Yahoo! Groups

Since starting this process, I have been joining more and more chat groups to give myself some exposure, since I am a new author. And also to see what others are doing. Right now I am the proud member of 32 groups related to my writing and I feel alone in the crowd.

I was about to press the Join button again to participate in an organized chat, and I just couldn't do it. I am tired of going around to all these groups. How do people do this on a daily basis? Do authors really need to join all these groups?

I also find that for the most part I don't enjoy these chats. I do like doing the blogging and reading some of my favorite blogs (Amarinda Jones, Lyn Taylor, Barbara Huffert). But trying to do the Yahoo! chats are draining. I find I forget that I'm even doing it because I'm writing or doing something else.

Yes, I know I'm antisocial. But who really cares. I have come to realize not everyone gets me, or even understands when I say things. It is much harder to express yourself in these chats, because people do not have enough time to get your quirkiness. Also, my genre is not interesting to a lot of people and I refuse to force it down anyone's throat. I also know some people might take exception to this blog entry, but as I tell my friends all the time. People will hate for the act of breathing. You really don't have to do anything to inspire hate in a person's heart. Sad but true.

Am I bashing Yahoo! Groups? Of course not. I think it can be a wonderful tool. I first became aware of it during the hurricane season some years ago. Our family from all over the world were freaked out because Florida was hit and they didn't know what was happening. Trying to call everyone was becoming too difficult so we created a group for our family. We were able to get information to everyone at the same time and that was how it was born.

So will I press the Join button? I don't really know. Only time will tell. But be aware, this button for this particular group has presented itself to me a number of times over the past couple of months and I have resisted the urge. Hopefully, I can hold out for the rest of the day. Cross your fingers, and wish me luck.

Work and griping . . .

It’s been a while hasn’t it. I have been meaning to post. I have wanted to post. But my stupid job has been running me ragged.

I’ve been so busy recently I’ve even been taking work home with me and working way into the wee hours of the morning. Not a pleasant situation, since my home is my sanctuary (corny I know but it’s the truth). I unwind without anyone breathing down my neck, I watch the programs I want, or read a book, or write uninterrupted.

Anyway back to the gripe about work. There is a big project that I have been working on that directly relates to the budget reduction situation in Broward County. I think I mentioned it in a previous blog post.

So I needed some information and my boss insisted that I contact someone specific who was supposed to have already compiled the information. I know you can see the problem developing. I have to rely on another’s work. I didn’t really want to ask anyone. But my boss wouldn’t let up. Any who, so I go in search of this information guru to acquire the data that I need to complete my project.

Lo and behold, I contacted two separate people who supposedly had the information. Unbelievably, as both persons are handing me the document they each voice a disclaimer. Use this document at your own risk because the information is not entirely accurate. How the hell can someone give me information they are in charge producing with a disclaimer?

So by this time I’m tired as shit and I start to freak out. I have been operating on not a lot of sleep. Dammit, what the hell is wrong with these people? Why couldn’t they just produce the document correctly the first time? Or barring that, the document is three years old. In all that time the document couldn’t have been updated and corrected.

The result: I had to reinvent the damn wheel . . . again.

MORE WOES . . .

So after recovering from my whining and anxiety debacle on Wednesday, I shutdown my computer and went to bed, ready to face a new day.

Thursday morning arrives and everything is going well. I pack up my laptop and get my things, heading to the daily grind. At work, I boot up my office PC and set up my laptop, booting that up as well. No new mail, well that's strange, then I realize I'm not online.

Oh well, the office WiFi must be down. So I proceed through my day, doing my work without a care in the world. At around three in the afternoon, I check again, still not connected. Hmm, something must be terribly wrong and office IT are not aware of the problem.

So helpful person that I am, I promptly contacted them to make them aware that the WiFi isn't working. Lo and behold, the WiFi is working.

This is where the meltdown begins, proceed at your own risk.

My internal wireless card isn't working. For a computer that is less than a year old.

