Dear 7-Eleven,
I have always been a fan of yours. Living now in Albany, New York, I don't have on that is open close to me, but there is one near my father's house (in Adams, MA) that I go to not often but on occasion.
I had the opportunity to enter 7-Eleven #32540 (Biddeford, ME) on Wednesday evening, while waiting for my pizza to be prepared. I needed a pack of cigarettes for myself and for someone else.
Let me give you a little background here, Wednesday was a gorgeous day. A seriously gorgeous day. I had a good tan going on and when I went to get pizza, I was in chino shorts and a Ralph Lauren polo shirt. Yes, I popped the collar. Why? I was feeling good about myself, and I thought it was cheeky.
Yes, it is a little douchey, but...I am on vacation, and I am a bad person.
As I was walking into Store #32540, a man (25, presumably a little drunk but the way he looked) asked me if I knew that my color was up.
"Yes, thanks," I replied.
"Well, it looks gay."
Okay...what?
It took me a second to figure out what he said but I was not going to make a scene and really, I thought he was a homeless person. After seeing that your store had a really awful selection of beer, I went to the counter to by the aforementioned cigarettes and to my surprise, the man that I thought was drunk and or homeless, and who used the word "gay" as an insult, was behind the counter, discussing the functioning of the store with the woman who cashed me out.
So, 7-Eleven, is your policy to allow homeless people behind the counter or is it policy to employee bigots and homophobes?
In addition, Biddeford in the summer is largely a tourist town and I am going to go out on a limb and state that most of the tourists coming to town and spending thousands of dollars are not as conservative as the locals. It may be in the interest of your corporate image to remind your franchisees that just because they (and the people in their town) may have a certain set of beliefs, the world is a really big place, full of a lot of people who are not small minded or, more to the point, horrifyingly ignorant.
Thanks, and I hope and trust that incidents like this will not longer happen.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
LeBron & ESPN as seen by Olbermann and Leitch
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I have avoided talking about LeBron because...well...I like Cleveland. That being said, when two of my favorite journalists are talking about him, of course I am going to post it.
Reading Choices
So, I am going to spend a good portion of my day reading and avoid the rain and such...
Should I read comics (including Serenity: Float Out)
Or should I spend my time on a book that I have tried to get to and through three times already?
Yes, three times.
Now, I do love this author but the Baroque Cycle drove me to distraction and it was a struggle to finish it.
And now, I am going to go into that breach again and try to read Anathem.
Why?
Because I am Edmund Frakin' Hillary of excessively long fiction.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Dilemma: An Update
So...
I went up to the AT&T store at Crossgates in order to locate the owner of this missing iPhone.
The nice gentleman at the store was able to locate the owner from the SIM and was able to reach her.
She lives in the neighborhood, (On Elm) and she is going to pick up the device at some point this afternoon.
She sounded grateful and I am happy to have been of service.
Now, I am treating myself to a Blue Point Toasted Lager for my service to the community.
If anyone has found my iPod, I would happily take that back.
(I asked myself, "What Would LeBron Do?" and realized that he would have dicked people around and then sold the iPhone to someone on Miami's Craiglist. )
Maine Vacation Photos 2010
Photos from the family vacation. I am sure that they will be of little interest to anyone.
The Dilemma
Or doing the right thing.
So, while I was gone, my housemate (@pvh1976) found an iPhone (8 gb, 3G)laying on the sidewalk.
Last evening, over a well deserved quality beer, we discussed what to do with it. My first reaction was to just bring it to the store so they could find the owner. For the record, it is locked and I do not want to circumvent the security so that I can locate the owner...as that is a felony.
This morning, I tried another tact, I called AT&T to see if they could put the owner in touch with me so that it could be returned.
I popped the SIM and read off the number to the woman (a Ms. Morrison in Tennessee where their weather is just as awful as ours) from customer service who put me on hold to run it down. When I popped the SIM back in, what I noticed is that the phone said "No Service" which meant that they had allowed their contract to expire.
Ms. Morrison returned from hold and told me that she could not locate that SIM.
I was left with two choices: I could bring it to the AT&T store and they could try to locate the owner or (and these are her words) "free iPhone".
I know what I want to do, but what do you think @pvh1976 should do, as it is ultimately her choice?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Me Fail Englist? That unpossible!
Read the article for the metrics on majors books and some of the posts written by the author...which runs counter to the statement below.
