Category Archives: World Wide What

Dec 14 2011

2012 Resolutions …

A few posts ago I did a 2011 Resolutions Revisited post.  I promised I’d list my new resolutions for 2012, so here’s what I have so far…

#1. Lose weight.  Yep, this is probably number one on everyone’s list. As you know, it was on last year’s list too.  I’ve lost 26 lbs so far for 2011 and have unfortunately hit that stopping point where I just can’t get anymore to fall off.  I haven’t had a weight loss since July 22nd.  Thankfully, I haven’t had a gain either though.  But next year’s goal is just 23 lbs!  That’s just under 2 lbs a month.  February 13th will be my one year anniversary that I started back to the gym.  I’d love to drop 5 lbs by then.

#2. Save money.  Again, another one on everyone’s list I’m sure, but next year is my year to focus on that.  My goal is to put $2,500 in savings before Black Friday 2012.  I never have any money during the holidays, so next year I’m going to change that.

#3. Pay off debt.  I’m probably sounding like a broken record, right?  Because this is probably on everyone’s list too.  But I’m going to put some focus here and blog about it a bit too.  And this will help with number two. More about it later as I set to work on it….credit cards, student loan, all that headache.

#4. Focus more on my bookstore review blog. I started the STL Bookstore Review site last year.  I even tried to get Heidi Glaus at KSDK interested to no avail.  My goal was to visit one store a month, but I fell short of that goal even though I did review 16 stores for the year total, three of which are now closed Borders stores.  That’s okay!  I’m going to try to double that number of stores next year which equals about 3 stores a month!

And that’s it (so far) for the year.  Notice there’s no couponing goal.  I’ve done that two years in a row.  2011′s goal was to try to best last year, but I came out even.  I also wanted to spend less on groceries, but went over this year. So with the focus on saving money, I’ll hopefully spend less.  I’m still going to coupon a bit to help with that, but I will be buying smarter and buying less in 2012. More about this in my next coupon recap post at the end of the year.

And no reading goal next year.  I read all the time, that’s a given.  I usually average 30 to 40 books a year.  I’ll still review books and keep track of what I read, but I’m not setting a goal for 2012.

No blogging goal either.  I blog all the time, and will complete my goal this year of posting something every day.  But, I’m not going to try that again next year, so my blog posts in 2012 will be a tad bit more random and definitely not every day.

And lastly, no writing goal.  I write every day.  That’s a given.  I don’t want to set a goal for next year because I don’t like the pressure.

And that’s it!  What are your goals so far for next year?

Oct 21 2011

You’ve Got Mail

Wednesday night while the “world” was watching game one of the World Series, I was watching the 1998 movie You’ve Got Mail.  It’s an old favorite of mine, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. 

For me, it really captures a time in my life when I was first introduced to the internet somewhere around 1997.  I took a computer class in college around that time, but was restricted to the limitations of university email and password coded computer access.  A new roommate around that time introduced me to AOL 4.0 on his home computer, set me up with an email account of my own, and the rest is history I guess if you can consider 14 years ago as being that historical.

I spent most of my online beginnings, like everyone else around that time, in local chatrooms.  When AOL would crash, I would troll the magazine section in bookstores for those free installation disks. Sometimes I miss those all too familiar sounds of dial up connecting to the internet and of course, those infamous three little words…You’ve Got Mail.  I don’t miss the slow connection though!

As for the movie, it also holds a dear place in my heart because it’s about books and bookstores and reflects a war that’s still going on even today as tiny little bookstores strive to stay above water while the big bag internet with its cheap discounts and free shipping is forcing them out of business.

I sometimes miss those online anonymous connections I had back in the day with various strangers who I assumed were being truthful about who they were.  But people loved to chat. 

Not anymore. 

We’re too busy texting and Facebooking to be chatting these days. And if we are chatting, we’re all looking to hook up these days.  Sure, back then people often took it off line and met with sexual intentions, but I remember a few quality dates that stemmed from AOL chatrooms where sex wasn’t the way the night ended.

Sadly, I find it’s harder to connect with people these days at all, even online.  We’ve cocooned ourselves, and built Firwalls around our computers because we are afraid of serial killers, internet predators, and identity thieves. The one thing, the computer, that was supposed to connect us has torn us apart even more and made us more afraid to connect with anyone.  So instead, we all sit at home on our computers alone, playing Farmville and thinking of savvy comments to make on Facebook so our friends will “like” us.