So I try everything I know, but nothing is working. So I decided to get in touch with customer service, actually I contacted my brother, Kevin (I probably shouldn't refer to him as such :-). Try this, try that, he tells me. But it still doesn't work. Okay, call me when you get home and we will troubleshoot the problem until we fix it, he says.

Fine, I'm somewhat comfortable with the thought that this problem will be resolved by the end of the day. At home, I get Kevin on the phone again. But nothing we try works. So finally he tells me to plug the laptop directly into the adapter using the cable.

SUCCESS!

I can go online. I did all the updates, and searched for a fix for my wireless problem. Mind you, I'm standing in the kitchen where the adapter is situated to perform these tasks. After doing everything I'm supposed to do, the wireless starts working again. This is around 1:00am Friday morning.

Thank you Kevin everything works again.

So the process starts again. Go to bed. Go to work. Boot everything up. Whew! Everything still works. Until about midday Friday. The wireless can't find any networks . . . again. I feel myself beginning to well up. Frustration is setting in.

WHAT!!!

This time I text Kevin, I can't even bring myself to say the words. The damn thing stopped working again. His reply: then it must be really bad. By this time, I'm actually going into withdrawal. The shakes are starting. No Internet for about five hours.

Okay, so what are my options. Well, you can contact HP and they will want you to ship the laptop to them so they can fix the wireless card. Ha Ha Ha. That's going to work! I can't even go one day without Internet. How am going to be without my laptop for an indeterminate amount of time?

NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!!!

Your other option, he tells me, is to get a wireless USB adapter. It will be small, easy to carry, and get you online easily. Yes that, I want that option. Do that then. So Kevin buys me a USB adapter, and performs all the necessary steps to install it on my computer.

So now its Saturday evening, and I'm back online again. I still have most of my hair, and I'm n0t too too drunk . . .

YET . . .

CRISIS AVERTED! SANITY RESTORED!

Abdicating Responsibility . . .

At work, at school, in life.

What do you do when the people getting paid to do their jobs do not want to do their jobs? Or worse assign someone else to do it for them. This really irks me, not so much about the pay but about the credit. I slave over an assignment and someone else takes the credit. Then they don't even have the decency to tell me 'good job'.

Argh!

Hunger . . .

I don't do well with hunger. I get miserable, pouty, downright cranky. I literally am unable to function properly or work. I'm also a very picky eater. And I firmly believe that the food pyramid should peak with the good foods instead of the the boring ones (the so-called healthy foods).

What's worse, I don't cook. Not that I can't cook, I just don't cook. But now that I'm on my own, I have to be fending for myself a little more. I just don't know how people with kids do it though. I go home and if I'm too tired to be bothered, which happens a lot, I eat chips and salsa for dinner.

How do the people who starve themselves do it? Or what about the ones who do not have a choice? Scary.

Why did I bring up this hunger thing, you might ask. Well, the fact is a few days ago my friends made me wait an extra half hour before going to lunch. And I'm still bitch, moaning and groaning about the delay. Yep, I really hate being hungry.

My MPA Capstone class visited the Broward County Central Homeless Assistance Center today for our final field trip of the semester. The facility is very impressive, providing a wide range of services to the homeless. Most of their staff are volunteers, except the medical staff. It is sad that homelessness exists. But it is amazing that Broward County has such a wonderful facility to help them get back on their feet.

Related but separate is my issue with PRIDE. I understand about pride and how some people have it by the bucketful. But what I don't understand is how some people allow their family or kids to suffer because of said pride. How can you say you're a good parent when you would rather have your kids live in your car than take advantage of the assistance available? And don't tell me pride is important when your kids go to school hunger, or shower in the fast food joint's restroom.

Holding on to your pride when you're responsible for only your own welfare is fine. But if you have a family that is depending on you GET HELP. It's only fair to the children you brought into this world. More than that it is your responsibility to take proper care of them.

