This is the letter I'm going to mail to the White House on Monday.
I know it's a bit long (and I was tempted to put a TL;DR at the end) but it says what I want to say.
I would encourage all of you to do something like this if you feel the same way.
======
November 20th, 2011
Dear Mr. President,
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. It warms my heart to know that the most powerful individual in the free world takes time to listen to the citizens he represents. It's communication like this that makes us feel closer to you.
However, it is with a heavy heart that I type these words.
First, a little background. I work at a car dealership in Indianapolis. That's not what I went to college for, but I'm doing my best to pay back my government student loans and make a living as best I can in these tough times. My family and friends are doing the same; each having varying degrees of success.
In 2008, during the now historic run you made for President, I voted for you. My father helped organize here in Indiana to help you win our electoral votes. When election night was over, I felt so alive that someone who championed real change for our country was elected. You reinvigorated not only my faith in our country's future, but the faith and hope of countless others.
Fast forward to 2011...
Though great strides have been made in the areas of health care, rights for veterans, education and more, it seems there is much more to be done. I could give you an itemized list of things I think need to be worked on (campaign finance reform, re-instating the Glass-Steagall Act and repealing the "Citizens United" ruling with a constitutional amendment, legalizing the use of medical cannabis, ETC.) but I'm sure you and your staff are well aware of those issues.
Plus, you have an election coming up and I'm still planning on voting for you. So that's one vote you don't have to worry about.
But now I get to my reason for writing to you. I've never done this before, so you will have to excuse me if I seem a bit heavy handed. However, all of this needs to be said.
In September of this year, a small group of protesters gathered in New York City to denounce the cold hearted and morally inexcusable dealings taking place by the big banks and financial corporations. You and I know these folks as "Occupy Wall Street."
Over the course of two months, the movement has grown from a ragtag bunch of kids to a international phenomenon made up of people from all walks of life. They have been talked about, parodied, praised and denounced from multiple angles and sources. No matter what we may think about what these men and women have to say, we can certainly admit this movement has changed the subject on what's seriously wrong with our country. Namely that corporations are not people and that there is a serious disconnect between those "with" and those "without."
Of course, the problems are much more deep seeded than my above generalization could ever make it, but you get the picture. There are problems going on and the Occupy movement has helped bring them to life.
But not without pain and sacrifice.
Around the country, thousands of Americans have been exercising their rights under the first amendment to make their opinions heard, gather peacefully and request a redress of grievances. Time and again, however, they have been met with police brutality and scorn from local governments and officials in power.
From New York City to Oakland, police in full riot gear and taped-over badge numbers have used tear gas, pepper spray, LRAD sonic canons, less-than-lethal bean bag shotgun loads, and good old fashioned batons to quell these peaceful protesters. Let me stress again, these protests have been PEACEFUL. Any violence or riots have been instigated only by the authorities that are sworn to protect the citizens and the rights granted to them under the constitution.
Even the recent activities at universities like UC Berkeley and UC Davis are tough to watch and read about. It churns my stomach to see my fellow citizens being harassed in such ways just for demanding change from their government. It's disgusting.
Go back further to the incident in October when Iraq veteran Scott Olsen was brutally injured by police with a tear gas canister shot at his head. This man truly deserves to have his voice heard thanks in no small part to his service to our country; Mayor Quan of Oakland and her police force apparently had other ideas...
Honestly, I could scour blogs, independent news media and other internet sources for days to find more incidents of our citizens being harassed and beaten simply because they are wanting to exercise their rights. I could go on for another five or six pages detailing the problems the Occupy movement has brought to the forefront for all of us to talk about. I could ramble about how disgusted I am at Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayor Jean Quan of Oakland, Mayor Michael B. Hancock of Denver, UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi and many other leaders who have tried to silence free speech and other first amendment rights simply because they are afraid of what those people have to say...
But you know what hurts me the most Mr. President? The fact that you have said NOTHING to denounce these heinous actions.
Your administration was quick to support the citizens of Egypt, Libya, Syria and other nations whose governments were denying peaceful protest and using similar violent actions. But what about your own citizens?
How many people need to be hurt by police? How many need to be needlessly arrested? How many voices need to cry out to you before you'll say something to help?
Mr. President, I challenge you to be the change we want to see in the world. Be the man of power and conviction I and so many others fought and voted for in 2008. I request... nay, I BEG YOU to say something to quell these violent police actions against your own citizens.
Because if you don't, history will judge you very harshly... and so will I.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Is this the real life...?
Fellow travelers of the internet... I have returned.
Well, when I say "returned" I mean I looked randomly at my blogger site, saw I haven't done ANYTHING in about a year-and-a-half, and therefore decided to get up to speed as to what is going on.
When we last left our hero (me), it was my first post in about 2 months and I was complaining about grammar and my job. I was also on vacation, which seem weird because I haven't had a real vacation since. Plus, a lot has happened since that blog post. So, without further adieu...
---
Was that a bit much? I wanted fireworks, a marching band and pie, but the budget ran out on the font.
So, what's been happening? Should we go chronological or categorical? Maybe a bit of both since I like to walk on the wild side. Rawr...
JOB:
I was fired from my job as production director at WMDH back in October of '09. My theory is that Ciatadel Broadcasting sucks balls and they needed to get rid of dead weight. What it came down to was they were paying me a full-time wage and benefits and figured they could save a crap-load of money by splitting my salary in two to pay two part-time people.
Am I bitter? Well, not as much as I was when it happened. I liked that job. It's what I went to college for. I was independent and loved it.
But, all we are is dust in the wind dudes. The universe was telling me to move on from the hick-towns of east-central Indiana. So I moved back to Indianapolis to begin a new search for employment.
At first, all I could find was Temp jobs. It was the middle of the economic crunch of 2009 and NOBODY could find steady work. A cashier job at Target got me through the holidays that year. However, when they moved me to the back stock room and had me get up at 4AM to move shit around... I could only take 2 days of that before my head almost exploded. So, I quit.
