The End Of It All

Vacations are so overrated. You end up going somewhere and spending a lot of money and enduring the same amount of stress, if not more. Then you need another vacation to recover from the vacation. It's a vicious circle that thankfully I only need to endure once or twice a year. Of course all this is sarcasm and I really do enjoy vacations and the time off from work. I guess the only bad thing about vacations is trying to motivate myself to get back to work and into the swing of things. I've got to win the Lotto.

OMG! I look in my email inbox and there's a notification that I've won £1,000,000 from the British Lottery! Funny, I don't remember entering but their mistake is my gain. Finders keepers, losers weepers. That's my motto. All I have to do is send the Lottery Agent some of my personal information and I can claim my prize. I'm going to go tell The Man that I'm quitting tomorrow. Hell, I'm just not going to show up AND not call in sick. I wonder how much this is in dollars?

Alright, Now What?

You are 100% Hank-Fan! Why it's not 100% is beyond me.

You, sir or madam, are a credit to your gender and/or age group. To you, Hank is more of a demi-god than man... and who could blame you? Just don't forget to tithe, and make the checks out to his real name, not "Scott".

How Much Of A Hank Fan Are You
Quizzes for MySpace

Vacation All I Ever Wanted

Well, it's officially quitting time and I am on VACATION!! Woo hoo! Just have a few things to take care of and I am out the door and it won't be hitting me in the rear as I exit. I might post something next week if something interesting happens or if I'm in the mood to complain. But just in case...what ever happened to Baby Jane?

Some Are More Equal Than Others

I was reading this article about a Los Angeles to London flight that was diverted to New York because a flight attendant was suspicious of a passenger. The flight attendant noticed that the passenger in question rode in an employee shuttle bus and bypassed security. Apparently he also was of "Middle Eastern descent."

My big question is why aren't airline and airport employees subject to the same kind of scrutiny as your average Joe? Sure they've passed a background check but things can change rapidly in a person's life or political outlook. You may be considered safe today but tomorrow is another day. Plus I've seen enough movies where the bad guy takes advantage of this type of loophole and kidnaps some employee's family member and threatens physical harm lest the person smuggles a weapon on board..

I think all airline and airport employees should have to be checked by security personnel and screened just as everyone else has to be to enter the "secured" area of an airport. They should have to walk through a metal detector and have their bags x-rayed. Every time. No exceptions. If that's not being done then I think the area really isn't secured and they might as well do away with all the security checkpoints. So the next time you fly, be wary of the flight attendant (especially of Middle Eastern descent) because you know that he/she did not have to go through the same kind of security check that you did before boarding the aircraft. Now sit back, relax, enjoy your flight and sleep with one eye open.

Note: Only one more day before a week of vacation. Hooray! And no, I'm not flying.

And The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth

So sick yesterday. Chills, muscle aches, and fever. Didn't want to do anything nor did I actually do anything productive. When I got home from work, I went straight to bed and slept. I did wake a few times because I was thirsty or from the fever and aches. Today, it's like night and day, as far as how I'm feeling. Still not 100% but I'd say I'm feeling about 89.2112% good. I'm just glad this didn't happen during my vacation next week. Counting down...only two more days of work. Yay!

It's Alive!

From noodling to twitching fish. Can it get any stranger?

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A chef in Taiwan is in trouble with animal lovers after reportedly serving a not-quite-dead fish as a gourmet delicacy.

A Taiwanese newspaper said the fish dish includes a carp covered with sweet-and-sour sauce, its body deep-fried but its head still twitching. Animal lovers criticize the practice, saying deep-frying will cause a fish extreme pain.

The chef said the dish -- known as "yin yang fish" -- is popular in China. Chefs use it to show customers how very fresh their food is. The newspaper said Taiwanese officials will try to persuade the chef to cook something else.

Ups and Downs

Gas prices around here have been dropping slightly over the last few days. I filled my tank on Wednesday for $2.90 a gallon and I noticed it went up last night to $2.95. Go figure. Hopefully it will go back down and stay down when I pack the family up for a road trip in about a week. With my luck though I'm not holding my breath.

Need...More...Power

If my cellular telephone's battery malfunctions, this is what I would do. Go down to my carrier's store (or an electronic superstore) and buy a replacement. Go home and pop the back off of my phone and replace the battery. Finally, I would probably have to charge the phone. Pretty much zero down-time and no hassles. But if your a proud owner of an Apple iPhone, then this is what you would do since the battery is soldered onto the electronics.

What is the iPhone Battery Replacement Program?
If your iPhone requires service only because the battery’s ability to hold an electrical charge has diminished, Apple will repair your iPhone for a service fee of $79, plus $6.95 shipping. Be sure to follow these instructions for optimizing battery life and troubleshooting battery charging issues before submitting your iPhone for battery replacement.

How much does it cost to participate in the program?
The program costs $79, plus $6.95 shipping. The program cost is $85.95 per unit. All fees are in US dollars and are subject to local tax. Service may not be available if your iPhone has been damaged due to accident or abuse. Please review Apple’s Repair Terms and Conditions for further details.

How do I send in my iPhone for battery replacement
service?
Easy. Just complete our iPod service request form. Please review the service terms and conditions. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to participate in the program.

Will the data on my iPhone be preserved?
No, the repair process will clear all data from your iPhone. It is important to sync your iPhone with iTunes to back up your contacts, photos, email account settings, text messages, and more. Apple is not responsible for the loss of information while servicing your iPhone and does not offer any data transfer service. Please do not send any accessories with your iPhone.

How long will service take?
The repair process normally takes three business days. See the iPhone Service FAQ for information about getting an AppleCare Service Phone for you to use with all of your data while your iPhone is being repaired.

Hah! And people thought I was crazy for not wanting one. Seems to me like Apple pulled a fast one.

Just Stick It Into A Hole

I watched a rerun on my local PBS station this evening about noodling. Basically it's fishing with your hands but a little bit more complicated. These guys were after catfish, which are basically bottom-feeding scavengers that live in holes along the banks of rivers and lakes, and can grow to enormous sizes. I've heard rumors of catfish the size of toddlers near a spillway at a lake in Texas. Yikes.

So anyway, these guys get in the water and submerge themselves near a hole that they think may house a catfish and stick their hands and arms in there to grab what they can. Catfish bite...and so do lots of other things in the water. Ouch. This manner of fishing can also be dangerous because of where catfish like to congregate. One noodler explained how another noodler stuck his arms under a partially submerged asphalt road, which then collapsed a bit, pinning the man's arms and preventing him from getting his head out of the water. He drowned just inches below the water. But when everything goes right noodlers catch some amazing (scary) fish.

As for me, you will never find me noodling because there is something inherently wrong with sticking your hands and arms into holes that you have no idea what could be lurking in there. I also have a low tolerance for pain so I wouldn't find getting bitten by a large fish or turtle appealing. Besides, I don't care much for catfish anyway.

Countdown to 2009

Watch it live here.