Category Archives: Rants and Complaints

Stupid things in life that piss me off.

Snow in April — What’s going on with Spring?

Posted on April 5, 2009 by
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A lot of places have reported getting snowfall this year during the month of April when they should be getting the first signs of Spring.

Is this Global Warming, or is it the impending 2012 pole reversal that is coming into play early? Will these same places be getting snow in May 2010 next year?

It’s becoming impossible to predict weather patterns these days — it is just too chaotic.

I live in the Northwest, and here we are usually just getting lots of rain. But we’ve been getting heavy spurts of damaging wind, hail storms, snow… and if we’re lucky, the rare sunny break.

I think this type of weather pattern is starting to take its toll on people’s emotions too! Starve people from the Sun, and society starts to get easily angered and intolerant of one another.

I hope we see a good summer this year — I’m craving it already.

Have you noticed the same weird weather in your area? I’m interested in hearing your comments..

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Texas Holdem Poker: Idiot Donkey Players RUIN the game.

Posted on January 8, 2009 by
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Let’s get this out of the way, first and foremost:

Ok, YES, YES, and YES….

1) In Poker you can legally bluff
2) In Poker you can get lucky

Here’s the thing… No one likes to play against people who have very little knowledge of the game. People who use little strategy, or skill. People who work on the premise “my wallet is larger than my poker skill” and then flood these online poker rooms..

It completely takes the fun out of the game.

It is akin to a Dart Tourney for money, where some idiot walks in, pays the entry fee, and covers his eyes and throws darts and accidentally constantly hits triple 20, or the bullseye. It’s an insult to the skilled players of the game, if someone who has more money than brains, wins by sheer luck.

Let’s say we train an ape to say “call, check, raise and fold” and follow the appropriate chip guestures. Meanwhile the ape has no knowledge of what the CARDS mean.

The ape ends up winning the WPT (World Poker Tournament) by sheer luck.  Do we salute the ape, and have a new respect for poker because an ape happened to get the right cards at the right time?

Let me give you an example of a poker hand I experienced tonight “online” for REAL MONEY:

The fish or donkey has 2, 3 suited of spades. 

Blind is $1/$2

He’s first to act, and calls $1

It goes all the way around, someone raises to $2, he calls…

It goes all the way around, 5 players in the pot.

Flop comes out, 10 hearts, 9 diamonds, 5 spades

Ok, this donkey no longer has a flush draw…

He also has no straight draw…

He also has not made a pair of any sort…

The pot is at $10, first person bets $6.00, second person folds, third person folds…

It eventually gets to him with 3 players in the pot, he CALLS with nothing at $6

This isn’t even a good bluff, because, he has absolutely no “outs”.

Fine, the moron calls, a 2 comes up on the turn.  Pot is huge now, like $28

The aggressive player bets $25.00, second person folds, the moron calls $25.00

Pot is massive now, its $53.00

River is a 3… the moron makes 2 pair… the aggressive player checks, the moron checks…

The aggressive player had 10′s…

The moron made 2 pair on the turn & river, but sat through the heavy betting with calls & checks.

That’s not bluffing… since there was no raising by the idiot.

He rode out the cards to the river with complete “junk” with a 3% chance of winning the entire way.

So  what fun or skill does this person bring to money games? NONE…

People would say “hey, we love donkeys and poker fish like this… eventually they break and we get their money”

True..

But the odd night you don’t — and it’s those nights that are hard to handle. Its very frustrating to play Texas Holdem Poker with people who do not understand the game, and win by sheer luck on a constant basis.

It’s this concept that turns away many good players from seeing the game through and making the game what it really should be…

I lost money tonight, on three different tables “online” with idiots and morons like this…

I makes me not to want to go back, which means that unless your playing for high stakes online.. there isn’t any point to playing for less than $100 buy-ins. Which ruins the fun that online gambling could be..

So I’m just going to have to hit in-person tournaments I suppose.

I am just having a hard time dealing with my frustration.

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Categories: Rants and Complaints, Weird People, What do you think? | Tags: , , , , , ,

Store Hours: Posted on the Window in Tiny Text

Posted on January 7, 2009 by
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I hate it when you’re in a rush, at around 5pm or 6pm in the evening, and you drive up to the front of the store, and see a big sign titled “STORE HOURS”

Then it proceeds to have the days & times in a tiny font. This leaves you having to find a parking spot, get out of your vehicle, walk up to the sign, only to find out the store is closing in 5 minutes, and you won’t have any time to shop.

