David's Tangled Thoughts

<< See Also: "Indiana or Michigan time?" The Daylight Savings Time bill has finally been passed. Indiana will finally start moving their clocks with most of the nation beginning next year. (By the way, there is a bill proposal in the U.S. House of Representatives to extend DST for about two more months. Incidentally, this bill is sponsored by Congressman Fred Upton who just happens to represent my congressional district which is MI-6th.) There is still a question of which time zone Indiana is going to join. Eastern or Central? There are going to be meetings with the feds. Nothing is final yet.

As you can see from my picture, I obviously love food to the point that it’s probably going to kill me. The past couple days, I’ve departed from my usual pattern of boring, cheap slop. A guy I know from Ottawa mentioned chicken tikka sandwiches. I looked up a recipe for it and it looked simple enough. I just had to buy some jalapeño peppers and some coriander. I put it all together and grilled one for my dinner that I would take to work. I left the rest for my family for hem to grill. I asked them what they thought of it and they seemed to like it. I wish that I could say the same. I ended up overcooking my chicken and it was dry and slightly burnt. The sauce ended up being frozen (man that fridge is cold) so I didn’t use it. Maybe next time I will be more careful. But I’m glad that mom got a day off from having to prepare dinner and it ended up to be something that they enjoyed. Yesterday, while I was at work, Dad brought home some Popeyes chicken . Popeyes restaurants are

I got a notice in the mail yesterday. Jessica F. is putting on our high school reunion. At least someone stepped up to the plate. It's the responsibility of the senior class president to put on the reunion. Considering that it is Josh P., I really wasn't expecting one. Anyways, I'm debating whether I should go. It's two months away but there are three major things that I'm wrestling with. One, if I am going, I'd like to show up knowing that I have my career going. Two, our class is made up of 20 people so there are only a couple people that are going to show up. And three, those who will show up are people I'm really not friends with anyways. There are only six or seven people that I'm interested in seeing. I'm going to send out some feelers (through email) and see what those people are thinking of.

Okay, so inventory wasn't the bitch everyone was making it out to be. At least it wasn't for us. The managers? Now that's a different story. It was a normal day and I was able to get out less than hour after my scheduled time. But I do have to give credit to one of my managers. It turns out that there were three trucks to unload but we were spared the third one. It probably had to deal with the fact that some departments couldn't get new stock put up more than their feeling sorry for us. I hear, though, that they will be unloading three trucks tonight. Glad I'm on my day off. Today is going to be a bear.

Tomorrow is inventory day for the store. Because of that, there were no trucks to unload today. In addition, we couldn't move merchandise from the back because they were binned and set to be counted. Instead of working out in the back, the managers sent us out onto the sales floor to put up what was left of grocery stock, and then straightening and facing the merchandise so it was easier to count. I caught my friend Adam when he was getting off work. Like I have mentioned before, although he and I work at the same store, we rarely see each other, much less socialize. It was his birthday so I went with him to the break room to get a slice of cake. It was the highlight of my easy day. Happy Birthday Adam! We got out of the store on time today but tomorrow is going to be a bitch. Inventory officially starts. From what I was told to expect, we still won't be able to touch the shipments until inventory is over. That won't happen until probably 7, 7:30. So then we will begin unlo

It's too early to be up! It's still a while before daylight breaks and I'm already wide awake. Damn, my sleep pattern is all screwed up. I went to bed at 10:30 and woke up at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep although I suspect that I will be taking a heavy nap before I leave for work at 3 in the afternoon. So I am sitting here looking through my list of blogs that I've come across and seeing if any of them updated. Considering that I check them all almost on a daily basis, there hasn't been many changes since the last time I looked. The coffee maker is percolating now. I haven't had coffee in a long time. I'm not exactly a fan of coffee but I'll take it every now and then. But, it has to be brewed and I never have time to do that. I end up getting it at the cafeteria or from a coffee house which charges an obscene amount for a cup. Rob Thomas was on The Tonight Show the other night to promote his new album, Something to Be. Wal-Mart radio play

