“Power”‘s That Be

“Aging Power” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

Power … it’s an amazing and amazingly useful thing.

From a simple think like electricity that give us the easy life – heating our homes, cooking, keeping food fresh … it’s wonderful. I think if people went back to the old days where you had to go to market daily or, well, kill a chicken here and there on your farm for food, etc people would very much appreciate how much less than simply power is – when applied in its correct context.

Then there is the other “power” – political and otherwise. Many times it’s a power that starts out for good – freeing people and otherwise, many times from tyranny.

So, why many times does that good power “go south”, get rusted, and eventually possibly become what it was initially fighting to correct?

Here is what I think:

Power is useful when used with good guidance. When that guidance is ignored or no longer sought out, it becomes like an older part of a power grid – the rust takes over and no longer efficiently transfers electricity across that part of the grid (holding back services from those that need it).

Lot’s of time checks and balances are in place, the rusting is noticed, and replaced with new sections – and the power flows again to those that need it.

The other reason … we just don’t to even start discussing a subject like this because people are “tired of dealing with it”.

Well, sometimes you have to deal with things … in a positive manner.

Sometimes those dealings take time.

Sometime with baby-steps so small that you may never see the end result in your life time.

So, next time you want to vent on Facebook on another popular social media venue – maybe take a day to cool down and email or write to someone that can get that rust that is impeding whatever power problem you have removed or remidiated. It may not happen that day … but maybe your children will have a much brighter future because you took a few minutes to put somthing in motion.

Save the world — talk to someone, write a letter, care. Baby-steps are still steps.

-SWB

Just something to think about.

 

I Should be Happy

Another Blah Post

SWB Series: Blah Blah Blah

Actually I am …. but nobody reads a post about someone that’s happy. It’s just way too irritating – ESPECIALLY before coffee.

Oh, just SKIP the addiction speech too. Coffee is NOT a drug, get it? Even if I was addicted I’d never admit it to you. You’re too damn perky at 6am.

I know your looking at me and in your head saying “Sure … he’s happy. As happy as a fox caught in a trap after being chased by a blue-tick hound”. (If you know where part of that sentence was from, you’re old – and possibly have a Confederate flag on your car).

Well, guess what – I AM. I’m so flipping happy flowers a blooming as I skip down the sidewalk. The bees are following right behind the flowers and starting to sting the crap out of me … but I’m still happy – it’s nature, right?

I should be happy … I keep telling people I am, they never believe me, they’re just a confused lot. I’ve put my smiling mug on Friendface (if you know what this is you’re a hopeless nerd) – doesn’t that mean I’m happy, if I’m smiling on Friendface?

I am happy I Am Happy I Am Happy I Am Ha …………..

Wait ….. 20oz medium rare steak – now I m REALLY happy.

🙂

-SWB

If ANY of this made ANY sense to you at all, even in the most smallest of ways – please seek professional help, and I’m not talking depression – you’re just messed up if this made any sense at all.

 

 

Those Blooming People – Stick People Entitlement

 

… and Thoughts For The Strange

SWB Series Combined: Thoughts For The Strange and Thinking Inside The Box

Yep … a two-fer. Two columns of completely horrid writing and essay (or whatever you ant to call it) combined into one. We’re doing this for the Mils who might not want to take the time to read two whole articles … honestly we’re trying to adapt to our audience. And yes … we realize Alexa is probably actually the one reading it to them.

Think Inside The Box … protest against stick people!!!

Let’s see if we can get Alexa to give itself commands ….

“Alexa ….. read ….. crap”.

Alexa …. “reading Screaming Weasel Blog.”

… see, works every time.

Now on to something substantial {{insert groan here}}. The groaning doesn’t mean stop reading, it’ll be painful – but if we are all strong we can make it through.

Remember – I have to write this garbage … you just have to read it.

Ok …. now … really …

Those Blooming People (yes, I watch too much British TV – TV in America basically sucks, unless you’ve had your brain sucked out) – I’m tired of them, just like everyone else. Those entitled stick people walking around everywhere. They think they are due everything in life just because they were forced to spend years and years stuck to back windows on cars and trucks. They complain about everything …. and their dogs are too thin to keep leashes on them. I’ve been bitten six times by a stick dog that’s gotten out of its leash.