What is the point of posting store hours in such tiny text? Don’t they realize that the majority of their customers will drive to the store in a vehicle of some sort?

Its a small rant for the day, but something I’ve never been able to figure out.

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Categories: Rants and Complaints

New Years Resolutions: Quitting Smoking – How hard is it?

Posted on December 30, 2008 by
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Many of you will make a New Years resolution to QUIT SMOKING.

The benefits are obvious… health and cost…

So how hard is it to quit smoking? It all depends on what angle you are looking at..

Is it possible to do it without “quitting aids”.. like nicotine gum, patches, etc, etc..?

Sure.

The best way to quit smoking is to have ONE SIMPLE CARDINAL RULE:

“Stop smoking 100%”

Sounds simplistic, but I really mean it..

1. No “can I have just a puff?”

2. No “I had a real bad argument, I just need one cigarette today.. only one”

3. No “Well if I cut back to only 1/2 a pack, its better than I was before”…

4. No “Ok, I’ll let myself have up to 4 cigarettes a day, after meals, that sort of thing, it’s better than where I was before”

5. No “I’ll only smoke when I drink. Or.. I’ll only smoke among friends”

6. No “I won’t buy my own, but if someone gives me one for free… well.. that’s a control in itself isn’t it?”

SEE.. the brain addicted to nicotine will play with your thoughts. I will rationalize a 100 ways from Friday why it is perfectly ok to have just that one puff, that one drag, that one cigarette.

Infact, your emotions will become so sensitive, and you’ll argue with people around you to the point your body cries out “just have a smoke. Look how bad things are right now. You have every right to have a cigarette at this particular point eventhough you quit”

Life is full of drama. But when you are detoxing from cigarettes and nicotene Your mind WILL play tricks on you. Your emotions WILL run wild…

Everytime I’ve managed to quit smoking, it has always been “cold turkey”, which simply means, no aids of any sort. I simply stopped putting a cigarette to my lips and inhaling.

People who don’t smoke, don’t understand. There are 3 types of people in this world:

1. Non-smokers. They have never smoked, have no desire to smoke, and secretly are disgusted and despise people who smoke. They don’t understand them, think it is a filthy habit, and “how could you”

2. Ex-smokers. These are a very specialized group of people that totally demand the upmost respect. They were non-smokers at one point. They also became totally addicted smokers. They understand both sides of the social coin that dictates that smoking is no longer socially or ethically acceptable.  Do they crave cigarettes to this day? YES THEY DO.. ALL OF THEM. There are records of people who have smoked for 10 years straight, then abstained and quit for 20 years, and then one day, out of the blue, something major in their lives has put them back to smoking again.

Ex-smokers, deserve respect.  They are fighting a day-to-day battle. Albeit, some of them are hurting more than others.. But any ex-smoker could be a smoker again tomorrow, given the right chance, opportunity, situation, and want.

Ex-smokers have it the worst of all 3 types.

Now the next type….

3. SMOKERS. These are people who are still smoking everyday. There are varying degrees of smokers. Some are up to a pack a day… some are only smoking on the weekends, or while drinking. Nonetheless, these are people who need to smoke cigarettes as part of their normal lives. The nicotine levels in their bodies dictate how often they smoke, and how much they crave to smoke.

Some of these people have quit before.. the majority have not – they have smoked all their lives, and it is the one daily routine that they have that they depend on..

Smokers who have tried to quit, and failed numerous times, have it the worst. They have not proven to themselves that they have the willpower to stop the addiction. They may admit to you, “yes, I want to, need to, and will do whatever it takes to… QUIT SMOKING”.

But some of these smokers just can’t. They’ve tried cold turkey, they’ve tried nicotine gum, they’ve tried the nicotine patch, and they’ve tried all kinds of aids.. nothing works.

———————

Unless you’ve been a smoker, successfully quit, and remain a non-smoker to this day, please don’t volunteer or suggest anything to these groups of people.

Tobacco, nicotine, tar, and 3,000 other chemicals (including formaldehyde) are prevalent in cigarettes today. It is a very ugly and terrible addiction, but the surprising part is that it is taxed and made legal by our government to this very day.

To understand who is writing this blog post. I will let you know that I had successfully quit smoking for 8 years. That’s a very long time. At some point I went on vacation where everyone smoked around me. After 8 years of abstaining I figured I had the strength and drive to be able to smoke with them, and stop when I returned home.

Guess what?
Nicotine back into my blood stream… the addiction came back just like I was a smoker yesterday.

