My Rant of the Day!

I work in a small retail store...privately owned. So far today, I have had eight sales ..all under $10 (averaging $4 per ticket)...all charged on a credit card. Do you people not realize that there are merchant fees?

Life is NOT Fair! Get Used to It!

When my oldest daughter was in second grade she brought home a questionnaire for me to fill out about her. There was the basic stuff: Name, birth date, likes, dislikes, strengths. (no space for weakness-bad for morale). And lastly was the question: 
What advice do you have for your child?


Well I took this to heart and my answer was: 
                           "Life is not fair so get used to it!"


I thought it was and still is good advice.  So time passes, the questionnaire is forgotten until the dreaded back to school night. And there they are for everyone to read! All the other parents (and I mean ALL) wrote nice sweet little tidbits about how little Johnny can and will do anything he wants. And how Susie is such an amazing human being she is sure to be the next queen of the world. And there was mine...yup just hang a sign around my neck that says "BAD PARENT"! 


My kids have never accused me of  giving them false hope which is why you don't see them making fools of themselves on American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance. I think they turned out okay.


PS....Little Johnny is in jail, and Susie is a prostitute. ;-)


This is what Bill Gates has to say on the issue..I think he is a pretty smart guy.

Bill Gates speech: 11 rules your kids did not and will not learn in school

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. 

Merry Christmas from the USA

The Washington Times reported:


"The State Department has bought more than $70,000 worth of books authored by President Obama, sending out copies as Christmasgratuities and stocking “key libraries” around the world with “Dreams From My Father” more than a decade after its release."


Who are these people that make these decisions? And how do we fire them?

Orrin Hatch Is Just Too Kind and Lovable (to be a terrorist)

The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

"At least twice, Sen. Orrin Hatch has been forced to go through full-body scanners at the airport instead of walking through a regular metal detector. It’s a complaint he has heard from Utahns and one he recently pressed with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano."


Well...I have been forced to go through the full body scanners MORE than twice, as have countless other travelers, including my three daughters. I have asked them to decline the scanner and subject themselves to the humiliating and invasive hand search, because I just don't trust the safety of the scanners, and they just might want to have children one day.

Am I wrong not to take our governments assurances of safety at  face value? I am of an age that children hid under school desks for nuclear bomb drills! Fortunately (for me) I lived on the east coast or I may have been one to witness nuclear testing in the southwestern deserts for entertainment and paying for it with my life, literally.


Besides the safety issue, why shouldn't Orrin Hatch be subject to TSA security (just like everyone else) that he and the government has inflicted on us. While our civil rights are being abused, why shouldn't his? I can assure you that he will be spared the scans, now that he complained. And pretty sure I will be subject to tighter security now that I complained about him.

Utah Drivers

Where did you people learn how to drive? And why are you so rude?

• Did you know that when you come to a red light and want to turn right that you are still required to stop? And you are only supposed to proceed if no one is coming through their green light. In other words, it isn't your turn.

• Did you know that round abouts are not 4-way stops? You are supposed to merge into them. You people who are already in the circle are supposed to stay to the inside so that there is room for mergers. (Yes this maneuver requires some manners)

• Did you know that you are supposed to drive in the right lane? The left lane is the passing lane....MOVE over!

• Did you know that it is rude to tailgate? (If you want to pass, merge into the LEFT lane and do it!)

• Did you know that it is also rude to block people in a lane and not let them merge over so that they can pass a slower moving vehicle. (See above note about driving in the right lane)

• A yellow light is a warning that the light will turn red and that you should prepare to stop. It doesn't mean speed up. 

• There are some levers near your steering wheel. One is for your windshield wipers. The other is your turn signals. You should use it when you turn, change lanes, etc. Raise it up when you want to move to the right and down when you want to move to the left. It is simple..really, I promise.

• The shoulder or the center turn lane are not your own personal highway. Sorry, wait in traffic like everyone else. 

• How about you all get of the phone and pay attention! 

