Budgeting Wisely

At work a fellow employee decided to ask HR why we don't change to monthly pay periods. The argument was, "it is too hard to budget effectively for biweekly paychecks." And then, some other arguments about how it would save the company money and that it would streamline everything due to less cost, less paperwork, etc., etc.

Honestly, I stopped paying attention after the beginning statement. If you can't effectively budget for an expected amount of pay with biweekly pay periods, would monthly pay periods be any easier?

Get with the program already!

A lady boarded the bus today and stood near the farebox. Digging through her pockets she produced a paper transfer. The bus driver looked it over, grabbed it, wadded it up and tossed it in the garbage bin. This lady pulled another transfer from her pocket and the scene repeated itself. Actually, it repeated itself for a total of 20 transfers and 10 wasted minutes. We were behind schedule. Finally, she just decided to buy a new bus ticket and we were on our way.

Is it too much to ask to have your money, or valid fare ready for inspection when the bus pulls up? And when the bus pulls up to a stop board with immediacy and not dilly-dally for 5 minutes and then hold the bus through 10 lights while you lazily board?

I can't wait until I can drive my own ride everywhere.

Yes, I'm Still Alive

Being stuck on public transit for half as much time compared to what I normally spend at work (40 hrs) really drains my energy. And this means less time and creativity for the blog. Sorry. Like everyone else, I have my priorities.

It isn't every day where you are taking time and enjoying a nice lunch...and a person in a car goes driving down the pedestrian mall with less than 1" clearance on each side. Parents rushed to get their kids out of the way, mall security was nowhere to be seen (well, they were at the Star Wars exhibit making friends with Darth Vader) and everyone in the restaurant craned their neck to stare out the window. We all cringed as the driver missed a kid in a stroller, a picnic table, and several light fixtures. Miraculously, this driver made it out alive with 0 damage to the car or other people.

This won't make the news because speeds were slightly faster than a walk. Usually when this happens freeway speeds and alcohol are involved...

Have a nice weekend, everybody.

When cyberlife meets real life.

I came home tonight to find "YOU NOOBS!!!!" scrawled across the front entrance in big yellow sidewalk chalk letters. I think someone has been playing a little too much World of Warcraft, or other MMORPG.

I don't know who it could be. At least, not yet.

Draw with your eyes closed.

Silly internet games keep everyone busy. Social networking breeds a new type of game; the "let's see how well you can draw with MS Paint" game. This is the 21st century equivalent of Pictionary where people trick you into drawing on a dry erase board and having to guess what your silly squiggles mean.

There are only a few rules:

1. You must draw a cat. (We know what you're drawing, we just want to see how good an artist you are not!)
2. You must draw it with your eyes closed (No peeking, this is all the fun!)
3. There is no help allowed. (Your friend must do one too.)
4. You must publish a self incriminating photo on the web for us to critique and laugh at.

Somehow I got suckered into this mindless activity. And well, it was 100* at 12AM and I had nothing better to do. So I present to you, my Dear Internet Reader, original art:

I'd like a refund, please.

My coffeemaker explicitly warns me that coffee is hot. What it fails to mention though, is that there is danger of spontaneous combustion. Why it decided to explode all over my counter top last night is beyond me.

Funny, in a sarcastic "ha ha" kind of way is that not too many hours earlier my lady and I were having a discussion about it. She wasn't sure how to clean the coffee maker, and I told her that gentle methods were best. If that didn't clean it, nothing would, and we'd just have to go out and buy a new one anyway.

Then disaster struck - a deafening pop, a hiss, and a pot of coffee leaking down the counter top, stove, sink and cabinets.

Appliances sure aren't built like back in the old days. I have little hope for our next $10 Chinese appliance. We may have to go back to the manual way of doing things: A pot on the stove with a bag of grounds.

How to order drinks when you're 65

"I'd like a glass of water, neat," said the elderly old lady just sitting down for a fancy dinner.

What was that? Did the waiter hear wrong? The drink request was asked again.

"I'd like a glass of water, neat." And without missing a pause, her husband said in a gruff voice, "And I'll have a glass of water: ON THE ROCKS!"

Yeah, the 20-year old waitress didn't know what this meant and the elderly couple had to explain it. You don't hear orders like this much every day, and rarely at a bar, so it was a good opportunity to connect with the older generation. And the drinks came exactly as ordered: One with ice, one without.

Even a tricked out Geo Metro is cooler than this...

People with muscle cars soup up their mufflers so you know that they're coming. I'm talking deep. I'm talking rumbling. LOUD.

They've got a hot car and want you to see it peel out at 50 in a 25mph zone.

But what about these new age people? Yeah, I'm talking about that person on the scooter with the loud muffler that is barely making it 5mph across the intersection. My ears hear a V6, but my eyes see a bicycle. What gives?

I don't think the intent was to make us laugh at him.