Do I regret quitting? HELL NO. I mean, the cashier stuff was cool, but they also had me bring in carts from outside. There were some days I thought I had been teleported to the Target in Antarctica. Fucking winter...
The back room was even worse. Aside from the INCREDIBLY early morning, the slight pay raise wasn't worth the atmosphere of moving crap around and then putting it back if it didn't go to the front of the store. It seemed like I was stagnating. Thankfully I figured that out before I got stuck there.
A month or three passed. I couldn't find anything that wasn't a bullshit sales job. Case in point, I interviewed (and was ultimately accepted for) a position at a place near the old airport. The pitch they gave about incentives and prizes was (obviously) very exciting and intriguing. So, I went back each time to learn more and more.
Then training began...
It was FUCKING VACUUM CLEANER SALES! You should've seen this thing. It was like NASA built this vacuum what with all the parts and procedures for putting it together. Stephen Hawking would think, "WTFuck?"
So I got the hell out of there before I even tried selling the damn thing. Thankfully, I was about to get something that would at least require my college-educated brain... ISTEP grading.
"But Nate-O, aren't those tests multiple guess and graded by computers?"
Au contraire my friends, there are indeed essays, short answers and long-form math problems that must be graded by human beings. I passed enough pre-screening stuff to come in and grade 7th grade essays.
Now, the idea is you don't necessarily grade content, you grade on overall structure and grammatical accuracy. Sounds easy right? Well, it took me a few days to get it down cold. And let me tell you, sitting at a computer for 7 hours reading these things is just below Chinese water torture. And I won't mention this but once, but I now think standardized testing is complete bullshit. Some of those kids need some real help...
Knowing that I wasn't going to be able to grade tests for forever, I began the search for a new job once again. Thankfully, an opportunity arose that charted the course towards my current job... Car Sales.
Yeah, I know, new and/or used car sales wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I went to college to be in the radio business. But trust me, I TRIED to get something in radio. I just couldn't find anything here in the city. So, I decided to give the car sales thing a shot.
Now the initial opportunity wasn't actually a job. It was a recruiting company that finds potential sales candidates for dealerships. I will admit I was a bit leery at first. "Where would I be working? Could I really sell cars? How much would I get paid? Am I going to take up smoking? How many divorces are in my future?"
Ok, I'm being a bit stereotypical there at the end. I apologize. However, I was genuinely concerned about how this all would turn out. So I went to these training sessions to get schooled on how to effectively sell cars. The ideas seemed sound, but I didn't find out until actual practice that not everything they teach you will help with every customer. Don't let people fool you, they are crafty these days.
I got my sales job at Tom Wood Toyota on the west side of Indianapolis. Took me two weeks on the floor to sell my first vehicle (a Jeep Cherokee). I ended up averaging about 8 cars sold per month. I figured that wasn't too bad for a beginner, but the money just wasn't happening.
I think what it comes down to is that... I'm not a salesman. Sure, I can relate to people and tell them all about how great a particular car is, but I can't be that cutthroat jerkoff salesman that ultimately sells cars. (Even just a little bit, which is all it takes sometimes. Just makes me feel like an asshole, which is more debilitating than anything else.)
So, I began searching for a new job. The detail manager at the dealership told me he was looking for someone to work back in clean-up. He said he would hire me right there because we were friends and that he knew I would be a good worker. I considered this for a little while, weighed the pros and cons, and decided it would probably be better than selling cars.
When he told the managers what I was considering, that's when my life got flipped turned upside down (so to speak). My boss told me he didn't want to waste my talents in the clean-up department. I had shown I had potential to do much more.
A few weeks earlier, the managers had the sales staff go out and write comments about particular vehicles. Drawing on my background of writing advertisements for radio, I used some of that to make my comments stand out. I really didn't think much of it at the time, I just wanted to have some fun with it.
Turns out, that was the kind of stuff my boss wanted to use for internet marketing. Two weeks later, I am Inventory Control. My job now consists of stocking-in used cars, taking those and trades through clean-up and service, taking pictures and writing comments of each car, uploading those to the internet and then printing off window stickers for the vehicles.
It's quite different than selling cars of course and I certainly like it better. Especially the hours, the pay and the fact that I get to keep all the benefits.
Don't get me wrong, there are times when I will gripe about the job, but I always am thankful that I at least HAVE a job.
Now I just have to move out of my parents' house...
HOUSING:
Yeah, that's right. I live in my parents' house. In the basement to be more specific. I've been there since I moved back from Muncie. I would complain more, but thankfully I don't have to spend as much time there because...
I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!!!!!:
Her name is Rebecca and we met online. Yep, it's the new thing. Our first date was Mini-Golf and Pizza in Broad Ripple where she lives. So, I tend to spend a good amount of time over at her place.
She's basically the best ever. Always supportive, funny and smart. I love her... SO FREAKIN' MUCH!!!
I'm 145% sure that if I hadn't been with Rebecca through all of the job stuff, my outlook on life would be WAY different. (More depression than anything else)
Who knows what the future will hold with the two of us. All I know is that it can only get better.
OTHER:
Here are a few more things that are new since I last wrote on TGM.
-New(ish) car: A 2001 Pontiac Sunfire. Bought it myself for a hell of a price from Rebecca's Mom. It's WAY better than the Cavalier.
-New shoes: Apparently, I have what's known as Plantar Fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the tendons that attach my heel to the front of my feet. Ouch, it still kinda sucks as of this post.
-New Computer: This is VERY recent. A new Sony Vaio laptop which runs laps around my old Thinkpad.
Well, that pretty much gets us up to date. I'm not sure if I'm really going to start blogging in earnest again. I don't usually have much to talk about these days except work. However, I'm sure I'll be back to talk about any other big things that might happen.
Until then, sayonara.
-Nate-O
Well, when I say "returned" I mean I looked randomly at my blogger site, saw I haven't done ANYTHING in about a year-and-a-half, and therefore decided to get up to speed as to what is going on.
When we last left our hero (me), it was my first post in about 2 months and I was complaining about grammar and my job. I was also on vacation, which seem weird because I haven't had a real vacation since. Plus, a lot has happened since that blog post. So, without further adieu...
