The Aaron of Grievances

oh politics, you really bring people together...

2010-10-06T15:43:00.003-05:00

so, its that wonderful time of year, as we gear up for another show down of semi-qualified candidates determined to make a name for themselves so that they can spin their wheels in washington and not really accomplish much because they are to busy towing the party line and not really representing the people that elected them (wow, that is a long sentence) i have an observation that has me a bit annoyed...

when did it become OK to put a giant billboard in your front lawn supporting a candidate? i mean the signs they have now are HUGE. what happened to the 18x24 inch signs? why did we need to start putting up these giant signs, that take giant steel stakes pounded into the ground to even stand. i really love it when they are at the house on the corner and you can't look at the on coming traffic because some cheesy politician has his artificial smile gleaming at me. what happened to the days when you could just put out like 5 signs for the same candidate, now you just put out a sign that would better serve to advertise an upcoming truck stop given its size.

i also notice that the political climate in this country is so screwed up that most of the signs have NO mention of which political party the candidates align them self with. i like the idea that people actually have to figure out what the candidate stands for to vote for them, rather then just voting for a 'D' or an 'R'. so i guess i can't be angry all the time!

--aaron

Halloween... enough already!

2010-09-29T15:16:00.003-05:00

alright, so i have never been a fan of the Halloween holiday. from a very early age i have disliked it. i quit trick or treating around 8 years old, and those that know me know i am a fan of candy, so for me to pass up free candy, i obviously have a disdain for the holiday. i never liked to creepy part of it. i never got into the idea of wearing costumes and trick or treating. i never understood why people go so into it. i love the fall season, i love this time of year for the weather change, the beauty of the leaves and the fact that football is back in the regular rotation. all great things. apple cider, another big plus. but halloween, i can do without it for sure.

that's what leads me to this rant... what the heck is with all of these seasonal halloween superstores that show up in apparently every available failed retail business space around. in the Canton, OH area, where i currently have my feet planted, around the major shopping area surrounding the Belden Village Mall there is by my count at least 4 huge stores selling halloween items only. these are the stores that set up shop basically for September and October to see costumes and other halloween decorations. then they leave. but honestly do we need 4 or 5 of them in a 2 square mile area? how many sleazy nurse, questionable pop culture figure, trendy politician or whatever other flavor of the month costume do we need? aren't all these stores the same, and don't they all get their supply from the same companies, meaning their prices are all pretty much the same. it doesn't make any sense to me. maybe its because i hate halloween, because i do. but i really think its the dumbest of all the holidays, like people in this country need another reason to be foolish, inconsiderate and an embarrassment. you already have st. patrick's day, and the entire slate of shows on E!

--aaron

Celeb-reality

2010-09-22T21:30:00.003-05:00

i have a wife who enjoys a variety of television shows on the E! network. she watches from time to time such bits of americana like "The Girls Next Door", "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" and "Kendra". she also enjoys some other shows under the "Real Housewives..." umbrella. i hate these shows.

here is why, they, along with shows like "jersey shore" and "the hills" among others have created a new group of these artificial celebrity wanna-bes who feel they are entitled to fame and attention. the problem is they are horrible people. not worthy of the 15 minutes, not deserving of any of the attention they get. i don't understand why they keep getting shows, and spin-offs. actually i understand, it because people watch them. which makes us horrible people. i am not surprised the taliban hates us, just turn on E! on sunday night or MTV just about any night.

what happened to quality television, i miss "The Cosby Show"

--aaron

this post is not a free agent, it has signed with The Aaron of Grievances

2010-06-29T20:20:00.003-05:00

there is so much hype right now, so much media garbage right now about Lebron James and all of the NBA free agency craziness. its interesting because only people in Cleveland give the Cavs any chance of getting Lebron to stay. no national sports person will even consider Lebron staying in Cleveland. i have a couple of thoughts on the situation.

first, i don't care if Lebron leaves. i really don't. here is a guy who has won multiple MVPs, been a part of the best team in the NBA during the regular season but has not won a championship. he has dictated so much of what has happened for the Cavs over his time here and has not done the one thing expected of him. you are not a King until you are the best, and that my friend is Kobe. Lebron, based on what i saw in the Celtics series is a guy who can't finish, quits on his team and his town. i am over him, he is about Lebron, he is immature, can't really lead, doesn't handle pressure and can't win a championship. give me Kobe any day over Lebron. it showed so much of his "character" during the playoffs when he threw his coach and his team under the bus, he didn't have the class to not make the press conference about himself and what he was gonna do next. Lebron can take his entourage and go to Chicago, where everyone will be able to see that Jordan was a superstar and Lebron is a selfish, talented, ego maniac who lets money hungry hangers-on control him.

