Fracking Friday - Taking Advantage

You know what really makes me angry? When people take advantage of other people. Not necessarily of me, but of anybody. It's really low, and I see it a lot. And, as usual, I am guilty of doing it myself, but not intentionally. I'm going to revert to my usual restaurant examples. There are people who come in and spill wine on themselves intentionally, then blame the serving staff, and call the manager over and get themselves free drinks. Or put their own hair in their food. Taking advantage of the restaurant's desire to provide excellent service and encourage return customers. It pisses me off. It's rude. It's disrespectful. It's unethical. In every situation.

Thoughtful Thursdays - sentiment

Why do people attach memories to objects? What gives something sentimental value? Usually it's for something/someone that has been lost. Soo when your grandmother passes away you might attach sentimental value to the blanket she knit for you. Or a souvenir would be an example too, of a trip or experience that is over. Anyhoo, why does that happen? On a mostly related note, a human is the only species that feels a sense of loss if I hold up a pencil, tell you his name is Steve, then snap it in half. Though that's more empathy than sentiment... Still attaching greater value to an otherwise less valuable object. Going back to the blanket example, lets say the average person would be willing to pay $40 for such a blanket. I might be willing to pay upwards of $100 because of the sentimental value it holds. But I still haven't really said anything about why that happens. I know that the brain associates certain memories and sensations with each other if they happen often together. Example: mom's house always smells like cookies. I smell cookies, I think of mom. I don't know the rest of the brain chemistry, but I know that I don't attach emotional value to physical objects very often at all. Thoughts? Could you follow this post?

Wordless Wednesday -

Today's Tuesday - cell phones

Verizon coming to Canada... I wanted to avoid this one, but there's just been so much hype about it that I can't. If you live in Canada, I'm sure you've heard that Verizon (American) wants to enter the Canadian market, and Bell, Roger's, and Telus (all Canadian - "the Big Three") do not like that. They've been launching ads by every means they can trying to convince Canadians that Verizon is getting unfair special treatment. And they have a point. Lets look at this from both sides of the argument though. There are a lot of very high cell phone bills, and a lot of Canadian companies that can't get established in the market because of the sheer size of the Big Three. There's no way they can afford the competition. Introducing Verizon, who can afford the competition, would lower phone bills across the board. A good thing, right? Maybe, but. We can't forget that lower payments means lower profit for the providers, and lower profit means less money staying within Canada, and being paid to Americans. I say let Verizon bid on the smaller companies, but don't prevent the Canadian companies from doing the same. Fair competition is good, but make it fair from the beginning. Verizon doesn't need a discount to afford it, so don't give it to them. And even if they did, the Canadian government owes them nothing. Thoughts? Here's the link:

http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2013/08/big-3-telecoms-launch-fair-for-canada-campaign-against-verizon.html

Meaningless Monday - E

Exaggerated expectations eventually end equally empathetic. Even emeralds eat earthly entities everywhere, emitting elegant energy endlessly. 

Whacky weekend - explanation

So, the reason Wednesday's post came today is the Internet was not working properly on Wednesday and I did not notice the lack of post until today when I saw it had failed to publish. As for yesterday's rant post, it does not exist because I was out of town for my cousin's wedding, and I did not want to rant during such a happy time. So, that is why things happened the way they did these last couple days. 

Now, even though it was a comment for Thursday's post and not last weekend's, I will still work with this suggestion because it was the only one....

"Ideas for weekend post: what is the difference between discipline and hard work? How can you use discipline and hard work to create new and different habits?" -Andrew Clark

To me, discipline is working on the right tasks, while working hard is about how you work on a task, whether its the right one or not. Example: discipline is doing homework instead of playing a game, and staying focused. You can work hard at playing that game, or you can work hard at homework. Both are very possible, but having discipline means you will chose the homework, no matter how badly you want to play that game. You can also have discipline without hard work. When you do the homework, but only half-heartedly. Based on what I said about discipline, I think it is fairly self explanatory how to use it to create new and different habits. Keep yourself on the good habits instead of the bad. Homework instead of gaming. However, also based on what I said, hard work won't help you throw a bad habit. It will help you get better at the new habit when you do it, but without discipline the old habit will stick.

Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions for next week?

