Don't Mess With My Value Menu!

Time to wax political. What the hell are they thinking by raising the minimum wage? The biggest concern that they mention is that one can't raise a family on a minimum wage job. Helloooo! You should be looking for a better job than that if you are about to raise a family or already have one to support! If you have to, use that job as a short term solution as you search for the right one. The best thing I heard from someone on the subject was, "Let's raise it to $20 an hour." Of course you would say, "Hell yeah! That means I'm getting a raise." But if you were making $19 an hour which isn't the minimum... you get a raise too and you'd complain about being paid minimum wage. We would all work for the same basic pay and we all would pay more for our items on McDonald's 99 cent menu while less of their workers are running around trying to get you your food before it's cold. You have to cut costs somewhere and initially it falls on staffing and benefits. I've also heard that right now people are making more on welfare than at minimum wage jobs. That's a great way to encourage people to work. Let's pay people more to not work than work... I think they call that government subsidizing. Getting caught in the numbers crunch, we've decided to just make employers pay more instead of lowering what we are paying people to not work. I can't say I'm against there being a bare minimum that someone can be paid for a job. We need entry level jobs. But we shouldn't be calling those jobs careers. Most people complain about "big business" putting "Mom and Pop" stores out of business but who do you think is better suited to survive a wage hike?

Debit, Credit, Expeditures And Life

It's one of my worst subjects but let's do some light math here. The average person is supposed to get 8 hours of sleep. They are also expected to work an 8 hour day. (Subtotal from 24 hours = 8 hours) We also have to wake up, kick the alarm clock, shower, shave, eat, drive and drive back from work which could take another 3 hours or so depending on the commute. So that leaves us with a whopping 5 hours per weekday to live our lives. Not too much when you think about it. As always, we try to cheat here and there by sleeping a little less which makes us tired all day, less fun to work with and semi-functional. If it weren't for our weekends, we probably wouldn't get anything done. Then again, I burn up one of my days with research, writing and recording involved with the website and newsletter. So I figure I get one day to myself to really compact it all together. But when you think about it, how much time does one have when they work two jobs? Can living your life really be crammed into 5 hours during the weekdays and parts of weekends?

I think of all the people that have asked if I write down all my expenses and earnings to keep track year to year. (Nosey bastards!) But I wonder if anyone calculates their life expenditures. Do we spend enough time with our loved ones? Am I in debt? Possibly. I'm even spending part of my sleep towards writing this. Better go cash in.

This Is Technical Support, Please Call Back When It Is More Convenient

As I have mentioned before, I wind up getting caught up helping people with their computer problems. One of my biggest pet peeves (and I'm pretty sure everyone elses) is calling technical support. If they only had a number you can press earlier to tell the service what your level of computer experience is before you interact with the support representative, it would be so much easier. Standard questions from them when you call start with: "Is your computer turned on?", "Are all the wires plugged into the back of the machine and in the right areas?", "Have you tried unplugging your machine for 5 minutes, plugging it back in and trying to start it?", "Are you using software that we didn't provide you? (if not, you need to call someone else buddy)", "Do you know what a command prompt is?," "Can you find your C drive?", "Is there someone in the house that doesn't speak English that we can talk to?"... etc. My poor neighbor has had Sears come out several times to fix his computer hardware and left him to re-install Windows ME (yes, folks... someone recommended he put ME back onto his computer.) After spending lots of time and money on tied up phone circuits and housecalls, they are asking him to send his computer to them. I can usually yell at a bad technical support person if it's my computer but of course doing it for someone else can easily get him less support in the future. The best technical support that I've ever gotten was oddly enough through eMachines (yes, for someone else's machine) in which we talked through a chat window. It does curtail violent outbursts and name-calling... unless you tend to go off on the !'s. I actually was getting voicemail when I called AirLink about a wireless USB set-up. Rule #1 of tech-support... "What kind of router are you using? Ahhh, Microsoft. I think you should call them." What? Anything to get you off the phone in record time.

Nap-time At The Yerick Household

My friend Mike is really enjoying his time off work. Then again, you can't really say he is off work when he has started diaper duty but it is always good to get a nap in. That's just what he's doing here with Miss Alyssa Rose. (Ok, I might have spelled her first name wrong but they won't beat me up for it.) Printed up a copy of this to take to work and tell people that he's been sleeping with a younger woman.

Doctor, Doctor, Gimme The News...