After returning home from my “vacation” where I thought I could smoke and flirt with cigarette death and stop at my own will power.. I proceeded to keep my “high” going for another few months, to another couple years, buying cartons of cigarettes upon cartons of cigarettes.. until one day I realized “I thought I could stop it anytime, but everyday I wake up, I find myself saying “not yet”.. maybe tomorrow”.

Cigarettes, tobacco, and nictotine, are sister families to cocaine, heroine, and alcohol.

Don’t be fooled…

Cigarettes are legal

Cigarettes are $10 a pack or less, affordable in most families

Cigarettes will eventually kill or maim you

Cigarettes are a drug

Cigarettes are extremely difficult to quit

Cigarettes haunt ex-smokers everyday, and should eventually be contra-band.

The addictive nature of cigarettes is enough for people to realise that they do not smoke “because they want to”.. but instead, their bodies indirectly crave and tell them “you need another smoke”.

So what is left to be said?

It’s New Years Eve, and you want to make a New Years Resolution infront of family & friends. “I’m going to quit smoking” you say.

Well compare it to some other socially acceptable things, and see how hard, and stupid your statement sounds…

“As my New Years Resolution, I will only watch TV programs for 12 minutes and then change the channel”

DUMB? YES! HARD TO FOLLOW PERMANENTLY? YES

“As my New Years Resolution, I will only take 2 bites into any hamburger I encounter, and throw the rest in the garbage”

DUMB? YES! HARD TO FOLLOW PERMANENTLY? YES

“As my New Years Resolution, I will only sleep 3 hours every night, and eventhough I am still tired and sleepy, I will wake up and stay awake for the remaining 21 hours everyday”

DUMB? YES! HARD TO FOLLOW PERMANENTLY? YES

“As my New Years Resoluttion, I will no longer smoke cigarettes. The pleasure, relaxation and history I have smoking cigarettes as party of my daily life will now stop, like a train hitting the side of a mountain. My whole daily life will change, on a dime without any friction or problem.”

DUMB? YES! HARD TO FOLLOW PERMANENTLY? YES

Please understand what smokers who try to quit, go through. Their salvation and pain is only a toke or puff a smoke away. When your body cries out for a dose of nicotine, and it plays with your mind why “it should be ok, just this once” realize those that quit smoking cigarettes as a result of a  New Years Resolution are heroes to themselves.

Is quittting smoking important? SURE

Can everyone do it? DEFINATELY NOT

What is the problem? Unless you’ve been a regular smoker and quit for many years, there is no point in talking to you?

Are you saying that nicotine addiction is like cocaine addiction?

YES, YES, AND MORE YES!

Any addiction is exactly that — an addiction.

Stopping a cocaine, crack, or heroine addict is the EXACT SAME THING as stopping a nicotine addict. But it is never presented to people that way…  Illegal drugs seem so wrong, and the addictions that go with them make people seem like outcasts of society. But since tobacco and nicotine are legal, it is perfectly ok, for a daily smoker to have trouble quitting — thats’ our norm.

The crap they put in cigarettes — the prices they charge — the socially unacceptable situations — smokers that need to quit, want to quit, and want to do it cold turkey…

Find someone that is quitting cold turkey, pat them on the back, smile at them, and say…

“I really DO understand what you are going through”

That’s plenty it itself.

A New Years Resolution to quit smoking sounds noble and special.

But people who actually follow through, quit cold turkey, never smoke a cigarette ever again, and fight the daily thought of “maybe if I could just have one, I wouldn’t want another”

……….all of us would have a better understanding of one another……..

Smoking is more than an addiction. Smoking is more than a legal privilege. Smoking is more than an anti-social activity, and smoking is more than a health risk.

Smoking is an epidemic, and the victims of it should NEVER be shamed. The tobacco companies who profited from it, and had early research on it, should be shamed.

If you walk down a local street tomorrow — see someone puffing on a cigarette. PLEASE DO NOT hold contempt for that person, but the exact opposite. Have a feeling that you want to help. You are sorry that they are addicted, and you know how hard it is to break the habit of quitting smoking.

To be honest, New Years Resolutions sound prim and proper, but deep down inside.. all they are, are common day issues that people find a time and date to deal with them.

If anyone who has read this blog, from top to bottom, who is addicted to nicotine, who feels that they have someone out there understanding them.. who can quit cold-turkey without aids..

Can register, respond, and leave a comment..