THE EPIC RETURN TO BLOGGING FEATURING NATE-O!!!
---
Was that a bit much? I wanted fireworks, a marching band and pie, but the budget ran out on the font.
So, what's been happening? Should we go chronological or categorical? Maybe a bit of both since I like to walk on the wild side. Rawr...
JOB:
I was fired from my job as production director at WMDH back in October of '09. My theory is that Ciatadel Broadcasting sucks balls and they needed to get rid of dead weight. What it came down to was they were paying me a full-time wage and benefits and figured they could save a crap-load of money by splitting my salary in two to pay two part-time people.
Am I bitter? Well, not as much as I was when it happened. I liked that job. It's what I went to college for. I was independent and loved it.
But, all we are is dust in the wind dudes. The universe was telling me to move on from the hick-towns of east-central Indiana. So I moved back to Indianapolis to begin a new search for employment.
At first, all I could find was Temp jobs. It was the middle of the economic crunch of 2009 and NOBODY could find steady work. A cashier job at Target got me through the holidays that year. However, when they moved me to the back stock room and had me get up at 4AM to move shit around... I could only take 2 days of that before my head almost exploded. So, I quit.
Do I regret quitting? HELL NO. I mean, the cashier stuff was cool, but they also had me bring in carts from outside. There were some days I thought I had been teleported to the Target in Antarctica. Fucking winter...
The back room was even worse. Aside from the INCREDIBLY early morning, the slight pay raise wasn't worth the atmosphere of moving crap around and then putting it back if it didn't go to the front of the store. It seemed like I was stagnating. Thankfully I figured that out before I got stuck there.
A month or three passed. I couldn't find anything that wasn't a bullshit sales job. Case in point, I interviewed (and was ultimately accepted for) a position at a place near the old airport. The pitch they gave about incentives and prizes was (obviously) very exciting and intriguing. So, I went back each time to learn more and more.
Then training began...
It was FUCKING VACUUM CLEANER SALES! You should've seen this thing. It was like NASA built this vacuum what with all the parts and procedures for putting it together. Stephen Hawking would think, "WTFuck?"
So I got the hell out of there before I even tried selling the damn thing. Thankfully, I was about to get something that would at least require my college-educated brain... ISTEP grading.
"But Nate-O, aren't those tests multiple guess and graded by computers?"
Au contraire my friends, there are indeed essays, short answers and long-form math problems that must be graded by human beings. I passed enough pre-screening stuff to come in and grade 7th grade essays.
Now, the idea is you don't necessarily grade content, you grade on overall structure and grammatical accuracy. Sounds easy right? Well, it took me a few days to get it down cold. And let me tell you, sitting at a computer for 7 hours reading these things is just below Chinese water torture. And I won't mention this but once, but I now think standardized testing is complete bullshit. Some of those kids need some real help...
Knowing that I wasn't going to be able to grade tests for forever, I began the search for a new job once again. Thankfully, an opportunity arose that charted the course towards my current job... Car Sales.
Yeah, I know, new and/or used car sales wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I went to college to be in the radio business. But trust me, I TRIED to get something in radio. I just couldn't find anything here in the city. So, I decided to give the car sales thing a shot.
Now the initial opportunity wasn't actually a job. It was a recruiting company that finds potential sales candidates for dealerships. I will admit I was a bit leery at first. "Where would I be working? Could I really sell cars? How much would I get paid? Am I going to take up smoking? How many divorces are in my future?"
Ok, I'm being a bit stereotypical there at the end. I apologize. However, I was genuinely concerned about how this all would turn out. So I went to these training sessions to get schooled on how to effectively sell cars. The ideas seemed sound, but I didn't find out until actual practice that not everything they teach you will help with every customer. Don't let people fool you, they are crafty these days.
I got my sales job at Tom Wood Toyota on the west side of Indianapolis. Took me two weeks on the floor to sell my first vehicle (a Jeep Cherokee). I ended up averaging about 8 cars sold per month. I figured that wasn't too bad for a beginner, but the money just wasn't happening.
I think what it comes down to is that... I'm not a salesman. Sure, I can relate to people and tell them all about how great a particular car is, but I can't be that cutthroat jerkoff salesman that ultimately sells cars. (Even just a little bit, which is all it takes sometimes. Just makes me feel like an asshole, which is more debilitating than anything else.)
So, I began searching for a new job. The detail manager at the dealership told me he was looking for someone to work back in clean-up. He said he would hire me right there because we were friends and that he knew I would be a good worker. I considered this for a little while, weighed the pros and cons, and decided it would probably be better than selling cars.
When he told the managers what I was considering, that's when my life got flipped turned upside down (so to speak). My boss told me he didn't want to waste my talents in the clean-up department. I had shown I had potential to do much more.
A few weeks earlier, the managers had the sales staff go out and write comments about particular vehicles. Drawing on my background of writing advertisements for radio, I used some of that to make my comments stand out. I really didn't think much of it at the time, I just wanted to have some fun with it.
Turns out, that was the kind of stuff my boss wanted to use for internet marketing. Two weeks later, I am Inventory Control. My job now consists of stocking-in used cars, taking those and trades through clean-up and service, taking pictures and writing comments of each car, uploading those to the internet and then printing off window stickers for the vehicles.
It's quite different than selling cars of course and I certainly like it better. Especially the hours, the pay and the fact that I get to keep all the benefits.
Don't get me wrong, there are times when I will gripe about the job, but I always am thankful that I at least HAVE a job.
Now I just have to move out of my parents' house...
HOUSING:
Yeah, that's right. I live in my parents' house. In the basement to be more specific. I've been there since I moved back from Muncie. I would complain more, but thankfully I don't have to spend as much time there because...
I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!!!!!:
Her name is Rebecca and we met online. Yep, it's the new thing. Our first date was Mini-Golf and Pizza in Broad Ripple where she lives. So, I tend to spend a good amount of time over at her place.
She's basically the best ever. Always supportive, funny and smart. I love her... SO FREAKIN' MUCH!!!
