Background: #fff
Foreground: #000
PrimaryPale: #8cf
PrimaryLight: #18f
PrimaryMid: #04b
PrimaryDark: #014
SecondaryPale: #ffc
SecondaryLight: #fe8
SecondaryMid: #db4
SecondaryDark: #841
TertiaryPale: #eee
TertiaryLight: #ccc
TertiaryMid: #999
TertiaryDark: #666
Error: #f88

/*{{{*/
body {background:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]];}

a {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];}
a:hover {background-color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Background]];}
a img {border:0;}

h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {color:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryDark]]; background:transparent;}
h1 {border-bottom:2px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];}
h2,h3 {border-bottom:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];}

.button {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]]; border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::Background]];}
.button:hover {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]]; background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryLight]]; border-color:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryMid]];}
.button:active {color:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryMid]]; border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::SecondaryDark]];}

.header {background:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];}
.headerShadow {color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]];}
.headerShadow a {font-weight:normal; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]];}
.headerForeground {color:[[ColorPalette::Background]];}
.headerForeground a {font-weight:normal; color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]];}

.tabSelected{color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]];
	background:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryPale]];
	border-left:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];
	border-top:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];
	border-right:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];
}
.tabUnselected {color:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; background:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];}
.tabContents {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]]; background:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryPale]]; border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];}
.tabContents .button {border:0;}

#sidebar {}
#sidebarOptions input {border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];}
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel {background:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]];}
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel a {border:none;color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];}
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel a:hover {color:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; background:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];}
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel a:active {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]]; background:[[ColorPalette::Background]];}

.wizard {background:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]]; border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];}
.wizard h1 {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]]; border:none;}
.wizard h2 {color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; border:none;}
.wizardStep {background:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]];
	border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];}
.wizardStep.wizardStepDone {background:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];}
.wizardFooter {background:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]];}
.wizardFooter .status {background:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Background]];}
.wizard .button {color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryLight]]; border: 1px solid;
	border-color:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryPale]] [[ColorPalette::SecondaryDark]] [[ColorPalette::SecondaryDark]] [[ColorPalette::SecondaryPale]];}
.wizard .button:hover {color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; background:[[ColorPalette::Background]];}
.wizard .button:active {color:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; background:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; border: 1px solid;
	border-color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]] [[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]] [[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]] [[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]];}

#messageArea {border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::SecondaryMid]]; background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryLight]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]];}
#messageArea .button {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]]; background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryPale]]; border:none;}

.popupTiddler {background:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryPale]]; border:2px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];}

.popup {background:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryPale]]; color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]]; border-left:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]]; border-top:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]]; border-right:2px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]]; border-bottom:2px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]];}
.popup hr {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]]; background:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]]; border-bottom:1px;}
.popup li.disabled {color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];}
.popup li a, .popup li a:visited {color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; border: none;}
.popup li a:hover {background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryLight]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; border: none;}
.popup li a:active {background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryPale]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; border: none;}
.popupHighlight {background:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]];}
.listBreak div {border-bottom:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]];}

.tiddler .defaultCommand {font-weight:bold;}

.shadow .title {color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]];}

.title {color:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryDark]];}
.subtitle {color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]];}

.toolbar {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];}
.toolbar a {color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];}
.selected .toolbar a {color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];}
.selected .toolbar a:hover {color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]];}

.tagging, .tagged {border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryPale]]; background-color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryPale]];}
.selected .tagging, .selected .tagged {background-color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]]; border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];}
.tagging .listTitle, .tagged .listTitle {color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]];}
.tagging .button, .tagged .button {border:none;}

.footer {color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];}
.selected .footer {color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];}

.sparkline {background:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]]; border:0;}
.sparktick {background:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]];}

.error, .errorButton {color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; background:[[ColorPalette::Error]];}
.warning {color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryPale]];}
.lowlight {background:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];}

.zoomer {background:none; color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]]; border:3px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];}

.imageLink, #displayArea .imageLink {background:transparent;}

.annotation {background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryLight]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; border:2px solid [[ColorPalette::SecondaryMid]];}

.viewer .listTitle {list-style-type:none; margin-left:-2em;}
.viewer .button {border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::SecondaryMid]];}
.viewer blockquote {border-left:3px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]];}

