| can't we all just get along |
[Feb. 10th, 2009|11:10 pm] |
Disclaimer: if you enjoy riding your bike more power to you. Why I'm posting anyway: there's been quite a reaction to some bike vs. car issues in the Globe. I can see both sides here and I sort of agree with and sort of disagree with both (I am not a biker and I am not physically going to be able to ride a bike for transportation).
I definitely react more strongly to the "bikes are good cars are bad kiss my ass" mentality though. Here's some of the things people say and some of my responses.
"I'm saving the environment" (there are lots of ways to be eco-friendly, using your bike happens to be one of them. I happen to do other things)
(Also, some of the proposed plans will increase traffic congestion which is irritating in that some bikers are perfectly fine with this as long as *they* personally aren't polluting the environment)
"Everyone should bike or take public transportation (sorry buddy, not everyone lives near the MBTA. Also I drive for work and I am not about to bike to Pittsfield and back while carrying four boxes of papers for my job).
"You should bike to get excercise, Americans are overweight" (no, YOU can bike for excercise, Im happy going to the gym. Would you prefer all gyms everywhere shut down? I also walk whenever possible, like today. 1/2 hour each way. Felt awesome.)
"I dont want to give money to oil companies/terrorist countries etc etc (I'm with you on this, see some earlier posts about how the auto industry can/should be improved using renewable energy sources. There's alot more info out there)
"The bottom line is if you hit us its more dangerous than if we hit you" (no that is NOT *the* bottom line. There is no one bottom line. When you break the law you endanger you, me pedestrians, small animals, you get the point.)
"Drivers are so selfish, they drive with only one person in the car. They should carpool" (Okay so what about people like me who live alone, do not live near anyone else from my job, and often drive for work by myself. Id actually be driving more miles if i tried to carpool. That being said, Jake and I take one car whenever we can instead of both.)
My favorite so far "I don't understand why there is such opposition when it comes to safety for bikers and pedestrians vs. gas polluting vehicle drivers worrying about traffic congestion. We need to get our priorities straight" (Fine, the next time you ask a friend or family member for a ride somewhere you're a flaming hypocrite.)
Fortunately there are people who want to see the best solutions for everyone (better roads, improved bike safety, improved pedestrian access, less congestion and better traffic flow). I have faith, really I do. |
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| more sanctimonious shit from me |
[Jan. 24th, 2009|02:25 pm] |
This is what I posted in a Boson.com blog regarding the "space-saving" for shoveled out spots in the snow.
"Some towns clear the streets by allowing parking in otherwise prohibited areas (such as schoolyards or maybe even store parking lots) while streets are thoroughly plowed. I think that's a really good idea. Obviously there are details I'm probably not thinking of but I think it'd be workable and affordable. Maybe there should be a law that if you have commercial property with X amount of parking spaces you need to open it up to residents during snow clearing. Cost of business for being in Boston.
For reasons listed above the space-saving thing isn't working (e.g. people saving spots longer than 48 hours, taking someone else's spot, marking spots before it snows, potentially keeping out visitors who want to come in and spend money but can't if they can't temporarily park and go to the store or whatever). So the old excuse of "things are fine leave us alone" is a lie.
I know there's alot of people who don't WANT the problem fixed. There's tremendous hostility in Boston towards any kind of change even when the change benefits those who are complaining about it. This board is giving me hope though. There seems to be quite a few people like me who would rather find solutions then stubbornly tell everyone "if you don't like it then leave". We probably need to wait for a new mayor though. Menino stinks when it comes to this stuff."
and I followed it with:
I just reread some of these comments. How on earth would these be enforcable? So we don't tow cars with out of state plates if they're visiting someone (how would this be proven?) Or we respect space-savers but only if the person has spent more than X amount of time clearing the space?
Look, this is never ever going to be the best solution that benefits the most people. Bottom line is this is a city. With people moving here from all over the place (it even says right on the city website that this is a welcoming place for visitors and people who want to move here.) And some of us have cars even though the city was built before all these people had one. So have alot of cities in America. They learned to adjust and adapt. I have faith that we can too.
