In My Not So Humble Opinion

Archive for the ‘Rant’ Category

Back in the 70′s, a fashion consultant (whose name I totally forget) said that if you put a pencil under your breasts and it stays there, you shouldn’t go braless. I followed her instructions and then proudly slipped into my little halter top. I went out into the California sun and strutted my stuff, comfortable in the conviction that I was not committing a fashion faux pas with my unfettered boobies.

I have nothing against bralessness. If you have amazing tatas and want to show them off, be my guest. If your gigantic rack defies gravity, by all means, show the world what daddy bought you. But, if you fail the pencil test, you might want to consider wearing a bra to help keep your knockers from moving further south.

There are times, however, when a bra should not be considered optional equipment:

If you wear a belt to keep your pendulous titties from hitting you in the knees, you need a bra. If you can fit a 2-liter bottle of soda under each fun bag and they don’t fall out, you need a bra. If you can go jogging while those 2-liters are wedged under your mammouth gazongas, and they still stay put, for safety’s sake, you should wear a bra to make sure they don’t bounce up, hit you in the head, and knock you out cold.

And if, when crossing the street (as you did in front of me today), an observer (again, me) is led to wonder whether a pack of rabid opossums are fighting their way out of your blouse as your more than ample busom bounces, jiggles, and lurches ahead of you, please, for the sake of all that’s holy, protect us from that horror and put on a bra.

Once you round up the mammaries in your over the shoulder boulder holder, go one step further and tighten up the straps. They’re adjustable for a reason. Nips should not be pointing to the ground. Hoist those puppies back up to home base. Let your headlights lead the way in front of you. Your back will thank you. And so will I.

My computer runs a bit on the warm side, so I ran a test with this program called “Reimage – PC Repair Online” to see if it was overheating. I am so glad I did, because it is 10,000 times hotter than the sun.

Oh my god. If this is true, I am witnessing a thermonuclear meltdown in progress. My computer is going to sink down to the earth’s molten core, go through the other side, and emerge as the brightest star in the universe.

Then, the Dell Precision 490 Workstation Star will continue to burn hot and bright, using up all its resources until it explodes as the Dell Super Nova. It will suck all energy from the earth and our galaxy will become a huge black hole, which will be powerful enough to draw in everything from all the neighboring galaxies, until there is nothing left. Life, as we know it, will end.

All because Dell couldn’t be bothered to put good case fans in their workstation computers. Way to go, Dell, you just destroyed the universe.

You can’t travel more than a couple of blocks in the Denver Metro Area without passing a Medical Marijuana dispensary. The local newspapers carry ads for them, and Westword, the local liberal independent newspaper, is overtaken by ads. Every one of these ads is essentially the same, “Doctor on premises, show up with $75 for an “exam” and you’ll get a prescription.”

Since these facilities also advertise that “no medical records are necessary” to get your marijuana card, the “patient” just needs to tell the doctor the right things to get approved. Too much stress? Approved. Headaches on a regular basis? Approved. Chronic pain? Approved. Approved. Approved.

Colorado has the distinction of leading the country in Medical Marijuana licenses; Denver has the highest concentration, as every drug dealer looks to jump in on the scam. Instead on standing on a street corner hawking their wares, and getting unwanted attention from the police, they can now sit behind their 5-leaf sign and sell legally, at many times the price. What business owner alive wouldn’t want such a sweet deal? Police protection, endorsement by the medical community, and a license to make more money than ever, while your clients come to you?

These facilities all have creative names: Nature’s Cure, Natural Healing, and (who are we kidding, this will be hilarious) Dr. Doobie.

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t have the slightest problem with anyone ingesting marijuana. They can eat it, smoke it, cram it into an enema if they so choose. The problem I have with ‘Medical Marijuana’ is that it is claimed to be medicine, only if used in an approved fashion, and prescribed by an approved vendor. If it truly is “medicine,” then it should be sold in pharmacies with all the other prescription drugs. If it doesn’t have a place on the druggist’s shelves, it doesn’t need to be regulated.

Marijuana should never have been illegal in the first place. It’s a plant that grows naturally that can be found in fields and ditches all around the country.  Making it a crime turned regular citizens into criminals, and pushed the distribution underground, into the hands of the drug cartels. Criminalizing the possession of marijuana contributed to the violent crimes committed every day by “bad guys”. The local college kid who is buying pot isn’t killing people for stepping over the line into his territory. He’s not turning his little sister into a drug user. And, he’s not forcing children to carry drugs from the field to the corner dealer. The law is making that happen.