.viewer table, table.twtable {border:2px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]];}
.viewer th, .viewer thead td, .twtable th, .twtable thead td {background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryMid]]; border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Background]];}
.viewer td, .viewer tr, .twtable td, .twtable tr {border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]];}

.viewer pre {border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::SecondaryLight]]; background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryPale]];}
.viewer code {color:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryDark]];}
.viewer hr {border:0; border-top:dashed 1px [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]]; color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]];}

.highlight, .marked {background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryLight]];}

.editor input {border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];}
.editor textarea {border:1px solid [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]]; width:100%;}
.editorFooter {color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];}

#backstageArea {background:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; color:[[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];}
#backstageArea a {background:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; border:none;}
#backstageArea a:hover {background:[[ColorPalette::SecondaryLight]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; }
#backstageArea a.backstageSelTab {background:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]];}
#backstageButton a {background:none; color:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; border:none;}
#backstageButton a:hover {background:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; color:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; border:none;}
#backstagePanel {background:[[ColorPalette::Background]]; border-color: [[ColorPalette::Background]] [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]] [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]] [[ColorPalette::TertiaryDark]];}
.backstagePanelFooter .button {border:none; color:[[ColorPalette::Background]];}
.backstagePanelFooter .button:hover {color:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]];}
#backstageCloak {background:[[ColorPalette::Foreground]]; opacity:0.6; filter:'alpha(opacity:60)';}
/*}}}*/

/*{{{*/
* html .tiddler {height:1%;}

body {font-size:.75em; font-family:arial,helvetica; margin:0; padding:0;}

h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none;}
h1,h2,h3 {padding-bottom:1px; margin-top:1.2em;margin-bottom:0.3em;}
h4,h5,h6 {margin-top:1em;}
h1 {font-size:1.35em;}
h2 {font-size:1.25em;}
h3 {font-size:1.1em;}
h4 {font-size:1em;}
h5 {font-size:.9em;}

hr {height:1px;}

a {text-decoration:none;}

dt {font-weight:bold;}

ol {list-style-type:decimal;}
ol ol {list-style-type:lower-alpha;}
ol ol ol {list-style-type:lower-roman;}
ol ol ol ol {list-style-type:decimal;}
ol ol ol ol ol {list-style-type:lower-alpha;}
ol ol ol ol ol ol {list-style-type:lower-roman;}
ol ol ol ol ol ol ol {list-style-type:decimal;}

.txtOptionInput {width:11em;}

#contentWrapper .chkOptionInput {border:0;}

.externalLink {text-decoration:underline;}

.indent {margin-left:3em;}
.outdent {margin-left:3em; text-indent:-3em;}
code.escaped {white-space:nowrap;}

.tiddlyLinkExisting {font-weight:bold;}
.tiddlyLinkNonExisting {font-style:italic;}

/* the 'a' is required for IE, otherwise it renders the whole tiddler in bold */
a.tiddlyLinkNonExisting.shadow {font-weight:bold;}

#mainMenu .tiddlyLinkExisting,
	#mainMenu .tiddlyLinkNonExisting,
	#sidebarTabs .tiddlyLinkNonExisting {font-weight:normal; font-style:normal;}
#sidebarTabs .tiddlyLinkExisting {font-weight:bold; font-style:normal;}

.header {position:relative;}
.header a:hover {background:transparent;}
.headerShadow {position:relative; padding:4.5em 0em 1em 1em; left:-1px; top:-1px;}
.headerForeground {position:absolute; padding:4.5em 0em 1em 1em; left:0px; top:0px;}

.siteTitle {font-size:3em;}
.siteSubtitle {font-size:1.2em;}

#mainMenu {position:absolute; left:0; width:10em; text-align:right; line-height:1.6em; padding:1.5em 0.5em 0.5em 0.5em; font-size:1.1em;}

#sidebar {position:absolute; right:3px; width:16em; font-size:.9em;}
#sidebarOptions {padding-top:0.3em;}
#sidebarOptions a {margin:0em 0.2em; padding:0.2em 0.3em; display:block;}
#sidebarOptions input {margin:0.4em 0.5em;}
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel {margin-left:1em; padding:0.5em; font-size:.85em;}
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel a {font-weight:bold; display:inline; padding:0;}
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel input {margin:0 0 .3em 0;}
#sidebarTabs .tabContents {width:15em; overflow:hidden;}

