Overdone
I have a feeling this is gonna be one of my worst blog entries ever, but oh well, I am annoyed and something needs to be said. The thing is, I am really tired of all the variations on that stupid MasterCard commercial. They need a new idea, instead of relying on creativity that wore out long ago.
I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about, those MasterCard ads that go went something like this:
"Plane Ticket: $200
Camera: $150
Taking a picture with your great grandma who lives somewhere far from you hence the plane ticket: Priceless"
Ok, so that one I made up, and you are probably saying to yourself, "not like this guy should be talking about other people's lack of creativity." But I am kind of tired and I don't feel like putting more thought into something like this. Everyone knows what I am talking about anyways, just getting the point across.
Well, in the time since then, MasterCard has come out with about 5 billion more variations on that ad in any way possible. Some of them might pretend to be fresh, but in the end, it is still a rehash of the same thing.
I guess it was a pretty clever idea for a commercial at the time, maybe even the kind that makes you wonder "Who are the ad wizards that came up with that one?" (who knows where that quote is from?). Well, I'm telling you, these ad wizards need to think of a new idea.
But it would be one thing if it were just the MasterCard people using it. After all, they came up with the idea, and it's their problem if they want to be known as the people who came up with one good idea for a commercial and sucked it dry for a few years, while the ad wizards sat around doing jack.
Unfortunately, it seems to me like everybody is using that stupid idea now. Maybe it's just me, but I read some random people's blogs, I see people's email signatures, and any time somebody needs to sound like they wrote something funny, they use the "Priceless" thing. It's getting old, real old.
Maybe I am just being grumpy. I've seen a couple that I actually like. One went something like this:
"AEM Cold Air Intake: $80
Stillen Y-Pipe: $250
Greddy Catback Exhaust: $400
Mustangs eating your dust: Priceless
There are some things a V6 can't beat... for everything else, there's MAXIMA"
Ok, I probably only liked one that because I like Maximas, but hey, "Maxima" sounds like "MasterCard" so that adds another dimension to the cleverness, alright?
Enough with complaing about this though, nobody understands why I am mad about something this insignificant anyways. I'm just saying, whenever someone comes up with a good idea in this world, it almost always ends up being overdone. It gets annoying that 99% of people in this world rely heavily on other people's creativity, and that 99% of what we are surrounded by is recycled ideas rather than true originality.
One other thing that is bothering me is what's going on with the song "Sweet Home Alabama." Not that it's a terrible song, it's actually not bad, but why did they have to name a movie after the song? How lame is it when movie writers actually base the story on a song title, they gotta make sure that the main character is from Alabama and everything. And just off the top of my head, I can think of two other movies that have used that same song in a big scene, so it's definitely not a fresh idea (the movies I'm thinking of are Con Air and Forrest Gump, there are probably others).
For the sake of supporting my weak and faltering arguments so far, I guess I will list some other things that are copied these days and way overdone.
Boy bands/Female Pop Stars - Backstreet and N Sync were not bad, even 98 Degrees was cool for a while, but O-Town, LFO, Westlife, and Soul Decision I could have done without. And Britney was the first and only queen ever of teenie pop, forget Christina, Jessica, or Mandy.
Reality TV shows - Real World has been around for a while, but after Survivor, there are too many to list that have followed since then. Same goes for primetime game shows after Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? One minute it's the only show of its kind, next thing you know, 800 more pop up that are almost exactly like it, only on different channels.
Japanese baseball players - Nomo was good, but then Hideki Irabu scared all the GMs away from Japan for a while. Then Ichiro came, and the flood began again. Seriously, how did a piece of crap like Tsuyoshi Shinjo end up here?
Awards ceremonies - I already wrote about this before.
Creative Terrorism - Someone decides to think of a wacky idea to kill innocent people senselessly, and then every extremist Islamic schmoe thinks he can do one better. They used to just hijack planes and kidnap hostages. Now people are flying the planes into buildings and burying bombs in their shoes as if they were Osama himself. Come on guys, don't you think American society has had it by now with the show? We are too saturated to be able to handle any more of this off the wall stuff so it's time to move onto something else.
