Friday, May 30, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 30 sales

Weekends are famous in the Midwest for garage sales, I used to be a big rummage saler, I used to like to pick through someone’s sale tables and try to find the best deal possible, the once in a lifetime find. Those were the days, you used to be able to go to a rummage sale and find some really good deals, now I don’t think as much. Some people who have these sales get an unrealistic value that they place on things based on what I don’t know, but how often have you been to a sale and one of these four things were there, prices so high that you could buy new for cheaper, that the stuff was dirty, or junky or they were selling things like old cool whip and margarine tub and you wondered why they even bothered with the sale. Every once in a while you come across the holy grail of a sale but for the most part at least the ones I have seen lately have been stuff that I would probably just throw away.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 29 cybercrimes

I got an email from ebay the other day saying I should change my password; I have got other emails from other companies in the past with the same request. I think that they are winning; I really think that the hackers are winning. I saw a report that was released yesterday that said that same thing. The annual survey on cybercrimes found that hackers are breaking into computers and stealing information. How can we stop them, go off the grid? I don’t think that this is a possibility as we are all tied into the world wide web with everything from our phone, both home and cell, to our tv to our internet, are we too tied in and is there hope of ever getting back our privacy?

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 28 do you trust your phone

Do you trust your phone? There are more and more covert aps that are on the market and people are using them to spy on each other. I don’t think I have too much to hid but this bothers me, would I like if someone knows where I am 24/7? Not at all there are something’s that we need to do that don’t need prying eyes. I have had a few guests on in the past talking about cyber stalking but this phone stalking to me takes it to a new level, like a constant eye, and I don’t like it. We are already telling the world where we are and when we are not at home but to have someone actually know that you are in the dairy food isle at the grocery store, enough is enough. Now I am not sure if I trust my phone.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 27 shooting

The shooting over the weekend in Santa Clara, California had a shooter that posted on youtube and had a manifesto of 140 pages long. I don’t get it, if every person who has felt rejected, alone or sad went on a rampage, there would be things like this happening all the time, because I know that when I was a teenage boy I felt much of the same, when you get rejected you just got to pick yourself up by your bootstraps and jump back on the horse. I think that all too often people blame their surroundings, their situation, their failures on others, guess what you don’t like those items, change them. There are millions of stories and millions of positive outcomes that are lived out daily. If you are having a hard time with life, don’t I repeat do not grab a sniper rifle or any other weapon, talk to someone because there is help, and believe it or not people care.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 23 mowing

Well I did it and it worked on the first try.  With our weather getting better and better my lawn started to wake up and do what it was supposed to do, grow.  I had about ankle high grass yesterday afternoon and a nice carpet of green when done.  I was leery of the mower starting after the cold winter that we had, but I filled the tank, pulled once and the mower coughed twice, then purred like a kitten.  Don’t get me wrong, I miss my old Lawn Boy mower without all the safety levers but this Briggs and Stratton mower is pretty good.  This weekend I will attempt to get the weed eater working, I can tell you right now that it won’t start on the first pull or even the 15th and I will smell of exhaust when done, but the weed eating will be done. 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 22 panhandlers

How many people actually give money or food to the panhandlers that are standing on the medians as we drive into town?  I have an uncle who lives on the streets in Chicago and he makes his living by washing windows and other odd jobs, is it strange that it bugs me seeing people standing with a sign asking for a handout?  I don’t mind helping someone out I do believe that this is human nature, but if you are going to get something shouldn’t you offer something in return?  

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 21 the big game

The big game, the big football game, that game that is played the first weekend in February crowning the champion with that trophy, you know the trophy.  You also know the game, the one where people who don’t even care about the game watch for the commercials.   This game will be played in Minnesota 2018, the new Minnesota team stadium beat out team stadiums from others around the country.  Cities like New Orleans and Indianapolis.  The game will be played that cold winters day in Minneapolis, in their new multi-million dollar supported by some tax payer money stadium.  I guess if you want to have the big game to be played in your city, you either have to be warm, have a dome, or willing to take from the tax payer dollars to get a stadium.  I am sure you noticed I didn’t say the name of the league, the name of the big game or anything else that could be construed as a negative toward that league, I just don’t have the time or the money to defend myself against their rule of saying the names of the teams or the big game.  Plus I don’t have written consent.  

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 20 everyday achievements

I am a simple man, there are little games that I play every once in a while trying to either beat the clock on the microwave, by trying to get a chore done, or trying to open the microwave door at the moment the thing is ready to beep.  How about grabbing your usb drive and getting it into the slot the first time, I loose this game often.  I like to time my driving either to or home from work so that way I don’t hit any red lights, it happens more often on way to work than on way home.  But the ultimate win is waking up looking at the alarm clock right as it goes off, when then happens I buy a lottery ticket.  That one has yet to pay off.  What are the little games you play? Or better yet what’s the most satisfying everyday achievement? 