Is Tenth-Grade Level Obama Too Smart or Too Stupid for America? - The Awl:
"Using simple language clearly and well is the mark of a sophisticated writer and speaker, rather than the reverse. If the President resorts to simple language, maybe that isn’t because he wants to make sure that the dumbest among us will get what the hell he is saying; maybe it’s because the simplest language is also the most beautiful, and the most effective."
Is Tenth-Grade Level Obama Too Smart or Too Stupid for America? - The Awl:
"Using simple language clearly and well is the mark of a sophisticated writer and speaker, rather than the reverse. If the President resorts to simple language, maybe that isn’t because he wants to make sure that the dumbest among us will get what the hell he is saying; maybe it’s because the simplest language is also the most beautiful, and the most effective."
This is Not Surprising
Police: Priest used church money on male escorts, lavish lifestyle - CNN.com:
"Father Kevin Gray, 64, a former pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Waterbury, allegedly embezzled money from the church over the course of seven years.
He used it to pay for fancy restaurants, clothing, vacations, hotels, a New York City apartment and a male companion's tuition at Harvard University, according to an affidavit obtained by CNN affiliate WTIC and filed with the Connecticut Superior Court."
"Father Kevin Gray, 64, a former pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Waterbury, allegedly embezzled money from the church over the course of seven years.
He used it to pay for fancy restaurants, clothing, vacations, hotels, a New York City apartment and a male companion's tuition at Harvard University, according to an affidavit obtained by CNN affiliate WTIC and filed with the Connecticut Superior Court."
Yay! Travel!
I love the train and I believe that everyone should use it more often. It is a wonderful way to travel and more to the point, it is inexpensive and very convenient in addition to being fairly carbon friendly.
TEA did cry as I left this morning, and part of that was related to it being 6:30 am and he doesn't do mornings, and the other part of that is that we do have a really good time together.
The other thing about this morning that I feel compelled to mention is that my 60 lbs. Kelty Redwing 3100 pack (Which has become my travel bag of choice because I can pack everything, including my netbook and books as well as clothing and toiletries for a week and be hands free to do other things. For a plane, I do have to check it, but for the train, it is perfect.) is not playing nicely with my proto sun tan (i.e. I was stupid and even though I was applying sunscreen all through the week, I forgot to reapply yesterday and...well...I do have some great lobster red skin right now on my shoulders and back) and I am not as comfortable as I should be. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that these are first world problems.
I am happy that I made this trip, and my family did not drive me as crazy as I thought, though I may have driven them crazier than they expected.
Yay me!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
I Am Jack's Total Lack of Surprise
A couple of months ago, I was turned down for a job from a small local college.
Now this small college is neither well endowed nor noteworthy, (Famous alum is a late night talk show host) but it offers a chance to take some classes for free in addition to it being a job that I can do easily and well.
Well, I didn't get the job and they hired someone who used to work below me at another job...
Oh, yeah...my mother is the chair of one of the academic departments at this college...
Flash forward to this week.
My mother asked if I could set up Skype so she could attend a meeting. "Sure, no problem." I have Skype on my laptop, my father has Skype on his AirBook...even TEA has Skype on his notebook. (Why my mother doesn't have Skype, I do not know...)
So...I set the meeting up for her on my laptop and we wait for people to join...
NB: all the people on this call are on this call are from independent college that refused to employ me.
Multiple people join but they are having issues connecting everyone. So...my mom calls small crappy college tech support? One of the other people who are on the campus of "We Need the Tuition" U call the help desk?
No, my mom hands me the phone and tells me (tells me!) to fix it.
*sigh*
Now this small college is neither well endowed nor noteworthy, (Famous alum is a late night talk show host) but it offers a chance to take some classes for free in addition to it being a job that I can do easily and well.
Well, I didn't get the job and they hired someone who used to work below me at another job...
Oh, yeah...my mother is the chair of one of the academic departments at this college...
Flash forward to this week.
My mother asked if I could set up Skype so she could attend a meeting. "Sure, no problem." I have Skype on my laptop, my father has Skype on his AirBook...even TEA has Skype on his notebook. (Why my mother doesn't have Skype, I do not know...)
So...I set the meeting up for her on my laptop and we wait for people to join...
NB: all the people on this call are on this call are from independent college that refused to employ me.
Multiple people join but they are having issues connecting everyone. So...my mom calls small crappy college tech support? One of the other people who are on the campus of "We Need the Tuition" U call the help desk?
No, my mom hands me the phone and tells me (tells me!) to fix it.