(aside) Why attack Bali? Is it because you stupid fairies can't break through the tightened security in the US, so you go for a tourist location halfway across the world instead?
Extra-huge SUVs - I can remember when only a limited number of people drove Jeeps, Ford Explorers, or Chevy Blazers. They were usually for construction workers or park rangers, people who actually needed to haul stuff or drive through mud. Then, everyone started buying them. Then, they started to make them bigger. I see more and more Ford Expeditions and Excursions, Cadillac Escalades, Toyota Sequoias, etc. on the road now. Too much, I say.
Dance step video games - I never liked those to begin with... now they are all over the place.
Tattoos of Chinese Characters - It was kind of a novel idea at first, but when I start seeing every skanky white girl, every inbred trailer trash wife-beater wearing hick, or every dumb rookie NBA player start putting up words on their body that don't even make any sense, I gotta say enough is enough. What a disgrace to the beauty of the Chinese written language.
Notice one thing about a lot of these examples: the first and original is usually the best. Often imitated, rarely duplicated.
I don't know why I am so peevish lately. The next blog, whenever I write it, will be positive, I promise.
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Saturday, October 12, 2002
Saturday Morning
I woke up this morning to the sound of a fire truck's siren. Now, I live about 2 minutes away from the fire station, so I am kind of used to hearing these sirens in the distance every once in a while. But this morning, it sounded like the siren was especially loud. And this time, it was followed by the sound of a truck going by. Since I was dead tired and I wanted to sleep, I just ignored it and tried to go back to sleep.
But, about 10 minutes later, the same thing happened. Being the stubborn sleeper I am, I refused to get up until about an hour (and 4 or 5 more siren passings) later.
It turns out that the fire station was giving tours aboard its fire engine at about 10 am on a Saturday morning. Now, firefighters are great and everything, but what is up with that? Don't they have any lives to save or anything? At least go rescue some cats or something.
I guess 10 o'clock isn't really that early, but still I was pretty pissed that I got woken up earlier than I wanted to on the one day of the week I get to sleep late. Seriously, what kind of people wake up on a Saturday morning and say to themselves, "gee, it seems like a nice day, I think I'll go to the fire station and catch a tour on the shiny red fire truck." Not anybody I know. These people, whoever they are, need to go buy themselves a Nintendo and play it.
Also, isn't there a better place to tour than a small residential street, which happens to be where I live? That doesn't seem like a very interesting tour. "Hey look, a 2-car garage! Look, another one!" or "dang, that lawn is hella green, man!" "Speed Limit is 25, let's cruise baby!" Not that the town of Darien is all that interesting, but at least we have a WalMart and a few streets that are busier. Of all the places, why do these fools choose to drive in front of my house and ring their stupid siren on a Saturday morning?
Yes, I am feeling just a tad bit "belligerent" today...
I woke up this morning to the sound of a fire truck's siren. Now, I live about 2 minutes away from the fire station, so I am kind of used to hearing these sirens in the distance every once in a while. But this morning, it sounded like the siren was especially loud. And this time, it was followed by the sound of a truck going by. Since I was dead tired and I wanted to sleep, I just ignored it and tried to go back to sleep.
But, about 10 minutes later, the same thing happened. Being the stubborn sleeper I am, I refused to get up until about an hour (and 4 or 5 more siren passings) later.
It turns out that the fire station was giving tours aboard its fire engine at about 10 am on a Saturday morning. Now, firefighters are great and everything, but what is up with that? Don't they have any lives to save or anything? At least go rescue some cats or something.
I guess 10 o'clock isn't really that early, but still I was pretty pissed that I got woken up earlier than I wanted to on the one day of the week I get to sleep late. Seriously, what kind of people wake up on a Saturday morning and say to themselves, "gee, it seems like a nice day, I think I'll go to the fire station and catch a tour on the shiny red fire truck." Not anybody I know. These people, whoever they are, need to go buy themselves a Nintendo and play it.