I mean, come on, stick people really aren’t people … they just think they are sentient after they finally fell off their perspective car or truck windows when their cage on wheels finally got turned into a cube in the end of life car compactor thingy. Yes, I said thingy – it’s a valid technical term.  No, you say?!? … sorry, it’s MY article so I can say what term is valid or not. Get – that – straight.

Now, this stick person entitlement issue.

I can understand humans becoming entitled.  I may not like it, but I can understand it. Although a technical person, at times I do actually dip into humanity – not much, but it happens – so as a result I do understand things a bit. But, even as a technical person, I’m not entitled – so why do stick people get to be? I mean it’s to the point where stick people have legislation going to keep stick dinosaurs that eat stick people from being put on cars and trucks. The stick people are completely offended that normal humans (and even tech people) take humor in them getting eaten by stick dinosaurs. It’s ridiculous, and a complete waste of the governments time. I’m sure it will end up in the Supreme Courts, wasting even more of the public’s money.

I still like Godzilla better than stick people. I grew up with Godzilla on TV. In relation to stick people … he’s my hero.

On to the box – I can see the corporate hiring quota systems changing right now:

1. Everyone else.
2. Stick People.
3. Typical tech guy.

I’ll never get a real job again.

All because of stick people entitlement. I mean really, things that were once on car windows now get rights? Really??

Maybe I’ll just get a job as a gardener … let me check Indeed.

Wait, What???? I can only get a job as a gardener if no stick flowers are included in the jobs I work, because it’s been negotiated that only stick people can work on gardens with stick flowers?!?!?!?!?!?

WTF???

I give up.

-SWB

Yep … we STRESS strange on this one.

 

Grey

“Grey At Best” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

Grey at best,
looking up at the sky.

A bird of prey,
getting along its way.

To be my day,
heading to this off-white mess.

I look up,
grey at best.

-SWB

Poetic rant about a beautiful cloudy grey day.

Da Roof – a copy

“Da Roof Pittsburgh” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

Da roof
Da roof
Da roof in on …

yea …. I can’t do it – plagiarise that bad even for a cool crappy poem.

Love this pic … I did as soon as I reviewed it on my camera. It just makes for a cool skyline shot and begs one question: How do you tell which one is yours? Are the locks the same too? Is each home a true copy of the one next to it? I mean, what happens if that’s true and you walk in on the couple a few doors down on their day off and having a little fun? Embarrassing.

Ok … maybe not as embarrassing as the fact that you pulled into the wrong drive-way because you can count that high (I mean … there is only about ten houses there).

Kind of reminds me of Apple products … you can’t tell the difference until you get your credit card bill.

Ahh … you thought this was going to be an Apple rant? Nope …. to easy, besides everyone else is doing that right now so I have to wait a few weeks until it’s interesting again.

Is there any purpose to this at all?

No really … the basic fact of most whining these days.

This is SWB just being tired of everything looking like an outright copy of something that existed previously (movies, people, pigeon poop). It’s tiresome …. no originality anymore. I mean, the pigeons could at least poop in different shapes.

I even make each posting look consistent … it confuses my readers less (not to mention myself).

Oh, originality … where art thou? About the 15th century, I think.

… as my dog would say {{groooooooaaaaaan}}.

The world gets an SWB Clueless award for originality.

-SWB

Thinking up more crap faster than you can erase it from your brain.

Praying to the aliens

“Pointing to the sky” (c)Lawrence A Capozzolo

No, I’m not trying to steal from a Gary Numan song (right now I’m imagining at least 60% of the readers say “who is Gary Numan?”. Search on the name … you’ve probably done a bit of finger tapping to his tunes).

Notice, I didn’t say “Google” the name … I’m tired of “Googling” – it’s getting irritating.

Anyway … back to praying to the aliens.

Oh, for ^&%^%*%^^$% …. here’s the words. It’s a book now too ….

Ya happy now ….. I’ve proven I’m not trying to redo his song, and gave you a book to read.

Getting on getting on …

For all the people who talk the talk, there is maybe .0005% that at least try to walk the walk (no matter what walk it is). You know the people that quote about everything they believe in (I’m not pointing out any belief in specific … this is a generalization), but never really have any understanding about what the are saying. Think about it … if we’re not even checking out what we believe in, or what we say we believe in – we might as be praying to the aliens.

Why?

