I'm Just Sayin'...: 2012

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Obligatory Post-Election Post

Well, thank God this that's all finally over.

I don't know about you, but I had my fill of:

* Belligerent Facebook statuses condemning the idiots of the opposite viewpoints
* RoboCalls at nearly 9 p.m. at night
* Endless Mailers and Emails asking for money
* Lunchroom pontificating by coworkers
* Tip-toeing around loudly opinionated family members
* Lawn trash in the form of campaign signs

Obviously the worst is the trend of insulting another voter and his intelligence to get them to come around to the other side. Not only doesn't it work, and it just makes for a bunch of friendship casualties this election season. Also, if you're representing a side, how does treating everyone else like unenlightened fools make what you're selling more attractive?

I did have some fun this season.

I particularly enjoyed CNN.com's articles trying to rile up the masses all the more. A true gem was their article meshing religion neatly with political party in their "Blue Jesus/Red Jesus" article .

Anyhoo, regardless of where you stand, I'm just glad it's over for a while.

Friday, October 19, 2012

No One Works

Wow! Yes, the story really does seem to change quite a bit depending on the ratio/statistic presented:

CNN.com has a great article up right now, "The other unemployment rate", Oct 18, 2012.

...41% of working-age Americans are out of a job for one reason or another.

And I would say the evidence has been right in front of my face all along. If I take a PTO day, the stores/doctor's offices/roads are STILL crowded with people - weekend or weekday.

My father used to bitterly joke on his days off from a shift-job, when crowds of people were seemingly milling around during the weekdays, spending money at the stores, "No one works."

About 5% of the adult population is "unemployed" in the technical sense of the word, meaning they don't have jobs but they looked for one in the last four weeks. Another 3% want a job but haven't search for one for at least a month.

That leaves about 82 million people who simply don't want a job. About 60% of them are either over age 65 or under age 25. Presumably, many are retirees or full-time students.
But the rest are in their prime working years, between ages 25 and 65.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

This isn't a recipe, people.

I visit online cooking magazine websites occasionally, and have been known to receive a few in the mail. I do this for 1) Technique Exposure 2) Recipes.

Let me clarify what I mean by "recipe". By this, I mean something that takes more effort than slapping two pre-packaged goods together and heating slightly.

I'm no expert chef or baker, but many members of the last couple generations to step out of their
parents' kitchens are apparently woefully unprepared. If the following shock/surprise/delight you, then I'm sorry to say, you're among them.

Maybe your mom didn't cook much, or your dad's idea of contributing to the dinner table is putting a jar of tomato sauce on top of any form of hot dog or sausage (like mine), I get it. My family and husbands are from the heartland, and if it doesn't have mayonnaise, Jello, or Cool Whip on it, they typically don't eat it. If it's green and "vegetable-like" it's kind of sneered at. "Salad" will be iceberg lettuce drowned in some kind of mayo-based dressing. I really do know where you're coming from.

But, there's this thing called Food Network, and it's an easy place to start, as are several fine "easy cooking" magazines and books. I digress.

So I give you a few of my favorite Recipes that Aren't Recipes, actually published by "cooking" magazines, and a favorite posted user comment:

Pretzel Sparklers
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pretzel-Sparklers

The Deal: Dip pretzels in melted white baking chocolate, cover with sprinkles.

Comment: "So easy and quick to make! Everyone wanted to know how I did it."
REALLY? You must be a kitchen magician to turn out these!

Easy Chili Cheese Dog
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-chili-cheese-dog-106558.aspx

The Deal: Heat can of chili, put on top of heated hot dog and bun. Top with cheese.

Comment: "This recipe looks very delicious, healthier than the Sonic ones, quite simple to make. Just a few ingredients, and you'll be done in minutes!"
How is it healthier? What's one unnamed, prepackaged hotdog and can of chili to another?

Favorite BLT
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/favorite-blt-104841.aspx

The Deal: Put Bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on a TOASTED roll.

Comment: "Putting this basic classic recipe on a toasted roll really gave it a whole new twist!"
OK... I'm sorry your imagination stops just short of toasting bread.

Twinkie Cake
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,166,145161-250199,00.html

The Deal: Place unwrapped Twinkies in pan. Cover with instant pudding, sliced bananas, and then Cool Whip.

