so don't ask if you don't want to know
Amusing and/or interesting
Stuff other people might find funny or just mildly interesting.
Zombies!
Oct 3rd
Max has, a couple of times now, bragged about how he has a zombie apocalypse plan. He says he’ll be the “leader” because the rest of the family either is or has dead weight. In case of zombie outbreak we should all make our way to his apartment and he’ll keep up safe…
Sure, I’m dead weight, but I’m the thinker in the family. Who had (at one time) a 72-hour kit? Mom, until the kids plundered bits and pieces out of it. Who has the car big and heavy enough to run over zombies? Mom. Who has done the research? *ahem* Mom.
He doesn’t even own a shotgun or a baseball bat or a chainsaw! He doesn’t live in a gated community so the gates could be chained shut to keep the zombies out. He doesn’t have a stash of water or food to keep us alive for any length of time. Sure, he’s a big boy and so is Casey but like me, neither of them can run for shit. His idea of a plan is to break into the WalMart down the street and steal what he needs. Right, as if all the other non-zombies aren’t thinking the same thing. And beating the zombie levels of Call of Duty: Black Ops really doesn’t qualify as preparation.
Do you have an actual zombie plan in your head? Have you made any actual preparations? Stocked up supplies? Own a suitable weapon?
My plan? Find the nearest shotgun wielding nutcase and have them blow my brains out.
Lease instead of buy
Oct 1st
I found this article tonight and thought it might be fun to discuss.
Mexico mulls 2-year marriage
Wow.
The minimum marriage contract would be for two years and could be renewed if the couple stays happy. The contracts would include provisions on how children and property would be handled if the couple splits.
My first thought is why bother getting married at all if you only plan on it lasting two years? Or do they mean you’re supposed to plan on being married for life, but the first two years are more of a trial period, a dress rehearsal. Your second anniversary gift is a contract renewal.
So how… sure there were times in my 27 year marriage that either one of us could have called it quits but we’d eventually work it out (or ignore the problem til it went away) and have a few really good years right up until the end when it just wasn’t worth it anymore. So how do you completely commit to someone knowing they had such an easy out? Whoops, two years is up so I can easily legally walk away. This idea seems to take away any incentive to work through issues that – if you had to stay married longer – might be resolved through growth and/or maturity?
What are the positives?
Why THIS one?
Sep 21st
People keep giving me this liberal label. Maybe I’m liberal in some things, but as far as I’m concerned, this guy got his day in court, and many chances for a reprieve since. I don’t understand why Troy Davis has gotten everyone in such an uproar. Yes, I’ve read the blogs and stuff. Yes, the average person might think there’s not enough evidence, but he was given a trial. And state and federal courts denied his appeals. It’s been debated over and over!
According to this website, there have been 33 executions in the US this year.
- 13 Black
- 18 White
- 2 Latinos
So no, I don’t think executions in general are racially motivated nor this one in particular. I have no love for Georgia and I’m pretty sure they still have racism issues, but the man had his chances.
Although the murder weapon was not recovered, ballistic evidence presented at trial tied bullets recovered at or near the scene to those at another shooting in which Davis was also charged. Davis was convicted of murder and various lesser charges, including the earlier shooting, and was sentenced to death…
So what causes the uproar? Why THIS guy? Why is THIS execution all over twitter as the end of civilization in America?
I believe in the death penalty. I believe if you’ve done something so reprehensible as killing someone else on purpose, we have no need for you on the planet anymore. Why aren’t more convicted killers put to death? Like Manson should have been executed a long time ago. Why are we taxpayers putting so much money in prisons keeping these killers alive and well?
This is one bandwagon I’ll avoid, thanks.
Value or worth?
Sep 17th
When I helped Mom go through all the stuff at her house (technically, double-wide mobile home) there were lots of linens she wanted to get rid of too. I lost count of the doilies – some in plastic but some looked old – and matching towel sets, sheets sized for beds she no longer had, etc. Most of these came with the house when they bought it. Hidden among all this cloth was a very pretty quilt in a bag, so I decided I would keep it.
