WITH A WHISKEY AND A 45
Or something like that...The whiskey being vodka and the 45 being me, in about 2 hours anyway. When I was 25, I couldn't even see that far down this road. Now before you click away thinking this is going to turn into some sort of drunken train wreck rant/whine about how it sucks to be me, it won't. I'm not drunk, and while some people might think it sucks to be me, I don't think that way...or, it might be better to say I don't operate that way. I have pity parties just like everyone else does, I just generally keep them to myself. Except for that one meltdown a couple of months back that I'm still beating myself up for.
I've been thinking alot about this whole turning 45 business alot lately...30 didn't bother me, 40 didn't bother me, but 45...man. Initially it was reflection on a shoulda done/coulda done level, and let me tell you, I shoulda/coulda done alot of shit in the last 20 years. The single thing that I regret, I mean truely regret, is that I didn't finish school. That regret is easily corrected however, I can go back to school. And, in a sense, I am in school right now, learning to be an electrician. I'm still not 100% on this gig, but I'm learning valuable skills and staying afloat, albeit with the assistance of Ann's job and her parents helping us out. That parents helping us out thing bugged me for a while, until I got over myself and realized how lucky we are to have them willing to help, and...well, god bless them.
On to the point...I started thinking about the things I did do over the last 20 years, and you know what? It's not such a shabby list, and when you get right down to it, it beats making a shitload of money and driving a Hummer 2 just like lil' bow wow's. Although the shitload of money is appealing. I have, in the last 20 years:
Managed to help raise a son who is destined to shine.
Found and married the love of my life 10 years ago, even though she was under my nose 20 years ago.
Helped alot of people.
Helped alot of animals.
Wrote some decent songs, with a decent band, that made people very uncomfortable (sometimes) when we played them.
Met lots of different people, from all walks of life and been enriched by the experience.And still have alot of them around after all this time.
Managed to keep a roof over my head and food in my pantry, so, "what have you got to complain about"? (thanks, mom, for the unending pounding of what really matters into my head).
There's more, but it's late...work in the morning, you know. Suffice to say, that, upon reflection, 45 isn't so bad after all.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Sunday, November 28, 2004
DISCRIMI-NATION
I've had this thing on my mind all day...discrimination, and in particular, discrimination in the US of A. I can only speak from my experiences, and so I will. Growing up in texas in the late 60's and nearly 70's gave me a pallette of discrimination beyond imagination as I was awash in a sea of rednecks. they hated blacks,mexicans, asians...anyone who wasn't white, except for hippies, or freaks, or whatever you want to call them. And from 7th grade, I was one of those hippies. To run away from a group of rednecks intent on kicking your ass and removing your hair with goat shears gave me a unique connection with my ethnic brethren, which I carry with me to this day. But I had a choice, had I cut my hair and changed my dress, I would've obstensively been alright, but a haircut and fashion adjustment was easy...not like changing the color of your skin. I finally did cut my hair off in 1977, and it won me a job washing dishes at a hotel...in the back, with the blacks and the mexicans, so go figure.
People of color have persevered in this country for many generations at great expense, and through that perseverence have gained significant footholds in society. Even in government...high ranking government even, but I'm sure there's some hardcore racist somewhere decrying the niggers in the woodpile (whitehouse). The difference is they don't have permission to be vocal like they used to, because Colin Powell is a great man, and nobody has the balls to spout that kind of undistilled hatred these days. I realize there are many prominent black leaders in the us today, but Colin is the obvious choice, because he is a great man, and an example of aforementioned perseverence. I don't like Condoleeza Rice, but she is a another example of that perseverence...you don't have to like her politics, but god damn! She's black and female and has a high ranking position in the government, if you look at the history of this country that's nothing short of fucking amazing, and more power to her for that.
I still don't like her, or republicans for that matter, and struggle to dispel the thought that she is just an "Aunt Jemima" of the republican party, put in a place of power for appearance sake to fool the other black people in this country into believing the republican party welcomes diversity. And don't be fooled for one second, Rastus, it's a front...trust me. They welcome diversity like you welcome a case of the crabs or scabies, but they know what works...and this diversity shit works, like a charm.
Discrimination in this country has gone further underground as ethnic groups have integrated themselves into the main workings of america...they still get fucked over, to be sure, but it's done on a level more subtle and sinister than back in the day when people could just be blatently racist. It's harder to prove, and "affirmative action" in all it's wide eyed earnestness has in a way made it easier to "stealth discriminate" and made things harder for everyone, whites included.
But these days, your ethnicity is secondary to what I call your "approval rating"...what do you represent by your appearance? And peoples perception of said appearance. I no longer fly the flag of the hippy...my hairline won't allow it :), I haven't worn an earring for almost a year.I was never much into beads or fringe. But I have these tattoos...lot's of them, they are not a remnant of my hippy past. I'm colored by choice, part of it has to do with my dad and his friends, part of it has to do with punk rock, part of it has to do with wanting to be different, but mostly it has to do with distance I think. Distance from a society that I'm ashamed of. Because of discrimination.
People make broadstroke generalizations about me because of the way I look.
I am an ex convict...No, I paid good money for these tats and I have never been in prison
I am a biker...No...I like motorcycles and all, but please, give it a rest.
I am a racist...No...you will find no swastikas on my body...my mom taught me well, and I love you all, regardless of creed or color.
I am a rock star...I wish I was, I tried to be one, but when your pushing 45 and the phones not ringing, you have to reinvent yourself.
But how do you do that when people can't see past the ink on your body? I might as well be black.
Get my point?
More to come.
I've had this thing on my mind all day...discrimination, and in particular, discrimination in the US of A. I can only speak from my experiences, and so I will. Growing up in texas in the late 60's and nearly 70's gave me a pallette of discrimination beyond imagination as I was awash in a sea of rednecks. they hated blacks,mexicans, asians...anyone who wasn't white, except for hippies, or freaks, or whatever you want to call them. And from 7th grade, I was one of those hippies. To run away from a group of rednecks intent on kicking your ass and removing your hair with goat shears gave me a unique connection with my ethnic brethren, which I carry with me to this day. But I had a choice, had I cut my hair and changed my dress, I would've obstensively been alright, but a haircut and fashion adjustment was easy...not like changing the color of your skin. I finally did cut my hair off in 1977, and it won me a job washing dishes at a hotel...in the back, with the blacks and the mexicans, so go figure.
People of color have persevered in this country for many generations at great expense, and through that perseverence have gained significant footholds in society. Even in government...high ranking government even, but I'm sure there's some hardcore racist somewhere decrying the niggers in the woodpile (whitehouse). The difference is they don't have permission to be vocal like they used to, because Colin Powell is a great man, and nobody has the balls to spout that kind of undistilled hatred these days. I realize there are many prominent black leaders in the us today, but Colin is the obvious choice, because he is a great man, and an example of aforementioned perseverence. I don't like Condoleeza Rice, but she is a another example of that perseverence...you don't have to like her politics, but god damn! She's black and female and has a high ranking position in the government, if you look at the history of this country that's nothing short of fucking amazing, and more power to her for that.
I still don't like her, or republicans for that matter, and struggle to dispel the thought that she is just an "Aunt Jemima" of the republican party, put in a place of power for appearance sake to fool the other black people in this country into believing the republican party welcomes diversity. And don't be fooled for one second, Rastus, it's a front...trust me. They welcome diversity like you welcome a case of the crabs or scabies, but they know what works...and this diversity shit works, like a charm.
Discrimination in this country has gone further underground as ethnic groups have integrated themselves into the main workings of america...they still get fucked over, to be sure, but it's done on a level more subtle and sinister than back in the day when people could just be blatently racist. It's harder to prove, and "affirmative action" in all it's wide eyed earnestness has in a way made it easier to "stealth discriminate" and made things harder for everyone, whites included.
But these days, your ethnicity is secondary to what I call your "approval rating"...what do you represent by your appearance? And peoples perception of said appearance. I no longer fly the flag of the hippy...my hairline won't allow it :), I haven't worn an earring for almost a year.I was never much into beads or fringe. But I have these tattoos...lot's of them, they are not a remnant of my hippy past. I'm colored by choice, part of it has to do with my dad and his friends, part of it has to do with punk rock, part of it has to do with wanting to be different, but mostly it has to do with distance I think. Distance from a society that I'm ashamed of. Because of discrimination.
People make broadstroke generalizations about me because of the way I look.
I am an ex convict...No, I paid good money for these tats and I have never been in prison
I am a biker...No...I like motorcycles and all, but please, give it a rest.
I am a racist...No...you will find no swastikas on my body...my mom taught me well, and I love you all, regardless of creed or color.
