Common Courtesy

I was raised that it is just plain polite to say "Good Morning" or the appropriate greeting to people as you pass them. I'm also a reasonably friendly outgoing person, which leads me to this rant:

I'm going to freak out and beat some of the people in my building if they don't start responding. I greet everyone I see in some way. I nod my head if I don't know you at all, kind of a non-confrontational "Hello...I don't know you, but hello anyhow." If I know them, I'll say anything from "What's up?" to "Good morning" to actually greeting them by name. I will sometimes greet people I don't know but see alot, for example people who work in my building, similarly to those I know. "Good morning", etc. is a nice safe greeting.

Unfortunately for me, I work in a building with some very smart, very introverted people. The worst is this one fellow, who upon entering the elevator will stand in the corner. I want to ask him what he did wrong, but I'm sure he wouldn't respond.

Which is the part that drives me right up the wall...if someone greets you or asks a question...respond. I don't care if you grunt, cuss me out, punch me in the face...do something. I'd be happier if you just responded in a verbal fashion, as this avoids undo pain on all parties involved, but at least respond.

Until later...

Language

Ok...so having grown up as a military brat, my language isn't the best. Particularly when it comes to swearing. I've been the "inspiration" behind some of the baby's most "colorful" statements, which causes Mama no end of fits.

However, I've recently starting running into something that causes physical pain when I see, read or hear it. My lovely wife had the word "totes" on her blog to which I asked "Totes? Really?". She said, "It means totally". She also used the phrase "whatevs"...which I'm fairly certain isn't even a word.

Here is the link from Mirriam-Webster to the word tote, which using the noun form, I could see totes as plural. Note that nowhere does the word totes indicate any possibility of meaning totally.

Now, I understand that the Urban Dictionary indicates several definitions for totes and whatevs, but it would appear from the voting on both, that the majority of people tend to think that these usages are for noofus online chatters of the teen variety. Needless to say, my wife doesn't fall into that category. It is very odd to hear a college educated, certified teacher who specialized in language for elementary education using such language...particularly considering how often she corrects my grammatical faux pas.

Just saying...

Things No Father Should Ever Hear

There are some things that no father should ever hear..."Dad, I'm just stripping to pay for college." is one of the worst I can think of.

Although not as high up on the chain, but still disturbing considering the source is "I need makeup to be a hot model." Now, this statement isn't disturbing on it's face, as it is actually true, that models do require makeup, as no human yet has been born with perfect skin and features. What made this statement disturbing is that it came from my 3 yr old daughter.

She wandered into our room with several cases of eye shadow and blush and asked me to open them. I told her "No, I'm not opening them as you don't need makeup." The above statement was her response.

Now, I blame my wife and 7 yr old daughter (who dances and therefore wears makeup on stage) as they both have watched America's Next Top Model, and I'm sure the baby has watched it too.

That's all for now...

Why I don't rant like I used to...

It dawned on me last night why I don't rant like I used to...I avoid things that make me rant most of the time.

Perhaps in my aging, I finally internalized the hidden message that my Mom was always trying to tell me when she would say, "If it hurts when you go like that, then don't go like that." What she was trying to tell me was simply this: If something drives you crazy or hurts you in some fashion...avoid it! So, I took that to heart, and when things did tend to pass my threshold, normally I was nowhere near my computer to actually blog while I was ranting (mental note: buy a laptop as my retirement present to myself...rant when it hits and games on the move).

That being said, I've recently been overwhelmed by a couple of events...so here goes:

1. I hate driving in traffic. No normal traffic, but the inane lunacy that passes for traffic in our nation's capital. I had the "overwhelming joy" of driving my youngest daughter to her dance class last night. Suffice to say, having to change a tire before I left, thereby leaving late, did not help my mood. Add in the fact that no other human within a thousand miles of me knows how to drive normally, i.e. an accident on the shoulder of the other side of the interstate IS NOT A REASON FOR YOU TO COME TO A COMPLETE #$&*(&^#$(*&$(#ING STOP DURING RUSH HOUR...you spastic clowns. Add to that mess, the inability of the standard driver to actually just patiently add themselves to the end of a line at an off-ramp...Nooo, that would make sense, but what do you wool-headed excuses for meatsacks do...WHIP YOUR CAR ACROSS 2 LANES AND NEARLY RIP THE FRONT END OF MY CAR OFF STUFFING YOUR FORD BEHEMOTH-MOBILE INTO A SPACE MY DAUGHTER WOULDN'T FIT IN...WAIT YOUR FRACKING TURN LIKE THE REST OF US...

