Saturday, September 30, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Torture, Terror, and Lies
Torture of any kind is inexcusable. That this is up for debate at all reveals just how ballsy this administration has become.
I am so tired of people whining about how much "danger" we are all suddenly in. Folks, you have a 1 in 83 chance of dying in a car crash. You have a 1 in 210 risk of being murdered. You have a 1 in 1100 chance of dying in a fire, or drowning.
Now, suppose we really were in terrible danger, and terrorists were successfully attacking one American shopping mall every week. You risk of dying from terrorism would be about 1 in 1,000,000. Compare this to your risk of being killed by lightning (1 in 80,000) or dying in a catastrophic asteroid collision with the earth (1 in 200,000). That's right. You are more likely to be killed by a meteor than a terrorist.
And that's IF they were successfully attacking us on our own soil on a weekly basis. Which they are not.
I am so tired of people whining about how much "danger" we are all suddenly in. Folks, you have a 1 in 83 chance of dying in a car crash. You have a 1 in 210 risk of being murdered. You have a 1 in 1100 chance of dying in a fire, or drowning.
Now, suppose we really were in terrible danger, and terrorists were successfully attacking one American shopping mall every week. You risk of dying from terrorism would be about 1 in 1,000,000. Compare this to your risk of being killed by lightning (1 in 80,000) or dying in a catastrophic asteroid collision with the earth (1 in 200,000). That's right. You are more likely to be killed by a meteor than a terrorist.
And that's IF they were successfully attacking us on our own soil on a weekly basis. Which they are not.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Republicash: You Suck
Republicash is a local check cashing service. This is where I got my Western Union Prepaid MasterCard. They do bill-paying, paycheck cashing, wire transfers, and so on. Normally I'm glad they're around - for a while it was the only place I could cash my paychecks, since I have no bank accounts and WalMart's readers couldn't read my checks from WSACC. But today I am seriously pissed at them.
Today I went to the Portland Republicash to cash a check sent to me by TreasureTroopers.com. TreasureTroopers is a completely legitimate business that's been around for over a year now. They have an excellent reputation. The check is an obvious business check, with several security features on it. It is as normal and valid a check as you can get. It is only for $34. But Republicrap refused to cash it. The teller, or whatever she is, wanted to know what "TreasureTroopers.com" is. Although I wanted to tell her that it was none of her business, I explained it briefly. She wouldn't do it. "Oh no," she said. "We don't do those." I was so stunned that I left without pressing for more information.
But the more I think about it, the crazier it seems. Republicash is a check cashing service. The point of the business is to cash checks, including and specifically, third party checks. There was no attempt to call and verify the check - which, by the way, was drawn on Chase Bank, which is not exactly an unknown banking institution. In fact, she could have simply gone to TreasureTroopers.com and seen that it was a valid site.
I'm going to try again on Friday when I go to cash my paycheck. If they refuse me again, I'm going to demand to know why. And damn it, I need to get a bank account. Last time I tried, I was refused because of my credit. (Perhaps someone could explain to me why you need a credit check to get a savings account.)
Speaking of Republicash and that prepaid card, I was also exceedingly pissed to find that (1) Geico doesn't accept anything but checks or their own credit card for epayments, so I have to pay them by money order, and (2) even though it's supposed to work like any other debit card, I have yet to get it to work on an ATM or at a gas station.
I am so sick of being screwed over by companies and banks. Enough.
Today I went to the Portland Republicash to cash a check sent to me by TreasureTroopers.com. TreasureTroopers is a completely legitimate business that's been around for over a year now. They have an excellent reputation. The check is an obvious business check, with several security features on it. It is as normal and valid a check as you can get. It is only for $34. But Republicrap refused to cash it. The teller, or whatever she is, wanted to know what "TreasureTroopers.com" is. Although I wanted to tell her that it was none of her business, I explained it briefly. She wouldn't do it. "Oh no," she said. "We don't do those." I was so stunned that I left without pressing for more information.
But the more I think about it, the crazier it seems. Republicash is a check cashing service. The point of the business is to cash checks, including and specifically, third party checks. There was no attempt to call and verify the check - which, by the way, was drawn on Chase Bank, which is not exactly an unknown banking institution. In fact, she could have simply gone to TreasureTroopers.com and seen that it was a valid site.
