Rantastical's Xanga

Cell Phone Etiquette

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:57:55 GMT

Hey everyone. I'm extremely sorry for the unexpected hiatus... I really am a terrible blogger. I guess I just don't have the determination to find/post something new every day... or even every other day... I have the same problem on one of my other sites. So, I do apologize for not updating, if any of you really care.

Anyway, this is my way of starting off the new school year. I was stumbling today on Stumbleupon (you should really try it out if you haven't already, really nifty if you're perpetually bored) today and I came across this interesting article pointing out the Top 10 Cell Phone Etiquette Rules People Still Break. They're all really good scenarios, but there is an eleventh etiquette rule that I really, REALLY think needs to be added to (or at least integrated into) this list. What is it you ask? TEXTING IN CLASS! Seriously, I think that had I written the list, I would have put this at number one.

Obviously, college opens up a lot of different oppurtunities that weren't necessarily available in high school. One of those includes the oppurtunity to take a class in a huge room where the professor doesn't really know what's going on past the first five rows. This opens up a new mindset for some students; "Hey, I'm going to get on my cell phone and text everyone I know as if I don't do that enough already and I can't go an effing HOUR of my life without it!" Ok, well, you may not realize this, but people like me are sitting behind you thinking "What the hell? Is it really THAT important that you're going to sacrifice a piece of your lecture notes? I mean, seriously, you're PAYING for this shit, why don't you like, I donno, PAY ATTENTION so that you'll do well!? Do you just not care!?" Now, I know what you're going to say... "Well, maybe YOU should pay attention to the lecture instead of paying attention to me while I text my life away." Well, you see, your texting is a DISTRACTION. Read your syllubus, I gurantee you that somewhere in there it says not to text in class for that very reason, that it is a DISTRACTION to other students. Believe me, I know how most professors are... If they seriously thought that the only thing it hurt was you and your grade, they wouldn't give a rats ass... But they realize that it distracts other students, and they, as well as I, realize that that isn't fair to said students.

I kid you not... There was this one girl who sat in front of me in class last semester who was ALWAYS on her phone doing something in class... I don't even thinks she wrote notes (God help her... I was lucky to get a C and I was as fully attentive as cell phone chic would let me be), she was just on her damn phone for the whole hour and fifteen minutes that class lasted. And if you think that's ridiculous... I kid you not... One day, she actually GOT UP AND LEFT CLASS to go make a phone call in the hallway and then came back in... I watched her the WHOLE DAMN TIME! And if you're going to tell me that THAT isn't distracting... Seriously, you just need to drop out and quit wasting 1) your time, but more importantly 2) your professor's time, 3) my time, and 4) YOUR PARENT'S MONEY!

Bottom line: Not only is it rude to your professor (and I'm sure you could give a shit less), but it's also extremely rude to your fellow classmates (who you probably also don't give a shit about) to be on your cell phone in class texting and occasionally leaving the room to make phone calls. Seriously, people... Grow some manners already! I could seriously go on and on about this... I payed good money to get into school and I'm tired of rude-ass college students with no respect for ANYONE else ruining my education.

Anyway, there's my rant for today... Hopefully I'll get back into this blogging thing. Laters!

"Apple is my bad boyfriend"

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:25:56 GMT

You know it's totally true....

How would you deal with a friend or family member that is being abused?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:24:33 GMT

*sigh* been there, done that... My friend is dating an absolute asshole, and no matter how much we talk to her about it, she won't listen to us and always runs back to him... It's very minor abuse, but still abuse nonetheless, so, in this case I just have to say that sometimes, the best way to deal with it is to not deal with it and let them figure it out on their own... In major cases, though, well... I don't really know... And hope I don't have to find out...

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

Really? You really think so?

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:57:47 GMT

Just saw this on icanhascheezburger.com in the political section and thought it was kind of interesting

see Obama pictures

Really? I don't understand why we think we have it so bad... Is it the gas prices? Is it the war? Sure, I may not like either of those things... But can we really say that America has been torn apart because of them? If this is what America looks like because of one man, I'd hate to see what it's going to look like should we ever encounter a REAL problem that actually has the potential to shatter the nation and tear it to shreds... I may not care for Bush that much, but I don't believe he is that catastrophe...

