There are very few things that I won't just let roll off my back. I can deal with pretty much any topic of conversation by simply ignoring it, chalking it up to the ignorance of the speaker, or figuring I should just take a breath and respond to it later.
In the past couple of days, though, I've found two things that have really gotten my goat.
The first happened at work. One of the contractors that works for our company sent a message to me - not really knowing it was to me, more just sending it to the company in general - which was so snarky and disrespectful it just made me seethe. I spent the next 20 minutes writing and rewriting my response until - eventually - it was nice and polite and only readers who know me very well would have realized how pissed I was.
Thinking about it, today, I'm still just massively annoyed by the lack of respect in the message I received. I've been at my company for years - years longer than the contractor - and I probably know her job better than she does. So to be completely dismissed as if I didn't know anything... not cool.
Which, I guess, leads me to the second instance. This one was courtesy of the blessing and curse which is social media. Yes, I know that you never know what people are going to say online, and you never know for sure whether it's being said sarcastically or not. But there are some things that you read and just think "WTF?"
With all of the news about states enacting "religious freedom" laws, lately, that's been showing up online a lot. And usually I ignore the rhetoric, because it's from people whom I may or may not know, and I don't want to get into a shouting match across the Internet - I'd rather have an in-person discussion. But tonight I was basically told that my concern for what is going on in this country - and my praise for companies standing up against it - was misplaced because things just aren't as bad as I'm making them out to be.
Apparently, the fact that in some states I could very soon be denied service pretty much anywhere, including hospitals, hotels, restaurants, emergency rooms, etc. - not to mention that in those same states Christopher and I could be denied access to each other if something happened and one of us went to a hospital where a nurse didn't want to see us together because it was against her religious beliefs - apparently that is just an exaggeration. The statistics about the number of people who are killed or beaten during hate crimes - which often have defense arguments along the lines of "he was flaunting his gayness, it was self-defense" - basically makes it seem in many states that gay men and lesbians are already second-class citizens. How much worse would it be if a policeman, or a judge, decided that there was nothing to do because the victim was gay - and that was against some religious belief, anyway?
So... Yeah... I commented back and made my case for the other side of the argument. I even took my time and made sure that my response was grammatically correct and fairly snark-free.
Twice in two days. I'm on a roll.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Grass Attack
Tonight after work, before dinner, I took advantage of the warm evening to go out and attack some of the yardwork we've been meaning to do.
Yes, I know we're not supposed to be doing yardwork, yet, but this was stuff that was either fall or spring stuff, and since we had some rain over the weekend I've been worrying that soon it would be too late.
Plus, the decorative grass next to the driveway got kind of pummelled by the snow last week and had started to droop into the driveway. I realized, yesterday, that I was actually driving over it - which meant it was time to go.
So I was out there tonight with my clippers taking it down, but it didn't want to go without a fight. The long blades were falling over and hitting me in the head. When they were cut, they didn't want to bed and go into the bag. Yes, eventually I succeeded, but I definitely had to work for it.
You see, I'm allergic to that grass. So everywhere it touched me I got a quick rash. My arms, my hands (yes, even through the gloves I was wearing), and - yes - the top of my head.
It's sad to see that area without all of the tall grass, but I know it will be back soon. And, for now, I'm just glad I survived one more seasonal chopping.
Yes, I know we're not supposed to be doing yardwork, yet, but this was stuff that was either fall or spring stuff, and since we had some rain over the weekend I've been worrying that soon it would be too late.
Plus, the decorative grass next to the driveway got kind of pummelled by the snow last week and had started to droop into the driveway. I realized, yesterday, that I was actually driving over it - which meant it was time to go.
So I was out there tonight with my clippers taking it down, but it didn't want to go without a fight. The long blades were falling over and hitting me in the head. When they were cut, they didn't want to bed and go into the bag. Yes, eventually I succeeded, but I definitely had to work for it.
You see, I'm allergic to that grass. So everywhere it touched me I got a quick rash. My arms, my hands (yes, even through the gloves I was wearing), and - yes - the top of my head.