I'm going to try again on Friday when I go to cash my paycheck. If they refuse me again, I'm going to demand to know why. And damn it, I need to get a bank account. Last time I tried, I was refused because of my credit. (Perhaps someone could explain to me why you need a credit check to get a savings account.)
Speaking of Republicash and that prepaid card, I was also exceedingly pissed to find that (1) Geico doesn't accept anything but checks or their own credit card for epayments, so I have to pay them by money order, and (2) even though it's supposed to work like any other debit card, I have yet to get it to work on an ATM or at a gas station.
I am so sick of being screwed over by companies and banks. Enough.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Emergency Contraception: Denied
I am completely disgusted by a blog post I just read from a woman who was denied emergency contraception.
In my state (Maine), EC is available without a prescription by asking a pharmacist. I don't know what the procedure is for evaluation and so on, but up here people are usually reasonable about such things. (I hope I never have to find out the hard way.) Thank Goddess for the blue states.
I hope this woman, and everyone who is denied EC, takes down names and makes public the individuals, organizations, pharmacies, and hospitals involved.
On a related note, here's a link that I think should be published all over the Internet. Get the word out: Planned Parenthood's website has instructions for how to use high doses of regular birth control pills as emergency contraception.
Here's a great idea for a nonprofit organization. Call it "FreEC." A woman in trouble calls the number, requests EC, and it gets shipped to her overnight. Done and done. All funded by donations. For states where EC isn't (yet) legal, send her the required dose of regular birth control pills. It's the same drug anyway and (at least for now) regular BC is legal in all 50 states.
I have one more remark I want to make, and that's about pharmacists and doctors who think it's okay to deny treatment or withhold information from a patient. I am tired of hearing about medical "professionals" who are more worried about their personal morals and beliefs than they are about the rights of the people they serve. Sorry - that's not acceptable. Imagine if everyone in America suddenly decided that their beliefs were more important than their job responsibilities. A homophobic insurance agent would refuse to sell life insurance to a gay man. A Catholic judge would sentence petty criminals to say 100 Hail Mary's. A right-wing bus driver could refuse transportation to Muslim citizens.
And me? Well, I'm teaching preschool now. And I'm a practicing Wiccan. So I guess "circle time" with the kids would take on a whole new meaning. Just imagine if I were still teaching Catholic school. I wouldn't last five minutes pitting my beliefs against what I was asked to teach. Which is the point. When you serve the public, you must set aside your personal beliefs and do your fucking job.
I opened the phone book again and called the Urgent Care in my county. Who knows, maybe they'll do it for me. "No," the nurse said, "We don't prescribe the abortion pill here".This is not acceptable. The worst part of this is that emergency contraception (EC) isn't - as many seem to think - an abortion pill. There's no reason for the anti-choice freaks to be concerned about a medicine that doesn't end a pregnancy in the first place. If you're already pregnant, morning after pills won't hurt the fetus, much less abort it. I don't understand why a medical professional would refuse or delay the administration of such a product. If a woman is in need of something like Plan B, and is denied, the most likely next events are pregnancy and abortion. In essence, these assfucks are causing more abortions. Like the one this woman had.
"No, wait I'm not asking for the abortion pill. I'm asking for EC!" I say, "It's not the same thing."
"Well, we use the words interchangeably here. Sorry, we don't prescribe it". She all but races to get off the phone with me.
I start looking through the telephone book, dialing hospitals from counties all around me. It seems that nobody will prescribe it to me. None of the hospitals are willing to touch me, of the ones that will prescribe it I am asked a series of questions to 'screen' me before I come to the hospital. The results aren't good. I'm not married and wasn't raped, so there's very little they can do for me. But I can try the nurses tell me uncomfortably.
"But if I go through all this and I can't get it will I still be charged the co-pay?"
"Well....ummmm...yeah. I'm afraid so Ma'am." comes the reply.
I called every hospital in every surrounding county and none of them would prescribe me EC. Not even ONE. Of the 2 that said that they sometimes will their 'criteria' was clearly not my situation.
Next I tried Planned Parenthood. None of them were open. Not one. Every Planned Parenthood in Ohio was either closed on Saturday or would be closed before I could drive the 100 miles to them.
I was told by every urgent care I called and every emergency room that I was shit out of luck. I was asked my age. My marital status. How many children I had. If I had been raped and when I became uncomfortable with the questions I was told, "Well Ma'am, try to understand that you will be interviewed and the doctor has 'criteria' that you need to meet before he will prescribe it for you."
