I'll admit, I have this unhealthy love of reading current events books. You know the ones. The books written by some guy or gal telling us all what is wrong with the world and why. Occasionally you'll get a how to fix it. And I'll read these books on any side, liberal, conservative, moderate, insane, whatever.
I am currently reading "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder" by Michael Savage. I can't help it, I think he's funny. I catch his radio show every so often when I am driving home from work. I always thought he was very colorful and entertaining. And someone told me his book was pretty good, so I picked it up. It's the only one of his books I have read to date.
But I have a small collection of these books on several sides, some are really good and some are really laughable. Like "Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore. That man never ceases to amaze me... in a bad way.
However, I've read. I've listened. And I have thought. My thoughts are the same for these guys as for most people whose blogs I've read or who I have come across online.
I was one of these guys a few years back. I had a radio talk show. It was a college radio station and the show came about because the station manager was very politically minded and thought my idea was a good one. So I had this show and I had the most amazing co-host known to man. Mike and I did pretty well once a week on the air for about two hours.
But that is where it stopped. The both of us were outside speakers as well. We didn't stop on the air or in our newspaper articles for the school and for local newspapers. We ran for political office. Obviously we didn't get elected, and it was a starting small kind of deal. But I actually ran for mayor in the town I was living in.
My thought process was this. I can sit in this chair with the microphone bouncing off my nose as I rant on and on. I can write letters and articles for the local papers and the college paper. I can stand outside holding a sign and screaming at the top of my lungs. But what is the best way to get things done that you want done?
Do it yourself! Attack from the inside!
So I ran for office. I am waiting now for my residence requirements to be met so I can run again in my new hometown. Because I figured there were things I wanted done on a local level as well as a national level, and you have to start somewhere, so start small and do it yourself.
And I can't help but have this thought pop into my mind while I read these books. These guys from all sides have these things they bitch and moan about regularly. And some of them actually have plans on how to fix what they think is wrong. But what are they actually doing about it?
A good portion of America isn't reading their books. They aren't listening to their radio shows. Let's face it, when you are in the car or where ever, you listen to radio shows that make you feel good. So most of their listeners already agree with them. Basically, they are preaching to the choir. It's like the customers I deal with who go on endlessly about gun rights and the Constitution. You're standing in a gun store talking to an armed employee! Preaching to the choir! And the same goes for books. Most people don't read these type of books because for 9/10s of America reading the latest romance novel is far more interesting. Of the amount that does read your books (and don't give me best seller stats... how many books did you buy and never read?!), most people tend to buy books written by people that they at least mostly agree with. Very few people do as I do and buy for both sides to see what both sides are whining about now. So your radio shows and books aren't reaching the ears you want them to reach.
The politicians know what you're saying, I am sure. But they don't care, either. They know what I just told you. The only way to get the government to do as you want, or to at least try to get it to a state that you want to see it in, is to follow the age old cliché... if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
So why haven't all these guys and gals with all these wonderful ideas and plans run for office (I know a few have, but most do not)? Why is the Terminator in office and not someone with a thought out plan? Is it lack of funds? Lack of motivation? Comfort in where you are right now? That good old can't do attitude? The desire to hear your own voice and not really accomplish anything? Cowardice hiding behind the people's "right to know?"
Give me a break.
Suck Lead did something BAAAAD at 10/13/2006 11:29:00 PM
(0) comments
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
You know, something got into my head the other day and I am only now saying something about it. At this point, I don't even remember what it was that put this thought into my mind, only that it has hung around for days, therefore bringing forth a need to be mentioned.
I will admit. I enjoy poking fun at the political parties. Especially liberals. I consider myself to be moderate, whatever that may mean to you. So it isn't only the liberals that get it from me.
But I did notice a trend. There isn't a whole lot of backing up your story anymore. I guess it isn't really debate that I am wondering about. But have you noticed that platforms have vanished?
At one point you could say, "Ok, this is what a liberal stands for and this is what a conservative stands for." But you really can't anymore. You have to do some serious digging to get to the actual platforms. Because at this point in time - and maybe it is only because major elections are looming in the near future - you can only get "Here is why liberals suck" and "Here is why conservatives suck." And it is even put in somewhat trendy, trying to be down with the people type of language. So yes, they actually say the other sucks.
My question is this. Why do they suck? What makes your side better than the other? I'm tired of hearing why this one sucks and that one sucks. Tell why your side DOESN'T suck!
Who are you people?! What the hell do you stand for? What do you want to change and what do you want left alone? How do you see the world around you today? How can you fix things? Why do you feel that your ideas and plans are better? How do you plan on proving this to me?
So I am asking all of you here to do me a favor. If you are reading this, swallow your pride. Label yourself. What are you? Are you liberal, conservative, or moderate? Why does your side not suck? And pick one issue you feel strongly about - and I don't give a crap what that issue is.
Now, tell me this issue - and only make it the one you feel strongest about - and pretend you are in charge. You can change it for the better or keep it how it is. How do you change it, or why do you keep it as it is? What effects do you think will come of this?
And be creative! I don't want to hear, "I think abortion should be outlawed because it is killing an innocent child and God says that killing is wrong!" Don't feed me something you are regurgitating from someplace else you heard it. Tell me why YOU feel this way about it and what effects - realistically - you think will come of your change or your hard headed stance on keeping it how it is. If you require research to get a good answer to this, than research.
Discuss.