I'm 145% sure that if I hadn't been with Rebecca through all of the job stuff, my outlook on life would be WAY different. (More depression than anything else)
Who knows what the future will hold with the two of us. All I know is that it can only get better.
OTHER:
Here are a few more things that are new since I last wrote on TGM.
-New(ish) car: A 2001 Pontiac Sunfire. Bought it myself for a hell of a price from Rebecca's Mom. It's WAY better than the Cavalier.
-New shoes: Apparently, I have what's known as Plantar Fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the tendons that attach my heel to the front of my feet. Ouch, it still kinda sucks as of this post.
-New Computer: This is VERY recent. A new Sony Vaio laptop which runs laps around my old Thinkpad.
Well, that pretty much gets us up to date. I'm not sure if I'm really going to start blogging in earnest again. I don't usually have much to talk about these days except work. However, I'm sure I'll be back to talk about any other big things that might happen.
Until then, sayonara.
-Nate-O
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Your not their yet.
Did you read that title and almost shit yourself in anger?
I can't stand when people don't understand the different variations of those two words. We go to English and Grammar classes for a reason in school... so we don't monumentally fuck up that bad when we write.
See, I'm incredibly lonely these days. So I've really been hitting the internet match-making sites more frequently. Unfortunately, the one I go to most often had the audacity to let a slip like the one above through.
What I can't stand even more is when a woman wants to find an intelligent man, but then writes a glaring grammatical error such as that and expects to be taken seriously. (Then again I can't take a 22 year old woman with two kids seriously either. Honestly, they make contraceptives for a reason. USE THEM!)
Ok, that bit in parenthesis might have been a bit harsh.
---
Yeah, I make my triumphant return to the blog-o-sphere with a rant about stupidity. Who would've thought?
I'm on vacation from work this week. It's pretty much my first real vacation from work in over a year, that isn't a holiday weekend, and DAMN did I need this. Work has been kicking my ass for so long that I almost forgot what a relaxing time was really like.
No I'm not going anywhere. I wish I was though... except I spent WAY too much on a family trip to Chicago AND am in the middle of paying off $600 worth of repairs on my car. Don't get me wrong, the car very much needed all the work it got and the trip was fun. But DAMN I don't make enough money to do all that shit again in one weekend.
So instead of go somewhere fun, (like the amusement park like I had originally planned to go a few weeks ago) I am cleaning the apartment. Oh yeah... fun times.
Plus, like I said, I'm still looking for that significant other. It's tough though when you do indeed spend a lot of time at work and that drains so much energy and enthusiasm. I guess if I did have more drive, I'd try harder to get out there and find the ladies. There's got to be one out there who's right for me and vice versa. Right?
Ah, it wouldn't be a blog from Nate-O without a complaint about my love life. We're really back on track now, eh?
Tune in next time for more shananigans and complaints.
~Nate-O
===
*The proper usage of your and you're:
-"Your" means of or relating to you or yourself.
EXAMPLE: "Would you mind picking your shoes up and putting them in your room?"
-"You're" is a contraction to simplify the form "you are".
EXAMPLE: "You're going to be in big trouble if you don't pick those shoes up!"
*The proper usage of there, their and they're:
-The form "there" refers to a place or location.
EXAMPLE: "Go over there and pick up those shoes please."
-"Their" is a third person adjective relating to possession of something.
EXAMPLE: "I have no idea where their hotel room key is."
-"They're" is the contraction form of the phrase "they are".
EXAMPLE: "If they don't find that room key, they're going to have to pay a fee when they check out."
I can't stand when people don't understand the different variations of those two words. We go to English and Grammar classes for a reason in school... so we don't monumentally fuck up that bad when we write.
See, I'm incredibly lonely these days. So I've really been hitting the internet match-making sites more frequently. Unfortunately, the one I go to most often had the audacity to let a slip like the one above through.
What I can't stand even more is when a woman wants to find an intelligent man, but then writes a glaring grammatical error such as that and expects to be taken seriously. (Then again I can't take a 22 year old woman with two kids seriously either. Honestly, they make contraceptives for a reason. USE THEM!)
Ok, that bit in parenthesis might have been a bit harsh.
---
Yeah, I make my triumphant return to the blog-o-sphere with a rant about stupidity. Who would've thought?
I'm on vacation from work this week. It's pretty much my first real vacation from work in over a year, that isn't a holiday weekend, and DAMN did I need this. Work has been kicking my ass for so long that I almost forgot what a relaxing time was really like.
No I'm not going anywhere. I wish I was though... except I spent WAY too much on a family trip to Chicago AND am in the middle of paying off $600 worth of repairs on my car. Don't get me wrong, the car very much needed all the work it got and the trip was fun. But DAMN I don't make enough money to do all that shit again in one weekend.
So instead of go somewhere fun, (like the amusement park like I had originally planned to go a few weeks ago) I am cleaning the apartment. Oh yeah... fun times.
Plus, like I said, I'm still looking for that significant other. It's tough though when you do indeed spend a lot of time at work and that drains so much energy and enthusiasm. I guess if I did have more drive, I'd try harder to get out there and find the ladies. There's got to be one out there who's right for me and vice versa. Right?
Ah, it wouldn't be a blog from Nate-O without a complaint about my love life. We're really back on track now, eh?
Tune in next time for more shananigans and complaints.
~Nate-O
===
*The proper usage of your and you're:
-"Your" means of or relating to you or yourself.
EXAMPLE: "Would you mind picking your shoes up and putting them in your room?"
-"You're" is a contraction to simplify the form "you are".
EXAMPLE: "You're going to be in big trouble if you don't pick those shoes up!"
*The proper usage of there, their and they're:
-The form "there" refers to a place or location.
EXAMPLE: "Go over there and pick up those shoes please."
-"Their" is a third person adjective relating to possession of something.
EXAMPLE: "I have no idea where their hotel room key is."
-"They're" is the contraction form of the phrase "they are".
EXAMPLE: "If they don't find that room key, they're going to have to pay a fee when they check out."
