Telemarketers

It's official, people are just not getting it. The other day, as I was sitting at home with my brothers, I was phoned by MasterCard. Allow me to explain to you the details of my telephone conversation with MasterCard.

As I said, I was called and asked if I would be interested in a MasterCard. I made a decision right there to be polite to this person, just to see if it would work on a telemarketer. I responded to this by saying "No, thank-you, I am happy with my Visa, and I do not want another card."

You would think that this would have let him know that I didn't really want the card, but no... He persisted.

"But have you heard about our new low interest rate?" Okay I thought, he thinks I'm just a tough sell, I can respect that. So I told him again that I did not want a MasterCard, and explained to him that I like my Visa because it is compatible with my bank, and that MasterCard is not.

So I continued to be polite, thinking that if I explained why I was happy with my Visa, he would back off.

Wrong.

"Oh, but our new low interest rate is only..." I interrupted him politely here, "Alright" I said. "I'm going to explain to you why that is no good for me." I proceeded to explain to him that I do not allow myself to be charged that interest, as I pay my credit card off online as soon as I can. I told him that I would actually be a bad cardholder for them as I would just cost them money.

Now. You would think that any reasonable person would stop now, but no, he continued. It was only my call waiting that allowed me to politely hang up on him.

This experience proved two things to me. One, that you can not be polite to telemarketers and expect results, and two, that there are more idiots in the world than natural selection should really be allowing.

Until next time...

Journey to the Centre of the Computer

It was a mistake that lead me to the centre of the computer, let me tell you my story... It all started when I offered to help my youngest brother in his trials with his music. I was to supplement his collection... It was then that I realized that it would not be as simple as I would have hoped.

It was a perilous trek, there were many wires to pull out carefully. It took much time to safely remove them to delve deeper into the realm of the digital. Once these were dealt with, it was simply a matter of moving the box to a safer location.

Now, in what may have been the most labour intensive part of the job, we removed the side panel from the box. This took careful turning of the keystone in order to access the inside of the digital fortress. After an ingenious solution pulled from my brother's trusty leather pocket pack, we were in.

As we slid of the metal coverstone, we were in awe at what we saw. It was like a different world. I cannot even begin to describe the wonders of what I saw, wires of all sorts leading everywhere. It was breathtaking. After several minutes of searching we found what we were looking for, and after a small faltering, we were on our way to fixing the problem.

We traced the problem back to its source, reinserting the wires where they should lead. It was at this that we slid the coverstone back into place, sealing it once more. We reconnected the wires and slid the box back into place, now working.

I am happy to inform you all that my brother now has the music he needed, and now he will have no future problems.

Until next time...

Boredom

Well faithful blog readers, while my life does seem to be a hotbed of activity lately, I just cant seem to get in the writing mood about it, so I shall write about the time I have been spending sitting in front of my computer screen.

As you may or may not know, I have recently all but stopped playing Puzzle Pirates. I have also broken out of my shell, something I have been trying to do for years. I have basically done all that I have set out to do.

Now the problem is that I have nothing to do on my computer other than chat with people, listen to music and play trivia on Afternet. What is a guy to do?

So, I now open it to you my readers. Post me the links to your blogs, your livejournals and your Spaces, be they yours or MSN's. I shall read to kill the boredom.

Until next time...

Workspace

I hath reclaimed my workspace. I have cleared out the crap from my dresser and have made room on my dresser for the game set my parents bought me for my birthday. Now I have room on my desk for space not only to work, but to write as well.

At long last, my desk is clean. I have been meaning to do this for months.

Huzzah, my creative spirit is free to flow freely onto the page.

Until next time...

Everything's Changing

Things are changing here. Things are going amazing.

I have new music to up my moods. This really helps when just sitting here at my computer.

I have a G2, so I can drive myself about.

Most importantly, I have been going out with my friends much more in the past three weeks.

As I said, things are going amazingly. Just thought I would let you all know.

Until next time...

LT3M

Well, I have never actually included an image on this blog, but I thought that this website deserved it. As I type I am listening to the electronic style of LT3M. It is an internet radio station that delves heavily into electronic music, one of my favourites being trance.

LT3M is short for less than three music, or <3 Music. I recently started listening to this station, and since then have grown to love the electronic style. I highly recommend it to all that read this.

In conclusion, I now like electronic music. It is amazing.

Until next time...

Leadership

Every group has a style of working... some of these group dynamics work well, and some do not. Many that fail, are those that lack a strong leadership. The single leader not working due to some reason, be that because they do not act, or because they act without asking the others, or for some other reason.

My question is this... Why is there a real need for a true single leader? Why is it that we cannot have a committee of equals, made up of the most qualified, that act for the rest of us. Canadian parliament works in a manner such as this, and if they were all independant, it would be exactly what I am talking about here. No one person having more power than anyone else... everyone's vote being worth the exact same.