Monday, May 19, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 19 love my job

Is it weird that I like work? I was just on vacation and was looking forward to getting back to work, where there is structure. Don’t get me wrong I look forward to the times when I can leave the office and go away for a few days but I am a fan of what I do for a living, it know what to expect and I am used to the surroundings, plus I get to sleep in my own bed. Are you a fan of work or do you hate what you do? I think that life is too short to be at a job you hate as we all put in many hours a week doing what pays us. If you do not love it, why do it? Is it the money, is the hours, is it cause it fits your schedule? If so start looking for the next one, you can find something else. Life it too short to settle.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 12 parking

Did ya see what the city of La Crosse is proposing for parking? I call BS. Meaning Bad Stuff, I dislike alternate side parking November through April now there is talk of year round alternate side parking, no thank you. The city is always talking about doing this or that to bring more people in to the city, this could push me and a bunch of people out of La Crosse. I am guessing that when they poll anyone no one has ever said you know what will help with economic growth, let’s have alternate side parking – year round. Bad idea folks, really bad idea. This is a grand idea to go with the great river grand city slogan. Let’s change that to parking is going to stink but the rest of the city is ok, and we have a grand river.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 9 armrests

Being a bigger guy I am always looking for the best place to sit in a movie theater or plane.  I very much dislike sitting next to another big guy cause there is always the fight for the arm rest.  When was the last time you were at the you name it and the person that sits down next to you sneaks in and steals the arm rest?  I don’t know where to put my arms if I can’t use the rest, do I fold them across my chest, do I sit on my hands where to these arms hang if they can’t use the rest?  Why can’t airlines and movie theaters next time they upgrade the seats upgrade them to comfortable double arm rest seats?  While we are on the topic of seating why is it that some restaurants have the high back no lean chairs, they are super uncomfortable, also when seated at a booth, as a bigger guy and I am guessing a big chested woman also has to worry about getting stuck.  I don’t know how many times I have had to switch sides on a booth when the table and the seat is bolted down.  You do know it is all about comfort, right.  

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 8 money

I think it is time that we rethink our money system.  Personally I believe that we need to bring in a bigger than a 100 dollar bill, if you go to buy a 30 thousand dollar car and you want to pay cash you have to come up with 300 100 dollar bills.  The c-note doesn’t have the same prestige that it once did, I remember the first time I held one and the awe I was in and the power I felt, now it doesn’t even cover a week’s groceries for the family.  I think that the US government should look into bringing back the 500 and the thousand dollar bill.  While we are on money we should also do away with pennies.  A penny used to buy something now even penny candy is two for five cents.  Plus tax eats away at the extra few cents that we think we are saving by buying something that ends in 99.  

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 7 carpet

We had new carpet installed the other day in a bedroom, a hallway and the stairs. The installers had it set up like cable install saying that they would be there between 1 and 3. They split the difference they got there at 2. Tear out, clean up, install and clean they thought 2 to 3 hours, I thought great I have evening plans should be great. When I left the house at 6 for my evening plans they were still working, when I got home they at 9 they were just finishing up. Apparently there are 3 different businesses in play here, the carpet store, the measurer, and the installer. The measurer measured wrong causing the installer to seam my carpet in a few spots, it is in but there are seams in the carpet, seams that I didn’t want. Also I have about 15 yards of carpet that was left behind. My questions are should I get money back on the left over carpet, should the installers get paid more for working longer and harder should the measurer be fired and what if there was so much carpet left over what happed to the extra pad?

Monday, May 5, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 5 tv shows

It’s that time of the year again when the shows that you fell in love with over the spring book are getting canceled.  I am a big fan of the Robin Williams show “The Crazy Ones”, I also like “About a Boy”, “Enlisted” and “The Trophy Wife” and these four shows are on the bubble to get cancelled.  It bugs me that these networks put so much into getting us as consumers to start liking a show then pulling the plug, to do what fill the time with yet another annoying singing competition or some wacky but untrue reality type program?  I just don’t get it.  Do you? 

Friday, May 2, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 2 best foods

Best foods?  There is always a list telling us what some people think is the greatest burger, pizza, donut or sandwich.  Those lists are based on what?  On what people like, right?  I don’t want to sway you one way or another on this so I am not even going to even give you any categories, who in your mind has the best food?  What foods do you crave, and what is your favorite beverage?  Who has the best servers or bartenders?  Who is the best of the best?  Also what food or restaurant would you like to see where you live?  

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Daily Dose of BS May 1 minumum wage

There will always be poverty and always be exorbitant wages, I will always be closer to the first. The Minimum wage hike was shot down in the Senate yesterday. And even though I am closer to the minimum wage than a decent wage I for one am glad, let me explain myself. If the wage goes up to 10.10 an hour like they are calling for, everything else will also go up, how are the businesses going to recoup that wage, either raise prices or let people go. If the wage goes up and the cost of goods and services goes up then wouldn’t the cost of living go up and with the cost of living going up won’t that push the poverty level back up to wherever the minimum wage hike is? I also look at it this way if you are working an entry level job and you have been there for 10 years and you worked yourself up to 10.25 an hour now a new person comes in and is making 10.10 an hour only 15 cents less than you are after learning and doing the job for 10 years, it hardly seems fair. I think that the businesses here need to step up dig in to the profit and pay better and not have the government tell them what to pay. They should bump the pay on their own.