When I asked about what 'criteria' there was that I had to meet, the reply was, "Well, he's kind of old fashioned". I was told that I might be able to 'talk him into it' anyway and that it can't hurt to try (except for the fact that each and every time I try it I'll have to pay $100 co-pay).
I found that the more hospitals and clinics and doctors I called the more ashamed I became. Yep, you heard right. I was feeling ashamed at being such an unworthy dirty whore. Well, at least in the eyes of all these hospitals and doctors and clinics. I cried, then I sweated, then I cried some more, then I called some more.
Folks, the condom broke Friday night and I searched all weekend for someone who could prescribe me EC. It is now Monday and I have to report that I have been unable to find anyone who will write me a fucking prescription for EC. None of the hospitals in the surrounding counties would write it for me. I stopped my search at about 100 miles from my home because my telephone book wouldn't take me out any further than that.
In my state (Maine), EC is available without a prescription by asking a pharmacist. I don't know what the procedure is for evaluation and so on, but up here people are usually reasonable about such things. (I hope I never have to find out the hard way.) Thank Goddess for the blue states.
I hope this woman, and everyone who is denied EC, takes down names and makes public the individuals, organizations, pharmacies, and hospitals involved.
On a related note, here's a link that I think should be published all over the Internet. Get the word out: Planned Parenthood's website has instructions for how to use high doses of regular birth control pills as emergency contraception.
Here's a great idea for a nonprofit organization. Call it "FreEC." A woman in trouble calls the number, requests EC, and it gets shipped to her overnight. Done and done. All funded by donations. For states where EC isn't (yet) legal, send her the required dose of regular birth control pills. It's the same drug anyway and (at least for now) regular BC is legal in all 50 states.
I have one more remark I want to make, and that's about pharmacists and doctors who think it's okay to deny treatment or withhold information from a patient. I am tired of hearing about medical "professionals" who are more worried about their personal morals and beliefs than they are about the rights of the people they serve. Sorry - that's not acceptable. Imagine if everyone in America suddenly decided that their beliefs were more important than their job responsibilities. A homophobic insurance agent would refuse to sell life insurance to a gay man. A Catholic judge would sentence petty criminals to say 100 Hail Mary's. A right-wing bus driver could refuse transportation to Muslim citizens.
And me? Well, I'm teaching preschool now. And I'm a practicing Wiccan. So I guess "circle time" with the kids would take on a whole new meaning. Just imagine if I were still teaching Catholic school. I wouldn't last five minutes pitting my beliefs against what I was asked to teach. Which is the point. When you serve the public, you must set aside your personal beliefs and do your fucking job.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Jewelry Making!
God, how I love to make jewelry. One of these days I'm going to get my act together and turn that love into a decent side business. It's not work if you love doing it!
I quit About.com's Prep program. I was just dreading doing the work required for my second review. I procrastinated and delayed and finally realized that it's not like I have to do it. Maybe, I thought, there was a good reason behind that resistance. As soon as I resolved to quit I felt much better. Perhaps I've grown out of my interest in the topic. Or maybe I'll come back to it someday. The important thing is, I'm learning to follow my intuition even when it leads me away from money.
I quit About.com's Prep program. I was just dreading doing the work required for my second review. I procrastinated and delayed and finally realized that it's not like I have to do it. Maybe, I thought, there was a good reason behind that resistance. As soon as I resolved to quit I felt much better. Perhaps I've grown out of my interest in the topic. Or maybe I'll come back to it someday. The important thing is, I'm learning to follow my intuition even when it leads me away from money.
Technorati Tags: Crafts
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Michael's: Deceptive Advertising
Michael's is a chain of art and craft supply stores that I frequently go to. Tonight I went there to buy some jewelry making supplies and was extremely pissed at their deceptive advertising practices. In the jewelry aisle, there is a wall of products in blue packaging marked "value pack." There are perhaps 100 or 150 different products packaged that way: clasps, spacer beads, jump rings, etc. They are all either $2.99 or $3.99. In the middle of that display area is a sign reading "Sale, Value Packs - $1.99 (reg. $2.99-3.99)."
After loading up my cart with several of these and heading for the checkout, I was very displeased to learn that the sale was only for one specific brand of "value pack"... and not the brand that surrounded the sign. No, this brand, of which there are maybe ten different varieties, is way down at the bottom and practically out of sight.