I think the problem is that for all of this, it kind of goes back to Plato's idea of having a philosopher king, that would rule out of complete fairness and whose rule would be entirely devoted to making society better for the citizens. The problem there was that there were no philosopher kings available.

Well, we are still not in Kallipolis, so I do not know what to tell you on the large scale.

On the small scale, I suggest that maybe we can work together to make things better. If we all just stopped grabbing for power and looking out for ourselves, maybe we could see that there is a better solution for all if we just managed to agree.

Wow, I don't know where this came from...

Until next time...

Blogging Milestones

Something happened recently that is a true milestone for my blog. As of my most recent post about Trent University, I have hit one hundred posts.

In my last one hundred posts, I complained, I ranted and I generally got stuff off my chest. What lies in store for me in my next hundred posts? Only time will tell.

Until next time...

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

There is some news on the education front that I would like to share with you all. I have been accepted into the concurrent education program at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT). I will be majoring in physics and minoring in math.

I got accepted to teacher's college. I will be a high school math and science teacher. I had said I was going to go to Trent University, but now that I have been accepted to the concurrent program, I say forget them.

UOIT is perfect for me, other than the lack of social sciences. It is only fifteen minutes from my house, and I will still be staying on residence for my first year. The proximity will allow me to keep my job if I want, and the best part of all is that since I am doing both my bachelor of science and my bachelor of education at the same time, I will not have to apply to teacher's college when I graduate. I am already in.

All in all, this is going to be great.

Until next time...

Trent, Here I Come

I have accepted the offer of acceptance, I have applied for residence. I am as good as there.

It has been a few days since I posted, and this insanity with Trent and the Ontario University Application Centre (OUAC) has left me a little drained. That and I seem to have a cold.

It has been a fairly good last few days for me. I am Smart Serve certified, I've finished with university acceptances and such, and just generally I am feeling great.

Huzzah for everything.

Until next time...

Natural Light, it Burns...

I learned a very important lesson yesterday, the lesson having to do with the harshness of nature. The lesson was, wear some sunscreen when you will be outside for the better part of seven hours.

I now have first degree burns to my face, neck, hands and arms. To top this all off, I had to work with those burns last night, and I have to again in a few hours. I have taken an advil and used the sunburn first aid spray I bought and it still burns like hell. I do not know what I am going to do once those two things wear off.

Damn you, ultraviolet rays.

Until next time...

Stress

I am so stressed out lately... Between work and my co-op, I have not had a day off in weeks. The problem is that I am not just sitting down all day learning. I am actually doing work all day every day.

With university looming over the horizon as well, I have money woes to add on to my pile of stressors. What I need is a Saturday or a Sunday off, where I can just relax and get away from all the things in life that are stressing me out right now.

I think that what may do me some good is to go out with some friends. Maybe that would help relax me. Maybe just a coffee or something, or a night out. I have not had a night out with my friends in a good month and a half.

Anyways, I shall now bid you all farewell. Yours truly needs a bit of sleep, so that he might help children to learn tomorrow morning.

Until next time...

Expectations

Have you ever expected something to turn out a certain way, only to have your vision shattered when something unforseen occurs?

I think this is something we have all had to deal with at some point or another, and I think we all know by now that it can sometimes be hard to deal with, especially when you do not have a contingency plan. That is why it is always important to have a plan "B" in case something goes wrong.

What shocks me though, is when it is not unforseen events that change things, but the actions of those who you trust. That is when I have to take a step back and truly analyze the situation. If the people who I trust turn against me, and try to destroy what I have worked for, then how am I to continue as if nothing has happened.

What shocks me is when for no reason, I am shown hostility that I do not feel I deserve. When my job is made harder because stress and aggravation cause people to display an air of hostility that makes it harder to do what I am supposed to do.

It is annoying when my job is made harder by those who would harass me and deliberately make my job miserable. Who would create a hostile work environment. I do not deserve poor treatment just because of things I have no control over.

For those of you that read this and ask what in the world I am talking about, let me say this. It is not about any specific thing, but a large number of things that are going on in my life right now. I feel I am getting the short end of the stick, and quite frankly I am getting tired of it.

In conclusion, to the people I am talking about, and I believe you all know who you are. Leave me alone. Stop harassing me, it is just making all our lives harder than they need to be. Just back off.

Until next time...

Skype

So, this week I discovered something called Skype while reading Discover. For those of you who do not know, Skype is an internet telephone service. It uses the internet to place phone calls rather than using phone lines. As such, they do not charge to place phone calls between Skype users. It is completely free to download, and free to get started. The only time that you have to pay is when you call a non-Skype user.

See the thing is, that you can download it for any operating system, including certain kinds of PDAs. I suggest to everyone that you at least try it. It's free, and you can talk to anyone around the world for free.

It is very cool. Try it.

Until next time...

