Well, since Blogger has some new features, I'm going to be trying a few out. If there is anyone out there that still comes by this site, you may notice the templates and stuff on this page change a few times. Deal with it.
~Peace
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Fugly Flight Attendants
Does anyone remember back when all fight attendants/stewardesses/whatever the hell they are called these days were actually pretty? When did this change? I didn't get the memo.
In the past 6 to 8 months, I've taken quite a few trips up and down the east coast. Out of all of those trips, there has been a grand total of ONE attractive member of the flight crew. ONE!
Fugly people need to see the country too, I guess. Thank god for noise cancelling headphones and my Creative Zen mp3 player!
~peace
In the past 6 to 8 months, I've taken quite a few trips up and down the east coast. Out of all of those trips, there has been a grand total of ONE attractive member of the flight crew. ONE!
Fugly people need to see the country too, I guess. Thank god for noise cancelling headphones and my Creative Zen mp3 player!
~peace
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
A new thing
You may notice something new here.
I have decided to start running ads on this blog. The reason is simple. Money. It may not generate much, but every little bit helps.
However, I also know how annoying some ads can be. So let me make this promise to you, dear reader. I will never knowingly put any type of advertising on this page that I think will be harmful, annoying, or overly obtrusive. This means there will never be pop-up or pop-under ads. There will never be ads that install any kind of code on your computer without your knowledge. I will do my best to not have any kind of flashing ads that might send you into a epileptic seizure. And as much as possible, I will not put any ad on this site that I don't believe in the product.
Down at the bottom on the left, you will see some Google text ads. I can't always promise that I believe in anything Google sends my way, but I do think Google is a sound company, they have the.best.search.engine.period. And they do their best to tailor the ads they send to match content on your page. That's about the best I can hope for.
At the top of the page is a link for eMusic. I thoroughly researched the product, and I like it. A lot. They are the leader in indie band lables. They are the second largest pay site for downloading music, in number of subscriptions, second only to iTunes. And other than iTunes, they are the only legal service that will work with iPods. Why? Because they deliver music in mp3 format. There is no encryption. There is no limit to how many computers you can use the song on. There is nothing in the song but music. No DRM (digital rights management), the song is yours. And instead of the normal .99 per song, their tunes are about .25. I think this is a great service. I encourage you to try it out for yourself. Hey, sign up for your 50 free songs anyway. It won't cost you anything. If you don't like it, cancel the membership after you grab your free songs. No harm done. Fair warning, you have 2 weeks to get your free tunes, then it will convert to the monthly fee of $9.99 for 40 downloads per month. Still a great deal, but I'm laying out the terms for you right up front so there is nothing hidden.
Anyway, have a rockin' day.
-LoRyder
I have decided to start running ads on this blog. The reason is simple. Money. It may not generate much, but every little bit helps.
However, I also know how annoying some ads can be. So let me make this promise to you, dear reader. I will never knowingly put any type of advertising on this page that I think will be harmful, annoying, or overly obtrusive. This means there will never be pop-up or pop-under ads. There will never be ads that install any kind of code on your computer without your knowledge. I will do my best to not have any kind of flashing ads that might send you into a epileptic seizure. And as much as possible, I will not put any ad on this site that I don't believe in the product.
Down at the bottom on the left, you will see some Google text ads. I can't always promise that I believe in anything Google sends my way, but I do think Google is a sound company, they have the.best.search.engine.period. And they do their best to tailor the ads they send to match content on your page. That's about the best I can hope for.
At the top of the page is a link for eMusic. I thoroughly researched the product, and I like it. A lot. They are the leader in indie band lables. They are the second largest pay site for downloading music, in number of subscriptions, second only to iTunes. And other than iTunes, they are the only legal service that will work with iPods. Why? Because they deliver music in mp3 format. There is no encryption. There is no limit to how many computers you can use the song on. There is nothing in the song but music. No DRM (digital rights management), the song is yours. And instead of the normal .99 per song, their tunes are about .25. I think this is a great service. I encourage you to try it out for yourself. Hey, sign up for your 50 free songs anyway. It won't cost you anything. If you don't like it, cancel the membership after you grab your free songs. No harm done. Fair warning, you have 2 weeks to get your free tunes, then it will convert to the monthly fee of $9.99 for 40 downloads per month. Still a great deal, but I'm laying out the terms for you right up front so there is nothing hidden.
Anyway, have a rockin' day.
-LoRyder
Monday, February 27, 2006
Birthdays
Birthdays come, birthdays go...all in all they are really just another day.
I did go out on my actual birthday a couple of weeks ago. I hung out with some friends here and there. I ended up over-indulging that night, and honestly don't remember at least an hour of that evening. Even wose, when asking friends what happened to me, they don't know either. Ah well, c'est la vie.