secondly, i am a little tired of all the talk about how horrible the Cavs will be without Lebron. yes, he is the MVP and he is superstar talented. but he doesn't have heart. i lived near Detroit during their last run. you know what Detroit had, heart, they didn't have any superstar. they didn't have the MVP. they were a team! a freakin' team! they beat Kobe and Shaq for a championship with out a superstar. they had an entire team of guys who were talented, knew their role and knew what it meant to be on a team. the Cavs still have guys with heart, guys like Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, JJ Hickson. we still have guys like Sebastion Telfair and Jamario Moon who have some talent to share. Antwan Jamison is nice player. to me, you build a team, not who Lebron, who has not proven himself to have much of a basketball business mind, wants. you build a team, and until Lebron proves himself, disregard what the Prince (at best) wants, and give him and better yet, give this town what it needs.

there is a part of me that really wants James to leave. i want him to leave and have the Cavs do well, maybe not best record in the NBA but do well. i would rather watch a talented team with heart, that let some unproven "King" dictate what he thinks he needs.

--aaron

its been a long while, but i still feel it

2010-05-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

i have not taken the time to post here in a long time, i apologize for that. i guess it just seemed like there were a lot of other things to give my attention to. but, i do realize that this place is a necessary release for me. i have seen that i need an opportunity to vent. lately, i have had many things to share, many situations that i think are worthy of a little rant. so here goes...

i am at a point where people fall into certain categories. there are some people that its clear they are surface. they say things, do things that are only as deep as their own skin, if even that deep. people who you think should have an understanding of you, a knowledge about your life, but that don't care enough to really pay attention. people who ask you over and over and over and over the same questions about yourself, not because they actually want the information, but because they think they are supposed to ask, because its what a person with actual depth would do. like when someone asked me every time i talked to him, on at least a weekly basis, when they asked if we knew what we were having with our second child, and i would tell him every time that we were having a little girl. that's not something you should have to ask maybe twice. if you are actually paying attention, actually caring, then i will give you a pass on maybe forgetting, but 8, 9, 15 or more times. its even worse when its your job to care, when that is part of what your supposed to be about.

its the same kind of person who i brought an idea to, something that really could have been beneficial to a lot of people. the idea was shot down, without any discussion. one year later, this person shares the idea with me, a brilliant idea, in his mind, something really important for me to do. its the same idea, the same worthless idea i had one year earlier. but you didn't even listen then. you don't care, you never did. don't fake it. don't put on the smiley, caring face. its not your real face, its not the real you. its your salesmen face, the one you put on to convince me that what your selling is worth something.

in my career i have come across a lot of personalities. and i have an opportunity to get to know a lot of people. i have always been a very good judge of character, i have always been able to tell the people that are actually who they say they are, and i have been able to tell the used car salesmen. the people who change themselves to make you feel comfortable. the problem is, they can't keep it up, they will reveal themselves sooner or later. its

--aaron

the relaunch

2010-05-12T12:36:00.002-05:00

hey, its time to announce that i am back! i have taken a long hiatus, a lot has changed, but i still got stuff i need to say. so i am back. i will be posting a few times a week, so stay tuned for a new round of grievances!

--aaron

why do you think thats ok?!?!

2008-09-23T22:16:00.002-05:00

so i was driving to work today. nothing out of the ordinary. i am at a traffic light, minding my own, there is an old lady in the car in front of me. she is waiting for the light to turn green. out of her car comes flying a burning cigarette butt. here is the thing, why is that ok?!?! why do smokers think that its fine to fling those things out of their car. how do you think that is any different from the rest of the trash. how is that nasty cigarette butt any different then a pop can, paper, or any other trash. why do you think just because you have embraced a worthless habit you are then entitled to just toss out the remnants of your burning death stick? i really like cans of pop, and pop is not good for me, so its kinda like cigarettes, i mean you can't really do second hand pop like second hand smoke. but i also know that as i finish a can of pop i am not entitled to toss it out my car window.

so how about we start not throwing our crap out the window. you are already grossing up everything with your smoke, how about you keep your butts to yourself.