Like Kathleen Kelly says in the movie when she is in a restaurant with Frank and they realize they don’t love each other anymore, “There is the dream of someone.”  I dream of the time when writing letters was in fashion and personal ads in the classifieds were fun.

And sure, email came along and made it even easier to find those secretive connections, but for what it’s worth, it also made it worse.  Heck, we can’t even embrace capital letters and proper punctuation these days.  We’re too busy driving and texting to worry about good grammar. 

We are too busy. 

Too busy too connect despite being so eagerly dependent upon the very technology that connects all of us in the first place.  We get all our bills paperless now because we want to save trees, but instead we are killing the U.S. Postal Service.

Even Twitter makes us narrow down what we have to say to 140 characters or less.

If things are this fast now, so fast that we don’t have time to write a letter and mail it, much less text or tweet a complete sentence, where will we be in another 17 years?  Will they even teach capitalizaton and cursive writing (or writing at all?) in public schools?  Or will they teach emoticons and proper abbreviations instead?  WTF!

And how will the generation of tomorrow get laid find meaningful and exciting relationships like Joe and Kathleen in You’ve Got Mail?  Chatrooms and Craigs List will be long gone by then. 

I don’t know the answers to my questions, but I weep for the generation that has to find out.  I weep for my generation, because even those days for us are almost over.

Sep 7 2011

A Day In The Life of a Juror

I reported for jury duty today promptly at 8:30am.  I parked where the mailer directed me to and made it through the security check and up to the 6th floor, where I walked into a large auditorium-like room where about fifty people were already seated.  After getting my parking validated so that I didn’t have to pay and checking in and getting a badge, I took a seat. Well over 100 people continued to check in behind me and the room began to fill up.  I was amazed at the number of people who parked in the wrong place and had to be instructed to go move their vehicle.  Can people not read and follow instructions?  Of course, I was also amazed at the number of people who came in late, but they continued to check people up to almost 9am – filling the room with a good 200 people.

We were each given a booklet to read which explains the court system and gives information about serving as a juror.  I was amused by the numerous typos in the booklet and the erroneous explanations of things like things being delayed because a judge may excuse himself to go look up a law.  Umm…I guess that’s why surgery takes so long too.  Excuse me while I go consult a book because I forgot how to do this.  Here’s a good one right from the book…”In order for a plaintiff to win a civil case, it is only necessary to “cause you to believe” the propositions necessary to support the plaintiff’s claim are more likely true than not true.”  Huh?  More about that one later.  How about this one about discussing the trial afterwards…”You should consider that, as with any form of one-way communication, the lawyers’ presentation of their care result in very little feedback. They may seek your post-trial comments in an earnest attempt to improve their skills as advocates.”  Sure, let me take a moment to tell you why you sucked and why you lost.  By the way, the lady justice statue is pictured on the front of the book with no blindfold!  Interesting!

At 9:30am, a judge came in and spoke to everyone explaining how the day would go.  After that, we were free to wonder around the room. Several people ran to check out the snack machines.  I sat there, next to a very smelly man who proceeded to take a nap and snore, and just checked out my surroundings before settling into the book I’d brought.  The signs on the wall made me laugh.  There were several that read “Thank you for your service,” or “Thank you for being a part of the system,” or “12 Jurors, 1 Purpose, Justice for all.”  All these signs were surrounded by those cardboard foil stars (in red, white and blue) that you see in classrooms.

At 10am, a bailiff came in and called out 36 names and those people left.  At 10:15am, another bailiff came in and took another 36 people.  The next bailiff didn’t come in till 11:15 and guess whose name got called in that group?  I was actually glad to get called because I was so tired of sitting in the waiting room next to smelly man after having read about 60 pages of my book. We were all taken down to the 3rd floor where we waited for another twenty minutes outside a courtroom. Finally, the bailiff escorted us in and assigned us to seats.  The judge introduced himself and told us a bit about what to expect next, and then dismissed us for lunch till 1:30pm.  Yep, all this waiting to finally get into a courtroom and then be excused for lunch. We were also instructed to where our numbered badges everywhere we went so that people possibly involved in a case would not talk about stuff out in public in case we might overhear and it could sway our opinion.  Believe me, they indeed felt like scarlet letters.

