RANDOM NEURAL FIRINGS

(Note:  I have been adding to this post at random intervals without warning.)

Things that make you go "Hmmm"

1.  How come eyebrows go crazy after age 45?

2.  How come the heating elements on electric stoves are never level?

3.  How come moths, flies and gnats can get inside a light fixture, but can never get back out?

4.  I wish there existed a thermostat that would automatically switch from heat to cool and back again according to the temperature in the house.  Example> If less than 69 degrees, go to heat. If greater than 76 deg, go to cool.  I live in Nebraska. This really is a thing.

5.  Remember when stuffed animals were machine washable and dry-able?  The exterior was a little better than terrycloth, and they were stuffed with cloth or crushed rubber kapok. Modern stuffed animals are extremely soft, and stuffed with poly-foam micro beads.  If you wash and dry it, the fur gets ruined.  It either melts, or gets funky, but it will never be soft again.  When will they invent a stuffed animal that is both soft and washable, and can be dried in the drier?

6.  I've been working and contributing to Social Security since I was 17 years old.  Now, in my 50s, I'm on Social Security disability.  I've read that the disability fund is separate and different from the regular SS fund, and that the disability fund is in immediate jeopardy of going dry. What I don't understand is why I can't use the money from my regular SS account fund for my Disability payments?

7.  I can't help but be amused by men's suit jackets.  The have to be unbuttoned to sit down and buttoned to stand up. Think about how ridiculous that is. Incessant fussing.  You'd think that the men of Authority in this world would have come up with a fashion for all of its white collar men that is comfortable and fuss-free. Why haven't the fashion designers (who are mostly men) come up with a uniform that is more practical?

8.  Actresses must be trained to never tuck their long hair behind their ears.  When I had long hair, I always had it behind my ears so it wouldn't be in my face when I looked down.  I watch actresses on TV and in movies, and no matter what they are doing, and how much their hair is in their faces, they will re-position it, but never tuck it behind their ears.  I just find that odd.

9.  Self driving cars are the answer to people texting while driving. *sigh*

Don't you just hate it when...

1.  The background and/or transition between scenes music is SO much louder than the dialog that I have to turn down the TV because it hurts my ears.  Then I have to turn it back up to hear the hushed tones of the dialog.  Using the close captioning is helpful, but still.

2.  I go to a certain amount of trouble to adjust settings on my computer to the way I want them, and then an update loads and resets functions back to their defaults.  WTF?

3.  Computer monitors simply don't function properly at larger size settings.  My favorite size is 800 x 600.  It's big.  I can see it.  Modern monitors won't let you make the size larger. Every single web page that I visit, I have to enlarge 125% so that I can read it.  

4.  The way the scroll wheel on computer mice click when scrolling.  Have checked others on display at Best Buy.  They all do it.  I use my scroll wheel a lot, and the clicking gets annoying after awhile.

5.  The default font on everything is Times New Roman, 10 point.  I use Arial 12 or 14 pt. I have to change it everywhere.

6.  Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson finally comes to Omaha, and it's for a closed, invitation-only event.  Post Secret finally comes to Nebraska, and it's at a college venue with general admission seating and limited handicapped access.

7.  Web sites (like Google and Twitter) expect everyone on the planet to have a cell phone and be able to receive texts. Not all do. Some of us still have land lines and prefer email.

8.  Socks shrink after they've been washed, especially diabetic socks.

9.  I hate it when I ask a question, and if the answer is "no," "I don't know," or "it's none of your business" the person doesn't say anything at all.  They just ignore the question.  It makes me wonder if they didn't get the email.  I'd prefer that they were honest and direct and just tell me, "No."  "I don't know."  "It's none of your business."  Ditto for, "No, we don't have it in stock."  Just tell me that, already! 

Bitchy Observations 

Parents do their children a huge disservice by teaching them that they are the Center of the Universe.  Would be better to tell them, "You are only cherished and important INSIDE this house with us.  Outside of this house, you are no more special that any grain of sand on a beach.  Nobody outside of this house gives a shit about you.  You have to learn to take care of yourself because no one else is going to take care of you."  Teach your children that they are not entitled to a damn thing, including food, shelter and clothing. If you don't learn to take care of yourself, you could very well end up homeless.
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I don't understand people who joke and/or brag about their alcoholism in public (news media, magazine interviews, social media).  Example> I followed a certain actor on Twitter for a week.  During that week he talked about drinking, getting drunk, throwing up, being hung over and needing to buy more booze - exclusively!  He didn't talk about his work at all, which is pretty much the whole point of Twitter - to promote your work.  I un-followed him.  