Also, isn't there a better place to tour than a small residential street, which happens to be where I live? That doesn't seem like a very interesting tour. "Hey look, a 2-car garage! Look, another one!" or "dang, that lawn is hella green, man!" "Speed Limit is 25, let's cruise baby!" Not that the town of Darien is all that interesting, but at least we have a WalMart and a few streets that are busier. Of all the places, why do these fools choose to drive in front of my house and ring their stupid siren on a Saturday morning?
Yes, I am feeling just a tad bit "belligerent" today...
Tuesday, October 08, 2002
My First 2 Days of Work
Yesterday (Monday) was my first day at the new job. So far, it's gone pretty smooth. I will probably have to get used to the traffic times so I don't keep showing up 10-20 minutes early, but oh well. I think the drive is gonna be around 45-50 minutes each way, which isn't as bad as I originally thought.
All I've been doing the past couple days is "getting used to the computer and environment" and filling out forms. The most important form is the application for my security clearance. I have to complete this long thing that lists all I've been doing the past 7 years and asks for references to verify the details. I already asked a bunch of people if I could list them, but I think I might need a couple more, so if you don't want to diss me, just block my IM name (Dudo509) and don't pick up when my name shows up on your caller ID. It's not a big deal though, I think some lady is just gonna contact you and ask if I lived in Darien from 1995-2002 and went to U of I the past 4 years or something like that.
The point of all this is so I can eventually be cleared by the US Department of Defense (DoD, as the cool ones call it) to deal with "Secret" matters. I didn't know this before, but "Secret" is exactly one level under "Top Secret," and one higher than "Confidential." When I used to watch movies or TV shows and hear the words "this is strictly confidential," I used to think it was so cool. But maybe soon I will find myself scoffing at such a low rating. Someone will give me an envelope stamped "Confidential" and I'll be like "psshhhhh.... give this unimportant shiznit to one of the peons."
Other than this, there isn't much I can say about the first couple days. Everyone that I've met at this place seems really nice, my supervisor included. He's been working there for 35 years and I can tell he's liked all 35. Most of the people in my department are older, at least in their 30's I think, but there are a few that are maybe only a year or two older than me. In other departments, I met a lot more people who are in their early 20's, and I am guessing eventually I will get to work with most all of them at some point or another.
Oh yeah, if anyone is gonna be near the area and wants to have lunch with me, give me a call or email. I can pretty much go whenever I want, so definitely let me know. It's basically like 5 minutes north of Woodfield, and there are plenty of restaurants around the area that I want to explore one by one. Today I checked out this place called "Taco Bell." It was pretty cool, but I don't know if I can handle such authentic Mexican food every day, I might need some variety.
An Unrelated Story
On my car stereo, there is this button labeled "PTY." I remember the guy at the dealer telling me what it was, but I forgot exactly what he said. Anyways, I think I might just be a little sleep deprived, but you know how in computer programs (like Microsoft Word), you can move the mouse over a button, and if you leave it for a second or two without clicking, a little yellow box will pop-up with a short explanation about what that button does? For example, move it over the symbol of a floppy disk in Word's Toolbar, and it will say "Save." Well, today on my way back from work I briefly moved my finger over the "PTY" button in my car but didn't press it, half expecting a yellow box to pop up and tell me what that button was for. Oh, I came to my senses soon enough, but I still think I deserve to be slapped or beaten up for doing that. I was being too nerdy for such an action to go unpunished.
Wouldn't it be cool if that's how the world worked though? Life imitates art, or computer design in this case. Like in NFL football, they have been using Madden 2002 to simulate what the result would be, and they have that yellow line that shows where the first down is. And after playing Mario Kart for years, my dream has always been to drive a car that has 3 rotating balls (or balloons) around it, and to be able to fire red homing shells at other cars or use a star to bully my way through traffic. When I have a conversation on the phone, I want to hear that Instant Messenger noise (imrcv.wav) every time the other person finishes his/her sentence. "Hey Joe, how's it going? [de-ringgg]" "I'm doin alright, how bout you? [dada-dung]"
Oh yeah, PTY is used to help you program new stations. Supposedly in the future, all radio stations will broadcast information about their content, kind of like Digital Cable TV if you have it. So, say I drive to California, and along the way I want to listen to only the local "Adult Contemporary" stations. In that case, the PTY button will be my best friend. It will allow me to enjoy hours and hours of Celine Dion no matter what area I go through.