July 11th, 2008 - AKA Day of the Dead

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:52:39 GMT

I think we should all learn something from this day. On this day, Apple released the iPhone 3G, and further proved that no matter how lacking your product is in comparison to other products in it's class, if it looks really cool and gives you internet everywhere you are... People will buy it anyway... Lots and lots and LOTS of people. Apple has also shown us that people apparently cannot do math, because the cost of ownership of the new iPhone is more costly than that of the last one... Even though the price of the actual phone went down, the cost of mobile internet went up $10 a MONTH! After owning the iPhone 3G for two years, you'll have payed more on it than you would have payed owning the previous model... but, of coarse, Apple isn't going to tell you that up front... They're going to show you all the shiny, cool looking details to hook you and real you in first.

People... YOU ARE BEING PLAYED BY THE CORPORATE A-HOLE!

Let us all learn from this...

Apple Slaves

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:04:33 GMT

Seriously... Every person I work with is an Apple fanboy, and it's really to the point that I'm just about to pull every single hair out of my head and shove it in my ears! Apple has it's followers squabbling over the damned iPhone, making them think that they're actually getting a good deal when really, they're not... Sure, they lowered the initial price, but they raised the monthly internet price (or so I've heard), so, technically, you're paying the exact same thing, if not more, in the long run! But seriously, people... I've never seen a larger display of conformity and hypocrisy in my effing life! I mean it's cool if you like the iPhone, but good grief, quit obsessing over it!

I actually did get my hands on a first gen iPhone the other day. Putting my Apple bias aside, I really have to say that I wasn't all that impressed. Multi touch is freaking cool, I will admit that, but really, that's about the only thing I found interesting about the iPhone... Other than that, it's really just a phone with an expensive (and slow) mobile internet service. It really is nothing but hype, and I'm getting sick and tired of putting up with the mindless zombies of human beings that Apple has created...

You may think I'm bitter, but seriously... every... damn... person.... in... my... office... SHUT... UP! IT'S A PHONE!

Buy My Crap... No, Seriously, Buy My Crap!!!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:39:41 GMT

So, the other day I took a trip to the mall with my grandparents and little brother. At this particular mall, there is a T-Mobile salesman who is very, very adamant about his job to the point that people probably avoid his kiosk when they can. I had actually come in contact with him before when I was in the same mall with my mom. She was looking at phones because she has T-Mobile, and I was looking with her. The man began asking me about my carrier and, after finding out it was AT&T, he began asking if I was interested in switching over, at which point I strongly signified that I didn't want to. He proceeded to ask me "Why not?" and, really, I didn't want to explain myself to a salesman and frankly wanted him to leave me the eff alone, I already gave him my answer. But, because I'm just generally not a rude person, I kept fumbling around with him, explaining that, no, I don't want to switch to T-Mobile. My mom saw that he was being difficult and told him we had to be going, and we left. The experience annoyed me quite a bit, after I thought about it.

So, back to the other day with my grandparents. Grandpa, brother, and I just happened to pass the same kiosk with the same guy working there. Now, here's what bothers me the most... Unlike the last encounter, we didn't even stop or express any interest in stopping at the kiosk, and he stops my grandpa and asks him what kind of phone he has while we’re walking by... Okay, okay, whoa... I don't recall business working this way. Where I come from, if you want to buy something, you go to the store and ask THEM, and then they help you find WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. So, this time he pissed me off right off the bat. Anyway, I wanted to tell grandpa to just keep walking, but, again, I'm not that rude... So, gramps proceeded to pull out his phone and tell the man that he had AT&T, so, in other words, it's on... "Come here, let me show you something" the adamant salesperson says. Luckily enough, grandpa had a place to be, so he told the man that he had really better go upstairs to meet his wife. Phew!

Frankly, I'm just tired of being treated like a mindles being... Like I wouldn't KNOW if I wanted to switch carriers or buy a new phone. Like I said, when I need something done, I go to the company, the company doesn't need to come to me and pressure me into buying their crap... That's a sure fire way to lose my loyalty to your company. I just don't like being treated like I need someone else to tell me what I need... This is information I'll find on my own through product research, because, again, I'm not an idiot.