*sigh*
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A Good Walk Spoiled
(With apologies to John Feinstein)
TEA and I had planned on going on a long walk this morning.
As many of you know, TEA and I routinely go for long walks, and as we are going on them we talk of all manner of things and I find myself discovering that he is much more wonderful than I previously believed.
So, TEA and I both dressed and were ready to go when my nephew asked if he could come. Not having a diplomatic way of saying, "No, thank you," our duo became a trio...a twist on the Yoko Factor, I suppose.
About half way into the walk, as TEA and I hit our stride, the nephew (TN from here out) started complaining about how tired he was and that I was committing "child abusing" to which TEA responded quickly with, "Walking for fun is not abuse, TN." About 100 meters from the jetty (which was out destination), TN decided that he had enough, so I told him to sit above the tide line and TEA and I were going to finish.
In short time, TEA and I made it to the jetty and walked back to TN. TEA was filled with confidence for being able to do something better than TN and if walking was the difference, hey, who am I to fight it? (FTR, I was not setting up TN to fail, he invited himself along, I figured he knew the risks...even at seven) so TEA and I walk at a good but not to brisk pace, trying to beat the tide back to the house, and TN starts saying that his hip hurts and starts crying. I did some battlefield triage and determined that he was actually in pain and tried to figure out what to do...I tried carrying him, which I could not do because he is a solid little dude...and then I tried motivational speaking, which worked just as well as carrying him did.
In those four minutes, TEA went from happy and confident to thinking that I did not love him because I was paying attention to TN. Sobbing, he tells me that it is disrespectful for myself and his mother to show other people love when he is there.
I almost lost it. Almost.
What I did won't win me any father of the year awards, but I doubt that I deserve them anyway, but...I had one crying child who was physically in pain, and one sobbing child who was emotionally in pain...and a mile to finish walking....
So...we marched...
It was a combination (to the boys) of Bataan and the Children's Crusade but I got them walking through a combination of cajoling and dismissive behavior. I tried the carrot with one and ended up having the other hate me so...use the stick (metaphorically) on both of them.
We made it home, with TN's mother (my sister) meeting us up, and it turned out that TN's hip wasn't bothering him so much as he had an awful case of sand rash. TEA was still sobbing when we got home and I sent him in to lay down before talking to him about how his mother and I love him more than our own lives, and that he is the most important person in the world to me (which I can say is true for me and I assume it for my ex, even though some species do eat their young) and that it is unfair and manipulative for him to become so upset when I was trying to comfort his cousin. Yeah, probably not winning father of the year for that either, but...his reaction was irrational and I would do anything for him (up to including allowing him to keep that ridiculous haircut) and do it happily...
We talked again afterwards, and TEA was still sad and still upset with me but it was because...I didn't pick him up. I explained (again) that TN was hurting and...wait for it...I picked him up and carried him last night, so it is not as if I never carrying him any longer.
Anyway, that has been my morning, and I am so looking forward to returning home, to my life, and to my urban family.
TEA and I had planned on going on a long walk this morning.
As many of you know, TEA and I routinely go for long walks, and as we are going on them we talk of all manner of things and I find myself discovering that he is much more wonderful than I previously believed.
So, TEA and I both dressed and were ready to go when my nephew asked if he could come. Not having a diplomatic way of saying, "No, thank you," our duo became a trio...a twist on the Yoko Factor, I suppose.
About half way into the walk, as TEA and I hit our stride, the nephew (TN from here out) started complaining about how tired he was and that I was committing "child abusing" to which TEA responded quickly with, "Walking for fun is not abuse, TN." About 100 meters from the jetty (which was out destination), TN decided that he had enough, so I told him to sit above the tide line and TEA and I were going to finish.
In short time, TEA and I made it to the jetty and walked back to TN. TEA was filled with confidence for being able to do something better than TN and if walking was the difference, hey, who am I to fight it? (FTR, I was not setting up TN to fail, he invited himself along, I figured he knew the risks...even at seven) so TEA and I walk at a good but not to brisk pace, trying to beat the tide back to the house, and TN starts saying that his hip hurts and starts crying. I did some battlefield triage and determined that he was actually in pain and tried to figure out what to do...I tried carrying him, which I could not do because he is a solid little dude...and then I tried motivational speaking, which worked just as well as carrying him did.
In those four minutes, TEA went from happy and confident to thinking that I did not love him because I was paying attention to TN. Sobbing, he tells me that it is disrespectful for myself and his mother to show other people love when he is there.