--aaron

Fatherhood has not mellowed me...

2008-05-28T14:14:00.004-05:00

some may have thought, since i have not made a post since my son was born, that i have been mellowed. that i have lost my edge. well, that's not really true, whats more true is that i am more tired and more likely to nap then i am to rant on here. but i am back, and i got some stuff to say. i actually have several rants in my head. but we will try to pace ourselves.

as a youth pastor i often am in communication with other youth pastors and workers. and i am often able to observe some of my colleagues in their work and in their way of doing things. one thing that i am noticing, and its not an isolated thing, but i do have some particulars in mind as i type this, the thing i am noticing is this complete lack of authenticity. it frustrates me to no end when i see someone who is politicking their way through youth ministry. they are great at telling the right people the right things. but the fact of the matter is they are not motivated by making an impact in a young persons life. they are motivated by a pat on the back from a higher up. meanwhile a generation of students are left with a lack of depth, a lack of true relationship. i would rather sit in a administrative council meeting nervous that i am not going to be able to impress a group of out of touch old people, but know that the kid that was in my office earlier is in a place of real understanding, of real deepening of faith. i don't care what the 60-87 year olds sunday school class thinks. sure, those are the folks that are most likely paying me. they are the ones supporting the most financially. but i will not gear my ministry to making them happy. the problem is that some senior pastors, some church leaders don't recognize that the almighty dollar is not what we are working towards. we find ourselves compromising ministry in order to not offend or piss off the top 15 givers in our congregations. so we have people doing inauthentic ministry because it makes a group of out of touch control freaks more comfortable. that's not right. i know we need to financial support of those people, but i would rather focus on helping them see the value in what is needed, not in their own personal value to our bottom line.

get real, its the only thing that lasts. stop putting on this facade of what you think the "right people" need to see. do ministry. don't do used car sales.

--aaron

a baby, and a prayer

2007-08-06T16:51:00.000-05:00

this is not my usual rant...

well, we are proud to announce the arrival, albeit a bit early, the newest Bell... Elijah Robert Bell was born at 12:39 am Monday August 6th. He weighs 4 pounds 1.6 oz. and is 17 3/4 long. Elijah is a few weeks early which means there are a few concerns, mostly related to his breathing, but that all appears to be going well.

we do have some concerns, Eli's ears are not developed as they should be, and there is no opening. at this point we can not tell if he has an ear canal or if he will have the ability to hear. its a very hard thing to take in and understand... we are adjusting to the news, this whole process has been a whirlwind. we obviously weren't planning on having our baby this weekend. and we didn't expect any developmental issues. we are doing well, but we can always use prayers. we ask that you pray for strength for colleen and myself, and that Eli will be able to have no problems with his hearing and that things can all be taken care of through medical procedures.

its an incredible feeling, being a dad, its scary, its hard, and we have some challenges ahead of us, but we know that God is in control, and we submit to His will. and we love our boy more then words could ever describe. pray for us.

--aaron

i don't usually...

2007-04-12T16:52:00.000-05:00

i don't usually have two posts in two days. and i don't usually re-post something that someone else has written. but i just read a fantastic piece by jason whitlock, a black sports writer from kansas city who has been featured on espn several times. i am pretty annoyed by this whole Imus/Sharpton thing. i am sick of the manufactured outrage that we have in america. its not just race issues. its everything that we manufacture in america to draw attention to ourselves. its not about issues, its about our 15 minutes of fame. its at a point where fame is worth more then real genuine thought. anyway here is jason whitlock's piece:

"Jason Whitlock: Imus Isn't the Real Bad Guy
Kansas City Star 4/11/07

Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.

You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.
You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.

Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.

While we’re fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I’m sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent’s or Snoop Dogg’s latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.

I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.

It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.

Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.

It’s embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes and we all laugh out loud.

I’m no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.

But, in my view, he didn’t do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should’ve been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it’s only the beginning. It’s an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$.

I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.

Somehow, we’re supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers’ wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.

But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.

In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?

I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do?

When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim.

No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out."

--aaron

rev? really?