Amarinda has challenged the bloggers over by Oh Get A Grip! to talk about the 5 things that piss them off. And even though this might be presumptuous, I have a few things to gripe about. So here goes:


Signing contracts and then complaining about the terms.

No, I'm not talking about authors signing contracts. Stop jumping to conclusions and read the rest of my rant.

Anyway, I bought my condo last year and although the sales lady was none too happy with me, I sat there and read every one of those trillion and one documents they wanted me to sign.

Now a few nights ago, we had the turnover meeting. The homeowners now have to start paying their own club dues (the builder as an incentive paid for every homeowners club dues for over a year and a half).

Anyway, yes, I'm pissed at the extra money I have to scrape together to pay the fee. But this is not news. This information was a part of our purchasing documents, and I'm sure they didn't pick, choose, and refuse who would sign and who wouldn't.

So the people at the HOA meeting were acting all crazy:

"I didn't know." Yeah right, check your contract.

"Its not fair." Hell, life isn't fair.


Car Indicators

I hate when people use their indicators to go around a bend or use a turning lane. Now if the road only bends to the right, why bother indicate. You can only go right.

I promise you, other drivers do not think you will actually turn against the bend or go straight ahead. We don't think you will ram your car through the concrete median or the guard rail to drive into a canal or on-coming traffic.

I'm driving down the same road. I can see that the road can only go one way. Please stop using that indicator for stupidity.


Nonsensical repetition (I wasn't sure what to call this one but it bugged me so much I couldn't leave it out.)

It pisses me off when people use the same one experience to apply to every single topic under the sun.

There is a professor who teaches Ethics, Organizational Behaviour, and Labor Relations. But in every single class, the man only talks about globalization. Okay, maybe globalization can be applied to each subject, but damn if I got the reference. And quite frankly, I'm tired of the word.

Now that's the second word I hate hearing (Writing being referred to as a hobby is another).

Not sure what I mean, the following is an example:

Person A: I had a car accident today.
Repeater: You know, I stubbed my toe once.

Person B: I fell asleep at work today.
Repeater: You know, I stubbed my toe once.

Person C: I got a promotion today.
Repeater: You know, I stubbed my toe once.

Person D: I saw the Pope today.
Repeater: You know, I stubbed my toe once.


Wearing skimpy clothes when its cold

Okay, I live in South Florida, and it doesn't get cold that often, but when it does we Floridians can't handle it.

But like every society, there are bunch of women who inevitable do something stupid, like wear the most inappropriate clothes when its cold.

Now ladies, you know its 35 degrees outside. Your man is fully clothed. Why the hell are you wearing that short shorts or short skirt? Don't you have any common sense?

You're huddling in on yourself from the cold. And he's all warm and cozy. Stupid.

Your teeth are chattering, quite unattractively I might add. And he is warm and cozy. Stupid.

You're hopping from foot to foot in a rain dance imitation. And he's warm and cozy. Stupid.


I haven't figured out the fifth gripe yet, but will be sure to post it when I do.

Have a good day!

Hi:
I'm surprised at how talkative I feel lately. I blame it on Amarinda and Kelly...Shh, don't tell them.

Anyway, today I want to gripe about being inconvenienced.

Rumor has it that, J. Aniston and O. Wilson are in town shooting a movie. Good for them, more power to them furthering their art.

But why oh why did their movie have to inconvenience me... I tried to park in the FAU designated parking lot only to find out that the 'President' of the University has given the film crew permission to park their many trailers there.

So now instead of parking right next to the entrance of the building, I have to cross a street, walk through a parking lot, go up a set of stairs, take the elevator just to get to my car.

Argh.

Don't get me wrong... I understand the importance of walking just like the next man or woman. But they could have let us know before hand that we would have to find alternate parking. We received no emails, no signs were posted, hell, not even a damn carrier pigeon provided us with this information.

Oh, and don't forget, although all other parking was unavailable, the top FAU execs still were able to park in the lot.

I'm gritting my teeth, trying to bear it, without swearing overly loud.

Griping can be so good sometimes...