TMI a little place to whine

In honor of National Pancake Day (and Shrove Tuesday) IHOP is offering guests 1 short stack of pancakes FREE today. The offer is good from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. at participating restaurants (according to the IHOP website).

If you need something to go with those 3 pancakes, like coffee, bacon or eggs, you have to pay the regular price, but for today at least the pancakes are FREE.

Nice of them to do that. I just wish the freebies weren't only available during working hours. Sigh, yeah I know I'm being greedy.

More and more I hear young people complaining about how their boss is "rude" and interferes with their conversations at work.

Excuse me? Interferes with their personal conversations?

Apparently they don't understand that the purpose of their being in a job is to actually DO work, not socialize or spend time on their cell phone during working hours.

We complain that American jobs have gone overseas, yet when young American's get jobs here they treat them like an inconvience. Doesn't that tell you something about the supposed work ethic? I think the work ethic in America died with the Viet Nam generation, and it wasn't allthat great for that generation either.

I commented to a professor's blog today and as I was writing I wondered if I'm going to be repremanded for it.

I made an observation about the unionizing effort on campus, by a group of workers who are the contract janitors for UM. UNICO pays workers the minimum wage, and offers no benefits no health insurance and no sick time. If the school is closed for hurricane or holiday then the workers get no pay.

Students and faculty support the efforts of the workers to unionize but I noted that a strike probably won't work because if the university demands the the contract workers get a fair living wage they would have to increase the wages of non salaried workers who work directly for the university.

I am not sure the "administration" wants to hear that.

So, maybe I'll be asked to "retire" early. If so we're sunk because the university pension is so bad it can't even cover the cost of my health insurance.

I'll have have to wait and see. But how can they put a pink slip into my pay packet now that my check is direct dep[osited and I get the pay stub when I downlload it from the website myself?

Maybe it'll be in PINK INK?

Sometimes things just work out for the best.

Our roof was repaired this week. The roofer wasn't scheduled to dothe job but he called on Tuesday and asked if we wanted it done that day. Of course we said yes, so his crew started the roof on Tuesday and were finished by Wednesday evening. Last night we had a storm. A really big, torrential rain storm that woke me up several times because of the pounding driving rain and wind. And this morning, there were no leaks. None.

Sometimes things just work out for the best.

Yesterday Bushie defended the decision to allow an Arab owned, middle east based company to control the ports in the US. Today the White House is saying they didn't even know about the deal until a few days ago.

So which is it?

Why does Bushie say we don't have to worry about the safety of the US when he wants to make friends with some Arab's money but he goes on the road to sell "I am the only one protecting you against the forces of evil?"

Inconsistant? Don't you agree?

Oh that Chad Hedrick makes me very angry. He didn't win the Gold medal last night, so instead of being gracious about his Bronze Medal this is what the Miami Herald sports section has as his quote:

Hedrick admitted he was not happy with a bronze. "That's not what I'm here to do. I came to win. If you come here for any other reason, in my eyes you're wasting your time. Anything less than a win, second, fourth, eighth, 10th, 50th, it's all the same to me."


Talk about being ungracious! If he doesn't want the bronze medal give it to someone for whom the accomplishment means something, or GIVE IT BACK!!

In my eyes he is not the kind of person who promotes good will for his sport, he diminishes the Olympic Games by making statements like that. It's not about the winning, it's about the competition and if he doesn't get that then he doesn't deserve any medals.

He also went on to say that the competition and tension between him and Davis was good for the sport, then he talks about not being focused on winning because of it. He as so busy thinking about beating Shani Davis that he didn't do his best. Sounds like he's blaming Davis again for own deficient performance, doesn't it?

Yeah, well it seems to me that he talks that way because he likes to shift the blame. He did not get a chance to win 5 medals because of Davis (read, it's not my fault) and now the rival caused him to lose focus (again not my fault). Shades of Tanya Harding. What next? My skate shoe lace broke so I can't fairly compete. Oh PLEEZE.

He is not only selfish, but mean spirited and his remark brings dishonor to all who do their best to compete for their country. He makes Americans look bad, no mater how many personal achievements he garners for himself.

Shame Chad, shame on you.

Davis didn't skate in a team event in the men's skating in the Olympics. He was called selfish, especailly since the USA team lost that event.

But Hedricks, a team mate wanted Davis to skate so the USA could win and Hedricks could then, potentially win 5 gold medals. But isn't that just as selfish?

I'm glad Davis won Gold in the 1000 meter and I am glad Hedricks only get what he earns.

Seems to me I have heard that before.

When "W" was asked how the FEMA director Brown did after Katrina he praised him for doing a good job. Now he's "admiring" Cheney for doing a good job in informing the people that he accidentally shot someone? Sort of has a familiar ring to it doesn't it?

Frankly I can't believe a word either Bush or Cheney has said. I don't believe the explaination and I don't believe it was sincerely given.

But then I don't believe they are actually in charge of the White House either.

Cheney. He really is a coward.

Can't even admit that he shot someone by accident. Then when he does admit there was an "accident" he blames the victim.

Next he'll be saying the war in Iraq is "w"'s fault.

It was Howard Dean on Face the Nation today. He said that if the Scooter Libby testimony that the VP oked the leaking of information that lead to the death of undercover agent Plume then the vice president shoudl not be the VP.

