Stormbringer's Thunder

Today's discussion was going to be a sequel of sorts to the rant about layabouts sponging off us. That will have to wait because I want to talk about some hang-ups I have. And I'm naming names. Try to follow this. I'll tell this story the best that I can, and hope that I remember all the pertinent details myself. Since I'm not a fan of cell phones (and long-term commitments), I did not get one until I absolutely had to. The Agency insisted, so I relented and got a Tracfone pay-as-you-go plan. I felt cheated, and went to a similar company called Simple Freedom. They were all right, but suddenly, I had been given up to another company. (It's kind of like going to bed as a CIA operative and waking up working for the NSA. I hate when that happens.) The company I was given to was Verizon Wireless Prepaid. Well, the price was adequate, but I felt short-changed. Other people had Tracfones, and were pleased with their service; they did not have the difficulties that I had e...

Edit: New images added and some editing 8-16-2011 There are some things you ought to know. This old cowboy (well, cowboy at heart) is a caring sort. Sometimes I'm dreadful at showing it, and I get thoughtless or maybe even selfish at times. But I try to be compassionate. Pixabay.com / Cornfreak Lately, I've been getting blackmailed by e-mail (hence the title of this piece). No, the sender doesn't intend any harm. These are the letters that say, "I've been thinking of you. You're one of my many friends and I'm sending this to show I care", etc. (It often has a cute poem and pictures of teddy bears or something.) The blackmail part is at the end: "Send this to everyone you know and care about, especially the one who sent this to you. If you don't send this on, then you are evil, lonely, heartless, and will burn in Hell." The same threat comes in some of those useless petition letters that have good intentions, but demean you...

This discussion is more for the men, but I think women can get something out of it as well. "Bond, I've always tried to teach you two things", said Q. "First, never let them see you bleed." "And the second?" "Always have an escape plan." Although it is wise advice for the spy world, we're going to look at it and expand on it. "Gosh, Uncle Bob, are you a spy?" Let's just say that I've had some dealings with, uh, unsavory characters in my time. And some of them still owe me favors. Youse guys payin' attention? (Sometimes you have to talk that way so that they understand you.) Never let them see you bleed. Right. If you're wounded, the bad guys will be even more ready to charge in and finish you off. And you can't show your weaknesses. How does that work for daily living? In the business world, you can't let your competition see that you're wounded or vulnerable. That also applies to office politics. It...

Today's lesson is about people skills. No, it's not a long discussion. But it's important. There is a custom in Japanese culture that involves "saving face". (I have been told that my face is not worth saving, but this is about a cultural thing, not literal or physical.) Essentially, it's about keeping your dignity. I'm not going to discuss the details of this cultual bit, but borrow from the idea (just like I do with Buddhism). In day-to-day dealings, we can irritate people very easily (they don't have a grasp of what is in the previous Weblog, it seems). But if we try to be a bit mindful of our approach, we can ruffle fewer feathers. We can let people save face and keep their dignity, especially in front of others. Heck, I've had bosses that do not require formal address, but in front of "company", I would be a bit more formal and even use "sir" or whatever was appropriate. Didn't cost me anything to do. Here are some tips...

Sometimes it seems to take forever to learn things. And sometimes, we learn things in a relatively short time but it takes many years to master them. I learned something important from a therapist. (Yeah, I had a therapist for clinical depression. It was good enough for Tony Soprano, so get over it.) This involves expectations, and what "should" be. He was fond of the Albert Ellis school of psychology, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. I don't agree with everything (I think the man's an atheist, for example), but a great deal of it makes sense. Suppose I go into a shop. Normally, I expect professionalism and courtesy. But suppose this guy is having a bad day, and he's rude. He shouldn't be rude, he should treat me right. Isn't that awful? No, it's not. I get angry because I'm expecting something I'm not getting. Instead, I should accept the fact that it's a little thing. The world isn't going to cave in because he treats me like a ...

Buona Sera, class. Your not-so-humble professor has been under the weather. And irritable. And lethargic. Maybe a remedy would be to write something. And this one is going to irritate some people. Sorry, but I tell the truth as I see it. If you don't like this one, the next posting will probably be quite different. I have a track record of that. Lately, I've been hearing the feminazi propaganda that comes down to "Woman good, man bad". You're heard it: "Girls grow up into women, boys grow into bigger boys"; men are the cause of all the evil in the world, control the wealth, destroy everything good, constantly think about sex, blather, blather, blather. That's why we should have voted for Hillary Clinton. (I had to backspace to remove my expletives just then.) The good news is that not all women feel this way. In fact, women point out that feminists are fakes. Saying that women are better than men is a discrimination in itself! And there...