It's sad to see that area without all of the tall grass, but I know it will be back soon. And, for now, I'm just glad I survived one more seasonal chopping.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
A Taxing Evening
(For the record, yes, it is hard to come up with so many punny post titles. And, yes, I said "punny" and not "funny" - I realize the level of this, after all...)
How do the well-heeled of Minneapolis spend their spring Saturday nights? By doing their taxes, of course.
I find that they get more depressing every year. Mainly because this is the one time of year when I'm forced to look at my net income. I realize that my financial net income is not the same as my personal net worth, but it's still a shock every year to look at it and think "Really? That's all?"
On the other hand, I also get to look at it and think "Wow. I did a lot with not much this year. Imagine what I could do with a lot..." And then I daydream for a while as the tax software processes. (I used to love "conquering them" all on my own, but I gave up on doing them by hand about the time I moved to Minnesota. First it was because I had partial-year residencies to deal with. But then I just found it to be so much easier to do this way. Not quite the same feeling of victory, but at least the pain doesn't last as long.)
So now it's after 9. I'm all e-filed and printed, and ready to... I dunno... probably go to bed.
Yep. Excitement runs rampant around here.
How do the well-heeled of Minneapolis spend their spring Saturday nights? By doing their taxes, of course.
I find that they get more depressing every year. Mainly because this is the one time of year when I'm forced to look at my net income. I realize that my financial net income is not the same as my personal net worth, but it's still a shock every year to look at it and think "Really? That's all?"
On the other hand, I also get to look at it and think "Wow. I did a lot with not much this year. Imagine what I could do with a lot..." And then I daydream for a while as the tax software processes. (I used to love "conquering them" all on my own, but I gave up on doing them by hand about the time I moved to Minnesota. First it was because I had partial-year residencies to deal with. But then I just found it to be so much easier to do this way. Not quite the same feeling of victory, but at least the pain doesn't last as long.)
So now it's after 9. I'm all e-filed and printed, and ready to... I dunno... probably go to bed.
Yep. Excitement runs rampant around here.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Who Needs That Much... Bass?
We live in a fairly quiet neighborhood.
The dog barks when people walk by outside, or - more importantly - when dogs walk by. And we hear the neighbors' dogs bark from time to time.
And that's pretty much it.
Most of the kids in the neighborhood are too young to have loud amounts of attitude. They're more likely to be drawing on the sidewalks with chalk or swinging in their front yards than anything else. Aside from one or two, I suspect it's probably a good eight years before most of them are old enough to drive.
And yet, somehow, probably at least one or two nights each week we can hear someone's car stereo booming away outside.
Yes, even inside. With the doors closed.
And I'm not saying this as a "you young whipper-snappers get off my lawn" kind of thing. I'm saying it as a "who in the world needs that much bass" thing.
Once the earth starts to vibrate, it's time to turn it down.
The dog barks when people walk by outside, or - more importantly - when dogs walk by. And we hear the neighbors' dogs bark from time to time.
And that's pretty much it.
Most of the kids in the neighborhood are too young to have loud amounts of attitude. They're more likely to be drawing on the sidewalks with chalk or swinging in their front yards than anything else. Aside from one or two, I suspect it's probably a good eight years before most of them are old enough to drive.
And yet, somehow, probably at least one or two nights each week we can hear someone's car stereo booming away outside.
Yes, even inside. With the doors closed.
And I'm not saying this as a "you young whipper-snappers get off my lawn" kind of thing. I'm saying it as a "who in the world needs that much bass" thing.
Once the earth starts to vibrate, it's time to turn it down.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Travel Tuesday - Doc Check
A while back, planning for the hoped-for eventuality of more travel of the international nature, I applied for a Global Entry card. Or something like that. I have to admit that I've seen it called so many different things that I'm really not sure what it's called.
But it's this card that - along with your passport - can make it easier to get through Border Patrol on the way back into the United States.