Although we returned at 1:30pm, we weren’t let back into the courtroom until almost 2pm.  Yep…nothing runs on schedule in the court system.  At this time, the plaintiff’s lawyer got up and started asking questions that were so subjective that they were almost hard to answer because we still knew little about the case.  We were introduced to the plaintiff and the defendant, but other than being told this was about a car accident (that actually happened just a few blocks from my house), we were told nothing else. The plaintiff’s lawyer asked questions like…did we know where this accident happened?  Did we remember an accident from the day it happened?  Umm…this happened in January 2009 by the way.  Oh yes! I remember that.  Yep, I said 2009…another sign that nothing runs on time in our court system.

Rounds of questions went all the way till 4pm when we were finally given a small break.  I really felt sorry for the plaintiff’s lawyer.  His questions were so subjective and so redundant.  And he started with all this weird stuff about lady justice and tilting the scales in favor of the plaintiff by even just 1%.  Did we think that was fair? Well, the defendant’s lawyer didn’t like that and they all got called up the bench to whisper about it.  Then he carried on…Had we ever been sued?  Had we ever been in an accident?  Had anyone in our family ever been sued or been in an accident?  Did we know what whip lash was?  On and on and on…. Finally!  He finished by asking each of us about our occupations and then the defendant’s lawyer got up and asked the group as a whole two single questions and was done.

At 4:30, we were sent back out for a 20 minute break while they selected their jury.  And thankfully, I didn’t get picked.  The people who did get picked were a nice balance of young and old, black and white, and mainly those who had spoken very little or had very neutral opinions throughout the Q&A process.  Then, the judge told the rest of us we could turn in our badges and go home because we were not needed anymore.  Yahoo!  I was home by 6pm which was what time I usually get home from work anyway.

Overall, it was an interesting process.  But lots of waiting and waiting and waiting.  If you ever have to serve, take a book!  Speaking of…I was also amazed at the number of people who practically brought an overnight bag.  Lots of people with lap tops and big back packs.  I saw iPads, iPods, Kindles, and cell phones galore.  I had left my phone in the car because it had a camera on it and the instructions said no cameras.  But oh well, I guess in today’s technological age, those things are allowed.

I’m just glad it’s over and my service is done.

Sep 6 2011

All Rise…

For the first time in my life, I report to jury duty today.

While everyone has been more than willing to share their own jury duty stories and have advised me on what to expect, I still have mixed emotions about it.  Part of me is looking forward to the experience and to see what it’s like, while the other half could care less and sees it as a waste of time.

Part of my negative attitude about the whole thing stems from my mother’s personal experience.  She used to get picked to serve every three years, and has served numerous times.  She even got selected for Grand and Federal although she never had to report to court for those.  I just remember how inconvenient it was for her since she lived alone at that time and had not been in the work force for very long.  It caused her a lot of stress.

Another thing that’s given it a negative connotation for me is the instructions I received in the mail.  They are very hard to decipher.  I’ve even let other people read them and they agree.  I think I could rewrite them and have them make more sense.  I’m not the smartest person in the world, but I have common sense, and if I’m having trouble understanding the rules then I know other people out there have had the same issue.

Lucky for me, my job does pay for up to 10 days of service.  I’m hoping I don’t have to go that long.  I’m just glad I can bring a book to read. More about this on Wednesday after I experience my first day at jury duty.

Sep 1 2011

Livin’ For the Apocalypse

gardenpool.org

Did anyone watch Living’ For the Apocalypse on one of the Discovery networks this past Sunday?  No worries…this is not a post about Jackie the Cross Dresser who appeared on the show.

But it is about the McClung family from Arizona who was featured, who took an old in-ground swimming pool and turned it into a closed loop food production system right in their own back yard.  The system involves chickens, fish, fruits and veggies.  Visit their site to learn more and see pictures.

If you have ever thought about going Extreme Green or going off the grid, then start here because their story was truly inspiring and will definitely get you to thinking about ways to produce your own food literally right in your own back yard.

Aug 28 2011

MLK Memorial Opens Today

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial opens today – a project that’s been in the works for 12+ years. It actually opened a few days ago and was supposed to be dedicated today but that was postponed due to Hurricane Irene. It’s also a project that I don’t think has any place in Washington, especially since the man was not a president. No, I’m not a racist – just stating my opinion.  I wouldn’t even think it belonged in Memphis.  Why not put it in his hometown instead? How many of you even know where he was from?

Though it cost millions of dollars to build it, you might be surprised to learn that the foundation in charge of it also had to pay $800,000+ to the King family for the use of quotes from his speeches and for the use of his image.