I am totally interested in hearing from you. Typing all of this, feeling all of this, and saying it all, will not seem like a waste of time if I can reach that one person out there.

Are you that person?

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Categories: Ideas: Good and Bad?, Rants and Complaints, What do you think?, What would happen if? | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Gas prices, and oil

Posted on December 1, 2008 by
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I live in Canada. I’ve bought Gasonline at a whopping $1.42 a litre. Today, I bought gas at 74 cents a litre. That’s a huge savings..

I’ve watched videos that explain what “peak oil” prices are..

Gasoline (gas) is suppose to increase and cost much more as demand increases vs supply..

BUT GUESS WHAT

No it doesn’t. If a hurricane is imminent, it goes higher. If its a Friday before the long weekend, it goes higher. If the gas station down the street raises their price, the rest follow.

I’ve seen diesel (which the truckers use) be more expensive that gasoline. But from what I’ve heard the thick diesel is actually a bi-product of manufacturing gasoline! So why would gas be cheaper than diesel, ever?

Same with propane…

Propane is a natural gas that is totally unrelated to gasonline (or fossil fuels).. SO..

When the gas price goes up, so does the propane price. Why is that? As the general public, we should demand answers to this escapade..  Gas, Diesel, Propane, all different commodities.. so why is it when the price of gas goes up, so does the rest of it?

Here’s the ironic part. If you buy a litre of oil it may cost you $4.29… but when gas prices are jumping all over the place at the pump, guess what? A litre of oil still costs $4.29 while it sits on the shelf.

Has no one released this phenomenon?

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Grocery store pricing: Bait & Switch gimmics..

Posted on November 26, 2008 by
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Today in the grocery store, I was paying special attention to the pricing schemes used. You’ll see things that say:

$4.49 (in tiny grey letters)
$1.99 ea (in big bold black letters)
buy 4 or more (in tiny grey letters) again

So… if you buy two of them, you’ll pay $8.98
But if you buy four of them, you’ll only pay $8.96

Doesn’t seem fair does it… How many people stare at the $1.99 in big bold black leters, and not realize that when they bring the item to the cash, and the cashier scans it through, they just got charged $4.49 instead?

Some of them say “mix and match” and some don’t…

Grocery shopping these days, must be treated like a science. Who regulates the way prices are displayed? We all know that nutrition information has to be printed a certain way — but what about PRICE TAGS?

What is misleading, and what isn’t?

How about items with no visible price. I was in the milk aisle one day, and the milk jugs were not priced. I watched gleefully as people scouped up milk jugs without a thought on how much they were priced at..

How many of them paid $6.29 that day?  How many of them would see the price flip by on the cashier’s screen, and not know if it was correct or not?

Next time you go into the grocery store.. pay special attention to price tags.. and remember, so-called deals are not always a deal, irregardless of how special the sign makes the item sound..

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Casinos and what are you trying to win?

Posted on November 21, 2008 by
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Here’s the thing..

Many of us go to local casinos… We walk in with spendable cash. $200 is a nice number. We’re hoping to turn that cash into a few thousand.

WRONG

Of all the people that walk into a casino, say 300 people, most will walk away with nothing or very little.

Few of them may walk out ahead $100 or $200…

…and out of 300 people, if its a lucky day, someone will walk out with $5,000 on a slot machine, or a massive side-bet on blackjack which gave them “lucky ladies” when the dealer had a black jack.

But the rule of thumb is..

Walk into a casino with $200 or $300…

Walk out with none.

So it’s an expensive form of entertainment. The dopamine and adrenaline to our brains is what we’re after… The thought.. the chance… it feels good to be there and hope. Casino’s wouldn’t last, if they didn’t give us those chemical bursts to our brains…

..and thats all it is…

So, if you are planning to have fun gambling.. let it be that.. But why bring in $200, $300 or even $600? If you want that dopamine / adranaline effect.. even $50 works..

We have to sit back and realize what it is that the casino does for you.. It surely won’t pay your bills.. It won’t put you in a better financial position. It won’t solve your problems. If anything.. the way you were “before” entering the casino.. was a better situation!! You had spendable cash. Walk out from the casino, now you don’t..

Casino’s are full of bright lights, action, people, sounds like the place to be…

But guess what, strip away the bright lights, strip away the people trying to win who haven’t.. and it’s a cold desolate place… akin to standing in the line at the bank. Its a financial decision nonetheless.. and a poor one at that.

Be wary of casinos — they have a mission, and even if they do pay, they’ll own you next time.

