What would you like to talk about today? General Parker running for mayor? District 150 borrowing $16 million to meet their payroll? Making wagers on how soon Governor Blagojevich will be impeached? Thoughts on the Israel-Hamas war, now in its fourth day? Or something else entirely?
This is the place to talk about it. It’s Open Thread Tuesday!
Yes, I really am going to take a few days off now. So, Merry Christmas everyone! And if you don’t celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays to you. And if you don’t celebrate holidays, Seasons Greetings!
I know, I know. Pet peeves are standard fare for beginning bloggers. But I can’t help it. Every once in a while there’s something that, although little, just gets under my skin. And that something right now is having to swipe my own credit card at places like Best Buy.
First of all, the mere existence of these “swipe it yourself” terminals as new examples of POS systems is irritating to me. I mean, included in the price of your purchase is the cost of employing a cashier who rings up your merchandise for you. Why can’t that person swipe your credit card? To me, it’s just as stupid as having them hand you the cash drawer and ask you to put your money in it and make your own change. Swiping a credit card is an act of taking your money for the purchase, and that should be done by the cashier. What good are they if they can’t even do that?
But I learned to live with that, as stupid as it is… until recently. That’s when the most idiotic addition to the “swipe it yourself” policy was enacted: The cashier asks to see your card after you swipe it.
I was in Best Buy the other day, and when the cashier gave me the total, I handed him my credit card. He handed it back to me and asked me to swipe it on the little terminal at the front of the counter. Like I said, I’m used to this dumb policy now, so I swiped my card, saw that it was accepted, and put my card away. That’s when the cashier asked to see my card.
Remember, the cashier just had my card in his hand less than 20 seconds ago and had handed it back to me for me to swipe myself. But now he has to see it again. If the cashier has to see the card anyway, why can’t he swipe the @#%! thing himself?! Could they come up with a more inefficient, idiotic process?
For flowers that bloom about our feet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For blue of stream and blue of sky,
Father, we thank Thee.
For pleasant shade of branches high,
Father, we thank Thee.
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For this new morning with its light,
Father, we thank Thee.
For rest and shelter of the night,
Father, we thank Thee
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
–Author unknown
Neither one of us has a cell phone.
That, of course, makes me eccentric. Which is funny, because evidently what’s not eccentric is walking around with a little Bluetooth gizmo sticking out of your ear. Also not eccentric: Walking around looking like you’re talking to yourself while wearing a little Bluetooth gizmo sticking out of your ear. Oh yeah, I’m the weird one.
Some people are incredulous that I can live, breathe, and — perhaps most amazing — travel without a cell phone. It does make you wonder how we lived for so long without these devices. Just think, up until 1979 there were no cell phones. Do you realize what that means? It means Columbus discovered the new world… without a cell phone! The Pilgrims came without cell phones. International trade was carried on for centuries without cell phones. And yes, man went to the moon and back several times without cell phones.
You’re all stunned, I know. And you’re saying, “yeah, but this is 2008; people went without indoor plumbing and microwaves and dishwashers for centuries, too, but you’ve gotta get with the times, Ceej.” Well, not all technology is created equal. Some are more useful and necessary than others. There have been major advances in coffee-making technology, too, but since I don’t drink coffee, I don’t own the latest and greatest coffee maker. It’s unnecessary in my life; I don’t need it.
And that’s the same reason I don’t have a cell phone: I don’t need it. I have a phone in my house, and I have a phone in my office at work. If you call while I’m not in either of those places, you can leave me a message and I’ll call you back. Simple, just like Thoreau advised. I’m not waiting for a kidney transplant. I’m not carrying the nuclear football. So whatever it is, it can wait.
Why have an open soapbox today?
And the correct answer is, of course, D. So, what’s on your mind?
After the kids went to bed, my wife and I spent some time looking up videos from the ’80s on YouTube and reminiscing about where we were when each song was popular. You laugh, but we actually had a lot of fun. That’s what happens after you have three kids. I know, it’s sad, really, now that I think about it. Pathetic, even. I can’t believe I’m sharing it, upon further reflection.
Oh well, what the heck. Remember this one?
Sorry I haven’t been posting for a couple of days. Other things have kept me busy, plus I didn’t feel particularly well yesterday. Hopefully I’ll get back into the swing of things this evening.
In the meantime, here’s an open thread for you to hop up on your soapbox and comment on whatever is on your mind.
Autumn officially begins today. To celebrate, I’m taking the day off from blogging. 🙂 Feel free to use this post as an open thread to talk about whatever is on your mind.
If you can’t think of anything to say, here’s an idea: the $700 billion bailout. I keep hearing how this bailout is absolutely critical, and that the alternative would be worse. But I can’t find a report that specifically, in layman’s terms, explains “the alternative.” What specifically would happen to the economy if taxpayers didn’t bail out Wall Street? (Catch phrases like “economy would grind to a halt” don’t count.) Can anyone explain it to me or give me a link?
There’s a site out there called “How It Should Have Ended.” It has short animated videos that show how movies should have ended, in the opinion of the animators. Most of them are pretty funny — and true. They essentially poke fun at inconsistencies in the movie itself. Perfect example — Superman:
These little videos get pretty addictive. They’ve got them for “Lord of the Rings” (classic!), “The Blair Witch Project,” “Spiderman 3,” and lots more. Check it out!