The process isn't too bad, these days. Christopher got his a couple of years ago, and at that time there wasn't anywhere around here to go, so he had to go to Montreal for it. I, on the other hand, just had to go to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
Well, first I had to pay my money and fill out my application and get the provisional approval. Then I had to schedule the appointment and head for the airport. Where - on the day I was going - the main terminal parking was completely full. So I had to drive to the other terminal (at MSP they're maybe a mile or so apart by car, with a light rail shuttle), then run through the first terminal, hop the train, run through the second terminal, and then - although I'd arrived an hour early - show up 5 minutes late.
The interview was fine. The agent took my photo with his webcam, showed me where the number was on my form, and sent me on my way. And, about a week later, I got my card in the mail.
Of course, I looked at it right away, only to find that the photo is kind of skewed. Really. My head in the picture is a very odd shape. But it'll work. So I set it aside for the next time I travel.
This morning - for no apparent reason - I pulled it back out of the envelope and notice that the side of the letter said "Activate your card within one month or various dire circumstances could befall you" or something like that.
Umm... No clue whatsoever when my card came in the mail. Was it a month ago? Was it less than a month? I hopped on line - because who really wants to be at work on time, right? - and after about 18 attempts at logging into my account (because I never thought I'd need to log in, obviously), I got it activated.
Note to self: When you get any kind of travel documents, look them over. Really look them over. Then do it again.
But it's this card that - along with your passport - can make it easier to get through Border Patrol on the way back into the United States.
The process isn't too bad, these days. Christopher got his a couple of years ago, and at that time there wasn't anywhere around here to go, so he had to go to Montreal for it. I, on the other hand, just had to go to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
Well, first I had to pay my money and fill out my application and get the provisional approval. Then I had to schedule the appointment and head for the airport. Where - on the day I was going - the main terminal parking was completely full. So I had to drive to the other terminal (at MSP they're maybe a mile or so apart by car, with a light rail shuttle), then run through the first terminal, hop the train, run through the second terminal, and then - although I'd arrived an hour early - show up 5 minutes late.
The interview was fine. The agent took my photo with his webcam, showed me where the number was on my form, and sent me on my way. And, about a week later, I got my card in the mail.
Of course, I looked at it right away, only to find that the photo is kind of skewed. Really. My head in the picture is a very odd shape. But it'll work. So I set it aside for the next time I travel.
This morning - for no apparent reason - I pulled it back out of the envelope and notice that the side of the letter said "Activate your card within one month or various dire circumstances could befall you" or something like that.
Umm... No clue whatsoever when my card came in the mail. Was it a month ago? Was it less than a month? I hopped on line - because who really wants to be at work on time, right? - and after about 18 attempts at logging into my account (because I never thought I'd need to log in, obviously), I got it activated.
Note to self: When you get any kind of travel documents, look them over. Really look them over. Then do it again.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Singing Good-bye to "Glee"
So... Tonight the series finale of the TV show "Glee" aired. Parts of it were amazing. Parts of it were fine. But overall it was in keeping with the show's mythos, which made me happy.
I'm kind of a stickler for that kind of thing. I get really annoyed when shows kind of break from their usual way of doing things to get in that one last great show - or that one "very special episode." I kind of felt like "Glee" spent much of last season doing that. They had lost one of their main characters due to the actor's death, and the show kind of felt like it didn't know what to do.
But the final season has felt like what it was "supposed to" feel like. And the finale - two episodes back to back, actually - gave me the same warm fuzzies that I got in the first couple of seasons. They flashed back. They flashed forward. But - through it all - they flashed smiles and sang some good songs.
For a few weeks, there's been this whole "hashtag campaign" asking people to post "what Glee meant to me" and I thought it was all kind of silly. A "Hallmark holiday" for a TV show, of all things. But as I watched it, tonight, and thought about how people I know have really reacted to the show in incredibly emotional ways (for better or worse), and I realized that I'm going to miss some of the characters.
