Friday, February 20, 2009

Facebook

Everyone and their brother is on Facebook. Except me. I have been resisting it for a number of reasons. But this month they updated their terms of use and then reversed it because people were outraged. Anything you posted became the property of Facebook. In perpetuity, even if the account was cancelled. I have a big problem with that.

The policy was reversed to it's old terms after all the outcry, but I still kinda don't trust them. That's a sneaky bullshit manuever. And the reason they gave for it was crap.

I don't have a facebook, myspace, linkedin. None of them. I don't really want to talk to people I went with to third grade. The whole thing seems like a big time waster. As if the internet and, say, blogging, was really productive.

So, anyone out there want to let me know why I should be on Facebook, please, let me know. If I do it, I'm not posting anything I am willing to lose the right to in all perpetuity.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Long Shot

Okay, I was one of the roughly 17000 people who submitted an application to the Queensland board of tourism for a dream job of hanging out on the Great Barrier Reef for 6 months and making $105,000. I sent in the video today with a picutre, the one on this blog, me rappeling in a suit. I used that picture because there is a "what the fuck" moment when people see it. They actually look at the picture.

The video is 60 seconds or less. I did it in 47.99 seconds. I tried to make it funny and show that I had experience taking care of a ... reef. Housesitting for people has totally prepared me for this job. Dogs are like sharks, right? Only smaller and furry...

They will look at the videos. Select 50, and from that 50 they cut it down to 11. Then those 11 people go to Queensland to interview. The odds are amazing. But I like to think I can beat those odds. And even if I don't just the process of making the video (thanks Cheeto!) has made me giddy for a few days...

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Swag

I work on a lot of benefits. I get to see the rich and super rich of Los Angeles up close. They come to where I work and sit thru entertainment like Beyonce or Robin Williams and choke down hotel Chicken Cordon Bleu. And after the benefits for cancer or some other thing, they are given a gift bag. This gift bag has swag from DVDs to jewelry to discount cards. Lots of free stuff. Depends on the benefit.

But what irks me is the mega rich people can afford to buy all this stuff. They have expendible money like no one else on the planet. They of all people can buy these trinkets. Who doesn't get a gift bag? Me. The crew who has been busting butt all day to bring this entertainment and chicken for their delight. Now, some benefits do give us bags. Sometimes I find a bag under a table that was left behind.

Now the cost of the chicken and entertainment is steep. The price may be $500- 2000 a plate. It is for charity or some cause. However, do the people that come to these things really need the swag bags? How much does it cost the charity to hand out these things to the people attending? Couldn't the money be better spent curing cancer?

And the rich people are crazy for the free stuff. So, become rich and you get things for free... Hmmmm... that doesn't make sense to me.

Computers

I was listening to a couple guys talk about computers recently and I was surprised how it sounded like they were comparing penis size. They were talking about the size of their hard drives and how much ram they had. It was a competition. Like many conversations they were trying to one-up the other guy. Just whip it out and measure. Geez. But then they got in to function speed. You don't necessarily want super fast function speed with your penis. That's a bad thing. And also size. In computers smaller is better. Not so in penises. From what I have heard from women...

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Octuplets

I have a bit of a problem with the 33 year old woman in LA who had octuplets last week. I've been following the news of this birth and the details of the mother and I want to know, what doctor thought it reasonable to implant 8 embryos? Normal fertility treatments might implant 2. 8? that's ridiculous. Also the mother is unmarried, there is no father, just a sperm donor. And she has 6 kids from 2 - 7 years old already.

The whole thing makes me think the woman is a bit nuts. Or a lot nuts.

Some previous multiple births have gotten donated houses and all the things you need to care for infants. Because this is a strange situtation medically & ethically, there have been no offers of diapers or formula or any big payday. So if this was a ploy to get set up for life... it doesn't seem the gamble is paying off.

I think she's going to end up on Oprah as a "what were you thinking?" story. Not "what a miracle!" story. It's not a miracle. It's medicine and self control gone wrong.

Monday, February 2, 2009

The loss of a 30 inch waist


This is me in college. Thin and leanly muscled, but still 6'1" tall. Strong but no one would think it by looking at me. I think my waist there was 29 inches. Maybe 30...

I have a lot of clothes. It's not because I'm out buying constantly. I don't really like shopping. But I accumulated clothes because my body really didn't change much since college. Only in the last couple years did I slowly fill out. People still call me skinny. And I still have the hunger, every 4 hours, like clockwork, I need food.

I went thru the pants I have. I noticed some were getting tight in the waist. So I took an hour and tried on all these pants, some of which are 15 years old. I have torn up blue jeans that were torn up thru actual use. I didn't buy them that way. Some of the pants I loved, but they dont fit. So I'm clearing out the closet. Giving the pants to Goodwill or some such.

Next would be the shirts. And the 150 black concert t-shirts I got working Rock and Roll. I don't think I can get rid of those, however...