Can I Poke My Eye Out Now?
The day began with an apparently very serious discussion of what the "correct" size of an engagement ring is. It would appear that anything less than a 1 carat diamond solitaire indicates he's not serious enough about the relationship. There doesn't seem to be any accounting for the guy's actual ability to pay for said ring. The guy in question is only barely out of college, so I doubt he can afford a huge ring. Perhaps this is a radical concept, but it's not really the ring that's important, is it? Isn't it just a symbol? Does the size of the ring really have anything to do with the degree of commitment? I'd rather have an extra large degree of commitment and a small ring or even no ring.
Personal Responsibility Ranting
Most people bemoan the fact that drunk drivers kill people, yet they will have drinks after work or at dinner then drive home. I'm the "weird" one who doesn't drink if I'm driving myself home, which means I pretty much only drink at home. I guess the attitude is that it must be other people who drink and drive that hit things. Perhaps the new "Buzzed driving *is* drunk driving" ad campaign will sink in. Perhaps not. Just like it's other kids who drink in high school then get themselves killed while driving. "My kid knows better than to drink too much..." If high school kids knew how to drink responsibly, the drinking age wouldn't be 21. COLLEGE STUDENTS can't manage to drink responsibly. What makes you think a high school student can manage that? Heck, adults can't manage to drink responsibly.
How about this scenario: a guy is in jail after following his estranged wife to a restaurant, confronting said spouse and her significant other in the middle of the restaurant and then assaulted said significant other. Probably not acceptable behavior, right? What if it was a woman who did the stalking and assaulting? I overheard a group of women assert very strongly that this is completely acceptable and the wife was completely justified since the other woman "stole" the guy. It apparently shouldn't be allowed for charges to be pressed, because the assault was somehow "asked for". I don't know about every guy on the planet, but most guys don't stray unless they choose to do so, regardless of temptation. He still had to go along with it. If he's got that little disregard for me, he is more than welcome to leave. I may not like it, but I know I sure as heck deserve better. And I'm pretty sure having a psycho moment isn't going to change anything or make me feel better.
It's amazing how nobody is responsible for their actions if it is at all inconvenient or if they can find someone else to blame. It's not my fault I'm fat, it's because of my genetics or because my job won't let me exercise (said while downing about 1800 calories of pizza and chocolate for a single meal). It's not my fault I'm broke, there were too many cute things at the mall. See also blaming all the loan companies and credit card companies for US consumer debt problems. It's just easier to bitch, blame and sue than it is to have any self-discipline and change one's own behavior. Here's a thought: Just because you *can* do something, doesn't mean you *should* do it.
As a corollary, if you don't like a given situation, either change your behavior somehow or quit bitching. (Although it would appear that just bitching is a major sport now.) If you have had multiple dogs get hit by a car in the same place and the dogs run loose, you might consider either not letting the dogs run loose or training the dogs to not chase cars. If you want to lose weight for the long term, you might want to consider reducing your caloric intake (including snacks) and increasing your exercise time. If you do not choose to change your behavior, you cannot expect to lose weight, especially if that very behavior has in fact contributed to your weight gain in the first place.
Another Rant
Here's a question for you: what business does a person who makes $36K/year have in buying a house that costs <$250K? If your SALARY per month is around $3000, what makes you think you can handle a house payment of $3000/month? Yet this very scenario was described by a woman on the news decrying the evils of her mortgage company for not telling her anything. Methinks she didn't actually read the paperwork.) Newsflash: Just because someone gives you the chance to borrow a bucketload of money doesn't mean that you should BORROW ALL OF IT. It's a LOAN, they WILL be expecting that money back. And with interest.
Headed off for Training:
At least one co-worker already is acting like the next three days will be nothing but a colossal waste of time. I realize that people are busy and workshops aren't always scheduled at convenient times (remember, this particular bit of training is right in the middle of when I was going to be on a cruise), but aren't they supposed to help us do our jobs better? Isn't that desirable? Perhaps I just have a different attitude about learning things having been a college student for far too long. Me? I'm going there to learn. This particular training isn't likely to be happening again here any time soon.
Neighbors
The neighbor's dogs apparently like my yard. I have plants dug up and footprints all through my flower beds. I am not amused. I'm even less amused by the fact that my neighbors have been rinsing their digging/drilling equipment and that the resultant runoff is going right through my yard. I wouldn't care so much, but that water seems to be highly contaminated with petroleum products. The soil in the corner of my yard smells like diesel fuel. This explains why the plants I planted out there appear to be dying. Perhaps the dogs will dig up the contaminated soil and get sick. That would be convenient.