I almost lost it. Almost.
What I did won't win me any father of the year awards, but I doubt that I deserve them anyway, but...I had one crying child who was physically in pain, and one sobbing child who was emotionally in pain...and a mile to finish walking....
So...we marched...
It was a combination (to the boys) of Bataan and the Children's Crusade but I got them walking through a combination of cajoling and dismissive behavior. I tried the carrot with one and ended up having the other hate me so...use the stick (metaphorically) on both of them.
We made it home, with TN's mother (my sister) meeting us up, and it turned out that TN's hip wasn't bothering him so much as he had an awful case of sand rash. TEA was still sobbing when we got home and I sent him in to lay down before talking to him about how his mother and I love him more than our own lives, and that he is the most important person in the world to me (which I can say is true for me and I assume it for my ex, even though some species do eat their young) and that it is unfair and manipulative for him to become so upset when I was trying to comfort his cousin. Yeah, probably not winning father of the year for that either, but...his reaction was irrational and I would do anything for him (up to including allowing him to keep that ridiculous haircut) and do it happily...
We talked again afterwards, and TEA was still sad and still upset with me but it was because...I didn't pick him up. I explained (again) that TN was hurting and...wait for it...I picked him up and carried him last night, so it is not as if I never carrying him any longer.
Anyway, that has been my morning, and I am so looking forward to returning home, to my life, and to my urban family.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Apologies for the Weather
Yes, it is my fault. All of my friends in the Northeast mentioned (they weren't complaining) how hot is was. The 100.6 comment from a friend in Brooklyn made me weep. Well, because he was in Brooklyn and because three digit temperatures are unfair to everyone.
I take the blame, especially since I am at the beach.
Vacation..all I ever wanted?
This this the first family vacation that I have taken since I was maybe 15...and then I thought myself to be an ungrateful little bastard because I really didn't appreciate it then.
Twenty years later, I realize that I was right.
For my, vacations aren't about the destinations but about the people you are with. My idea of fun is sitting on a beach and reading while my family likes the idea of hunting for sand dollars and other such expected activities.
Nota Bene: I love my family. My family loves me. We, and it is a four against one thing here, just don't see eye to eye on almost EVERYTHING, which makes the forced frivolity of time away even more difficult...
So, let me get back to the point about 15 year old me. I missed home. The first three days are nice, but then I miss things like my bed and my shower. I miss my dog, my bike, and my friends. Notice that I shifted tenses there? Because the difference between 15 year old me and 36 year old me is not that different. We miss the same things, which makes it unsurprising when the family falls into the same archetypical roles that have defined all of us since childhood.
But, we have all changed.
When I was a kid, I didn't want to walk out to the lighthouse because I wanted to read, and now, when someone says that "it will be an adventure for TEA" my response is that "And it can be your adventure with him." TEA and I have adventures once a week, exploring the city that we call home (and that we both love) going into shops and restaurants we have never been to and discovering new things for us. Just because we are three blocks from home doesn't mean that there isn't something novel to discover.
I do appreciate the family and the family vacation, and TEA is really happy (especially since he has recovered from his stomach bug) and I wouldn't trade some of the memories for the world...I am just looking forward to taking the train home on Thursday...to my dog, my friends, my house...back to my life...
Because as much as I complain about it, I really like my life and what I have made of it.
I guess I needed a vacation to appreciate it.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
God Shed His Grace On Thee
One of the things that I love about the United States and the Internet, is that you are free to say any asinine thing that you want...
And with that preface, I give you a list of the Top Twenty Five Conservatives in America which has, predictably, Sarah Palin at numero uno.
God Bless You, and God Bless the United States of America.
And with that preface, I give you a list of the Top Twenty Five Conservatives in America which has, predictably, Sarah Palin at numero uno.
God Bless You, and God Bless the United States of America.
Amazing and scary
HIMYM - Marshall uses a lightsaber ... from Super Simatic on Vimeo.
In 2008, the writers of HIMYM said that in three to five years, light saber technology would be perfected. (And Marshall would be using it to carve the turkey)
Lucas thinks that they are there already.
Lucasfilm Thinks the Spyder III Arctic Laser Is a Little Too Much Like a Real Lightsaber:
"We now know that the crazy-powerful Spyder III Arctic laser actually emits a visible, fearsome blue beam, just like a real lightsaber. George Lucas' lawyers saw this thing and fired off a cease and desist faster than Han shot Greedo."
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