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Stupid Infomercials that are too good to be true.

Posted on November 17, 2008 by
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I was watching an infomercial last night. I watch them because some of them are quite amusing, almost like a comedy show. I figured I’d write about some of them every now and then..

Last night was John Beck’s program on how to buy houses worth 180,000 for as little as $300

While I’m watching, they are flashing nice looking homes on the screen, and coming up with numbers and testimonials. “I bought this house for $427.65!”

They go on and on… Now while it all sounds amazing.. at some point, a logical person has to go..

WHAT IS THE CATCH? Surely if homes worth $180,000 can be bought for $300 and THESE INFOMERCIAL people know that..

What the heck are they doing advertising how to do it? Surely they would be running around buying as many of these homes by themselves and turning profits.

Well think about that … think about it again.. and then again…

Why would anyone pick up a phone and order the program without some advanced research? I can tell you why. People watching the program late at night are overtired, some have been drinking, people’s minds don’t work right and they just go “ah, what do I have to lose”

Well today, I did some research, and YUP, there is a RipOffReport about this:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/177/RipOff0177451.htm

So people, if you are reading this blog right now.. It means YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET.

..and if you do have access to the internet — whenever an infomercial advertises something you might be interested in, DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET BEFORE ORDERING!

Simple concept. Yet millions of people don’t think. They pickup the telephone and grab their credit card without doing any research whatsoever. The excitement of watching something on TV that you want to be part of, confuses the logical part of your brain.

Have you ever been taken advantage of by an infomercial? If so, let’s hear your story. Be honest — many of us can learn by hearing about any misfortunes you might have experienced.

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Christmas music in the malls already?

Posted on November 14, 2008 by
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Ok, about a week ago, I heard my first song of “Jingle Bells” in the mall. Remembrance Day wasn’t even here yet, nor was the U.S. Thanksgiving Day.

Now we all know how commercialized Christmas has become, but isn’t there any reasonable etiquette on how early is TOO early to start playing holiday music in stores?

I know some people like to do their holiday gift buying early. That’s fine. But atleast get Remembrance Day and Thanksgiving Holidays out of the way first.  How are we suppose to remember our fallen war heroes while Jingle Bells and Silent Night are playing over the mall’s speakers?

I mean, why not start advertising Easter now? Perhaps easter  bunny chocolate should hit the shelves in November?

To be honest, the over commercialization of the Christmas holiday season is what ruins the holidays for many of us. By the corporations pushing the season down our throats, they are taking the true fun and spirit out of it.

By over advertising, over marketing, and over promoting — it’s caused a lot of us to turn into holiday scrooges who end up turning our backs on the whole concept.  The “specialness” of hearing Christmas music at that time of year has worn off of me.

If I hear Jingle Bells while snow is falling, a week before Christmas, I’m joyeous and happy.

If I hear Jingle Bells a few days before Remembrance Day in November, I’m pissed off, annoyed and upset.

How do you feel?

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Scratch and win tickets (or scratch and lose).

Posted on November 7, 2008 by
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I read a statistic which said that out of 100% of tickets sold, 96% of them win less than $3,000. Now most of us do not buy a scratch and win ticket to only win $5 or $10. We want a chance at a big prize.

Furthermore, how many times do you spend $3 on a scratch ‘n win ticket, and it says “congratulations! You win $3″

Shouldn’t it say “congratulations! You win nothing. You get your money back”.

I really don’t think that “free ticket wins” or where you win exactly the cost of the ticket back, should be considered part of the winning odds printed on the back of the ticket.

Pull tabs are equally discusting. I don’t know if your local bar or pub has pull tab tickets, but here, they come in a 16 lb package, with 3,600 tickets in them.

On the front of the 50 cent pull tab it advertises:

3 winners of $100
3 winners of $75
4 winners of $25
8 winners of $10
25 winners of $2
100 winners of $1

Well, let’s add that up.. Out of 3,600 tickets there will be 143 winning tickets totalling $935

But if you bought the whole bag, it would cost you $1,800.

Now naturally no one wants to win $1, nor $2, nor $10. Everyone is out to win a minimum of $25 on a 50 cent pull tab ticket — thats the reason you play.

In that case, out of 3,600 tickets, there are only 10 real winners that mean anything.

3,590 tickets are sold, and 10 walk away with a real prize.

Doesn’t sound so fun to play anymore does it?