I think I may finally be catching up on my sleep a little. I've been burning the candle at both ends recently and I can tell that it's been affecting my projects. Kinda noticed it when I drove back from the hospital yesterday as my eyes were in that scratchy sleepy stage (it was only 6pm.) Grandpa's kidney surgery that day wound up being delayed due to them not finding the blockage they believed to be there. Which is good news but means another course of treatment. His artery there is looking healthy and they'll be trying some new medications to try to restore kidney function. I was just happy to see the show of support for him at the hospital as I don't think he expected as many to show up. My two strongest male role models in my life have been my father and Grandpa Bolton. I'm not ready to see him go this soon and by all that I'm hearing, neither is he. Modern medicine continues to amaze and frustrate me.

This Little Piggy Went To Market

I've never been good at the art of the sale. Trying to get someone to buy something that they don't want is difficult enough for someone that is trained. But for me, I find it even difficult trying to sell myself or my projects. I have and will always be brimming with ideas that I don't have time to devote full attention to. Of course, the one that I've stuck with the longest has to be the 80's Nuts Newsletter. But in the 8 or so years of writing it, I have yet to really promote it. So far word of mouth has done a lot of good but to hit that next step, I'll need to reach out a bit more. Writing the weekly 80's music news has been about educating myself but moreso about getting information out to people that it wouldn't normally reach. Don't know how I'll do it yet but I figure that an appeal to the subscribers to spread the word is a start. I figure that there have to be at least a few thousand people out there that would like to find out about band reunions, new albums and all. But how do you hit those people just right? I think this is why I've never been involved in marketing brainstorm sessions...

Today rediscovered the 6-degrees of separation surrounding me and think that it could be even closer than that. And no, I haven't been in a movie with Kevin Bacon.

The Optimistic Pessimist

I have always believe that I can be called an optimistic pessimist. In pretty much every aspect of life, I've always looked at the worst case scenario before looking for the silver lining. Rather depressing, I know, but it does give me some feeling of comfort although some people may see it as negativity at times. I actually do think that it does make the rewards sweeter in the end when I know how bad things could have been. So today, opening the mailbox, I felt some of that sweetness. The albatross that had been my car accident and subsequent repairs has become something less than a gnat. In the mail was a check from my insurance company for about $700 for my deductible and car rental reimbursement. This means that my legwork consisting of accident photos, hand-drawn area map and calls to both insurance companies paid off and that I was found not at fault. The literally thousands of dollars that I spent (on deductible, rental and miscellaneous repairs) has been mostly recovered. But, best of all... accidents in parking lots generally wind up being a loss to both insurance companies. The ruling in my favor is a rarity as well as a blessing to my auto insurance record and rates. Yes, this time the silver lining won out.

May I Be Of Service?

Ok, I'm just about to go to sleep (working 5am to 1pm tomorrow) and had something stuck in my brain. Knowledge is power but knowing how and when to use that knowledge is dangerous. I think about the fact that at least 98% of everyone out there has a firm grasp of some genre of information. Learning from those people does make you a better person but leaning on them can cause problems. I feel there are a lot of times that I'm the first person someone begs to have come over when a computer problem occurs. It happens to anyone who has been around them since the mid-80's. Yet, there is a point when you know that you can't keep jumping when someone says fire because you have other things you are focused on. Ok, I can't complain about the food that some of them feed me but I do know there will be a point when I say... just buy me a bottle of wine. That way, I leave with something and they can feel like they don't have to offer money or food (even though I'm happy with a few tacos.) But, I know this same situation happens to mechanics, doctors, electricians, stock brokers and probably even barbers. And like many of them, I actually prefer to help my family when they need it because I do know they will get it done right. But otherwise instead of walking lightly and carrying a big stick, I should shuffle my feet and twirl an optical mouse.

Oh, btw... I was right on the Patriots. Good game! I was worried for a little bit.

Beans Rattling Around In A Can

Lots of things on my mind and in the development process. Finally registered martinhennessy.com and am debating if I'll start a new site with a blog built in which will also have links to sites and photos of my family and their endeavors. Of course, it all comes down to web design which isn't my forte' (I like to believe it's content development.) On that note, I need to work on better graphics for 80smusiccentral.com.

Currently on my mind is my grandfather's health. They have discovered the reason for the backwash of toxins he suffered after taking water pills to alleviate the excessive water around his heart. The tubes to one kidney is blocked entirely and the other is blocked 30%. He's also been throwing up continually during the day and suffers bloody noses. He's still in the hospital and we are hoping to hear better news soon.

