Good evening!
Let’s start the ranting.
Recently there have been far too many of these “POST THIS IF YOU SUPPORT ___________” showing up on my facebook news feed. Examples to fill in that blank include gay rights, mothers, fathers, cancer patients/survivors, Jesus, prochoice/prolife, and the list goes on and on.
These posts aggravate me so much.
Let’s get some things straight. Gay people should have rights, I love my parents, cancer is a bad thing, if you believe in Jesus I have nothing against you, and your preference in abortion rights is none of my business. That being said. I haaaaaate these damn posts.
Actually. I don’t just hate these posts. I hate “awareness”.
I am constantly bombarded with requests to help raise awareness, and I’m pretty sick of it. Especially because most of the things you’re trying people aware of, they’re already very aware of. The one I hate the dang most is anything involving cancer. And the thing I hate the dang most out of the things I hate the dang most is this whole “I like it on the floor” thing. I am pretty damn aware that breast cancer happens, but by saying “where I like it” I have not helped anyone. I hate to say it’s all about the money but it really is. Giving the cancer society $20. That will help someone.
Movember. Guys. I applaud your efforts into cancer awareness. Prostate cancer is pretty awful, and I’m happy you guys care. But when it comes down to it, did you raise any money? Did you help a survivor, or someone currently suffering from cancer? Even better, did any of you get screened for cancer of any type? Or did you just look scruffy for a month? I know people on both sides: those who raised money, and those who looked like hoboes for 30 days.
Long story short. You’re better off helping somebody directly. If you care about gay rights, how about you write the government, or help out at LGBT group. If you want to let your parents know you care, why don’t you tell them, instead of telling facebook. The Canadian Cancer society is always looking for donations of both time and money. There are always ways you can help, but by telling me you’d like to help, you aren’t really helping anyone.
But I digress.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Nadir, my customer service representative.
Hello All,
I was recently told that my rants were "mean" and that I needed to be more "polite" when I'm angry. So, today, I have a "nice" story. With gratuitous amounts of polite.
Today, I was politely informed that my phone was out of money. Being a student (read: impoverished) and on a pay-as-you-go plan (read: really frugal anyway), this was not a big surprise. Until I remembered that I had checked my balance yesterday and had $15 and some change kicking around in the account. So off I go to call my service provider, eager to fix the mix up. This is when I met Nadir, a very nice customer service representative, who was obviously in a large call center, possibly staffed by other people from Bangalore.
He told me, quite politely, that it was just a mix-up, and that the money had been replaced. He apologized many times, and I was ready to hang up, contented at this solution. Then Nadir hits me with the question. “Miss, do you know how you can avoid this problem in the future?” His poor English and generally friendly demeanour intrigued me, and I responded in the affirmative. Yes, I would like to know. It was a very poor idea to respond to Nadir. Very poor indeed.
He sprang into action, reciting off a list of the many things I could do, all of which involved me buying a smartphone on a multi-year contract. Every time I went to (politely) tell him that I wasn’t interested, he talked louder and louder, shouting at me over the phone about “LOW LOW PRICES ON IPHONES. MANY YOUNG LADIES LIKE IPHONES”. Feeling major guilt, because he had been so polite to me, I hung up on Nadir, then checked my balance to see that, yes, he had done his job and the balance had been fixed.
But this made me angry, because I recalled on Friday, when my current significant other went to activate a credit card, he was given to an Indian man who wanted to sell him something too! After such excellent customer service I hated to say goodbye to Nadir, but I was not pleased with this selling of products.
Long story short, without being too mean, do not sell me things over the phone. I don’t like it.
But I digress.
I was recently told that my rants were "mean" and that I needed to be more "polite" when I'm angry. So, today, I have a "nice" story. With gratuitous amounts of polite.
Today, I was politely informed that my phone was out of money. Being a student (read: impoverished) and on a pay-as-you-go plan (read: really frugal anyway), this was not a big surprise. Until I remembered that I had checked my balance yesterday and had $15 and some change kicking around in the account. So off I go to call my service provider, eager to fix the mix up. This is when I met Nadir, a very nice customer service representative, who was obviously in a large call center, possibly staffed by other people from Bangalore.
He told me, quite politely, that it was just a mix-up, and that the money had been replaced. He apologized many times, and I was ready to hang up, contented at this solution. Then Nadir hits me with the question. “Miss, do you know how you can avoid this problem in the future?” His poor English and generally friendly demeanour intrigued me, and I responded in the affirmative. Yes, I would like to know. It was a very poor idea to respond to Nadir. Very poor indeed.