My real celebration won't take place for another week, as I don't think my birthday will be complete until I get to spend time with the person I most want to be with. And that comes Friday.
I CAN'T WAIT!!!
I did go out on my actual birthday a couple of weeks ago. I hung out with some friends here and there. I ended up over-indulging that night, and honestly don't remember at least an hour of that evening. Even wose, when asking friends what happened to me, they don't know either. Ah well, c'est la vie.
My real celebration won't take place for another week, as I don't think my birthday will be complete until I get to spend time with the person I most want to be with. And that comes Friday.
I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Sunday, January 22, 2006
I got some 'splainin to do...
Okay, yet again, I have slipped in keeping up with this damn blog. I'll try to catch up on everything in due time.
My last update was Dec. 5 when the snow came. It was pretty, and it didn't stick around very long. We haven't had any really bad weather since then.
I'll start catching up with a bit of a rant. This rant is directed at the TSA (Transportation Security Administration). A good friend of mine was supposed to come visit me for Christmas. You can already tell by that statement that it didn't happen. Why? Because of the TSA. My friend was able to present her ID to the curb-side check in, and receive her printed e-ticket boarding pass. Her bags were checked and sent on their merry way. Due to an auto accident, my friend was in a wheelchair at this time. She goes through the TSA security checkpoint and was DENIED boarding the plane. Why? Because, without her knowing it, her drivers license was expired. That's right. She was not allowed on the plane due to an expired drivers license.
TSA says that the ID was not valid. Excuse me, but 1) she wasn't trying to drive the plane, so what if the license is expired. 2) even if the license is expired, the person standing in front of you is the same person in the photo on the ID you are holding in your hands, with a complete address. 3) no where on either the airline's website, nor on the TSA web site does it say the drivers license can't be expired. It doesn't even say the license has to be valid. Yes, it says a passport has to be valid, but not a license. Don't believe me? Here's the link. As of this writing, the exact words are:
I called the airline and TSA and spoke with three front line employees and three supervisors. None of them could provide documentation that says the license can't be expired, nor could they provide documentation that says the drivers license has to be valid. Yet they still denied my friend boarding.
The last TSA supervisor I spoke with said, "It's a security risk" I asked how it was a security risk. She couldn't tell me. "It just is." I said, okay, if this is a security issue, then please explain to me how, by your own policy, you don't even have to have a photo ID to board a plane. You can get on with just 2 forms of non-photo ID, one of which must be issued by a state or federal agency. This means that anyone with a computer and a cheap printer can copy off a Social Security card, print it out on card stock, which can be bought at any office supply store for five dollars, steal someone's wallet and combined with a stolen credit card and a cheap knock off SS card, they would be allowed to board a plane. At least a drivers license has some security and anti-duplication things in it to make it harder to forge. This is not a security issue, this is just some minimum wage screener flexing what little bit of power tripping authority they have been given.
The supervisor had no answer for me. But my friend was still denied boarding the plane, and the next day, came down with a terrible congestion and cold, so an entire week was taken away from us. Thank you TSA.
Folks, this country is NOT concerned with safety. They are merely doing something...anything...to make it look like they are doing something. I'm sure the extra screenings are in some small way keeping us marginally safer than we were before September 11, 2001. But is it really worth the extra inconvenience we are all going through? If it really made a difference, I would be all for it. But not being able to profile suspects? When 15 of 19 terrorists all came from the same country, that's not racial profiling, that's being mildly observant. And in the mean time, little old ladies are being strip searched because their wire support bra that keeps their tits from scraping their knees sets off the damn metal detectors.
Benjamin Franklin said it best, my friends. ""A people that would sacrifice rights and freedoms for a bit of safety deserve neither the freedom nor the safety." And I'm beginning to believe, we don't deserve to be free and we don't deserve to be safe.
~peace
My last update was Dec. 5 when the snow came. It was pretty, and it didn't stick around very long. We haven't had any really bad weather since then.
I'll start catching up with a bit of a rant. This rant is directed at the TSA (Transportation Security Administration). A good friend of mine was supposed to come visit me for Christmas. You can already tell by that statement that it didn't happen. Why? Because of the TSA. My friend was able to present her ID to the curb-side check in, and receive her printed e-ticket boarding pass. Her bags were checked and sent on their merry way. Due to an auto accident, my friend was in a wheelchair at this time. She goes through the TSA security checkpoint and was DENIED boarding the plane. Why? Because, without her knowing it, her drivers license was expired. That's right. She was not allowed on the plane due to an expired drivers license.