I am so not giving up on New England being a more welcoming place. If we can elect Obama we can have a friendlier state. |
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| I'm getting caught up in the feeling of it |
[Jan. 23rd, 2009|05:58 pm] |
I have to say I am really really happy with the beginning of this presidency. I was inspired by the inauguration speech, sure, but I've also noticed how different things are getting. I like the emphasis on ethics and the rules regarding lobbyists, I like the salary freezes, and I like the news stories that have been coming out.
For the first time ever I actually feel like us average joe shmoes really matter to our president. Rock on. |
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| dammit I pissed myself off again |
[Jan. 19th, 2009|11:46 am] |
screw it. I just erased my entire post because it sounded too self-righteous. It was about me reading boston.com and seeing all the arguing about the new bicycle bill of rights.
I pretty much said what I thought in my last post so I'll leave it at that. thanks for listening guys. |
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| i feel like bitching about environmental issues, I dont know why |
[Jan. 18th, 2009|10:30 pm] |
One of my pet peeves is the self-righteous fighting that has become so prevalent in regards to environmental issues. I'm all for saving the environment but I'm concerned that in so many instances, people get a little bit of knowledge and then run with it WAY too much to be really productive. An example is Whole Foods who refuses to use plastic bags anymore. I've just spent some time online finding out that paper bags take more energy to make, reminded myself that we're killing all those trees which would otherwise be sucking down harmful greenhouse gases, and learned that they don't really break down faster in landfills. But everyone screams bloody murder at the sight of a plastic bag. I think it'd be funny if someone came in to the store with a reusable bag to "save the environment" and then bought a bunch of two-liters of soda. in plastic bottles.
The thing that interests me even more is what I'm learning in the automotive world. I thought I'd have to get all friendly with the right people to learn the truth, but no, apparantly this stuff is well known in the field...the only reason we still have gasoline engines at all is that the oil companies basically own this country. So while all us peons are yelling at each other for driving SUVs verus Priuses , Iceland is virtually running itself on hydrogen and we could be too.
I am fascinated by this and I am going to find out all I can. In the meantime, do not bitch at me for driving a pick-up truck if your next sentence is "oh you have a truck can you help me move my couch because it won't fit in my Prius." |
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| snow snow snow |
[Jan. 18th, 2009|02:25 pm] |
I'm in a surprisingly good mood today considering the weather. I made it home from Jake's this morning (which I was very grateful for considering the roads were really treacherous.) I walked to Whole Foods and got some stuff for dinner and some random groceries. I will go to my self-help-y meeting later and then watch L-Word.
Yeah, relaxing feels like a luxury. |
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| not really surprised |
[Jan. 7th, 2009|10:13 pm] |
The condo board unanimously told me to go eff myself because "that's the way its been for years". Not much of a surprise. The one bright spot was I called the towing company and the manager was actually very cool. He apologized and said that I should never have been told to put a sign on the car. We had a really good conversation about the whole thing and he wished me luck with future condo dealings and was totally on my side so to speak. Really what I wanted was for SOMEONE to take responsibility.
Not for nothing but he also said the way the owners used to do it was to come home, find someone in their space, and lean on their horn for minutes at a time. Now, besides the fact that the parker might not even be within earshot, I have lost sympathy for them if they think their troubles justify waking up/disturbing every other person on the block. Especially since the towing company can be there in ten minutes. (Ok hypocrisy check-would I wait the ten minutes in order to not disturb my neighbors....yes, yes I would, especially in summer when there's more parking right on the street)
Yeah, I'm thinking when I eventually look for a condo to buy it is NOT going to be this one. I'm leaning towards the Brighton Center/Oak Square area. That's been my favorite place to live so far and lots of people seem really nice. Until then I guess I just stay out of these guys' way. |
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| shitty towing situation |
[Jan. 6th, 2009|08:04 pm] |
Had a crappy situation Friday. Here's the deal, our parking lot is monitored by a towing company who does regular sweeps. When I moved in, the tow truck guy said that for any car without a placard or sticker they needed a way to know the car belongs in that spot and to put a sign on the windshield. So a buddy came over (not really planned but he was having a hard time emotionally) on Friday night. I put a huge sign on the windshield with my apartment and my phone number and everything you could think of to show it was in fact my rented spot but at 9 or 10 at night I couldn't very well purchase a placard. The sign was such that it couldn't have been "made up" by a stranger.
