Tag Archive for christmas

Christmas Rant Bah Humbug

xmas

Yeah same picture as yesterday, it’s festive!

Another rant, it’s Christmas so Bah Humbug!

So Christmas is not what it was when I was a kid.

Christmas is now all about money and buying more and more stuff, that’s it really.

Growing up I’ve watched it morph and change into something barely recognizable. It’s the point where it’s just another day for me, it’s not special anymore.

It’s all about money and buying things for people, buying the latest and greatest. It’s not ‘the thought that counts’ anymore, it’s the price that counts, it’s how much you spend and how many things you buy or get.

I’ll admit I’ve fallen into that trap as well, I do feel guilty I can’t afford to buy everything my kids want. yes it’s a whole lot of stuff, but part of me feels guilty I can’t buy everything they want. I shouldn’t feel that way, but society and big business has made me feel like this.

Christmas was about faith and family.

No I’m not religious and this isn’t pro-religion, but I was brought up Catholic and went to Catholic school. My Grandma Mary died when I was 12 and after that I stopped going to church really. We used to go every Saturday night for the evening mass, we would make a thing out of it. Usually go to mass and then get a steak sandwich or whatever other food, and it was fun. My Grandma was hardcore Italian, came over on the boat when she was little, spoke English and Italian fluently and damn I miss her, I miss her a lot. She pretty much raised me until she died, and then I was basically on my own, but that’s another story for another time that I’ll probably never share..

My Grandma was a hardcore Catholic as well, she believed. I stopped believing when she was taken from me I think.

Christmas back then was about family, and friends as well, but was being with family and celebrating life and the birth of Christ. It was a special time really. Going to mass, having dinner with the family, seeing everyone you haven’t seen in a while and even seeing those people you see everyday, it was different, it was festive, it was special.

Maybe my memories are skewed by the view of a child, and sure it wasn’t always fun and all that. Yes there were those family members who drank too much and caused problems, but it’s part of it really. It was kind of expected, you just knew so and so was going to get drunk and do something stupid. it wasn’t mean though, it was just goofy really.

After my grandma died I still had my mom and other grandmother and other family members, but that was the other side of the family and it was really different. It just wasn’t the same, it was a whole lot more alcohol for one thing and it just wasn’t as enjoyable.

My mom really didn’t get along with that side of the family so once my Grandma Mary died I really lost contact with them and I look back and I really regret that. Sure I could have made more of an effort but I was a kid, I was young, what the hell did I know back then?  I was confused, a major part of my life was torn from me and I was pretty much thrown into a new life.

Religion has become sort of taboo all of the sudden, and that’s wrong in part.

I don’t with all of it, but the basics I do agree with and I think we should follow.

Do unto to others as you would have them do to you.

There’s nothing wrong with that, if we all lived that way the world would be a great place.

When did we forget what Christmas actually means?

When did it become about lining the pockets of companies and not about family?

I don’t care if you’re religious or not, the values taught by the Catholic or other religions can make the world a better place if we followed them.

I look around and I don’t have much in the way of family anymore, wife and kids and that’s really it. I’ve got nobody else.

I do have three sisters, but I can’t remember the last time I even saw them. They’re to my father’s new wife and we’re not close at all.

I do have a brother as well, different father but same mother, but he’s 13 years younger than me so we’re not close either. It also doesn’t help that he’s in another state, but I say good for him, get the hell out of here, there’s nothing here.

This Christmas look at what you really have and not all the stuff you got in the way of material things. Those things really don’t matter at all. They’ll be obsolete soon anyway, or broken, or lost or stolen, but your family will always be there.

It doesn’t matter how much stuff you got, that’s all replaceable, you can buy it again.

Christmas isn’t about stuff, it’s about family and being together.

 

 

 

The Whole Story

xmas

Bah humbug.  Yeah it’s Christmas and I just put a nice 19lb ham in the oven and it’ll be ready in about five hours. Wife took the kids to visit great grandma and grandma and her friends while I’m home taking care of dinner.  And I’m sick, been for the last few days, rather miserable, feeling a little better today, but not much…

I miss my Mom, I really miss her around the holidays like now, I’ve got nobody at all left. Yes I have wife and kids but that’s it. Nobody else.