I am a rock star...I wish I was, I tried to be one, but when your pushing 45 and the phones not ringing, you have to reinvent yourself.
But how do you do that when people can't see past the ink on your body? I might as well be black.
Get my point?
More to come.
SOMEONE ACTUALLY ASKED ME MY OPINION
Instead of me just throwing it around here all willy-nilly...how about that?
Anyway, BW and Mr.BW were discussing discrimination in the good old US, and wondered what thoughts, if any, I might have on the subject. They were particularly curious about the whole gay discrimination thing. Well...here goes,uh...something.
I live in Austin, Texas, which has a large gay community that has been here for years. There are also lots of baptists here, and if they weren't so busy trying to ban breast feeding in public places (seriously) I'm sure they would be after the gay folks like a duck on a junebug. It's hard for me to opine on the plight of gay folks in america, because of the gay community here. In some respects, they are a vital source...on many levels, but especially in support and activism for the gay population in and around Austin. And that activism is steady and quiet, not militant and loud, which might explain the harmony we experience here.
Moving on to the bigger picture...gays are discriminated against on a national level, big time. Denied rights and priviledges not because of the religiously guided members of our society (loons for short), but because the white house is occupied by a loon who has energised all the other loons with his anti gay agenda, and they have been mobilized and legitimized and, by god, their time is NOW!
If you think about it, prior to Bushes first term, there were positive steps being taken in regard to gay rights...it was still a fight, but the loons didn't have quite the "advantage" they have now.
So,yes, in the case of gay discrimination, you are correct...GOD is on their side, and his biggest fan in the white house. All I can say is, if there IS a real god it's time for him/her/it to make an appearance and straighten these idiots out before it's too late.
I mean, what's next? Black republicans holding cabinet positions? Oh...wait...
Talk about your oxymoron.
"When they came for the gypsies, I did not speak, for I am
not a gypsy. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak,
because I wasn't a Jew. When they came for the Catholics, I
did not speak, for I am not a Catholic. And when they came
for me, there was no one left to speak."
-On the Wall at the Holocaust Museum in Washington
To me, that quote speaks volumes about discrimination in this country.
Instead of me just throwing it around here all willy-nilly...how about that?
Anyway, BW and Mr.BW were discussing discrimination in the good old US, and wondered what thoughts, if any, I might have on the subject. They were particularly curious about the whole gay discrimination thing. Well...here goes,uh...something.
I live in Austin, Texas, which has a large gay community that has been here for years. There are also lots of baptists here, and if they weren't so busy trying to ban breast feeding in public places (seriously) I'm sure they would be after the gay folks like a duck on a junebug. It's hard for me to opine on the plight of gay folks in america, because of the gay community here. In some respects, they are a vital source...on many levels, but especially in support and activism for the gay population in and around Austin. And that activism is steady and quiet, not militant and loud, which might explain the harmony we experience here.
Moving on to the bigger picture...gays are discriminated against on a national level, big time. Denied rights and priviledges not because of the religiously guided members of our society (loons for short), but because the white house is occupied by a loon who has energised all the other loons with his anti gay agenda, and they have been mobilized and legitimized and, by god, their time is NOW!
If you think about it, prior to Bushes first term, there were positive steps being taken in regard to gay rights...it was still a fight, but the loons didn't have quite the "advantage" they have now.
So,yes, in the case of gay discrimination, you are correct...GOD is on their side, and his biggest fan in the white house. All I can say is, if there IS a real god it's time for him/her/it to make an appearance and straighten these idiots out before it's too late.
I mean, what's next? Black republicans holding cabinet positions? Oh...wait...
Talk about your oxymoron.
"When they came for the gypsies, I did not speak, for I am
not a gypsy. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak,
because I wasn't a Jew. When they came for the Catholics, I
did not speak, for I am not a Catholic. And when they came
for me, there was no one left to speak."
-On the Wall at the Holocaust Museum in Washington
To me, that quote speaks volumes about discrimination in this country.
Friday, November 26, 2004
WHERE'S VANG IN THE NEWS?
apparently, this, is more newsworthy. Drunk cops stealing fajitas. Cool. Anyway, it's time for a stoned guy with a skink on his head...man...
...Dude...can I have one of those fajitas?
...uhh...please?
...come on man...I got the munchies
...my skink's hungry too...dude, come on...show some love...
...yeah? Well fuck you too...bastard.
...damn it...excuse me miss...are you into skinks?I have this giant one on my head...interested?
apparently, this, is more newsworthy. Drunk cops stealing fajitas. Cool. Anyway, it's time for a stoned guy with a skink on his head...man...
...Dude...can I have one of those fajitas?...uhh...please?...come on man...I got the munchies...my skink's hungry too...dude, come on...show some love......yeah? Well fuck you too...bastard....damn it...excuse me miss...are you into skinks?I have this giant one on my head...interested?
IT'S POTATO SOUP FOR CRYING OUT LOUD
So...how was your thanksgiving? Ours was just fine...had a big meal at the in laws with Ann's big brother and mom and dad. Mom made green bean cassarole (apparently) just for me, and it rocked, very tasty stuff.
Of course, we came home with a shitload of leftovers, and, the ham bone. So I made soup today, but before that could happen I had to go to the store. Since Ann was at work with the car, I walked to the store. About 3 or 4 miles round trip. I could of waited for Ann to get home with the car, but hey, I wasn't doing anything else and I said I was going to make soup. And making soup takes time, plus,this being the "holiday" season and all, I wanted Ann to come home to the smell of good things cooking. The smell of good things cooking is one thing that redeems the "holiday" season for me.
A stove warm house full of good cooking smells is just the shit...anyway...
Thanksgiving continues for us as my son and his fiance are coming for lunch tomorrow...I haven't done this for years, but I'm doing cornish hens and all the fixin's including my moms sausage dressing.
And all this from a guy who says fuck christmas...it's not about the holidays for me, it's about love, and you feed the ones you love.
So...how was your thanksgiving? Ours was just fine...had a big meal at the in laws with Ann's big brother and mom and dad. Mom made green bean cassarole (apparently) just for me, and it rocked, very tasty stuff.
Of course, we came home with a shitload of leftovers, and, the ham bone. So I made soup today, but before that could happen I had to go to the store. Since Ann was at work with the car, I walked to the store. About 3 or 4 miles round trip. I could of waited for Ann to get home with the car, but hey, I wasn't doing anything else and I said I was going to make soup. And making soup takes time, plus,this being the "holiday" season and all, I wanted Ann to come home to the smell of good things cooking. The smell of good things cooking is one thing that redeems the "holiday" season for me.
A stove warm house full of good cooking smells is just the shit...anyway...
Thanksgiving continues for us as my son and his fiance are coming for lunch tomorrow...I haven't done this for years, but I'm doing cornish hens and all the fixin's including my moms sausage dressing.
And all this from a guy who says fuck christmas...it's not about the holidays for me, it's about love, and you feed the ones you love.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON HERE?
There was a hunter killed a while back in Michigan, the suspects were seen fleeing the scene in a 1987 nissan truck. Vang, the Wisconsin suspect, has a 1987 nissan truck. So...does this Vang drive around during hunting season and kill hunters for fun or is it a dead end? Who knows...well, somebody does, but they aren't saying anything...yet.
Blue Witch comments " this is beyond my comprehension"...yeah, BW, mine too. But it says something about american culture on a number of levels. First you have the gun culture thing, we are split, some of us are gun advocates, and some of us are anti-gun. There are millions of guns in this country, owned by law abiding citizens for hunting and/or home protection, and criminals for robbing and killing. When you get right down to it, guns are not the problem. It's the people who have them. And how they came to have those guns. We have legitimately purchased the firearm in our house...filled out the paper work and all that shit, just like millions of other americans. But guns change hands in alot of different ways here and it's nigh impossible to control it.
Then there's the melting pot phenomena of america...which in my estimation, breaks down like this:
50% of americans are not racist...25% pretend they aren't, but hold some umbrage against other ethnic groups...two faced in other words.And 20% make no secret of being racist, this 20 % is made up of whites who hate other races,blacks who hate other races...and so on, down the line of every color group you can think of. And then there's the 5% that could give a shit what color you are or what god you pray to, they just don't care...they are like Rodney King, who said "why can't we all just get along"? after a bunch of white cops kicked his ass...not really, he was a drug addled n***er that deserved a beating who said that martin luther shit to further his cause...WHOA!!! Where did that come from??? Which leads me to the biggest problem americans face.
The media. That's right...the fucking media...for much of america, media calls the shots. I listen to a particular AM talk radio station that repetes the same shit over and over again 24/7, and in between takes calls from the populace listening to it, and guess what? The callers that agree with the station are expanded upon, while dissenters are quickly cut off...wow, imagine that.