Usually I am very careful about such details, and when I screw up I just pay and leave. And I am not the person to whine about such things. In fact, I often get irritated when other people do, but that's usually because the terms of the sale seem pretty obvious to me and it seems like the other person is just trying to screw over the store. But not this time. This time Michael's is just plain wrong.
This is the third time in a row I've been fucked by that store. First, I bought some spray paint there, but it wouldn't spray at all. Then I bought some "metal paint," paint that has yet to adhere properly to any metal it is applied to.
I was also screwed over by another large, famous chain store, who sold me a rock tumbler with a missing barrel. The joke's on them, though. I returned it - right after removing the tumbling grits and some choice stones. When I buy another, I'll have a ready-made refill kit. No, I don't feel guilty. After all, they can't sell that unit without a barrel anyway, so it doesn't matter what else might be missing.
Enough is enough, American businesses. Stop trying to cheat your customers!
After loading up my cart with several of these and heading for the checkout, I was very displeased to learn that the sale was only for one specific brand of "value pack"... and not the brand that surrounded the sign. No, this brand, of which there are maybe ten different varieties, is way down at the bottom and practically out of sight.
Usually I am very careful about such details, and when I screw up I just pay and leave. And I am not the person to whine about such things. In fact, I often get irritated when other people do, but that's usually because the terms of the sale seem pretty obvious to me and it seems like the other person is just trying to screw over the store. But not this time. This time Michael's is just plain wrong.
This is the third time in a row I've been fucked by that store. First, I bought some spray paint there, but it wouldn't spray at all. Then I bought some "metal paint," paint that has yet to adhere properly to any metal it is applied to.
I was also screwed over by another large, famous chain store, who sold me a rock tumbler with a missing barrel. The joke's on them, though. I returned it - right after removing the tumbling grits and some choice stones. When I buy another, I'll have a ready-made refill kit. No, I don't feel guilty. After all, they can't sell that unit without a barrel anyway, so it doesn't matter what else might be missing.
Enough is enough, American businesses. Stop trying to cheat your customers!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Non-Coincidences
About two months ago, my father and I were talking about politics. Specifically, the upcoming elections and how low Bush's ratings are, and how even his fellow Republicans are starting to distance themselves from this sorry excuse for a president.
At one point my father said, "I guarantee you that two things will happen between now and November. First, there will be some kind of big terror scare, to 'remind' everyone of how scary and dangerous things are, and how the Republicans just want to 'protect us.' Second, the price of gas will come way down. That will happen several weeks before the elections so people forget how high they've been all this time.
"The goal is for people to be afraid of changing the status quo because (1) we're all in immediate, mortal danger and we need 'them' to potect us, and (2) 'they' are helping us by lowering the price of gas and improving the economy."
And guess what? A month ago gas was $3 a gallon and you could bring Chapstick on a plane trip. Today gas is $2.47 and sorry, you'll just have to live with chapped lips. Surprise, surprise.
At one point my father said, "I guarantee you that two things will happen between now and November. First, there will be some kind of big terror scare, to 'remind' everyone of how scary and dangerous things are, and how the Republicans just want to 'protect us.' Second, the price of gas will come way down. That will happen several weeks before the elections so people forget how high they've been all this time.
"The goal is for people to be afraid of changing the status quo because (1) we're all in immediate, mortal danger and we need 'them' to potect us, and (2) 'they' are helping us by lowering the price of gas and improving the economy."
And guess what? A month ago gas was $3 a gallon and you could bring Chapstick on a plane trip. Today gas is $2.47 and sorry, you'll just have to live with chapped lips. Surprise, surprise.
Technorati Tags: Politics
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Anything For You
From the deo's Shadow Pagan Podcast, I give you the brilliant song Anything For You.
Lyrics:
Lyrics:
I'd do anything for you
with a broad range of exceptions
I will not kill my son for you
No matter how intensely you goad me.
I will not kill the jews,
the muslims or my parents
Well I'd do anything for you
With this broad range of exceptions
I won't believe you are three people
Though MPD* might explain this shit hole
I wouldn't Jesus fish my car
That's pretty tacky, I don't care who you are.
I'd do anything for you
With a broad range of exceptions
I'd sin a hundred times just for the hell of it
You gave us free will so shut up and take it.
You shall offer from the sacrifice of well-being, as an offering by fire to the Lord, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is around the entrails; the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.