In my opinion, being a roaring drunk is something to be ashamed of, and therefore, hidden from the public, and especially, your boss. When you focus on booze in your social media, it diminishes your status in the eyes of your viewers. It makes them question your character.  It makes your boss wonder about your ability to come into work sober, on time, alert and ready to work. You bring negative judgement onto yourself when you brag about how much you drink and how often.

I also cringe at every movie and TV show that has characters drinking whiskey all day long: at work, at lunch, at dinner, at bars, at friend's homes - like it's freaking water.  It's as if there are no other liquids on the planet for people to drink.  I've also noticed that white collar characters drink whiskey or wine, and blue collar workers drink beer.

For the record, I don't drink.  I'm a life-long tea teetotaler, so I tend to think that everyone drinks too much.  Buy why do people BRAG about it?  And why does it have to be continuously promoted everywhere?
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I'm bothered by the concept of the "Rainbow Bridge."  The idea is that when our beloved pets die, they walk across the Rainbow Bridge into Heaven and wait there for us to join them when our time comes. That seems very sad to me. I don't want my pets waiting years for me to join them.  I want them to be running free in Heaven enjoying the sunshine and grass and flowers and other animals.  I want them to be having fun.  Then, when they get the signal that it's my turn to cross over, they will return there to escort me. I've seen stories of dogs who waited by graves or homes or bus stops for their dead owners to return, until they eventually die.  It is the saddest thing.  People take pictures of the poor dogs and post them on the internet.  What they should be doing is taking the poor babies home and giving them a good life so they recover from their grief and live. That's why it saddens me every time someone says their pet is waiting for them over the Rainbow Bridge.
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I wish the hairstyle that Justin Bieber made popular before he went gangsta would go out of style.  It's horrible and annoying.
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And speaking of hair...whenever a brunette dyes her hair blonde, I feel likes she's a traitor who went over to the enemy.

PETS IN CRATES

I'd like to strangle whoever it was who came up with, and popularized, the idea of keeping dogs in carriers or crates inside the house as a way to house train the dog.  The idea being that since the dog won't soil his crate, you can buy/adopt a dog today, put it in a crate tomorrow when you go to work, and force the poor thing to hold it until someone comes home and lets it out to relieve itself. 

This "training method" pisses me off for several  reasons:

    1.  People are abusing it.  They are keeping the poor dog in the crate even when the family is home because: 
         a.  they don't want dog hair in the house and on the furniture.  Then why did you get a dog?
         b.  They don't want to take the time to socialize and train their dog.
    2.  It's lazy dog training.  You can house train a puppy by adopting it before a weekend and putting it outside every hour to teach it that it needs to go outside to potty. Then, on Monday, you lock it in the bathroom or utility room with some bedding and disposable potty pads so the puppy doesn't have to suffer.  A puppy can't hold it for 8 hours.

People have been training dogs without crates for as long as humans have had dogs as pets.  Crate training is a new (last 10 - 15 years) thing.  I used to recommend the obedience training classes at the pet store, but now I think they are the ones teaching this crating business. It's the most easily accessible obedience classes available to the masses.

Your dog is a member of your family, not an accessory.  If you can't be bothered to socialize and interact with your dog, then you have no business owning one. It needs to go outside and play.  It needs to be taken for a walk every day. It needs to chase a ball (stick, Frisbee or whatever) to burn off excess energy.  Dogs are social companion animals.  They need to get and give love.  They need to lay at your feet, and follow you from room to room. They want to be part of your life, not trapped in a crate.

If you don't interact with your dog, it doesn't learn how to get along with people, children, guests in your home and other animals. It breaks its spirit, or makes it cranky.  Then it's your own fault when it snaps at you. It's your own fault if you think that you have to keep it in a crate when guests come over or the kids have friends in the house because it snaps or barks. Heaven Forbid if the poor thing wants to be petted and loved, or run around the yard with your kids.