CommenTerry

Ah, But Where Did the Original Come From?

I don't completely buy into the idea that one can't catch a cold, the flu, or another virus without being around other people. For example, someone has to be the first to get the flu each year. How does that person catch it? The people who are experts at this might say the person caught it from a bird. Okay, then how did the first bird get it? Then they might say that birds get it from insects. Okay, then how did the first insect get it?

Been Called by an "Outsourcy" Lately?

I'm going to coin a new word - "outsourcy" (with the plural being "outsourcies"). It refers to a non-U.S. citizen holding an outsourced off-shore job with an American company. For example, "as I sat down to dinner, I got a telemarketing call from an outsourcy."

Beware of the "Yellow-Beater"

When waiting at a red light, you should always pause at least a half a second after the light turns green, before proceeding through the intersection. Too many times, a "yellow-beater" will come barreling through and could potentially broadside you if you start out as soon as your light turns green.

Random Rants #25

The "it's not my fault" excuse reaches a point of diminishing returns very quickly. It's better to once in a while accept the blame for something that really isn't your fault than to have people start sarcastically saying among themselves that "it's never his/her fault." 

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I don't understand people who can still function while they are sick or injured. When I'm sick or injured, I'm totally non-functional. I guess that's why I'm such and health and safety nut.   

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Realists are often mistaken for pessimists or cynics.

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The difference between a successful and a failed life can often be traced back to the results of two or three very important decisions.

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The older I get, the more I need to be in the right mood to do anything.   

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Once in a while, I'll make the statement that such-and-such could never happen. I'll only say that, though, when I'm referring to something that I really want to happen. I'm hoping for a kind of "reverse jinx.".

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For at least one hour every week, I have to turn off the TV, take a break from the modern world's cacophony, and enjoy some peace and quiet.

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Most of my fellow Christians hold to the notion that nothing happens by chance. However, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus refuted this notion when said that one of the passers-by who didn't help the beaten man had come along "by chance."

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It's funny how some people have names that match what they do. For example, a programmer named Cody or a nudist named Buffy!

Where Do Your Interests Really Lie?

Here's an exercise to help you determine where you interests really lie. Select at random three or more newspaper headlines (on different topics) in the morning and then try to commit them to memory. In the evening, try to recall all of those headlines. The one you can memorize the easiest is probably the one dealing with the subject you are the most interested in. The one you have the toughest time memorizing is probably the one dealing with the subject you are the least interested in.

The Great, Uncontrollable Internet!

The great thing about the internet is the fact that no one can control it. Governments, corporate boardrooms, work places, colleges/schools, and churches are controlled by mucky-mucks, insiders, blue-bloods, and political manipulators. However, they cannot exert this same control over the internet. Perhaps that's why many of them are uncomfortable with it or even afraid of it.

Does Your Vote Really Count?

After a recount last year, the Washington state gubernatorial race was decided by about 130 votes, with the loser in the original count winning. This year, Virginia's Attorney General race appears to leave the contenders  just a few hundred votes apart, with a call for a recount almost a certainty after the votes are certified.

Some would say that close elections like these should be thrown out and "done over." I hope this never happens. If so, that would send a message to voters that no individual's vote means anything. In fact, if an election cannot be decided by just one vote, then no person's vote really matters. Think about it.

Failed at the Small Things? So What?

Just because someone has difficulty with the small things in life doesn't necessarily mean he or she can't accomplish bigger and more important things. I've known people barely capable of lacing their own shoes who have excelled in the fields of medicine, law, or science. I've also known people who were rejected by the lesser but were accepted by the greater! Therefore, we should never become discouraged when we fail or get rejected, as it doesn't necessarily have any bearing on anything else that we might try to accomplish.

Why Punish Mistakes So Harshly?

Do we really need laws that punish people for making innocent mistakes? For example, I think it's ridiculous to charge someone with a crime for leaving a child in a hot car, even if it results in the death of the child. As long as it wasn't done intentionally, why charge the person? Isn't the knowledge that you caused the death of your child punishment enough? Do those laws act as deterrents? If so, how exactly do they keep people from making innocent mistakes?

Never Have to Wonder What Might Have Been

One reason you should never give up on any worthwhile endeavor is that, years later, you don't want to have to wonder what might have been, had you just asked or tried one more time. I can think of many things that I'm now very glad I never gave up on. I can also think of things that I did give up on and can only wonder what kinds of possibilities and opportunities I might have missed.