January 28, 2008
Random Observations
52 Random Comments
Ok, so if you’ve ready many of the posts on this blog, you know that I like to make random observations about things. So today’s random observation is about bottled water.
As the title of this post says, I just don’t get bottled water. Who would have ever thought that the day would come when we’d be drinking packaged water from the store. Now of course, they try to tell you that it’s extra healthy and tastes like the mountain springs or whatever.
Well, to tell you the truth, every time I have some bottled water I think it tastes like crap.
In fact, where I work I have 3 choices for the water that I put in my Nalgene bottle that I keep at my desk: the sink, the water fountain, or the ‘purified’ water that comes from the water filter. And guess what, my favorite by far is the drinking fountain. The second choice is the sink, and the last resort is the filtered water. I really don’t like the way that water tastes!
And since when was mountain spring water any better for you? Granted, if you like in some country where the water is dangerous, grab some bottled water. But if you live here in the US, just buy a Nalgene or something and fill it up at the drinking fountain. I just can’t see the point in paying $2.00 for a bottle of water. Amazing.
A friend of mine had some similar thoughts, check this out: Fun Events? Or Wasteful Events?
January 23, 2008
Movies, TV and Music
49 Random Comments
I’m sure most of you have heard by now, but actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment yesterday. This is really a sad story. I never saw any of his “big pictures” like “Brokeback Mountain”, but I will say that every movie I saw him in I thought he was a great actor. “A Knight’s Tale,” “10 Things I Hate About You”…he was great in all of them. And as you might know from this blog, I am very very excited to see his performance of the Joker in “The Dark Knight” this summer.
So the story is that he might have overdosed on some OTC sleeping pills. I read that he had an interview a while back where he mentioned that taking two Ambien would only give him a hour of sleep. I guess the guy was really stressed and maybe in a moment of frustration he took too many. I guess no one really knows.
It’s interesting, but a lot of times people will look up to the celebrities as having it all, always being happy, not a care in the world. But as more and more of these stories come out I hope people are getting the idea that this really is not the case. Heath Ledger had a great showbiz career ahead of him, but that doesn’t mean that he was free from the stress that must come from it.
For those directly affected, you have my condolences.
January 21, 2008
Random Gripings
28 Random Comments
It’s been 12 days since our last major snow storm. The last time I wrote about it I mentioned that tons of people were sliding off the road. I’m happy to report that this morning as I was coming in to work I didn’t see a single car that had slid off the road! Maybe people are finally remembering what they need to do to drive in the snow.
Except for this one guy who tailed me for about 3 miles!!! Grr… I know that a lot of people would say, “Well, just slam your brakes, let him rear end you, and collect the insurance money.” Sounds like a great plan, but here are a few reasons why I never even really think of doing that:
- It’s cold!
- I don’t want to chance actually getting injured
- I don’t like dealing with insurance companies
- Snow is cold
- It was 6am in the morning…need I say more?
- With the roads that slick, I’d probably get hit by another car when I got out to assess the damages
- Have I mentioned that it was cold?!
So while I’m sure that if I did get rear ended I could collect some money for it, I think in this situation the cons definitely outweigh the pros. You may have a different view on the idea, but that’s mine. So please, don’t tail people when the roads are slick. You might not be behind someone like me. You might be behind someone that actually wants to collect insurance money 
.
January 16, 2008
Movies, TV and Music, Random Gripings
32 Random Comments
Ok, I’m not gonna get all ‘economist’ on you, so don’t worry. Heck, I had to take basic economics twice in college, so I’m no expert by any means. But after thinking more about the different strikes going on and my guess that the price of movie tickets going up, it made me think about my favorite movie going treat: popcorn!
I am a popcorn lover. In fact, when I was in high school I believed that these were the 4 basic food groups: nachos, skittles, cold cereal, and popcorn. And I did my best to have at least one serving of each every single day. In fact, I remember back in those days that I couldn’t imagine myself going to a movie without having popcorn with it. It just seemed improper not to have popcorn. Then, after a few years of being married I started to actually realize the price that I was paying for my favorite treat at the movie theaters.
Does anyone else agree that the price of popcorn at the movie theater is outrageous?! I mean seriously, the price of popcorn at the theater is almost as much as the ticket (if you get a large anyway). Now, compare this with the price of bag popcorn you can get at the store. You can get a box of 3 bags for a little over a buck! Remember, I’m not an economist, but isn’t this what we call monopolistic behavior?
Yeah yeah, I understand that the theaters probably make most of their money on the treats. Whatever. Does this mean that they are going to go on strike, too? That would be hilarious, the theaters go on strike because they want a bigger cut of the ticket price. Then we’d really see the price of movie tickets skyrocketing and Hollywood would really be messed up.
It was a sad day when I had decided to stop eating popcorn at the theater, but it’s a decision I stand by. I just can’t see the point in buying stale popcorn for $5. So sorry movie theaters… not gonna do it.
January 14, 2008
Random Gripings
24 Random Comments
So I heard on the radio this morning that there is a rumor that the actors are going to go on strike just like the screen writers have gone on strike. The rumor is that they will go on strike sometime in the summer.