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Well... Almost Done.
I'd like to thank which ever crotchety, fun sucking, punk ass bitch/bitch ass punk that made Lucy turn off her Blog(s).
Seriously... GROW THE FUCK UP.
Now I have very little entertainment to get me through the day just because ONE person can't deal with being criticized (in an anonymous fashion no less).
I hope you're happy making one person miserable, because you've inadvertantly made a whole host of people miserable by proxy.
You definitely won't be happy if we ever meet in public, because you will get a severe tongue lashing from myself. (And I'll use lots of big words so you'll feel REALLY stupid)
Once again, thanks for being a stick in the mud... whoever you may be.
~Nate-O
Seriously... GROW THE FUCK UP.
Now I have very little entertainment to get me through the day just because ONE person can't deal with being criticized (in an anonymous fashion no less).
I hope you're happy making one person miserable, because you've inadvertantly made a whole host of people miserable by proxy.
You definitely won't be happy if we ever meet in public, because you will get a severe tongue lashing from myself. (And I'll use lots of big words so you'll feel REALLY stupid)
Once again, thanks for being a stick in the mud... whoever you may be.
~Nate-O
Thursday, May 14, 2009
End of the line?
My life is in a rut.
My weekdays are turning into a routine... albeit a routine that only I can comprehend.
Besides the on-off relationship I'm in at the moment, nothing really interesting happens in my life.
So, I don't think I'm going to blog for a while. Not that I may not get back to it at all, but right now I have nothing interesting to write about. (Unless you count bitching about a poor salary, exhausting days and other stupid stuff. I don't.)
Therefore, my blogging will be suspended indefinitely.
I would suggest going to my friend Lucy's blog over there ---------->
She leads a way more interesting life than I do. Plus, she can articulate that life far better than I could ever explain mine in blog form.
So thanks for sticking around. But check back in once in a while, I may come back in a few months with something cool.
~Nate-O
My weekdays are turning into a routine... albeit a routine that only I can comprehend.
Besides the on-off relationship I'm in at the moment, nothing really interesting happens in my life.
So, I don't think I'm going to blog for a while. Not that I may not get back to it at all, but right now I have nothing interesting to write about. (Unless you count bitching about a poor salary, exhausting days and other stupid stuff. I don't.)
Therefore, my blogging will be suspended indefinitely.
I would suggest going to my friend Lucy's blog over there ---------->
She leads a way more interesting life than I do. Plus, she can articulate that life far better than I could ever explain mine in blog form.
So thanks for sticking around. But check back in once in a while, I may come back in a few months with something cool.
~Nate-O
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Fuck You Math
As far back as I can remember, I've never liked Math.
I went to Math class because I had to. I did my Math homework because, if I didn't, I wouldn't get out of middle school/high school/college. Not that I never did well in math mind you... I understood everything. (Granted, my multiplication skills STILL suck, but that's why mankind invented the electronic calculator... and put it in a cell phone so you always have it handy.)
Recently, I've gotten pretty gung ho about getting a new car. I've been out car browsing and stuff. I even found a car or two that I figured I could afford that had all the stuff I'm looking for.
And then... I decided to "do the math."
When I "do the math" on almost anything, the math ends up screwing me over in one way or another.
For example, I remember last year I REALLY wanted to go to Vegas for a weekend by myself. It would've just been a fun getaway to play some low-stakes Craps, take in a show or two, and drink copius amounts of booze in the hotel bar.
However, I figured even if I saved enough money against my measly salary, it would be more of a waste than anything else... so I put it on the back burner indefinitely. I was hoping that by the time April 2009 rolled around, I'd get a nice raise along with a phat tax return and take a little jaunt.
Then the economy took a kamakazie nose dive into the proverbial Aircraft Carrier.
No raise.
And that phat tax return? Well, that went to pay off my credit card because I spent WAY too much money on Holiday presents for my family. (Not to mention buying myself an XBOX 360)
So, I'm pretty much back to where I started.
Jump to a couple of weeks ago. I took my car to the shop to see how much it would take to get the suspension fixed and a tune-up. (They also said my air conditioner thingy was on the fritz)
Can you say 1600-1800 smackers?
THAT'S MORE THAN WE PAYED FOR THE FUCKING CAR IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
I then decided that maybe I should just get a new car. That way I can build some credit, give my current car to my sister, and generally feel better about my situation in life. So, I went out and found one or two cars I might be able to afford on my still measly salary. I was excited to go out and get my new ride.
And then... I "did the math." And, of course, it screwed me over.
See, my income fluctuates every month. It all depends on how much work I can get. The summer time is busier because we do WAY more remote broadcasts. Sometimes those remotes have a "talent fee" built in.
But when I did the math, I decided to low ball my income to the minimum I usually make. After factoring in rounded-up estimates of my monthly expenditures I came to one conclusion.
I HATE MATH!
Ok, I know, I'm probably being too hard on math right now, but it still sucks. Even though these days I make more than I did last year at this point, it doesn't look like enough to buy a car. (Not to mention the taxes, fees, insurance, and BMV bullshit)
All things considered, I figure one of three things have to happen if I want to get a new(ish) car.
1. Get a raise at my current job. (Fat fucking chance of that happening this decade)
2. Get a second job to supplement my income. (Yeah right. Like I'm not exhausted enough at work these days since I'm practically doing the job of 3-4 people as it is.)
3. Find a NEW job that pays more than my current job. (Uh huh... nobody is finding work right now. so how the hell do I find something with my limited skills. "Hello. I'm a lousy DJ at a small-market radio station. Can you pay me 30-40k a year plus benefits?" Cue uncontrollable laughter from the interviewer.)
So basically I'm depressed now. Fuck math, fuck this economy, fuck the automobile industry and fuck my job.
Time for a beer or two... or seven.
~Nate-O
I went to Math class because I had to. I did my Math homework because, if I didn't, I wouldn't get out of middle school/high school/college. Not that I never did well in math mind you... I understood everything. (Granted, my multiplication skills STILL suck, but that's why mankind invented the electronic calculator... and put it in a cell phone so you always have it handy.)
