TMI a little place to whine

Am I wrong?

When I dial a person from my cell phone and I don't get an answering machine I realize that if I am calling another cell phone it shows up as a missed call.

When that happens to me, and I get a missed call message on my phone I try to call back the number to see if it's something important. When I do, I always say "Hello, someone just dialed my cell phone from this number." I don't identify myself, but I do give the impression that I don't know who I am calling.

What annoys me is that when I get "return calls" I most likely get people who, when I answer the phone, greet me with "Who's this?"

Who's this?

Who are you?

Last night I got such a phone call and I said to the caller, "Don't you know who you dialed?" She said I am just calling back a number that appeared on my phone as a missed call.

I was tempted to say that her first response was rude, however the call was for my church to a client of St. Vincent de Paul and I didn't want to make the woman angry at the Society or the Church. So I looked up the number on the sheet of clients I had to contact to verify that it was indeed the person I was trying to reach, and we had out conversation.

But it gets to me.

"Who's this?"

Don't they teach phone ettiquite anymore?

Some days I almost WISH those threatened cyber terrorist things WOULD happen so that the kids would learn that they can’t “get everything on line” in a library -- that they can write letters and send US Postal Service mail. I want kids to understand that you need “money” to buy things, not credit, and you have to wait until checks clear to use the money from a deposit. This takes patience and some advanced planning - neither of which seem to be in the vocabulary of today's youth. And better yet, maybe they would learn to express themselves in a manner intended by the use of their native language - yes using verbal exchanges instead of relying on punctuation marks and smiley faces to express joy, pain, suprise, outrage, anger and happiness.



I want kids who work in retail and restaurants to know that the cash “register” doesn’t do all of the adding for you all of the time and sometimes you have to USE MATH to actually add, subtract, multiply and divide things IN YOUR OWN HEAD (in other words, that you might have to THINK and use your brain.) Then they might realize the value of those dumb classes they have to take in school and that doing homework is just practice for what happens in real life. They aren't called "problems" for nothing, you know.



I want kids to know that not all food is available all of the time. That in the great scheme of things there are seasons for apples, pears, plums, peaches, tomatoes, squash, etc. In other words, I want them to learn to enjoy the times they can get the food they like so they learn to appreciate it and enjoy it more. Maybe then kids won't be so damned picky about what they will and will not eat because if you can't buy fruit out of season you eat what you have available.



I want kids to be tied to an old fashioned analog land line telephone , not have some earplug available at a moments notice to reach them digitally whenever some other kids have some “important” stuff to tell them. I want no availability to any camera phone, no text messaging, instant messaging and yes, even no computer e-mail for a while, so that people actually have to talk face to face in an office or a social setting or even a FAMILY setting. I realize this would require yet again, advance planning and patience. AS would listening to a telephone ring and not be able to identify the caller before even picking up the receiver.



I want kids to actually know that seeing a movie requires them to leave home, go to another building and purchase a ticket to enter a theater and watch it, instead of having to download it and watch it on a computer, or worse yet, an iPod.

I want all Ti- vo, DVD and video players to not function, so that people have to see a program as it it aired. Again this requires some advance planning on the part of the person who wishes to see a show at 7:30 on a Tueaday evening. You will actually have to SIT in front of the TV set and watch it then, not plan on recording it and watch it later. No putting the show on pause for bathroom and snack breaks, heck that's what commercials are for, you've got 2 to 4 minutes to rush off to the other room and do what needs to be done so you can come back and watch the show when the commercials are over.

I want no remote controls for anything. Nothing pre-programed for your convience. If you want something done do it manually. This means MOVE off your fat behind and actually walk over to the TV or stereo or radio and change the channel, station or "record" should you find one available.

Right now our kids are fat from lack of physical exercise. Soon they will be ignorant from lack ot mental exercise too.



Maybe if kids do without what they come to see as everyday things they will learn that not everyone has what they consider normal and they might learn to appreciate that they really don’t “need” all the junk they think they do.



Now I am off MY soap box.

My son and daughter-in-law wanted to treat me to a night out - gambling. So on Wednesday before Thanksgiving we went to the Seminole Hard Rock Cafe and Casino, in Hollywood FL.

Obviously it's owned by the Seminole Indian tribe.

So, we drove up and they told me to apply for a players club card, which I did. Then we went to dinner and I had a BLT that was soooooooo huge they must have used a half pound of very crisp bacon to make it.

After dinner I took the $10 my daughter gave me to play for her, and the $60 my son gave me to play and we went to play the slots. Being the big spender that I am I played the nickel slots.

On the first machine I used my daughter's money and won her $37 on her $10. I called her to tell her and she told me to keep playing so I did.

I switched machines a few times and lost some money of the $60 my son gave me, but cashed out before I lost all of the $20 I had started with, when a guy comes up to me and calls my name.

I thought to myself "Who knows I'm here?" It turns out that I was the hourly winner for a promotion by the casino and I got a nifty Hard Rock Tee shirt just for playing the slots with my "players club" card in the machine.

Then the guy tells me to reach into the velvet bag he was carrying, and pick out a coconut. He told me that each coconut had a dollar amount on it and whatever I picked I got to spend in the casino machines.

I reached in and pulled up a $250 coconut!!

My son was seated next to me and using his players club card too so he got $100 for just being there. I gave my daughter-in-law $50 and my son $50 to play and I continued to play the rest of my "cash for nothing".

When I cashed out at the end of the evening, I paid my son back his $60 advance, and had won for my daughter on her $10 a total of $95.95 AND I put into my pocket $103.

Not bad for playing a whole night and not spending any of my own funds.

All in all I had a good night and lots of fun. I might do it again, but I doubt if my beginners luck will hold next go round.

Those neat looking yellow cars that are on the market had my attention because I liked the bold color. But that is past tense now.

Now I think all yellou cars are BLONDE!

Why?

Well, this morning as I was driving into work I was cut off, or nearly so, by several yellow cars. They were all driven by different types: a young mother on a cell phone, a middle aged man, an average looking woman, one late teen type. The only thing they seemed to have in common was no control of their vehicles. It's like the car had a mind of it's own (or had turned off the mind of the person behind the wheel.)

With all of the stupid blonde jokes going around I have to think that being "blonde" isn't restricted to those who have that color dyed hair, but to anything with an artificial yellow color.

Natural blondes, as we all know, are actually very intelligent. (stop smirking Michael.)

We're expecting a cold snap - overnight lows in the 50's with daytime highs in the 70's. Weatherforecasters are telling residents to make sure thekids are "bundled" while waiting for the school bus in the pre dawn chill.

Heck, if it's going to be in the 70's with no humidity I may have to wear sweaters outside!

As I said, only in Miami.

I've just been elected the next president of the South District Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. It's a 3 year term so until 2009 you will be reading me complaining about the injustice of the world regarding poor and needy people.

Of course I'll caomplain about other things too, as usual. I just thought I'd warn anyone who isn't interested.

And I may even ask for suggestions.

SVDP needs volunteers for special projects and assignments. If you live in Miami and want to help feel free to let me know. I am sure I have need or or can find a place for your individual talent.

So "W" wants to hear suggestions about how to handle the war in Iraq.

OK, here's my suggestion.

You got us into it, now get us out. No accepting suggestions from other so you can blame them when things don't turn out right. Take the responsibility for your actions and FIX it yourself. You were the one stupid enough to start it, don't expect others to bail you out.

Is that suggestion enough?

Why is it that when the pastor of a church wants "cooperation" he always has meetings with those who already cooperate?

Makes no sense to me.

Talk to those who DON'T cooperate, not those who do.