He sprang into action, reciting off a list of the many things I could do, all of which involved me buying a smartphone on a multi-year contract. Every time I went to (politely) tell him that I wasn’t interested, he talked louder and louder, shouting at me over the phone about “LOW LOW PRICES ON IPHONES. MANY YOUNG LADIES LIKE IPHONES”. Feeling major guilt, because he had been so polite to me, I hung up on Nadir, then checked my balance to see that, yes, he had done his job and the balance had been fixed.
But this made me angry, because I recalled on Friday, when my current significant other went to activate a credit card, he was given to an Indian man who wanted to sell him something too! After such excellent customer service I hated to say goodbye to Nadir, but I was not pleased with this selling of products.
Long story short, without being too mean, do not sell me things over the phone. I don’t like it.
But I digress.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Hand Sanitizer: Slowly Murdering You From the Inside Out
Good evening, you know what irks me? Hand sanitizer.
Who recalls the swine flu “pandemic” that swept the country a year or so ago? Does anyone recall the amount if hand sanitizer suddenly seen everywhere immediately afterward? It’s still everywhere. It’s in schools, restaurants, government buildings, and hospitals. But have you really thought that much of it before smearing your hands with it, possibly multiple times per day?
Here’s some background on hand sanitizers. They usually contain either ethyl alcohol (the same kind found in liquor, perfumes, and shaving creams) or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). The alcohol content is quite high (Anywhere from 50-90%, with the average being around 68%). But what about the ones that don’t contain alcohol? I’m glad you asked that. Those products use benzalkonium chloride to kill the germs. This compound is associated with an increased risk of MRSA, which is not only one of the nastiest diseases known to man, it is also next to impossible to treat. For the record, many hospitals use a special product called “hand alcohol” on their staff, which is a combination of alcohol and benzalkonium chloride. And MRSA is most commonly contracted where? In the hospital. That’s right. Other than MRSA, this compound is also connected to the production of dioxin. Dioxin is what makes Agent Orange bad for people. It’s nasty, and causes every type of cancer you can come up with.
I would bet that more than a few of us, myself included, have seen parents swabbing down their children with hand sanitizer multiple times per day. The CDC even recommends doing this. I take great issue with this. Children have a particular interest in sticking their fingers in their mouths. Long term effects from ingesting small amounts of alcohol-based hand sanitizer of the course of a few months are horrifying. Like brain and liver damage. Not to mention increased risk of cancer. Lovely. The good news is that your kid would have to drink a shot glass sized amount in one go for the product to be immediately fatal. So your child won’t just keel over and die.
But the issues aren’t just for tiny humans, they affect adults too. Cancer, birth defects, and organ damage have all been noted in adults who use sanitizers multiple times per day. This is caused by the ingredients actually being absorbed into your skin. It’s also flammable, but let’s assume that that risk is negligible.
I’m not here to be fear mongering; we’ll leave that up to Dr. Oz. I just think that more people should be informed about the choices that they are making that will ultimately effect your health. An independent study has shown that using sanitizer a few times a week is perfectly acceptable, but multiple times per day is a recipe for disaster. As well, whatever happened to washing your hands? I understand that sometimes it is difficult to find soap...and water...in the same place, at the same time, but whenever possible, I think that you should probably choose a good scrub down versus the Purell.
Now would be a good time to mention that Purell brand hand sanitizer is mentioned on the CDC website, along with a description of how “it leaves your hands soft and refreshed”. If the CDC did not get a big wad of cash out of that, I’m not sure what to think.
But I digress.
Who recalls the swine flu “pandemic” that swept the country a year or so ago? Does anyone recall the amount if hand sanitizer suddenly seen everywhere immediately afterward? It’s still everywhere. It’s in schools, restaurants, government buildings, and hospitals. But have you really thought that much of it before smearing your hands with it, possibly multiple times per day?
Here’s some background on hand sanitizers. They usually contain either ethyl alcohol (the same kind found in liquor, perfumes, and shaving creams) or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). The alcohol content is quite high (Anywhere from 50-90%, with the average being around 68%). But what about the ones that don’t contain alcohol? I’m glad you asked that. Those products use benzalkonium chloride to kill the germs. This compound is associated with an increased risk of MRSA, which is not only one of the nastiest diseases known to man, it is also next to impossible to treat. For the record, many hospitals use a special product called “hand alcohol” on their staff, which is a combination of alcohol and benzalkonium chloride. And MRSA is most commonly contracted where? In the hospital. That’s right. Other than MRSA, this compound is also connected to the production of dioxin. Dioxin is what makes Agent Orange bad for people. It’s nasty, and causes every type of cancer you can come up with.