The only good thing in my head right now is that the Super Bowl is just a little over an hour away and my gametime prediction is the Patriots winning. I just believe they have one of the deepest teams in the NFL, a quarterback that makes few mistakes, a tricky defense and a true team dynamic. Can't wait. Enjoy the game!

This Is How The World Ends... Not With A Bang But A Yawn

As a writer, the one thing that you can't be forgiven for is not learning from what you've written. But it seems that I made my own major mistake by not thinking about an article I wrote last year about the death of "Weird" Al Yankovic's parents.

Last week, I was just finishing typing up the newsletter and had some a little free time. I decided to watch a DVD in the living room. Feeling rather chilly, I lit the fire. I passed out twice while watching the DVD even though I wasn't tired. So I went back to the fireplace and turned the light on... it seems that I had moved the flue handle the wrong way. So here my house is full of carbon monoxide and yes... the sleepiness I felt could have been my own mortal end. I quickly aired out the room and yes, turned off the fireplace. And then I thought to myself... "This is how "Weird" Al's parents went." I have turned the fireplace on since but I've very careful when I do.

Water Pills Aren't Full Of Water?

Mom is recovering well. She is breathing a lot easier and hopefully the rest will pass soon. We found out that Grandpa had more complex issues. Grandpa was diagnosed with having excess water surrounding his heart. I hear this isn't good but aren't we made up of 90% water? Anyhow, they gave him water pills to help reduce that. He was supposed to urinate the excess water but supposedly an enzyme or hormone caused a backflow from the kidney which sent the toxin into his bloodstream. This has been alleviated but not explained as thoroughly as it should be. He's feeling better after spending the weekend worrying about his body falling apart. I'm only hoping that this was just a little scare but anything can happen. More importantly is getting his spirits up. This is a big weight off my shoulders and let's hope they stay light for a bit longer.

Time Flies When You're Under The Gun

You know how sometimes you suddenly remember something like a bill or errand you needed to run at the last minute. Well, Tuesday (my only true day off) was like that. On Monday night, I was driving over to pick up dinner and for some reason wondered if I put my registration and proof of insurance in my glove box. I previously took it out for use in the loaner car from my last visit to the dealership. So, I fumbled around and couldn't find it. I checked the house believing that I had put it with my paperwork. It was late so I gave up. I woke up late the next morning and returned to the search. And then it stumbled on me that I might have left it in the loaner car. I hopped in the shower and then thought about the date. I suddenly thought, "My car registration is due every Feb. 1st.... which was today!" I quickly called the dealership who would begin searching for it. The time on the clock was 1pm. I knew that the DMV is always bad early in the week at the beginning of the month. But, to do this, I would need proof of insurance... which I didn't have. So I drove over to the insurance office, got a copy of the paperwork. Drove over to get the car smogged... had to wait behind a few cars. Then drove to the dreaded DMV. I waited. Got to see a couple fighting each other -- first time I've seen drama like that there. My number got called and registration was cheaper than normal. The adrenaline of making a deadline kept me jumpy but I would get to my car and look at my watch... it was only 3pm. That does remind me that I still need to put that sticker on my license plate.

In The Dark With A Strobelight... Not Flashlight

It has been a very weird week, as previously noted. But. I also didn't know that I've pretty much been in the dark when it came to family issues. Found out that Mom was almost hospitalized with an upper respiratory infection (she also has emphysema which isn't a good combo) and she didn't go to work this week. I'm hoping that this thing passes because I do remember the days where she would take 5 minutes to get to the door dragging her oxygen tank behind her. She had been feeling so much better since her last neck surgery. Then my grandfather was hospitalized a few days ago after kidney failure. He's currently on dialysis (that on top of his diabetes, sleep apnea, hearing, heart issues and age) and feels his body is falling apart on him. After hearing about these things, I was jarred awake. I was able to go see grandpa last night at my cousin Sydney's birthday (also got to see Connor and Olivia - my nephew and niece respectively during the party.) Yes, it's scary thinking that you may lose someone but you also dwell on how wrapped up we get in our little worlds and that sometimes we have to remove the blinders for a bit. Should know more about grandpa on Tuesday... if I don't, I will probably try to run down to Boulder City to see them. I'll also try to stop in on mom as soon as possible.

