Okay, so I haven't been blogging really regularly lately, but I feel something bubbling up in my synapses that I just can't contain any more.
YES
IT'S
TIME
FOR
A
RANT!!!!!
Today's subject is linguistic in nature. Not about poor grammar. One of my biggest pet peevs is grammar nazis.
No, I'm going in a direction that's a little more . . . I don't know what word. Semantic maybe?
Ah, hell. I'll just cut to the chase: I'm getting kinda sick of abstract nouns and vague adjectives!
"What the hell? He's ranting about an entire parts of speech? How can he do such a thing! Linguistic rants are supposed to be about punctuation or typing in all caps!"
Well, not this rant.
Let me back up and explain where I'm coming from. I'm on this dating site that's kinda stupid but I'm too cheap to pony up for match.com or eharmony, and this one seems to be the best of the freebies. That's all irrelevent to this rant, though.
So as I read people's profiles, I notice that a lot of women describe themselves or what they're looking for using a shit-ton of abstract nouns and vague adjectives, leaving me with no better understanding of who they are than if I'd just passed their profile over completely.
Here are some of the nouns and adjectives that come up a lot:
"dedication"
"honesty"
"fun-loving"
"laid-back"
"energetic"
"positive outlook"
"passion"
"focused"
"sincerity"
"intense"
"carefree"
What kind of shit is this? I think that most of the population would describe themselves or what they want in a friend or romantic partner with most of those words. When I read about somebody, I want to know something that might actually give me an idea of what being around them might be like. You know . . . . Like, how long does she spend preparing in the morning? Is she an early bird or a night owl? What has she done to prepare for the zombie/alien/robot apocalypse? Is she going to mind dating a moderately fat guy? How many cups of coffee does she drink on an average day? Does she like terrible puns? Does she prefer to use the word "awesome" or "epic?" How many times has she watched Ghostbusters? Is she worried about spontaneous human combustion? I feel like I'd know a woman a lot better if she answered any of these questions than if she said she's "dedicated" until she's blue in the face.
In spite of all this, I continue to search. I mean, this thing hasn't been entirely fruitless. I've met up with a woman who just wants to be friends but she's really cool and I don't mind being her friend at all, and I'm seeing a woman who likes a lot of the same left-wing political books that I do on Friday. For my part, I'm going to make sure there aren't any abstractions on my profile that I don't define clearly.
Later, fellow bloggers, if any of you haven't given up on me as my posts have become fewer and farther between.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
natural sleep
Greetings, fellow bloggers. Hope all is well. I'll try and read some of your blogs soon.
I don't have a whole lot of new stuff to report.
Probably the biggest thing is that I'm trying to get off of the prescription sleep med I've been using for the last three years. I forgot to take it a few weeks ago but didn't realize it until a few days later when the tablet was still in my pill sorter. So it's been a little rough, and I've been kinda crabby and prone to anger. Still, I feel more refreshed with sleep that's less medicated, so I'll keep trying.
BTW, I am getting Dr M's advice on this. I'm not just winging it.
I don't have a whole lot of new stuff to report.
Probably the biggest thing is that I'm trying to get off of the prescription sleep med I've been using for the last three years. I forgot to take it a few weeks ago but didn't realize it until a few days later when the tablet was still in my pill sorter. So it's been a little rough, and I've been kinda crabby and prone to anger. Still, I feel more refreshed with sleep that's less medicated, so I'll keep trying.
BTW, I am getting Dr M's advice on this. I'm not just winging it.
Monday, April 23, 2012
he's back!
Hi, fellow bloggers.
Okay, so it's been some time since I've been in the blogosphere. By "some time" I really mean almost two months. But Stanley's back now, and he's here to stay for as long as he feels like it!
Is anybody even still reading this?
Anyway, kinda a lot has happened in the last two months. Here are the more singificant ones that come to mind off the top of my head.
First of all, I have a nephew. That's right, my sister gave birth to a tiny little boy. Of course he's adorable as as all get-out. I saw him when he was a week old, and the poor little guy was rather fussy.
