A frightening realization

Wow, its been over a year since I took some time to throw down some thoughts on here and not for lack of content as much as lack of motivation on my part. However, that aside, something hit me today that I just felt I had to get in here and share.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about the troubles that Toyota has been having recently with their vehicles. And perhaps, you thought to yourself about how pristine their reputation had been up until now. Even further, you might have felt much like many others and that it was about time for them to fail.

It is this last group that I found myself in and then I received this New York Times article forwarded to me from my wife - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/weekinreview/07segal.html?scp=1&sq=Oh,%20what%20a%20feeling&st=cse

Her comment was that she never thought she'd see the day in which my thoughts were in line with that publication. It was this comment that made me pause and take a moment to reflect on the whys behind these feelings and this is what I came up with;

Sadly, and I am to blame here too, people root for the successful to fail when they themselves can not achieve the same level of success. It is wrong for us to revel in Toyota's troubles as it has never been their place to rub our noses in their success. Rather than be joyful, we should be concerned that a quality product has lost its luster as it is a sign of the complacency that is taking over the world with satisfaction in substandard products. Why do we accept that computers which cost us thousands of dollars become obsolete in a few years or that expensive TVs are breaking while our grandparents still have their original black and white set that keeps on going? We have replaced "function" with glitz and subsequently sentenced ourselves to the frustration of very expensive junk. This is a glimpse into our future and the waste in which we wallow.

Let us all hope that Toyota can recover from this and that we embrace this opportunity to demand more from the products we spend our money on.

You have an off-road Fusion?

So, I'm sitting at my desk today wrapping up the sixteenth spreadsheet of the afternoon when my phone rings. I look down at the caller ID and its the wife. So, I do what every other married man does. I let it go to voice-mail (actually, I was on the other line but I had to say that). Once she left a message, I checked to see what she had to say and I was greeted with a pissed off message about how horrible she thinks her car is because she just blew out her third (that's right, third) tire on it in a little over three years. At this point, I am just dumbfounded that anyone can blow out this many tires but doing the good husband thing, I give her a call to make sure she is ok and that she isn't driving on it another six miles like she did the first two times. Luckily, she only decided to drive four miles on the flat this time before pulling off the road to change it.

Once I get her on the phone, I assess the situation:

Me: What Happened
Wife: The tire blew
Me: How
Wife: You know that road where there's a drop off ditch
Me: Yeah
Wife: Well, there was this other car that was taking up the whole road so I had to move over or hit them and I went into the ditch and the tire blew (this was followed by how awful the car is, how terrible a purchase it was and how she wants to trade it in for something else)

After the tirade, I suggest she call my tire guy and see if he could get her a new one tonight (which he did - Creamery Tire is the best tire place on the planet). Anyway, suffice it to say that when driving a vehicle with low profile tire one should not attempt off-road maneuvers. Hence, why I drive an F150 and don't worry about such things. I'm thinking of looking into an M-1 Abrams for her next vehicle.

Mainstream Media

So, I was spending some time perusing the internet and I came across a little story on MSN.com that really irked me. It seems that Prince Harry of England is not going to be heading to Iraq with his unit in the British Army. This decision was made by the top general over the British forces in Iraq. The basis for said decision was a security concern for the prince and his company. Apparently, and I say this with the utmost sarcasm, the media made a little boo-boo. You see, when every major news outlet in the world got word of the young prince's deployment they thought it would be a fantastic idea to publicize it. You know, because there would be nobody of questionable intent interested in the news and try to exploit such things. OK, even I can't keep a straight face after that one. How ignorant of the world's media. Why didn't they just send an invitation to the entire world's terrorist organizations to meet him when he stepped off the plane - oh wait, they did. This is where media has crossed the line, in my opinion. Sure, it is their job to bring us news but at what cost. At no point should there be free license to publish information that will bring about direct dire consequences to the individuals being discussed in said news story. And maybe I am being to broad with my brush here and need to narrow it down to government/military actions. How can anybody with any semblance of a conscience publicize the specific actions of said organizations when the information will provide direct advantage to those said actions are being taken against should the information fall into their hands? I'm not saying that governments should expect free reign to run amok but they should at the very least not be put in jeopardy by their home state news organizations. I'm sure Prince Harry is feeling very frustrated in not being able to remain with the group of individuals he was assigned to due to the fact that his very presence would raise the danger factor to them all 1000 fold. And who can he thank for this position, his home country's media along with those who hail from his allies' countries. Bravo to the media for this mess. Once again you have worsened the situation with your need for a story.