Unrelated Story #2
This isn't really a story, but I just ran out of contact lens solution. Normally, I procrastinate as long as I can to go out and get stuff like this, until I am out of everything else. Then, I go to Wal-Mart like twice a year and buy all of the contact solution, shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, etc. that I can all at once.
Not this time though. This time, I reminded myself to "pick it up after work." For some nerdy reason, that just seems cool to me. I've always wanted to say "I'll just pick it up after work," and now I can. Someday, my wife will ask me if I can get some eggs, and I'll be so ready to say "sure, I'll pick some up after work!" I can't wait... It's probably gonna one of the best parts about having a job, right up there with the "learning experience," "benefits," and "money."
Related Story
Did you know that Alcon now makes Opti-Free Express No-Rub Multi-Purpose Solution with Long Lasting Comfort? The "Long Lasting Comfort" thing is the newest feature that I just noticed today. There once was a time when it was just Opti-Free Multi-Purpose Solution. Not only did you have to rub your contacts, but you had to soak them overnight, not the Express-style 15 minutes. Then, every week you had to use a special "enzymatic cleaner" where you drop a little tablet into these little clear plastic vials and they would bubble up and clean your contacts where the daily solution couldn't. Worst of all, the "comfort" that this treatment provided was not "lasting."
Before that, I used an even more inconvenient system where I had to buy 3 bottles just for everyday use. One was a little bottle of "Starting Solution," a highly concentrated cleaner that you had to use to rub your contacts with, before soaking it overnight in "Finishing Solution." Before putting your contacts in, you then had to rinse with saline solution. Of course, you still had to do the weekly enzyme cleaning too.
Kids these days don't know how good they've got it. One bottle's got your ticket to long-lasting comfort, you don't even gotta rub.
After all this, I didn't even end up buying that stuff. It's freaking 8 bucks a bottle... For that kind of money, I ended up getting 2 of the Ciba-Vision Solo Care Plus. It takes 6 hours and doesn't specifically offer "Lasting Comfort", but I still don't have to rub, and it came with a free lens case. I guess I'll deal with it.
Yesterday (Monday) was my first day at the new job. So far, it's gone pretty smooth. I will probably have to get used to the traffic times so I don't keep showing up 10-20 minutes early, but oh well. I think the drive is gonna be around 45-50 minutes each way, which isn't as bad as I originally thought.
All I've been doing the past couple days is "getting used to the computer and environment" and filling out forms. The most important form is the application for my security clearance. I have to complete this long thing that lists all I've been doing the past 7 years and asks for references to verify the details. I already asked a bunch of people if I could list them, but I think I might need a couple more, so if you don't want to diss me, just block my IM name (Dudo509) and don't pick up when my name shows up on your caller ID. It's not a big deal though, I think some lady is just gonna contact you and ask if I lived in Darien from 1995-2002 and went to U of I the past 4 years or something like that.
The point of all this is so I can eventually be cleared by the US Department of Defense (DoD, as the cool ones call it) to deal with "Secret" matters. I didn't know this before, but "Secret" is exactly one level under "Top Secret," and one higher than "Confidential." When I used to watch movies or TV shows and hear the words "this is strictly confidential," I used to think it was so cool. But maybe soon I will find myself scoffing at such a low rating. Someone will give me an envelope stamped "Confidential" and I'll be like "psshhhhh.... give this unimportant shiznit to one of the peons."
Other than this, there isn't much I can say about the first couple days. Everyone that I've met at this place seems really nice, my supervisor included. He's been working there for 35 years and I can tell he's liked all 35. Most of the people in my department are older, at least in their 30's I think, but there are a few that are maybe only a year or two older than me. In other departments, I met a lot more people who are in their early 20's, and I am guessing eventually I will get to work with most all of them at some point or another.
Oh yeah, if anyone is gonna be near the area and wants to have lunch with me, give me a call or email. I can pretty much go whenever I want, so definitely let me know. It's basically like 5 minutes north of Woodfield, and there are plenty of restaurants around the area that I want to explore one by one. Today I checked out this place called "Taco Bell." It was pretty cool, but I don't know if I can handle such authentic Mexican food every day, I might need some variety.