While I was holding him I noticed a pattern. He'd start to whimper a little bit, then his voice would get louder and louder until it was more accurately called crying, then I'd feel a vibration from his bottom on my forearm and then he'd quiet down. Then it would start again. Whimper -> Crying -> Fart -> Quiet. Poor little guy was friggin' gassy!
Anyway, PL still isn't thrilled that there's another kiddo in the family to take attention away from her, but she was missing her auntie and uncle enough to forgive them for what is in her mind an indiscretion, so I took her down to see them a few weeks ago. She tolerated the presence of her baby cousin really well and had fun with my goofy sis and brother-in-law. The whole thing with the dynamic at family gatherings is a bit of a balancing act with her, because on one hand she needs to know that she's special and her cousin isn't replacing her or anything like that, but on the other hand she does have to learn to share the attention. It's kinda like, "Well tough, kiddo."
And she's going to have to get used to it, not only because of her cousin but also because X is quite pregnant.
I said at the beginning that a lot has happened, but now that I'm at this point in the post I can't think of anything that even comes close to that. So I'll just share a humorous anecdote, a thing about work and a terrible pun.
A few weeks ago, PL was over and we were playing Monopoly Jr. She kicked my butt twice in a row, then she looks at me with the big eyes and says "Mommy coming?" I said "Not for about a half hour, sweetie." I was expecting her to tell me she wanted Mommy to come because she wanted to go home, but instead she got this rather maniacal smile on her face and said "Then we play again!"
God, that little girl makes me laugh. Way more than anybody else. Sometimes she does something funny, then I start laughing, then she starts laughing, then I laugh harder, then she laughs harder, and it keeps going and after a minute or so I don't even remember what the funny thing that started the whole thing off was but it doesn't matter.
Work is allright. I like the job itself, but the store manager continues to be a heinous bitch who creates a dysfunctional atmosphere and makes things way more time-consuming and therefore less profitable than they should be. All the same, I've been told by several of my colleagues that I perform exemplary customer service and work really hard.
We're going to be adding some technological gadgets to the mix so that our store's inventory will be available on-line through the Amazon.com Marketplace. I've heard from employees at some of the other stores in the company that it's a really nice feature that really increases sales. Whether or not it will save us from the decline in brick-and-mortor retail that's currently going on remains to be seen. I'll just say that I've been keeping my resume up to date.
Okay, now here's the terrible pun:
Q: What do you get when you're late to Jeff Dahmer's for dinner?
A: The cold shoulder!
I realize that was in bad taste, but I don't care.
Okay, so it's been some time since I've been in the blogosphere. By "some time" I really mean almost two months. But Stanley's back now, and he's here to stay for as long as he feels like it!
Is anybody even still reading this?
Anyway, kinda a lot has happened in the last two months. Here are the more singificant ones that come to mind off the top of my head.
First of all, I have a nephew. That's right, my sister gave birth to a tiny little boy. Of course he's adorable as as all get-out. I saw him when he was a week old, and the poor little guy was rather fussy.
While I was holding him I noticed a pattern. He'd start to whimper a little bit, then his voice would get louder and louder until it was more accurately called crying, then I'd feel a vibration from his bottom on my forearm and then he'd quiet down. Then it would start again. Whimper -> Crying -> Fart -> Quiet. Poor little guy was friggin' gassy!
Anyway, PL still isn't thrilled that there's another kiddo in the family to take attention away from her, but she was missing her auntie and uncle enough to forgive them for what is in her mind an indiscretion, so I took her down to see them a few weeks ago. She tolerated the presence of her baby cousin really well and had fun with my goofy sis and brother-in-law. The whole thing with the dynamic at family gatherings is a bit of a balancing act with her, because on one hand she needs to know that she's special and her cousin isn't replacing her or anything like that, but on the other hand she does have to learn to share the attention. It's kinda like, "Well tough, kiddo."
And she's going to have to get used to it, not only because of her cousin but also because X is quite pregnant.
I said at the beginning that a lot has happened, but now that I'm at this point in the post I can't think of anything that even comes close to that. So I'll just share a humorous anecdote, a thing about work and a terrible pun.
A few weeks ago, PL was over and we were playing Monopoly Jr. She kicked my butt twice in a row, then she looks at me with the big eyes and says "Mommy coming?" I said "Not for about a half hour, sweetie." I was expecting her to tell me she wanted Mommy to come because she wanted to go home, but instead she got this rather maniacal smile on her face and said "Then we play again!"