If you fall in line it's all good, if you don't, bye-bye and "thanks" for your call.
The media plays shape shifter and we suffer the consequences...now back to this Vang thing.
Yeah...take me there.
There was a hunter killed a while back in Michigan, the suspects were seen fleeing the scene in a 1987 nissan truck. Vang, the Wisconsin suspect, has a 1987 nissan truck. So...does this Vang drive around during hunting season and kill hunters for fun or is it a dead end? Who knows...well, somebody does, but they aren't saying anything...yet.
Blue Witch comments " this is beyond my comprehension"...yeah, BW, mine too. But it says something about american culture on a number of levels. First you have the gun culture thing, we are split, some of us are gun advocates, and some of us are anti-gun. There are millions of guns in this country, owned by law abiding citizens for hunting and/or home protection, and criminals for robbing and killing. When you get right down to it, guns are not the problem. It's the people who have them. And how they came to have those guns. We have legitimately purchased the firearm in our house...filled out the paper work and all that shit, just like millions of other americans. But guns change hands in alot of different ways here and it's nigh impossible to control it.
Then there's the melting pot phenomena of america...which in my estimation, breaks down like this:
50% of americans are not racist...25% pretend they aren't, but hold some umbrage against other ethnic groups...two faced in other words.And 20% make no secret of being racist, this 20 % is made up of whites who hate other races,blacks who hate other races...and so on, down the line of every color group you can think of. And then there's the 5% that could give a shit what color you are or what god you pray to, they just don't care...they are like Rodney King, who said "why can't we all just get along"? after a bunch of white cops kicked his ass...not really, he was a drug addled n***er that deserved a beating who said that martin luther shit to further his cause...WHOA!!! Where did that come from??? Which leads me to the biggest problem americans face.
The media. That's right...the fucking media...for much of america, media calls the shots. I listen to a particular AM talk radio station that repetes the same shit over and over again 24/7, and in between takes calls from the populace listening to it, and guess what? The callers that agree with the station are expanded upon, while dissenters are quickly cut off...wow, imagine that.
If you fall in line it's all good, if you don't, bye-bye and "thanks" for your call.
The media plays shape shifter and we suffer the consequences...now back to this Vang thing.
Yeah...take me there.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
HMONG FEAR BACKLASH,OR...LET'S GO DEER HUNTING V.3
With 6 dead and 2 wounded, it's hard to imagine Vang was able to take out "8 armed men" all by his lonesome with an SKS. That's because he didn't, or rather, they weren't all armed, only one of them was.
Yet there are sites reporting that they were...and labelling Vang a "gun nut" and telling people to thank the NRA for allowing Vang to wander the Wisconsin woods with an assault rifle.
Here's a shining example of the shit I'm referring to from a contributer to Bartcop
( B for bonehead)
OK, let's clear things up...again. Perhaps this illustration will help clarify: I used to own a remington model 714, 30.06 "hunting" rifle, it was a semi-automatic weapon capable of delivering 8 rounds as fast as I could pull the trigger...with extra clips on hand you could reload in no time and deliver 7 more with each clip. The only differences between that weapon and the SKS are as follows: the Remington 30.06 is a bigger round, more damage, bigger kick. The SKS in question has a larger magazine capacity, and those magazines are readily available for about 10 dollars each (for a 30 round magazine), you can get larger magazines for the remington, but they are far and few between from my experience browsing at gun shows and cost considerably more. But the reality of it is, it's the same fucking thing,6 of 1-half a dozen of the other. The remington does hurt your shoulder more, I'll admit...you can shoot an SKS all day long if you want to. The only difference then, really, is classification, the semi-automatic remington is a "hunting rifle" and the semi-automatic SKS is an "assault rifle". I really don't see much of a difference here, what is shooting a deer (except for the armed ones) other than "assault"? Oh, yeah, I forgot...it's a "sport" and a "time honored american tradition"...ask a deer that's been shot with a 30.06 what they think about hunting, well never mind, they're dead and they can't talk anyway,but I assure you they don't like it.
Enough about that though, back to the matter at hand.
A new bit of info I read today calls for a correction on my last post about this...Vang was in the national guard, not the army.While in the gaurd, he earned a sharpshooter emblem but his duties mostly involved "clerical work" (this was an AP story in the Austin american statesman today...I would provide a link, but I can't remember the dummy password to access the article). The article also went on to say that Vangs grandfather(I think it was his GF) was General Vang, leader of the Hmong "secret army" that helped the US in Laos (even though we weren't there) during the war in Viet Nam.
In light of the statements by Vang implying the hunter fired on him first and his emerging background, I'd say these hunters picked the wrong Hmong to fuck with...if they fucked with him. If you do a google search you can find links that mention tension and strife between whitey and the Hmong community in that area, some of it related to hunting, and oddly enough, fish poaching (angling...not cooking). So, the Hmong community is bracing for a backlash? Why? Is it because one of there own killed 6 and wounded 2 out of the fucking blue? A Hmong/American member of minnesota government opined that Vang was "crazy", to which I'm sure Vang said "thanks homegirl"!
Or is it because they have reason to be fearful?
Stay tuned...you know there will be more.
With 6 dead and 2 wounded, it's hard to imagine Vang was able to take out "8 armed men" all by his lonesome with an SKS. That's because he didn't, or rather, they weren't all armed, only one of them was.
Yet there are sites reporting that they were...and labelling Vang a "gun nut" and telling people to thank the NRA for allowing Vang to wander the Wisconsin woods with an assault rifle.
Here's a shining example of the shit I'm referring to from a contributer to Bartcop
Subject: that new NRA office in Wisconsin
The "incident" in Wisconsin blows to hell the NRA's argument that when people are armed
they can better defend themselves. Everybody involved in this was armed. It's just the other guy had a fucking semi-auto crappy Chinese AK-47 wannabe.machine gun.
So now all the deer hunters will want one "just in case".
(me: It's not a machine gun asshat, it's a semi- automatic rifle. Machine gun intimates "fully" automatic...get over yourself already)
Who the F hunts with a SKS or AK-47?
(me: You got me, but I'm sure people do. And they shouldn't. I mean, hunt at all with a rifle, if you have to hunt, do it on the ground with a bow and arrow...not in a tree stand with a cannon and a 12 pack.)
I bet if you check the guy with the SKS his dink will be about 3 inches.
The smaller the dink the bigger the gun. That's the rule.
(me: Please....)
And to the families of the dead. I am sorry for your loss.
(me: me too...unless they were racists, like this guy.)
But aren't you glad we have that glorious second amendment?
(me: yes.)
At least your lost loved ones had a chance.
That should be of some comfort.
(me: that's just stupid bleeding heart rhetoric)
( B for bonehead)
OK, let's clear things up...again. Perhaps this illustration will help clarify: I used to own a remington model 714, 30.06 "hunting" rifle, it was a semi-automatic weapon capable of delivering 8 rounds as fast as I could pull the trigger...with extra clips on hand you could reload in no time and deliver 7 more with each clip. The only differences between that weapon and the SKS are as follows: the Remington 30.06 is a bigger round, more damage, bigger kick. The SKS in question has a larger magazine capacity, and those magazines are readily available for about 10 dollars each (for a 30 round magazine), you can get larger magazines for the remington, but they are far and few between from my experience browsing at gun shows and cost considerably more. But the reality of it is, it's the same fucking thing,6 of 1-half a dozen of the other. The remington does hurt your shoulder more, I'll admit...you can shoot an SKS all day long if you want to. The only difference then, really, is classification, the semi-automatic remington is a "hunting rifle" and the semi-automatic SKS is an "assault rifle". I really don't see much of a difference here, what is shooting a deer (except for the armed ones) other than "assault"? Oh, yeah, I forgot...it's a "sport" and a "time honored american tradition"...ask a deer that's been shot with a 30.06 what they think about hunting, well never mind, they're dead and they can't talk anyway,but I assure you they don't like it.
Enough about that though, back to the matter at hand.
A new bit of info I read today calls for a correction on my last post about this...Vang was in the national guard, not the army.While in the gaurd, he earned a sharpshooter emblem but his duties mostly involved "clerical work" (this was an AP story in the Austin american statesman today...I would provide a link, but I can't remember the dummy password to access the article). The article also went on to say that Vangs grandfather(I think it was his GF) was General Vang, leader of the Hmong "secret army" that helped the US in Laos (even though we weren't there) during the war in Viet Nam.
