Random Thoughts

I am back from vacation. On vacation various thoughts pop into the consciousness of my mind as I am not forced to waste time thinking about work nonsense. So, here is a brief list of things that bothered me.

Tampa is really nice but, if you have a foot issue like I do it is not the city for you. I have long stated my issues with the human foot. I get easily repulsed by most people’s bare feet. I don’t know if it is the sight, or the smell or some combination of both. If you are on a beach, by a pool, or in a public shower by all means wear open toed sandals. However, if you are going out to eat at a nice restaurant you might want to put on a real shoe. I mean I really don’t want to think about your foot odor as I am trying to enjoy my beef and peapods. I saw a lot of people in the Tampa area walking around with flip-flops and sandals. Needless to say I was queasy an awful lot.

I am the only one in the world that cares about the people behind me in line? It never ceases to amaze me other consumer’s utter disregard for other shoppers. An example. I am in Walgreens trying to purchase a newspaper and some other assorted sundry products. The line has at least 4 other people in it. (Why Wag’s didn’t open another register is a whole other matter.) A woman in her best sweatpants was at the front of the line at the register. There she had a number of products, one of which was a pair of flip-flops. (What is it with me and casual footwear?) The register rang them up as $5.99. She claimed there was a sign advertising them at $5.00. I know, it is a dollar and in this economy every dollar counts. However, in my mind I do a simple math equation. Is my time more or less valuable then the savings? I understand a time are tight, but is a pair of Walgreens flip-flops really that important of a purchase? So, a price check is called for. It turns it she was wrong. The sign was for some other product.

This was bad enough, but oh wait there is more. Now everyone else in line is waiting along with her for the manager to find out what the real price of the item was. She could have used that time to inform the cashier that she also wanted some cigarettes behind the counter or better yet, use that time to fish her coupons out of that small piece of luggage she called a purse. Did she do this? No, she waited and inconvenienced the rest of us some more and wasted more of our time. All the while she didn’t seem like she even noticed the daggers that were coming out of the eyes of everyone behind her. Maybe she just can’t multitask. Or maybe she just didn’t give a shit as she had nothing better to do with the rest of her day. Either way, it was at the very least rude. Sadly, this was not an isolated incident. I am just going to start stealing shit from now on.

Do the idiots that watch Glen Beck really believe that nonsense? I never thought there would be an on- air personality that could be worse than O’Reilly. But leave it to Fox news to find one. It is pointless to point out the guy’s bullshit because if you need it pointed out for you then you are beyond saving. Suffice it to say facts are of little use for Beck. He just spews his hate and moronic and myopic view of the world and the mouth breathers lap it up like the obedient lap dogs that most Fox news viewers are. A part of me laughs at the absurdity of it all. Another part of me gets really sad that there is a significant portion of Americans that buy into this bullshit. I guess when you believe in something that is indefensible you need to glom onto someone who plays into your paranoia and prejudices.

On the same political note, where were all these people who are bitching about the cost of health care, when we were spending trillions on the Iraq war? I guess I am naive because I don’t for the life me understand how anyone could be against health care for everyone. In my mind that is the most basic of human rights. If anyone thinks the current system is working then they have their heads buried way deep in the sand. I have health insurance and it is a scam. When I hurt my back a couple of years ago, I had to pay $2,500 out of my own pocket. And I have health insurance. The problem is that we have this bugaboo about anything with the words “Socialism” attached to it. Yes, I believe in America and yes, I love this country. But that doesn’t mean we are perfect. Sometimes other countries have better ideas then us. We are not right 100% of the time. Ask a senior what they would do without Medicare? If that isn’t socialized medicine then I don’t know what is.

The bigger issue at hand is the rhetoric and hate that is being thrown at someone that is sincerely trying to help people. I take comfort in knowing that I am on the right side of history. In 50 years when children read about the times before National Health Care, and read about the protests and the anger they will be amazed at how foolish these people were. Because by then everyone will take being able to get medical treatment for granted. No one will have to go bankrupt if they happen to get sick. Call me crazy but that is a world I want to live in.

In my 30+ years of reading the newspaper Carol Slezak is the worst columnist I have ever read. It is not a sexism thing. I used to really like Mellissa Issacson and Toni Gianetti when they had columns. Slezak on the other hand has no business being published in a newspaper. She picks the wrong side of every argument using illogic to back up her opinions. She over reacts to everything and I really believe she takes unpopular or opposing viewpoints just to get people to read her column. With all the layoffs going on in the newspaper business I cannot for the life of me fathom how she still has a job. I don’t know one person that reads her column.

Maybe I am biased because she can’t help but rip the Cubs every chance she gets. But, I know plenty of Sox fans that also dislike her. I thought Mariotti was an ass but, I read him because while I rarely agreed with him he usually made salient (all be it, conflicting) points. My biggest bitch about Mariotti was his constant flip-flopping. Any reader with half a brain and the ability to write could come up with better material. Like I said before I cannot believe she still has a job.

Obama called Kanye West a Jackass. Um, I fail to see the problem.