:: The Rants ::
What's in this section?
Ever just wanted to vent? Well here's were *I* get to do it.
Router and modem demons are monkeying with my equipment!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Have you ever noticed that if you leave your router or even your modem unattended for longer than 2 days that the router demons will come to attack it?
Seriously! Every time i leave for any significant amount of time (i.e. whenever i go home for vacation) i come back to a router that seems to hate the world so much that it has committed suicide without my daily mollifications of “there there, you really *are* necessary and loved!” Then the modem goes and throws a hissy fit and decides to RESET THE PROVIDER ID and PASSWORD *BY ITSELF!!!* Yes, this should never happen.
I have no idea what causes these things, except that perhaps there are small internet demons lurking near my computer, waiting for me to leave so that they can work their mischief in my absence. The must speak lies and deceit to the router and modem and cause them to turn to self-loathing and destructive behaviors. Sounds a lot like Wormtongue from LOTR.
As you can tell, I am getting a little sick of the wee beasties that cause me such angst. It drives me up the wall, but it especially makes my roommate go absolutely nuts! And to top it off, she has that huge virus (AOL) installed on her machine which makes it even harder to connect even when we *do* have a good connection!! Whatever the case, the things the internet demons do are so random and unpredictable. And it’s always something new and different. (Hey, you know what they say about variety...)
Anyway, maybe i can pray away the router demons or exercise them or something...foul creatures from the pits of hell.
(By the way, i don’t *really* believe that there are demons attacking my router.)
Curse the Subways of NY!
Thursday, December 09, 2004
I don’t know what was up with tonight, but it took me a FULL hour and 20 minutes to get home from school–a trip that normally takes me 30 minutes!
Ok, sorry, just had to vent. I think the B trains stops running after 9:30 or something ridiculously early. Anyway, i was stuck at Penn Station for about 20 minutes before i gave up on the right train coming and ended up making 2 more transfers and walking about 2 ave. blocks underground. At the final transfer, there was a guy playing “Tears in Heaven” - it was so soothing that felt a little calmed. So calmed that i even gave him money! Phew, it was awesome. Then i got on my train and tried not to grumble the entire way home. It took me a full 30 minutes to destress afterwards!
Sometimes i really miss my car. :(
Ever feel like you've failed?
Monday, December 06, 2004
I’m not talking about failing a course in school or you not doing your chores on time; I’m talking about in a grander-scheme-of-things sense.
I’ve been dealing with the reality of beggars in the streets and on the subways, constantly droning, “Excuse me ladies and gentlement, i’m ____ and i need money....” or “Have you got a dime?” I’ve had this bargain with God that if he *really* wants me to give money or help someone, he’ll give me a prompt and a way to help. I’ve been smugly sitting on the trains, pretty much ignoring every pan-handler that has passed by me because, “Hey man, didn’t get a prompt from God.”
But a couple of days ago, at my station, there was a larger white woman surrounded by luggage and crying into her hands. I felt the pull to go talk to her. But I was afraid. Of what, i don’t know. But i just didn’t want to. There were three rowdy girls behind me and i didn’t want to be in there way. What a great excuse, huh? So i looked at the crying woman, and walked past slowly. The twinge of guilt that was already starting to prick my conscience became a stab of guilt as the three gilrs behind me addressed the woman. “Are you oKAAAAY?” they asked abruptly. I don’t even know what the answer was, but it stuck with me that they asked and i hadn’t.
Yeah, that’s when i felt like i failed. Thankfully, God isn’t the kind who keeps track and tallies up your score for the end of life. He’s not the kind whose opinion of you depends on your every move, like his love for you is always in the balance. I feel horrible about passing up an opportunity he prompted me to take, but I’m thankful that where i fail, others fill in. And when i mess up, God never stops loving me. 
The government is out to get me!
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Actually, more acurately, the government is out to IGNORE me!
I must confess to all of you that I have ignored my civic duty in my early years of my adulthood. I failed to vote when i turned 18. In fact, it wasn’t until i had returned from overseas and was faced with a major election that i even *tried* to vote. You gotta understand that I’m pretty opinionated about how the government is run but have a hard time believing that i, by my lonesome, can make a difference (mostly because of the electoral college, etc.). Also, mix in a bit of ignorance because it’s not a priority of mine to be informed on politics, and you get someone who has an UNINFORMED OPINION (but is very aware of it). Therefore i counted myself unworthy of voting.
Despite my self-depricating opinion, i tried to vote anyway. This was the Bush vs. Gore election in 2000. I had already registered so i thought i was all ready to go. For some reason, i check the status of my registration the day before elections. Lo and behold i was NOT registered even though i had an affidavit certifying my registration! Needless to say, i stayed home from the polls that day.
THIS year, i was for SURE going to vote! I can’t stand another 4 years of this monkey in the white house! (though apparently, i’m not going to have much of a choice about that...) I sent away for my absentee ballot with time to spare to get it in under the deadline. For a couple of weeks i was ok not receiving my ballot, but as the day of doom drew closer and closer, i began to worry a bit. I had hope up until that very day.