Car was towed. Property manager said I needed to write a letter to the condo association (which I did...as Jake put it it was "nicely bitchy" stating the lack of common sense). Actually it had to come from my landlord so I wrote the letter and he very nicely signed it. So they're discussing it tonight. Even if I don't get my money back though (which I doubt I will) i want them to address the problem. I can think of about a thousand reasons why a car without a sticker would need to be in a spot (car accident and needing a rental car, someone being sick, someone dropping off a large item, hell someone just moving in that day just to name a few).
Because I'm obsessive I actually went into the parking lot just to see what it looked like. (Apparantly people are psycho because in the past unauthorized cars took peoples spots and they had to call the tow truck.) And I found myself wondering, why not just put a sign on the ENTRANCE saying resident parking only, and why not put the word "reserved" in the spots (since they're already paying for the paint why not get a stencil, first one i saw was about 40 bucks and I'm sure I could find cheaper). Currently there's two signs about the size of a postage stamp in the lot that say resident parking. So wouldn't it make sense to have more of a solution? Not even that specific idea but something other than "too bad this is how its been for years we don't care if it benefits us too." Guess not. Oh well.
LOL the property manager did say that they was "considering" not towing vehicles on September 1st or August 31st when people were blatantly moving in and out. Nice. |
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| dear stupid jerkface |
[Dec. 22nd, 2008|04:50 pm] |
Dear stupid jerkface college students who share the driveway with me,
I'm not really surprised that you were too lazy to share the shoveling so Jake and I cleared the way on Friday. But did you have to block the entire path we'd cleared because you came home in the middle of the night, apparantly not hearing the jillion reports of snow, drove into a snowbank and just left your car there? You suck.
And you with the four-wheel drive, I'm really glad for you and I will have an SUV someday too. But your driving back and forth over all the snow that came on Sunday has packed it into slippery ice and I got stuck this morning. Good for you that you dont have to bother with shoveling, but you screwed it up for me. Now its all packed too tightly that even after digging for another 30 minutes this morning, the rest is too frozen to move. Blow me.
One nice thing about your typical college boozing habits is that I used your beer boxes that you left on the floor as traction under my drive wheels so I could finally leave.
For the rest of the winter, I will be staying home during snowstorms and shoveling my path on a regular basis so the driveway doesnt turn into this crap again. All I now ask is you leave me alone and stay the hell out of my way.
very sincerely,
me |
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| alright I know I didn't grow up here but.... |
[Dec. 19th, 2008|10:48 pm] |
It usually hits me in wintertime, in the 10 or so years that I've lived here....what is it with New England people being so possessive of their right to be miserable? Seriously, theres not enough room in this post to give all the examples, but Ive seen time after time after time these situations where people (and government and agencies etc) refuse to actually solve a problem because its better to "suck it up" and not solve it and hate everyone around you instead and think everything sucks. How is this logical?
I kinda laughed...its to the extent where we've run government meetings and included that fact right in the agenda (i.e. the people in question have a fierce sense of pride and they'd rather not have the problem solved because they'd rather "suck it up" or solve it on their own).
Yeah, there's plenty of people who hate me for this. Eh well, can't please everyone. But I DO try to go out of my way to be nice to everyone (in person anyway, not in the blog-o-sphere). In the blog-o-sphere its more fun to be sarcastic.
In the long run I like it here better than anywhere else I've lived but I don't think I'll ever be fully enculturated. Ever. |
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| I quit. Yahoo |
[Nov. 23rd, 2008|10:54 am] |
I have decided after the New Year to give up my part time job (i'm still at my full-time job, taking classes, and getting more involved in fundraising for chorus).