He also said that the administration lied because they told the American public that the person who leaked the information would be found out and fired. Yet the vice president is stillin office, shades of Spiro Agnu. To my way of thinking that proves that they have not be honest with the American people and that they have never intended to do so.

I love to see the great fall from the begining. And I shall quietly smile as he crashes and burns.

I got an e-mail to pass along today. Not a chain letter but a letter saying that if we want to save social security we should demand that all members of congress be made to give up their "special" retirement packages and make them collect from Social Security like the rest of us poor slobs.

That way if it touches their wallets they would find ways to "fix" the problems with the system because they have the power to do so and the incentive to not be eating cat food on stale bread when they get kicked out of politics.

But I have one better plan. I want the rules changed so that members of Congress and the Administration in the White House, cabinet members and staff have to follow these rules too:

No private jets or first class. If they fly they fly coach or better yet stand by. No "VIP" passes for airport security searches either. If we have to be at the airport 2 hours early and remove our shoes when passing through the check points I think they should have to also.

I think all of them should have to give up the free health care they now have. I want them all to have to pick an HMO and prescription, dental and eyeglass plan from the ones offered to all federal employees. AND I want them to have to pay the premiums like the rest of us. I don't want them to have any more advantages than the night janitor of the Federal Building in Pittsburgh PA.

I want the members of the administration and congress to have to pay for their own transportation, or use the "government pool" cars when driving. No limo, no more gas allowance than any other federal employee. I want the president to use Air Force One for official business only, no junkets to Purdue University to sell some program. If he wants to justify his programs let him use the "liberal media" and the telephone. We don't have to have him spending millions in fuel and staff salaries because he is trying to make us feel better. I feel better being not bankrupted by excessive spending thank you.

I want Franking privlege stopped, so that every piece of propaganda and defensive explaination you get from a represenative or senator's offices has to have a real first class stamp paid for by the politician, not by taxpayers.

I want members of congress to pay to park like many people in government or in private business. I want the cafeteria for congressmen to be exactly the same as for any other government building. No sit down meals serves, no fancy foods. I want it to be "get your tray, serve yourself and the PAY for it at the cashier" kind of place.

I want congressmen to remember that they are people and I want them to feel the same pain the people they represent serve. However I just can't see Orin Hatch buying his suits off the rack at Sears or J.C. Penney's.

I don't think there will ever be reform in Congress as long as the people there are removed physically and economically from the people they represent.

What's wrong with this picture?

The President has the right to invade our privacy by conducting illegal wiretaps because he has the right to ignore constitutionally granted rights.

The NRA is petitioning that the right to bear arms includes the right to carry weapons to work and have them in your car in the parking lot? It's a constitutional right.

If the NRA gets their way and the president gets his way then why do we have the constitution?

The conservative fundies I mean...
I figured it out during the Super Bowl halftime show.

When the Texas contingent haven't turned football and the supreme game of the season into a stage for some religious zealot and their music and they still play rock n'roll (which fundies consider the devil's music) then we are still safe.

I figure if they haven't sacrificed the "game" to the religious right yet then they aren't that serious. God forbid they actually put God before football. Sacrilidge!!

That's another thing I learned at the EAP workshop.

Some people have $4000 credit available ona credit card and they think that means they have $4000 to spend. They don't.

If you "spend" credit it is a debt that must be repaid.

So if something costs $7 and you don't have $7 cash then you use your credit card to purchase it you not only don't have $7 but you are now in debt for $7 plus interest.

Today, at work, I went to something sponsored by the EAP, the employee assistance program. It was a seminar/workshop on how to read and understand your credit report.
It was very interesting, I learned a lot. For example:


You've seen it...flashing on the banner above your Yahoo or other screen. Get your FREE credit report. So you think "Yeah, I'll do that. By law I am entitled to one free credit report per year." So you go on line and fill in the spaces and find out it's NOT free. Scratch that. DO NOT USE www.freecreditreport.com to get a credit report, the service is fee based. They want you to pay for a "full report" and give you only the bare minimum

But you were right, you can get a free one though. Just pick the right web address:

www.annualcreditreport.com
or call 1-877-322-8228

You are entitled by law to one free credit report from EACH credit reporting agency per year. One thing I learned was that if you want to keep tabs on your credit you can do it this way.

Write or call EACH of the Credit Reporting Bureaus every 4 months. There are 3 bureaus.

You ask one bureau to send you a report and then wait 4 months and ask the 2nd and after another 4 months ask the 3rd.
So in January you call or write for your EQUIFAX report:
Equifax
PO Box 740123
Atlanta GA 30374-0123
phone 1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com

In April you call or write to TransUnion
PO Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022
www.transunion.com
1-800-888-4213

In August you ask Experian
475 Anton Blvd
Costa Mesa CA 92626
www.experian.com
888-397-3742

Not all credit reporting bureaus use the same kinds of criteria for listing things on the report, so the reports will contain variations. But by in large they should be pretty close. If the credit score you have on the 3 different reports varies widely, be assured that the people looking into your credit history will take the middle score usually.

You can also get all three at once by requesting them free (once a year) from:

Annual Credit Report Request Service
PO Box 105281
Atlanta GA 30348-5261
1-877-322-8228

You can also update and explain (in 100 words or less) what problems have occurred and why you have had late payments, or disputes with creditors.

These are good things to know.

Save this information.