In light of the statements by Vang implying the hunter fired on him first and his emerging background, I'd say these hunters picked the wrong Hmong to fuck with...if they fucked with him. If you do a google search you can find links that mention tension and strife between whitey and the Hmong community in that area, some of it related to hunting, and oddly enough, fish poaching (angling...not cooking). So, the Hmong community is bracing for a backlash? Why? Is it because one of there own killed 6 and wounded 2 out of the fucking blue? A Hmong/American member of minnesota government opined that Vang was "crazy", to which I'm sure Vang said "thanks homegirl"!
Or is it because they have reason to be fearful?
Stay tuned...you know there will be more.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
YELLOWISH SHEETS OF JOY
Things have been lean around here lately, and we humans aren't the only ones to suffer the consequences. Our extended family is an odd one, we don't have kids...well, we do, but they are manifested in the guise of dogs...3 of them, black, thank you very much, offering as much dysfunction and unpredictability as any human child could offer. There is a human child, he is mine and currently 19...he does not live with us, but at one time did. We love him dearly, but do not miss his particular brand of dysfunction and unpredictability when he did. He's much better now, I can assure you, and as testimony I offer the simple fact that he is still alive. ( Love ya Kyle!:P).
Our live in family is rounded out by a platoon of turtles...currently numbering 20...this may seem like alot of turtles, but at one time we were approaching 50...some were local injured turts, rehabbed and released...some were adopted out and some died, from their injuries/illnesses, some from old age and 2, sadly,killed by rodentia . All of the turtles here have been rescues save 4...exotics that I bought.
And the icing on the cake is Sid, our horribly tempered blue tongued skink...he's an ass, but we love him all the same.
Keeping up with this number of critters is not cheap, and we have cut corners on the human needs to meet the needs of our canine and reptilian friends.
But since Ann has a job now, we have been able to resume "the giving of the cheese" for our three black doggies...cheese is dog crack, make no mistake about it, and the power of said cheese is evident in the doggy reaction to the production of that plastic wrapped sleeve of yellowish joy.
Visceral it is, that reaction...drooling, hopping and a glazed over affect...they will do anything for the magic contained in a slice of cheese.
The boys spring boners over the cheese and I always think "The cheese council needs to produce commercials with dogs getting boners over cheese...fuck that little red headed girl".
Needless to say, the sheets of joy have returned, and the dogs are thrilled.
Things have been lean around here lately, and we humans aren't the only ones to suffer the consequences. Our extended family is an odd one, we don't have kids...well, we do, but they are manifested in the guise of dogs...3 of them, black, thank you very much, offering as much dysfunction and unpredictability as any human child could offer. There is a human child, he is mine and currently 19...he does not live with us, but at one time did. We love him dearly, but do not miss his particular brand of dysfunction and unpredictability when he did. He's much better now, I can assure you, and as testimony I offer the simple fact that he is still alive. ( Love ya Kyle!:P).
Our live in family is rounded out by a platoon of turtles...currently numbering 20...this may seem like alot of turtles, but at one time we were approaching 50...some were local injured turts, rehabbed and released...some were adopted out and some died, from their injuries/illnesses, some from old age and 2, sadly,killed by rodentia . All of the turtles here have been rescues save 4...exotics that I bought.
And the icing on the cake is Sid, our horribly tempered blue tongued skink...he's an ass, but we love him all the same.
Keeping up with this number of critters is not cheap, and we have cut corners on the human needs to meet the needs of our canine and reptilian friends.
But since Ann has a job now, we have been able to resume "the giving of the cheese" for our three black doggies...cheese is dog crack, make no mistake about it, and the power of said cheese is evident in the doggy reaction to the production of that plastic wrapped sleeve of yellowish joy.
Visceral it is, that reaction...drooling, hopping and a glazed over affect...they will do anything for the magic contained in a slice of cheese.
The boys spring boners over the cheese and I always think "The cheese council needs to produce commercials with dogs getting boners over cheese...fuck that little red headed girl".
Needless to say, the sheets of joy have returned, and the dogs are thrilled.
Thoughts from the Work Cave
I provide ISP tech support for rural America. My customers do not live in cities. Most of them do not even live in towns. When they have a problem with their computer, the telephone is their only hope. There is no neighbor or coworker they can ask to come over and help them. The closest computer repair place is usually miles and miles away. As a result, they call us for EVERYTHING that goes wrong with their machine. I had a woman burst out in tears today when I told her she needed to call her computer manufacturer. She'd said she'd already tried that but she couldn't understand a word they said and when she finally got someone who spoke with less of an accent, they couldn't explain things to her in a way that made sense. I get a lot of calls like that (though usually without the tears) and unfortunately I have to refer them right back to the manufacturer. The odd thing though, is the calls I get from customers who have called my employer before that say things like "I'm so glad to get someone that I can understand." Huh? Everyone I work with speaks perfect English. There might be the odd accent or two, but nothing so overwhelming that you can't understand them. I started paying attention to where these callers were from and, for today, it turns out that most of them were from Kentucky. For some reason, my peculiar mix of German/Texan/Southern accent is pleasing to their ears which I find odd because they have a very distinctive accent and I sound nothing like that. And here's a bit of trivia for you - in Kentucky you don't click on the "next" button, you mash it.
I provide ISP tech support for rural America. My customers do not live in cities. Most of them do not even live in towns. When they have a problem with their computer, the telephone is their only hope. There is no neighbor or coworker they can ask to come over and help them. The closest computer repair place is usually miles and miles away. As a result, they call us for EVERYTHING that goes wrong with their machine. I had a woman burst out in tears today when I told her she needed to call her computer manufacturer. She'd said she'd already tried that but she couldn't understand a word they said and when she finally got someone who spoke with less of an accent, they couldn't explain things to her in a way that made sense. I get a lot of calls like that (though usually without the tears) and unfortunately I have to refer them right back to the manufacturer. The odd thing though, is the calls I get from customers who have called my employer before that say things like "I'm so glad to get someone that I can understand." Huh? Everyone I work with speaks perfect English. There might be the odd accent or two, but nothing so overwhelming that you can't understand them. I started paying attention to where these callers were from and, for today, it turns out that most of them were from Kentucky. For some reason, my peculiar mix of German/Texan/Southern accent is pleasing to their ears which I find odd because they have a very distinctive accent and I sound nothing like that. And here's a bit of trivia for you - in Kentucky you don't click on the "next" button, you mash it.
LET'S GO DEER HUNTING V.2
The suspect says the hunters shot at him first while he was trying to leave. I had the feeling there was more to this story.
The suspect is a Hmong tribesman from Laos, even though he's been here for more than 20 years and a US army veteran. Back during the Viet Nam War, the Hmong were valued by american special forces who "weren't really in Laos" for their superior skills in sneaking around the jungle and tracking and fighting, and well, the Hmong were apparently some badasses.
And there's a whole shitload of them in St. Paul...the largest concentration in the country, which is near where this tragedy occurred. But you can read that yourself by clicking on the link.
I wonder why, as described in the article, the entire hunting party felt the need to jump on their 4 wheelers and go confront this guy? There was only one gun amongst them apparently, why?
Here's a scenario...Vang is discovered in the deer stand by a couple of the hunting group...one grabs his nextal and beepbeep!" Hey there's one of them Hmong fuckers in our deer stand". The recipient of said message rally's the remaining hunters to the scene, because, after all," he's a Hmong fucker, you know, one of the 24,000 currently taking over the bioscience industry in our area" (I don't know if this is actually the case, but bioscience was listed at the St.Paul area chamber of commerce website, so the Hmongs are taking it over, much like the Vietnamese "took over" commercial fishing along the coast of Texas in the early 80's...which, BTW, really riled up the locals, even though it wasn't true). They were just better fisherman...anyway, back to the scenario...
Vang finds himself surrounded by angry locals...some of which may or may not be victims of the Hmong takeover of the areas bioscience industry...As he is leaving the scene...the one person with a gun takes a pot shot...Vang's deeply seated Hmong badass-ness rushes to the surface and in fear for his life he turns ands lights them up with his SKS assault rifle . Next question: What the fuck is he doing with an SKS? And what kind is it? Most SKS rifles have a fixed clip with 5 or 10 rounds, if his was one of those, based on reports, he would have had to reload at least once. But if it was a chinese made SKS, some of those are modified and can accept large capacity clips...30, 40 rounds or even a drum that holds upwards to 75 rounds. I don't know about the deer in Wisconsin, maybe they carry weapons, but you don't need 30 rounds to kill one here in Texas.
Victim #6 died today, leaving 2 survivors. I'm sure the people mourning the end of the Scott Peterson trial are stoked!
The suspect says the hunters shot at him first while he was trying to leave. I had the feeling there was more to this story.
The suspect is a Hmong tribesman from Laos, even though he's been here for more than 20 years and a US army veteran. Back during the Viet Nam War, the Hmong were valued by american special forces who "weren't really in Laos" for their superior skills in sneaking around the jungle and tracking and fighting, and well, the Hmong were apparently some badasses.
