If our world was... just like a human, would we abuse it so?
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“READ A BOOK READ A BOOK READ A MOTHER***KING BOOK.”
I found this book in a Wal-Mart the other day, and found it impossibly funny that we have to have a Dummies® book to inform us of our own heritage (and inform others, I would thusly surmise). I’ve never seen one for any other culture. I know some are available for religions, which would make sense, and in a way, this too makes sense, but wow, I’m surprised no one’s flipping out over this book yet.
Just a quickie here: How good is your math and money? You see, I think I can get about 94 of these for a dollar with what this says, and with sales tax, pay about $1 or $1.01 for it all. 
As you can see, I spotted this at a McDonald’s.
It appears that drug addicts have made my old home, a place that was practically sacred to me, into a drug nest.
This hurts me deep down inside.
My dad built the first two parts with very little help. I helped with the third part of the house.
I had expected this to be knocked down already, given how fast the guy who bought the property from us wanted us out of there. It’s been 19 months, man. 19 months since he rushed us out of there, gave my mother grief because our search for a new home took longer than he wanted, and yet he’s done jack with it.
I wish I could have my old home back, just so I could clean up the place, and have a place to stay.
I finally managed to get my hair cut the other day.
I enjoy the less encumbered feel of having all that fuzz lopped off the top of my head, and even enjoy cooler body temperatures during the day as a result.
I just don’t quite feel right, though, since I practically look bald now, and have more hair growing along my jawline and over my chin than I have over the entire top of my head.
It’ll grow out, though, so I won’t complain.
Much.
Hooray, I can see again!
Wal-Mart called me yesterday to tell me that my glasses came in. I did not get the voice mail, much less any notice by my phone, so I found out when I checked my own voice mail today.
I need to see if my FSA will reimburse me for the cost of the glasses, since I had to pay for them out of my pocket after insurance coverage.
So, just before our bus driver could take off to cross the street today, a car slams into another one, and comes to a stop in front of our bus.
This held us up at this corner for about 31 minutes or so, while we waited for crews to clear the scene, and for the driver to get permission to take off.
Of course, this cost me precious time in getting to work, since I usually arrive early enough to go get something to eat. That didn’t happen today, so I’m still hungry, but now I’m too angry to eat.
I eat the weirdest things for breakfast sometimes.
While you all are eating eggs, sausage, and grits, I’m eating Yan Yan and drinking lychee juice, which is far more delicious than you. :9
Unfortunately, Yan Yan usually gives me heartburn, which is odd for a cookie which can be dipped in frosting. Speaking of the cookies, I’ve been buying Yan Yan latelyl just to see if I can get a specific cookie out of the bunch. Until then, be happy with the “Fox — Beware of Lies” cookie.
I was feeling festive or something yesterday, so I wore a Hawaiian print shirt to work.
Too bad I don’t look so festive in that picture — I was ready to go to lunch, I think. Stomach was probably growling or something.
Sometimes, I don’t want to see things, like people drinking beer on the bus, and no one else giving a rat’s ass about the idea.
Sometimes, I don’t want to say things, like a comment to some jackass who’s got the whole seat to himself and his bag, while the rest of the bus is sharing seats. I can stand until someone gets off, though it hurts my knee when the driver hits bumps.
Sometimes I don’t want to hear things, such as your top-of-your-lungs conversation on your MetroPCS phone about how “NO HE DI’INT”, or whatever it is you crazy black women keep talking about AT THE BACK OF THE BUS while I’m AT THE FRONT OF THE BUS, and easily able to keep track of your conversation through my isolating headphones.
I think this picture personifies my thoughs perfectly.
I’m only a few blocks outside of downtown Tampa, and for the past few days, the sky’s been really, really smoky.
Unfortunately, that smoke is taking its toll on many people in the area, especially those of us with sinus problems.
It’s just about shut me down for the day. I actually called in to work for the day off, and also went to go get looked at for an unrelated issue.
Hooray, Carpal Tunnel! 
A Tampa Police Department helicopter, preparing for take-off.
This helicopter was on the ground at the Islamic Charity Event at Riverfront Park here in Tampa, not too far from the Public Library.
As the helicopter geared up for take-off between my shots, I had this sudden urge tell me to walk behind a tree that was only a few feet away.
Surely enough, only a few moments later, that helicopter went to full power as it took off, causing a rather strong, sudden gust of wind, dirt, leaves, and grass clippings to shower those of us who hadn’t taken that moment to get behind a tree.
All over downtown Tampa, messages like this are scrawled all over the walls.
I’ve seen expressions such as “Respect for Respect”, “Love One Another”, and a few others here and there. They look like they were all done by the same person, though I’m not certain.
I chose this one, because it was the deepest of the group, with the message about being the most wanted for loving others.
The fence surrounding this building is to keep the homeless from
sleeping near the bus station here in Downtown Tampa, but something in my head tells me that it doesn’t matter.