What Exactly IS Handmade? (More ranting about Etsy)

Any artist/craftsperson will tell you that the hardest part of creating art is getting an original idea. The skill part is that, a skill. Artists/crafters spend a lot of time coming up with a concept....usually much more time than actually creating a finished piece.
If you look through the items on Etsy, there is a lot of really nice work. There is also a lot of junk. And there is also a lot of stuff that in no way is "handmade". With all the junk and resellers it takes a lot of sifting though.
My latest obsession has been with the people that buy pashmina scarves from China and pin something on them and call it their own. They aren't "creating" anything....they are frauds. And real fiber artists should be outraged that they are getting away with it. Most buyers believe that they are getting something handmade, because that is how it is advertised. Real fiber artists can't compete with these shops.
Another category to check out is jewelry. Try doing a search for say "tree branch pendant". Wow look at all of them! So how are these sellers getting away with it? Apparently Etsy's policy says that you can "alter" something and call it your own as handmade. Altering in the art world means changing the original item or raw materials into something new and unique. (I am ok with beaders that buy beads and components and arrange them in a unique design. That is jewelry making at it's simplest but it is creative.) However I am not ok with someone buying a mass produced charm or pendant and putting a chain on it and calling it your own. There is zero creativity, and zero skill. I work in a store that sells jewely. Most of the pendants come in with out chains so we add them. I don't tell the customer that I made the necklace!
These sellers/resellers could make something if they wanted to...they are definitely creative enough to come up with ideas on how to scam people.

Etsy Sells Out to Resellers

"Etsy is the world’s handmade marketplace."

Yup that is what they claim. So tell me Etsy: Why are you allowing people that buy pre-made items  (most often imported from Asia) to even have a shop on your site? It completely contradicts what you are supposed to be!

Case in point: Go to Etsy and do a quick search for 'Pashmina'. Wow! Can you believe how many fiber artists there are that had the exact same idea? And can you believe how productive they are? They must never sleep....what with all those colors, and designs! They must pass that throttle with the speed of light to be able to sell that "handmade" scarf for under $20!

Ah...but here is the loophole. Etsy sellers are allowed to "alter" an item and make it their own. So if you look closely at those scarves, you might see a flower shaped piece of felt or yarn that is pinned to it. One wedding favor seller prints a paper tag with with the bride and grooms name, wedding date, and thank you for sharing their special day. Ok, so what are they selling exactly?...The wad of felt, yarn or the paper tag?  And are they really altering the item to make it their own? I don't believe they are, in fact I am almost positive (especially with the wedding favor) that that little add on gets tossed, and that altered pashmina miraculously reverts back to its original form....a pashmina scarf that was made in China for a couple bucks.

Virgin Atlantic Class System

Just a note to Virgin Atlantic Airlines...

Perhaps you should not call your first class ticket holders 

"Upper Class"

because it insinuates that the rest of us peons are 

"Low Class".

Flying the (Un)Friendly Skies

I have heard quite a few comments from people who think that airlines should have a section for all children and their parents so that those without children don't have to put up with them.  I never paid too much attention to these complainers and just thought that they are just grouchy. After my last vacation, I have joined their ranks and am all for separation. 

I just got back from a trip to Kenya, my once in a lifetime trip, that I have been dreaming of since I was a little girl. We scrimped and saved and finally went on safari. The air fare alone was around $2200 USD a person for economy!

Our flights to Nairobi were nice and uneventful...even got some sleep. Returning was another story though.

Leg one: Nairobi to London.
Our seats were in a mid section of around 50
seats. In these seats there were 14 children under 6 years old. And a bunch more under 12, but they weren't usually the problem. (Unless they were fighting with each other) Now I am pretty patient with babies that cry because their ears hurt, and well....they are babies. This was pandemonium for 8 1/2  long hours. Kids were screaming non stop (not all crying, just screaming), climbing over seats, running around, standing on the trays, throwing food, kicking seats, and anything else they could think of. All this time, the parents sat idly and ignored them. Finally after about 4 hours) a teenage boy who was directly in front of one of the worst groups turned around and told them to shut up and quit kicking his seat back. The mother of the unruly actually got mad at him and told him not to tell her kids what to do! A flight attendant was called and she  had to discipline this woman's children. They were quiet for about 10 minutes.