Well, if we that profess we believe in something, don’t even at least brush the dust off the books that document what we believe in … why would anyone else believe us about the things we are saying about our beliefs, and/or actual be interested in getting involved in the same beliefs?

Which is why people take Gary Numan more seriously about “praying to the aliens” than they do someone who says that they are praying to God, etc.

Think about it … very few people can defend, even in the smallest way, what they believe in – so they yell, and scream, and start lawsuits over words.

How does this apply today? Since many have gotten to the point where they are becoming ignorant to any words being produced by their vocal cords … it has created a culture where nothing is verifiable, hence “fake news”. Even legitimate news take a chance on becoming fake news due to many not believing any news.

To come soon: Legitimate cults and fake religions. Oops …. sorry, too late.

Our society, at times, does a very good job of dumbing itself down, and history repeats itself.

Read a little …. it doesn’t hurt that much. Besides letting you learn, it validates what you believe in (or not) to you and others, and legitimizes the words coming out of your mouth (or being written your postings).

Once people understand what is going on in their own heads … they will stop taking offense to every other word coming out of another persons mouth.

Cheers. To a better future – with more understanding.

-SWB

Enter The Weather

Got a great raised garden started this year …

Veggies grew fast, flower buds abound …

Then …

The bees left, the critters ate the flower buds, and my new raised garden slowly became a wilting weed box due to the drought.

So, what happens now, you ask????

Rain …. lots of it.  Right at the end of the garden growing season that allotted me two tomatoes, one green pepper, and five micro-miniature carrots (think eating with tweezers).

So, WTF?

I mean I realize I live in Pittsburgh, but I’m a descendent of Italian and German immigrants that farmed any of the land in Pittsburgh they set foot on and usually ended up having way to much to eat (which became compost for next years crop).

A few peppers, tomatoes, and some carrots …. that’s what I got. Now I have to go buy my crap.  I feel cheated, my ancestors owe me at least a few bushels of veggies.

…. and enter the weather … rain … can’t even cut the grass (which was dead most of the summer).

-SWB

P.S. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…….

Digital Billboards that make you wreck

I was just advised of an article by John Schmitz of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette titled “Digital Billboards called driving threat“. It goes over a report from Jerry Wachtel stating that the new digital billboards are a major distraction and debates other well known reports that state otherwise. Of course Mr. Jerry didn’t bother to mention things like in dash DVD players, GPS systems, and texting units that require you to remove your hands from the steering wheel to operate them. These are far more serious distractions to drivers.

The real issues is the drivers, or at least the ones with no common sense (which amounts to approximately 80%). If you don’t belong in a car driving it, then you don’t belong in a car driving it. Simple. Anything can be a distraction in a car (kids yelling, pretty colorful birds flying ahead of you, a cool looking jet, the good looking woman next to the broken down car, etc) – it’s all up to the driver to train themselves on how to handle those situations.

So, we award a partial “Clueless Award” to Jerry for making something bigger than it is, and “Kudos” for knowing when it’s a slow news day (less the news of The Penguins winning game 7) and having the sense to take advantage of it.

Anyway, Click Here if you didn’t notice the link above to read the article. It does mention some extremely cool ways other areas are using the electronic billboard to help alleviate driver distraction. The Mini Cooper mention is quite neat.

-SWB

PS – Giving Grandma that Sidekick and GPS unit for her car was probably a bad idea.

Disappointing Morning

Yeah … huh?

It’s a disappointing morning.  No politicians did anything majorly stupid, no company made a ecological breakthrough, no gas station gouged customers.  Well, those things probably did happen, but I couldn’t find even the smallest story to rant or rave about.

This just flat out sucks.  How is SWB supposed to maintain this nations cynicism and sarcasm at respectable levels? If those qualities don’t get kept up we’ll become a nation that everyone loves and respects, not loves to hate.  Then were would the international press get their stories about how stupid and self-centered the United States is?  We’ll put good reporters out of work.

So give me some suggestions …. there has to be some stupidity to write about out there this morning.

-SWB

PS – {{groan}}

My Wayward Ways

I was just blasted by what I now consider a “once friend” that I have veered from my writings of meaningless whining about Pittsburgh and it’s surrounding areas and gone to writing something meaningful.

My apologies to all … I have an abundance of work lined up in the next few months that should cause me to kill enough cereberal material to revert back to complete brainlessness by mid-summer at the latest … providing ample babblings instead of the writings with substance I am doing now.

