When They Gave My Wall A Hip (And Other Not Tall At All Tales)

Posted on June 19, 2015 by geelw

Well, at least I got to have a decent breakfast today. To wit:

Repair-wise, it was the predictable comedy of errors without the Greek chorus. Two plumbers (well, one plumber and one assistant) popped up at about 8:15 to reattach the legs to the sink and did so in a speedy six minutes. The not so funny thing was they were also supposed to fix the loose faucet that the previous plumbers removed and put back badly when they took the entire sink out and replaced it, “forgetting” to reattach the legs in the process. They were in the process of scooting away down the hall when I decided to check their work and found the faucet still loose. When they popped back in, one of them showed me the work order that only mentioned the leg job, which definitely didn’t make me feel any better. I noted that the inspector who was here two days back said the loose faucet would also be fixed and that years back the plumbers and other maintenance guys would go out of their way to double check what they worked on and would often mention they did a bit of extra work since they were already tinkering away down there. Not that this was “extra” work, mind you.

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Drop Dead, YouTube. Seriously.

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Okay, let’s see now. I get a movie to review on the site the other day and post two videos also sent by the PR folks who sent the screener on my YouTube channel. Today, I see that one of those videos for whatever reason has been taken down thanks to the request of some other company I have no clue about and according to the new and f—ked up YouTube rules:

You received a copyright strike

You now have 1 copyright strike. Getting multiple copyright strikes can lead to the termination of your account and the removal of all your videos. To avoid that from happening, please don’t upload videos that contain copyrighted content that you aren’t allowed to use.

Oh, DROP DEAD, please. I’m not running that clip to violate a copyright, I’m RUNNING IT AS PART OF MY GODDAMN REVIEW. Period. What the hell is up with all this nonsense that keeps people from producing content (and UNPAID content at that when it comes to my channel) and stupid threats that just make honest guys like me want to go out and drop a planet on some jerks with quick trigger fingers. Your stupid mandatory “Copyright School” video I’m forced to watch and be quizzed on is insulting and I can’t watch it anyway on my slow-ass connection here, which means I can’t respond to the fools who had that clip removed (yet).

If anything’s going to get me to drop off the damn internet and go be a cranky hermit in the woods, it’s shit like this. How about having idiots who have issues with content contact the ALLEGED offenders directly and see what’s what BEFORE this jackass judo you do on the accounts of innocent people? This chop first, ask questions maybe later thing isn’t going to cut it with me. Whatever. Thanks for ruining my Sunday night, clowns.

Humor (Sort Of): This is Your Internet As of Late…

Posted on October 15, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, robatsea2009!)

Hoo Boy. I made the mistake of paying attention to some crap online that started as a dust devil and has swirled up into a Category 11 cyclone of poop and noisemakers. That’s part of what’s gotten me a bit annoyed this week, but I’ve decided to ignore this sort of thing in the future. Meanwhile, back at the ranch… I have work to do and will get back to getting to it. In the meantime, ladies and gents, if the world is running down, you make the best of what’s still around, I guess. Take it all with a grain of salt (and no more – the dire-beat-us, you know) and yeah, if it REALLY gets mucked up out there, just keep saying to yourself “It’s ONLY a movie, It’s ONLY a movie, It’s ONLY a movie…” On the other paw, sometimes The Cramps come in very handy for situations like this.

Back in a bit – I need to go soak my brain in some hot soapy water and maybe have a shot of something adult beverage-y. What a week…

I Hate You (Again and Always), Internet…

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Ugh. Here we go again with the “Change your passwords!” craziness. This internet stinks because it’s like someone swiping your house keys every few weeks (or more) and you needing to pay for new locks each and every time. Er, with the exception of one forgetting to take all the old keys off that huge keyring. Amusingly enough, I’ve changed my passwords so many times this year that I think I’m behind in sending myself coded hints as to what they are on some sites (yaaaaah!).

Anyway, I think we need to start hanging some of these annoying cyber crooks in the virtual public square just because it’s a pain in the ass to have to wake up to yet ANOTHER “Change your passwords!” panic that just shows how crappy “security” is online.pretty much everywhere you go using any device. And screw the vague “reporting” on this story. A billion people and 400,000 sites compromised? Well, no names and no sites listed means yup, madness (again). I despise changing passwords because I tend to use some slightly elaborate ones and it’s getting harder to think up ones I can remember easily. I don’t trust password generators or sites that save passwords in bulk because they’re ON the internet (duh) and no doubt targeted by these not so nice folks.

Feh. Off to change some passwords. This could (and will) take a while, grrrr. Stupid Internet.