Recently, I've gotten pretty gung ho about getting a new car. I've been out car browsing and stuff. I even found a car or two that I figured I could afford that had all the stuff I'm looking for.
And then... I decided to "do the math."
When I "do the math" on almost anything, the math ends up screwing me over in one way or another.
For example, I remember last year I REALLY wanted to go to Vegas for a weekend by myself. It would've just been a fun getaway to play some low-stakes Craps, take in a show or two, and drink copius amounts of booze in the hotel bar.
However, I figured even if I saved enough money against my measly salary, it would be more of a waste than anything else... so I put it on the back burner indefinitely. I was hoping that by the time April 2009 rolled around, I'd get a nice raise along with a phat tax return and take a little jaunt.
Then the economy took a kamakazie nose dive into the proverbial Aircraft Carrier.
No raise.
And that phat tax return? Well, that went to pay off my credit card because I spent WAY too much money on Holiday presents for my family. (Not to mention buying myself an XBOX 360)
So, I'm pretty much back to where I started.
Jump to a couple of weeks ago. I took my car to the shop to see how much it would take to get the suspension fixed and a tune-up. (They also said my air conditioner thingy was on the fritz)
Can you say 1600-1800 smackers?
THAT'S MORE THAN WE PAYED FOR THE FUCKING CAR IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
I then decided that maybe I should just get a new car. That way I can build some credit, give my current car to my sister, and generally feel better about my situation in life. So, I went out and found one or two cars I might be able to afford on my still measly salary. I was excited to go out and get my new ride.
And then... I "did the math." And, of course, it screwed me over.
See, my income fluctuates every month. It all depends on how much work I can get. The summer time is busier because we do WAY more remote broadcasts. Sometimes those remotes have a "talent fee" built in.
But when I did the math, I decided to low ball my income to the minimum I usually make. After factoring in rounded-up estimates of my monthly expenditures I came to one conclusion.
I HATE MATH!
Ok, I know, I'm probably being too hard on math right now, but it still sucks. Even though these days I make more than I did last year at this point, it doesn't look like enough to buy a car. (Not to mention the taxes, fees, insurance, and BMV bullshit)
All things considered, I figure one of three things have to happen if I want to get a new(ish) car.
1. Get a raise at my current job. (Fat fucking chance of that happening this decade)
2. Get a second job to supplement my income. (Yeah right. Like I'm not exhausted enough at work these days since I'm practically doing the job of 3-4 people as it is.)
3. Find a NEW job that pays more than my current job. (Uh huh... nobody is finding work right now. so how the hell do I find something with my limited skills. "Hello. I'm a lousy DJ at a small-market radio station. Can you pay me 30-40k a year plus benefits?" Cue uncontrollable laughter from the interviewer.)
So basically I'm depressed now. Fuck math, fuck this economy, fuck the automobile industry and fuck my job.
Time for a beer or two... or seven.
~Nate-O
Thursday, April 16, 2009
What is the deal with Twitter these days?
I'm already on board with Facebook. As bad as it can get sometimes, I will still go back there every god damn day. Especially with that "Mafia Wars" app that my friends got me roped into. (That shit is ADDICTING. LEVEL 68 bitches...)
And I went back and did a few things with MySpace too. Not much though. I don't have all that background crap that slows your computer down or makes it IMPOSSIBLE to see the text that you're trying to read. Hell, I haven't even changed my picture on MySpace for about 2 or 3 years... it's still me in a my blue Adidas hoodie at the control console of the old WCRD studios. Obviously not a big fan, but I still go back there because, like many of us these days, I want to know what everyone else is thinking with their status updates.
But Twitter... I'm flat out saying NO to that junk pile. You have, what, 150 characters to use to get your point across? If I want to do that, I'll send a damn text message...
So fuck Twitter. Yes, I said it. You will NEVER EVER see my screen name "Tweeting" telling everyone how great my Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla was.
Oh, and how the FUCK do you make the action verb of "to twitter" tweet? That almost made me have a aneurysm about how stupid that sounds.
Ok, enough about that. Let's move on.
---
I AM FUCKING PSYCHED FOR MAY 8th!!!
I've requested the day off, I've been scouring the interwebz for spoilers and clips and every little thing I can get my grubby little trekkie hands on. Fuck, I may even buy the toy phaser, tricorder and communicator at Toys R Us when they come out.
(I'm talking about "Star Trek" in case you're confused)
Seriously, I could lose my job tomorrow and I would still be uber excited for May 8th. I'm more excited about May 8th than my BIRTHDAY. The only thing that would make May 8th better would be to spend the day with a chick who is JUST as excited about the new Star Trek and I am and just watch the movie all day.
Damn I'm lonely...
My old buddy Shawn from college is going back and watching all the Trek movies in order before the new one comes out. I only have 5 of the 10 movies in my possession: The Motion Picture; Wrath of Kahn; The Search for Spock; The Voyage Home; and First Contact.
Here's the way I think this is going to work.
May 7th - 5pm: My day of work ends. I completely shut off all contact with work. The sales people will be bitching at me about something but I'm going to pretend like I don't even speak English at this point. Hell, maybe I'll swear at them in Klingon just for the hell of it.
May 7th - 6:30pm: After a quick bite to eat, I'm off to the theatre. YES, because there will be a 7pm showing on Thursday because PARAMOUNT IS AWESOME!
May 7th - approx. 9:30pm: I go home to change my pants because It's been one long orgasm for 2 hours.
May 8th - 12:01am: Back at the movie theatre for a second helping at the Midnight Screening. I'm once again surrounded by die-hard Trek Fans. Hell, I may even make some new friends. They'll ask how many times I plan on seeing the movie and I'll say, "As many times as I can squeeze in before Saturday Midnight." (Which, according to Fandango at this point is only 3 other times starting at 4:20pm. But that's sure to change closer to opening day)
These nerds will then revere me as a God because not only do I have a cool job, but I'm also WAY more confident then them and have actually been laid. I'll call them my disciples and we'll travel the land preaching the Gospel of the Great Bird. (Wow... I'm totally going to hell.)