And there's a whole shitload of them in St. Paul...the largest concentration in the country, which is near where this tragedy occurred. But you can read that yourself by clicking on the link.
I wonder why, as described in the article, the entire hunting party felt the need to jump on their 4 wheelers and go confront this guy? There was only one gun amongst them apparently, why?
Here's a scenario...Vang is discovered in the deer stand by a couple of the hunting group...one grabs his nextal and beepbeep!" Hey there's one of them Hmong fuckers in our deer stand". The recipient of said message rally's the remaining hunters to the scene, because, after all," he's a Hmong fucker, you know, one of the 24,000 currently taking over the bioscience industry in our area" (I don't know if this is actually the case, but bioscience was listed at the St.Paul area chamber of commerce website, so the Hmongs are taking it over, much like the Vietnamese "took over" commercial fishing along the coast of Texas in the early 80's...which, BTW, really riled up the locals, even though it wasn't true). They were just better fisherman...anyway, back to the scenario...
Vang finds himself surrounded by angry locals...some of which may or may not be victims of the Hmong takeover of the areas bioscience industry...As he is leaving the scene...the one person with a gun takes a pot shot...Vang's deeply seated Hmong badass-ness rushes to the surface and in fear for his life he turns ands lights them up with his SKS assault rifle . Next question: What the fuck is he doing with an SKS? And what kind is it? Most SKS rifles have a fixed clip with 5 or 10 rounds, if his was one of those, based on reports, he would have had to reload at least once. But if it was a chinese made SKS, some of those are modified and can accept large capacity clips...30, 40 rounds or even a drum that holds upwards to 75 rounds. I don't know about the deer in Wisconsin, maybe they carry weapons, but you don't need 30 rounds to kill one here in Texas.
Victim #6 died today, leaving 2 survivors. I'm sure the people mourning the end of the Scott Peterson trial are stoked!
I need a jump-start
My hibernation was rudely interrupted by the need to go to work today. I'm having a hard time motivating myself this morning. I'm not sure if this is from the rain or because I only had one day off instead of the normal two days in a row that my brain thinks I'm supposed to get after 5 days of work. I'm glad this is a jeans and t-shirts job because if I had to deal with a dress or suit, pantyhose and high heels I would have to call in sick. And there was much mental kicking and screaming when it came to taking a shower this morning. After all this rain, the thought of more water was not appealing, but I felt it best to scrub off just in case I sprouted mold on the back of my neck or mushrooms between my toes during the night. A front is supposed to move through later today and clear all this mess out of here, but not before it brings more rain. Sigh.
My hibernation was rudely interrupted by the need to go to work today. I'm having a hard time motivating myself this morning. I'm not sure if this is from the rain or because I only had one day off instead of the normal two days in a row that my brain thinks I'm supposed to get after 5 days of work. I'm glad this is a jeans and t-shirts job because if I had to deal with a dress or suit, pantyhose and high heels I would have to call in sick. And there was much mental kicking and screaming when it came to taking a shower this morning. After all this rain, the thought of more water was not appealing, but I felt it best to scrub off just in case I sprouted mold on the back of my neck or mushrooms between my toes during the night. A front is supposed to move through later today and clear all this mess out of here, but not before it brings more rain. Sigh.
Monday, November 22, 2004
HEY...LET'S GO DEER HUNTING
I get this vision of a scene from "The Beast" toward the end, when the tank commander is lying on the ground about to meet his maker and he utters hopelessly and with resignation "Afghanistan". Only in this case, there were 5 people on the ground who died and 3 more wounded all at the hand of a hunter trespassing on their lease, laying in the fallen leaves and staring at the sky saying "Wisconsin"...different circumstances to be sure, but the wounds were real enough, and I'm sure it didn't matter where they were laying, the bullet holes were real, as was the death. And the desperation of laying on the ground, shot by some crazy fucker...dying..."Wisconsin" is the powder and lead equivilent of "Afghanistan".
According to reports, this one guy chased down 8 other hunters and managed to kill 5 of them...by his own self. did these other hunters not have guns?Why did they not, in unison, fill that bastard full of fucking holes right after he opened up on them?
I'm just sayin', if I'm in the middle of the woods and some fuckstick starts shooting at me...I will blow his fucking head off, no question...that is unless he kills me first, and if there are 8 of us, the way I figure it, if your'e not hit first, you got 7 chances to take his crazy ass out.There is more to this story. But I say we paint a stripe down his ass and give him a 5 minute head start.
I get this vision of a scene from "The Beast" toward the end, when the tank commander is lying on the ground about to meet his maker and he utters hopelessly and with resignation "Afghanistan". Only in this case, there were 5 people on the ground who died and 3 more wounded all at the hand of a hunter trespassing on their lease, laying in the fallen leaves and staring at the sky saying "Wisconsin"...different circumstances to be sure, but the wounds were real enough, and I'm sure it didn't matter where they were laying, the bullet holes were real, as was the death. And the desperation of laying on the ground, shot by some crazy fucker...dying..."Wisconsin" is the powder and lead equivilent of "Afghanistan".
According to reports, this one guy chased down 8 other hunters and managed to kill 5 of them...by his own self. did these other hunters not have guns?Why did they not, in unison, fill that bastard full of fucking holes right after he opened up on them?
I'm just sayin', if I'm in the middle of the woods and some fuckstick starts shooting at me...I will blow his fucking head off, no question...that is unless he kills me first, and if there are 8 of us, the way I figure it, if your'e not hit first, you got 7 chances to take his crazy ass out.There is more to this story. But I say we paint a stripe down his ass and give him a 5 minute head start.
OUR TAX DOLLARS HARD AT WORK
I saw this headline at CNN today..."FBI report: Prejudice fuels hate crimes"...wow, really? I'm stunned, all this time I thought it had something to do with grasshopper emissions.
WHAT'S NEXT IN THE WAR ON TERRA' ?
BunnypantsHe who has no name was in Columbia today talking about Iran and the work they've been doing in regard to nuclear weapons grade uranium...apparently, Iran has promised they have stopped and Bush wants "verification", i.e; inspections. You can be sure that there will be the same kind of cat and mouse bullshit in Iran that happened in Iraq...Deja Vu is a severe understatement here. My monies on the US in Iran within a year. We want to prevent other countries from having nuclear weapons...from an american perspective I understand this completely and easily, after all...those extremists could nuke us.
But, if I can put on the turban for a minute...the US has nuclear weapons...lot's of them, not to mention Russia (currently developing a new and improved nuke) and China and India and...oh, you get the point.
I can kind of relate with these countries in and around the middle east that do not have nuclear weapons as a deterrant to those that do. The fact that we have only unleashed our horrible power twice since it's developement says that we are either a: very measured and thoughtful or b: there that oughta teach those other countries a fucking lesson they and the Japanese won't soon forget, and, no, you can't have one, by the way, and if you try to develop one, we'll invade your country and kill you in the name of "freedom" and "democracy". Which roughly translates to " You can't harsh our edge, and if you do, we'll kill you" And...ever so subtly..."we could nuke you too if you push us, so don't push us.K"?
In the face of this, if I was a country, like say, Iran, I would want nuclear capability for no other reason than maintaining a level playing field. You nuke us, we nuke you...now that's an effective deterrant.
A very different statement, than, say..You nuke us, we fly some planes into some buildings.
For my purposes only, "nuke" equals "invade" in this post, because anybody invaded by the US has to have the nuke issue in the back of their minds...it could happen because it has happened. What better way to deter invasion than to have your own "doomsday weapon"?
9-11 was an atrocity, make no mistake about it...there were 3000 or more people killed, but let's look at the score card, a quick google search showed that we don't know how many Japanese were casualties of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, anywhere from 20,000 ( I had to laugh at this number ) to 1.2 million...again...1.2 MILLION people killed by the good old US of A...it was put forth at the time that it was done to avoid "more death" via a land invasion, but in reality, it was more to drive the point home to Stalin that we meant business, at the expense of the Japanese. Now before you jump on me for being sympathetic to the Japanese, let me point out that the Japanese militaries "Rape of Nanking" netted 300,000 killed and 80,000 raped...by some estimates, more devastating than our little drop on Japan...and done with coventional weapons and dimuntive japanese penises...who said they weren't efficient?
So, it appears that Japan has proven that you don't necessarily need a nuke to kill a shitload of people, but we saved all those lives that would have been lost by invasion by letting a bomb do our talking for us in one fell swoop. Fuck all that marching and raping and killing! Fire up the Enola Gay boys! Let's teach those nips a lesson!