God, that little girl makes me laugh. Way more than anybody else. Sometimes she does something funny, then I start laughing, then she starts laughing, then I laugh harder, then she laughs harder, and it keeps going and after a minute or so I don't even remember what the funny thing that started the whole thing off was but it doesn't matter.
Work is allright. I like the job itself, but the store manager continues to be a heinous bitch who creates a dysfunctional atmosphere and makes things way more time-consuming and therefore less profitable than they should be. All the same, I've been told by several of my colleagues that I perform exemplary customer service and work really hard.
We're going to be adding some technological gadgets to the mix so that our store's inventory will be available on-line through the Amazon.com Marketplace. I've heard from employees at some of the other stores in the company that it's a really nice feature that really increases sales. Whether or not it will save us from the decline in brick-and-mortor retail that's currently going on remains to be seen. I'll just say that I've been keeping my resume up to date.
Okay, now here's the terrible pun:
Q: What do you get when you're late to Jeff Dahmer's for dinner?
A: The cold shoulder!
I realize that was in bad taste, but I don't care.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
follow-up - social anxiety and the benefits of bookselling
So this is kinda like a follow-up to my last post on the issues of the loserniness of working in retail, and on social anxiety.
First of all, social anxiety just takes time for me to get past. At my last job as a special education assistant, it was several years before I started to hang out with my colleagues in social settings. So I'll work on that with my current coworkers and with finding some other social circles.
Second, my job. Working as a bookseller has been beneficial for a number of reasons. Here are the ones that come to mind right now off the top of my head:
-I know a crap-ton more about books
-I've acquired a crap-ton of awesome stuff.
-I have a much thicker skin and don't let it get to me when someone is a total asshole.
-I'm much more likely (both at work and away) to smile at people I happen to pass and share a causal greeting like "Hi" and "Have a good day."
-People assume I'm really intelligent. I'm sure fooling those suckers!
Okay, that's all for tonight. Later.
First of all, social anxiety just takes time for me to get past. At my last job as a special education assistant, it was several years before I started to hang out with my colleagues in social settings. So I'll work on that with my current coworkers and with finding some other social circles.
Second, my job. Working as a bookseller has been beneficial for a number of reasons. Here are the ones that come to mind right now off the top of my head:
-I know a crap-ton more about books
-I've acquired a crap-ton of awesome stuff.
-I have a much thicker skin and don't let it get to me when someone is a total asshole.
-I'm much more likely (both at work and away) to smile at people I happen to pass and share a causal greeting like "Hi" and "Have a good day."
-People assume I'm really intelligent. I'm sure fooling those suckers!
Okay, that's all for tonight. Later.
Monday, February 27, 2012
social anxiety
Hi, all.
I haven't been doing so well here in a few areas. Visits with PL have been much more pleasant and productive, and I've been enjoying my family when I see them, and the Disaster Zone is cleaner than it's been in a long time. (Largely because my mom stayed over on Friday.)
But that social anxiety I used to have has come back again. I've blown off a number of events now just because the idea of being around a bunch of people makes me short of breath and my thoughts race. Then I feel bad for blowing people off, especially since I'm usually at the Disaster Zone thinking about how much of a shit I am and watching a b-movie in an attempt to distract myself.
And I've suspended my account with the dating site because I'm kinda freaking out. Largely because the fact that I work in retail makes me feel like a fucking loser.
It sucks.
I haven't been doing so well here in a few areas. Visits with PL have been much more pleasant and productive, and I've been enjoying my family when I see them, and the Disaster Zone is cleaner than it's been in a long time. (Largely because my mom stayed over on Friday.)
But that social anxiety I used to have has come back again. I've blown off a number of events now just because the idea of being around a bunch of people makes me short of breath and my thoughts race. Then I feel bad for blowing people off, especially since I'm usually at the Disaster Zone thinking about how much of a shit I am and watching a b-movie in an attempt to distract myself.
And I've suspended my account with the dating site because I'm kinda freaking out. Largely because the fact that I work in retail makes me feel like a fucking loser.
It sucks.
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