-SWB

Pittsburgh Cultural District Takes A Dump

Well, when the going gets bad in Pittsburgh, the tough give up.

When we all thought the Pittsburgh Cultural District would product what may have been one of the better or best living areas in the city – they gave up. The plan gave us national attention for the already world class area. Unfortunately it also now gives the area national attention for what people now think Pittsburgh does best – give up.

Now, I’m not saying I wouldn’t delay it for a few years – but consider this: If they would have started this year or next, they would be completing just when all of the crisis would be over in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. Think about how much they would have benefited.

Clip from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: (c)2008 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Government subsidies were planned to provide much of the overall financing, and the trust took responsibility for meeting with state, county and city leaders on their support, she said. It had the $12.3 million commitment from the state but told her in a meeting May 12 that the commitment had lapsed.

“The trust lost their courage upon that defeat. That’s the last thing that should happen,” Ms. Eastridge said.

Ummmm ….. no guts ….. get somebody in there that has a set of gonads for doing a big project and taking chances.

The Cultural Trust has really made it’s name for itself and the city nationally (no mistaking that is has done much for this city) — it could have really made it’s mark with this project internationally for itself and the city along with proving that an arts organization could do something at this level. Instead, it chose to say “I’m too scared” and stick it’s head under a rock so many people could say “yup …. we told you they couldn’t do it”.

Oh, well … I guess some outside developer only interested in sucking the money out of the city will take it over.

PS – Delaying would have looked smart – giving up was just dumping on the city that supports you.

Making A New Career

Original Post Date: August 02 2006

Here is the typical American work situation: You invested $$$ in college or trade schools, worked up through the sh@t jobs, got additional certifications, and now …… you beloved company dumps you for someone in another country that will work for less. You look at this situation and say “my country forgot about me”. This is not true. One thing has changed in this country for allot of folks (and I’ve gotten caught up in it also), and that is the fact that allot of time we now get a career after getting a piece of paper for a college or university that says we have right to it. Years ago people themselves has to discover their own talents as they didn’t have text books to instruct them on how to learn a career. People tried different things, worked different places, until they discovered their talents. They then apprenticed at them and perfected them. After that was all done, they finally started creating their career, constantly learning skill after skill – not just specializing. These people conditioned themselves to a point where this country could survive something like the Great Depression.

Now, are there people like this now … yes, but not that many. All people learn a multitude of skills at their workplace and in their chosen main career that can be applied to any career. That’s known as the basics. Allot of people are made though, and/or let themselves believe that their skills are so specialized that they are only useful in their field (ie. Information Technology, Sales, Marketing, etc). The truth is totally the opposite, once you learn business basics you can work them into an career you choose to enter into without another eight years of college and spending $$$$. Now do the educational institutions want you to know this and/or believe this? Absolutely now. Is it really hard work learning a new career you haven’t been educated in? Yes. Will you make mistakes? Yup. Is there a small chance you will get better at that new career that you have chosen than the just graduated college kid because you learned it “the hard way”? Uh-huh. Is making a new career scary? Yes

I speak from experience on this one because I work in I.T. and most likely in a few years my industry will not be able to support my current lifestyle (which I worked really hard for the last 20 years to attain, and have no intention on giving up), so I was put into a position about four years ago to start developing my learned skills into other career entry point. The last three years have been very hard and frustrating … trying to learn new things, get little bites for work hear and there, but never seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that told me in a few more years I will have a new career. Well, this year I am now starting to see a glimmer of that light, things are coming together, I am starting to prove myself to others and gain their trust in business. This is where that hard work starts to pay off (and the best thing is I don’t have another $60,000 college loan to pay off with it).

If your career is the same as mine, look deeply into what you have leaned over the years and ask yourself questions like these:

1. Have you learned communications skills?

2. Have you learned to manage others?

3. Have you learned to multi-task efficiently?

4. Has your business creativity expanded?

5. etc. etc.

If you really look into what you do, you should be able to come up with at least ten marketable skills you can apply to a new career you love …. and not just settle for one that pays the bills. This is one of the reasons our economy is getting better (it really is … you don’t get this level of building and expansion in cities if it isn’t). People are going back to creating careers they love with the skills they love to use. They are going back to innovating and creating on their jobs, instead of just collecting a paycheck. People are going back to what really created this country ….. even the ones we are newly welcoming here.