Leg two: London to Newark.
A respite. We did sit next to a family, but they all slept. I complimented the parents on how well behaved their kids were.

Leg three: Newark to Minneapolis.
 Two rows in front of us were 2 little boys with their permissive parents. Replay Nairobi flight, except throw in a DVD player on at full blast because they didn't want to use headphones. After landing, the Daddy says, "Wasn't that a good flight?"

Leg four: Minneapolis to Salt Lake City.
Another replay...a large "Utah" family..5 kids under 8 years old, and I am assuming another on the way because the mother was vomiting the entire trip. More screeching, kicking, climbing, nonstop babbling (isn't that cute?) and for a new obnoxious twist give your kids empty water bottles and see how much noise they can make with them!

Once again...I do not blame the children...they don't know better..

Steal a Buck for Healthcare

A man from North Carolina recently robbed a bank of $1.oo. He needs health care, and can't afford it so so figured that if he goes to jail, he will get treatment for free (sort of .... afterall, he will be in jail) . 


        "Richard James Verone is 59 and was unemployed with multiple health issues before the crime.    Varone says he robbed the RBC bank in order to go to prison and get treatment -- he said it was the only way he could get healthcare."


Not sure what to think about this, except that desparate times call for desparate measures.....

The 3/50 Project

I work in retail for a lovely couple .... a true mom and pop business which is a rarity today with all the competition from the big box stores. All the shop owners I know are really struggling just to keep their doors open and to earn a living. Many have closed their doors.

For quite awhile now we have had a lot of "customers" come in to "just look" and then go home to make their purchases online to save a few dollars and sales tax. (I know this because I am invisible to them and they don't realise that I can hear what they say.) They don't seem to understand (or care) that there is a lot of overhead to run a business, and if they don't start supporting their local small businesses they will no longer have store fronts to visit and actually see the merchandise.

We and other small business deal with this mentality on a daily basis and it is hard to be polite and cheerful when you just want to scream. There is a movement going on by Cinda Baxter, a retail consultant. It is called the 3/50 Project, and I hope everyone who reads this takes it to heart and passes it on to their friends, relatives and acquaintances. If we as Americans don't consciously make some changes, our quaint and unique small businesses will just be a fond memory.

"R E S P E C T Find Out What It Means To Me"

 I was out in Washington DC last week and got a little sightseeing in.

Learned some history, some government stuff, and even how to get around on the metro. Mostly I learned that (a very large number but not all) Americans are pretty rude and disrespectful. So much in fact that there are signs posted all over the place telling people how to not be rude and disrespectful.  But as "entitled Americans" that must be meant for someone else...after all, we are a free country and can do whatever we want!

Anyway, here are a just few simple etiquette tips:

1. Don't let your children or school groups run and scream through museums.
2. Adults also, tone it down.
3. When someone is looking at something, don't step right in front of them to block their view...wait your turn.
4. Don't take too long viewing something so others get their chance.
5. This may be old fashioned, but if you are young and able-bodied and an elderly or otherwise less able-bodied person gets on a crowded metro..be a gentle(person) and give them your seat. You will be them someday...sooner that you think.
6. When visiting a cemetery: Do NOT walk on the graves, sit on the headstones, talk loudly, or make derogatory and judgemental comments about the deceased. 
7. This one is easy....just show a little respect...

HP Wants YOU to Feel Good About Recycling!

I had to get more printer ink for my printer. In the past I have found that it is more cost effective to just buy a new printer because the ink is obscenely expensive. ..and new printers come with new ink. But for now, I have a semi decent printer/scanner set up, and the replacement ink cost about half of what a comparable new printer would cost, so I just got a two pack of black ink at Costco, for about $53.

