I must preface by saying in my own attempts at maintaining some bit of self-control, maturity and an ounce of class, I have sugar-coated the topic of this blog as “Things that Distract me” rather than using stronger words such as “Things that infuriate me” or “Things that make me want to fly off at the mouth”… although the latter quite amuses me… but again, best to remain as mature as possible. (An oxymoron in itself…) 

Without further ado, here are three things that have really gotten me peeved lately (in no particular order):

Drivers who race in both lanes to see who can get closest to the speed limit without actually ever arriving at said speed limit. This is very closely related to another pet-peeve: drivers who insist on staying in the passing lane (to those that aren’t aware, the passing lane is the left lane in America; it’s intended for passing those in the slow, right lane. It is not for lollygagging and ‘racing’ slow-lane drivers.)

People who talk about others.  Now when I say ‘talk about’, I mean bashing and berating people. I have seen groups of women (mostly) spend literally hours on end trash-talking everybody out of ear-shot. It’s what seems to sustain them, giving them fuel to carry on. This appears to be a group activity, requiring at least 2 individuals to feed off one-another. That’s ok though, as nothing screams insecurity more than when an individual verbally tears someone else apart…they’re doing it to separate themselves from that person & to make themselves look better. (Funny how the opposite happens; they end up much smaller than before.)

Boastful people. You know when the person simply can’t resist dropping a slyly-placed comment here and there…seemingly unintentionally providing info about themselves? The more humble the individual, the more they are admired and respected, regardless of their possessions! Perhaps others don’t see it the same, but our possessions mean absolutely nothing in the whole scheme of things...I know, hard to remember in America, but nonetheless true.

Thanks, I feel better having vented.

 

 
How far would you go to preserve your seat? now you can buy items that look like spilled drinks and melted ice cream to keep people away. Although personally I think they would look cool just sitting on a desk bugging people who love to be clean and neat. It's interesting seeing people incorporate food in a creative way like this, even though its not created out of actual food. You can see more pictures of these seat savers here.

Wonder what people will think of next?

According to the Wikipedia, (where else would you go to look something up) a blog is:   A blog (a portmanteau of the term "web log")^[1] is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.  I would like to offer another definition, I think it is a place where people who have nothing to say go to say it.  If you want to keep a personal diary do it!  If you want to write a book, write one!  If you just want to run your mouth go to a bar, there are plenty of people there that will listen and some of them may even give a hoot.  If you want to complain, write a letter to the editor.   That is the person that is in charge of what used to be called the newspaper.  As you can see I personally do not have much use for blogs, I know they can be wonderful tools for people to communicate and I am not against new forms of communication, if that is what it is used for.

Unfortunately I think Blogs, keep people from voting, I think it keeps them from getting involved, I think Blogs are mainly for people who like to sit on there can and do nothing.

But you know now that i think about it, maybe blogs are a great thing.  Maybe we can learn to fight wars on blogs, feed the poor, provide homes for the homeless, yes maybe I am wrong. I will be the first to admit it.

So you know what, I am going to spend more time doing something to bring about change than I am complaining about the change that is not coming about.

Thanks for your time

Random fact time: I basically did not speak to anyone outside of my immediate family until I was forced to when I attended school. And only then when I absolutely had to speak.

Some called it 'shy.' I think back on it as shyness, with a wallop of stubbornness to go with it. Sure, over the years I learned, mostly through brute force, that I must socialize to be accepted in some way as 'normal'; and I am human...I do have a desire to be connected to others.  As years passed I, at times, learned to reap the loneliness that comes along when you don't reach out to others. It was never for lack of desire...it was more about learning how to reach out, and applying that darn 'brute force' technique. After 30+ years, I feel I have come a long way socially. I enjoy others’ company and honestly always have…it’s just that now-a-days, I find it much easier to say so. I’ll even happily engage in a conversation with a complete stranger!

Now, rather than being proud of finally getting over some hurdles, instead, I am stubbornly fighting against learning to jump over a new one. It was a challenge enough to say ‘hello’ to people walking by…but now, there is a whole new social arena – the world of social networking that exists in this strange place called “online” is immense…and cold, if you ask me. How do I force myself to be social while sitting at a desk looking at a glaring monitor? Really?? Millions of folks spend hours living in this online world. Forget playing in the dirt, tending your garden, or walking around your neighborhood to chat with real people… Now, millions of folks spend hours of their time disconnected from the earth, connected instead to the cyber world. Come-on, folks!! As human beings, we have not even come close to mastering things like interpersonal relationships and social skills. We continue to divorce, battle depression, and grow fatter, lazier, and frankly, not very nice. So what are we to do? Go inside our houses and sit alone in front of a monitor, reporting every last mundane thought and action we have, as if anyone out there really cares? No thank you. Social networking definitely has its values, but should be used in moderation.

Like so many millions of humans, I have made some steps to join this increasingly Cyber Social world, if only so that I am not left behind. Also, because the internet is sometimes the only option one has to stay in touch with some people. In my attempt to stay somewhat connected, I had a MySpace page, briefly, but always felt like an outsider - a less-technical, less-social participator in the cyber world. After tiring of the nonsense, the spam and the pure hassle of maintaining the page, it went dormant. Deleting the MySpace page finally, I decided to crawl out from under my rock and try again to join the cyber world via Facebook. It is a true chore to maintain. Sure, it can be great as a means of staying in contact with folks far away, and it’s perfect for those in the military, etc, but I so much prefer seeing real people, hearing their ringing voices, experiencing their expressions and intonations…these are all things that no computer (no matter how fast or efficient or spectacular) is going to do for me. Please folks, come out of the computer chair, go outside and feel the sun on your face and say “Hello” to your neighbor.

I just don’t get facial jewelry, I mean jewelry in one’s lips and eyebrows just doesn’t do anything for me.

I certainly don’t get celebrities who complain about mankind “destroying the environment” yet they fly all over in their private jets and own 20,000 square foot homes that use more power in a week than most homes use in a year.

Does it really make sense that the “approval polls” for Congress hover around 20% (currently at 11%) but members of Congress still get re-elected?

Does it make sense to you that in my business and personal life I sometimes have to cut back on my spending but when the government runs short the first action is to raise taxes?

But what really bugs me is voice mail for a business. Just last week I called my internet company and it was literally 4 minutes of “please listen carefully to the following options” and “dial 1 for …. dial 7 for” and the real kicker “please have your account number ready for faster service”?!

Just venting.

Appears to be a dying concept. The other day I went to Lowes ready to spent my hard earned $s only to be passed around so many times, I walked out and went to Home Depot. Really from the moment I entered Lowes that day and took one look at the young girl behind the desk, I knew all she had in mind was when the clock was going to show her the way home.

It makes me wonder may be this is why we continue to do well even during these difficult times. I personally have tried to be fair to all customers. Some have tried to abuse the system and have manged to take advantage over the years but these folks don't bother me. My philosophy has been everything is going round and round. You get what you do to others, when exactly? No one knows but look around you; the Earth is going around the Sun. Electrons go round and round around the Nucleus, everything around us is turning. How much momentum YOUR deed gains during its round trip back to you?