.wizard {padding:0.1em 1em 0em 2em;}
.wizard h1 {font-size:2em; font-weight:bold; background:none; padding:0em 0em 0em 0em; margin:0.4em 0em 0.2em 0em;}
.wizard h2 {font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold; background:none; padding:0em 0em 0em 0em; margin:0.4em 0em 0.2em 0em;}
.wizardStep {padding:1em 1em 1em 1em;}
.wizard .button {margin:0.5em 0em 0em 0em; font-size:1.2em;}
.wizardFooter {padding:0.8em 0.4em 0.8em 0em;}
.wizardFooter .status {padding:0em 0.4em 0em 0.4em; margin-left:1em;}
.wizard .button {padding:0.1em 0.2em 0.1em 0.2em;}

#messageArea {position:fixed; top:2em; right:0em; margin:0.5em; padding:0.5em; z-index:2000; _position:absolute;}
.messageToolbar {display:block; text-align:right; padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.2em;}
#messageArea a {text-decoration:underline;}

.tiddlerPopupButton {padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.2em;}
.popupTiddler {position: absolute; z-index:300; padding:1em 1em 1em 1em; margin:0;}

.popup {position:absolute; z-index:300; font-size:.9em; padding:0; list-style:none; margin:0;}
.popup .popupMessage {padding:0.4em;}
.popup hr {display:block; height:1px; width:auto; padding:0; margin:0.2em 0em;}
.popup li.disabled {padding:0.4em;}
.popup li a {display:block; padding:0.4em; font-weight:normal; cursor:pointer;}
.listBreak {font-size:1px; line-height:1px;}
.listBreak div {margin:2px 0;}

.tabset {padding:1em 0em 0em 0.5em;}
.tab {margin:0em 0em 0em 0.25em; padding:2px;}
.tabContents {padding:0.5em;}
.tabContents ul, .tabContents ol {margin:0; padding:0;}
.txtMainTab .tabContents li {list-style:none;}
.tabContents li.listLink { margin-left:.75em;}

#contentWrapper {display:block;}
#splashScreen {display:none;}

#displayArea {margin:1em 17em 0em 14em;}

.toolbar {text-align:right; font-size:.9em;}

.tiddler {padding:1em 1em 0em 1em;}

.missing .viewer,.missing .title {font-style:italic;}

.title {font-size:1.6em; font-weight:bold;}

.missing .subtitle {display:none;}
.subtitle {font-size:1.1em;}

.tiddler .button {padding:0.2em 0.4em;}

.tagging {margin:0.5em 0.5em 0.5em 0; float:left; display:none;}
.isTag .tagging {display:block;}
.tagged {margin:0.5em; float:right;}
.tagging, .tagged {font-size:0.9em; padding:0.25em;}
.tagging ul, .tagged ul {list-style:none; margin:0.25em; padding:0;}
.tagClear {clear:both;}

.footer {font-size:.9em;}
.footer li {display:inline;}

.annotation {padding:0.5em; margin:0.5em;}

* html .viewer pre {width:99%; padding:0 0 1em 0;}
.viewer {line-height:1.4em; padding-top:0.5em;}
.viewer .button {margin:0em 0.25em; padding:0em 0.25em;}
.viewer blockquote {line-height:1.5em; padding-left:0.8em;margin-left:2.5em;}
.viewer ul, .viewer ol {margin-left:0.5em; padding-left:1.5em;}

.viewer table, table.twtable {border-collapse:collapse; margin:0.8em 1.0em;}
.viewer th, .viewer td, .viewer tr,.viewer caption,.twtable th, .twtable td, .twtable tr,.twtable caption {padding:3px;}
table.listView {font-size:0.85em; margin:0.8em 1.0em;}
table.listView th, table.listView td, table.listView tr {padding:0px 3px 0px 3px;}

.viewer pre {padding:0.5em; margin-left:0.5em; font-size:1.2em; line-height:1.4em; overflow:auto;}
.viewer code {font-size:1.2em; line-height:1.4em;}

.editor {font-size:1.1em;}
.editor input, .editor textarea {display:block; width:100%; font:inherit;}
.editorFooter {padding:0.25em 0em; font-size:.9em;}
.editorFooter .button {padding-top:0px; padding-bottom:0px;}