It’s being one of those nights at work. I also have a miserable headache that’s being a miserable nuisance. 3 hours left…
I almost want to go home early, but I need the money badly enough.
I just hope I can get my handle time back down to something reasonable. I’m just a little off from happiness at the end of the month, so I have to try harder.
This message is for Ted Murphy.
Your shirt is…
Too accurate, haha.
I looked fat this morning in that picture (accursed light getting in the way), and I was wearing one of my PayPerPost shirts.
Result: I feel self-conscious about my size. 
[tags]PayPerPost, Spreadin’ Like Peanut Butter[/tags]
It’s nice, how one must rely on a supply of personal bottled water just to have a Reliable source of hydration…
There is no water fountain located in the facility that I have spotted. I’ve asked about water, and they tell me that they bring in this cooler of water.
They average 104 men in the shelter each night.
The result is, I have to spend what little money I have to procure water on days that no charitable organization has dropped by to give us food or water on, to actually be able to have water on hand, and not meet the usually empty when I need it cooler.
This, for a facility designed to help out those who are in need of a place to stay out of the elements, does not make the slightest bit of sense whatsoever.
Salvation Army Rules: Two Bags Per Person.
Bed numbers 23, 24, Dorm 4, Men’s side. From my observations, this stuff all belongs to one person.
Last night, many were rejected, or halted at the door with orders to break down what they have, for the amount of stuff they had.
One elderly gentleman, perhaps in his late fifties, or early sixties, has one very long bag with all his stuff in it, and a rather small handbag. He was rejected at the desk, being told that the long bag was too big.
This man had to go sleep somewhere outside last night, and I do not feel that this was an appropriate action for them to take, especially with the following:
1: He had been staying there for a month already, from the commentary I gathered.
2: There was no advance notice, whatsoever, that this was a rule that they were going to strictly enforce, to allow people time throughout the day to actually sort things, and get it disposed of, or put away, or what have you.
I was halted at the door, personally, because I have a rolling suitcase, a backpack, and a handbag. The suitcase holds my clothing. The backpack holds most of the food that was given to me, as well as a few books I’ve checked out from the library. The handbag holds the rest of the books I’ve checked out (I go through plenty of books, with the bus rides I take, as well as the time I have to sit in waiting rooms of some sort to get things done), as well as paperwork that I need to keep in good condition for various reasons.
The homeless look out for each other, though. One guy offered to take my smallest bag — the handbag — in for me, since he had nothing, in exchange for a couple of oranges and a pudding from my backpack, which was an offer I graciously accepted.
Another guy had to completely give up his suitcase, because they refused to let him in with it, a garbage bag, and his backpack. He had been staying there for a while, as well.
The question to you all is:
Is this appropriate, even, and fair treatment of Tampa’s homeless, by a group with such a name as “The Salvation Army”?
[tags]Salvation Army, Questionable Ethics[/tags]
One luxury about the bus is… I’m NOT the chauffeur. I’m sort of happy to not have to do the driving from point A to point B at the moment. I feel fine, and dandy and things. I just kinda feel lazy, and thus let the guy who is paid to do this all day… do the driving.
It feels pretty darn nice, too.
(The only downside is, two of the buses I took today take very long, meandering routes that make the trip much, much longer than it really had to be. I could’ve waited for a different bus in one case, but I wanted to place a phone call. The interior of the bus is much quieter than standing at the curb, waiting for a bus. :p)
Sometimes, it’s nice to enjoy the forced slowdown of being homeless.
Too bad I didn’t get a snap of the crow after these guys. It was a beautiful bird, with glossy black feathers that shone green and red in the sunlight.
The story I meant to tell you all yesterday, but couldn’t, due to my tastebuds refusing to reboot for several hours:
I was buying some ice cream from the Ice Cream truck yesterday, and I saw a sticker for this thing on the side.
The text on the left reads,
Tamarind and Chili
Frozen Treat
I had to have this thing.
The guy selling it didn’t understand me at first… and then said,
“This is Tamarindo. You want? Is spicy. You want? You sure. You want?”
I should have got the clue when he asked me three times.
Read the rest of this at Flickr, and follow the set. It’s amusing, to say the least.
I even took pictures, because I just knew it was going to be bad.
[tags]Lucas, Pelucas, Tamarind, Tamarindo, Chili, Ice Cream!?, Bad Candy[/tags]
Festive Wishes to all, from Xial / Justin.
No matter your holiday, your beliefs, or your customs, enjoy the season, and enjoy your family.
Take care of yourselves.
From yesterday:
Sixty-nine minutes (Yes, an hour, nine minutes) on hold with Verizon.
My neck was getting tired, so I put the phone down, unmuted my microphone, and placed it on the earpiece, so I can rest for a minute.
Attention, Businesses: It’s sad when you make your customers do this.