Anyway, I feel like ranting a bit. I’m so tired of people judging me and really just judging anything and anyone without actually hearing the whole story or both sides of it.

I really don’t think it’s fair to judge someone or something without knowing everything, but sadly on the internet if it’s posted it must be true! People don’t wait to hear both sides they make judgment and that’s how we live now it seems.

We have a friend of the family, wife’s friend really, but she thought I was asshole, and she pretty much told me so. I’ll be honest, I didn’t like her either and I dreaded her coming over because I couldn’t stand being judged by her when she really didn’t know what the hell she was talking about or what was really going on. She only knew one side of the story.

I’ve noticed when people tell about things that happen to them or involve them they only tell what pertains to them and leave out a lot, especially the parts that would make them look bad. They only tell you enough so you can form your own opinion and of course be on their side.

Recently I had to chance to actually talk on the phone to this woman, we spoke for a long while actually, and finally after years I got to actually tell things from my side.

You know what happened, she apologized to me! She admitted she was wrong in how she treated me and how she thought of me. She admitted she should have waited and heard both sides of the story before making any judgments.

She said she didn’t know any of that because no one ever told her. They only told her half the story and she made her judgment without hearing the whole story.

The thing that bugs me though is she never asked me, she made her judgment and that was that, end of story your say. On the phone I was mad, I didn’t want to talk to her I had actually say ‘hey look, this is how it really is…’. In the end I’m not so mad anymore about the whole situation, so it was a productive talk. Views have changed and that’s a good thing.

Another example is that I was working in this restaurant, high end place, but I worked hard and the owners thought I was this goof off, good for nothing who didn’t do much. In reality I was doing the work of several people, I was handling entire catering parties by myself, I’m talking 400+ people but my boss, the Executive Chef never passed this information along to the owners. I was also blamed for all kinds of problems, even on days I was off, I wasn’t even there but yet I was blamed. I know this is true, I know he was taking credit for my work and blaming me for things he and others screwed up.

He wasn’t there for whatever reason one day and the owner came down to check on the status of a catering party. She never once thought to come see me, she asked someone else and they told he to come see me. She came over and asked about the party, apparently she had thought I was just packing it up or something and she was asked who was responsible for it. I told her ‘I am. did it all myself, it’s all ready to go.’  She was shocked, speechless actually, I thought she was going to fall over, she just couldn’t believe I did it all myself. I told her I’ve been doing these for over a year now by myself, and she was shocked again and amazed and she didn’t know anything at all about it. Everyone else took credit for my work, and apparently she thought I didn’t do much else other than work lunch and do some prep work and make a lot of mistakes. I was shocked myself that she didn’t know what I did there. I was more shocked to find everyone else was taking credit for my work and blaming me for mistakes that happened when I wasn’t even there. I should have realized at that point I was going to last there, it turns out I was right and the Executive Chef was a huge asshole all along who pretended to my friend to just use me and take credit for the things I did. One day I had enough and I walked out, and damn did it feel good.

Most the time in life though, you never get the chance to tell your side of the story and you’re judged by what others say about you even they’ve never talked to you about any of the things they heard.

It’s sad that we live in a society like this, but it’s not going to change unless people realize what they’re doing and change it. I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon.

Everyone complains about wanting to be treated fairly in life and everything they do but they don’t treat other people fairly. How can you expect people to treat you fairly when you don’t treat other people fairly? That just doesn’t work. You can’t have it both ways.

To me it makes no sense.

I try my hardest to not make any judgments until I know everything.

Yes, I’m human, we all make mistakes and yes I’ve jumped to conclusions, but eventually I realized what I was doing and tried to find out the whole story so I could make an informed judgment.

No one seems to do that. They go with what they know and the hell with everything else, they’re right, you’re wrong, no matter what.

It’s ‘you’re an asshole’ ‘ you’re a bad person’ ‘you’re this or that’ and it’s all because so and so said so and that’s it. They think these things but don’t know the whole story. They form their opinions and spread them without ever knowing the truth and everything involved. Essentially they have half of the story and that doesn’t work.