2007-04-11T14:44:00.000-05:00

one of the big news items right now is all about don imus and some comments he made about the rutgers woman's basketball team. i don't want to get to much into what he said, but he choose to say something that could offend someone. he did not use the best judgement. he was stupid. should he have said it? no. i think it was inappropriate. but, he is a radio personality. his job is to make people respond. so i can see how it would have happened. do i think it was a stupid thing. of course.

my issue is not with imus. he did something wrong, and he has apologized, to the point of annoyance. he has jumped through every hoop put in front of him. my issue is with the media whore, one of the most worthless, self serving, arrogant, creeps in america. the reverand al sharpton. this man attaches himself to this stuff all the time. attaches himself like the parasite he is. his involvement has made this into ten times the media circus it needs to be. and does anyone buy for a minute that this jerk has any ones best interest in mind? absolutely not. he care only about making himself seem important. this man has zero credibility. he has zero actual worth to society. he doesn't actual care about black culture in america. he is self serving. he is a parasite and the rutgers institution should be ashamed of itself for allowing this waste this parasite to attach himself to them. your argument, rutgers, your ground to stand on, is being taken up by a loud mouth idiot. you, by association, rutgers, are risking losing your credibility.

and why do we continue to call this leech "reverand" he is no more a spiritual leader then colonel sanders led an army. he is as much a joke to followers of Christ as pat robertson and jerry falwell. self serving, egotistical, pompous, arrogant, fools.

there, that's enough...

--aaron

we have all been there...

2007-03-04T13:55:00.000-05:00

so, i know part of this is my fault, but, overall, some people should just be locked up and not be allowed to interact with the world.

the part thats my fault is easy to explain, i know to never go to the grocery store on a sunday afternoon, i know that its never going to be an easy task, a "run in and grab" something outing. i am fully aware of how insane it can be.

but here is the issue, and we have all dealt with this. some people when they are shopping become completely oblivious to the fact the grocery store is being used by other people as well. i had to run in and pick up a few things, one of which was a container of sour cream. I didn't need a lot of sour cream, a small container would have worked just fine. i made my way over to the dairy department with the hopes of being able to grab my item. as i get to the section of the dairy case where the sour cream is there is a woman parked in front of the entire sour cream section. she appears to be going through her list or looking for a coupon or something that could easily be done not in front of the sour cream. i try to make my presence known by just moving in a little closer. nothing. she doesn't budge, she doesn't even realize i am there. i reach across her sight line towards the sour cream, again, nothing. i then have to contort myself to reach around the woman to grab some sour cream. she still doesn't move. how dare you, you self indulgent, arrogant fool. you think that your shopping for cheese puffs and ding-dongs is so important that its justified for you to take up any space you want?

this isn't the only instance of this type of behaviour, i see it all the time. some people are selfish, spoiled arrogant jerks who only think of themselves and can't be bothered to step aside whilst they organize their coupons or read the labels. how about you idiots do us all a favor and get some manners, some common courtesy. i hate you.

--aaron

it was a good time...

2007-02-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

Well, you may think that I don't have anything to vent about. Seeing as I have not said anything since Christmas day, which by the way struck me as odd that I aired a grievance on Christmas, what is wrong with me?!? Anyway, I have had somethings that I could have posted about, but all of my grievances were overshadowed by the news that I am going to be a dad. Thank you, Thank you. For those that know me, and my wife, you are aware of our history, so you know our story. We can use all the support we can get, and appreciate the thoughts and prayers.

Well, on to the airing...

A few weeks ago my wife and I made a late night visit to a local hospital emergency room. My wife had some sort of allergic reaction which led to an outbreak that was very itchy and very very uncomfortable. We went to the emergency room at the local hospital, Cuyahoga Falls General. The experience we had at the hospital was one of the worst experiences of my life. From complete ineptness of the nursing staff, to an attending physician who seemed more annoyed that we had pulled him away from watching Later with Carson Daly. It was hands down the worst care I have ever seen. My wife was in an incredible level of discomfort and they were oblivious to everything we had to say. I asked several times about what options were available for treatment due to her pregnancy. I reminded them on several occasions that she was "with child." The "doctor" made a vanity appearance that was meaningless and useless and said he would prescribe her some medication. I asked if the medication had any issues with pregnancy and if there was anything to be concerned about. I was told that it was perfectly fine. The nurse came back with the prescription and I asked her if the drugs would be OK for my wife to take. She said that she would check, she left, I assume to do ten jumping jacks in the hall, because it wasn't to actually check on the medication, she came back and said it was safe. We said OK, assuming that the "doctor" knew what he was talking about. We visited the pharmacy to pick up the medication, and whilst I was waiting for the prescription to be filled, I read the information on the prescription. And lo and behold, in black and white, right there on the information printed at the hospital, clear as day, a warning about taking during pregnancy, especially early pregnancy. I asked the pharmacist about it and he seemed very surprised that they would even prescribe it to a pregnant woman. So, the frustration, the hassle, the "experience" of Cuyahoga Falls General emergency room was a complete waste of time, and almost was even worse then that. They were not helpful, they were harmful if anything. The only redeeming quality to the experience is that we learned a lesson, only go to Cuyahoga Falls General when you are ready to die, other then that go to Akron City Hospital.