Not Cooking With Gas

So, I'm driving home on I-95 and not far from the mall, my repair-proned Izusu starts sputtering. I still have enough fuel in it (just above the empty line and the gas warning light hasn't turned on.) I do what I can to get it off the road and think that maybe I'll get it as close to a gas station and take a look... didn't happen. So I park in front a strange house and look at the car. I'm able to start it but it sputters out. I recall having the list from the dealership mentioning the fuel pump may need to be replaced and it really didn't sound too good (almost like metal scraping) when I was pulling off the freeway. So, I give in and call the dealership and wait an hour and a half for a tow truck to arrive. I was lucky that they got their loaner car back so I wouldn't need to rent a car (even though I have coupons from earlier repair service claiming that they owed me a free day rental.) I brace for the worst the next day only to find out that the fuel sensor isn't working and is part of the pump which will cost $500 to replace. But, to do all that just to replace the dummy light that I became dependent on? Yes, it looks like I paid for towing and inspection of my vehicle because I ran out of gas for the first time in the car. Oh well... looks like I'm going to keep it as full as possible for the next year or so.

Putting The Eds In Educated

Yes, Nevada has been rated as one of the 'dumbest states' in America. It's also one of the lowest funded. Hmmm... go figure. But even though I'd like to see a state lottery to fund our education system (and not our residents going over the border to fund another states), I think there are a lot of other problems.

I was very lucky to go to a private school for the beginning of my education. It seemed fast paced enough to keep me interested but not enough to get lazy. In retrospect, I know that going from private to public school in 7th grade was a mistake. Maybe, heavy counseling or something may have helped. If you are used to reciting the works of Shakespeare and are suddenly performing the works of Shel Silverstein... there is a drop. Everything seems easier and you aren't working as hard as you once did. Once I got used to doing less, I watched as it got harder to keep up as my work ethic disappeared. I started to rationalize that homework was a sham and that you needed to either do as much as you could there before going home or try to do before you are asked to turn it in. It became a twisted little game. I do think about where my education could have gone and am content with where things went but... as I think about my niece and nephew, I hope that someone is watching our future generation a little more closely.

I've heard it said often that the goals of most parents are to make their children's lives better than their own so their children don't go through what they have. Yes, we probably have a lot less people walking 30 miles to school in snow without shoes but is our education system getting better or worse. If a family can't sit down at a dinner table for dinner, how much time are those parents going to find to call a teacher? At minimum, it'd be interesting to see more interaction with the faculty. I'd love to see a survey of how many parents can tell you their teacher's name.

Sweet Tomatoes

Yes, I am one of the pickiest eaters there are. I'll address that some other time but tomatoes seem to be on the top of my list of food issues. I don't like chunks of them in anything but blending it down into a sauce is the easiest way to fix that. I do believe it's a texture issue but you don't see me harping on high grit sandpaper. It could be the early impression of seeing my aunt put sugar on a sliced tomato and eat it. Who knows. On a similar line of thought, I also believe that everyone has their own one true tomato sauce. Sometime in their lives they are forced to make a decision over Ragu or Prago. It does happen (unless you are allergic to tomatoes for which you should discontinue reading) and it does sound silly but there are major differences. Prago does tend to be sweeter than Ragu. And I think that the only sweet thing about Italian food should be Italian ices... so I'm a Ragu man. Yes, there are more than two brands of sauce but none are more dissimilar. I figure that someone out there has probably even done a thesis on this.

Everything Falls Apart

There was this song by Dog's Eye View with the title above that I tend to think about often. Things aren't made for status quo nor are they meant to zip by at imperceptible speeds. But, somewhere in the middle is life as we know it. The scratch-proof glasses will scratch, the removable media won't move, refined sugar will have something else in it... etc. And then there are cars.

The Izusu Rodeo went into the dealership for the fourth and hopefully final time. At this point, I was entirely pissed as I stared into the service persons eyes and asked, "Is it normal for a car to come back to you 4 times in a 2 month period?" The headlights were finally fixxed during the third visit... yes, third. But after driving home and then deciding to pick up dinner... the car wasn't turning over immediately. It took 4 turns of the key the first time and finally got to the point on Tuesday where I was praying for it to turn over. I at first blamed the new ignition switch (they felt was a problem) needing to be broken in. Of course, it would wind up being the starter. So, that's $1,600 for the first visit, $0 for the dabbling with wires on the second visit, $1,000 for the third trip (which finally fixxed the original problem) and now another $550 on the fourth. This smelled like something out of one of those consumer reports where a perfectly new car would be dropped off and something would be found wrong with it and something else would be loosened or "adjusted" to need repair soon after. Anyhow, the reasoning for the alternator going out was... "It was just time for it to go." Way too coincidental. After all this frustration built up, I called my insurance company (who originally had the work done on the car after the accident) who actually seemed as weirded out by the whole thing as I was. The local adjuster said that the $1,000 that I paid to get it back to pre-accident form will be covered by them and that they'd even be willing to pay half on the alternator. Of course, the skies parted and clouds disappeared... I even think I saw rays of light hitting the ground and little daisies sprouting (ok, it's winter but bear with me.) So, with that weight off my shoulders and some hope with the car, I am now looking at an interesting list the dealership came up with of other items on the Rodeo that need "attention." Oh well, I guess everything will fall apart and all we can do is try to put them back together hoping to not be grabbing our ankles during the whole process.