Comment: "...This is going to be one of my new standard desserts because everyone loves it!"
I like to call this kind of thing the "I don't bake" special.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

FSA Account Hell

I’m going to rail on something that will make me look 80 years old, crazy, or both. But here goes... This is what my life has been reduced to.

Employer offers benefit of a Healthcare FSA account. These are those deals where you pay regularly in to an account, every pay period during the year, up to an amount of your choosing, and they hold this amount out of your “taxable earnings”. It’s earmarked for healthcare use only.

Well, our family has unfortunately been part of the medical equivalent of a “Frequent Customer Club” the last couple years, so we decided to use one of these to get essentially that dubious benefit of less taxation back to our pockets.

Here’s how our experience progressed:

2009 - July 2012 : Yay! We love our FSA account

July 2012 - present: WTF were we thinking?

There apparently was a $0.44 charge -- yes, forty-four cents -- that a doctor’s office found from 2011 and tacked onto a bill I paid this year, unbeknownst to me. Shock-a-roo, it was not covered in the 2012 plan once the FSA administrators identified it.

I have been trying to clear this damn $0.44 charge for about a month now, between calling/recalling the medical center, getting new itemized receipts, submitting them, talking to customer service.

“I just want to pay you back the $0.44.” I begged the reps.

“Sorry, ma’am, we can’t accept a payment of that size.” the rep responded.

“But this could cause my FSA debit card to freeze up, right?” I queried.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“…”

“Can you ask the healthcare provider for ANOTHER receipt?” rep asks helpfully.

I am in purgatory. I’m certain of it.

Resubmitted the same (but new! version) of the receipt as commanded. Rejected 3 days later. As expected.

Called back AGAIN today, and now I’m suggested to buy a random thing with cash for at least a dollar, that is covered by FSA… but doesn’t require an Rx (Thanks for that little adjustment to the FSA plans in the Healthcare Bill! Sooooo helpful!)… “… Hmm, but getting an Rx for over the counter items would likely cause you to incur other expense from the doctor…” rep said. (Yes, I know.)

Band-Aids.

The latest rep throws out this suggestion as an afterthought. Apparently this is covered, and is one of the few remaining items that doesn’t require an Rx.

So at lunchtime, I am going to get some friggin Band-Aids!

I don't care WTF character is on them, a box of these is coming with me today.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Thanks Free Speech Idiots: NYC Subways Likely Targets Once More

Oh, Good.

When the right to free speech results in almost certain harm to "innocent bystanders", it crosses the line for me.

Per CNN article posted September 19, 2012 :

A controversial advertisement that critics say is hateful toward Muslims will appear in New York City subway stations starting next week, despite the city's attempts to halt the campaign...

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority initially rejected the ad, which reads: "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad."

Yeah, I get it, you should IN PRINCIPLE be allowed to participate in your right to free speech, HERE, in AMERICA.

However, [insert God] help us, we are not dealing with philosophicals right now. The group being targeted here is proven to respond again and again, in a tangible violent fashion, against any negative commentary whatsoever. OK, let me give the obligatory nod to "It is only a select *minority* group that does this, not the majority of peace-loving Muslims." There, done.

It's like poking a snarling dog anyway with your finger and being shocked when you get bitten.

Free Speech Activists: How many innocent bystanders need to die / be maimed in the predictable attempts to blow up the NYC subway that likely are forthcoming? If one of your family is among them, I hope it was worth it.

Otherwise, leave it be. Leave Islam alone as a target.

To quote CNN's article again here,

"We don't think it's controversial," said Pamela Geller, the executive director of the American Freedom Defense Initiative. "It's truth. The MTA has run anti-Israel ads before and no one had an issue about it. 'Any war on innocent civilians is savagery': What's controversial here?"

Feel good with that self-righteousness when you're comforting the relatives of the victims from the retaliation.

Academia: I thought you were preparing us for the "real world"?

Wow, does this one rub me the wrong way.

So here's the short of it: A valedictorian uses the word "hell" in her speech in Oklahoma. Speaking about how she's been asked often what her future plans are, she quipped, "How the hell do I know? I've changed my mind so many times." This was met with a laugh by the graduation class and other attendees. A week later, at the school, she is denied collection of her diploma by the principal, who demands a written apology to himself and staff before releasing it.

Here are a few news-y bits on it:

Again, wow.

So a girl who performs the best in her class academically is denied her hard-earned diploma because she used a word that many of the population would consider mild, and with the given context, very inoffensive?