As a side note to the experience, the Dir. of Nursing who oversees the emergency room, and with whom I filled a complaint with the next day was very helpful and very nice. So if they can figure out how to get more like her and less like the idiot who "treated" us, treated us like garbage if anything.

--aaron

i can't always be bitter...

2006-12-25T01:14:00.000-05:00

Christmas time is my favorite time. I love the sights and sounds of the season. I love the get togethers, the family and friends times. Its fantastic. My wife and I are celebrating our first Christmas in Cuyahoga Falls. It was just last March that we moved back to Ohio from Michigan. It had been 8 years since i lived in Ohio and about 6 for her. We are both really happy to be back, its been a real blessing so far, on many levels. This time of year, and especially today, being Christmas day, its hard to rant, its hard to air a grievance if you will.

I will say that there are certain aspects of the holiday season that drive me nuts. The traffic at shopping areas, insane. Last Friday I had an eye appointment at Sam's Club, (sometimes you need to pick up a bulk amount of eye appointments), I was making my way over there and ended up stuck in traffic for nearly an hour! And it was for no other reason then people are morons. Selfish, arrogant, inconsiderate morons. The whole reason there was traffic was because to many people did not want to be stuck at a light, so they tried to sneak in, and then block traffic. I was at my top level of annoyance and frustration. But, I made it to my eye appointment. And was able to get past the fact that at Christmas time, people become bad drivers.

Sorry, for the rant, but come on, thats why you read this stuff. Merry Christmas to you. I did want to point out that I have added some advertisements, not because I am looking to make money, more because the stuff I am advertising is right up my alley. Pop culture stuff, entertainment and media, the good stuff!

--aaron

it can't all be fun and games...

2006-12-13T16:30:00.000-05:00

So when I started this outlet, it was not intended to just be a comical release of frustration. I also intend to use it as a way for me to express myself on more serious, thought provoking issues. I enjoy conversation, thought provoking conversation at least. I enjoy the give and take of it, which is what I hope these type of posts can become. The comedic ones are more snap reaction rants. I still like to hear from readers no matter what the tone. On to my thoughts...

I would say, amongst most people that I interact with, that I am considered a liberal conservative. I don't often agree with some of the official stances of the church. I think a lot of this comes from my rather strong feeling that we are so screwed up. By we, I am talking about Christians. I spent a few years in an environment that had a heavy focus on an interpretation of the Bible that focused on, in my opinion, legalities. How we should or shouldn't organize. The method of salvation, the idea and discussion regarding baptism, roles of individuals in the church. I have been parts of discussions since moving on from that environment where some of the same topics are discussed. I will say that I have no problem with discussing the topics. I see the value in the discussion. I think that too many times we do not have a clear understanding of what we really believe because we do not take the time to verbalize it. We do not put the thought into the expression. We think we know what we believe, but we have a complete inability to share those beliefs because they are not organized into a stance. When its not organized into a stance, we can not properly share, we can not discuss, because we don't know what we believe.
Anyway, as I was saying, I think these topics have a place. My problem comes in with the fact that to many times we are Christians spend so much time on this stuff. "Should I be dunked or sprinkled, and how old do I need to be?" "I have already been baptized, I don't need to do that again." "I am not going to listen to a woman preacher, its just not Biblical!" "Gay marriage has no place in this country..." We spend so much time on this stuff and bypass, or worse forget outright, that the whole point in these beliefs that we have, the whole point in this one we claim to follow is love. We forget that more important then proving that I'm right and you are wrong, more important that winning, is loving. "They will know we are Christians by our love..." Not by our well organized debate. Not by our pamphlets, or our flyers or our sign out front with the not so witty word play. Its how we interact with each other, its how we love one another.
So stop telling me how I'm wrong, and start sharing with me love. And I will try to take my own advice. Christianity is not a political party, I have opinions based on what the Bible teaches me, what I understand to be the way Jesus handled things and instructed me to handle things.