The original reason was it was just too stressful having no free time. But lately at Sears its been getting to me enough so that I'm just happy to leave for ANY reason.
Automotive is stressful anyway, and retail is stressful anyway, but the caliber of customer behavior is horrifying. We've had people be beyond rude, screaming at the top of their lungs, threatening, demanding to be placed ahead of everyone else because their wife has a hair appointment. My manager has had people swing at him, curse at him, demand service for free...
Now I know automotive has a bad rep. When someone makes a mistake (and most of what Ive seen at Sears are honest mistakes, some of which are due to the customers screaming to hurry up, some are which are just normal human mistakes)we apologize and either offer a discount or free parts and service depending on the situation.
Yesterday was the kicker. I had a customer whose behavior, in any other establishment, would probably have caused security to step in (or at the very least have everyone stare at her in embarassment that a fellow human being was making such a phenomenal scene over what ended up being thirty-eight dollars...which the manager refunded and i really wish he hadnt). The sad truth at Sears is that anyone who throws a loud enough temper tantrum gets whatever they want. I think we've taken "the customer is always right" too far.
I've worked in group homes, Ive worked in special needs residences, Ive cleaned adult human waste off the floor, I can handle all this. But I guess I can't handle a really difficult job, trying to learn everything one could possibly know about cars, and simultaneously deal with customers who assume absolutely no responsibility for their own actions and decisions. Done. Just done.
PS it made me feel a little better when i found out that same crazy lady was in there two months earlier making a similar scene about another issue. People suck. |
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| man i was doing so well... |
[Oct. 17th, 2008|10:36 pm] |
I have fallen off the wagon in my attempts to not let media coverage of the election make me nuts. The thing is, most of the actual facts arent huge surprises. My issue (again) is that when McCain does something wrong (or someone thinks he has, or someone takes a crap while thinking about him and blames him for their intestinal distress) there is this vicious feeding frenzy by the media on who can paint it in the worst light.
When Obama does something wrong (or maybe has done something wrong, or at least theres a reason to ask the question) theres this sentiment of "no dont tell me I dont want to know I want to have hope STOP ASKING QUESTIONS!"
My concern is that the election will be over in less than a month. Sure, Im supporting Obama (especially since the more I read about McCain the more I throw up in my mouth a little) but what happens when the election is over? Does the media get to decide forever and ever who's right and who's wrong? Is the entire concept of "fair and unbiased reporting" completely gone?I am genuinely frightened at how the one-sidedness isnt even being hidden anymore.
PS I just reread this. Ew. |
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| I am voting for Tina Fey |
[Oct. 6th, 2008|10:44 pm] |
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I finally saw the whole debate skit. I almost snorted soda up my nose I was laughing so hard. Worth watching if you haven't already seen it. |
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| wow. just wow. |
[Oct. 3rd, 2008|11:30 pm] |
Well...i've already lost one friend during this election. LJ seems as good a forum as any to vent my thoughts. Let me be clear about one thing...I am voting for Obama and hearing Biden talk made me feel better about my decision. But let me be clear about another thing...I am physically nauseous after the amount of media biased bullshit that I'm seeing about Palin. There are plenty of reasons not to vote for her. Nobody needs to make shit up. My example that I gave to my friend was "If someone's a convicted rapist its not okay to call them a murderer or a thief without evidence". His position appeared to be that she's such a loser that who cares...no intelligent person would vote for her anyway so its okay to attack her whenever you want, youre just making up any bias because you cant deal with an Obama win." He then proceceeded to say "well thats a lie, thats a lie, thats another lie" about virtually every example that I gave of things that shes done that I actually like. I then told him that if you say "well thats a lie" about every thing that someone says is true then our legal system would break down and we may as well be living in caves.
The woman (and especially McCain) stands for everything I hate. But I am viewing every single argument that any candidate makes separately and looking at each one's merit. And yes, sometimes I agree with her. I am not discounting her because she has an accent or says "you betcha" or acts like she's one of us. I am discounting her because her opponents are far more in tune with my beliefs.