Suck Lead did something BAAAAD at 10/11/2006 11:26:00 PM
(0) comments
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
I decided today that I'd had enough of these Great Clips, Fantastic Sams, etc. type hair salons. For once in my life - and I knew going in it would probably only be once - I was going to go to a real hair salon and see what the difference was. I was aiming for one of those trendy places that serves you drinks while you get your hair done, all the people working there look like they live in Starbucks but want to be punk rockers if only they could understand all that political stuff, where everyone walks around telling everyone else how cute they are, and as an added benefit, I would like the person doing my hair to be an outright human torch of flaming homosexuality.
I found the place, and aside from the lack of the flaming gay man styling my hair, it was everything I was looking for. My stylist's name was Brittany, but she didn't look like someone who should have this name. She looked more like a Natasha or a Samantha. She had this great bottle red hair that hung just below her shoulders and her style just said, "I spent two hours doing this do this morning." She wore black jeans and a gray shirt with little purple skulls on it, and she was sort of Kelly Osbourne like chunky. You know what I mean... the type of body that isn't really thin but how the hell can you notice?
So I walk in and am told Brittany will be with me in a moment and I took a spot on a leather chair that was so low I should have just sat on the floor, and dealt with the fake tree ripping at my head from above.
Brittany takes me to her "stall," which is a chair in front of a full length mirror, as if I really need to see my shoes while she's working on my hair. I look around the salon and realize I am the least trendy person there. I'm sporting a pair of well worn blue jeans, a Riverdance t-shirt (which, btw, ended up being very trendy and I wasn't aware that it was... I just like Riverdance), and a pair of black slip on shoes that squeak when I walk. So I'm stuffed in my little funky design chair and looking at the outfit Brittany is wearing, and seeing she is probably just above me in the trend. Everyone else is sporting little pig tails for that look of forced casual, little colored head scarves, hippie outfits or pin stripe suits, etc. Seriously, I could not tell the two girls at the front desk apart. And no, they aren't related, I asked.
Once again I am told to stand and am now walked over to a dim lit little alcove with sinks standing alone. I sit. The chair starts rubbing my back and my feet go up as my head goes into the sink. One nice little head massage later and I am back at Brittany’s "stall."
Now, apparently, Brittany is an artist. And this frightens the shit out of me when it comes to hair stylists. I was thrilled to find a salon that didn't think twice or charge you extra to wash your hair instead of spray bottling you and then styling it when you were done. But I about fainted when Brittany sat down and told me we needed to talk.
Apparently, I have made a grave mistake. The biggest mistake ever known in the hair world! One that should make you hide the children! Folks... I have very curly hair that I cut short! OMG!
Our heart to heart was about the length of my hair. Apparently, it is a horrible hair sin to cut curly hair short. Truth be told, my hair doesn't like the levels of chlorine in the NC water, so it has been trying to escape for five years. This has left me with bald spots which cannot be repaired easily. I went from hip length to shoulder length to ear length in five years because my hair made me look like the crazy drunk lady that used to walk around my NJ town. It was horrible. It looked dirty and uncared for. And the more length I had the bigger the chunks of hair were that fell out. Since I cut my hair this short I have seen a large amount of that hair returning. Some is fuzz, but it is a start. And today was the first time I didn't have a record amount of hair fall out during styling.
But because of this, Brittany’s inner artist decided to step in. She pretty much cut off very little hair. Which pisses me off. I like my hair this short... it saves me on shampoo costs and it doesn't cost me a paycheck to get it trimmed anymore. Plus it takes me two minutes to do my hair in the morning, a phenomenon I am still in awe of after so many years of long curly hair. But it was getting unruly and needed to be cut. She didn't help me out here.
Worse yet, she told me "soft curls" are "so in" right now, so there was a lotion type product used on my hair and nothing else. She does her creative masterpiece and every customer and employee in the store tells me this is "so cute" and "what a great transformation!" I am turned around to see...
...exactly how my hair looks when I wake up in the morning!
I was horrified! Everyone in the place, paid or not, was cooing and swooning over how cute this was, and Brittany wrote this down as her best work to date. All I could think was thank God I didn't have to go to work after this because I surely would have been fired!
I tried explaining to Brittany that my job wouldn't allow a hair style like this. After all, nail polish is frowned upon and that is an expected thing of a female usually. How would I explain this unstyle? She tells me my boss would be awe struck. I tell her she doesn't know my boss. I tell her I sell guns for a living, not coffee or CDs. I explain to her that I am a wallflower, not the DJ. I'm a nerd, not a trend setter.
She tells me I need to lighten up.
I tell her I need my job.
Long story short, I have never run for my car so fast in my life, and I am sure any cop who would have caught me on the road today would have had a field day. I took back roads home to avoid being seen like this. I was actually embarrassed.
I get home and walk into the living room where my mom is sitting. She stares at me. The dog stares at me. Mom says, "Um... it looks nice." The dog stares at me. I sigh. Mom says, "How much did you pay for that?" I went right upstairs and emptied a bottle of gel into my hair.
I dished out $40 - and only did so because I decided to cut my loses and run because this would only get worse - to end up with my hair looking the way it did before I dished out $40, and it isn't cut much shorter, either. Which says something, because I was in dire need of a hair cut. And Brittany wants to see me in a month and a half, to give my hair a chance to grow to my chin at the very least. I hope she doesn't hold her breath, because in a few weeks I'll be back at Great Clips with some spray in my purse to deal with the spray bottle induced frizz after the $10 cut.
Note: before I get notes about how people wouldn't have paid for that, please, just don't. I was traumatized and no one there was hearing that this style wasn't just perfection. I wasn't in the mood to argue, I just wanted to go home and cry.
Suck Lead did something BAAAAD at 10/10/2006 10:58:00 PM
(0) comments
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Suck Lead did something BAAAAD at 10/04/2006 11:46:00 PM
(0) comments