EB Games = Ripoff Artists

So, as those of you who read this pathetic blog know, I have this little game addiction. Today, was another chapter in this whole sad affair. I pre-ordered the newest expansion pack (much against my better judgement) at EB Games, since my last debacle with the whole online ordering had me a little bitter. Anyway, I get a call today that the game is in the store for pick up. I'm thinking this is great since today is the release date and I'll actually be able to have the game on that date. Well, I get to the store and after 5-10 minutes of searching the store, they can not find the game. They proceed to look up the shipping information and the game is still in transit and won't be in the store until tomorrow. I proceed to say "I can promise you this. I will never pre-order here again." So, infuriated with this situation I sent the following note to EB Games:

This is the third in a sad comedy of errors that I have experienced with the whole pre-ordering scam that your company is running. Today, I received a system generated call telling me that my game would be available for pick up in the store. Upon arrival at the store, I share with them that I am there to pick up the game and they begin to look for the game. Here's the funny part; the game wasn't there. Do you know why? I'll tell you why. Because your automated call center called me a day early and the game won't be available in the store until tomorrow. Once again, a classic example of the horrible process of pre-ordering games through your stores. I will never spend another dollar in your stores. The way I figure it, that comes to just roughly around $500+ dollars a year in games alone. Not a huge loss for you, I am sure. However, I am also an internet blogger and message board member and it is now my personal agenda to share my story with everyone I can. The service that is received in your stores since GameStop took over EB is horrendous. The brow beating that one takes to pre-order is inexcusable. If I want to just go and pick up a game, I shouldn't feel like I am a horrible person for not pre-ordering. Furthermore, I should not be subjects to threats of not being able to get a game at a game store if I choose to exercise the option of not pre-ordering. If I want to pre-order, I can do so online. If I want the convenience of picking up something on the spur of the moment, I go to a store. Hopefully, your company takes a serious look at this whole process and makes some changes so you don't lose more customers to this scam you are running.

Afterward, I went back to the online purchase center and bought the game through them which will be available to me tomorrow as well. And nothing will please me more than walking into EB Games with my pre-order receipt and actually walking out of the store with them giving me money on my very last trip into their establishment. I hope that more people take stances against shoddy customer service and scams like this that pressure you into something you really rather not do. I'm sorry if they need my $5 to sit in their bank account and draw interest for the period of time prior to the release dates of games but if they are that strapped for money, maybe they should improve their customer relations so people actually want to do business with them. I will gladly spend my money elsewhere and tell everyone I can about this situation.

And for those of you who are thinking it - yes, it is probably an addiction.

No, I don't fly the Confederate flag

My apologies to those who have kept tabs on this feeble attempt at a blog and haven't had anything new to read in quite a while. Unfortunately, I find myself boring unto myself and haven't had anything witty to share along the premise of this blog lately. So, today I found myself responding to something and took pause as it might be something of interest to share here. Please take a moment to read the initial story and then my reaction/response. I have included the original story I read bolded below then follow that with the response. Take a moment and feel free to share your thoughts on whether you think I am cracked in the head or not. And without further delay, the story:

Ga. legislators split on slavery apology

ATLANTA, March 9 (UPI) -- The speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives says the state should not apologize for U.S. slavery.

Republican Glenn Richardson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that no one in office now in the state was around when slavery was legal in the United States.

"Maybe I just blanketly apologize to everyone for everything I've ever done," he added.

The Georgia National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held a news conference this week to demand an official apology for the enslavement of African-Americans. Democratic state Rep. Al Williams, head of the Legislative Black Caucus, plans to introduce a resolution, although Richardson said it will not pass this year unless the legislature changes its rules.

Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson, a Republican, was less hostile to the idea of an apology than Richardson.

"If saying 'I'm sorry' for something that neither I nor my relatives did to people who are not slaves makes somebody feel better, then I am comfortable doing it," Johnson said.

Gov. Sonny Purdue has so far made no comment.

And my response:

I want to be very clear on things before I respond to this.