May 8th - approx. 2:30am: I'm still BLOWN AWAY by this sea of awesomeness. But, I have to go home and get some sleep if I want to have enough energy to see the movie several more times.
May 8th - Various times: My goal is to see Star Trek at least 4 times, if not 5. The freakin movie theatre people will just look at me like some weirdo but I won't give a shit. I've been waiting over TEN YEARS for a new Star Trek movie. TEN FUCKIN YEARS!!! I had to sit through TV shows, rumors of a new movie, re-runs of the TV shows, shitty video games... I FUCKING DESERVE THIS!
May 9th - Sometime after midnight: I'm sitting at a Bar. I don't care which one... but I will be drinking something Blue. In my mind, I'll be Dr. McCoy in the scene from Star Trek III where he's trying to book passage to the Genesis Planet. Although instead of Altair Water, I'll be imagining it's Romulan Ale. There will just be this HUGE smile on my face as I reflect on how awesome the new Star Trek movie was. I'll be wondering how the hell I'll be able to top such a perfect day...
...maybe when the sequel comes out.
Bring the warp drive online Mr. Scott... I want May 8th to get here at Maximum Warp.
ENGAGE!
~Nate-O
I'm already on board with Facebook. As bad as it can get sometimes, I will still go back there every god damn day. Especially with that "Mafia Wars" app that my friends got me roped into. (That shit is ADDICTING. LEVEL 68 bitches...)
And I went back and did a few things with MySpace too. Not much though. I don't have all that background crap that slows your computer down or makes it IMPOSSIBLE to see the text that you're trying to read. Hell, I haven't even changed my picture on MySpace for about 2 or 3 years... it's still me in a my blue Adidas hoodie at the control console of the old WCRD studios. Obviously not a big fan, but I still go back there because, like many of us these days, I want to know what everyone else is thinking with their status updates.
But Twitter... I'm flat out saying NO to that junk pile. You have, what, 150 characters to use to get your point across? If I want to do that, I'll send a damn text message...
So fuck Twitter. Yes, I said it. You will NEVER EVER see my screen name "Tweeting" telling everyone how great my Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla was.
Oh, and how the FUCK do you make the action verb of "to twitter" tweet? That almost made me have a aneurysm about how stupid that sounds.
Ok, enough about that. Let's move on.
---
I AM FUCKING PSYCHED FOR MAY 8th!!!
I've requested the day off, I've been scouring the interwebz for spoilers and clips and every little thing I can get my grubby little trekkie hands on. Fuck, I may even buy the toy phaser, tricorder and communicator at Toys R Us when they come out.
(I'm talking about "Star Trek" in case you're confused)
Seriously, I could lose my job tomorrow and I would still be uber excited for May 8th. I'm more excited about May 8th than my BIRTHDAY. The only thing that would make May 8th better would be to spend the day with a chick who is JUST as excited about the new Star Trek and I am and just watch the movie all day.
Damn I'm lonely...
My old buddy Shawn from college is going back and watching all the Trek movies in order before the new one comes out. I only have 5 of the 10 movies in my possession: The Motion Picture; Wrath of Kahn; The Search for Spock; The Voyage Home; and First Contact.
Here's the way I think this is going to work.
May 7th - 5pm: My day of work ends. I completely shut off all contact with work. The sales people will be bitching at me about something but I'm going to pretend like I don't even speak English at this point. Hell, maybe I'll swear at them in Klingon just for the hell of it.
May 7th - 6:30pm: After a quick bite to eat, I'm off to the theatre. YES, because there will be a 7pm showing on Thursday because PARAMOUNT IS AWESOME!
May 7th - approx. 9:30pm: I go home to change my pants because It's been one long orgasm for 2 hours.
May 8th - 12:01am: Back at the movie theatre for a second helping at the Midnight Screening. I'm once again surrounded by die-hard Trek Fans. Hell, I may even make some new friends. They'll ask how many times I plan on seeing the movie and I'll say, "As many times as I can squeeze in before Saturday Midnight." (Which, according to Fandango at this point is only 3 other times starting at 4:20pm. But that's sure to change closer to opening day)
These nerds will then revere me as a God because not only do I have a cool job, but I'm also WAY more confident then them and have actually been laid. I'll call them my disciples and we'll travel the land preaching the Gospel of the Great Bird. (Wow... I'm totally going to hell.)
May 8th - approx. 2:30am: I'm still BLOWN AWAY by this sea of awesomeness. But, I have to go home and get some sleep if I want to have enough energy to see the movie several more times.
May 8th - Various times: My goal is to see Star Trek at least 4 times, if not 5. The freakin movie theatre people will just look at me like some weirdo but I won't give a shit. I've been waiting over TEN YEARS for a new Star Trek movie. TEN FUCKIN YEARS!!! I had to sit through TV shows, rumors of a new movie, re-runs of the TV shows, shitty video games... I FUCKING DESERVE THIS!
May 9th - Sometime after midnight: I'm sitting at a Bar. I don't care which one... but I will be drinking something Blue. In my mind, I'll be Dr. McCoy in the scene from Star Trek III where he's trying to book passage to the Genesis Planet. Although instead of Altair Water, I'll be imagining it's Romulan Ale. There will just be this HUGE smile on my face as I reflect on how awesome the new Star Trek movie was. I'll be wondering how the hell I'll be able to top such a perfect day...
...maybe when the sequel comes out.
Bring the warp drive online Mr. Scott... I want May 8th to get here at Maximum Warp.
ENGAGE!
~Nate-O
Friday, April 3, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
All My Fault
As I was searching through my playlist, I figured this song was the best interpretation of how I feel at this moment.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The obligatory "Watchmen" review
Yes, I am a nerd. Yes, I went and saw "Watchmen" the night it came out. And Yes, I thought it was a good movie.
Now, I've read/watched tons of reviews about the flick... some from just movie critics, some from nerd critics who like movies and comics, and I've perused a few from the die-hard Watchmen purists who either didn't want to see their beloved comic become a movie or just didn't like the fact that so much of the novel was changed/left out of the theatrical release. Honestly, I can understand everyone's point of view.