Oh yeah feel free to hate me on this one...I could give two shits where someone got their education. I think (from experience) that we've made education way too much of an issue. Its important but not the only issue. I happen to have gone through college and gotten a Master's Degree, but I've gotten more real-world experience getting an Associate's in Automotive Technology from a community college. I've met alot of arrogant twits who think they're God's gift to humanity but when it comes right down to it, they still need someone like me to fix their car. |
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| mutherfucking cocksucking bullshit asswipe |
[Feb. 14th, 2008|09:55 pm] |
Can you tell Im pissed. I am SO FUCKING SICK!!!!! of the media bashing Hillary Clinton and giving Obama a free ride. Everywhere. Its fucking pathetic. I could give a rats ass if someone doesnt vote for her based on the issues. But this race has become so fucked-up-edly out of whack. ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh
You know what fuck it. We're too stupid to elect our own president. |
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| life |
[Jan. 16th, 2008|04:45 pm] |
Chorus and school started this week. Exciting and fun but tiring. I could use a nap.
Oh, and I guess I'm seeing a guy. The line is blurry when we switched from friends to dating but we've been hanging out for awhile. Thus far he is not the steaming pile of dog snot that my last bf was. He's actually a pretty decent guy and I'm rather happy. Go figure. |
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| ugh |
[Jan. 8th, 2008|03:50 pm] |
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my favorite comment so far is the guy who said "Hillary can't even keep her husband happy, how can she run a whole country". Yep, thats the kind of attitude I want around me. Lord. |
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| its hard not to get swept up in politics |
[Jan. 8th, 2008|09:51 am] |
It's kinda cool to see so many people caring about the political state of our country, but it's still hard to find anyone actually talking about the issues. Im hearing a ton of opinions on people not liking a candidate's personal style, choice of dress, amount of charm, emotional displays.
Ok fabulous, but how about discussing what kind of president they would be, what ideals they would uphold, are they what's best for our country, what would our country look like under their command.
Just seems like a big popularity contest these days. |
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| I just feel like writing today |
[Dec. 19th, 2007|02:26 pm] |
Finally caught up reading all my friends pages. Ive missed you guys. Today I just felt like writing, maybe because Im on break from both school and chorus and Im taking actual time to chill out a little.
In general things are good, friends are good, work is good (yay my boss is on vacation!), studying auto mechanics is REALLY good.
The bad stuff is the weather and my increasing pissed-off-ness at stupid shit. I know its dumb but every year at this time i start desperately wanting things to be better for the average joe (or joanne). Like better snow removal, driving and parking conditions etc. Ive taken to actually trying to stuff about the things I care about and contacting politicians and reading message boards and doing random nice things (like helping a couple carry a dresser from their car, shoveling out an extra parking spot) because alot of us get selfish and crabby around this time and Im sorry if its New England culture but I really do think its OK to try to improve our own quality of life.
So my latest kvetch has to do with crappy conditions involving bikes and cars trying to share the road. I kinda flipped when i was reading the government's website and clicked on MassBike. Now i get why people encourage biking, but the invention of the bicycle is not going to make the automobile obsolete. Apparantly bikers get to take up a full lane of traffic and shouldnt let cars pass (I had a cop friend tell me otherwise-my bad). But seriously, most bikers I see ride 10-15 mph. So the more bikes there are the more we have congested lanes of traffic. Which we all hate. So i suppose the closest thing to a solution is incorporating bike paths when we build new roads and streets.
Except those would still be covered in snow these days. Yeah. We suck. |
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| they let the blow job guy out of prison...finally |
[Oct. 30th, 2007|09:28 am] |
So I guess they finally let that kid out of jail, the one in Georgia who got sentenced ten years in prison for receiving (consensual) oral sex from a girl when he was 17 and she was 15.
I love our country. Slaughter thousands of civilians in war and you're a hero. Get a bj and you're considered pure evil. Would someone just suck off the current president already. heheheh ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...
PS I'm not a complete idiot...teenagers should get some sort of repercussion for underaged drinking and/or drugging when theyre caught. But this case wasn't really about that. |
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