And in case you weren't sure...
YES I'M CRABBY THIS WEEK! /me goes back into the cave to hide, muttering to myself.....
Personal Responsibility Ranting
Most people bemoan the fact that drunk drivers kill people, yet they will have drinks after work or at dinner then drive home. I'm the "weird" one who doesn't drink if I'm driving myself home, which means I pretty much only drink at home. I guess the attitude is that it must be other people who drink and drive that hit things. Perhaps the new "Buzzed driving *is* drunk driving" ad campaign will sink in. Perhaps not. Just like it's other kids who drink in high school then get themselves killed while driving. "My kid knows better than to drink too much..." If high school kids knew how to drink responsibly, the drinking age wouldn't be 21. COLLEGE STUDENTS can't manage to drink responsibly. What makes you think a high school student can manage that? Heck, adults can't manage to drink responsibly.
How about this scenario: a guy is in jail after following his estranged wife to a restaurant, confronting said spouse and her significant other in the middle of the restaurant and then assaulted said significant other. Probably not acceptable behavior, right? What if it was a woman who did the stalking and assaulting? I overheard a group of women assert very strongly that this is completely acceptable and the wife was completely justified since the other woman "stole" the guy. It apparently shouldn't be allowed for charges to be pressed, because the assault was somehow "asked for". I don't know about every guy on the planet, but most guys don't stray unless they choose to do so, regardless of temptation. He still had to go along with it. If he's got that little disregard for me, he is more than welcome to leave. I may not like it, but I know I sure as heck deserve better. And I'm pretty sure having a psycho moment isn't going to change anything or make me feel better.
It's amazing how nobody is responsible for their actions if it is at all inconvenient or if they can find someone else to blame. It's not my fault I'm fat, it's because of my genetics or because my job won't let me exercise (said while downing about 1800 calories of pizza and chocolate for a single meal). It's not my fault I'm broke, there were too many cute things at the mall. See also blaming all the loan companies and credit card companies for US consumer debt problems. It's just easier to bitch, blame and sue than it is to have any self-discipline and change one's own behavior. Here's a thought: Just because you *can* do something, doesn't mean you *should* do it.
As a corollary, if you don't like a given situation, either change your behavior somehow or quit bitching. (Although it would appear that just bitching is a major sport now.) If you have had multiple dogs get hit by a car in the same place and the dogs run loose, you might consider either not letting the dogs run loose or training the dogs to not chase cars. If you want to lose weight for the long term, you might want to consider reducing your caloric intake (including snacks) and increasing your exercise time. If you do not choose to change your behavior, you cannot expect to lose weight, especially if that very behavior has in fact contributed to your weight gain in the first place.
Another Rant
Here's a question for you: what business does a person who makes $36K/year have in buying a house that costs <$250K? If your SALARY per month is around $3000, what makes you think you can handle a house payment of $3000/month? Yet this very scenario was described by a woman on the news decrying the evils of her mortgage company for not telling her anything. Methinks she didn't actually read the paperwork.) Newsflash: Just because someone gives you the chance to borrow a bucketload of money doesn't mean that you should BORROW ALL OF IT. It's a LOAN, they WILL be expecting that money back. And with interest.
Headed off for Training:
At least one co-worker already is acting like the next three days will be nothing but a colossal waste of time. I realize that people are busy and workshops aren't always scheduled at convenient times (remember, this particular bit of training is right in the middle of when I was going to be on a cruise), but aren't they supposed to help us do our jobs better? Isn't that desirable? Perhaps I just have a different attitude about learning things having been a college student for far too long. Me? I'm going there to learn. This particular training isn't likely to be happening again here any time soon.
Neighbors
The neighbor's dogs apparently like my yard. I have plants dug up and footprints all through my flower beds. I am not amused. I'm even less amused by the fact that my neighbors have been rinsing their digging/drilling equipment and that the resultant runoff is going right through my yard. I wouldn't care so much, but that water seems to be highly contaminated with petroleum products. The soil in the corner of my yard smells like diesel fuel. This explains why the plants I planted out there appear to be dying. Perhaps the dogs will dig up the contaminated soil and get sick. That would be convenient.
And in case you weren't sure...
YES I'M CRABBY THIS WEEK! /me goes back into the cave to hide, muttering to myself.....
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