The front yard tulips, maple tree, and the pond across the street. While working last night, it started to snow. I was hoping that it would be nothing, the kind that doesn’t stick. Well it stuck alright. Like I mentioned in my previous post rant, I had to scrape that stuff off my car. The downfall just got heavier as I continued to drive west towards the lake. By the time I got into the village, the road started to need a plow and salter to come through. When I went to bed, I hoped that the snow would still be around so that I could take a picture of it and show y’all. So here it is. I’m too much of a wimp to go out and take a good picture so I did this from my living room window. I think that my Dad has given up hope on the cherry trees out in Benton Harbor. One of my co-workers is worried about her tomato plants. Personally, I think we were pretty lucky considering when I hear about the horror stories that are already trickling in from upstate. I could have been a lot wors

One of those “fucktard” drivers knocked off my passenger side mirror. I walked out to my car after work and while I was scrapping off the snow and ice, I noticed I didn’t have my mirror. What the hell! I hope that bastard wrecked his/her car out there on the roads. Asshole. I’ve just started to money into my savings account and now I’ll have to use it for a repair. I’m seriously just tempted to let it be. Damn you, fucker.

Please read Drew's open letter . It nicely expresses some of the frustrations that I had yesterday with quite a few old drivers who insisted on driving as slow as possible.

Remember a little while ago when I blogged about Google’s new maps service and how they use sattelite images? Well one of the first things that I checked out, other than my house, was Washington, D.C. I noticed something about the images of a certain landmark which was also noticed by Bill Amend who used it in his FoxTrot strip. (c)2005 Bill Amend, 04/21/05 Yes, Capitol Hill is blurred out as well as the House and Senate office buildings. Funny how the senators and congressmen get this treatment but the justices of the Supreme Court don’t. There’s the USSC for all the world to see. Capitol Hill (and the Supreme Court) The more important parts of The District The White House At least they did a better job of the White House. The Pentagon After being the building that was actually attacked, you would think that the Pentagon might get a little something on it. You see that little park area in the middle of the Pentagon? There is a vendor. I think it is an ice-cream vendor—maybe it was h

As I was leaving for work today, I saw on Fox that the cardinals have elected a new pope. German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected and will now be known as Pope Benedict XVI. I didn't have the time to see the whole story. I probably could have turned on the radio during my commute but I'm in the habit of listening to fast and upbeat music before I have to work. It sort of gets me in the mood. I did know, however, that he was a front runner for the position and that a lot of people in the U.S. were hoping to get a more liberal pope. Cafeteria Catholics. I had never heard of that term before until today. Apparently that term is applied to American Catholics because they pick and choose which part of the church teachings they want to embrace. I was reading through Mike's blog and it got me to thinking about this particular subject. It deals with American Catholics beginning to fall away from the church. I find it kind of odd since I hear a lot of people saying that Americ

A free moment at K-mart “Do you work here?” I think that has to be one of the most common and moronic questions that people in retail have to constantly hear. It’s even worse when you have to work for a large retail store and have to wear those smocks or vests and name tags that are meant to identify you as a worker. So last night, I had two people ask me that question. I just had to bite my lip. Because I wanted to say, “Nope, I just wear this vest and name tag for fun.” Or maybe, “Nope, I’m just planning to buy this pallet of diapers and stuff it all into my sedan.” Then I would close it up with Bill Engvall’s, “Here’s your sign.” Seriously, those kind of people need the “I am stupid,” sign. Granted, working in retail, one should expect to have to deal with people who are few bricks shy. But I’m not working on the sales floor. I don’t show my face onto the sales floor until 9pm and then it is only for moments at a time. I’m pulling pallets of merchandise out to the floor and droppin

A couple of the UK blogs that I read are coming up with news and commentary on the upcoming election. On more than one of them, they provided a link as to "who you should vote for." Just answer some questions and it will tell you which political party best suits your beliefs. I did a couple of different ones during the 2004 election. It consistently told me that I should vote Republican or Libertarian, depending on the sophistication of the survey. Well, I know Libertarians don't have a chance in hell of winning... anything. So that really leaves only one party. But I'm getting back to American politics. So, I took this survey as to who I should vote for, if I was a UK citizen. I found the result to be rather interesting. If you want to do it yourself, click here .