1 - I am about as white as they come - blond hair, blue eyed variety of the fair skinned folk.

2 - I do not condone slavery.

3 - I do realize that slavery was more prominent in Africa than in America at the time this nation was born - also this slavery was blacks owning blacks.

4 - I subscribe to the philosophy of not crying over spilt milk.

5 - I also subscribe to the philosophy that forced apology is less genuine than one that a person offers under their own accord.

6 - I think it is pointless for folks to apologize on behalf of others unless said others are incapable of understanding the ramifications of their actions - ex. - young children and mentally handicapped.

Now, with all that said, I'd love for the NAACP to STFU and stick it up their @$$. No one alive today owned any slaves directly. Slavery in those days was common in every country. The slaves in this country were provided to us by individuals with the same heritage as those they were providing (African). There were as many cases of slaves being treated very well as there were cases of abuse. Those who abused slaves more than likely went to their graves with very hardened hearts and must settle their acts with God Almighty Himself. To what end will a formal proclamation of apology issued by a state government lead? Will said apology change the fact that it occurred? Will it represent the feelings of those who held said slaves? Or will it just serve as one more wedge driven into the bond that different races can build outside of said circumstances? At some point, we as a nation must move on and take responsibility for ourselves in today's day and age. The laws of today demand equality for all but the very people who resided here as the original inhabitants. You want to cry to me about needing an apology for being provided extraneous consideration for employment or entry into an institution of higher learning when the people whose land our forefathers stole aren't even considered citizens of this country? This demand is nothing but a ploy to rekindle a flame of hatred that needs to be extinguished not fueled further. Any action that the government of Georgia would have taken would have done nothing to move this country forward and it irritates me that they were put into said situation by the very organization that claims to desire advancement in our culture for their community. OK - I'll get off my soap box now.

So, you suffer from PEPS?

What was that you said? PEPS? Random acts of spontaneous enthusiasm? What is that? And how possibly could you suffer from that?

Well, since you asked, I'll expand upon this thing known as PEPS. Oh, and for those of you that know what this is, just play along and enjoy my pitiful revelation. Yes, that is right, I came to the revelation that I suffer from PEPS.

A few years ago, as some of you may know, EA Games released a new version of their hit game The Sims called, get this, The Sims 2. Now, I am not the first guy to jump onto a new game unless it has something to do with sports. And in those cases, I've been known to knock down pimpled faced teenagers to get my copy. However, being a guy who has spent his fair share of time playing video games, I had heard a ton of hype around the original Sims game and figured I'd give this new game a whirl. Well, I enjoyed it.........very much. So much in fact, I began a new purchasing habit. I started picking up Sims games for every gaming console I own. Suffice it to say, this means I have purchased a few Sims games. But being a new Sims gamer, I was not privy to the joys of periodical releases to the game which, once purchased, brought a whole new aspect to this world of minions that you basically get to play god with their lives. So, when the first one came out after the original Sims 2, I picked it up a month or so after it was on the shelves and came to learn about this amazing new aspect of gaming. So began, PEPS.

After purchasing the first couple add-ons, I began to notice myself actively investigating the next release in the line and planning on what each would bring to my simulated worlds. Would there be keg parties in University? What type of product could I sell in Open for Business? What clothes would come in Family Fun Stuff, Happy Holiday Stuff and Glamour Life Stuff? Would there be bars for me to relive my early legal drinking years in Nightlife? Could they really have a rottweiler in Pets in spite of the over hyped negative press against them? All of these questions began to stir in my very soul. I began a cycle of not just thinking about these things but even dreamt of what each would be like. The obsession finally hit a crescendo this week with the release of The Sims 2 Seasons.

Now Seasons is unlike just about any other add on I've seen. This completely changes not just what your characters can do but it also changes their entire environment with the implementation of seasonal weather conditions. My little Sims would now have to wear coats to protect themselves from the winter cold or come in from the pool unless they wanted to risk sunburn in the summer. They could grow vegetables in the warmer seasons and make snow angels in the colder ones. This is what an add on should be all about and I am all about this add on.