TSA says that the ID was not valid. Excuse me, but 1) she wasn't trying to drive the plane, so what if the license is expired. 2) even if the license is expired, the person standing in front of you is the same person in the photo on the ID you are holding in your hands, with a complete address. 3) no where on either the airline's website, nor on the TSA web site does it say the drivers license can't be expired. It doesn't even say the license has to be valid. Yes, it says a passport has to be valid, but not a license. Don't believe me? Here's the link. As of this writing, the exact words are:
If you have a paper ticket for a domestic flight, passengers age 18 and over must present one form of photo identification issued by a local state or federal government agency (e.g.: passport/drivers license/military ID), or two forms of non-photo identification, one of which must have been issued by a state or federal agency (e.g.: U.S. social security card). For an international flight, you will need to present a valid passport, visa, or any other required documentation.
I called the airline and TSA and spoke with three front line employees and three supervisors. None of them could provide documentation that says the license can't be expired, nor could they provide documentation that says the drivers license has to be valid. Yet they still denied my friend boarding.
The last TSA supervisor I spoke with said, "It's a security risk" I asked how it was a security risk. She couldn't tell me. "It just is." I said, okay, if this is a security issue, then please explain to me how, by your own policy, you don't even have to have a photo ID to board a plane. You can get on with just 2 forms of non-photo ID, one of which must be issued by a state or federal agency. This means that anyone with a computer and a cheap printer can copy off a Social Security card, print it out on card stock, which can be bought at any office supply store for five dollars, steal someone's wallet and combined with a stolen credit card and a cheap knock off SS card, they would be allowed to board a plane. At least a drivers license has some security and anti-duplication things in it to make it harder to forge. This is not a security issue, this is just some minimum wage screener flexing what little bit of power tripping authority they have been given.
The supervisor had no answer for me. But my friend was still denied boarding the plane, and the next day, came down with a terrible congestion and cold, so an entire week was taken away from us. Thank you TSA.
Folks, this country is NOT concerned with safety. They are merely doing something...anything...to make it look like they are doing something. I'm sure the extra screenings are in some small way keeping us marginally safer than we were before September 11, 2001. But is it really worth the extra inconvenience we are all going through? If it really made a difference, I would be all for it. But not being able to profile suspects? When 15 of 19 terrorists all came from the same country, that's not racial profiling, that's being mildly observant. And in the mean time, little old ladies are being strip searched because their wire support bra that keeps their tits from scraping their knees sets off the damn metal detectors.
Benjamin Franklin said it best, my friends. ""A people that would sacrifice rights and freedoms for a bit of safety deserve neither the freedom nor the safety." And I'm beginning to believe, we don't deserve to be free and we don't deserve to be safe.
~peace
Monday, December 05, 2005
Winter Has Arrived
So today, I woke up to a winter wonderland. Snow was falling in mass quantity and continued to do so most of the day. Yes, the first snowfall is always pretty. But as it has arrived about three weeks before Christmas, I fear this may very well be a very cold and wet winter. And as temperatures start to fall tonight, the wet roads will turn to ice, which is always fun to drive through. Ah well, I'll enjoy the "prettiness" of this while I can. Hope your day is grand too!
~peace
Sunday, December 04, 2005
The Christmas Tree is up!
Last night, I finally found the time to get the Christmas tree up. It has already put a festive air to the house and I'm slowly getting into the spirit. I personally don't care whether others celebrate Christmas, Hannuka, Kwanza, Blow Myself Up For Allah Day, or whatever, as long as you shut the hell up about me celebrating Christmas. It's a happy time of the year for me, and I will enjoy it and celebrate it as I see fit. And if it offends you, then go get a life and stay the hell out of mine. Merry Christmas!
I also finished getting the leaves out of the front yard today! This was a major feat, as for whatever reason my yard tend to fill with them. Eventually the city will send around a big truck with a massive vacuum cleaner attached to it and suck up all the leaves out of the ditches. As for the back yard, I'll just run my lawn mower over it and turn them into instant mulch. I'll get to that eventually.
I'm also slowly working my way through cleaning up the house thoroughly. Where does all the clutter come from? I swear I think it has breeding parties when I'm at work or asleep. Oh well, the battle will go on!
One thing I do need to do, is hire an electrician to wire up a couple of outdoor electrical outlets. I keep forgetting I don't have any of those until I need to plug something in when I'm outside. Man, I also need 48 hour days just to get everything done!
Oh well, fa la la la la!
I also finished getting the leaves out of the front yard today! This was a major feat, as for whatever reason my yard tend to fill with them. Eventually the city will send around a big truck with a massive vacuum cleaner attached to it and suck up all the leaves out of the ditches. As for the back yard, I'll just run my lawn mower over it and turn them into instant mulch. I'll get to that eventually.
I'm also slowly working my way through cleaning up the house thoroughly. Where does all the clutter come from? I swear I think it has breeding parties when I'm at work or asleep. Oh well, the battle will go on!
One thing I do need to do, is hire an electrician to wire up a couple of outdoor electrical outlets. I keep forgetting I don't have any of those until I need to plug something in when I'm outside. Man, I also need 48 hour days just to get everything done!
Oh well, fa la la la la!
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