An Unrelated Story
On my car stereo, there is this button labeled "PTY." I remember the guy at the dealer telling me what it was, but I forgot exactly what he said. Anyways, I think I might just be a little sleep deprived, but you know how in computer programs (like Microsoft Word), you can move the mouse over a button, and if you leave it for a second or two without clicking, a little yellow box will pop-up with a short explanation about what that button does? For example, move it over the symbol of a floppy disk in Word's Toolbar, and it will say "Save." Well, today on my way back from work I briefly moved my finger over the "PTY" button in my car but didn't press it, half expecting a yellow box to pop up and tell me what that button was for. Oh, I came to my senses soon enough, but I still think I deserve to be slapped or beaten up for doing that. I was being too nerdy for such an action to go unpunished.
Wouldn't it be cool if that's how the world worked though? Life imitates art, or computer design in this case. Like in NFL football, they have been using Madden 2002 to simulate what the result would be, and they have that yellow line that shows where the first down is. And after playing Mario Kart for years, my dream has always been to drive a car that has 3 rotating balls (or balloons) around it, and to be able to fire red homing shells at other cars or use a star to bully my way through traffic. When I have a conversation on the phone, I want to hear that Instant Messenger noise (imrcv.wav) every time the other person finishes his/her sentence. "Hey Joe, how's it going? [de-ringgg]" "I'm doin alright, how bout you? [dada-dung]"
Oh yeah, PTY is used to help you program new stations. Supposedly in the future, all radio stations will broadcast information about their content, kind of like Digital Cable TV if you have it. So, say I drive to California, and along the way I want to listen to only the local "Adult Contemporary" stations. In that case, the PTY button will be my best friend. It will allow me to enjoy hours and hours of Celine Dion no matter what area I go through.
Unrelated Story #2
This isn't really a story, but I just ran out of contact lens solution. Normally, I procrastinate as long as I can to go out and get stuff like this, until I am out of everything else. Then, I go to Wal-Mart like twice a year and buy all of the contact solution, shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, etc. that I can all at once.
Not this time though. This time, I reminded myself to "pick it up after work." For some nerdy reason, that just seems cool to me. I've always wanted to say "I'll just pick it up after work," and now I can. Someday, my wife will ask me if I can get some eggs, and I'll be so ready to say "sure, I'll pick some up after work!" I can't wait... It's probably gonna one of the best parts about having a job, right up there with the "learning experience," "benefits," and "money."
Related Story
Did you know that Alcon now makes Opti-Free Express No-Rub Multi-Purpose Solution with Long Lasting Comfort? The "Long Lasting Comfort" thing is the newest feature that I just noticed today. There once was a time when it was just Opti-Free Multi-Purpose Solution. Not only did you have to rub your contacts, but you had to soak them overnight, not the Express-style 15 minutes. Then, every week you had to use a special "enzymatic cleaner" where you drop a little tablet into these little clear plastic vials and they would bubble up and clean your contacts where the daily solution couldn't. Worst of all, the "comfort" that this treatment provided was not "lasting."
Before that, I used an even more inconvenient system where I had to buy 3 bottles just for everyday use. One was a little bottle of "Starting Solution," a highly concentrated cleaner that you had to use to rub your contacts with, before soaking it overnight in "Finishing Solution." Before putting your contacts in, you then had to rinse with saline solution. Of course, you still had to do the weekly enzyme cleaning too.
Kids these days don't know how good they've got it. One bottle's got your ticket to long-lasting comfort, you don't even gotta rub.
After all this, I didn't even end up buying that stuff. It's freaking 8 bucks a bottle... For that kind of money, I ended up getting 2 of the Ciba-Vision Solo Care Plus. It takes 6 hours and doesn't specifically offer "Lasting Comfort", but I still don't have to rub, and it came with a free lens case. I guess I'll deal with it.
Sunday, October 06, 2002
Scattered Thoughts
It's time for some more randomness from the minds that bring you dudo509 blogs.