-Leviticus 3.3-4
Dear God
Dear God
Dear God
I will never ever love my neighbour
He stole my shovel and my lawnmower
I'll do anything for you
With this broad range of exceptions
I will not demonstrate against gay sex
Same-sex marriage is a penetrating concept
I will never confess
For someone who's omnipotent your really like your gossip.
Well I'll do anything for you
With this broad range of exceptions
I'll not proselytize like a fool
I bet Jahova's witnesses have never even seen you.
I will not burn a witch for you
Most of them are nice and they make more sense than you do.
Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione.
(Trans: I'm not interested in your dopey religious cult.)
*MPD = Multiple Personality Disorder
Technorati Tags: Music, Christianity, Religion, Wicca
Eating In; Weird Sound Update
This week I discovered something important about eating in. I've grown to hate eating in, preferring to eat out at every opportunity. This week I couldn't really afford to do that, so I went to the grocery store and bought food for lunches and breakfasts. Rather than skimping, I shelled out the cash for some decent bread, high-quality condiments, good cuts of lunch meat, and so on. These changes make my lunchtime sandwiches more like what you'd buy premade and less like the soggy, sour-smelling PB&J of my youth. Probably the biggest benefit has come from the simple switch from my parents' Wal-Mart mustard to a "pub style" brand that is spicier and has the whole seeds in it. It is so good!
Also, at the beginning of the week, I prepackaged all of the potato chips, Cheezits, and corn chips that I'd bought. It has made my mornings go much smoother. I'm still tweaking the system, though. I need to bring more to drink during the day, and better ways to keep it cold in my car until the weather does the job for me. I need to have a snack in the car for after work so I can make it home without eating out. And I need to have good, hearty, easy-to-make breakfasts ready to go, every day.
I also need to make sure that I get at least 8 hours of sleep. 7 doesn't cut it and 9 is better.
Anyway. A while back I posted about a bizarre bird sound I've been hearing all summer. I think the mystery has been solved. Last week, Dad was working on the roof and discovered a red-eyed tree frog living up there. He looked it up online and found the sound it makes, which is similar to what I've been hearing. We thought we had it figured out until today, when he took out my AC unit and there was this chubby gray fellow. He was very lethargic, perhaps from the sudden cool weather, and I had to move him with an index card.
Also, at the beginning of the week, I prepackaged all of the potato chips, Cheezits, and corn chips that I'd bought. It has made my mornings go much smoother. I'm still tweaking the system, though. I need to bring more to drink during the day, and better ways to keep it cold in my car until the weather does the job for me. I need to have a snack in the car for after work so I can make it home without eating out. And I need to have good, hearty, easy-to-make breakfasts ready to go, every day.
I also need to make sure that I get at least 8 hours of sleep. 7 doesn't cut it and 9 is better.
Anyway. A while back I posted about a bizarre bird sound I've been hearing all summer. I think the mystery has been solved. Last week, Dad was working on the roof and discovered a red-eyed tree frog living up there. He looked it up online and found the sound it makes, which is similar to what I've been hearing. We thought we had it figured out until today, when he took out my AC unit and there was this chubby gray fellow. He was very lethargic, perhaps from the sudden cool weather, and I had to move him with an index card.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Yes!
I'm up to be a Guide on About.com. I won't say for which section. I've actually done this before but didn't make it in; this time I know a lot more about the subject matter and have a greater degree of personal interest. Basically you work for free for two weeks designing a site, and at the end they choose the best one.
There's a lot of buzz online on how About supposedly doesn't pay much or enough. Well, for your first year you're guaranteed $500 a month, although most make more and some much more. The average Guide makes $15K a year. Not enough to live on. But understand that the requirements are 3 blog posts a week and one new article every 2 weeks. That's all. For $15,000 a year? That's a no-brainer. I don't really see how a person could complain about that.
From an article I found:
There's a lot of buzz online on how About supposedly doesn't pay much or enough. Well, for your first year you're guaranteed $500 a month, although most make more and some much more. The average Guide makes $15K a year. Not enough to live on. But understand that the requirements are 3 blog posts a week and one new article every 2 weeks. That's all. For $15,000 a year? That's a no-brainer. I don't really see how a person could complain about that.
From an article I found:
OJR: I've heard a lot of people say derisively that the Guides work for peanuts. Can you talk more specifically about how they're compensated?I want this so much! I know I can do it!