I would bet that more than a few of us, myself included, have seen parents swabbing down their children with hand sanitizer multiple times per day. The CDC even recommends doing this. I take great issue with this. Children have a particular interest in sticking their fingers in their mouths. Long term effects from ingesting small amounts of alcohol-based hand sanitizer of the course of a few months are horrifying. Like brain and liver damage. Not to mention increased risk of cancer. Lovely. The good news is that your kid would have to drink a shot glass sized amount in one go for the product to be immediately fatal. So your child won’t just keel over and die.
But the issues aren’t just for tiny humans, they affect adults too. Cancer, birth defects, and organ damage have all been noted in adults who use sanitizers multiple times per day. This is caused by the ingredients actually being absorbed into your skin. It’s also flammable, but let’s assume that that risk is negligible.
I’m not here to be fear mongering; we’ll leave that up to Dr. Oz. I just think that more people should be informed about the choices that they are making that will ultimately effect your health. An independent study has shown that using sanitizer a few times a week is perfectly acceptable, but multiple times per day is a recipe for disaster. As well, whatever happened to washing your hands? I understand that sometimes it is difficult to find soap...and water...in the same place, at the same time, but whenever possible, I think that you should probably choose a good scrub down versus the Purell.
Now would be a good time to mention that Purell brand hand sanitizer is mentioned on the CDC website, along with a description of how “it leaves your hands soft and refreshed”. If the CDC did not get a big wad of cash out of that, I’m not sure what to think.
But I digress.
The Art of Protesting
Welcome all. Let’s get to it.
Today, it is perhaps the snowiest, most awful Wednesday so far this year. From what I gather, it’s like that many other places today too, or at least is soon to enter into the snowpocalypse. So, why not hold a massive student protest on such a day?!
After the O’Neill report came out, which I admittedly had not read until the morning of the protest, i.e. 7 hours ago, several students (or several dozen students) got up in arms about a tuition hike that would soon be sweeping Nova Scotia. Rates were expected to go up 22%, which certainly would exceed an additional $1300, coming out of my pocket for at least the next 3 years. A protest was organized. Fliers were handed out. Pickets were printed. There would be marching to the Legislature. The protest was on. What was overlooked was whether or not tuition actually would be increasing the full 22%. The government, while often to the contrary, is occasionally not dumb about some things. The premier realized that 22% was a ridiculous number. This number was changed to 3%. I don’t know about you, but 3% (roughly $178) is much more feasible to me. The protesters were informed of this. At this point, I would have given up, but these protesters did not. They marched anyway. For less than $200.
The point of this delightful anecdote is that sometimes you have to pick your battles. I am not frightened by the idea of a protest, but it has to be something I’m pretty damn passionate about. Unfortunately, this was not one of those cases, and I did not attend this particular protest. I don’t disparage the people involved in this protest, except that they are probably not going to be taken seriously by the government for bickering over what are, literally, pennies in the pot to a university the size of Dalhousie.
I see it similarly as a child fighting with their parent over supper. Janie won’t eat her vegetables. Rather than forcing her to eat a big plate of Brussels sprouts, why not try to get her to eat one? The government is trying to only give us just one Brussels sprout, which no one likes anyway, rather than the whole plateful. It was silly to expect that tuition will stay the same forever. I think we should take our one sprout, and live with it, rather than argue over this.
I’d also like to mention, before I go, that if tuition does go up, Dalhousie will be pledging more in scholarships and bursaries, which can’t be a bad thing.
But I digress.
Today, it is perhaps the snowiest, most awful Wednesday so far this year. From what I gather, it’s like that many other places today too, or at least is soon to enter into the snowpocalypse. So, why not hold a massive student protest on such a day?!
After the O’Neill report came out, which I admittedly had not read until the morning of the protest, i.e. 7 hours ago, several students (or several dozen students) got up in arms about a tuition hike that would soon be sweeping Nova Scotia. Rates were expected to go up 22%, which certainly would exceed an additional $1300, coming out of my pocket for at least the next 3 years. A protest was organized. Fliers were handed out. Pickets were printed. There would be marching to the Legislature. The protest was on. What was overlooked was whether or not tuition actually would be increasing the full 22%. The government, while often to the contrary, is occasionally not dumb about some things. The premier realized that 22% was a ridiculous number. This number was changed to 3%. I don’t know about you, but 3% (roughly $178) is much more feasible to me. The protesters were informed of this. At this point, I would have given up, but these protesters did not. They marched anyway. For less than $200.