I have always wondered about people who design bathrooms for public buildings. Anytime these places are busy, you always see a line for the women's side, but not for the men. By now, it should be common knowledge that women are born with the knack of taking longer to use the bathroom. It's partly biological, and partly because they like to take their merry time powdering their nose and gossiping about men in the bathroom. Guys go in, do their thing, wash their hands (at least the clean ones do), then they're out. We want no unneccessary time spent in a place that is usually pretty nasty to begin with. I haven't been in many girls' bathrooms in my life, but I bet they are a whole lot nicer than men's rooms. Instead of sticky floors and a thick air of stank, there are probably flowers and potpurri. Call me stereotypical if you will, but just look at the facts and you can see that I am right. Anyways, you would think that people would start to design buildings with a bigger women's restroom than men's, but not everyone is as wise as me, I guess.
AOL Instant Messanger is one of the greatest things ever invented. Your buddy list is like a party where everyone kind of hangs out. Some are good friends, others you just kind of know. You can talk to whoever you feel like; there's no pressure to talk to someone just because they are online at the "party". When you are away, it's like an answering machine that takes your messages and organizes them. Almost everybody I know has an AIM screen name, and in the day where ethernet or cable connections are common, it's pretty easy to reach most people online. And it's nice that you can leave it on in the background while you do other stuff. Then there is the Buddy Chat feature, one of the most underused and underrated functions. I recently got to talk to all 3 of my college roommates at once using Buddy Chat. One is in California studying for a masters at Berkeley, another in Arlington Heights as a teacher, and the other in Champaign for an MBA. But for a few minutes, it was almost like we were back at the apartment chillin together. No, it wasn't the same, but not too shabby for a little program that anybody can download for free. Not too shabby at all.
Who would've thought that last year's World Series teams would both be eliminated in the first round? Certainly not I. Hopefully nobody used my predictions for gambling purposes. The Yankees got handled, it could've been a sweep if it weren't for a couple bad pitches in Game 1 by the Angels bullpen. All that money spent, for nothing. Haha I can't say I feel bad for Jason Giambi. Now I wouldn't mind any team winning, except maybe the Cardinals.
I just scanned my computer for viruses (virii?), and it's weird, but I was actually kind of disappointed that no viruses were found. That's no fun at all, I need some excitement in my life.
Buying a car would be fun, if it weren't for the salesmen. Car salesmen rarely know a lot about the cars they are selling, but they think they are so smooth. They try to steer you to get all these features you don't need. Then you ask them a question, and they never give you a straight answer. You ask them what the typical financing rate is right now, a simple question, and they want you to fill out a credit history form first. Either that, or they gotta talk to their manager first. What is the deal with that? I swear, they gotta talk to the manager for everything. What's your name? "Uh... lemme talk to my manager about that first and I'll get back to you." Seriously though, why are there no helpful and sincere salesmen in the car dealer industry? I go to Target looking for something, and a high school kid working there will always tell me exactly what I need to know, no extra horse-ca-ca involved. Imagine if I went to Bakers Square for a pie, and I had to spend an hour bargaining with them just so they would sell it to me at a fair price, somewhere below the sticker price for the pie and closer to the invoice. Ridiculous.
Sweetest Day is coming up. Yes, that's right, the most bogus holiday of them all. Except for maybe Valentine's Day. hahahaha
Burning your tongue is one of the worst feelings, not because of the initial pain, but because you know that tomorrow it is gonna be all nasty. Speaking of which, I have to say that people who pierce their tongues are crazy. When I accidentally bite my tongue, it ends up being an open sore that hurts like crazy for days. I can't even imagine how worse it would feel to put a spear completely through your tongue.
I will have to cut this short so that I can get ready for bed and my first day of work tomorrow. Thanks for reading...
It's time for some more randomness from the minds that bring you dudo509 blogs.