.fieldsetFix {border:0; padding:0; margin:1px 0px 1px 0px;}

.sparkline {line-height:1em;}
.sparktick {outline:0;}

.zoomer {font-size:1.1em; position:absolute; overflow:hidden;}
.zoomer div {padding:1em;}

* html #backstage {width:99%;}
* html #backstageArea {width:99%;}
#backstageArea {display:none; position:relative; overflow: hidden; z-index:150; padding:0.3em 0.5em 0.3em 0.5em;}
#backstageToolbar {position:relative;}
#backstageArea a {font-weight:bold; margin-left:0.5em; padding:0.3em 0.5em 0.3em 0.5em;}
#backstageButton {display:none; position:absolute; z-index:175; top:0em; right:0em;}
#backstageButton a {padding:0.1em 0.4em 0.1em 0.4em; margin:0.1em 0.1em 0.1em 0.1em;}
#backstage {position:relative; width:100%; z-index:50;}
#backstagePanel {display:none; z-index:100; position:absolute; margin:0em 3em 0em 3em; padding:1em 1em 1em 1em;}
.backstagePanelFooter {padding-top:0.2em; float:right;}
.backstagePanelFooter a {padding:0.2em 0.4em 0.2em 0.4em;}
#backstageCloak {display:none; z-index:20; position:absolute; width:100%; height:100px;}

.whenBackstage {display:none;}
.backstageVisible .whenBackstage {display:block;}
/*}}}*/

/***
StyleSheet for use when a translation requires any css style changes.
This StyleSheet can be used directly by languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean which use a logographic writing system and need larger font sizes.
***/

/*{{{*/
body {font-size:0.8em;}

#sidebarOptions {font-size:1.05em;}
#sidebarOptions a {font-style:normal;}
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel {font-size:0.95em;}

.subtitle {font-size:0.8em;}

.viewer table.listView {font-size:0.95em;}

.htmlarea .toolbarHA table {border:1px solid ButtonFace; margin:0em 0em;}
/*}}}*/

/*{{{*/
@media print {
#mainMenu, #sidebar, #messageArea, .toolbar, #backstageButton, #backstageArea {display: none ! important;}
#displayArea {margin: 1em 1em 0em 1em;}
/* Fixes a feature in Firefox 1.5.0.2 where print preview displays the noscript content */
noscript {display:none;}
}
/*}}}*/

<!--{{{-->
<div class='header' macro='gradient vert [[ColorPalette::PrimaryLight]] [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]]'>
<div class='headerShadow'>
<span class='siteTitle' refresh='content' tiddler='SiteTitle'></span>&nbsp;
<span class='siteSubtitle' refresh='content' tiddler='SiteSubtitle'></span>
</div>
<div class='headerForeground'>
<span class='siteTitle' refresh='content' tiddler='SiteTitle'></span>&nbsp;
<span class='siteSubtitle' refresh='content' tiddler='SiteSubtitle'></span>
</div>
</div>
<div id='mainMenu' refresh='content' tiddler='MainMenu'></div>
<div id='sidebar'>
<div id='sidebarOptions' refresh='content' tiddler='SideBarOptions'></div>
<div id='sidebarTabs' refresh='content' force='true' tiddler='SideBarTabs'></div>
</div>
<div id='displayArea'>
<div id='messageArea'></div>
<div id='tiddlerDisplay'></div>
</div>
<!--}}}-->

<!--{{{-->
<div class='toolbar' macro='toolbar closeTiddler closeOthers +editTiddler > fields syncing permalink references jump'></div>
<div class='title' macro='view title'></div>
<div class='subtitle'><span macro='view modifier link'></span>, <span macro='view modified date'></span> (<span macro='message views.wikified.createdPrompt'></span> <span macro='view created date'></span>)</div>
<div class='tagging' macro='tagging'></div>
<div class='tagged' macro='tags'></div>
<div class='viewer' macro='view text wikified'></div>
<div class='tagClear'></div>
<!--}}}-->

<!--{{{-->
<div class='toolbar' macro='toolbar +saveTiddler -cancelTiddler deleteTiddler'></div>
<div class='title' macro='view title'></div>
<div class='editor' macro='edit title'></div>
<div macro='annotations'></div>
<div class='editor' macro='edit text'></div>
<div class='editor' macro='edit tags'></div><div class='editorFooter'><span macro='message views.editor.tagPrompt'></span><span macro='tagChooser'></span></div>
<!--}}}-->