So obviously, this kind of thing really grinds my gears, which is why I'm writing about it here. I utterly DESPISE anything that has to do with retail and the idea of a salesman. I once worked at a retail store, so I have real good reasons. They told me they’d teach me how to “sell…” Well, I found out real quick that I don’t like the idea at all. I think it’s pretty lowly, actually. But anyway... Yeah I think we’re going the wrong direction with our sales strategies, that might just be me, though.

Anyway, I was trying to think of some snarky things to say in the off chance that I ever get stopped by this guy again. I did say that generally I’m not rude, but I certainly can be funny, because I mean, this guy practically makes my walk through mall quite hellish, so I might as well return the favor, right? So how about “I’ve got T-Mobile and it sucks! I’m thinking about switching to AT&T!” Or, I could just simply say “I’ve got an iPhone..” BAM! Seriously, is he even going to try to convince me to switch? Actually, he probably would. Honestly, I probably would too, lol (if you’re a new reader, I don’t have an iPhone. Just wanted you to know that).

Old Movie Critics

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:50:37 GMT

I was trying to find a decent movie review for "The Incredible Hulk" last night, and, inevitably, I stumbled across a site that contained a bunch of reviews from old folk who obviously didn't approve of the movie for God knows what reason. And of coarse, they gave snarky comments like "In an attempt to make an action packed movie, they forgot to make an interesting one" and the like. One person totally diverged and started talking about how the Hulk character actually originated from "Jekyll and Hyde" and how it has roots in the 60's and yata yata yata... HELLO! We're in 2008 and we're reviewing a movie made in that time period whether you like it or not! PLEASE... Stick to that! GAAAH!

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against old people... They're great, seriously. What I DO have a problem with is people (who usually tend to be old) giving movie reviews when they OBVIOUSLY have no interest in the movie whatsoever but they're going to see it and write a review anyway... If I wanted that, I'd send my twelve year old brother to see "The Bucket List" and then ask him what he thought of it... What would he say? BOOOOOORING! Seriously... It's like these people are like "I'm going to get on here and blab about how much modern movies suck and the movies of my day were SO much better, just because I want everyone to see how right I am..." Oh it pisses me off to no end...

Let me give an example. Let's say I want to go see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and, after seeing it, I decide that it royally sucks, and I make that assessment on things like the plot, character placement, special effects, things like that... Then, I think it's okay to get on the internet and voice my opinion. Now let's change it around... Let's say my girlfriend drags me to "Sex and the City: The Movie," and I walk in the theater pretty much KNOWING that I would rather throw up for three hours than watch that movie, and when I walk out I get on the internet and write a review about how it put me to sleep and it wasn't interesting and didn't catch my attention... Do you see the difference? The first one would have been a quality movie review and the latter would have been an extremely biased opinion which, in my belief, should NOT be considered as a decent review... Make sense? (for the record, I did see Indie, and what I said above doesn't necissarily reflect my opinion about the movie. I did NOT see "Sex and the City," and rightly so).

I totally understand that older people tend to appreciate the movies of their time more than the movies of ours... If they're going to have that attitude, though, I don't think they need to be reviewing movies, because a majority of the viewers who view them could CARE LESS. There is a list that I can't find (Google hasn't been on my side since I started this blog...) that's supposed to be the, I believe it was 20 greatest movies of all time, but reading through it, you could tell it was thought out mainly by older people who bore no consideration toward modern movies... And, I mean, if you're going to make a list of the greatest movies EVER, you just can't do that... It doesn't work. Really, making a list of that calibur really is't the easiest or wisest thing to do in the first place and is ultimately set for failure, in my opinion.

So, here's the thing... If you enjoy critiquing movies, great, do it... but PLEASE, if you're going to write a review about how you don't like the genre or the time period in which the movie was created or whatever... For one, why are you even watching it? And two... JUST DON'T WRITE ABOUT IT! You have to realize that people are looking for legit reviews, they don't care whether or not it bored you because you're too old to appreciate a modern movie... They don't care if you didn't like it because you don't like chick flicks, that's NOT what they're looking for... so please, just KEEP THAT TO YOURSELF!

