So I came by this site, The Sneeze by way of pesky' apostrophe by way of The Little Kenny. It's pretty darn funny. But the best thing he has on there by far are the interviews with the writer/director of Better Off Dead and with the guy who played Ricky. OK, there are probably better things on his site, but being the die-hard Better Off Dead fan that I am, I have to give it the highest compliment. Check it out, dawg!
Also, make sure to check out his Steve, Don't Eat It! series
Friday, October 28, 2005
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Stupid Segways
Can you believe this?! They're offering tours on Segways of Zion and some state park and historical district around St. George, Utah. Michael picked up a flyer while on our roadtrip. So instead of taking a nice easy hike or walk, you put your lazy ass on one of these! I mean how hard can the hike be if a Segway can roll on it? If I was on a trail and saw one of these coming, I'd lay out some nails. In fact, I'll start carrying nails in my backpack just for that purpose.
Cactus to Hell Hike
OK, so it's really called the Cactus to Clouds hike... but it was by far the most brutal hike I've ever been on in my life! On Sunday, I did a group hike in Palm Springs where one hikes from 800 feet to 8500 feet in 10 miles. We began the hike at 5:30 a.m. The group part of the hike disappeared in about the first mile as Michael and I were at the back of the pack. Then, by about mile 2, we relieved the sweeper of his duty and were officially dead last. For the rest of the morning, we battled fatigue, loss of breath, loss of will and I tried to relieve some terrible blisters the size of dimes on the backs of my ankles.
We completed the portion of the hike that ends at the top of the tram at 1:45 and passed 3 people in the last couple miles. Well, one had run out of water and her asthma medicine and another was our sweeper who was suffering muscle spasms - so I can't take too much pride in that. I believe Michael would have made it a little faster without me. But as much as I tried and, I could not increase my turtle pace. I actually feel that the only reason we finished is that the option to turn around would have been worse after the first few miles. Those who completed the hike in less than 6 hours did the second part of the hike which takes you from 8500 feet to a little over 10,000 feet in 6 miles. This would make your whole day a nice 22 miles because you take the tram down instead of the treacherous, terrible hike that we took up.
So, I'm glad I did it; the hike gave me a good sense of accomplishment, but if I am ever invited to do this hike again or one that is similar, I either will decline or have to get a new pair of legs!
We completed the portion of the hike that ends at the top of the tram at 1:45 and passed 3 people in the last couple miles. Well, one had run out of water and her asthma medicine and another was our sweeper who was suffering muscle spasms - so I can't take too much pride in that. I believe Michael would have made it a little faster without me. But as much as I tried and, I could not increase my turtle pace. I actually feel that the only reason we finished is that the option to turn around would have been worse after the first few miles. Those who completed the hike in less than 6 hours did the second part of the hike which takes you from 8500 feet to a little over 10,000 feet in 6 miles. This would make your whole day a nice 22 miles because you take the tram down instead of the treacherous, terrible hike that we took up.
So, I'm glad I did it; the hike gave me a good sense of accomplishment, but if I am ever invited to do this hike again or one that is similar, I either will decline or have to get a new pair of legs!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Ripped Off by "Nickel and Dimed"
So while we were on our roadtrip, we listened the to the book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. The premise of the book is to answer the question of whether one could work the low wage jobs of our country and afford to sustain housing and the other necessities of life with these wages. Basically, she wanted to test the welfare reform sentiment that a job is all you need to have a better life . As the author was to try this herself, I thought it would be an interesting social experiment. I still think it would be an interesting experiment; however, the author's effort was severely lacking and I believe it did not come close to a true experience of low wage jobs and lifestyle.
The author takes us through her experiences in 3 different cities: Key West, FL; Portland, ME; and Minneapolis, MN. She worked as a hotel maid, a waitress, a house maid and a Wal-Mart employee. From what I could tell, the longest she spent at any of these locations was a month.
I believe that this was part of her unrealistic rules of the experiment. Who would think that they could move to a new city where they don't know anyone, get a crappy job that pays $7/hr and be able to pay for rent in your own apartment? First of all, most of the people I've ever known who have made that much had a roommate or significant other to ease expenses. She never explored the option of renting a room in a house, which is still done by people I know who make much more than $7/hr. To expect everyone to be able to afford housing by themselves is unreasonable, especially in one months time. I don't know of any country where that is possible.
Another part of the experiment where she just plunked herself down in a city without knowing anyone or having a particular reason to go there (like trying to be an actor in Hollywood), seemed unrealistic. She's found one person to add to her book who as done this, in effect, to show that this may be more frequent than we might think. I don't buy it. I'm thinking that most low wage earners are in or near their home town or have moved to a new city for school or with someone or to pursue some desire.
Mostly, what bothered me about this book though was the socialist propaganda tone that underlies the whole book. She speaks of the bourgeois homeowners who employ the maid service for which she works. She attacks their decor, their lifestyle, their religious choices. She accuses society of looking down on maids and not acknowledging their existence. These blanket statements are based on her 2 to 3 weeks of employment as a maid. She makes similar generalizations about all of her positions.
It's obvious from this book that she has never held down any sort of regular job. She complains of the monotony of the work, being demoralized by the management, the pure exhaustion of a 10 hour day. These are components of most jobs, low and high wage. Her revelations and self-congratulatory statements permeate the book. She is surprised when she tells her coworker that she is a writer that no one cares. She pats herself on the back for making it through a long day of work when her coworkers don't show up. I'm not sure what world she lives in, but that instance is not exclusive to the low wage job. I mention these things because I would think to write about reality, one should have some basis in it.