Would you read half of a book and then form your opinion of it without ever finishing it?  No you wouldn’t because you just don’t know how the story really ends or how it actually played out.

Yet, that’s what people do, they know half the story, form their opinion and that’s the end of it.

I don’t get it.

I go through life now not caring what people think of me.

I don’t care what your opinion is of me because you really don’t know me.

You only know half the story, if that really, you only know parts of the whole and you formed an opinion, an uninformed opinion in reality and that’s sad.

It’s not sad for me, but it’s sad because if you’ve done it to me, that means you’ve done it to many other people as well.

 

 

 

..whatever…

Affordable Last Minute Geek Gifts

Christmas is almost here, just a few more days so I hope you’re all done shopping..

Got this PR so I figured I’d post it, it has some last minute gift ideas..

 

It’s that time of year again… and you’ve purchased gifts for everyone on your holiday list… everyone except that eccentric geek in the family. Last year you bought them a signed Star Wars poster, and the year before that, it was Firefly on Blu-ray, and the year before that, it was  something Star Trek related, but this year, you’re all out of ideas… and you’re trying to save some cash.

Make your job easy this year with some new, affordable audio gifts your geek is sure to love.

 

NK_Shockwave_1

1. The Shockwave Bluetooth Speaker. Desktop Size. Home Theater Sound.

Typical Price:  $71.99

Whether you’re watching a movie on your laptop or streaming music from a cellphone, the Shockwave is designed to deliver an impressive aural experience, with or without wires. It even takes phone calls over Bluetooth, so you’ll never miss a beat. Features: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 80 dB SPL output level, Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), Audio/Video Remote Control (AVRCP).

• Buy it at Sears: http://www.sears.com/nakamichi-shockwave-bluetooth-reg-speaker/p-05731519000P?autoRedirect=true&sLevel=0&redirectType=SKIP_LEVEL

 

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2. Quality Wireless Bluetooth Headphones

Typical Price: $55.99

Enjoy a high-quality wireless listening experience that embraces you with sound and comfort. Whether you’re flipping through your favorite album or taking important phone calls, the easy-to-tap, on-ear buttons let you switch between music and calls with the push of a button. You will be amazed by the sound quality and comfort of these lightweight, go-anywhere headphones. Features: Wireless, Bluetooth, Built-In Mic, Lithium battery,

• Buy it at Sears: http://www.sears.com/nakamichi-naka-bt-hp/p-05731454000P?prdNo=7&blockNo=7&blockType=G7

 

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3. The All-In-One Home Theater: NK 22 Sound Bar & Subwoofer

Typical Price: $449.99

Surround yourself with rich sound and sleek style from the wireless NK 22 Sound Bar. Whether you’re watching movies, TV shows, or listening to your favorite music, the NK 22 delivers high quality sound at a price that’s hard to beat. Features: Dolby Digital, 3RS True Surround HD, Bluetooth aptX, and 2.1 Channels.

• Buy it at Sears: http://www.sears.com/nakamichi-2.5-channel-sound-bar-w-bluetooth-reg-nk22/p-05731516000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

What is Nakamichi?

Nakamichi was founded in 1948 by Mr. Etsuro Nakamichi, and has since established itself as a trusted creator of high-quality audio products that deliver sound, style, and substance. The Nakamichi product line is driven by an intense scientific curiosity, the love of music, and commitment to uncompromising quality and performance.

Nakamichi was born from a small research institute in Tokyo, Japan that provided R&D for major brands, government entities, universities, and organizations in the private sector. The first Nakamichi product was a reel-to-reel cassette deck, the Nakamichi 1000, which quickly set the standard for top-of-the-line cassette decks. Since then, Nakamichi has contributed to various innovations in technology, such as the compact disc and similar optical memory systems, paving the way for an entire range of high-end consumer electronics. Today, Nakamichi prides itself on relentless research and development, while delivering some of the world’s best products to people who appreciate sound at its highest quality.