To get started with this blank TiddlyWiki, you'll need to modify the following tiddlers:
* SiteTitle & SiteSubtitle: The title and subtitle of the site, as shown above (after saving, they will also appear in the browser title bar)
* MainMenu: The menu (usually on the left)
* DefaultTiddlers: Contains the names of the tiddlers that you want to appear when the TiddlyWiki is opened
You'll also need to enter your username for signing your edits: <<option txtUserName>>

These InterfaceOptions for customising TiddlyWiki are saved in your browser

Your username for signing your edits. Write it as a WikiWord (eg JoeBloggs)

<<option txtUserName>>
<<option chkSaveBackups>> SaveBackups
<<option chkAutoSave>> AutoSave
<<option chkRegExpSearch>> RegExpSearch
<<option chkCaseSensitiveSearch>> CaseSensitiveSearch
<<option chkAnimate>> EnableAnimations

----
Also see AdvancedOptions

I went into Fred Meyer's last night.  A couple of other people happened to walk in at the same time as me.  As we walked in we were all eyed very intensely by this chubby lady in a motorized wheelchair.  About 5 seconds after I passed her the shop-lifting alarm went off.  I turned around just in time to see this lady driving her wheelchair out the door as fast as it would go.  Luckily for her, I guess, none of the Fred Meyer's employees paid any attention to her.  I can't imagine that none of them couldn't have caught up with that scooter if they'd tried.  However, the reason it was funny is imagining what must have been going on in the lady's mind.  Here's how it might have gone:

“Hmm, I there's people coming and they might get in my way while I make my getaway.  I'd better wait until they've passed….Ok, now's my chance.  Run little wheelchair, run like the wind!…Yay I'm out the door no one can stop me now!!!”

Of course the sight of her driving her little wheelchair as fast as she could for her getaway had me laughing the whole time I was there.  I'm sure the other patrons of Fred Meyer's thought I should be in an asylum because I was laughing pretty hard.

Just heard an awesome local band on the radio. The name is Daylight Basement.

On another note. There is this weird guy who walks around my apartment complex in a bathrobe and slippers (no clue if there is anything under the bathrobe or not, don’t really want to know either). Everytime I see him he asks me if I have a cigarette. If walking around in a bathrobe all the time weren’t weird enough, asking me for a cigarette is because my response to him each time is “Sorry, I don’t smoke”. Next time he asks me I’ll have to respond “I still don’t smoke and don’t plan on starting any time soon.” 

[[A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Fred Meyer's]]
[[No Phone]]
[[Independence Day]]
[[Uninsurable...]]
[[Maternity Leave or What Happened to the Concept of Personal Responsibility?]]

Complaining has got to be one of the most irritating things a person can do, at least to me. That’s not to say I don’t complain, I do. However, people that do nothing but complain about the unfairness of life bug me. Life is unfair, deal with it. Or better yet, be happy that you have it as good as you do. You’re in reasonably good health (in other words, you’re not dead). You live in a society that in most cases doesn’t condemn you for being different. You live in a society where you have the potential to improve your station in life. There are many societies that do not have that freedom. Still, there are people I know that complain about everything from not making as much money as their bosses to someone not returning a favor. Waah waah waah. Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it. Bosses are supposed to make more than you, and a favor is not a mark on a scorecard, it’s a favor. If you want something in return for it then you say “I will do X for you, if you will do Y for me.” Sure it’d be nice if we all made $200,000 a year and everyone was considerate of everyone else, but that’s not the real world.

It's that time of year again. Our (U.S.) annual celebration of the birth of our country. I could write an entry about how patriotic I am, which I am, and how much I love this country, which I do, but no, I shall, instead, compose an entry about the one thing I don't really get about how we celebrate our independence. Namely, that is fireworks.

I have absolutely no idea how much we spend from around the middle of June through July 4th. I searched the web, but no results were forthcoming. This isn't really surprising however since fireworks stands are generally roadside tents and I really wouldn't expect all of them to report their sales and even less to report their sales accurately. Suffice it to say that judging by the prices the fireworks go for, how much popping I hear now, and it's not even the 4th yet, we spend quite a bit for each July 4th. This brings up a really important question in my mind. Why do we spend so much on something we absolutely know will get exactly one use and then be useless at best and completely destroyed at worst.