It's insane. All of it. None of it makes any sense if you look at it...I mean, do you really think the majority of the middle east wants to enjoy the spoils of freedom and democracy? I don't think so. The ones that do are already here. I think we need to leave them alone as a whole and refocus our energy on the real threat...the terrorists...Osama, et al.
If we just nuked Saudi Arabia our problem would soon be over (just kidding).Which is not to say that I don't think SA is a problem. They are, more than we admit, I'm afraid...but we are so far up the ass of Saudi Arabia, we are in some sort of denial about how fucked up they really are, and what a threat they represent.
Just for grins, lets take a look at the joy of "freedom" and "democracy" according to the US. Unemployment,underemployment, outsourcing to third world countries killing our industries,healthcare in crisis and healthcare costs skyrocketing, a creeping, unending slide into poverty. The government is now effectively controlled by the religious right, the slow eradication of our rights...this is "freedom"? "Democracy"? Please...who'd want any part of this shitstorm?
Which brings me back to this...BunnypantsHe who has no name was in COLUMBIA today...talking about IRAN...
and so it goes.
I saw this headline at CNN today..."FBI report: Prejudice fuels hate crimes"...wow, really? I'm stunned, all this time I thought it had something to do with grasshopper emissions.
WHAT'S NEXT IN THE WAR ON TERRA' ?
But, if I can put on the turban for a minute...the US has nuclear weapons...lot's of them, not to mention Russia (currently developing a new and improved nuke) and China and India and...oh, you get the point.
I can kind of relate with these countries in and around the middle east that do not have nuclear weapons as a deterrant to those that do. The fact that we have only unleashed our horrible power twice since it's developement says that we are either a: very measured and thoughtful or b: there that oughta teach those other countries a fucking lesson they and the Japanese won't soon forget, and, no, you can't have one, by the way, and if you try to develop one, we'll invade your country and kill you in the name of "freedom" and "democracy". Which roughly translates to " You can't harsh our edge, and if you do, we'll kill you" And...ever so subtly..."we could nuke you too if you push us, so don't push us.K"?
In the face of this, if I was a country, like say, Iran, I would want nuclear capability for no other reason than maintaining a level playing field. You nuke us, we nuke you...now that's an effective deterrant.
A very different statement, than, say..You nuke us, we fly some planes into some buildings.
For my purposes only, "nuke" equals "invade" in this post, because anybody invaded by the US has to have the nuke issue in the back of their minds...it could happen because it has happened. What better way to deter invasion than to have your own "doomsday weapon"?
9-11 was an atrocity, make no mistake about it...there were 3000 or more people killed, but let's look at the score card, a quick google search showed that we don't know how many Japanese were casualties of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, anywhere from 20,000 ( I had to laugh at this number ) to 1.2 million...again...1.2 MILLION people killed by the good old US of A...it was put forth at the time that it was done to avoid "more death" via a land invasion, but in reality, it was more to drive the point home to Stalin that we meant business, at the expense of the Japanese. Now before you jump on me for being sympathetic to the Japanese, let me point out that the Japanese militaries "Rape of Nanking" netted 300,000 killed and 80,000 raped...by some estimates, more devastating than our little drop on Japan...and done with coventional weapons and dimuntive japanese penises...who said they weren't efficient?
So, it appears that Japan has proven that you don't necessarily need a nuke to kill a shitload of people, but we saved all those lives that would have been lost by invasion by letting a bomb do our talking for us in one fell swoop. Fuck all that marching and raping and killing! Fire up the Enola Gay boys! Let's teach those nips a lesson!
It's insane. All of it. None of it makes any sense if you look at it...I mean, do you really think the majority of the middle east wants to enjoy the spoils of freedom and democracy? I don't think so. The ones that do are already here. I think we need to leave them alone as a whole and refocus our energy on the real threat...the terrorists...Osama, et al.
If we just nuked Saudi Arabia our problem would soon be over (just kidding).Which is not to say that I don't think SA is a problem. They are, more than we admit, I'm afraid...but we are so far up the ass of Saudi Arabia, we are in some sort of denial about how fucked up they really are, and what a threat they represent.
Just for grins, lets take a look at the joy of "freedom" and "democracy" according to the US. Unemployment,underemployment, outsourcing to third world countries killing our industries,healthcare in crisis and healthcare costs skyrocketing, a creeping, unending slide into poverty. The government is now effectively controlled by the religious right, the slow eradication of our rights...this is "freedom"? "Democracy"? Please...who'd want any part of this shitstorm?
Which brings me back to this...
and so it goes.
Rain, rain, go away
Enough with the rain, already. It's my day off and I have a ton of things I need/want to do before I head back to work tomorrow, but the thing I was hoping for the most was a bit of sunshine. You see, the office where I work is very dark. There's not much overhead lighting and much of the light comes from the rows of flat screen monitors. It's a bit like being inside one of those big aquarium facilities where the hallways are dark and the only light is the tanks lining the walls. I rather like it and it's well suited for staring at monitor eight hours a day, but it also happens to be just like my house. In fact, the place looks a whole lot like my house. Our computer desks here at home are the exact same desks the managers use. I sit at my workstation and a face a metal wall, just like the one I face at home. There are even walls painted red, just like we have at home (though a slightly different shade.) Now there's nothing wrong with this home away from home atmosphere except that when you combine it with the fact that we've had nothing but rain here for weeks now, I feel like I've been shuttling back and forth between two underwater caves. The decor that's normally a soothing respite from the glaring light and heat of the seemingly endless Texas summer becomes a real liability in this kind of non-stop rainy weather. It's grey outside, it's grey inside and even my mood is turning grey at this point. Meh. I think I'll go back to bed and hibernate. Wake me when the sun comes out again.
Enough with the rain, already. It's my day off and I have a ton of things I need/want to do before I head back to work tomorrow, but the thing I was hoping for the most was a bit of sunshine. You see, the office where I work is very dark. There's not much overhead lighting and much of the light comes from the rows of flat screen monitors. It's a bit like being inside one of those big aquarium facilities where the hallways are dark and the only light is the tanks lining the walls. I rather like it and it's well suited for staring at monitor eight hours a day, but it also happens to be just like my house. In fact, the place looks a whole lot like my house. Our computer desks here at home are the exact same desks the managers use. I sit at my workstation and a face a metal wall, just like the one I face at home. There are even walls painted red, just like we have at home (though a slightly different shade.) Now there's nothing wrong with this home away from home atmosphere except that when you combine it with the fact that we've had nothing but rain here for weeks now, I feel like I've been shuttling back and forth between two underwater caves. The decor that's normally a soothing respite from the glaring light and heat of the seemingly endless Texas summer becomes a real liability in this kind of non-stop rainy weather. It's grey outside, it's grey inside and even my mood is turning grey at this point. Meh. I think I'll go back to bed and hibernate. Wake me when the sun comes out again.
Sunday, November 21, 2004
I may have a future at this job after all
Today was the end of my second week of tech support. My supervisor was working today so I stopped by his desk on my way out and asked him to look up my call stats. I was a little concerned because I felt that I had been taking way too much time on calls, even for a newbie. Much to my relief, my average length of call is two minutes under the preferred amount and my average number of calls per hour was, to quote my supervisor, "really good." I'm a bit confused about the number of calls per hour statistic since I have absolutely no control over how many calls come my way. The phone rings and I answer it. When I hang up after a call, the phone rings again and I answer it. If I should happen to be sitting there twiddling my thumbs for two minutes (not that it happens very often) then there's nothing I can do to pull a call my way. I'm not sure how a person could end up with a "bad" average on the number of calls per hour, but there must be a way or it wouldn't be a performance tracking point. I suppose one could just not answer the phone and let roll over to someone else, but there's no way I could sit there and just let the phone ring. That would drive me insane. Ringing phones ignite my "it's making an obnoxious noise, I must stop it" response and the only way to stop it is to answer the damn thing. I feel the same way about alarm clocks, oven timers and pagers. I've even been known to flee the Home Depot if there is a forklift operating that's sending out it's beep-beep-beep warning for an extended length of time. That sort of thing just drives me nuts, but I digress. Given the stats, it appears that I average about 50 calls a day and, quite frankly, that doesn't seem like much given the call volume I've had at other jobs. Other jobs where I was juggling far more duties than just answering the phone. Hmm... I'm starting to like this tech support gig more and more.
