Work It - No Thanks

Just saw commercial for a new comedy called Work It soon to be on ABC Television.

This is about two men who dress up as women to land office jobs.

I have NO desire to see this show. How does this pass for comedy.

Motivational blurb of the week:

It doesn't matter how slow you go, just as long as you don't stop.

Cleaning the Garage

Think of cleaning your garage.

In the first hour, you take care of the big stuff. Later, there are smaller items, harder to reach items, and items you aren't sure what to do with. Should the old punching bag go in the attic or the back yard?

By the third hour of cleaning, you are scraping the gum off from behind the workbench. Your volume-per-hour of garage cleaning is nowhere close to what it was in the first hour, but you are just as busy.

(Dig Deeper for WIPP Success, Jody Knox, The Albuquerque Journal, October 30, 2011)

While the above quote is an analogy for where the New Mexico Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is in dealing with the volume of nuclear waste, I think it is a perfect analogy for where I am at after having lived in my new home for one year . . .

I think I'm still in the first hour :)

Ring Ring

Ring Ring

Me: Hello
Phone (male voice): Hello, I'm calling on behalf of so-n-so poling agency and am would like to ask if you have a few moments for a survey regarding the 2012 presidential race?
M: Sure
P: Do you currently approve or disapprove of President Obama's performance as president?
M: Approve
P: Somewhat approve or strongly approve?
M: Somewhat
P: I'm going to list a number of issues, please tell me which one is most important to you.

(The list includes creating jobs, maintaining our presence in Iraq / Afghanistan, reducing the deficit, etc.

M: Jobs
P: Please tell me if you have heard or know of the following?
M: OK
P: The Democratic Party
M: That's a dumb question - NEXT question please
P: (names some candidate for the Republican party)
M: Yes
P: (names another Red candidate)
M: No
P: The Republican Party
M: That's a dumb question - NEXT question please
P: (names another Red candidate)
M: No

(more of the same)

P: If the election were held today, are you more likely to vote for Obama or X (republican candidate)?
M: I do not have enough information about the Republican candidate to answer that question.
P: I'm going to make a number of statements. Please tell me if each will make you more likely or less likely to vote for president Obama. Indicate somewhat or strongly for each.
M: OK
P: (ten statements ensue in which they are all negative in stating something that Obama said or did and the consequence was less than desired) (example: The unemployment rate was 5.?? when Obama took office and is now 10.??. Does this make you less likely or more likely to vote for Obama?) (somewhere in there, I made a statement that the next question had better relate to a positive image of Obama. Didn't work.)

P: If the election were held today, are you more likely to vote for Obama or X (republican candidate)? (yes, the same question a second time - this after negatively beating on Obama)
M: I do not have enough information about the Republican candidate to answer that question.

(You know where this is going, more of the same. A few questions about the Tea Party movement and the affect of the Occupy Wall Street movement is having ensued.)

A few personalized statements from Mighty:

1) President Obama had nothing to do with the stock market crash. It dump due to the housing bust.
2) President Obama had nothing to do with the housing dump. It faltered because it became unsustainable with unqualified housing loans and over inflation of home prices due to investment types (both individuals and industry) looking to make a fast buck. You know, I'll buy the house, clean the bathroom mirror with Windex and that is sure to add $1000 to the homes value. Then sell sell SELL. This type of price management can only sustain itself for so long before the resources of the buyer are over stripped.
3) President Obama had nothing to do with the higher unemployment rate. See No. 1 and 2. Crash of Fannie Mae.
4) The federal deficit is fueled in large part to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wars started before Obama was president. To put a true bench mark on Obama's affect on the deficit, take away the cost of these wars.

For god's sake people, when you get a call of this nature, please try to see through the crap. Think for yourself. While I am not condoning Obama here, this call was clearly designed to put Obama in a negative light. EVERY candidate will have positives and negatives. Look to what you believe in. Practice compromise when selecting a candidate. Know that even your candidate will have outcomes that differ from paper to reality due to unforeseen circumstances and the weight of congress - i.e. the Democratic process.

There - Mighty has spoken!

Speaker Clips

The problem with audio presentations that are edited to include a series of clips by speakers to argue a point pro or con towards a position is that most often, only clips that support said argument are shown. That is, you may only hear half of a complete sentence by the speaker.

What is missing is the complete narrative that will usually change the meaning of the spoken segment.

For example - The statement "I hate Jews . . . " as a short segment greatly changes meaning and perspective when the complete narrative is heard, "I hate Jews who do not treat their fellow brother according to the traditions of Jewish society and the teachings of the Torah."

The Big Picture

President Barack Obama:

The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few.

HP's CEO

Today, Hewlett Packard replaced its eleven month old CEO with Meg Whitman in hopes that she will turn the company around.

Is HP's falling revenues a result of the former CEO's misguidance or are other factors at play?

Like the falling of bookstore giant Borders (not to mention many other smaller bookstores) to the rise of e-book readers, Borders really could do nothing to stem the tide that came.

Now, as smartphones and tablets surge into popularity, is this just another case of a shift in consumer purchasing that will inevitably result in fewer laptop and desktop computers being sold? Can any CEO of HP stem this sort of tide?

Experts in Sleep

Just what exactly is a sleep expert?

Mattress Firm advertises that a sleep expert will help you in selecting the right mattress for you by taking you through a unique comfort test.

Just what is this ?? Lay here. How does that feel? Not good? Try this one.

I'm sure they know about back issues and sleep problems, but really, in the end, it's all about personal preference when you lay on the bed.

The store sales person is probably trained in house to know which brand's are softer, firmer, or other such features of the beds but my guess is that they are not any more knowledgeable about more problematic sleep issues.

Just my two cents mind you. By the way, I sleep on a futon if your interested.

The Gestalt Prayer

I do my thing, and you do your thing.

I am not in this world to live up to your expectations

And you are not in this world to live up to mine.

You are you, and I am I,

And if by chance, we find each other, it's beautiful.

If not, it can't be helped.

(The Gestalt Prayer, Frederick S. Perls, M.D., Ph.D.)

Happy vs. Unhappy Men

Q: What's the most important factor distinguishing happy men from unhapy men?

A: Social attachment is a key factor in health, adjustment, and overall well-being, researchers have found. But it's not the number of friends so much as the quality of those friendships. Men often have casual ties with other guys, but not deep ones. To be happier, try reconnecting with buds from school, the service, or another special time.

(Special Father's Day Edition: Health Quiz, Parade, pp.14-6)