I can understand the urge to blow things up, I had a great time when I was a teenager blowing up my old GI Joes that I had outgrown. I even made forts for them to get blown up in, but I grew out of that about the same time as I blew up my final GI Joe. Blowing up little plastic men only provides a modicum of gratification and that only for a short time.

The argument could be made that fireworks are appealing to the senses. That may be true. I wouldn't really know about that because what is appealing to my senses rarely seems to be what appeals to the senses of others. So let me give my take on the appealingness of fireworks. I set off a firework, it goes up, and BAM!! It makes a noise and some pretty colors. Hooray, let's see what the next one does. Oh, look at that, it goes up, and BAM!! It makes a noise and some pretty colors. Wait, isn't that what the LAST one did? As well as the one before that and the one before that, ad nauseum? Absolutely, to me every single firework comes in one of two flavors, the go-up-boom-and-make-pretty-colors kind and the sit-on-the-ground-make-pretty-colors-but-don't-go-boom kind. Maybe, if there was a little more variety in the way fireworks went off, I'd see the point in spending a lot of money on something that is going to last about 5 seconds, but, until the fireworks do something besides boom-sparkle, I'm going to keep my $100 and spend it on something more practical.

A girl at work is about to have a baby.  A couple of the ladies near me at work were discussing the baby shower.  Then, they turned to the maternity leave after the joyous occasion.  “How long is she going to be off? Six weeks?” “Probably.” “And that’s not paid for, right?” “No, but it should be.”  Which set me off.  “Why should the company pay for her choices?  If she can’t afford to have the baby, she shouldn’t have gotten pregnant.”  “Well some people can’t afford birth control.”  To which I replied, “anyone can choose not to have sex.”  Now, I’m not saying this girl can or can’t afford the time off without pay, I have no idea.  However, the implication from the ladies near me was that “the company” should pay for someone who is too poor to go without pay and seems to have a lot of trouble keeping her legs together.  They brought up an example of what if someone were in a car accident and couldn’t work because of that.  That’s a little different situation in that you definitely chose to have sex knowing that the possibility of getting pregnant was there.  Whereas, I haven’t met too many people who chose to have the car accident that put them out of work for 6 weeks.  If I ever meet that person though, I’ll probably shoot him to put me out of my misery.  Even then, “the company” isn’t required to pay for your accident.  If “the company” chooses to pay hooray for you for being lucky enough to work at a nice company and hooray for “the company” for realizing that benefits such as that are something needed in today’s work environment, but the only thing “the company” is required to compensate you for is work on the job.  That’s it no ifs ands or buts.  Besides all that, I hate the idea that is seeping into our culture that the Government and “the company” are responsible for making sure we live a nice life.  Isn’t there anyone out there who believes they are responsible for their own life and their own happiness?  Why can’t we realize, as a people, that “the company” is not responsible for planning your retirement, your family, or anything else that is part of your personal life, By the way, I don’t think you’d enjoy it if “the company” were responsible, I mean it’s bad enough when the company is responsible for 8 hours of my day, I don’t want them to be responsible for the other 16.  The freedom to choose what you do in your free time or in your life comes at a cost and that cost is, whatever happens when it’s your choice to do what you will is your responsibility and I challenge anyone give me a valid reason why “the company” should pay for it.
On another note, if you don’t like the way “the company” has its benefits plan there’s always “the other company”.  I bet, though, that what you find at “the other company” is the same as “the company” because what I’m talking about when I talk about personal responsibility is something that is still practiced by most companies I know.  They don’t want your mistakes in life on their balance sheets.

I got rid of my phone since I don't use it and didn't see the point of paying for something I don't use. When I told one of my friends about that they said, "What will you do if there is an emergency and you need to call 911?" Here is my response in the form of a couple of little skits:

''Situation #1 when I had a phone:''

Me: [cuts an artery and is about to faint] Well that sucks. I guess I should call 911. [reaches for phone, but faints before phone is reached then bleeds to death]

It appears that having a phone didn't save me. Let's try a different situation.

''Situation #2 when I had a phone:''

Me: [cuts an artery, but is not about to faint] Well that sucks. I guess I should try to stop the bleeding and then call 911. [proceeds to apply pressure to the cut, grab phone, and dial 911. The ambulance comes and he lives.]