Those who fought the legalization of pot claimed that it would create a slippery slope that would lead to the full legalization of marijuana. I certainly hope so. Legalize it, tax it, control the production and processing so that there is a consistent high quality product. Free all the innocent people who have been spending their lives in prison just because they had an ounce in their pocket, or a plant in their back yard.

Marijuana is not a drug of violence. There are no crimes committed by the end user in his quest to acquire a quarter. There are no documented cases of a traffic fatality that is linked to pot use.

In fact, legalize all drugs. The “War on Drugs” never stood a chance. It’s a lost cause. Legalize the product, and prosecute the crimes committed. Treat impaired drivers under the influence of any drug the same as the most popular, legal drug, alcohol. Take all the money that’s wasted clearing marijuana fields and train more police officers to protect the public.

And, no…I don’t smoke, eat, or otherwise ingest marijuana. And I don’t care if you do. Just don’t call it medicine.

Saw an unusual charge on my Sprint bill, so went online to check it out. Turns out Sprint has a handy online Support Chat, so I thought I’d give it a go. Has to be more efficient, since you don’t have all that extra “chatty” stuff to deal with.

Let me share with you just how helpful they are. If you’re smart, though, you’ll just skip to the end.

Help us get better!

I think Sprint had 2 goals for this chat session:

1. To inundate me with so many ads, I just couldn’t help myself, and buy something. (Nope)

2. To make sure I gave up and don’t bother them anymore. That’s exactly what’s going to happen next.

Buh bye.

I discovered another Politically Correct term today: Ableism. It was made up sometime between 1985 and 1990. According to dictionary.com, Ableism is discrimination against disabled people.

I’m against discriminating against disabled people. I think everyone has the right to work, take care of themselves, and be a productive part of society. What I am against is the way some people turn every word, every phrase, and any imagined act into an act of discrimination.

A website called Disabled Feminists takes issue with the word lame. According to the Urban Dictionary, “lame” has a lot of definitions, only one of which means “a person who can’t walk.” The political correctness cops don’t care about that. They want to grip the original definition in a language vise, and force people to only use that word when referring to someone who can’t walk. Which confuses me, because we’re not supposed to use the word lame or disabled, either, so what is the fuzzy term we can use? I think a few years ago it was otherwise-abled, or handi-capable, but those are probably not in fashion anaymore.

From the thread:

“It’s a bit unclear when people started using the word in the context of events/situations/objects, although it appears to have started around the 18th century.”

So, is this the evolution of language, or 300 years of oppression? I’m saying the former.

Find me one instance within the past 10 years where the word has been used in common conversation to mean a person who can’t walk.

“This usage is highly divorced from its origin and needs to stop.”

Words evolve over time. In American English, many words have evolved from their original usage. To use words only as defined when they originated will remove the color and variety that make up the American English language.

“Weak” is ableist because weakness is part and parcel of some disabilities.”

Perhaps they mean weak, as in weak tea. (definition: deficient in the essential or usual properties or ingredients). Using that definition, there is no way that calling something else weak is ableist.

“Political Correctness” is the practice of censoring all the words that certain groups don’t want the rest of society to use in any way. More and more, people are concerned that anything and everything they say will bring down the wrath of the political correctness enforcers. Whether anyone was really insulted, or hurt by the words doesn’t matter. The language cops want us all to only think and speak in politically-approved ways.

There are certainly words that are meant to be perjorative, and were from first use. We should avoid those. But what about words that were never meant to harm, that some group has decided are harmful, because they want them to be ?

Should we all speak in Olde English. Should words only be used in their most literal definition, even if that word has multiple definitions? Should we shun every one who speaks differently from us, and embrace only those who speak exactly the way we do, and have the same values and prejudices? Yes, prejudices. Because choosing to be offended by the word usage of others, and expecting them to act as we wish, is a definite prejudice.

I have a disability. I don’t define myself by it. Being self-focused, and insulted every time someone uses a word that can be remotely related to my disability is a waste of time and energy. I have challenges I work with and through, and am more interested in associating with people I like who also like me. The more I call attention to our differences, the more negative attention I receive, and the more uncomfortable others become.

Lighten up. Relax. I choose to embrace the evolution of language, and stop looking for offense where none is truly given. If everyone chose to do the same, we’d no longer have to ask, “Can’t we all just get along?”