Wordless Wednesday -

Thoughtful Thursday - habit

One of my favourite sayings is "a habit is hard to get rid of. You get rid of the h, but you still have 'a bit,' get rid of the a, you still have 'bit,' get rid of the b, and you still have 'it.'" What makes habits so hard to get rid of, and why do they develop? Is it purely muscle memory? Or is there some hidden longing for something familliar? Something consistent? I have a habit of leaving things to the last minute. I leave at the last possible moment to make it to class (more or less) on time. I wait until the last second to hand in homework (and to start it...). I also have a habit of putting my right show on before my left. Some people bite their nails, or pick scabs. But why? How does it start? And why is it so hard to stop? I think sometimes it's muscle memory. For something like bad posture, it's not an action in itself, but a sort of reaction to sitting down. The muscles have been "programmed" by repetition to slouch when sitting. It can be consciously reversed, but won't just happen unless you never slouched. But there are times, like procrastination, where muscle memory has nothing to do with it at all. I think to myself 'I still have time,' but then Facebook turns itself on, or one of my games opens itself. And when that happens its so hard to yet back to the important stuff. It's a conscious decision to not do the work long before it is required. But even though I know the consequences, and I know they can't be avoided, I do it anyway. I don't know why I do it. I don't consider myself a lazy person, because when I work, I work hard. I put a lot of effort into whatever I may be doing. Unfortunately, it's too often not the thing I should be putting time and effort into. Anyhoo, I'm getting sidetracked. It's a bad habit. I don't know why it started, and I don't know why it's so hard to throw. I guess I'm just used to the feeling of being behind, or in a rush, that I intentionally put myself in that position because its familiar? I don't know. This has been an unbelievably side-tracked post... 

Today's Tuesday - quick thinking

A plane had to make an emergency crash landing in Yellowknife. Nobody was injured (21 passengers, 3 crew). One of the engines burst into flames right after takeoff. The pilot was able to turn around and get almost all the way back to the runway before hitting the ground. I want to know why they're investigating the pilot's training records. He just saved 24 lives with quick thinking and pilot skills. Clearly he was trained well, and knows what he's doing. If it were me up there I would have panicked and probably hit a building or something. In today's society we always need to find fault. If something goes wrong, the first priority seems to be punishing whoever is found to be "responsible." We have a hard time accepting that sometimes bad things happen and it wasn't anybody's fault. It just happened. Like this event. They're probably going to find a safety check that wasn't done properly before the flight or something. I think they should just say "the pilot is a hero" and be done with it. Thoughts? Comments? Here's the link:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2013/08/19/north-yellowknife-air-crash.html

Meaningless Monday - D

Don't deliver dirty dishes during downtime; delighted dwarves denounce devilish denominations devotedly. Dirty deeds done deliberately die drastic deaths daily.

Whacky weekend -

There were so many comments on last weekend's post, it took me till now to read them all and pick one to write about.... But seriously guys, lets get some audience participation going. Or does nobody read this? Please comment on this post with an idea for next week's! 

Fracking Friday - commitment

You know what gets on my nerves? When somebody commits to something, then doesn't follow through. If you're going to commit, make sure it's something you can actually do! Like offering to bring buns to a BBQ, or writing a daily blog post.... So yeah... I fell asleep last night before I could even start writing.... But honestly, I think the best way to earn/keep my trust is to do what you say you will. Obviously it's not always possible. Plans and circumstances change over time. That's ok. Just please tell me if it will effect a commitment you've made to me. If you say you'll meet me at gyro park at 4:00pm, be there. If you get called in to work, tell me. Now, the great irony of this post is that I'm not very good at communicating changes in my plans and how they effect others. And it pisses me off when I do it just as much as it pisses me off when other people do. I try not to expect things from people that I wouldn't be willing to give/do in return. But, again, I am guilty. This is a rather strange rant. Perhaps it's bed time. Goodnight world wide interwebs!

Wordless Wednesday -

Today's Tuesday - bedroom dentist?

So this guy on mainland BC has been doing dental work on patients out of his own (unclean) house... I don't know about you, but I think that's just a little bit gross, and I would never go to somebody's house for dental work. As much as I hate dentist appointments, the risk of disease or infection just isn't worth it. I'm not going to even go in to why he was running a dental office from his house. I want to know why he had any patients to see at all! I mean, even if I was somehow convinced to go to the house for work, I would want the place to be spotless. Not a fan of having my mouth cleaned with somebody else's saliva. Just sayin.

Here's the article I read:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/08/13/bc-illegal-dentist-practice.html

And a question to respond to should you so desire:

Should the patients be charged for what happened as well as the doctor? Or is it all on him? Food for thought. Ciao

Meaningless Monday - C

Can corrupt computers carefully calculate concentrated cookie crumbs clockwise? Clever captions can certainly cause confusion. Cautious celery can't copy chicken clucking closely; creates charred Cantonese calamities. 

Whacky Weekend - What to write about

You know, this last week I've been finding it really difficult to think of topics to post about.  Once my fingers get going I can ramble until my eyes close themselves, but it's really not easy to get started on a post.  So just for fun (partly to see just how many people read this, and partly to help this topic finding problem), for Whacky Weekends I will choose a topic from a comment on the previous week's post. So at any point throughout the week you can post a question or statement that you want me to talk about, and (as long as it's appropriate) I'll choose one. Feel free to post multiple ideas, but try not to repeat ones that are already up. I hope this works... G'night!

