Monday, February 25, 2008

nobody tells me anything

The breakdancers on the D Train tonight were wearing tight pants. I mean, Sex Pistols, Wassup Rockers tight. I couldn't tell if it helped or hindered movement. The moves appeared to be the same as usual (these kids were 13, for God's sake--they weren't doing anything too innovative or sophisticated), just the look was different.

The B-boys are fun to watch sometimes, just as long as I don't get kicked in the face.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

paranoia or pragmatism?

I was talking politics yesterday with a friend in town for the weekend, and he said all his coworkers support Obama except four middle-aged black women who support Clinton because they are convinced if Obama is elected, he will be assassinated.

Hhm, I thought, that’s weird. A little paranoid, maybe?

But then I saw this tonight in the NY Times:

There is a hushed worry on the minds of many supporters of Senator Barack Obama, echoing in conversations from state to state, rally to rally: Will he be safe?

In Colorado, two sisters say they pray daily for his safety. In New Mexico, a daughter says she persuaded her mother to still vote for Mr. Obama, even though the mother feared that winning would put him in danger. And at a rally here, a woman expressed worries that a message of hope and change, in addition to his race, made him more vulnerable to violence.

. . .

Not long ago, his advisers worried that some black voters might not support his candidacy out of a fierce desire to protect him. It was a particular concern in South Carolina, but Mr. Obama said he believed the worry was also rooted in “a fear of failure.”

A paranoia shared by many, it seems. Let’s hope those fears are not born out.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Radio Shack sucks

This will be one of those somewhat vindictive, purely personal blog posts that every blogger seems to come to periodically.

Don’t buy anything at Radio Shack, unless you don’t care if it breaks and you don’t see a dime of your money back.

Me, back at the store after buying a Radio Shack personal cassette tape player to listen to FOIA tape recordings of old immigration proceedings for work:

This tape player is broken after I used it for three days. Can I get my money back? I have the receipt and it hasn’t been 30 days yet.

Sales clerk: Do you have the original packaging?

Me: No, I threw it away because I didn’t think the tape player would break after three days.

Sales clerk: No packaging means no refunds, no exceptions.

Me: Can I get store credit? (Thinking to myself, “Not that I want to buy anything here anymore, but it’s better than nothing.”) Is there anything you can do for me here?

Sales clerk: You can't get store credit, but you can trade it in for another one at another store. You can’t do it here because we are all out of that item.

Me, before walking out in an aggravated state: Thanks.

Now, why did I feel it was necessary to say thank you after what had just transpired? It must be a thankless job enforcing such a customer-unfriendly return policy, but still …

So, having vented now, I’m feeling a little better already. I’ve re-learned what every junior high school student knows but I must have forgotten over the years: low price is not a reason to buy stuff at Radio Shack, it’s a reason not to buy stuff there.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

thanks again, NRA

I think this may be a recurring feature here.

Desiree Smith, one of the public university’s more than 25,000 students, said she saw students fall down around her as the gunman opened fire. She tried to crawl away, she told a local television station, CLTV, thinking she was going to die, then wondered if she should play dead before getting up to run out of the classroom. Other students told of a chaotic scene in which panicked students dropped to the floor, the blood of victims spattering on those who escaped injury.
This should not be a monthly story in our newspapers. At some point, you have to stand back and say, "This is what Americans want, this is what they voted for." To have the freedom to have their children shot down in the classroom. Who are we to deny the voters what they voted for?

Thursday, February 07, 2008

o frabjous day

Up late when I should be in bed, I stumbled across this gem. I don’t know how, but I never came across it as a kid (thank goodness). As a former white-shirt-wearing, clip-on bowtie sporting, damnation-to-your-soul-eating, bona fide polyg-progeny deacon, it hits a little too close to home …

But I was scratching my head over this:

Keep your bladder empty. Refrain from drinking large amounts of fluids before retiring.

??

Reduce the amount of spices and condiments in your food. Eat as lightly as possible at night.

????

Really, can someone help explain this?

Then there was this, which I enjoyed:

It is sometimes helpful to have a physical object to use in overcoming this problem. A Book of Mormon, firmly held in hand, even in bed at night has proven helpful in extreme cases.

Oh, snap! He didn’t just go there … Yes he did!

And finally:

Avoid people, situations, pictures or reading materials that might create sexual excitement.

In other words, avoid life. If at all possible. It’s dirty, you know.

[Image: Wikipedia]