The point of this delightful anecdote is that sometimes you have to pick your battles. I am not frightened by the idea of a protest, but it has to be something I’m pretty damn passionate about. Unfortunately, this was not one of those cases, and I did not attend this particular protest. I don’t disparage the people involved in this protest, except that they are probably not going to be taken seriously by the government for bickering over what are, literally, pennies in the pot to a university the size of Dalhousie.
I see it similarly as a child fighting with their parent over supper. Janie won’t eat her vegetables. Rather than forcing her to eat a big plate of Brussels sprouts, why not try to get her to eat one? The government is trying to only give us just one Brussels sprout, which no one likes anyway, rather than the whole plateful. It was silly to expect that tuition will stay the same forever. I think we should take our one sprout, and live with it, rather than argue over this.
I’d also like to mention, before I go, that if tuition does go up, Dalhousie will be pledging more in scholarships and bursaries, which can’t be a bad thing.
But I digress.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The Photo on my Driver's License
Good afternoon blogosphere! Lovely to see you today. Let's do this.
Last night, or possibly this morning, as it was quite late, I was Skyping with a friend, and we were comparing wallet contents. I'm a fulltime student, and as such, I am eternally broke, and don't really look in their much, so I had really forgotten all the crazy stuff I have in there.
After a few minutes, we got down to the good stuff: the student IDs, the old photos, and of course, the dreaded license photo. My photo...wow...there's few ways to describe it. To say it doesn't look like me is an understatement. Whenever I have used it for identification purposes, undoubtedly some explanation is needed. And that got me to thinking, why is everyone's DL photo so terrible.
It can't be about the cost of film, at least not now. When I got my license, everything was digital, so no cost wasted on film equipment there. The license lady never gave me another chance to take that picture, so now I'm stuck looking a little more...ethnic...than I usually do.
So really...I don't drive much anymore, due to the lack of automobile money that I possess, but seriously, I have to live with this photo until May 11, 2012, and people see it frequently. Would it have been so hard to snap another?
But I digress.
Last night, or possibly this morning, as it was quite late, I was Skyping with a friend, and we were comparing wallet contents. I'm a fulltime student, and as such, I am eternally broke, and don't really look in their much, so I had really forgotten all the crazy stuff I have in there.
After a few minutes, we got down to the good stuff: the student IDs, the old photos, and of course, the dreaded license photo. My photo...wow...there's few ways to describe it. To say it doesn't look like me is an understatement. Whenever I have used it for identification purposes, undoubtedly some explanation is needed. And that got me to thinking, why is everyone's DL photo so terrible.
It can't be about the cost of film, at least not now. When I got my license, everything was digital, so no cost wasted on film equipment there. The license lady never gave me another chance to take that picture, so now I'm stuck looking a little more...ethnic...than I usually do.
So really...I don't drive much anymore, due to the lack of automobile money that I possess, but seriously, I have to live with this photo until May 11, 2012, and people see it frequently. Would it have been so hard to snap another?
But I digress.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Drunks
Once again loyal readers, I find myself out of things to be angry about. In recent news, my boyfriend and I have cultivated a stronger relationship, I have great friends, and have nothing to rant about. UNTIL NOW.
I'm a typical university student, and as such I live in residence, mostly out of convenience as well as the fact that I don't think my mother trusts me out on my own in the world just yet. Of course, what are residences known for? Their wild and crazy outrageous parties!
Yes.
The parties.
Guess who doesn't party?
It's me.
Don't get me wrong, I've been to parties before. I like going to parties. But now, as a mature and responsible student, I have put my studies ahead of my own enterainment, and no longer go partying because I'd much rather study that chemistry. I know what you're thinking: I'm an exciting person. (Sarcasm BTW.)
So last Saturday, I am sitting in my room. It is 7 pm. I am studying some biology diligently. Then it starts. The blasting music, complete with a sub woofer so powerful it makes my bed shake from over 100 feet away. The people running up and down the halls screaming. The general drunkenness and debauchery that accompany any party of magnitude.
Now, as I said, I have nothing against parties. I have a problem with drunks. Because while this specific incident happened on a Saturday, it also happened on the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of that week. They decided to give up Thursday this week. Living in a relatively isolated hallway, I know who was at those parties, and it was the same people every night, and each time they were wasted beyond belief.
That is a type of party lifestyle that borders on alcoholism. Not to mention the great cost associated with being drunk 6 nights a week.
