Seeking the truth…

Posted: May 2, 2006 at 7:49 pm by John

I think I’m due for ONE rant, aren’t I? I mean, I’ve been good, right? I’ve been Happy John…at least online 🙂 But I’m just frustrated today. And I didn’t get lunch. So, I’m grumpy.

What’s got my goat today? What tipped me over the edge was trying to book two upcoming trips. Travel to Michigan? Expensive. Travel to Europe? Through the roof. Upgrades from those thousands of loyal miles I fly every year on United? Waitlisted.

I guess I’m just tired. I’m tired of hearing the woes of the airlines. Flights are packed. Planes are smaller. Upgrades are far and few in-between. Points in mileage programs have become totally devalued. Food in coach is a bag of Savory Snack Mix. In flight entertainment is a non-stop advertisement for a TV network. What more do these companies want from us?

I’m tired of people always wanting more.

I’m tired of being made to feel guilty for not giving more.

I’m tired of taking my car to a crooked auto service center that sloppily breaks my anti-lock brakes and then tells me that I have to pay to diagnose the problem.

I’m tired of my City telling me that they don’t have enough money to fix the freakin’ potholes, while we’re JAM PACKED full of tourists paying top dollar for hotels and tee shirts. We’re a true destination city with only 750,000 residents in a tiny 7mi x 7mi box, and yet our inept government and flavor-of-the-day social programs are draining us dry!! (We don’t even have bad weather…so why the hell do we have so many potholes?!!)

Don’t make me the bad guy. I’m a softie. I want to love every one. I want Mexican families to lead good lives…but don’t break into my house and then tell me to feed you!! When did I become the bad guy?

I’m pretty convinced that I haven’t changed one bit. I think the world shifted under my feet. The Great Quake of 2006 is just a social tremor, I guess.

Sigh.

I’m just tired of being tired.

So. Jeff and I are hopping on a plane in three weeks. We’re going to Europe. And we’re not answering e-mail. And our last stop (after London and Paris and parts in-between) is to return to our most peaceful destination yet. We’re going to wander the silent alleys of Venice at midnight. And feel great about it.

6 Comments for Seeking the truth…

Buddy

Take a deep breath. You are one of the good guys. Get a good nights sleep get a frappacino and remember…repeat “that you are one of the good guys”

rich with friends, rich with talent, living in a great city with a great partner…

change what you can and forget about the rest…

I am sure that you have more than one rant coming, just try not to waste too much life force on it 🙂

JamesF

We don’t even have bad weather

I don’t know, and I’m basing this only on reading this blog. But it seems to rain a lot. 🙂

I feel your pain for the auto service thing though. I’m pretty sure I’ve been burned that way a couple times now.

but don’t break into my house and then tell me to feed you!

Was this literal? Or some allegory thing? And what if they just break into your car and steal the radio? Is that okay?

And as for airlines, once site to site transporters come online, things should change. Ask Curt for what year in ST history those actually get invented so we can start a countdown party.

BullBunky

Buddy…you are VERY right. And the fact that you remember my addiction to those @(!^$)^%@ frappacinos is a clear indicator of how well you know me.

Heh, and James, your rain comment made me laugh, because I thought of that as I was writing the “no bad weather” line. Still, you have to admit. We get rain for 3 months only. No snow…ever. No freezing…ever. No snow plows. No tire chains. No salt. It just seems that our streets have it easy.

And as for the “break in” story, no, I wasn’t referring to my two car breakins…but that might work too! This was a shortened version of my current problem with our “undocumented workers”. I have all the sympathy in the world. But my analogy is that if someone breaks into my home and cleans my toilet, that doesn’t mean that I now have to house and feed them. I know I’m over simplifying, but it makes me chuckle.

CAPT_Sawyer

Transporters have been used by many civilizations throughout history, but the first Human-made transporter was invented by Emory Erickson some time prior to 2139. Transporters became the most reliable form of short-range transport by the 24th century. Innovations in transporter technology around this time included safer site-to-site transport, which allowed for transport between two locations without first returning to a transporter room. The basic principles behind Federation transporters didn’t differ from those of other species, although they had a distinctive blue color.

And I remember vacations…that is what we used to plan before Loren arrived… 😉

Kim

I agree with Buddy – you are one of the BEST good guys out there. I personally love to hear you rant because you must really need to do it. You aren’t one to complain often. 🙂

CAPT_Sawyer

Wait a minute, no-one says these things to me when I rant! Is it because I do it so often?!?!? What’s the deal here??!?!?

😉