--aaron

is it really this bad?

2006-12-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

I recently went to Taco Bell on Graham Rd. and Hudson in Stow, OH. I have been to this Taco Bell on a few other occasions. I don't frequent Taco Bell, but every now and again I have a hankering for super cheap, crappy food. And what better place then Taco Bell? Anyway, as with most restaurants, Taco Bell now accepts plastic payments, credit and debit cards are as good as cash. Actually, you would think they would be better then cash. I mean its harder to steal then cash, you would think that these fast food places would wholly embrace the plastic lifestyle. But this Taco Bell, and I am unsure if this is a company wide practice, I haven't really researched it, anyway, this Taco Bell accepts debit card. So, since I had no cash on me, it was convenient. I place my order, drive around to the window and am quoted the price again. Then I pay my bill, only to see I am actually charged more then I was quoted. There was a "convenience" fee to use my debit card. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You couldn't foot this bill for me Taco Bell? You couldn't cover this one? I mean, you are cutting corners on everything else, buying the E. Coli onions that are cheaper. Screwing over farm workers on tomatoes. Not using real beef, or even animal is my guess. You cheap, shifty, shady jerks had to pass on the minimal cost of using a debit card to the customer. That's fine, I have had a change of heart as well, the double cheese burger from the McDonald's dollar menu is a nice super cheap crappy food replacement. Nickle and diming people is going to get you just that, nickles and dimes. McDonald's now has my dollar.

--aaron

'Tis the season... enough already

2006-12-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

Well, its that time of year, Christmas, or The Holidays for my non-Christian readers. I love Christmas, I love everything about it, I always have. I love the family gettogethers, I love the snow, I love giving (and lets be honest, receiving) gifts. I love the meaning, the ultimate purpose of the holiday. I am fully aware that the likeliness of Jesus being born on December 25th is zero to none, I still like the idea of celebrating the most important birth in history. I think its absurd for some Christians and denominations to make a fuss about it not being the right day. The fact is we don't have a copy of Mary's Day Planner with all her friends and families birthdays in it. So get over yourselves. I used to be attend a school affiliated with a certain denomination that, in my opinion, spent more time on trying to be right, and less time living out the point. But that's another post for another day.

Here is the one thing about Christmas that drives me insane. The decorations. I think Christmas decorations can be beautiful, classy, and nice. But more times that not anymore we got houses that put up so many flashing lights it looks like either a Vegas casino, a European disco, or a strip club. Nothing says Christmas like 3000 mini strobe lights thrown about a property. I see homes with those icicle lights; which, when done simply the standard white icicle lights, looks good; I see icicle lights in a multitude of colors and half of them are flashing and half are not. Take some pride, and at least make them all do the same thing. I don't care for color lights for the most part, in certain instances I think they can look good. But with icicle lights, the idea is that they look like icicles, ice is clear, not multicolored flashing rainbows. The other decorating thing that drives me nuts is the multitude of inflatables that have taken over the Christmas landscape. Remember when a giant inflatable was unique and usually meant a car dealership was having a giant sale, I mean, nothing says savings like a huge blow-up gorilla. Now these Christmas inflatables are littering the yards of people everywhere. The not so gentle hum of fans has become the new soundtrack to the holiday season. Which, I guess when I think about it, the hum is a better soundtrack then the dog barking Christmas carols or some wretched parody.

--aaron

Round One: a disclaimer of sorts

2006-11-30T13:06:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about this for a long time, thinking that I need a place to say my mind. I have needed a place to vent, for lack of a better term. I have an opinion, and you may or may not care to hear it. Regardless, I choose to share it. I come across things all the time that I have a desire to discuss, to talk about, to dialogue about. I do not intend this to be taken personally by any reader. I am simply using this to express my point, at times, most likely more times then not, I have an uneducated point to express. I hope to be enlightened because of this. I realize that many times my frustration is a byproduct of ignorance. So allow me to express my ignorance, and correct me if I am wrong. Or, at the very least share your take on the topic, discussion is priceless.

--aaron