word!

Even though the stores have been pushing for the season and many houses are already healthily donating loads of cash to the local power utility, the airwaves actually have a nice ‘ring’ to them. I am actually enjoying the Christmas related tunes that are in heavy rotation for the next month. I have even searched for the station that is dedicating themselves to holiday songs this year. Crazy.

Maybe it’s the deluge of the same ol’ songs over and over again on every format that currently exists. Sure, they’ll hammer the limited amount of decent holiday music into the ground as well, but it’s only for a month and it gets you in the groove for the festivities associated with the tunes.

As for favorites, I’m not real picky, but the more traditional and better known ones appeal to me more. But Garth Brooks’ ~ ‘Daddy looked alot like Santa ‘ is a fun one as well.

After attempting to apply online for a job with UPS for a temp position this Holiday season, I get to the screen:

Sorry, no appointments available.

WTF? After a extremely lengthy online application which asks for oodles of HR info to scout sucessfully for new hires, I get to this? Tell me the job is closed first you idiots! And the application was time sensitive, if you didn’t finish parts within certain time frames, they had you conviently start this process all over again! And no, no one officially considers Minnesota State University, Mankato as Mankato State…. get with the times UPS.

I’ve applied for this position before too. The last few years by phone, of course this job must be filled before it even reaches the masses, but they release the job posting for amusement I think. I even showed up to a booth at Minnesota State University, Mankato when I was in school there after seeing a the posting for positions with UPS ‘close to home’. Well, close to home was conviently in the Twin Cities. What twits to assume that the only people that actually live in Minnesota live in the Twin Cities. Idiots, total morons.

I’m fed up with this company. It’s drivers are no better. They race like homicidal maniacs down every road they frequent and often pull out right in front of you while they are double parked in busy downtown streets and look at you like you’re stupid for slowing down there day. Package delivery is another joke, they hide your package where ever they can hide it, often leaving to open to theft or destruction by the elements. I’ve heard a guy find a package the next spring after they ‘hid’ it in his grill and never mentioned that’s where it could be ‘found’. Pathetic.

They never even attempt to deliver it when you’re home saying they’ll get it there between 9 am to 5 pm. Well, I’m sorry, I’m expecting the Cable Guy!
UPS should cease and desist. They are a adbomination on the package industry as a whole.

I’ve always wondered who listens to the type of odd music you maybe hear all about for a few weeks in the mainstream media, but after the 15 minutes of glory are burned out, you never hear from again. Is there a cool music listening clic that can afford to listen to everything just a tad out of the mainstream? Checking out Audioscrobbler charts, sure I’ve heard of most of these artists, but I’m not sure I’ve listened to nearly half of these acts.

I may have been brainwashed by the hype that the popular music of the day gets and the way it is drilled a dozen times a day, so that after listening to the same radio station for any constant length of time, you almost need to change stations/formats to avoid the constant monotonous drone of the same old songs.

Sure I listen to some none mainstream artists too, but none ever seem to be as cool as Modest Mouse or Coldplay. But they’re no Catatonia, Lucinda Williams or Kasey Chambers.

Maybe it’s just a personal preference and I personally don’t like everything everyone else does. Blasphemy huh?

buck

Originally uploaded by piotter.

Our family’s dog, Buck, was found today, November 14, 2004 dead along Highway 22 south of Gaylord. He was apparently hit by a vehicle as he was trying to cross the road.

We had came to know this dog a few years ago, probably 1999, when we got him from the Turbett family that had some pups to give away. Buck was a male and the quiet one of the bunch, which was the reason we had picked him. (As well as our last few dogs) He was 3/4 Black Lab and 1/4 Saint Bernard. You could hardly tell the difference between him and a true Lab, unless you listened to his low bark or pleading groan.

He was a very smart dog and I had taught him many ‘tricks’ I had not really ever been able to with any of our other dogs. Buck had fully learned to sit, shake with both paws (depending on which side of his body you requested him to) and was in the process of ‘learning to dance’ at his untimely demise. He was an avid ‘highjumper’ and cleared some gates/fences most people would have to take a few minutes to crawl over.

As he was part Lab, Buck was always happy to jump into the water or go out on a hunting excursion. He always had a fascination with squirrels, even though they would be extremely tough to catch, even on the ground, let alone when they took to the trees. On two seperate occasions he had one within inches, but that has when they had found their home trees and Buck was left to stare up into the branches hoping they’d magically drop down.

He also had fun ripping apart numerous raccoons and a few skunks, although he realized skunks have a pretty powerful defense spray.

Once in a while Buck would take off on trips and unfortunately his last trip ended when he had met a vehicle on 22. He was a very good companion and I will sorely miss him.

I was heading through Arlington this afternoon I noticed a bunch o flashing lights up ahead. Police, I thought. Sure enough, they was two state patrol cars facing each other with lights in all directions.

It appears they were investigating an accident or something else that had happened earlier as there were no other vehicles or people other than two troopers in the immediate vicinity.

But lo and behold they had out a laser level and range pole out to measure the scene. I find it quite odd and disturbing that the State Patrol gets to basically put on a light show to draw attention to the troopers at this scene and protect their safety.

I just wish for once when I am out surveying that I could get that kind of fanfare and protection. It’s dangerous playing in traffic and even when you’re on a road that’s posted ‘Closed for Construction’, you’d be suprised the number of people that can drive 60 mph while you stand less than 10 feet from where they pass.

I’m sure these troopers could see how safe things really are when you aren’t afforded such protection. Heck, the county mounty thinks strolling through the job site every once and awhile without even stopping to ask how close the traffic comes is sufficient enough.

And to think they only ‘double’ fines in work zones. Crazy people like that should spend some time out on a job where their idiotic tendancies could kill a person.