2. I hate my state...more specifically, the fact that the Democratic party that runs my state has been ripe with corruption since they started. Chicago has been owned by the Daly family in politics, what with vote early and vote often. I didn't vote for anybody this year because my state didn't even have the common courtesy of sending me an absentee ballot, despite having registered and used their online request form, not once but twice. Perhaps they realized that I wouldn't have voted for Obama and decided that I didn't need to vote as I was voting wrong. Add to that frustration, WHAT THE HELL...the thick-witted, brain-damaged, son of a... governor decides he can SELL a vacant Senate seat? Is it legal for me to take a short trip back and slap him so hard his great-great-great-great-grandchildren are born cross-eyed? I didn't vote for him when I had the chance and now I've been vindicated...

That's enough for now...my blood pressure spiked while recalling how angry I was yesterday and I have to go and calm down now before I blow a vessel.

Farewell, Gary

Farewell, Gary Gygax.

You know how when you hear that someone famous died and most of the time, you tend to think (or at least I do alot)..."Oh wow...what a shame." and that's as far as it goes. Then come the one's like Mother Teresa, who you look at and think "The world just lost something today.". Last are the ones that when you hear, you sit down stunned for a minute...that was me today when I read the news story about Gary Gygax dying on the web. D&D was a huge part of my formative game playing. I think back fondly to my time in his care...D&D...the memories.

For God's sake, I was 11 when I first started playing at school with my friends. I've still got a 1st edition Dungeon Master's Guide, Player's Handbook and most of the modules that Gygax wrote.

I shudder to think of the trouble I could have gotten into had I not started playing D&D and had something to occupy my time as a teenager. While my friends were out drinking and attempting other stupid crap, I was happily engaging my mind..."What's that you say? I'm looking at a pit and my rope will only get me 2/3's of the way across and the ogres are coming...hrmmm"

I've moved on into other games since, with my latest being World of Warcraft, where in the official forums, the idea of an in-game memorial has been raised. I would fully support an in-game memorial. I like someone's "Bag of Holding" idea...but it would have to be some ridiculous number of slots....like hundreds...of course, make it so nasty to get to, that people have nightmares about the attempts. I can still remember the pain of some of those modules...."Queen of the Demonweb Pits"...shudder...the G series - Hill Giants, Frost Giants, Fire Giants...oh my.

All RPGs pale in comparison to the open-ended, free-flow joy that was D&D. Unfortunately, trying to find people who play now is akin to finding people who are willing to receive root canals via their eye sockets. Some nonsense about "the graphics suck". Kids these days have no imagination...

Farewell, Gary...you'll be missed...may you never miss another saving throw...

Valentine's Day

Today, I tried something different. I posted...unbeknownst to my wife...on her blog:

http://www.mom2dbmk.com

Sorry, dear...but I couldn't help myself :)

tic tac® candies and me

So, me and tic tac® candies (correction: mints) have an interesting relationship.

Namely, I devour them en masse...I mean, for God's sake, I just tipped the container back and have six of them in my mouth now...wait, no...make that five of them ;)

Anyway, over my life I've run into what I thought were all of the various flavors: peppermint (white), spearmint (green), cinnamon (red), orange (orange). I like most of them, however I hold a special place in my heart for the orange ones...I can put away an entire container (37 mints) at one time with the orange ones. I just open my maw, pop open the container and start shaking...it's truly sick. The peppermint ones are ok, as are the cinnamon ones. The spearmint ones can be a little painful, what with my method of ingestion (see above).

Recently the snack fund proprietor's at my office provided two types I hadn't seen before: wintergreen (light green) and citrus twist (odd yellow and green).

The wintergreen ones are tolerable...a little like their other green brother. A little intense in large groups...say 5 or more, but find in smaller groups.

However, the citrus twist ones are horrific. I figured, "Hey, I like Sprite® and other lemon-lime stuff...these should be ok." Uh...no...not even close. I don't know who came up with the flavor for these, but they taste kind of like the lemon fresh Clorox® wipes smell...not good...not good at all.

Anyway...if you haven't tried the citrus twist ones yet...save yourself the trouble and stick to the orange ones...on second thought, git yer hands off my orange ones. And if you have tried them and like them...I'm sorry and you have nothing to fear from me...I'll stick with the orange ones.

Again...did I mention sickness...six of them this time :)