Madhouse Mondays: SOME New York City Employees Will Make You Lose Your Mind…

Posted on July 14, 2014 by geelw

It kind of figures that the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has a Department of Vital Records where one needs to get a new or replacement birth certificate. Based on my experiences today with a few less than helpful people, I can clearly see why some see a trip to these official places to do the simplest of things can turn into the trip to mental hell. Crazy man, Crazy. I must have stepped on a black cat while walking under a ladder that a mirror had just shattered under after falling from my bag or something, as I ended up in the Coven of Ineffective Nepotism with the queen of the harpies as what they call “customer service”. Someone NEEDS to tell these people if I fill out a form as required AND bring in materials as requested AND have proof that I was emailed answers to the questions I’d asked (not once, but twice), I should be able to walk out of there with what I need and NOT my blood pressure much higher than it needs to be. To make matters worse, I was told flat out that “we don’t send out emails” when I noted that the lease with my signature on it WAS one of the items I was told I could use as proof of ID. Hell, all it would have taken to get me out of there was ONE phone call to the rental office to prove I’m who I say I was, as for some STUPID reason, they don’t take ANYTHING official with your name on it that’s past 60 days old… Continue reading →

The Internet Hates Me Today, So I Shall Hate It Back. Kind Of…

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Hmmm. for some reason, the connection today is TERRIBLE, dropping in and out randomly and frustrating me something awful. It’s actually faster at the Starbucks I’m at that at the library where I usually post from, but ever five minutes or so I lose the signal and important stuff I’m attempting (like downloading some Steam updates and other media) stops cold until the signal comes back. Worse, I could be home wrapping up some reviews (I hate playing PC games in public and I prefer playing Steam stuff offline so my playtime isn’t tracked), but nope, here I sit while the signal visits from time to time and anything I’m downloading resumes when it has the chance. This Tuesday sure feels like a Monday, but I guess that’s what I get because my Monday felt like a Friday. Bleh. Oh well, I’ll give it another 20 or 30 minutes then pack up and go home. Tomorrow is another (and hopefully better) day…

Bacon Craze Gets People Stupid About A Dumb, Dumb Device…

Posted on March 6, 2014 by geelw

Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer exec
That is who I truly want to be-e-eee…
‘Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer exec,
I’d put a halt to this stupidity!

Sooo, It’s apparent that some people at Oscar Mayer are either smoking that bacon a wee bit too much, as they have no clue as to what hell they’re about to unleash on themselves and a “lucky” few people who get something in the mail that may change their lives (and not for the better). It seems that the eggheads over at the “Oscar Meyer Institute For The Advancement of Bacon” have come up with a tiny device that plugs into your phone and when triggered using you’re phone’s alarm system, puffs out the scent of sizzling bacon along with an accompanying sound effect. What. The. Fork? Look:

Now, this is cute and all, but as soon as I heard about this project, my brain spit out its tea. Then when I saw that video above, my brain hit itself in the head with a cast iron fry pan. What. The. Fork? Continue reading →

If I Had A Hammer…

Posted on February 4, 2014 by geelw

I’d probably use it on the heads of a few people today and not feel bad about it. I’d forgotten that today was the day we were supposed to have the kitchen and bathroom fixtures inspected and possibly replaced, but it’s a good thing I was awake and poking around in the kitchen when the inspectors popped up around 9am. Had I been up and well caffeinated earlier, I’d have been out at the post office picking up a box that probably has a game or book in it I need to review.

Anyway, the guys show up and say they’ll be about ten minutes, one gives the kitchen a quick once over as I’m signing a sheet of paper that the other guy is holding that says the place a was inspected before he asks how to spell my last name as he types it out in a tablet. Next up, they both hit the bathroom and as I’m in my room doing a bit of early spring cleaning, I suddenly hear something bang-bang-banging from the bathroom followed by the sound of stuff falling behind the wall. Yikes… Continue reading →

Yeah, I’m Back (With Some Bigger Fish to Fry)…

Posted on October 13, 2013 by geelw

So, that nasty sore throat that was making my life miserable is pretty much dead in the water thanks to a few limes, some honey, hot water and a good knife. Peel and cut up 2 limes into bite size pieces, place them into a bowl, pour some honey on them and eat up. Yum! Well, it’s not supposed to be dessert, but that angry kitten with be gone from that throat. make some hot tea with what’s left and drink that if necessary. All I have now is this sneezing and a bit of stuffy nose action to deal with. I think tomorrow is a federal holiday anyway, so my fastest wi-fi spot may be shut down anyway, but I wanted to kick this stupid cold in the groin a few times so I’m all fresh and fancy for a few meetings coming up this week. Die, germs! I got your shutdown right here, POW!

Annnnnd speaking of shutdowns, Continue reading →