Fracking Friday - 5 minutes

When you work in a restaurant, you really become a better person-who-eats-out.  You learn all the things that are extremely helpful and make the service staff happy, and you learn what they absolutely hate.  One thing they hate is people who show up 5 minutes before the place closes.  5 minutes.  Clearly not enough time to eat a relaxed meal.  Now, at the place I work, the doors and kitchen both close at the same time - 10:00pm.  So as long as customers have their orders in by 10, we have to serve them.  But by that time, nobody wants new tables. People just want to go home and procrastinate writing their blog posts which they committed themselves to. It's really incredible how many people you can keep at work for an extra hour just by drinking your wine slowly. For me, as long as there is at least one customer in the restaurant, there must be 2 bussers, a server, a bartender, and a couple dishwashers. That's one person holding up at least 6, for those of you who are too lazy to do the math. I guess the biggest issue I have with all that is the people who come in late, leave a huge mess, and don't tip well. It's really just disrespectful. Please don't let yourself be that person. Goodnight.

Thoughtful Thursday - respect your food

I was talking to my aunt the other day about presentation and food. She insists that everything at the dinner table is in a presentable dish (no ketchup bottles, milk jugs, etc), even when there's no company over. I personally don't care about how my food looks, as long as it tastes good and fills me up without making me sick or fat. Anyhoo, the way she sees it, presentation is a way of showing respect for your food, and the people who put the time in to preparing it. The way I see it, eating and enjoying it shows respect as well. Now, sometimes I agree, it is unacceptable to have milk jugs and ketchup bottles on the table. For example, a date, or a formal dinner party of some sort. However, I believe there can be times when it doesn't matter how the food is presented, as long as it is appreciated. For example, when eating alone, or a big casual BBQ party. So basically I think presentation can be necessary, but it is sometimes acceptable to eat leftover pasta straight out of the bowl container. What do you think? Is it ever acceptable to have a milk jug at the table? Why, or why not? How do you show respect for your food?

Wordless Wednesday -

Today's Tuesday - taxi memorial

Two years ago, at Victoria international airport, a taxi driver was killed while playing cards with his friends and coworkers by an elderly lady who missed the break, and hit the gas instead. Today, there is a memorial garden there, installed by the airport, as well as a new hang out area for taxi drivers further away from the road. This is one of those bittersweet stories where one group performed a really nice gesture for another, but it happened because of a terrible event. Now, with a story like this there will always be some people who ask why the woman has a license in the first place if she couldn't tell the difference between her break and gas pedal, but I don't want to get in to that. I don't know her story, and I most likely never will. It's not my place to judge whether or not she was capable. But, for whatever reason, she missed, and it ended tragically. What I want to do is ask a question about losing someone close to you, as his family and friends did, and as most everybody has at one point or another. Not necessarily to death, though. Maybe a friendship that had a falling out, or a divorce or something. The question I want to ask is this: when you lose someone close, what is the first thing you think of? Do you replay their lives in your head? Do you start thinking about a funeral? Do you try to assign blame? Do you try not to think about it? I think for me, I try to justify it. Make it logical somehow. But I've found that it almost never is. I don't think math or logic are applicable to relationships, but I still try, because that's what makes sense to me. I think it's only my family who reads this, but if you have something related to say I'd love to hear it. Here's the article:

 http://www.timescolonist.com/amid-strong-emotions-memorial-is-unveiled-for-taxi-driver-killed-at-airport-1.571420

Meaningless Monday - B

Because bewilderment becomes belligerence, Billy behaves badly before beating behemoth boys. Brawling brings bruises between bones, barely belittling boring blogs. Byebye.

Whacky weekend - Zzzzz

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Fracking Friday - normal

Why can't I have a normal Friday like everybody else? You know, one where I know I get to sleep in the next day? I don't even care if its not on a Friday. I just want one or two consistent days a week where I can do nothing. You wouldn't think that's much to ask for. But apparently that's too much for a university student to ask for. Oh well. Time for another 28 hour weekend. My weekend is, more often than not, an 8 hour period of time (usually overnight...) where I have no obligations. This week it was this morning. But I only have to do this for the summer, and after that, it's all work I don't get paid for, but probably just as busy... Welcome to life! I'll try to make my posts longer in the future. When I'm not so tired.. Goodnight!

Thoughtful Thursday - great minds

You know the saying "great minds think alike"? Well, I've been thinking about it, and I don't think it's true. If you look back at all the people considered to be "great minds" (Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Aristotle, etc.), you'll realize that they were the ones who had their own way of thinking. They did not think alike, and that's what made them great minds. For example, Einstein is known for his theory of relativity, and his "thought experiments" - which nobody else at the time did. His work with relativity was way outside the box of what the scientific community accepted as fact. I suppose in a way great minds do think alike, but only because they all think differently. Now, I'm not trying to belittle people who use that phrase, but I am challenging you to think about what you say, and consider whether it is actually true, and actually what you're trying to say. I'm not sure if my wording is very clear today... I'm a little tired, but I hope you get my meaning. Happy thinking!