HP asks their customers to recycle. Once you struggle with all the packing material, you can read about how you can feel good about recycling.

That is all and good, but maybe they should stop using so much packing material in the first place! I got two printer cartridges.

                                          They aren't very big:  

       

But look how BIG the pile of packaging is! Are they really serious about recycling?

Mother Nature Goes to Court

Apparently six Italian seismologists and a government official are being sued for not accurately predicting the 2006 L'Aquila earthquake. My brain is getting rattled from shaking my head so hard!

The Rapture is Postponed!!

Reuters photo

"Reflecting on scripture afterward, Camping said it "dawned" on him that a "merciful and compassionate God" would spare humanity from "hell on Earth for five months" by compressing the physical apocalypse into a shorter time frame."

Looks like we have a reprieve...October 21st is the new date of the last day. Five more months, to get your checks mailed.....

The Extinction of Wedding Gift Etiquette

It is that wedding time of year again...and this is for all you brides and grooms to be.

So, what is the new rule regarding thank you notes for wedding gifts, or for that matter, any gift? Maybe I am old school, but I am under the assumption that every gift given requires a hand written
note.

It is amazing to me that couples spend months and even years planning for their big day. As soon as the engagement is announced; friends, relatives and acquaintances are inundated with "save the date" announcements, shower invitations, and finally the wedding invitation (they may or may not make the cut for the reception). All of these scream "You have to get me a present!" Every bridal magazine spells out the rules: who pays for what, the time line, and YES thank you notes. The stationary usually is coordinated with the invitations and reply cards. Does the couple just decide up front that they can save some money if they don't buy the thank you notes or do they have boxes of them and just wonder what they are for?

We were invited to a wedding last Spring. I spent quite a bit of time, energy and money picking out something that they would hopefully like, wrapped it and mailed it. Fortunately I paid extra for a delivery confirmation because that is the only way that I know they actually received it. (I had a premonition.) I suggest that everyone that mails gifts be sure to get the confirmation. Otherwise you wonder: Did it get lost in the mail? Do they think I stiffed them on their wedding present? And most importantly you don't have to call to see if they got it thus avoiding the awkwardness of the implication that the happy couple has no manners.

Mailing gifts with confirmation may be the best way to go even if you attend the big event. We went to two wedding a few years ago. For both we brought their gifts to the reception and placed them on the overflowing gift table. Again, no thank you notes...we wondered it someone stole some of the presents. To this day I don't know....

Today is the END

I guess I have approximately 6 hours until the "Rapture" occurs here in my time zone. I probably should have called in sick to work.....see you on the other side...maybe..

What's the Matter with Kids Today?

The problem with children is that you have to put up with their parents. ~Charles DeLint

What is up with parents who take their children out in public and then have absolutely no control over them?

One case in point:

We went to the movies the other day to see that Disney documentary, "Big Cats". (It was ok in a "should have waited for the dvd" kind of way) Anyway, there was a couple with 2 small girls sitting down in front. They (the kids) started acting up during the previews, and kept at it through the entire movie.

They ran around the theater, climbed over seats, ran out screaming (and unfortunately returned). One of them started hitting a man on the aisle with a handful of straws. (Why would you even take a handful of straws and give them to your child? You get to have one with a drink that you buy...otherwise it is pretty much stealing...good example to set mom and dad of the unruly children) Mom would sporadically corral them up..which of coarse brought on more screeching, and Dad was completely oblivious and too busy eating his popcorn to even notice.

The theater wasn't full, but those of us who were there pretty much just sat in shock. I for one wanted to say something...but what? Should I have gone out to management and complained? It wasn't their fault. Should I have confronted the parents? I honestly don't think they would have gotten it. After all, they were allowing it to happen with total disregard and disrespect for anyone else. And I am almost positive that they would have been very indignant if someone criticized their lovely children. Which brings me to my point...it really wasn't the kids fault...they didn't know any better. The parents need to wake up and take some responsibility.

So, my question is this: How often do you confront people when they are doing something rude? I wimped out...THIS time.