Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Thoughts On Today

I see a lot of 9/11 remembrance photos, collages, and posts all over today. And while I don't have a problem with remembering the loss of life, I also see a lot of leftover anger, fear, and hatred. To me, that just belittles the memory of those who sacrificed and died. Many people are talking about how "we all came together" eleven years ago. For me, that is the lesson we should be taking from that day: no matter how different we may seem, when you look at the bottom line, we are much the same.

Look back. Remember. But do it with respect. With openness. Without anger. Without hate. Remember the courage. Remember the selflessness of the emergency personnel who responded.

So, there will be no pictures, memorials, or the like from me. I prefer to keep the vigil silent, more personal. I'll remember in my thoughts and my prayers, within. Because, just maybe, it is time to let some things fade, so that the light can still shine through.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Things That Aggravate Me

     I'm going to do a little ranting today. I'm in a cranky mood lately. I won't be insulted if you decide not to follow along. You have been warned...

    There are a few things that I encounter a lot, both online and off, that just plain aggravate me. I am not aiming any of this at anyone in particular, as the offenders are many. But if you do happen to feel that you are the object of my ire, well, perhaps you might think about that for a bit, hmmm?

    Things That Aggravate Me:

Grammar: Use it! We all learned it, in grade school, in high school, and again in college, for some. So I'm sorry, there is no excuse for the lack of care in composing emails, Facebook posts, tweets, even blogs. You DO know the difference between you're and your, there and their, it's and its. You DO know that it is one womAn and several womEn. And, yes, we all make mistakes at times. I do, certainly. I'm talking about the ones for whom the mistakes are the norm. Take a second and think about what you are about to type. Because, honestly, you come across as sloppy and a person who just doesn't care when you don't. Not a good impression.

Google it: How many times do you see someone post in social media or forums, a question that they could have answered in seconds with a simple Google query? This just annoys me far more than it probably should. Sure, I know someone posted a link to that thing three days ago, but that doesn't mean they bookmarked it, so why do you expect them to do your work for you? And it's not like it's even work. Google is pretty good- usually you have your answer in the first couple links it comes up with. I'm thinking I may start answering all these type of questions with: "www.google.com"

Shopping Carts: Well, not the carts themselves, but the people who leave them in the middle of the parking lot. Especially the ones who park right next to the cart return, and still leave their cart in the middle of a parking space. Aren't all these fitness gurus and doctors always telling us to walk more? Well, there's one way to do it. Put the cart where it belongs, and keep the parking spaces for cars.

Agenda Slingers: You know, the folks who post nothing but political, religious, or social agenda related pictures, news stories, etc .Especially the extremists. Yes, we all have our pet projects and our beliefs, but if that's ALL you are doing, it gets old real fast. There's good and bad on every side, and I think most of us get enough preaching at in our lives already. Some is fine, of course, (I've done my share now and then) even if it's something I don't particularly agree with, but when it looks like you are trying to shove your world onto mine, I get a bit tetchy.

     Ok, I got that off my chest. What annoys you most, either online or off?