Her approach as a whole is highly unscientific, especially for someone who mentions her Ph.D. in Biology at least 50 times in the book. She blends statistical quotes and narrative together so as to form a report. It seems that she dug up research to support her experience rather than her experience backing up the facts. Sometimes her narrative is humorous, but mostly it is as dull as the jobs she is doing. If the intent was illustrate the doldrums of low wage work, she succeeded, but I would think boring your readers is never a good thing. Also, her language jumps about from polished academic to that of a sailor. She blames this early in the book on her truck driver husband. Yet, again with her big Ph.D. I would expect her to be able to write in a professional manner even if she can't speak in one.
As I said above, this book is basically socialist propaganda. Let me say that I do agree that the federal minimum wage should be higher. However, the author constantly refers the rich and the poor. I'm not sure where the middle class went. She doesn't seem to ever identify herself with the rich. She cites the countries that provide health insurance and other benefits to its citizens, but fails to mention the high income taxes necessary for such benefits.
It's almost as if she wrote this book for herself and friends and family to validate the time she took to do this silly experiment.
The author takes us through her experiences in 3 different cities: Key West, FL; Portland, ME; and Minneapolis, MN. She worked as a hotel maid, a waitress, a house maid and a Wal-Mart employee. From what I could tell, the longest she spent at any of these locations was a month.
I believe that this was part of her unrealistic rules of the experiment. Who would think that they could move to a new city where they don't know anyone, get a crappy job that pays $7/hr and be able to pay for rent in your own apartment? First of all, most of the people I've ever known who have made that much had a roommate or significant other to ease expenses. She never explored the option of renting a room in a house, which is still done by people I know who make much more than $7/hr. To expect everyone to be able to afford housing by themselves is unreasonable, especially in one months time. I don't know of any country where that is possible.
Another part of the experiment where she just plunked herself down in a city without knowing anyone or having a particular reason to go there (like trying to be an actor in Hollywood), seemed unrealistic. She's found one person to add to her book who as done this, in effect, to show that this may be more frequent than we might think. I don't buy it. I'm thinking that most low wage earners are in or near their home town or have moved to a new city for school or with someone or to pursue some desire.
Mostly, what bothered me about this book though was the socialist propaganda tone that underlies the whole book. She speaks of the bourgeois homeowners who employ the maid service for which she works. She attacks their decor, their lifestyle, their religious choices. She accuses society of looking down on maids and not acknowledging their existence. These blanket statements are based on her 2 to 3 weeks of employment as a maid. She makes similar generalizations about all of her positions.
It's obvious from this book that she has never held down any sort of regular job. She complains of the monotony of the work, being demoralized by the management, the pure exhaustion of a 10 hour day. These are components of most jobs, low and high wage. Her revelations and self-congratulatory statements permeate the book. She is surprised when she tells her coworker that she is a writer that no one cares. She pats herself on the back for making it through a long day of work when her coworkers don't show up. I'm not sure what world she lives in, but that instance is not exclusive to the low wage job. I mention these things because I would think to write about reality, one should have some basis in it.
Her approach as a whole is highly unscientific, especially for someone who mentions her Ph.D. in Biology at least 50 times in the book. She blends statistical quotes and narrative together so as to form a report. It seems that she dug up research to support her experience rather than her experience backing up the facts. Sometimes her narrative is humorous, but mostly it is as dull as the jobs she is doing. If the intent was illustrate the doldrums of low wage work, she succeeded, but I would think boring your readers is never a good thing. Also, her language jumps about from polished academic to that of a sailor. She blames this early in the book on her truck driver husband. Yet, again with her big Ph.D. I would expect her to be able to write in a professional manner even if she can't speak in one.
As I said above, this book is basically socialist propaganda. Let me say that I do agree that the federal minimum wage should be higher. However, the author constantly refers the rich and the poor. I'm not sure where the middle class went. She doesn't seem to ever identify herself with the rich. She cites the countries that provide health insurance and other benefits to its citizens, but fails to mention the high income taxes necessary for such benefits.
It's almost as if she wrote this book for herself and friends and family to validate the time she took to do this silly experiment.
This Just Cracked Me Up
So this was on a car in Arches NP. The car was from Colorado. I find the cars from Colorado to be particularly ballsy and contain speedy drivers. We came across another Colorado vehicle parked at Bryce Canyon NP (yes, still in Utah) with the book Under the Banner of Heaven in plain view in the back window. In fact, it was the first thing I saw as I approached the car... see, they've got big balls in Colorado!
Monday, October 17, 2005
More Fortune Cookie Madness
This is kinda funny. I like crank calls as long as I'm not on the receiving end.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Proverb Cookies
So I'm back from our roadtrip and we've ordered Chinese food for dinner. I just picked out and opened my fortune cookie and it says, "To climb the ladder of success, work hard and you'll reach it." What the hell? What happened to the fortunes? I haven't seen a nice solid fortune from a cookie in years! Now they read like stupid self-help books.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
On the Road Again
So I'm currently on a Utah National Parks roadtrip and I have encountered a few fools worth mentioning. But, alas, that will have to wait, because roadtrips are not the time for me to bog myself down with computers. There's a 3/4 moon out there in beautiful, clear rural sky awaiting my gaze!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