It would appear that a phone saved me in that case, but did it really? Let's try those same situations minus the phone.

''Situation #1 without a phone:''

Me: [cuts an artery and is about to faint] Well that sucks. I guess I should try to get to a phone and call 911. [walks out the door and faints in the apartment parking lot, someone else sees him lying there, calls 911 and he's saved.]

Hooray I lived this time because I didn't try to handle it myself and instead went outside to faint and someone else saved me. The alternative is, of course that no one sees me fainted in the parking lot and 911 doesn't get called. I of course don't see any difference in bleeding to death in the parking lot and bleeding to death in my apartment other than I'll probably be found sooner in the parking lot. So what about situation #2?

''Situation #2 without a phone:''

Me: [cuts an artery, but is not about to faint] Well that sucks. I guess I should try to stop the bleeding, get to a phone, and call 911. [proceeds to apply pressure to the cut, walks to the 7-11 across the street. Dials 911. The ambulance comes and he lives.]

Yay I lived again.

The point I'm trying to make is this. When you live alone (like I do) a phone will not help you in emergencies where you are incapacitated and if you aren't incapacitated you can get to a phone. So, when you live alone consideration of emergencies is not a reason to keep a phone and in the last couple of months I haven't found too many times (none, in fact) where I wished I still had a phone.

People are, at their most basic instinctual level, completely and totally selfish. Any action that is to the contrary is something they learned to do, not something they were born with. If you don’t believe me, just watch two toddlers playing with toys. You won’t see them sharing a toy, unless some outside force compels them to. Adults are the same way, just more sneaky about it. Unless there is an outside force compelling them to act unselfishly, they will act selfishly. Recently, a laptop was stolen from work. The person who this was stolen from never locked the office door and never took the laptop home. When it happened, the response was something along the lines of, “I should be able to trust the people at work.” Why? I don’t. I expect anyone to do anything if they think they can get away with it. This outside force is one of the results of religion. If there is a God, karma, or whatever else, then there are repercussions for your actions beyond those that anybody physically sees. Therefore, there is an outside force keeping you unselfish. You want to find a genuinely unselfish person, look for someone that believes in something bigger than man.

random ramblings of a deranged man.

fantomx11.com blog

So, I broke my phone yesterday. I was moving a filing cabinet at work and banged the phone against it and the screen cracked. No problem, I have insurance and will just go get another. I call the insurance company my carrier uses to insure the phones and am informed that my phone is uninsurable. The reason, apparently, is because I have a smart-phone and it is possible to download a virus into my phone. The girl I was speaking to said that what would happen is I'd get a refurbished phone of the same model shipped to me and then my insurance would be cancelled. Here's a few thoughts I have on this scenario:
* So, the insurance company is claiming that I downloaded a virus into my phone that cracked the screen...ummm...yeah, whatever. 
* If it's uninsurable, it's uninsurable. Refund me the $10 or so I've paid for insurance since I bought this phone, apologize for the mix-up, and make me purchase a new one. Granted, I'm grateful that they're replacing it, but the fact is there seems to be something fishy if they say it's uninsurable and in the next sentence they are replacing the phone. 
* If this model of phone is uninsurable, why do they have refurbished phones of the same model? I can just imagine how this meeting went. 

>Tech: "Well, this phone here, it can download viruses that will crack the screen."
>
>Executive: "Really? Ok, mark that one as uninsurable because we can't deal with viruses."
>
>Tech: "Hey we just got one of those in, and it's broken."
>
>Executive: "Ok, refurbish it."
>
>Tech: "Why? We don't insure this model of phone. Why refurbish it if we won't be using it?"
>
>Executive: "Because I'm the boss and get paid to make illogical decisions. Now go do my every bidding."

Finally, what is this insurance company going to do when all phones are smart-phones? That day is coming, and it's coming fast. Already the middle range phones are streaming audio/video. It's just around the corner that you just won't be able to find a phone that isn't a smart-phone. And the time when insurance companies, at least this one, will have to change their policy will be long before that. Because, as they wait until more and more of the market uses smart-phones, less and less of the market will have “insurable” phones. At some point there won't be enough insurable phones to support the company. What this company ought to do is create different classifications for the phones they insure, such as "fully insured" and "physical damage only insured" this would solve their problem with viruses.