The monument is divided into three large parts…all mimicking a mountain.  Visitors walk through two parts as if climbing a mountain and the third part has MLK himself coming out of the mountain. The project has received a bit of flack because it was sculpted by a Chinese man, rather than an African American. Have we not learned anything from MLK’s words in that he was for equality for all men?  Who cares who carved the rock?!

His stern look also has gotten negative reviews, despite the fact that it was based on the photo from the cover of his autobiography. That’s America for you, always quick to criticize even when we don’t know our facts.

In fact, let’s have a history lesson…

Did you know that MLK was a womanizer?  Yes, indeed.  He had several women on the side, one who was actually there in Memphis the day he died.

Did you also know that in the late 1960′s, most African Americans didn’t like MLK.  They criticized him and said he was all talk.  He wasn’t even going to stay at the Lorraine in Memphis in 1968, but was criticized for not staying somewhere “more black.”

Did you know that after he was killed, riots broke out in Memphis.  Businesses were looted and a few white people even lost their lives.  Wow!  The very thing that Dr. King was against!  Violence!!

Did you know that some African Americans lost their homes when the Lorraine Motel was turned into a Civil Rights Museum?  Just ask Jacqueline Smith.  The area the Lorraine is in was once home to working class, which have been replaced with shops and condos. Yes, we must preserve our history, and make it look pretty. Oh yeah, and make money doing it.

No, your history books didn’t tell you any of this.  We’ve grown up believing he was some sort of martyr  because he was a good speaker and in the spotlight at the right time.

I’m all for preserving our history to educate the future, but I’m also for learning the facts and not having a cookie cutter clean version spoon fed to me. Millions of dollars spent on this memorial – the King family already profiting from it.

Tell me now who has a dream?

Jul 15 2011

No more pants on the ground for Collinsville

Collinsville Illinois outlawed saggy pants this week.  Pants patrol can fine you up to $100 if they see up to 4 inches of your underpants.

Sure, it’s ridiculous and one more distraction to take police away from real crime, but the whole fad of saggy pants is ridiculous too.

I hate when I see guys walking down the street or in the grocery store with their hand on their crotch holding onto their junk to keep their pants up, and they can barely walk anyway because their pants are crumpled at their knees.  When did this sloppy fad even become popular and why?  Just go back to having toothbrushes in your mouth and band aids on your eyebrows.  Sure, that was stupid too, but at least I didn’t have to see the crack of your ass showing and be made aware if you wore boxers or briefs.

I think saggy pants show a lack of intelligence.  Obviously no one ever told you how to put your pants on in the morning.  I’d never hire anyone who came to an interview looking like that.  If you can’t use both your hands to do a job, because one hand is too busy holding onto your pants, then you are worthless.  It’s enough already that I have to hear your cell phone conversations because you are rude and obnoxious and can’t put them away.   Or have to hear your lack of ability to communicate because you talk like you text. But yeah, pull your pants up.

Way to go, Collinsville!  You can expect a surplus in belt sales any day now!

 

Jul 10 2011

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Well, the last space shuttle flight went off as expected on Friday.  Kind of sad and yet bittersweet to see the book close on 30 years of history.

Remember studying the 9 planets back in grade school and how exciting the textbook chapters on space were?  How many of us made models of the planets for Science Fair projects?  I never did, but in my spare time I often drew pictures of them in my notebook.

My grade school even had a Young Astronauts Club.  We did things like flying  kites, building rockets,  and even created padded compartments for hard boiled eggs which we threw off the top of the school building to see whose egg would survive without getting cracked. This was to somehow simulate building a safety module that an astronaut could survive in.

My 8th grade year our school held a paper airplane contest.  The winner got to go to some larger county wide contest and our representative from our grade won.  The entire class got to take a trip to the Space Museum in Huntsville, Alabama that year.  That was a fun trip. I’m sure one of the retired shuttles will end up there on display. The sad thing was that summer the kid who won the trip for us was in a four wheeler accident and didn’t even get to go.

So what’s next for N.A.S.A?  According to the article, lay offs.  Yep, trainers and such aren’t needed anymore now that all of this is over.  But, N.A.S.A. plans to save money now and invest in further space exploration outside Earth’s orbit and such by 2025.

I never wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up, but I can’t help but  wonder what tomorrow’s generation will dream of when they look up at the stairs.