Huge motherfucking rant

This post might sound a little elitist, but fuck it.

Okay - so is it just me or is the world full of idiots? I mean, not just your run of the mill jerks, but the ones that are now affecting me because they work for major corporations and governments? The reason that I'm posting this is because of a recent transgression that I've had with my electrical service (Dominion Power).

1] Dominion Assholes. So I'm trying to pay my bill online or else I'll incur a late payment fee. Well, every other month prior to this, I've make careful attempts to make sure that my payment was sent via snail mail as to make sure they get it in time. This month, I decided to actually trust their electronic payment system and route the money directly from my checking account. Upon my first attempt to log into the system, I notice that the service is down, and (unbeknownst to me), will stay down for (3) days. So, the site finally decides to come back up tonite which leaves me (2) days to pay my bills. Should be adaquete time, right? Well, after they lost my previous information - I reenter all my information only for them to tell me that I entered in the wrong credit card information. THERE ARE NO FIELDS ON THE PAGE FOR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION. I get pissed so I try to see if maybe I need to log something into my account profile. I start by changing my telephone number, but it doesn't let me because it says it's already in use by another person. Bullshit. So I sent them a nasty letter.

2] Bank of America is the nation's worst bank. I had this savings account which I had recently canceled due to crappy interest rates (Sign up with ING Direct instead - they have 1.3 % APR). Much tastier. There was a $25 automatic transfer from my checking account to my savings account set up when I opened the accounts. I asked if this would be canceled and they had told me it would be. It wasn't, so $25 was being transferred out of my checking account and being placed into the nether. The place where missing socks end up and where laps go when you stand up. Another nasty email was sent out. They refunded my $25 and said they fixed the problem. I'll wait till next month to trust that before my skepticism tides over.

3] Peaches. This one affects me more than the rest. So, long story short, Lindsey was hired onto a program along with 149 other people recently. A lot of people had to pick up and move their lives around to make this happen. And now, because of some government funding issue, it's canceled. It's probably some amount which would equate to 0.05% of the defense budget spent this year - but fuck the scientists and engineers. So, now my baby might be out of a job and looking for a career in the market once again - After she just got settled in to where she is. I just hope everything works out alright.

Just a lot of idiots out there, and it makes me angry that I have to deal with them.
And, just in case anybody didn't realize it already, George W. is the worst of them all.

Didn't people say he handled 9/11 really well? That's one of the things that irks me too. They said that was his shining moment. I still have no idea what people are referring to when they say that, because all i can see is tomfoolery and wily-nillies before, during, and after the event by that man.

Ugh. Now i'm in a grumpy mood before bed. Nite.

Ugh... pantsuit.

I wish I had more time.
There's so many things I want to learn, and to do, and to have done to me.

Part of me regrets the time i wasted in college.
and then part of me remembers that i had no time to waste in college.

perhaps I should've been more productive in middle school.

In the next life you'll know mike.

something like happiness.

I'm pretty happy at the moment.
You could pretty much say I'm above average to stellar in my levels of contentment across the board.

And that, my friends, makes me a happy camper.

In other news, I will be back in Jersey the weekend of the 12th.
ALREADY SCHEDULED PLANS include:
Livin' it up with Lisa Labracio, don'tcha know.
Hot Robbie and his hot party happenings.

If you want some of this, you'd better act fast. Reservations can be made in the form of comments.
Oh, and props to Colin McCloskey for doing a fine job of commenting.
*Two thumbs up*

greg is a dirty old man

Right now I'm in Pittsburgh, waiting around while Lindsey's away at work.

Before I left however, I was talking to Greg and this is how the conversation went.
Greg: Mike, get into bed.
Mike: Oh Greggy!
Greg: Alright, now lay down.
Mike: Greeeg.
Greg: No, lay down the other way.
Mike: *Lays down the other way*
Greg: Do you feel it getting firmer yet?
Mike: Hahahaha

Get it?
Gawd, why the hell did I bother posting this?

mike's rant before bed.

Today's rant is about the GRE's.