What I Want

What I want right now is very simple. I would like an environment where an argument that I have with my parents is not a one sided one. I would like to be afforded the consideration that you would give to an adult who is making a good point, and not to be told I am acting like a child.

It is very insulting.

I would like to not hear "I'm a terrible mother" come from my mother every time I make a point that in any way criticizes her. That is not a fair thing to be doing in an argument.

What I want is a level playing field... Right now it is tilted in favor of my parents.

If not that, I would at least like to see an argument run its course. I cannot see how interrupting it every few seconds helps the situation. It just ticks me off and throws off my train of thought. Then I start making points that are not as well thought out as they could be.

In conclusion, I want to be able to talk to people in general without there being a lot of fighting. I want to be able to have a calm rational discussion with my family. That is all I want.

Until next time...

Bursting my Bubble

Today at work I was serving a customer. The topic got around to being about university, and I casually mentioned that I would probably be looking for a new job once I went off to Trent. So I ring her through, I say have a nice day and I move on to the next customer.

A minute and a half later, the customer comes back to my till. She says to me, and I quote, "You are one of the nicest people I have ever met." She then goes on to tell me that the company she works for is hiring, and she gives me a slip of paper and says to call them.

The paper said No experience necessary, we will train, and it listed a number to call. I had planned on doing that, because in reality, I am currently in the process of looking for a new job.

Anyways, I get in the car about fifteen minutes later, my mother having come to pick me up from work. I tell her about what happened, and she takes a look at the slip of paper, and immediately determines that it must be a telemarketer. She goes on to take shots at telemarketers for the whole ride home. I continue to try to defend that she cant be sure that it is a telemarketing position, and I try to say that it would still be better than working where I am now.

Once I got home, I promptly crumpled it up and threw it out, feeling rather defeated. Then my mother starts yelling at me for the attitude I am now showing, like I am in the wrong. I had left work happy and in a great mood. Someone had paid me a compliment, I had a good day and someone seemed to want me to work for them. Apparently I am not supposed to feel good about that, and am supposed to be suspicious of anyone showing any interest in me as a potential employee.

I then had a guilt trip laid on me. I had words put in my mouth that I did not say, did not think, and do not believe. I had someone tell me that I think poorly of their abilities, which I did not think. All I said was that she did something mean, which I didn't appreciate. What really ticked me off though was that my feelings were made to seem invalid.I had just wanted to feel good.

Someone thought I would make a good employee. Sue me if I don't get a lot of compliments like that and took pride in this one....

Until next time...

Webcomic of the Week

Well, I'm back from my semi-hiatus, so I may revive this old relic... I may rename it in coming weeks, perhaps to something else. Maybe just a chance to see what I've been doing in the past week, or perhaps my personal book recommendation.

Regardless, this week my suggestion is that you all read TwoKinds. It is a good comic. It is almost midnight here and I woke up at 4 AM, so I am a bit too tired to explain it to you all. You can find the link here. I heartily recommend it to you all, for it is an excellent read, it is quite funny and it is at last off of its hiatus that it was on.

See, I'm not the only one that takes a break.

Until next time...

Comments Continued

I am getting my first non-spam comments from people I do not know. This means that my opinion is actually being heard by people. This is a great day for Muddled Mind, as it means that my opinion officially matters to others.

What is even better though, is that the commenter returned and made another comment. I subsequently visited their blog and realized that truly this person is not just out to spam.

I feel very good right now; my opinions, my beliefs and my daily complaints and ponderings are being heard, not just by members of my family, but by the whole world. Or at least one person with another blog.

In any case I feel good.

Until next time...

I Have Learned Something...

This Easter, I learned something very important. The lesson that I learned was simple... Do not go to sleep at 7:30 in the evening, when you have only been awake since about 10 in the morning. I woke up this morning at 3:45.

Now, since that is a full eight hours, I cannot get back to sleep. Now what am I supposed to do? It is 4:15 in the morning, there is nothing good on TV.

I will have to find some way to entertain myself for the next three or four hours while I wait for my family members to wake up... Damn.

Oh well... On a more positive note, I got Easter chocolate yesterday... Yep, a nice chocolate Bart Simpson. I love The Simpsons, I love chocolate. It was a great Easter after all...

Anyways, I will have to go put the chocolate in the fridge as it is losing its structural integrity, so a happy Easter Monday to all.

Until next time...

Weird Stuff

I'm fairly bored just sitting here, so I have an open question to anyone who cares to answer.

I have just been looking up at my bedroom ceiling and I was thinking... "What is up with the stucco?" I have no idea what this stuff is supposed to do, it doesnt seem to make sense. To me it just seems like a waste of material.

So if anyone has an answer to this, please tell me. I can't think of a possible reason for it.

See... this is the kind of useless crap that I think of. Had I written this post down beforehand, I can guarantee you it would have never made it to the internet. I may go watch the news, then I can at least gripe about some topical material.

Until next time...