. Plans to require Mexicans, Canadians, and Americans to have their passports with them when they cross into and out of the United States appear to have been shelved by President Bush, at least for now. I guess he finally realized the practical and even economic consequences. Even though the plans have been put on hold, the directive to tighten the borders is still in effect. How exactly that will work is still years off. The use of background checks on new applicants for the FAST, NEXUS and SENTRI cards plus the use of biometrics are frequently being mentioned but again, that will take a while to put into place. I still have four years left on my U.S. passport despite the government's preference for the new versions.

(c)2005 Bill Amend, 04/15/05 I thought that I would share today's FoxTrot strip. It's for all of you who are still doing their taxes [cough] Dad [/cough].

Mine are one day ahead of the deadline. That’s my best time so far. Usually, when it came to preparing my taxes, I procrastinated to the point that I would be rushing to the post office a few hours before it closed. This year I only have to pay $42 into the government. Nope, I’m not missing an extra digit or two. Just forty-two dollars. And that’s not to the federal government. It’s to the state. I’m getting everything back from the feds. Michigan will also be refunding the remainder of what I overpaid through my pay stub withholdings. It's getting to be too much My Dad has it rougher than I. After sifting through all that crap, I’m finally ready to mail out my two forms. Now I have to wait a few weeks to get my money back.

16.9oz? While I was filling out my taxes, I needed a caffeine/sugar fix. I broke into my six pack of Pepsi that I bought specifically for my job. It's cheaper than using the vending machine. While I was shopping, I noticed that the 20oz bottles are disappearing. Pop (soda, for you others) was sold mainly in three sizes: 12oz cans, 20oz bottles, and 2 liter bottles. Now there are these little 6oz cans (which is a waste of metal), 12oz bottles (by Coke), 1/2 liter bottles, 1 liter bottles, and the regular 2 liter bottles. What happened to the good ol' fashioned 20oz bottles!? I feel like that old guy in the book 1984. Are we finally going to metric with these pop bottles? The 20oz bottles were just right. Now I have to deal with less than I want or more than I want. Leave it up to the companies to screw up my addiction.

I don’t pretend to understand how the EU, as it currently is, works. Even though I like comparative politics, it’s difficult for my mind to get a grasp on how this system works. It’s confusing because it some areas, the member states seem to retain sovereignty and yet in others, it does not. The area of law comes to mind as some EU laws can override laws made by national legislatures. It makes me wonder how these nations can continue to claim to be truly sovereign. I was just browsing the various news sources and found two articles about the upcoming referendums in France and the Netherlands where their citizens will be voting on ratification of the EU constitutional treaty. According to the articles, it appears that citizens there are largely apathetic and there is a real possibility that a “no” vote may occur. French President Chirac is expected to throw his support for ratification, hopefully to encourage the people to do the same. The idea of a constitution for the EU is pret

I live on the western edge of the Eastern Standard Time zone. That means that I live on the same time as those who live in New York City. When it is 1pm in NYC, it is 1pm here in southwest Michigan. However, in real time and with economic considerations, I live much closer to the city of Chicago which lies in the Central Standard Time zone. Confused yet? Well, since Michigan stays with EST, our sense of time is always in sync with the national broadcasts coming out of the eastern seaboard. But Indiana? That’s where things get tricky. The city of South Bend is the broadcasting center for our region. So our television and radio broadcasts transmit a time that may or may not be true for half of their listeners. For half of the year (winter), Michigan and Indiana are on the same time. Then in summer, Indiana decides not to use Daylight Savings Time.* That effectively switches them to CST. Maybe this map will help: . South Bend is in the county of St. Joseph which is colored gree

. Here is an image of where I live. I'm in the light brown rectangle there. This guy made me aware that Google is now offering maps that can be converted into satellite images. Mapquest used to do this in a partnership with GlobeXplorer . It used to be quite handy, especially when I was planning my trip to Florida a few years ago. The satellite images of Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, really helped me navigate the interstate lanes. So I tried Google's new service (it's still beta.) Their image bank is nowhere near as complete as it should be. I couldn't get images of other notable sites such as Michigan State. I could with GlobeXplorer. I'm glad that Google has decided to pick this service up since Mapquest no longer offers it. I just hope that this beta won't take as long as their gmail service. (Oh BTW, I have almost a 100 gmail invites to give away. If you want one, just leave a comment or email me.)