If someone announced a huge gathering of people, got on a Microphone and said to a crowd of 3,600 people “attention please. I would like everyone to dig in their pockets, and give me 50 cents. I guarantee that 10 of you will walk away with a prize of $25 or more”

Guess what? The crowd would disperse, and people would walk away cursing and laughing … “what a joke”

BUT THE REAL JOKE IS:

This is what goes on everyday, in the hundreds of bars around in this province. Bags of 3,600 tickets are dropped off at each bar, they get sold, and only 10 people per bag actually win anything worthwhile.

No one likes to do the math — but if you do, it’s a very scarey situation out there.

Be aware and forewarned!

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Dining out & Bad Waiters & Waitresses: Food service complaint

Posted on November 3, 2008 by
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Ok, once in awhile, we all like to go out to eat. Sit in a semi-fancy restaurant, eat about $8 worth of wholesale food, and pay $17 for the opportunity to have someone else cook, someone else serve us, and someone else do the clean up.

So.. For the extra bucks, what are we all expecting?

First of all, we expect that our dinner will be cooked to perfection. Someone trained and qualified to cook our food the way it should be, without burning it. Someone who knows how to season the food correctly, and for the ingredients to be fresh.

Secondly, when our beverages start to run dry, whether it is coffee, tea, soda pop, or even just plain water. Never should we spend almost $20 a person to go “out” and eat, and sit there stupidly parched during our meal.

When you go out and dine, which most of us only do only once or twice a week… You want it to be a favorable experience. After all, you are expected to pay triple the amount of what it would have cost you to prepare the meal yourself. Plus you have taxes added… not only that, but you are expected to tip your server.

What can ruin the whole night, is to have a lazy waiter or waitress, who lets your water glass run dry. Who serves you your meal and then doesn’t come back 5 minutes later, to ask you if there is anything else you need, or if everything is OK.

Today that happened. Four of us went out to a golf & country club, for an “elite” breakfast brunch buffet. Each plate cost $25. The food was great. The atmosphere was great. The service “sucked” which basically ruined the whole meal.

There is nothing worse than enjoying a cup of fresh coffee with your meal, and then finding yourself looking all over the place for your waitress — trying to make some eye contact which basically says “hey! I’d like a refill of coffee please.. is there any chance you can pay attention to the customers in your section?”

So now we get to the concept of the ultimate gratuity or tip that the staff is expecting.

But if my coffee cup has to go empty, and I have to search around like a scavenger for a coffee refill.. What does that say about how well the waiters & waitresses performed?

Keeping your dining customers happy is quite simple. Insure that their beverages are filled. Insure that their food is digestable and is fine.. and best of all..

Wear a smile and be attentive, whether or not it is in your job description. :)

When people are dining out and spending hard earned cash to enjoy a meal at an expensive restaurant… They don’t want much. They just want to be noticed and treated as if they “matter”. :)

Out of 10 times I’ve dined out, I can safely say, its is only about 50% of the time, do I have a good experience, whether it is food quality, freshness, and taste — or simply service by the wait staff. That is a very bad ratio.

If the food service industry did its job, 90% of the time, people would be totally content with dining out, and only 10% of the time would anyone ever have any complaints.

Let me know about your dining out experiences..

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Pinball, does anyone remember what that is anymore?

Posted on October 26, 2008 by
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Video games on our cell phones. PS3, XBOX, and Wii in our homes. Video games on the PC, on your web browser. Anytime you want to play a game, it is only an arm length away.

What about pinball? Any of you remember that? The big shiny stainless steel ball that rolls around the lit table, and you slap it with the flippers, one on each side?

Or is this something only 35+ year old people remember?

Tonight while picking up a pizza, I saw two pinball machines. That use to be the standard fare before. Visit a pizza joint, play pinball while you wait.

It’s actually a lot of fun.

Pinball is something that seems to have been lost in this day and age. The thought of playing something mechanical, yet electronic, based on skill seems to have been lost.

Today I had about 15 straight minutes of fun, for less than a dollar.

Even bowling costs more..

Maybe it is time to re-introduce pinball into our daily lives. Its a fun game, it just has been shunned over last 10 or so years, because so many new things seem to have replaced it.

But guess what? Nothing compares to pinball, we just need to stop forgetting about it. :)

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Gas stations and washer fluid. What is going on?

Posted on October 23, 2008 by
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It is no secret that we are paying a premium for our gasoline these days. We also know that a tiny bottle of soda pop at a gas station is going to cost 2x to 3x what you’d normally pay in a grocery store.