And now, because I occasionally like to jump on the bandwagon, here is my take.
* * *
"Watchmen", one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time, jumps off the page and on to the big screen in a flurry of special effects and hype. Directed by Zach Snyder, the same guy who directed "300", Watchmen tells the story of retired superheros in an alternate 1985. The rag-tag bunch are attempting to solve the murder of one of their fellow retired masked crime fighters, the ironically named 'Comedian', who is thrown out the window of his New York apartment.
The heroes bear similarities to other well-known comic book identities, but each is also given a specific ideal of crime-fighting and life in general.
Now, I'm going to stop there about plot and just go into why I liked the movie. The following quote is what I told my brother who asked me what I thought
" Here's how I'll describe Watchmen: It was a good movie-goers movie. Definitely has all the stuff you want in a movie, and even though it is over 2-and-a-half hours long, it's worth the money you spend.
A word of caution... you may not enjoy the end if you haven't read the comic (or, in my case, read the cliff notes about the comic). However, if you like action, adventure, fight scenes, back stories, comedy (sometimes blatant and sometimes more underhanded), sex, rock and roll, mystery, special effects and a few twists here and there, then you will LOVE this movie."
Now, that was pretty much an hour after seeing the movie. After a little more reflection, and seeing what other people thought, I will add an addendum or two to my advice.
Firstly, some of the music used in the movie is out of place. When you see the movie, I'm sure you'll see what I mean. I can understand why some of the songs are chosen, but they just seem to clash with the feel of the film.
Second, I definitely think you should know about the story AND the ending before you see the movie. I went in knowing what was going to happen... or at least an idea. I kind of wish I had read the novel (and I definitely will soon thanks to watching the movie). But if you go in completely unknowing, I think you'll be dissappointed. Just go to wikipedia and read the graphic novel's plot synopsis to get the gist.
Finally, this movie is one of the best movie-going experiences I've had in a long time. I finally felt like I got my money's worth. The last time I felt that way was for "The Dark Knight". But this movie is WAY different and was slightly more engaging.
I say more engaging because I'm a big fan of back story. I liked the first Spider-Man, Batman Begins and Iron Man because they are origin stories. If done right, those are some of the best stories you can tell. I'm a sucker for a good backstory, and Watchmen is full of those. Plus, Watchmen isn't set-up for sequels, which is unique for a super hero movie. (Now, that isn't to say they couldn't make a pre-quel, but I don't think that's necessary. We don't need to delve any deeper into the characters. Plus, there's only one graphic novel... so there's nothing else to refer to.)
In any event, if you like comic book movies, you should see Watchmen.
Also, if you're anything like me, you'll think that Rorschach is the baddest mother fucker EVER!
Now, I've read/watched tons of reviews about the flick... some from just movie critics, some from nerd critics who like movies and comics, and I've perused a few from the die-hard Watchmen purists who either didn't want to see their beloved comic become a movie or just didn't like the fact that so much of the novel was changed/left out of the theatrical release. Honestly, I can understand everyone's point of view.
And now, because I occasionally like to jump on the bandwagon, here is my take.
* * *
"Watchmen", one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time, jumps off the page and on to the big screen in a flurry of special effects and hype. Directed by Zach Snyder, the same guy who directed "300", Watchmen tells the story of retired superheros in an alternate 1985. The rag-tag bunch are attempting to solve the murder of one of their fellow retired masked crime fighters, the ironically named 'Comedian', who is thrown out the window of his New York apartment.
The heroes bear similarities to other well-known comic book identities, but each is also given a specific ideal of crime-fighting and life in general.
Now, I'm going to stop there about plot and just go into why I liked the movie. The following quote is what I told my brother who asked me what I thought
" Here's how I'll describe Watchmen: It was a good movie-goers movie. Definitely has all the stuff you want in a movie, and even though it is over 2-and-a-half hours long, it's worth the money you spend.
A word of caution... you may not enjoy the end if you haven't read the comic (or, in my case, read the cliff notes about the comic). However, if you like action, adventure, fight scenes, back stories, comedy (sometimes blatant and sometimes more underhanded), sex, rock and roll, mystery, special effects and a few twists here and there, then you will LOVE this movie."
Now, that was pretty much an hour after seeing the movie. After a little more reflection, and seeing what other people thought, I will add an addendum or two to my advice.
Firstly, some of the music used in the movie is out of place. When you see the movie, I'm sure you'll see what I mean. I can understand why some of the songs are chosen, but they just seem to clash with the feel of the film.
Second, I definitely think you should know about the story AND the ending before you see the movie. I went in knowing what was going to happen... or at least an idea. I kind of wish I had read the novel (and I definitely will soon thanks to watching the movie). But if you go in completely unknowing, I think you'll be dissappointed. Just go to wikipedia and read the graphic novel's plot synopsis to get the gist.
Finally, this movie is one of the best movie-going experiences I've had in a long time. I finally felt like I got my money's worth. The last time I felt that way was for "The Dark Knight". But this movie is WAY different and was slightly more engaging.
I say more engaging because I'm a big fan of back story. I liked the first Spider-Man, Batman Begins and Iron Man because they are origin stories. If done right, those are some of the best stories you can tell. I'm a sucker for a good backstory, and Watchmen is full of those. Plus, Watchmen isn't set-up for sequels, which is unique for a super hero movie. (Now, that isn't to say they couldn't make a pre-quel, but I don't think that's necessary. We don't need to delve any deeper into the characters. Plus, there's only one graphic novel... so there's nothing else to refer to.)
In any event, if you like comic book movies, you should see Watchmen.
Also, if you're anything like me, you'll think that Rorschach is the baddest mother fucker EVER!
"Heard joke once. Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says 'Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.' Man bursts into tears. Says 'But, doctor...I am Pagliacci.' Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains."
In context, that bit is hilarious.
~Nate-O
In context, that bit is hilarious.
~Nate-O
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