I have always wondered about people who design bathrooms for public buildings. Anytime these places are busy, you always see a line for the women's side, but not for the men. By now, it should be common knowledge that women are born with the knack of taking longer to use the bathroom. It's partly biological, and partly because they like to take their merry time powdering their nose and gossiping about men in the bathroom. Guys go in, do their thing, wash their hands (at least the clean ones do), then they're out. We want no unneccessary time spent in a place that is usually pretty nasty to begin with. I haven't been in many girls' bathrooms in my life, but I bet they are a whole lot nicer than men's rooms. Instead of sticky floors and a thick air of stank, there are probably flowers and potpurri. Call me stereotypical if you will, but just look at the facts and you can see that I am right. Anyways, you would think that people would start to design buildings with a bigger women's restroom than men's, but not everyone is as wise as me, I guess.
AOL Instant Messanger is one of the greatest things ever invented. Your buddy list is like a party where everyone kind of hangs out. Some are good friends, others you just kind of know. You can talk to whoever you feel like; there's no pressure to talk to someone just because they are online at the "party". When you are away, it's like an answering machine that takes your messages and organizes them. Almost everybody I know has an AIM screen name, and in the day where ethernet or cable connections are common, it's pretty easy to reach most people online. And it's nice that you can leave it on in the background while you do other stuff. Then there is the Buddy Chat feature, one of the most underused and underrated functions. I recently got to talk to all 3 of my college roommates at once using Buddy Chat. One is in California studying for a masters at Berkeley, another in Arlington Heights as a teacher, and the other in Champaign for an MBA. But for a few minutes, it was almost like we were back at the apartment chillin together. No, it wasn't the same, but not too shabby for a little program that anybody can download for free. Not too shabby at all.
Who would've thought that last year's World Series teams would both be eliminated in the first round? Certainly not I. Hopefully nobody used my predictions for gambling purposes. The Yankees got handled, it could've been a sweep if it weren't for a couple bad pitches in Game 1 by the Angels bullpen. All that money spent, for nothing. Haha I can't say I feel bad for Jason Giambi. Now I wouldn't mind any team winning, except maybe the Cardinals.
I just scanned my computer for viruses (virii?), and it's weird, but I was actually kind of disappointed that no viruses were found. That's no fun at all, I need some excitement in my life.
Buying a car would be fun, if it weren't for the salesmen. Car salesmen rarely know a lot about the cars they are selling, but they think they are so smooth. They try to steer you to get all these features you don't need. Then you ask them a question, and they never give you a straight answer. You ask them what the typical financing rate is right now, a simple question, and they want you to fill out a credit history form first. Either that, or they gotta talk to their manager first. What is the deal with that? I swear, they gotta talk to the manager for everything. What's your name? "Uh... lemme talk to my manager about that first and I'll get back to you." Seriously though, why are there no helpful and sincere salesmen in the car dealer industry? I go to Target looking for something, and a high school kid working there will always tell me exactly what I need to know, no extra horse-ca-ca involved. Imagine if I went to Bakers Square for a pie, and I had to spend an hour bargaining with them just so they would sell it to me at a fair price, somewhere below the sticker price for the pie and closer to the invoice. Ridiculous.
Sweetest Day is coming up. Yes, that's right, the most bogus holiday of them all. Except for maybe Valentine's Day. hahahaha
Burning your tongue is one of the worst feelings, not because of the initial pain, but because you know that tomorrow it is gonna be all nasty. Speaking of which, I have to say that people who pierce their tongues are crazy. When I accidentally bite my tongue, it ends up being an open sore that hurts like crazy for days. I can't even imagine how worse it would feel to put a spear completely through your tongue.
I will have to cut this short so that I can get ready for bed and my first day of work tomorrow. Thanks for reading...
Friday, October 04, 2002
New Car
As I have mentioned in a previous blog, this past week I got a new ride, a 2003 Infiniti G35 sedan. After considering a wide range of possibilities, I finally settled on getting the G35. It had to be a quick decision, with my job set to start in a few days, and it took basically one afternoon to get the deal done.
So far, I am babying this car as much as I can before it is forcibly broken in on Monday, when I start the daily commute. I gotta say, it's really really hard to resist the temptation to just let go and set those 260 ponies loose, but I gotta be strong. Patience is a virtue... I just wish I was more virtuous.