Buon giorno. How's it going, Cupcake? Actually, I have to pass on the cupcakes. And the Milky Way bars. And the brownies... You see, yours truly has Type 2 Diabetes. Don't run away, you're not going to catch it, especially through a computer screen. They call it a "disease", but it's nothing I caught or can give away. "Condition" is a much better expression. Here's something ironic: the place I work had a bake sale, proceeds to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Guess what? They weren't selling anything that a diabetic can have! I'm interested in a couple of things. One is to sort of sound a warning so that other people don't develop this condition. The other is to offer some advice. (And I'm more than willing to receive advice as well!) Everything in moderation. "Gosh, Bob, how did you lose twenty pounds in just a few months?" Intelligent question! First off, losing the tonnage is an important part of mana...

Frankly, too many people have horse apples for brains. Why do you think that is? To misuse a verse in the book of Proverbs, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he". What are you putting into your head? Crap? Well, plants need fertilizer to grow with, but your mind is not a plant. My father was fond of saying that your mind is a garden. Plant thought seeds, water them and see what grows. If you plant good seeds, you get good results. The opposite is true as well. I tend to think that the mind is more like a computer. Any programmer knows that a computer is only as good as its input, which is GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out. Also, you need to have good programming in the first place, or even the best input will give bad results. Too many software vendors do not test their products thoroughly and rush it to market, and then have to issue patches and revisions. A simple way to show this is when you use a search engine. If you want to know the annual rainfall of Monterosso al Ma...

Addendum 11-06-2008: I usually put these addendums at the end, but this one is perfect for what I'm saying. Rush Limbaugh gave away a car to a caller on his show. He did it on a whim. Now, get this. When the people showed up at the lot, they were allowed to have the car before Limbaugh's money had reached them! They knew his word and his reputation! Buona Sera. I'm fine, thanks. Hope you're well. This thing has been burning in me and I can't wait to get it written and posted. What is a reputation? It's how people think of you, especially groups. Companies and things in general have a good reputation. Have you ever filled out a registration card for a product you purchased and seen a box under "what influenced your decision" that says, "Acme Corp. reputation"? The company is confident that the word on the street about them is good enough to make you buy something of theirs. Reputations often come about because of personal exper...

Buon Giorno , Class. Yours truly is a bit bothered about something. I don't like the way people beat themselves up. (Now, some people do need a beating, but I know people that will take care of that.) I'm talking about "put-downs", "badmouthing", "talking smack" (do people really say that one?). I'm not saying that everyone is a freaking bit of sliced sunshine in the midst of darkness, but there's no reason to tear down what you do have. One popular expression that I hear is, "Stupid me!" Dreadful. I'm all for admitting when you screwed up; I admit it before other people can point it out to me whenever possible. How about saying, "I messed up", or even, "Oops" instead? There's a difference between the event and the person. "I am stupid" is much different than "I did something stupid". For one thing, you're making an excuse. You're saying, in a way, "Don't expect much...

Buon giorno . I'm still worked up about the illegal immigration issue ( Part 1 is here ). E-mails like the ones my brother sent me get me going again. So, this session is a cheat. Not my own work, but it reflects my sentiments and also pulls together things I've read and heard in other places. But I did put some work into the links. Groovy, huh? Even groovier is that an upcoming Weblog will tie into the cheapness of labor issue. Do me a favor, though, willya? I just added some links to document some of the claims (I won't do all your work for you, though. Some of it's simply common sense, and things you can see with your own eyes). When you check out some of the links, open them in a new browser window or tab. That way, it's easier to find your way back here and finish the article. And maybe read its companion piece. OK, as my buddy Duke Nukem says, "Let's rock!" CHEAP LABOR? Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about? Let's be hones...

Buona sera. How are things going? Good, I hope. Enough of this happy banter. I'm irritated, and I want to tell the world. Today's topic is something that everyone seems to be writing and talking about, and I want to go on record as well. It's a very American subject, but I wonder how many other countries feel the way I do. Said topic is illegal immigration. Yeah, I know, so what. I'll tell you "so what". I'm really fed up with a number of issues here. One is the attitude of some bleeding-heart Americans that say, "The poor dears are fleeing an oppressive regime, we should give them sanctuary." That's a planter full of turd blossoms! Any idea how many people want to get into the USA in the first place? They have their reasons, too. What, we should just let anyone wander in that doesn't like his homeland? Get real. "Gosh, Bob, why should you care, anyway?" I'll tell you why. First, the borders are wide open and any t...

Edited 10-18-2009 Buona Sera. Time to jump right in. The spacing in this article is annoying and I can't get it to do what I want, so we'll all have to deal with it. Yours truly has to deal with depression. No, everybody gets the blues. I mean, as a diagnosed condition. (I went off the medication because I got fed up with it.) It's a struggle, and some days tend to be worse than others (obviously). Anyway, on those days, I have to go about my business on "autopilot". That's my term for doing things automatically, out of routine, just so I can function. Have you ever seen that poster with a group of animals lounging around and the caption, "We gotta get organized"? That was my high school class motto. But it became more profound for me as time went on. Getting organized is not only a powerful stress buster, but an aid to relieving depression. And I'll take all of those that I can get. One thing I have to say right now: This is f...