The trip to the pump, is where you can drop $50 to $100 quite easily. Count in an expensive bottle of oil, and the whole gas station trip hits your wallet hard.

Now that’s just a fact of life, and something we all have to deal with.. But here’s a major pet peeve of mine. More often than not… actually the MAJORITY of the time, when I go to wash my car windows, they have just plain old water in the squigee bucket.

Is it really that expensive to put some soap in there?  For $3 you can buy a whole bottle of washer fluid. That would probably last the gas station 3 days… They could water it down as much as they wanted, but at least leave some suds in there.

No.. the gas stations these days would rather save $30 a month, by giving you water to wash your windows with.. with no soap.

Now they get away with it, because people would rather overlook the small things in life, and we look past it. It annoys and irritates us, but who has time to make a big deal out of these things? If you bring it up, people think your a little nuts and off your rocker.

Well I’m bringing it up anyway.

So if you’re reading this, and you work at a gas station, in any capacity, and have some control over adding a little soap to the washer fluid.. listen up..

That tiny bit of suds, will probably please a minimum of 20 or 30 customers that day who wash their windows. It will make people feel that little bit more comfortable to stop at YOUR gas station and bring their customer dollars to that particular street corner. We should be paying attention to customers, and trying to save $30 a month in soap, is ridiculous.

It is akin to a fine restaurant having a roll of toilet paper on the table to be used as napkins, because dinner napkins are too expensive.  Well maybe not that bad.. but guess what.. they are still WRONG THINGS TO DO!

Get some soap in those window washer buckets, and do it quick before I lose my patience!

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Categories: Rants and Complaints, What do you think? | Tags: , , , ,

Local casinos near you, what payoffs are you expecting?

Posted on October 21, 2008 by
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We all know plenty about Las Vegas and the vast number of casinos there are there. We also have a good idea about the hundreds of thousands of people who cycle through that city in any given month.

As a result, there are huge prizes to be won on slot machines. You can win cars, diamond rings, huge piles of cash in a glass box, and more.

In addition, the casinos will give you free complimentary alcoholic beverages while you play, they offer nice buffets for $2, and they’re payouts are quite reasonable. Spin 10 times on a lot machine, and you’re bound to win something, even if it is only 1/2 your bet back.

So, let’s rewind to the casino in your neighborhood or an hour drive away from your home.

They advertise huge progressive jackpots like $250. Oh please..

The’re buffet runs from $9.95 to $19.95 … again, no biggy there.

Roll a slot, and amazingly 10 spins later, you have yet to win even one single credit back. (Sometimes you do, but sometimes you really don’t.. and that gets frustrating).

Last “domestic” local slot machine I played, it was $2.50 a spin on max bet. I hit a shiny silver star on all 5 reels. The credits started counting, I started getting excited, and then it stopped at $20

At $2.50 a roll, and with all 5 symbols on all reels… it seemed kind of cheap to me.

I looked up and the progressive (which stopped counting and stopped at $200) was another reason I thought I should leave.  Think about that… a progressive jackpot means that it keeps incrementing until someone wins it. WHY WAS THAT MACHINE’S progressive pot STUCK at $200 and it wouldn’t increment any further?

Are they suggesting that the $200 should have gone off a number of times, but rarely does? Are they worried that the machine will count too high because of the low payoff odds that are programmed into that slot machine?

What would happen if they let it count, even by adding a penny everytime the slot machine is spun? Would the progressive be up to $900,000 by now? How often do these guys pay?

Casinos in your home town may be regulated. But a high amount of the regulation, is based on the Province or State wanting their “cut”. That’s probably 80% why they are regulated. The other 20% of the regulations is to promote fair game play.

But what exactly is fair game play?

Another casino I went to, had a 1 cent machine. The LED scrolling at the top said “Play for only pennies”. Guess what the max bet was on that machine?  20 lines x 500 credits. That’s right, a whopping $10.00 a spin!

I started playing that machine for awhile, and figured, let’s try the max bet thing, surely it will give me something. I may not even win my bet back, but I should win something..

I did 6 spins at $10/spin = $60.00

NOT ONE SINGLE CREDIT was awarded to me. That’s 180 combinations of lines… and not one of them matched a single symbol to pay me a cent.

So I think its time to make a new rule.