People might be wondering, what about the Maxima? That thing was almost a part of my identity for the past few years. Well, as much as I would have loved to keep it for a lot longer, everything was pointing towards me giving it up to my sister. Of course I wasn't happy about it at the time, and I still miss my old baby, but at least it stays in the family and I will get to see her on breaks and some weekends. When my sis comes home, me and my ex will have to spend some time together catching up on old times. I'll hand over the keys to the G for a couple days, no prob.
I am really loving the new car so far, with all the snazzy features like radio/CD controls on the steering wheel and a rearview mirror that dims when the sun is too bright. But I gotta say, nothing will ever replace the Max. I'll always treasure the times we had together. I'll forever love the familiarity of sitting in that drivers seat and being in touch with everything around me. *sniff* I'd like to dedicate a few lines...
"How do I
say goodbye
to what we had?
The good times
that made us laugh
outweigh the bad.
I thought we'd get
to see forever
but forever's gone away.
It's so hard
to say goodbye
to yesterday.
And I'll take
with me the memories
To be my sunshine
after the rain
It's so hard
to say goodbye
to yesterday..."
hahaha before my blog gets any gayer, I should stop. Also, Olivia will start getting jealous if she ever reads this.
Someone has suggested that I take people for rides and charge them admission. Well, it's a nice car, but it's not that nice. It's not "Ford Tempo nice" by any stretch of the imagination, that's for sure. But if anyone still wants a ride, you can just ask and I will say yes (assuming that I like you).
By the way, I am guessing that with the changes coming up in my life, my blog will be at least somewhat affected. Don't know for sure, but I think the really really long entries are gonna be a thing of the past. I'm not sure I will update as often either, but we'll see. Believe me, I like writing blogs, but realistically, it's not gonna be as easy or accessible when I'm not working at home, when I would have loads of free time in between patches of business. Oh well, whatever happens happens.
As I have mentioned in a previous blog, this past week I got a new ride, a 2003 Infiniti G35 sedan. After considering a wide range of possibilities, I finally settled on getting the G35. It had to be a quick decision, with my job set to start in a few days, and it took basically one afternoon to get the deal done.
So far, I am babying this car as much as I can before it is forcibly broken in on Monday, when I start the daily commute. I gotta say, it's really really hard to resist the temptation to just let go and set those 260 ponies loose, but I gotta be strong. Patience is a virtue... I just wish I was more virtuous.
People might be wondering, what about the Maxima? That thing was almost a part of my identity for the past few years. Well, as much as I would have loved to keep it for a lot longer, everything was pointing towards me giving it up to my sister. Of course I wasn't happy about it at the time, and I still miss my old baby, but at least it stays in the family and I will get to see her on breaks and some weekends. When my sis comes home, me and my ex will have to spend some time together catching up on old times. I'll hand over the keys to the G for a couple days, no prob.
I am really loving the new car so far, with all the snazzy features like radio/CD controls on the steering wheel and a rearview mirror that dims when the sun is too bright. But I gotta say, nothing will ever replace the Max. I'll always treasure the times we had together. I'll forever love the familiarity of sitting in that drivers seat and being in touch with everything around me. *sniff* I'd like to dedicate a few lines...
"How do I
say goodbye
to what we had?
The good times
that made us laugh
outweigh the bad.
I thought we'd get
to see forever
but forever's gone away.
It's so hard
to say goodbye
to yesterday.
And I'll take
with me the memories
To be my sunshine
after the rain
It's so hard
to say goodbye
to yesterday..."
hahaha before my blog gets any gayer, I should stop. Also, Olivia will start getting jealous if she ever reads this.
Someone has suggested that I take people for rides and charge them admission. Well, it's a nice car, but it's not that nice. It's not "Ford Tempo nice" by any stretch of the imagination, that's for sure. But if anyone still wants a ride, you can just ask and I will say yes (assuming that I like you).
By the way, I am guessing that with the changes coming up in my life, my blog will be at least somewhat affected. Don't know for sure, but I think the really really long entries are gonna be a thing of the past. I'm not sure I will update as often either, but we'll see. Believe me, I like writing blogs, but realistically, it's not gonna be as easy or accessible when I'm not working at home, when I would have loads of free time in between patches of business. Oh well, whatever happens happens.
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