So, I have a confession to make. Before my senior year of college, I had no idea that the GRE's existed. My only knowledge of them comes from away messages of several friends that were studying for them. I figgured graduate school was a while aways and I didn't really have to bother with them at all. Plus, when I started at Lockheed, it would be easy for me to get into grad school, b/c, well.. I was with Lockheed. Corporate benefits, don'tcha know.

Recently, it has come to my attention that despite the fact that I work at Lockheed, there will be no greased wheels or ease of getting into graduate school. I'm just some average guy coming off the street. Well, now I'm worried. See, in my mind, the GRE's must be something terrible. I mean, these are for people going into graduate school, right? There must be reams of calculus and steady state problems from here to eternity. And as for the vocabulary... Well, after attending a polytechnic school for (4) years, I had reason to worry.

So tonite, I borrowed one of Greg's "Cracking the GRE" and figgured I would have a look as to what I was up against. And I opened it up, and I became angry. The GRE's are nothing more than the SAT's for graduate school. A different scoring system, yes - but the problems were geared towards high school students. No calculus. No deep verbal allusions to 19th century authors. Just analogies and the occasional algebra problem. Was this a joke? Had I picked up the wrong book? Did Greg read my mind and attempt to fool me tonite? This revelation upset me for two reasons.

The first, less aggravating reason:
1] If they're going to test applicants, why not actually test them? I mean, isn't this for what we're paying? I feel they just want to waste my time.
The second, balls-out reason:
2] Why the fuck do we even need the GRE? Doesn't the fact that we completed our undergraduate studies prove something? Look at our transcript. I suppose this argument could be made for the SAT's in high school (and actually has been made many times). But for crying out loud, this is college. If they can't determine our status after looking at this information, then I highly doubt the GRE will influence anything at all.

If they're making us take a test just so they can charge us for it to make money for no point whatsoever.. Well, then they're just republicans. And that just sucks.

Another 11 hour day at work tomorrow, but at least I solved my first problem today. I feel useful!
Whooooooo.

Nite kids.
07.28 -> 07.31 : Pittsburgh
08.04 -> 08.07 : Jersey
Hit me up if you're in the area.

Taste of Jersey

What a swell weekend. As those of you who check this may know, Robbie Lubas and Maggie Navs come down to visit me this weekend. On Friday, us kids (also included were Gregface and Kathy) went out for some dinner on King Street, and we walked around a little bit before retiring back to my apartment. Kathy and Maggie slept on my mattress on the floor, and Rob and I shared a futon. He made high pitched weezing noises in the middle of the night. Kind of like a balloon after you pop it, and then squeeze the remaining air out. Kinda.

Saturday Greg left to get a new car. He's thinking of an Aston Martin, and Porsche, or a Camry. I think he's getting the Aston. The rest of us went to the zoo to see some crazy animals and then swung up to this theatre called the Uptown, where we saw The Island. That movie is such a Michael Bay flick. Fast camera angles. Decent graphics with enough entertainment so it won't get boring. No character development. Weak storyline. That basically sums it up right there. Scarlett Johanson was pretty cute in her little white track suit though. After some sushi, we ended up getting lost on the way back home. *Sigh*. Maggie made a poor showing of drinking with me, and ended up going to sleep. I've always wanted to get Maggie into my bed. Too bad I was in the other room sleeping with Rob. >.<

Sunday was lunch with aformentioned and Joe Navs. We ate french. I didn't feel cultured, but it was tasty nonetheless. Then they left and I spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing.

And now I start work again tomorrow. Ho hum.
Going to see if I can start flexing my hours so I can get Friday off so that way I can see Lindsey.
Nite kids.

Shortbread.

I was going to write a decent post in here, but I ended up talking to Lindsey, so I'll leave you with something short.

1] Tomorrow is friday which means the last day of work for the week. YAY!
2] Tomorrow is friday so the kiddies from jersey come. YAY! (Maybe Rob will bring large watermelon like fruits)
3] Today, I got overcharged at the Citgo station. I had an emissions test done and they charged me for (2) things instead of (1). My growing distrust of auto garages is started to match the cliche.

I've been working out lately. My boobies hurt.

Nite nite.