Ok, so it doesn’t make a big difference who i vote for anyway because Cali is pretty solid on voting Democrat. All i’m gonna say is how out of touch with the rest of the nation was I? How can the WHOLE middle part of America vote for Bush so solidly? THE WHOLE MIDDLE PART! I was shocked. Yes, out of touch. And this is why i will never move to that middle part that was colored solidly red on the lovely CNN map. Nope. Couldn’t pay me to live there.
Was that enough of a rant or what? MORE CAPS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!
STARBUCKS! A CURSE UPON YOUR VENTI NON-FAT NO-WHIP LATTE'D HOUSE!
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Starbucks (sob!), so it’s true! You *are* evil!
I know i just posted a rant recently, the it just seems that there’s so much worth ranting about.
So back to the rant at hand. STARBUCKS: they have somehow managed to get me hooked to their product to the point where the blood coursing through my veins revolts if it’s filled with any other brand of caffeine addiction other than that of the dread urban mermaid Starbucks! I’ve given them my everything: my money, my heart, my soul, my addiction. And how do they repay me? THEY RAISE THEIR PRICES! As if *almost* $4 wasn’t enough for a tall mocha, they’ve made it OVER $4 to have it done “my way” (with a shot of peppermint or toffeenut).
Last Thursday i had my tall peppermint mocha as usual and paid my $3 something. I can’t even remember. Maybe it was $3.85 or so. Friday rolled around and i thought i’d treat myself to another mocha after a hard day of doing...well basically nothing. Does taking pictures in Central Park with friends constitute hard work? Anyway, I headed into the nearest Starbucks and ordered my drink.
“That’ll be $4.02 please.”
“What?!? My drink never costs more than $3 and something...”
“We raised our prices today.”
“Oh.”
For some reason, that mental leap of $3 and something to now $4 and something was just too much for me. Even though in actuality, it’s only $0.20 or something like that, i now refuse to buy their coffee on a regular basis! I fight back! I went and bought a single cup coffee cone filter thingy. I am also equipped with an awesome and ironically Starbucks branded coffee mug (named “Mugged") that never spills. In addition, i bought coffee filters, chocolate powder, hazelnut half n’ half, a lifetime supply of Splenda, and ...(sigh) a bag of Starbucks grounds. I’m really *trying* to fight back - honest! It’s just that they’re everywhere! And i trust their flavor! Anyway, it’s still cheaper this way.
The only problem is that, now that i have access to yummy coffee any time, i’m constantly drinking. Oh well, perhaps this too is part of Starbuck’s nefarious plan to take over my brain. Must go buy more flavors of Starbucks coffee now...Ack, the mind-controlling substance in their coffee grounds is working!
Subways - love 'em or don't get anywhere
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Even though i love the fact that you don’t have to drive anywhere to get to *anywhere* in NYC, i gotta say i have beef with the subway system.
A normal posting for the weekend
Let’s begin with the fact that NOTHING RUNS NORMALLY ON THE WEEKENDS. NEVER. I only have 2 trains that i can take from my apartment. One shuts down EVERY WEEKEND. I’m sorry to use so many caps, but *really* do we need to shut down every weekend?!? And they put a sign up every weekend to let you know that they’re shutting down. Again. As if it doesn’t happen every weekend. And hasn’t happened every weekend since i got here.
But besides that, some times trains just stop and the conductor yells, “Everyone get off! This train is going BACK uptown! Everyone get off now!”
And then there are those people that get on the train, knowing full well that they have a captive audience, and start with, “Ladies and gentlemen, i’m sorry to bother you, but _______ (fill in your own sad scenario here)...” Now that can also be annoying after awhile because you see the same people over and over again.
BUT the most disturbing experience thus far has to deal with safety (rather than convenience or irritation). Recently i got on the last car of the subway, going home after school. I was almost home when suddenly the train stopped in the middle of a tunnel. Then the sound of leaking gas began. That’s right, leaking gas, as if we were about to be part of some horrible terrorist plot to take out everyone heading to Harlem. At the same moment, this guy suddenly got upset at a random woman and started yelling at her. She looked bewildered; she had no idea why he was yelling at her. Others started getting into it - “Why are you mad at her?” In instant, everyone jumped to their feet...and ran to the end of the train car AWAY from the fight.
We are trapped at the end of the last car of the train while the fight continues. I looked out the back window and the NEXT TRAIN WAS COMING! I started freaking out right about now. Too many bad movies flashed through my head. Either we were going to be riddle full of holes by the thugs inside the car OR we were going to be run over by the train behind us because their brakes were rendered useless by some mishap or another.
For 10 minutes we sat there, trapped against the back wall, unable to escape to the next car because the fight was in the way. You know, i’m just building this all up to let you down. Eventually the train began to move. Everyone was so relieved! We sat uncomfortable in silence as the fight settled into muffled discontent. When the doors open, everyone *trampled* each other out the door.
The subway - love it or perhaps die in it. Just kidding. It’s safe here. Honest.