As an owner of the game, I am also a member of TheSims2.com. Being such, I am also inundated with information and advertisements for all of these new add-ons. Additionally, I am subjected to all sorts of offers for bonus gifts for pre-ordering them. With Seasons, I gave into the pressure and pre-ordered the game which was scheduled for release to stores 2/27. However, once I completed my pre-order and looked at the countdown clock to when I would be able to access the game, I came to the realization that I would not be able to get it until 2/28 @ 1:00 PM. WTF?? All I could think was "This must be a mistake". Nope, no mistake. To make matters worse, come the evening of 2/27 people were able to pick up the game in stores and were ever so kind to share their experiences with the suckers like me who were still waiting for their "pre-ordered" games. My blood began to boil and I took action. I wrote to everyone associated with the game. I told friends. I complained to my wife. I was a man suffering from unrest and there was no hope. I had a full blown case of PEPS - Pre-Expansion Pack Syndrome. This affliction only seems to reveal itself in obsessed gamers with no lives. So strong is this ailment, that support groups of like sufferers have formed on-line to help each other get through those agonizing months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds leading up to the release of the newest expansion pack. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am a Sims 2 gamer and I suffer from PEPS. Please don't try to understand this, just pray for me that I may be able to control this disease.

20 Foot Icicles and Zinfandel

In case you thought I was joking when I declared myself a red neck yuppie, I offer tonight as a prime example of the awesome force that is me. I spent the majority of the day sitting in a class on how to analyze the heck out a person and how to manipulate my tendencies to achieve synergy with those who don't understand that I am always right. O.K., maybe that last part was ad lib but I'm going with it. Since class finished an hour earlier than I usually get done, I had the great idea to grab a little snack and pick up something at the liquor store. After picking up some Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a bottle of Red Zinfandel, I proceeded to head home.

Upon arrival at the hostel I call my home, I decided to extract the wife's car from the ice berg it was surrounded by so, we didn't have to drive the SUV when the road conditions didn't warrant it. Once I completed that task, I was planning on a nice quiet suburban night of yelling at the kids, getting online, and having a little drink. Before I could get to that though, I figured I better fold some wash and put it away.

So, I am sitting there with a basket full of socks, blankets and assorted other clothing articles while the kids are watching Open Season. At approximately the fifth pair of boxer briefs, I hear an interesting sound. I asked my wife if she was running some laundry - nope. O.K. then what is making that noise? The refrigerator? The furnace? The freezer? Again, nope. Upon investigation, I discover that my sump pump is running. This strikes me odd as typically it only runs a few seconds and then shuts off. Being the ingenious handyman that I am I decide to investigate this a little further. I open the sump pump basin lid and there is the sump pump running and the pressure valve just blasting out water - not good. So, I reach into the sump pump basin to try and see if the pump is just misaligned (this is something that someone with as limited understanding of sump pumps as I have, should not do). After a few shakes of the discharge tube the sump pump disconnects from said tube and begins blasting the most noxious water you can imagine straight into my face. I flounder for the plug and yank it out of the wall. I am at this point soaked. I utter some rather choice words to which my wife responds, "Uh, are you O.K."? As she comes to investigate, I don't miss the fits of laughter that she is trying to hold back. My offering at this point, "I know this looks funny, but I am not appreciating the laughter".

Fortunately, I am not a complete mechanical moron. I realize that I need to gather up some critical tools and start by reconnecting the sump pump. Once I get this task done, I realize that there must be something blocking the discharge pipe. My guess is ice. So, I head out to shovel out the end of the discharge pipe. After shoveling it out, I go back inside to start the sump pump again. Still nothing is getting out. In my infinite wisdom, I decide to cut the discharge pipe closer to the house in hope that it is only frozen at the end. I cut the pipe off approximately ten feet from my house and what should I find, it is frozen solid. Enter the Red Neck. I run inside, grab my kitchen trash can and start filling it with hot water. Once I get a reasonable amount of hot water in the trash can I head back outside and pour it over the pipe......nothing. I mean zilch, nada, zippo, nothing. However, I see that the ice in the pipe is sticking a little further out of the end of the pipe. A couple of good shakes later, the pressure from the sump pump fires a ten foot long icicle out of the pipe and empties out the water from the sump pump basin - I am my own personal, soaked hero. In celebration of my conquest of the frozen sump pump fiasco, I have cracked open my newly purchased bottle of wine and sat down here to share my tale whilst sitting in my still very damp and very dirty jeans. I realize it can't get any more red neck yuppie than this. I am a science unto myself.