This was the first show I've watched where we got to see gay and lesbian characters experience crushes and fall in love - and get their hearts broken and get married - without immediately jumping into bed. But - unlike a show like "Will & Grace" these characters did, eventually, have sex (I'm pretty sure Will never had sex in the entire run of "Will & Grace"). And the gay and lesbian characters came in different shapes and sizes, too (this season one was even a star football player - who fell for an artsy hipster), which made it even better. In some strange way, I got to think about what it would have been like to have a gay high school relationship. That was cool.
And there has been a lot of hope (for lack of a better word) on TV while "Glee" has been on. Underdogs getting the chance to shine. Emotions being worked out in song. All the stuff that makes me a very happy TV watcher.
I know that in the realm of 24-hour cable stations the show will never truly go away, and if I wanted I could own the entire box set of all of the seasons in a couple of months, but I have to admit that I'm going to miss watching it every week. So tonight I'll watch a few of the production numbers one last time to let them sink in before saying goodbye.
I'm kind of a stickler for that kind of thing. I get really annoyed when shows kind of break from their usual way of doing things to get in that one last great show - or that one "very special episode." I kind of felt like "Glee" spent much of last season doing that. They had lost one of their main characters due to the actor's death, and the show kind of felt like it didn't know what to do.
But the final season has felt like what it was "supposed to" feel like. And the finale - two episodes back to back, actually - gave me the same warm fuzzies that I got in the first couple of seasons. They flashed back. They flashed forward. But - through it all - they flashed smiles and sang some good songs.
For a few weeks, there's been this whole "hashtag campaign" asking people to post "what Glee meant to me" and I thought it was all kind of silly. A "Hallmark holiday" for a TV show, of all things. But as I watched it, tonight, and thought about how people I know have really reacted to the show in incredibly emotional ways (for better or worse), and I realized that I'm going to miss some of the characters.
This was the first show I've watched where we got to see gay and lesbian characters experience crushes and fall in love - and get their hearts broken and get married - without immediately jumping into bed. But - unlike a show like "Will & Grace" these characters did, eventually, have sex (I'm pretty sure Will never had sex in the entire run of "Will & Grace"). And the gay and lesbian characters came in different shapes and sizes, too (this season one was even a star football player - who fell for an artsy hipster), which made it even better. In some strange way, I got to think about what it would have been like to have a gay high school relationship. That was cool.
And there has been a lot of hope (for lack of a better word) on TV while "Glee" has been on. Underdogs getting the chance to shine. Emotions being worked out in song. All the stuff that makes me a very happy TV watcher.
I know that in the realm of 24-hour cable stations the show will never truly go away, and if I wanted I could own the entire box set of all of the seasons in a couple of months, but I have to admit that I'm going to miss watching it every week. So tonight I'll watch a few of the production numbers one last time to let them sink in before saying goodbye.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
So Far, No Shoes - No News
Two quick updates:
1) I've narrowed down my shoe search from three pairs to just one. Still not sure that I'm keeping this pair, but I do know the other two just aren't quite right. Just a little too tight in the arch on one, and a tad too tight in the "cap" in the others. I'm going to give it one or two more try-ons before I decide whether all three are going back.
2) I've once again checked my go-to website for shows that have been cancelled or renewed*, and even though I posted about three favorite shows on Tuesday, none of them have been cancelled. Yet.
So far, so good.
*www.IsMyShowCancelled.com (It makes me very happy that they use two l's in that, instead of just one.)
1) I've narrowed down my shoe search from three pairs to just one. Still not sure that I'm keeping this pair, but I do know the other two just aren't quite right. Just a little too tight in the arch on one, and a tad too tight in the "cap" in the others. I'm going to give it one or two more try-ons before I decide whether all three are going back.
2) I've once again checked my go-to website for shows that have been cancelled or renewed*, and even though I posted about three favorite shows on Tuesday, none of them have been cancelled. Yet.
So far, so good.
*www.IsMyShowCancelled.com (It makes me very happy that they use two l's in that, instead of just one.)
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