What are the best and worst things about your job?

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:30:24 GMT

I'd say that the absolute best thinga about my job is that it is something I'm interested in. I'm a computer technician, and I like learning about technology, so, it's a good job for me. Also, all of my co-workers and higher ups are EXTREMELY nice and generous, something I definitely DON'T take for granted as I've had some hellish bosses before...

Something I'm not liking about it as of now is that it seems like I'm not learning as much as I'd like to... One thing that I want to take away from any work experience is new knowledge... I mean, if you've worked there and haven't learned a single thing, what has it really benefited you other than the pay? I want to take something from it, ESPECIALLY since a lot of jobs are now hiring based on experience, which you can't get if you don't start SOMEWHERE... So, I'm hoping I'll learn some new skills before the school year begins again. Since it's also a temporary job that COULD, but doesn't necessarily have to, continue through the school year, I'm hoping that it does continue.

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

You want truth? I'll give you truth...

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:18:51 GMT

I've been seeing a lot of work by Truth (the campaign that seeks to destroy tobacco companies) lately, specifically that awkward commercial with the dancing babies... And I've also heard a lot of talk about how their featured questions here on Xanga are very predictable, a point that I can't really deny. I, myself, don't really have anything against the Truth campaign, I think it's a pretty good cause... But I also think that there are other companies as well that deserve to get some of the spotlight, it's not like the tobacco industry is the ONLY industry that needs exploitation for selling a dangerous product and/or not being completely honest. This is corporate America (don't get me started...), there are literally tons of deceitful companies out there that are, in my opinion, much worse than the tobacco industry, because think about it... at least the dangers of tobacco have been more than exploited over the last decade or two, if not longer, and people who buy tobacco more than likely know of the dangers. There are other companies that are slipping through the cracks and getting by with much, much worse than the tobacco industry because of the lack of exploitation!

Here's what triggered this whole post. This morning I was listening to the radio during my fifteen minute drive to work, and every Thursday they have a representative from the Safe Kids Coalition on the show talking about kids and safety. Well, this morning they were addressing the issue of bike riding and bike safety for kids. You probably know where this is going, right? Safety gear. Well friends, what I heard the lady on the radio say next floored me. She began explaining that there are companies that make bike helmets that aren't actually safe! Even worse, these helmets have a FAKE safety seal!!! WHAT!? Now see, to me, THIS seems like something worth exploiting.... THIS seems like something that we need to get rid of, because THIS involves innocent people who are earnestly TRYING to be safe and are getting jipped! What nonsense! She went on to explain that the safety seal should be on the inside of the helmet and not the outside or else it's not an authentic safety seal. Also, those helmets with a safety label on the outside will say something different than those on the inside (the specifics are at the bottom of this post).

Now, maybe I'm just behind the times, so, has anyone else ever heard this???

Anyway, I thought that this was far more newsworthy than a tobacco campaign that's been going on for years... Like I said, people know about the dangers of tobacco... People have known and will continue to know, there's really no hiding it any more. Again, I have no problem with their campaign, but there are other truths that we could be seeking to exploit. I'd be furious if I found out that I'd bought an un-official safety item for my (nonexistent as of now) son or daughter! Why don't we exploit this kind of bull crap? If a company isn't going to distribute a safe SAFETY PRODUCT, they shouldn't be allowed to distribute it AT ALL! Why are we letting these items be distributed if they're not certified for safety? If we can't shut them down because "they wouldn't get their money," then we should inform the people not to buy their CRAP so that they won't MAKE any money! I want the American people to know about this and any other ruthless, heartless, blatant attempt for corporate effing America to scam innocent consumers for cold, hard cash.

Anyone else feel the same or am I overreacting?

Here is the information I found straight from the Safe Kids site, if any of you are curious:

"Make sure that the bike helmet meets or exceeds safety standards. Look for an ASTM, Snell, ANSI or CPSC certification sticker INSIDE the helmet AND on the box."

Here is the link to Safe Kids USA which provides more information on bicycle safety.

Everyone has a right to know this! I'm desperately trying to get this featured so all of Xanga will have a chance to at LEAST see it!