It’s value to me is that it goes with my chocolate sheets perfectly and is lighter than my comforter so perfect for summer nights. I really like it.
So I was watching one of those innumerable auction shows and there was a quilt worth a bit of money. If this quilt ends up being worth a low amount, then I value it as a usable piece of linen. If it’s worth is higher it then becomes a piece of art and I can’t really keep using it as a bed cover, right?
So, does anyone know anything about quilts? This one is definitely hand-sewn and probably a twin size but it works fine on my double bed.
#911whereiwas
Sep 11th
I remember coming out of the shower and Hubby had the TV on in the bedroom and I could hear what sounded like a bad movie. I came out and he was just sitting on the bed watching – very unusual for him. I remember my shock when I realized it was real and live and just stood there watching when the second plane hit. I had to get Ginnie up and ready for school and we had all the TVs on while we finished getting ready.
Would there be school that day? I worked as a Kindergarten aid where she went to school – so we just kept moving. When the plane hit the Pentagon I struggled to remember the layout of the building I had worked in years ago and how bad it could have been had the plane hit on another side. It was NOT on the side where the buses and trains arrived every morning full of people, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
We got to the school and it was so quiet. The parents dropping their kids off were emotional, some had been crying but you could see they were trying to control themselves for the kids, but the kids knew it had been an important morning. No running around, no cheerful kid sounds. Even the littlest kids were walking quietly and standing waiting for the doors of their classrooms to open. They may not have understood the magnitude at 5-6 years old but they knew it was big. Many kids were kept home that day too. We adults really didn’t know what to do but keep moving.
I was immediately sent to my afternoon teacher’s classroom to help her. Her husband was (maybe still is) a flight attendant on a flight coming back from NYC and she had no way of knowing if he was safe or where he was. The news of the plane crashing in a field freaked her out, thinking of the possibility of it all continuing. Soon all planes were grounded or told to land at the nearest airport. She was pregnant and in a panic inside but carried on like a trooper. Staff had been instructed to keep the kids calm and carry on and try not to answer their questions other than the basics. Who knew at that time what the answers were? Would something happen to our school? No, it seems to be just those incidents we knew about before we got to school. Are our parents going to be safe? If they were safe this morning they’re going to be safe when you get home. It’s tough to be reassuring to children when you don’t feel safe yourself.
She and I took turns running to the office (where the only live-TV was allowed) to check for updates and she kept checking her phone for messages. It wasn’t until after lunch that she finally got a call from her husband that he was safe and stuck somewhere in Canada until they let the planes fly again.
The skies were quiet, the kids were quiet, and recesses were pointless as the kids just stood around with big eyes watching to see what the adults were doing. We were all like zombies moving through the day until we could get home and stare at the TV.
So many questions with no answers.
She did what?
Sep 4th
I’ve learned a couple of things about old people after being here almost two weeks:
- You must wave at everyone you pass on the road, and talk to complete strangers like they already know what you’re talking about.
- Gossip (the thing look down upon most of your life) is expected now that you have to seriously watch your friends for dementia and odd behavior.
- There’s a certain fascination with watching “The World’s Dumbest…” ALL DAY LONG.
- They’re always cold. Some are funny, some are crotchety, some are pretty cool but they’re all always freezing.
It’s funny the difference between my Mother’s society and my Father’s. Mom’s life revolves around meals/gossip with friends and TV at home. Dad gets out more, hanging at the American Legion a couple nights a week where there’s decent live music and liquor and his Saturday afternoon poker game. Two different approaches to being this age and they’re only a few months and a few miles apart. He just seems so much younger than Mom.
Someone kill me before I get this old.
PodcampAZ Needs Speakers!
Aug 31st
One of the reasons we love PodcampAZ so much is the endless supply of information. We also realize that the term “media” is growing up, and always expanding. No one rolls their eyes at using Facebook anymore to promote, because everyone links to Facebook! Many companies and freelancers make social media success less of a guessing game and more of a science, but there are many mediums within the realm that are getting less attention than they should.
