiful and extraordinary that you can pass down to the next generation.
You can have what you want, look good and feel good about it.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Shaking Head
Every time I see someone spout off about their right to free speech in comments on a blog, in a forum or in real life, I want to just smack the crap out of them.
“I can say whatever I want on this forum. Or are you trying to take away my right to free speech?”
Idiots.
Fucking idiots.
TOTAL. FUCKING. IDIOTS.
So, let me make this clear here, on this blog, for any troll who wishes to piss and whine about this:
That 1st Amendment that you assholes keep throwing around is for your protection FROM THE GOVERNMENT! It does NOT apply to privately owned spaces, buildings or environments. Do you get that you fucking dolts? You do NOT have the “right to free speech” in MY house. You do NOT have the “right to free speech” on my blog. You do NOT have the “right to free speech” on a privately owned forum. No, you are NOT being “censored”, you simply do not have the right to say whatever the fuck you want in a privately owned place.
It protects you from the government. The government. THE GOVERNMENT. It does not protect you in comments, forums or homes.
SHUT. THE FUCK UP about your “rights” in these areas. All you do is make yourself look like a gottdamned idiot.
Monday, May 24, 2010
I See It Differently Now
For some time I’ve believed that we should have the ability to drill off the coast of Florida and up in ANWR. I remember the Exxon Valdez and the devastation it brought to the area and the wildlife but I, maybe foolishly, thought that we had learned from that. I put my faith in to these people drilling out in the waters that they would follow all measures to ensure safety and had back up plans in place that were not only tested but re-tested and re-tested over and over again, just in case.
Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in the PacNW where nature is a big deal up there and maybe it’s because I live in S. Florida now where, again, nature is a big deal down here. It’s extremely important that we protect these environments and the animals and watching the oil spill grow and grow, animals dying, Louisiana suffering now from the spill, knowing more animals will die, thinking about the hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil out there in the gulf.....I’m hard pressed to argue with anyone who is against drilling for oil off the coast of FL or in ANWR.
I’m having a hard time finding a reason they are wrong. This oil spill and the way it has been handled has infuriated me. Perhaps we need to really start focusing on alternatives. Some may argue about the cost and price to the consumer but I ask you, looking at the images of the oil spill, you don’t think we’re already paying a high price?
As I know many of you may not agree with me, I’m asking you to tell me why I’m wrong. I will tell you in advance, however, that if your argument is monetary, you will not change my mind. If your sole reason to do this is because it will save us money, we will never agree. I just can’t accept that way of thinking when I see animals dying needlessly over our actions to save a few bucks. I just can’t accept that answer when I see that oil in the water and washing up on shore.
I understand we don’t want to be dependent on oil from other countries so what about alternatives? Is there something wrong with finding alternatives? All I ask is please, don’t tell me it’s because it costs too much. The devastation and loss of life costs too much. Convince me I’m wrong without throwing in the almighty dollar.
