Anybody ever notice just how much people get involved in their sit-coms. They can recite word for word every line from the last two seasons. They can diagnos instantly every plot twist and come up with a complete doctorate-quality thesis. They spend hours per day pondering what will happen in the next episode. They can comment on every single comment that their favorite character makes.
My brother and sister-in-law are hugely into 'Y and R', which I didn't know stands for the Young and the Restless. As I sit here typing this, I listen to "rachel" and her father "joe" discussing every single nuance and possibility. As best as I can understand, someone has either shot and tried to shoot somebody else. I can't really understand this, having never really watched much TV. But I can understand this fanatical devotion to the happenings of a completely fictional universe.
I read Star Wars novels. Actually, I addictively devour Star Wars novels. I can recite many of the ship classes from both the books and the movies. I can give you a quick biography from anyone in the books. I am currently enjoying the Legacy series, which takes place around 50 years after 'Return of the Jedi'. I am anticipating the release of the newest book in May.
The similarities are remarkable. Rachel and Joe can really break down everything. They attempted to explain the plotlines as an episode was running. They were attempting to tell me each character's history was as they appeared and disappeared rapidly on the screen. As anyone who has ever watched Y and R knows, this resulted in a confused blogger very quickly.
I also know, however, that if I try to explain a summary of all the Star Wars books that have been written, I could completely confuse them as well.
We all have our obsessions. Some are healthy, some are bad, and of course, some are just our own preferences. We each have different things we are addicted to, that's what makes us human and unique. It's part of life. On the other hand, trying to explain these things to anyone who doesn't understand in definitely impossible. After all, how does one explain how Luke marries an Imperial assasin who becomes a Jedi and.........
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Old Glory
I was driving in Sheboygan county the other day when I noticed the flag. For those who don't live around here, the 'flag' is one of the largest flying in country and resides on the property of an insurance company. And I don't mean to say that I only just noticed it, but I really realized what it symbolized. Old Glory is everywhere, military uniforms, front porches, bumper stickers....
Our flag is the symbol of America. It represents our country to the entire world. People in other countries see our flag and instantly think-USA. And now when I think about that flag, I think more about it. What has that flag seen? Our nation made it through two revolutionary wars, a civil war, two world wars, and numerous other regional conflicts throughout the world.
No matter what we think of where our country is headed today, no matter what we think of the current leadership, no matter who we think will be the next president, even where what we think of our own culture-We are Americans. We are citizens of the greatest country on earth. I read stories of people turning their backs on the flag in disgust. They are not Americans. True Americans stand by their flag, even if they disagree.
Our flag is a symbol of hope to some who hope to someday have the freedom we have. Our friends know the flag means we are here. Our enemies hate the flag enough that they are reduced to burning a piece of cloth.
I am proud to be an American citizen. I am proud of the men and women who wear our flag into battle. I wish that I was allowed to stand beside them to defend our nation. After September 11th, what did we rally around? A flag hung from the wreckage of the worst attack on our country in decades. During World War II, what image do we associate with the military? A flag being raised by U.S. marines on an island in the Pacific.
The Stars and Stripes is the symbol of us. It is us. It embodies all that America stands for-every right and privilege. We should be proud of our country. Think on this, whenever you see that flag.
Our flag is the symbol of America. It represents our country to the entire world. People in other countries see our flag and instantly think-USA. And now when I think about that flag, I think more about it. What has that flag seen? Our nation made it through two revolutionary wars, a civil war, two world wars, and numerous other regional conflicts throughout the world.
No matter what we think of where our country is headed today, no matter what we think of the current leadership, no matter who we think will be the next president, even where what we think of our own culture-We are Americans. We are citizens of the greatest country on earth. I read stories of people turning their backs on the flag in disgust. They are not Americans. True Americans stand by their flag, even if they disagree.
Our flag is a symbol of hope to some who hope to someday have the freedom we have. Our friends know the flag means we are here. Our enemies hate the flag enough that they are reduced to burning a piece of cloth.
I am proud to be an American citizen. I am proud of the men and women who wear our flag into battle. I wish that I was allowed to stand beside them to defend our nation. After September 11th, what did we rally around? A flag hung from the wreckage of the worst attack on our country in decades. During World War II, what image do we associate with the military? A flag being raised by U.S. marines on an island in the Pacific.
The Stars and Stripes is the symbol of us. It is us. It embodies all that America stands for-every right and privilege. We should be proud of our country. Think on this, whenever you see that flag.
The image is courtesy of (http://www.september11news.com/) and copyrighted by AP and Rueters
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Fine Print
Yes, that little tiny type that is in almost every contract you will ever sign. You ever notice notice how well someTV commercials do them? They put up two entire paragraphs of terms and legal obligations of font .002 size for approximately three seconds.
As annoying as it is, the fine print is put there for a reason. If you are able to read it, you'll find out exactly what you are signing. Believe it or not, the fine print usually explains the terms quite well. And by doing so, you'll be able to avoid looking back and saying 'I didn't know that I signed that!' Whenever I have to sign a contract of any type-be it a credit card or a lease-I take the time to read it extremely thoroughly. I want to know exactly what I am getting myself into.
And it doesn't just apply to contracts. If you look in advertisements or flyers for stores, you'll find quite a bit of it. And again, it's put there for a reason!
Just yesterday, I had to deal with an irate customer who insisted that our store ad was "intentionally misleading'. The advertisement had print that read 'selected 12-oz. varieties' directly below the sale price, and the customer didn't like the variety that had been selected. He blamed me for not being able to do anything about it, and he blamed my manager for not doing anything about it. And in the end, we found out that the customer had put 11-oz. and 10-oz. in his cart-not 12-oz.
Dealing with this customer took up quite a bit of time. That time could've been spent helping the lines that developed as we were talking. Instead, a scene was made at the front of the store-all because of the print that wasn't read.
The other side of reading the fine print is that you know what is not in the contract. If the store tries to charge you for things that truly are in the ad, you will know.
The end result is that I really urge you to read the fine print, no matter how annoying it may be. You'll know what you can and can't do, and you probably won't end up making a scene in the grocery store.
As annoying as it is, the fine print is put there for a reason. If you are able to read it, you'll find out exactly what you are signing. Believe it or not, the fine print usually explains the terms quite well. And by doing so, you'll be able to avoid looking back and saying 'I didn't know that I signed that!' Whenever I have to sign a contract of any type-be it a credit card or a lease-I take the time to read it extremely thoroughly. I want to know exactly what I am getting myself into.
And it doesn't just apply to contracts. If you look in advertisements or flyers for stores, you'll find quite a bit of it. And again, it's put there for a reason!
Just yesterday, I had to deal with an irate customer who insisted that our store ad was "intentionally misleading'. The advertisement had print that read 'selected 12-oz. varieties' directly below the sale price, and the customer didn't like the variety that had been selected. He blamed me for not being able to do anything about it, and he blamed my manager for not doing anything about it. And in the end, we found out that the customer had put 11-oz. and 10-oz. in his cart-not 12-oz.
Dealing with this customer took up quite a bit of time. That time could've been spent helping the lines that developed as we were talking. Instead, a scene was made at the front of the store-all because of the print that wasn't read.
The other side of reading the fine print is that you know what is not in the contract. If the store tries to charge you for things that truly are in the ad, you will know.
The end result is that I really urge you to read the fine print, no matter how annoying it may be. You'll know what you can and can't do, and you probably won't end up making a scene in the grocery store.
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