slacker with a few pet peeves

That's what I am though. I've found it hard to keep posting interesting things even though I come across interesting things on a daily basis. When it comes to doing something on a daily basis, sometimes it feels more like a duty and an obligation rather than a privilege.

There's a ton of things I hate doing on a daily basis, but the dividends pay off, such as working out, brushing my teeth, taking out my contacts, cleaning (my house, my room, my car) checking my account balances, listening to voice mail. The only reason I do things like these is the fear I have of what could happen if I don't do them. Anyone else who says they get joy from things like that is delusional, because it would be wrong to outright call them a liar. They've simply fooled themselves into liking something they're going to have to do anyway, so more power to them.

I once said something similar regarding Neil Young or Bob Dylan... not sure which one I was commenting on, but in essence it was "People who claim to like his music are lying to themselves." - I'll admit to liking a few songs too, but they're definitely more miss than hit artists in my opinion.

So, before you critique me for not having any real flow or continuity to this blog post, I'm going to just lay out a few of the pet peeves I have since venting can typically make you feel better.

1) I hate the fast food restaurants that add a line for a tip on your credit card receipt, and the awkward moment it causes when you are torn between feeling like a cheapskate for writing a zero, or feeling ripped off because you couldn't face pressure of the expectant look the minimum-wage worker is giving you in that moment of truth. Now really, if you're going to expect a tip, you better fill my fountain drink for me, refill it for me, put the ketchup on my fries for me, and push in my chair when I sit down.

2) I hate driving down the freeway and seeing someone behind me in the lane next to mine, all of a sudden speed up as soon as I've signaled that I want to get into their lane. For some people, the idea that they would be one car length further behind from their destination while traveling at 80 miles an hour is too much to bear. For this reason, I actually refrain from using my signals in a lot of cases.

3) I hate going to the gym here in Corona Del Mar (which I believe is the Cougar capital of the world, not BYU cougars) and seeing these 50 year old women dressing like they're in their mid 20's. Props to them for working out, but even with the botox and collagen injections, they aren't fooling anyone.

4) I hate being around people who remind me in a bad way of myself at a younger age. A psychological phenomenon known as Projection is a very powerful insight into our own weaknesses and strengths. When I meet people who annoy me because they seek too much attention, they act too cool, or whatever else manages to bug me... it only reminds me of what I need to fix about myself. Enough reminders already.

5) I hate commercials, even though they provide the means for me to get free entertainment via the internet, television and radio. It bothers me that 99% of what gets advertised to me is of little to no appeal to me. I'd love to be wowed by every ad I see, but being poor, I have no need for a copper repiping, dog training, a lowest price guarantee on a mattress or it's freeeeee. You get the drill. If anything, I'd rather have these media outlets know me better so that the "necessary" ad time needed for me to get free content was actually relevant to my life and circumstances. Is it too much to ask for? Frankly I'm getting tired of switching stations when I'm watching or listening live.

6) I hate the abuse of power that that is present with nearly everyone in a position of power. I think it was Machiavelli who said that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. President Bush is probably no different than any other president in the level of cronyism he's employed during his presidency, but the proliferation of the internet, blogs and the media in general has only made this abuse of power more transparent. Idiots abound, we saw it in Lee Baca trying to explain away why he was letting Paris Hilton out of jail. Sad truth is, we're all about equality, but we also feel that we're more equal that most everyone else at times.

7) I hate myspace profiles with poor aesthetics and layout, yet are an undeniable shrine of self-adulation and attention seeking with the 50+ photos of the person, the majority of them in a pose with sunglasses making a kissy face.

8) I hate feeling bad for having an internal sense of disgust and disrespect for morbidly obese people. It makes me feel shallow to look down on somebody and to judge them on the surface just because they're fat, but come on. I'll admit that even I struggle to keep myself from being overweight. Technically I am overweight by my BMI (even if people say that it's a poor indication of obesity). Call it what you will, an obsession with image, a shallow disposition, but people outside of the USA for the most part don't seem to have this problem. I don't need a waif thin woman to be attracted, and yes, real women have curves, but you don't see people pushing 300+ much if you ever travel abroad. These fat folk are making my health insurance and my airfares more expensive, as well as my restaurant selections more and more restrictive as they pass the blame on their lack of appetite control on corporations like McDonald's and Frito-Lay. These people have nobody to blame but themselves, so stop making me feel bad for judging you. Man up by getting off your ass and eating better.

9) I hate dealing with girls who are so afraid of being perceived as weak or inferior that they overcompensate by stripping themselves of all personality characteristics that are feminine. I won't elaborate too much, but Dave Chapelle said it best when he said "Chivalry is dead because women killed it."

10) I hate most 20-30 year olds I come across when I'm on the Newport Peninsula.

11) I hate our problem with illegal immigration. I don't hate illegal immigrants, because if I were in their shoes, you're damn straight that I'd be getting my ass back to what was originally Mexican property had the US not bullied it out of their hands 150 years ago. I hate the fact that we run a welfare state, that we look the other way in enforcing our laws, and that we can't empower our border patrol agents in simply doing their job. The political powers that exist are too pussy in offending people who can't/don't even vote to enforce our laws. It'll be a contributing factor in a LOT of our future problems, believe you me.

I'd be fine with it if we could just annex Baja CA. Hell, we'll even give all those people citizenship. We could do a lot with another 1500 miles of coastal property, and that would take care of all the money problems created by the border-jumpers.

12) I hate the fact that I can't think of anything else for the time being. I've always got a laundry list of things that piss me off when I'm not trying to write about it.