What Lies Beneath

Scientists have long wondered about what kind of fish species thrive in the oceans depths that have yet to be discovered. Some of that was solved when the tsunami occurred. The shifting of the two tectonic plates not only raised and lowered land masses but it also killed a lot of sea life that is now just beginning to float ashore. A Russian blog site has been posting some pictures of what have been found. Do remember that it is in Russian and will take time to load due to heavy page views (and the fact that it is in Russia.) But after seeing some of these marvels, it makes you wonder about what else is out there. What other life forms are hidden here on earth while we search the cosmos? It makes me remember the more recent rediscovery of a coelacanth by some fishermen in 1998 in Indonesia. Hmmm...

Ok, it looks like it was a hoax. But not entirely. The photos were taken earlier than the tsunami but the sea life were really found and exist. Here are the other photos.

Where All The Unwanted DVDs Go

My normal Tuesday agenda is to go to Best Buy and check out the latest releases. "Street date" is a media business term used to spread equality through the retail stores by having one day that the movie, game, album or other item is to hit shelves on. Breaking street dates can actually be a hefty fine (I've actually seen the people that look at the new items and their placements in the stores on Tuesday.) But sometimes Best Buy doesn't get their items out by street date. Sometimes it's because it is in back for some odd reason or they just aren't getting it in. So when I don't see the item I want there, I start looking around.

So I went into Suncoast Video yesterday to see if they had what I was looking for. (Yes, I actually check online to find out street dates and get an idea of what is coming out that week... kinda cool to have Tuesdays off.) After deciding not to spend $30 on a DVD with 3 episodes of a series on it (yes, $10 a freakin' episode), a sign caught the corner of my eye saying Used DVDs. I find out later from the sales person that they are testing it out in that particular store but they buy used DVDs (you get more for store credit than cash) at sometimes a real bargain... for the store. Anywhere from $.50 to $10 depending on the title and popularity. But, if you have DVDs that you will never watch again and know that you will never get a decent price on eBay for them... it becomes a way of trading them in for credit and picking something else up. So I went home and looked through my enormous collection and pulled aside a good (or bad depending on how you look at it) 20 or so DVDs and brought them in today. Now, I just need to watch and see what else they get in so i can fix holes in my collection. Found a few DVDs for $10.99 that weren't too bad. Oddly enough, I didn't see Glitter or Gigli anywhere in the area so maybe beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

My Favorite Book Series

I knew at some point that I would have to talk about this and there is no better time than the present. I got hooked on Brian Lumley's The Necroscope in about 1990-1991 when a roommate was reading the series. What wasn't there to like for me. Vampires, horror, sci-fi, the paranormal, revenge and all other goodies. For those that haven't read it: It's set in Britain during the Cold War 1980's and about the mysterious Harry Keogh. If you think about all those people out there that can bend spoons, find missing items, forecast the weather, tell your future and contact the dead... what about someone that regularly talks to them? What do they see, know, feel or say? But then, it brings in a very unique vampire mythos that can make you rethink some of the other stories we have heard. I'm not going to spoil the series for you but there are 5 books in the first series, 3 in the next, 2 that fill in the blanks between those and a separate 3 that I shouldn't tell you about because they may spoil the previous books.

I was lucky enough to go to a book signing with my friend Teri where we saw Mr. Lumley. He and his wife are very nice people and they even asked several of us if we wanted to go to the food court and join him for lunch. I felt pretty bad about all the books I had signed (including my prized possession of his first published book) and the attention he was getting that I had his wife sign next to her husband a paperback of the first book. I've yet to hear someone read the first book and not want to check out the others and if anything, I've created a few fans for the series. But I think 13 books is all we will get. If you want a story that doesn't end, you'll have to look into Zanth.