Today was the end of my second week of tech support. My supervisor was working today so I stopped by his desk on my way out and asked him to look up my call stats. I was a little concerned because I felt that I had been taking way too much time on calls, even for a newbie. Much to my relief, my average length of call is two minutes under the preferred amount and my average number of calls per hour was, to quote my supervisor, "really good." I'm a bit confused about the number of calls per hour statistic since I have absolutely no control over how many calls come my way. The phone rings and I answer it. When I hang up after a call, the phone rings again and I answer it. If I should happen to be sitting there twiddling my thumbs for two minutes (not that it happens very often) then there's nothing I can do to pull a call my way. I'm not sure how a person could end up with a "bad" average on the number of calls per hour, but there must be a way or it wouldn't be a performance tracking point. I suppose one could just not answer the phone and let roll over to someone else, but there's no way I could sit there and just let the phone ring. That would drive me insane. Ringing phones ignite my "it's making an obnoxious noise, I must stop it" response and the only way to stop it is to answer the damn thing. I feel the same way about alarm clocks, oven timers and pagers. I've even been known to flee the Home Depot if there is a forklift operating that's sending out it's beep-beep-beep warning for an extended length of time. That sort of thing just drives me nuts, but I digress. Given the stats, it appears that I average about 50 calls a day and, quite frankly, that doesn't seem like much given the call volume I've had at other jobs. Other jobs where I was juggling far more duties than just answering the phone. Hmm... I'm starting to like this tech support gig more and more.
The sugar made me do it
I turned into a snarky, irrational bitch yesterday when I didn't get my lunch break at the the usual 11 o'clock hour and had to wait until 1 PM. It's a miracle I didn't kill any innocent bystanders on my way to get something to eat and it took an extreme amount of self-control not to rip the head off of the unsupervised child that visited my table at Jack-n-the-Box and stared at me while I devoured my Jumbo Jack combo. I was still in a very bad mood over 12 hours later when I woke up today, but I had regained enough sanity to figure out what happened. I've been drinking soft drinks at work and eating candy bars. I've consumed more processed sugar in the past two weeks than I usually eat in an entire year. I don't even LIKE soft drinks and candy bars, but I was hungry or thirsty at the time and since that's what they have in the vending machines at work, that's what I consumed. Big mistake. Some people shouldn't consume large quantities of sugar and I'm one of them. If the army wanted to develop a bunch of homicidal maniac killing machines, they only need to round up people like me, feed them a diet high in processed sugar for a couple of weeks, then have them miss a meal. Presto - one pissed off, crazy person that would like nothing more than to rip out the enemy's throat with their bare hands. Then again, they are also likely to rip out the throat of their commanding officer so it's probably not be the best idea. Today I brought plenty of sparkling water and a packet of cheese and finally, 24 hours later, I'm back to my normal mood. I hope I wasn't rude to any customers at work yesterday and this morning, but if I was... well, the sugar made me do it!
I turned into a snarky, irrational bitch yesterday when I didn't get my lunch break at the the usual 11 o'clock hour and had to wait until 1 PM. It's a miracle I didn't kill any innocent bystanders on my way to get something to eat and it took an extreme amount of self-control not to rip the head off of the unsupervised child that visited my table at Jack-n-the-Box and stared at me while I devoured my Jumbo Jack combo. I was still in a very bad mood over 12 hours later when I woke up today, but I had regained enough sanity to figure out what happened. I've been drinking soft drinks at work and eating candy bars. I've consumed more processed sugar in the past two weeks than I usually eat in an entire year. I don't even LIKE soft drinks and candy bars, but I was hungry or thirsty at the time and since that's what they have in the vending machines at work, that's what I consumed. Big mistake. Some people shouldn't consume large quantities of sugar and I'm one of them. If the army wanted to develop a bunch of homicidal maniac killing machines, they only need to round up people like me, feed them a diet high in processed sugar for a couple of weeks, then have them miss a meal. Presto - one pissed off, crazy person that would like nothing more than to rip out the enemy's throat with their bare hands. Then again, they are also likely to rip out the throat of their commanding officer so it's probably not be the best idea. Today I brought plenty of sparkling water and a packet of cheese and finally, 24 hours later, I'm back to my normal mood. I hope I wasn't rude to any customers at work yesterday and this morning, but if I was... well, the sugar made me do it!
Saturday, November 20, 2004
SATURDAY ALONE...THOUGHTS ARE FLOWIN' LIKE A WATERFALL
Well, not all alone if you count the tres negras peros, but Ann's at work. So it's just me and the dogs. I haven't had this much time to myself since I can remember. I had planned on cleaning out the office for a project, but 30 minutes into that I was so overwhelmed I gave up, and turned my attention to the main rooms of the house, sweeping,dusting and cleaning up clutter. The place looks pretty good if I must say so myself. I had an awesome breakfast...leftover piccadillo enchiladas with fried eggs...over medium. The coffee was gone and there was nothing left to drink save the orange juice...and what goes better with OJ than vodka(except a not guilty verdict)...yummy.
I hooked the real stereo up a couple of weeks ago out in the main room of the house...so I've been playing the music loud today. Started out with the Who live at leeds, hung there for a while (played substitute a half dozen times) and then threw in Sade's Lover's Rock...I'm sure the neighbors are scratching their heads...just wait till I throw in the jesus lizard ... now, I think. Wait, some Pogue's first...sunny side of the street, in honor of the fucking rain that continues to fall.
"I will not be reconstructed"...I love that line. I got this CD (Hell's Ditch) in the mail the day my mom died in 1992.I remember coming home from the hospital and finding it in my mailbox along with 4 free packs of camel wides taunting me. I still smoke them to this day. It doesn't remind me of her, but it reminds me of that day, which reminds me of the black watch's amazing grace, which reminds me of my mom.
"You can't take 'em with you when you go"...Ghost of a smile...There are things I'd like to take with me when I go, but I can't prioritize them exactly...some involve gunfire.
Summer in Siam...ewww...time to jump to the lizard. Oh wait...rain street first then 5 green queens and jean. Then the lizard...oh, most beautiful lizard.
"I recall the moment, more distant than it seems, when 5 green queens on a black bin bag meant all the world to me"...For some reason this reminds me of my dad...and regret.
Ahhh...Jesus Lizard's "Shot"...ugly ugly music...I used to see these guys when they were Scratch acid ( 2 of 'em anyway) way back in the 80's...The bass players mom was a nurse at the treatment center I worked at way back when, when they learned she was the mother of David William Sims, they suddenly cooperated...she was instantly cool. And he is an awesome bass player...there would be no Scratch Acid or Jesus Lizard if it were'nt for his bass lines...or the vocals(?) of David Yow, a scary little guy who was on the tennis team at austin high. He's not short, he's just wrapped tighter.
"They found him in a latrine hiding, dressed in clothing 15 layers deep" Huh? I fucking love it. On to Marilyn Manson...one song really, from Holywood..."Burning Flag"..."We are just stars on your burning flag"...yes we are. " I killed myself to make everybody pay"? That's a bit much.
Blah...blah...blah as our illustrious drummer would say.
Have a good weekend.
Well, not all alone if you count the tres negras peros, but Ann's at work. So it's just me and the dogs. I haven't had this much time to myself since I can remember. I had planned on cleaning out the office for a project, but 30 minutes into that I was so overwhelmed I gave up, and turned my attention to the main rooms of the house, sweeping,dusting and cleaning up clutter. The place looks pretty good if I must say so myself. I had an awesome breakfast...leftover piccadillo enchiladas with fried eggs...over medium. The coffee was gone and there was nothing left to drink save the orange juice...and what goes better with OJ than vodka(except a not guilty verdict)...yummy.
I hooked the real stereo up a couple of weeks ago out in the main room of the house...so I've been playing the music loud today. Started out with the Who live at leeds, hung there for a while (played substitute a half dozen times) and then threw in Sade's Lover's Rock...I'm sure the neighbors are scratching their heads...just wait till I throw in the jesus lizard ... now, I think. Wait, some Pogue's first...sunny side of the street, in honor of the fucking rain that continues to fall.
"I will not be reconstructed"...I love that line. I got this CD (Hell's Ditch) in the mail the day my mom died in 1992.I remember coming home from the hospital and finding it in my mailbox along with 4 free packs of camel wides taunting me. I still smoke them to this day. It doesn't remind me of her, but it reminds me of that day, which reminds me of the black watch's amazing grace, which reminds me of my mom.
"You can't take 'em with you when you go"...Ghost of a smile...There are things I'd like to take with me when I go, but I can't prioritize them exactly...some involve gunfire.
Summer in Siam...ewww...time to jump to the lizard. Oh wait...rain street first then 5 green queens and jean. Then the lizard...oh, most beautiful lizard.
"I recall the moment, more distant than it seems, when 5 green queens on a black bin bag meant all the world to me"...For some reason this reminds me of my dad...and regret.