Horan: It all depends on your definition of 'peanuts.' First of all, this is intended to be a second job, or one piece of somebody's mix. The average Guide, the middle Guide, makes $1,500 or $1,600 a month. A Top 10 Guide might make $10,000 or $15,000 a month. The political humor Guide, during October and November [2004], made $20,000 a month because it was an election year. So we're well out of the peanuts range.
We have 500 Guides, and if you're Guide No. 450, you might only make $500 a month. But on a per-hour basis, you might be doing OK because you're probably not putting in a lot of time. But for folks who are working on their content or working on their SEO [search engine optimization] -- doing the stuff they're supposed to be doing -- they can make several grand per month.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Look up "Poetic Justice" in the Dictionary...
...And right next to it you'll find a photo of the late Steve Irwin. Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter," died yesterday after being pierced in the heart by the barb on a stingray's tail. Evidently, this is an extremely unusual occurrence.
Not that I celebrate anyone's death or anything, but you won't find me crying over this one. Irwin was basically an adrenaline addict who got his kicks teasing dangerous animals in the name of education and science. He was a sensationalist who, like the cast of Jackass, used his lack of healthy fear to get attention. Mother Nature doesn't take kindly to being taunted. As far as I'm concerned, this guy got what he deserved.
Not that I celebrate anyone's death or anything, but you won't find me crying over this one. Irwin was basically an adrenaline addict who got his kicks teasing dangerous animals in the name of education and science. He was a sensationalist who, like the cast of Jackass, used his lack of healthy fear to get attention. Mother Nature doesn't take kindly to being taunted. As far as I'm concerned, this guy got what he deserved.
Technorati Tags: News
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Hello Out There
OK folks, this is going to sound a little weird, so just go with me for a sec.
You may or may not be aware that this blog contains code that tracks visitors. Obviously, I can't identify individual people, but I can tell the approximate location, type of browser, how you got here (including what you were searching for if you got here from a blog or google-type search), how long you stayed, how many pages you looked at, and what you clicked on to get out. Checking this service lets me figure out what kinds of things I can write about to get people to come read this blog.
Recently I checked those stats and was intrigued to find a number of clicks from my own area. I am slightly paranoid that someone I know in "real" life will read this blog. I know it's odd, but a lot of what I write here is stuff I'm much more willing to share with people I don't know than people I do. For instance, I don't care if someone in Rhode Island reads my ranting entry about my summer job; but I wouldn't want my sister (also my boss if you recall) to read it. That's why I don't use words I think might be search terms for someone I know. I don't use the proper names of current or recent places of employment, or proper names connected to anything I don't want friends or family members to know I'm involved in. Or that they could use to identify me.
Even so, at this point in the life of this blog, anyone who actually knows me could figure out that it's mine after reading only a few entries. So to anyone I personally know who stumbles across this bizarre corner of cyberspace: for the love of God, don't tell me you found this. I censor myself enough as it is without knowing you're reading this. I would be absolutely mortified if I thought you were. Seriously. I don't want to know! Take everything here with a grain of salt, don't be offended, and just keep quiet. We'll both be happier for it.
You may or may not be aware that this blog contains code that tracks visitors. Obviously, I can't identify individual people, but I can tell the approximate location, type of browser, how you got here (including what you were searching for if you got here from a blog or google-type search), how long you stayed, how many pages you looked at, and what you clicked on to get out. Checking this service lets me figure out what kinds of things I can write about to get people to come read this blog.
Recently I checked those stats and was intrigued to find a number of clicks from my own area. I am slightly paranoid that someone I know in "real" life will read this blog. I know it's odd, but a lot of what I write here is stuff I'm much more willing to share with people I don't know than people I do. For instance, I don't care if someone in Rhode Island reads my ranting entry about my summer job; but I wouldn't want my sister (also my boss if you recall) to read it. That's why I don't use words I think might be search terms for someone I know. I don't use the proper names of current or recent places of employment, or proper names connected to anything I don't want friends or family members to know I'm involved in. Or that they could use to identify me.
Even so, at this point in the life of this blog, anyone who actually knows me could figure out that it's mine after reading only a few entries. So to anyone I personally know who stumbles across this bizarre corner of cyberspace: for the love of God, don't tell me you found this. I censor myself enough as it is without knowing you're reading this. I would be absolutely mortified if I thought you were. Seriously. I don't want to know! Take everything here with a grain of salt, don't be offended, and just keep quiet. We'll both be happier for it.
Technorati Tags: Personal