Now, I guess on some levels I can sympathize for the screen writers and stuff. I mean, without them there is no show and I can see that they are probably getting shafted. But the actors? Granted, not all actors make the kind of money that the superstars do. I get that. Maybe I just hate strikes. The other thing that is going to be lame about all of this is that you can expect the price of your movie ticket to go up. Isn’t that what always happens when there is a string of strikes like this?
The screen writers want more….then the actors want more…then the set guys are going to want more….then the directors are going to want more…it never seems to end. Forget the price of gas, I’m predicting that the price of a movie ticket in 2009 is going to be $25 a ticket! Then we’ll really hear people complain about how prices are going up!
The great thing is that my TV isn’t hooked up anyway. So if the whole entertainment industry gets all messed up, I really won’t care. So go ahead, strike away. But don’t expect me to start to shell out more and more for movie tickets. I’ll find other means of entertainment. Anybody read a good book lately?
January 9, 2008
Random Observations
29 Random Comments
So I was eating an orange this morning, then I looked out the window and watched the snow come down. This made me wonder, “Why is winter the season when we eat the most oranges?” It seems kind of ironic if you ask me. When I think of oranges, the LAST thing I think about is snow.
Oranges remind me of Florida. And when I think of Florida, I think of nice, sunny, beautiful days at the beach or something like that. So when I’m eating an orange and thinking about driving very slowly so I don’t die, it’s almost depressing.
Maybe we eat oranges in the winter in order to give us hope that in the near future we’ll have nice sunny days again. No beach unfortunately cause I live in Utah, but at least nice sunny days. But I can also see how this could be a very very depressing thing.
Another question I have about oranges is when did Santa start handing them out? Are oranges supposed to represent happiness and cheer? If so, I must say that I worry about those people that suffer from SAD (seasonal affectivness disorder, or whatever it stands for. You know, seasonal depression) because I bet everytime they look at an orange they almost break down and cry. Ok, maybe not, but you get the idea.
Well, either way someone is going to have a problem. So, I’ll just keep eating my oranges thinking about those sunny days in a couple of months when I won’t have oranges to eat.
January 9, 2008
Random Observations
13 Random Comments
So today was probably the second big storm of the season here in Utah. And once again while I was driving in to work I noticed at least 5 cars that were spun out on the side of the road. At least this time I didn’t see any damage to my complex 
.
I thought it might be a good idea to give all of you a few safe driving tips for driving in the snow. Granted, I am no professional driver or anything, but most of these should be common sense. But then again, is common sense isn’t all that common it seems. But hey, I can even include myself in that sometimes. Anyway, I digress. So here are some tips:
- Drive slower than you think you should be. Its better to get there let than not get there at all.
- Don’t hit your breaks on the freeway!!! You wanna spin out? Hitting your breaks is a great way to lose control.
- Keep good distance from other cars.
- When turning, give yourself plenty of time to make the turn in case you wheels get spinning
Ok, this is definitely not an all inclusive list, but if everyone would keep these simple things in mind I think we’d see a lot less accidents on the road because of snow. Granted, sometimes things just spin out of your control and there isn’t much you can do. But those situations are normally the exception.
Happy Safe Snow Driving!
January 4, 2008
Movies, TV and Music
23 Random Comments
About a year ago my sister got me hooked on ABC’s Lost. I must say, I love this show. The only way I’ve watched it so far is getting the DVDs and watching the whole season. That way I don’t lose track of what’s going on and don’t freak out if I miss a week. But I think I’m going to start watching it the ‘regular way’ this season. Granted, I’ll still probably watch it online so I can watch it when I want to, but I’ll still keep up.
In my opinion there have been very few shows in the last couple of years or even decade that have been this good. It keeps you thinking, keeps you hooked, and is a downright good show. They have great actors playing the parts and the character development is awesome.
So if you haven’t checked this show out, don’t! Haha, at least not until you go back and watch the previous seasons. This is honestly one of those shows that is hard to jump into if you haven’t been watching it from the beginning.
January 2, 2008
Food
37 Random Comments
Ok, so one of my themes this year is to get in the best shape of my life. So as one of the goals that will move me towards that end I’m going off candy. Honestly, my wife and I have made this decision several times in the last couple of years. I think the best we ever did was 5 months. Our current goal is to go for the next 3 months.
So here’s the plan:
- no buying extra junk food candy for myself at any time in the next 3 months
- if there is cake at a family party, eat in moderation (no seconds, and only small portions!)
- I’m also going to cut out non-diet soft drinks (unless I just have to get some caffeine to keep going - the subplan there is to get enough sleep so this isn’t a problem)
It’s a simple thing really, and after all of the junk that I ate the last two weeks I’m very encouraged to make this step. Anyone else want to join in the fun?
This is quite the change for me, and I’m planning on making it a long term change this time. In high school it was very common for me to eat a pound of skittles a week. You think I’d get sick of them, but they are still my favorite candy. But I’m willing to give them up!