Ahhh...Jesus Lizard's "Shot"...ugly ugly music...I used to see these guys when they were Scratch acid ( 2 of 'em anyway) way back in the 80's...The bass players mom was a nurse at the treatment center I worked at way back when, when they learned she was the mother of David William Sims, they suddenly cooperated...she was instantly cool. And he is an awesome bass player...there would be no Scratch Acid or Jesus Lizard if it were'nt for his bass lines...or the vocals(?) of David Yow, a scary little guy who was on the tennis team at austin high. He's not short, he's just wrapped tighter.
"They found him in a latrine hiding, dressed in clothing 15 layers deep" Huh? I fucking love it. On to Marilyn Manson...one song really, from Holywood..."Burning Flag"..."We are just stars on your burning flag"...yes we are. " I killed myself to make everybody pay"? That's a bit much.
Blah...blah...blah as our illustrious drummer would say.
Have a good weekend.
Friday, November 19, 2004
TALK ABOUT YOUR LEFT FIELD JAWBREAKER
It's friday, time for the weekend...woo-hoo! Ann and I decide on a easy dinner and I jet to the grocery to procure corn dogs and mac and cheese. And cigarettes. I'm cruising along in the rodeo jamming out to nail bomb's "world of shit"...the most awesome song.ever. Nevermind that Rolling stone named Dylan's "Like a rolling stone" the top 500 song ever...I mean it's a great song, but, come on...Dylan has the best out of 500? I don't think so.
Anyway...I get done at the grocery and hit the liquor store for some vodka...this place is attached to the G&S lounge, and up until a year or so ago was run by the same family...bar and store, run by brothers George and Jimmy. I grew up with these guys...since seventh grade anyway. Jimmy is a blight on humanity...a real piece of work deserving of a beatdown...if you look up angry piece of shit in the dictionary, there is a picture of him next to the definition. He runs the lounge. And lounge is an oxymoron...the place reeks of ozone and your in constant fear of Jimmy deciding he doesn't like you and brandishing his cattle prod as he points you toward the door. George ran the store until he sold it to this vietnamese family and moved on, presumably as far away from Jimmy as possible. George was the nicest person you'd ever want to meet...even in a bad mood, he was pleasant in explaining said mood. He was my friend.
I have continued to patronize this store for a couple of reasons...1: It's right by our house. 2:George used to run it. and 3:The daughters that help run the place are fucking hot looking, as the graffiti I saw in the education building at UT proclaims "Jap chicks rule"...seriously, I was just looking for a place to stick this graffiti I saw...the family that bought the store are very nice and the service is always friendly and courteous. But the daughters are really cute...I guess that makes me a pervert...for "jap chicks"...who rock BTW.
Tonight, as I'm checking out, the short,petite daughter asks as she's ringing me up " Were you close to George"? I said yes and that we'd known each other for 30 plus years. She then proceeded to tell me he was dead...found alone in his house by his mom...apparently the victim of a heart attack. Jimmy, the asshole brother, is taking care of Josuah (Georges dog) , the obit will be in the paper tomorrow and the funeral is next week.
My brain melted...I welled up instantly, looking at this asian butterfly who realized she had just told someone that someone I had known and held in high regard was dead...and there were several people waiting ( and overhearing) in line. I just looked at her as time stood still for a minute..."$18.65" she said, and I reached into my pocket and handed her a 10...she put it back on the counter and looked at me and then it registered for her and me both...I gave her a 10 instead of a 20, And she just told me that someone I had known forever and held in close regard was gone...forever. The guy behind me just wanted to pay for his bourbon and get his drink on and was thinking, "move on you crybaby, I got some bourbon to drink and some internet porn to thump it to". He looked like that kind of person, but who knows... I payed and left and drove home, choking back the tears.
I called his mom and offered my condolences when I got home.
Godspeed, George...I'll miss you.
It's friday, time for the weekend...woo-hoo! Ann and I decide on a easy dinner and I jet to the grocery to procure corn dogs and mac and cheese. And cigarettes. I'm cruising along in the rodeo jamming out to nail bomb's "world of shit"...the most awesome song.ever. Nevermind that Rolling stone named Dylan's "Like a rolling stone" the top 500 song ever...I mean it's a great song, but, come on...Dylan has the best out of 500? I don't think so.
Anyway...I get done at the grocery and hit the liquor store for some vodka...this place is attached to the G&S lounge, and up until a year or so ago was run by the same family...bar and store, run by brothers George and Jimmy. I grew up with these guys...since seventh grade anyway. Jimmy is a blight on humanity...a real piece of work deserving of a beatdown...if you look up angry piece of shit in the dictionary, there is a picture of him next to the definition. He runs the lounge. And lounge is an oxymoron...the place reeks of ozone and your in constant fear of Jimmy deciding he doesn't like you and brandishing his cattle prod as he points you toward the door. George ran the store until he sold it to this vietnamese family and moved on, presumably as far away from Jimmy as possible. George was the nicest person you'd ever want to meet...even in a bad mood, he was pleasant in explaining said mood. He was my friend.
I have continued to patronize this store for a couple of reasons...1: It's right by our house. 2:George used to run it. and 3:The daughters that help run the place are fucking hot looking, as the graffiti I saw in the education building at UT proclaims "Jap chicks rule"...seriously, I was just looking for a place to stick this graffiti I saw...the family that bought the store are very nice and the service is always friendly and courteous. But the daughters are really cute...I guess that makes me a pervert...for "jap chicks"...who rock BTW.
Tonight, as I'm checking out, the short,petite daughter asks as she's ringing me up " Were you close to George"? I said yes and that we'd known each other for 30 plus years. She then proceeded to tell me he was dead...found alone in his house by his mom...apparently the victim of a heart attack. Jimmy, the asshole brother, is taking care of Josuah (Georges dog) , the obit will be in the paper tomorrow and the funeral is next week.
My brain melted...I welled up instantly, looking at this asian butterfly who realized she had just told someone that someone I had known and held in high regard was dead...and there were several people waiting ( and overhearing) in line. I just looked at her as time stood still for a minute..."$18.65" she said, and I reached into my pocket and handed her a 10...she put it back on the counter and looked at me and then it registered for her and me both...I gave her a 10 instead of a 20, And she just told me that someone I had known forever and held in close regard was gone...forever. The guy behind me just wanted to pay for his bourbon and get his drink on and was thinking, "move on you crybaby, I got some bourbon to drink and some internet porn to thump it to". He looked like that kind of person, but who knows... I payed and left and drove home, choking back the tears.
I called his mom and offered my condolences when I got home.
Godspeed, George...I'll miss you.
Another day, another dollar
I've passed the half-way point of my second week on the phones and things are going okay. I don't seem to be near as stressed out as my coworkers, though they've been there a bit longer so maybe my time will come. It's not the kind of job that travels with you after you hang up your headset and head out the door so even my worst day fades after a few beers and a good night's sleep. It doesn't take much effort to be polite, patient and kind with complete boobs who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a computer since I've doing that for years in one form or another (just not over the phone.) And if you are reading this blog, then you are NOT one of the idiots I'm talking about no matter how technologically challenged you may think you are. You ain't got nothing on these folks. On the other hand, the angry, screaming customers who think everything is somehow MY fault and I should magically fix it DO frazzle my nerves a bit at times (especially if I have several in a row), but as I said, after a few beers and a good night's sleep it's all ancient history. The part of this job that wears me out is when I don't know the answer, when I have to frantically search the knowledge base, Google the web or IM the level twos in order to solve some weird problem in under 20 minutes. That's still happening with a higher frequency than I'd like, but it's a problem that more experience should solve. Maybe after a month or two I'll have enough energy when I get home to do something besides eat dinner, drink a few beers and go to bed.
I've passed the half-way point of my second week on the phones and things are going okay. I don't seem to be near as stressed out as my coworkers, though they've been there a bit longer so maybe my time will come. It's not the kind of job that travels with you after you hang up your headset and head out the door so even my worst day fades after a few beers and a good night's sleep. It doesn't take much effort to be polite, patient and kind with complete boobs who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a computer since I've doing that for years in one form or another (just not over the phone.) And if you are reading this blog, then you are NOT one of the idiots I'm talking about no matter how technologically challenged you may think you are. You ain't got nothing on these folks. On the other hand, the angry, screaming customers who think everything is somehow MY fault and I should magically fix it DO frazzle my nerves a bit at times (especially if I have several in a row), but as I said, after a few beers and a good night's sleep it's all ancient history. The part of this job that wears me out is when I don't know the answer, when I have to frantically search the knowledge base, Google the web or IM the level twos in order to solve some weird problem in under 20 minutes. That's still happening with a higher frequency than I'd like, but it's a problem that more experience should solve. Maybe after a month or two I'll have enough energy when I get home to do something besides eat dinner, drink a few beers and go to bed.
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