It’s even sadder still when you make them sit and outwait the hold music, and hope their phone’s battery does not die. If you know it’s going to take this long, here’s an idea:
Dedicate two queues to the cause:
Queue 1 takes callers already on hold.
Allow callers who have waited at least a half hour to leave their phone number, and a brief message as to what they want.
Queue 2 goes through, and calls people out of that particular queue, so as to, uhm…
Let users who are waiting go use the restroom, cook dinner, eat, shower, something?
Either way… this sucks.
UPDATE: The timer on the phone got up to 88:31, while I called again on my Sprint phone (I wub yuu, Sprint) to see what the hell was going on.
The first number said it was closed, call back tomorrow.
So I called the Repair office, and began ranting.
The guy was apologizing off the bat, when I told him just how long I’ve been on hold.
ProTip: If you are running an automated system, and your office runs the risk of closing with people on hold, try injecting messages in every five minutes, about 30 minutes before you close, and don’t let new people enter the queue after you close. It just serves to piss people off. TAKE CARE OF THE PEOPLE ALREADY IN THE QUEUE.
Do not just leave them there and go home!
Jesus.
Camel Cigarettes sent me a blindfold in the mail yesterday, with some specific instructions.
I decided to not follow them, and instead show you the truth.
Puff-puff, pass.
For the record, yes, that is a Camel Turkish Silver cigarette.
Yes, I do smoke on occasion, but usually when I’m drinking as well.
(p.s.: I would love a Flickr Pro account.)
I've Never Had One Before.
So, I go to see who’s at the door. One of my cousins is coming through the door with a box, and hands it to me, saying “It was on the porch”.
It was my order of vitamins from Vuru, the vitamin guru service.
As you can see, the packaging is very clear to identify, so it doesn’t feel like a mystery box or bag that some companies send you when you order medecine online. This pleases me.
In the box are four resealable pouches, each containing seven smaller resealable pouches that are pre-measured with pills for each day, as well as a printed, color listing of what all is in the box to help you identify each pill. (Of humor: One of these pills also contains Extra Virgin Olive Oil. :P)
I’ll be starting my vitamin regimen today, and we’ll see how I progress from there.
At Least they're calling a few names now. Maybe they'll get me in and out soon.
It's truly pouring right now. Yuck.
I so snagged a few PPP cards to share the love that is PayPerPost.
Since the posties are curious… See the title for details.
She has arrived!
This Truck IS BIG! They weren't kidding around with that thing.
Say Hi to Froogle, who is waiting for the Blue Monster.
We have A PIMP in our store.
not Enough Time To Do My Moon. Get Over It.
Customer buys ticket. Customer LEAVES ticket. I checked the ticket. A WINNER IS ME! $20
By ‘greatest’, I mean that it’s something that everyone should try at least once, even if it kills them.
By ‘it’, I mean the legendary [tag]Luther burger[/tag], known to induce a strong case of The Itis (made popular by Aaron McGruder’s “The Boondocks” episode of the same name).
I opted to make this smaller than the official sandwich from the series, in that I only used one doughnut, sliced in half and grilled (which holds up quite damned well, I should add), a 1/3 pound burger instead of the full pound, and only one slice of cheese.
I need to avoid having such a severe case of [tag]the Itis[/tag] that I don’t make it to work, so I can only eat the downsized version.
In the future, I promise that I’ll try a full pound Luther, and maybe even a small podcast to go with the thing.
Until then, enjoy my 1/3 pound burger with five strips of bacon, a slice of American cheese, between one grilled [tag]Krispy Kreme[/tag] doughnut.
Ted, I was definitely not joking about the burrito. Gimme a $8 opportunity, and I’m happy. That’s my Chipotle for the day.
Gimme 3 of ‘em (I’ll also take $10, $15, and $1000 opps), and I’m quite happy.
So what, I love my Chipotle.
Don’t get the wrong idea: I Don’t want kids. But these two playing in the hospital waiting room was too Cute.
This is a brief message to the FIC of the Blogosphere:
We smaller bloggers deserve to have a way to make income, be it residual or once off, from the work we do. Those of you with your snooty horned hats, glowing hands of green, and your sparkly MCSEs should be quick to respect that, not bash it because you want to be the only people who make the Internet work for YOU.
I like the fact that I’ve finally found something that will pay me, no questions asked, as long as I follow their simple rules.
No more random V1@GR1 ads.
No more hot and horny teens in my area ready for me tonight.
Stuff I give a damn about, and that my friends might actually enjoy.
Break me off some of THAT.
I don’t care.
The dog fell asleep on my bed while I searched on Monster. When I got up to get my camera… He woke up. Silly doggie.
That was my lunch earlier today at work, as it was being prepared. It’s sort of unusual now to prepare one’s lunch at work, what with all the fast fooderies, etc etc, but I enjoy slowing down, and preparing it.
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