Save your $200 casino night outs, and shove it into a bank account. With only 5 abstained trips to your local casino, you can buy a weekend package, which includes airfare, hotel, and even a few meals for under $1,000

Spend your gambling money in Las Vegas, and go for that car, diamond ring, or glass box of cash. You’ll have a much better time, and even if you do walk away with nothing, you would have enjoyed the trip away from home. Atleast then, you’re competing for more than just a “stuck” $200 progressive.. and going for the $200,000 and counting prize in Las Vegas.

At a local casino, if you lose $200, you think “oh well”, I came for the fun anyway.

But if you win and walk away with $400, you figured hey! I doubled my money.

WELL GUESS WHAT…

You risked $200 to make $200. That’s not that good of a payoff. Especially since 3 out of the 4 times you visit a casino, you’re going to lose in the end.

So you gamble $800, and lose $600, and one time you walk away with an extra $200

The casino’s getting paid by you all the time. So if you’re really out for a fun night gambling … do it where it’s right, a lot more fun, and much better payouts… That would be Las Vegas… :)

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Categories: Rants and Complaints, What do you think? | Tags: , , , , , ,

Buffet / Smorgasbord / All-You-Can-Eat etiquette

Posted on October 16, 2008 by
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Most have us have seen the standard buffet All-You-Can-Eat restaurants. Many people like buffets because it means that you can choose your own plate, eat until your heart is content, and come back for “seconds” of the good stuff if you like.

The whole concept is decent, based on the fact that:

a) You have some say on what is served to you, based on the look of the food item

b) You can choose how little or much you want of the food items available

c) You can keep coming back for more as long as you are still hungry

d) The buffet / All-You-Can-Eat price is generally affordable… Less than $20 per person.

———-

From the restaurant owner’s perspective, this is a very dangerous game. Yes, some people will definately eat much less than the buffet price. However, those people who are (for the sake of argument) say “pigs” who overload their plates, eat until their stomaches are stretched to the max, and even waste food unnecessarily… ruin the business plan completely.

There have been even some fraternity initiations that have taken place at all-you-can-eat buffets, where the business proprietor has had to foot the bill, simply by having to live up to his advertised offering.

Since this has turned into more “the restaurant gives, and the customer takes” scenario, many buffet / smorgasbord owners will deliberately do things like:

a) Water down sauces

b) Re-heat and re-serve expired food

c) Over deep fry, and serve over-breaded items, since they expand in your stomach

d) Sprinkle MSG over almost everything (Monosodium glutamate) to which is officially known as a flavor enhancing drug, to make foods taste better

e) Serve the cheapest of meats, instead of expensive chicken breasts or wings, serve drumsticks or theighs, etc.

————–

Now while all this is going on, between restaurant owner and clientel, I have a major complaint:

People who stand in a buffet line, put food on their plate, and rather than wait 5 minutes, they begin eating right there, sampling food from their plate while they wait to get to the next dish.

I want to ask these people… Is there a reason why you must eat, right there in the buffet line, rather than wait 3 or 4 minutes for you to return to your table?

Why do you feel so comfortable chowing down right infront of me, with your fingers, with no cutlery whatsoever? Smacking your chops, eating with your mouth open, acting as if you are home, in your own kitchen?

This is a public place dammit. Have the decency to return to your own table. Sit down, put a napkin over your lap, and eat privately at your own table.

I really don’t want to see how impatient you are, that you must feel comfortable standing in a buffet line slopping down food, because you are so desperate to eat, you don’t care who is watching you..

People who sample food, or eat food while standing infront of a sneeze guard at a buffet line discust me. They are acting very informal, behaving in a childish manner, and show they have no patience or regard for the public setting they are actually in..

Let’s get away from food for a moment… To reillustrate this point.

Let’s say, you are out in the country. You’re by yourself, and you have a flatulence issue where you feel the need to “fart”. No one is around, you’re alone. So you let it your body’s internal gases release.

At the same time, if you were sitting at a table in a public restaurant, would you feel the same urge to publically fart and let your flatulence arise in public without excusing yourself to the restroom?

No?

Then why is it ok, to publically act like the restaurant is your own kitchen and dining room, where manners mean nothing? Is it really that impossible to load your plate of food and return to your table before you start chowing down?

I find it extremely disrespectful to those around you, to stand in a buffet line, and sample food from your plate, with your fingers, smacking your lips, acting like you are at home.

You are NOT at home, and this is not your own place. Stop acting like a pig, and pick up some manners… It is completely rude to eat before you return to your table.

Is it just me, or should we all act like we’re all standing at home, and no respect of formality should be taken when we are in public?

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Categories: Rants and Complaints, Weird People, What do you think?
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