Right now you’re thinking “Yeah! I want to hear more about ______!” 
So how do we geeks, let alone anyone who isn’t on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Foursquare, learn about all of these new or under-represented technologies? How do they merge their existing skills with new ideas and make life even more awesome than it all ready is?
They ask you, and your friends. We all use a form of media in some way, or you wouldn’t be reading this now. And we bet you know someone who uses it in an innovative way that we all want to know about. They might not even realize there’s a place to share what they know.
Please help us get all of these questions answered all in one weekend at PodcampAZ 2011 on November 12-13.
Nominate yourself, your work buddy, Twitter or Facebook friend, or even your sister to help out. Each speaker will receive our undying gratitude, an audience eager to learn and a chance to learn from other successful, charming people just like them.
I don’t need no SEO
Aug 15th
Look, I write this blog because I want to take notes on my life. I write this blog to share my feelings on whatever subject I’m focused on at the moment. I write this blog for me and my friends to communicate.
I don’t really write it for the entire world. If and when the entire world wants to read it, fine. But I don’t really give a shit.
I don’t need to be found. IF I write something interesting enough my friends will share that’s up to them.
So please SEO spammers – STOP BUGGING ME.
I delete your comments. I hate your comments. I may even hate you personally. Fucking people who make money spamming people. As if even though I was smart enough to set up this blog in the scary internet and use it often, I’m not smart enough to go find SEO help among the 10-20 of my friends who DO SEO STUFF FOR A LIVING. In fact, I have an SEO.com sticker on this very laptop that I’m using. I don’t need or want your help, thanks.
So please SEO spammers – leave me the fuck alone.
I hate spammers. Stupid lazy asses. Get a real fucking job.
Beyond Tacky
Aug 9th
I have found the worst, tackiest, most horrible “game” show ever.
Repo Games.
Here’s the gist: Your car is being repossessed. It’s on the damned truck. The Host gives you a choice of answering 5 trivia questions (3 out of 5 wins) and if you win they pay off your loan and you keep the car. If you miss three questions, they take the car. They even raise and lower the lift on the truck as you answer.
Who thought this shit was cool? I’ve had a car repossessed. You kinda know it’s coming but suddenly there they are and you have no say. In my case, Buck had the car at work and they just sat there staring at me until he came home. I wasn’t allowed to call him and was forced to sit outside with my two kids in the heat until he came home and handed the car over. This was 20-some years ago, but I still remember how embarrassed and helpless I felt. I was calm and compliant but if those fuckers had turned it into a game show I would have lost my shit and turned into one of those screaming shrews.
Way to prey on people in a tight spot just for fun. Assholes.
Google -
Aug 9th
I gave Google+ a chance, I really did. I’m sticking with Facebook for now, thanks. Why?
- On Facebook, people have to ask permission (friend or ignore) to see even your most basic posts. If you set it up right, you can choose who sees what, but strangers can’t see and can’t post to your wall. On Google+ the person chooses you to share with and you then have to decide whether or not to allow it or block it. It’s the difference between ignoring the knock at the door vs pushing out the intruder. And Google+ is a glass house.
- When I’m out there perusing articles and I want to share, I can’t find an easy way to share on Google+, yet there are Facebook share buttons everywhere or I can use the share add-on on my browser. (The Google+ share on my browser is dysfunctional.) It might be because it’s too new, but I don’t have the patience for this shit.
- Google arbitrarily deleting/freezing accounts of people using pseudonyms. I know many people who use fake names for various reasons. You want to have a life, but your employer is uptight? You’re an author or actor. Or you have a plain but popular name – Debbie Walker – and you want to stand out as a specific person – spellwight.
Plus, I just don’t understand it. And it’s an ugly Johnny-come-lately.
Maybe I’ll check back in a few months to see if it’s easier to use. I love gmail and google’s search, but their google+ is really a minus for me.