The past few days have been extremely rough. When I got moved into my current job position, I didn’t expect to be so drained. This past Wednesday, I started my first day as an unloader. Basically, I unload the freight trucks, then sort the boxes by department, and move the pallets into the storage bins as needed. When the trucks are unloaded and swept out, we then move the pallets out onto the sales floor, and then we are assigned to a department to help stock. So far, I’ve been in paper/chemicals, and pets. Now I’ve been a desk jockey for the better part of four years (and I intend to return that way ASAP) so all this physical work has been a shock for me. Four days out and I still want to tear out my muscles. They are that sore. But it has been getting better. Working for Wal-Mart seems like a low point. After receiving a college degree, I’m working retail--again. I don’t get to see my friend Adam, who also works there, because the Wally World way of doing things doesn’t a

Sorry for no updates but I've been feeling like total crap the last few days. I think I'm finally on the upswing so check back in a day or two.

...please have your passports ready for inspection. Well, it looks like that it is going to be more of a hassle to get into Canada. By 2008, the U.S. government is going to require that both Canadians and Americans have their passports to cross the border. Currently, we only need a driver’s license or a Nexus to cross the border. There’s not much thinking involved since everyone who crosses the border is driving, and most drivers have their license on them. Want to go to Canada? No problem. Other than the toll and check, it’s just like going to another state. We go through Canada to get to New York. It’s more convenient and interesting than going through Ohio. It’s great for 18 year olds looking for a drink (It’s pretty much how Windsor’s economy stays afloat.) Also, there are lower prices for cigarettes and prescription drugs. Canadians can come over for jobs, warmer vacation areas, and quicker medical attention. This is complete crap. Not because the border is undefended and vulnerab

I came back from work today and saw that my parents were gone and my sister was just leaving. I go up to my sister and ask where Mom and Dad are and she said that they were at some special dinner. My dad was accepted into some honor society. I’m not sure what it was. I notice that she’s primping a little more than usual so I ask her what she was up to. “I’m going to Curt’s.” Curt… otherwise known as #1. There are so many guys that she knows that sometimes a designation is just easier. I like to rib her about when she leaves to go visit him just because of what our mom says about it. She’s a little conservative when it comes to my sister’s behavior. In her view, the boyfriend should be visiting her, not the other way around. Mom wonders that other people are thinking that Kris is acting like the boy in this relationship- as odd as that sounds. But the situation suits me just fine; I’d rather not know that she and him are having a make-out session in the next room. With everyone gone, I

SON OF A BITCH! (c) Chicago Tribune, by J. Prisching Illinois lost to North Carolina. I'm walking away. I'm walking away. [cursing]

After getting a job offer with a well known retail store, I had to drive into South Bend and pee in cup. That sucked. Every job that I have applied for had warned me that I could be subjected to a drug test. None of them ever gave me one though. So I walk into this small medical facility that you would probably never notice. After filling out the forms, I took a seat and waited my turn. It didn’t take long, maybe ten minutes, but it was enough time to get a look at the staff. All women. All short. All big. All wearing some sort of orange. My God, they were pumpkin ladies! Maybe they were clones, just wearing different hair styles. It was rather creepy and I was glad to just do my business and get out.

I figured that I would write something about State before heading off to church. Then I remembered, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Well if not this, I can at least savor the Duke game and to a lesser extent, the Kentucky game. Duke because… well, it’s Duke, and Kentucky because it was a great game. I still am proud of how they played through the tournament. It would have been great to have a Big Ten game but… oh well. GO ILLINOIS!

Oh crap... What the fuck are they doing!? Stop trying to take the long shots- or at least do them outside the 3point line.

The Vatican announced that Pope John Paul II has died. Although I am not Catholic, nor would I see eye to eye on some issues with him, I am sad to know that he will no longer be around. I deeply respect his faith and realize that he has a conviction that I could only dream of attaining.