In short, I'm a good student. I want to graduate on time, preferably with marks I'm proud of. I don't understand how these people are going to do that because it seems all they have time for is getting drunk, and who has time to study when the tequila is calling?
But I digress.
I'm a typical university student, and as such I live in residence, mostly out of convenience as well as the fact that I don't think my mother trusts me out on my own in the world just yet. Of course, what are residences known for? Their wild and crazy outrageous parties!
Yes.
The parties.
Guess who doesn't party?
It's me.
Don't get me wrong, I've been to parties before. I like going to parties. But now, as a mature and responsible student, I have put my studies ahead of my own enterainment, and no longer go partying because I'd much rather study that chemistry. I know what you're thinking: I'm an exciting person. (Sarcasm BTW.)
So last Saturday, I am sitting in my room. It is 7 pm. I am studying some biology diligently. Then it starts. The blasting music, complete with a sub woofer so powerful it makes my bed shake from over 100 feet away. The people running up and down the halls screaming. The general drunkenness and debauchery that accompany any party of magnitude.
Now, as I said, I have nothing against parties. I have a problem with drunks. Because while this specific incident happened on a Saturday, it also happened on the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of that week. They decided to give up Thursday this week. Living in a relatively isolated hallway, I know who was at those parties, and it was the same people every night, and each time they were wasted beyond belief.
That is a type of party lifestyle that borders on alcoholism. Not to mention the great cost associated with being drunk 6 nights a week.
In short, I'm a good student. I want to graduate on time, preferably with marks I'm proud of. I don't understand how these people are going to do that because it seems all they have time for is getting drunk, and who has time to study when the tequila is calling?
But I digress.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Taking Fiction Seriously
Welcome, loyal or not-so-loyal readers! I apologize for the long gap. I recently started university, and have been very busy. But I'm back now! I'm planning on popping up a new rant every Wednesday with something that annoyed me at some point in the week.
Okay. I have a friend, let's call her F. F is a delightful young lady. We're good friends, and like all good friends, she has a few things I don't like about her (and I'm sure she doesn't like all of me too), but overall we're friends. One of the things that brought us together was our love of books. All kinds of books. We are both avid readers. Unfortunately, while I am more of a skeptical reader, she is more of a "literal reader".
Case in point, she recently had a very bad breakup. F was upset, and as a result turned to a series of depressing fiction novels. Depressing fiction is not usually my first choice, but I wasn't to judge. Until she announced that she had "indentified with the characters" and was now taking on their personal philosophy as her own. This was particularly upsetting as the book was about child soldiers in the third world, and did not have a happy ending. Silly F insisted that this LITERARY MASTERPIECE was the message she had been looking for, and set off to "find herself".
I sincerely hope that I'm not alone in being apalled at her behavior. Then I thought about it, and a lot of people have been "moved" by the fcition world. Oprah, I'm looking at you. Case in point, a few years ago when the Da Vinci Code became a film. Do you reacall how worked up people got? All because of a fiction book.
Therefore, I end my rant today with this: IT IS FICTION. That is all. Not real. The people and events never existed, or are only loosely based on actuality. Please remember this. I'd like to believe that not everyone is delusional, and understands this. I could be wrong. I sincerely hope not.
But I digress.
Okay. I have a friend, let's call her F. F is a delightful young lady. We're good friends, and like all good friends, she has a few things I don't like about her (and I'm sure she doesn't like all of me too), but overall we're friends. One of the things that brought us together was our love of books. All kinds of books. We are both avid readers. Unfortunately, while I am more of a skeptical reader, she is more of a "literal reader".
Case in point, she recently had a very bad breakup. F was upset, and as a result turned to a series of depressing fiction novels. Depressing fiction is not usually my first choice, but I wasn't to judge. Until she announced that she had "indentified with the characters" and was now taking on their personal philosophy as her own. This was particularly upsetting as the book was about child soldiers in the third world, and did not have a happy ending. Silly F insisted that this LITERARY MASTERPIECE was the message she had been looking for, and set off to "find herself".
I sincerely hope that I'm not alone in being apalled at her behavior. Then I thought about it, and a lot of people have been "moved" by the fcition world. Oprah, I'm looking at you. Case in point, a few years ago when the Da Vinci Code became a film. Do you reacall how worked up people got? All because of a fiction book.
Therefore, I end my rant today with this: IT IS FICTION. That is all. Not real. The people and events never existed, or are only loosely based on actuality. Please remember this. I'd like to believe that not everyone is delusional, and understands this. I could be wrong. I sincerely hope not.
But I digress.
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