Complaints | Piss and Moan

Pardon me

Posted on May 28, 2019 by backuphill

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Pardon me, but your agenda is showing.

Some companies are good at hiding it. Others not so much. Some blatantly censor content (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube), some do not. Some quietly push a liberal agenda and some quietly push a conservative agenda (though this is becoming more rare).

If you take a look at the Discover feed, here on WordPress (parent company Automattic), you will see that over time their agenda is beginning to show. It isn’t about highlighting good content, though it may be to some, it’s about highlighting only one side of the content – that which fits their agenda.

Thus, I have found myself skipping Discover because there isn’t necessarily good writing or salient points of view, just agenda. A confirmation bias of politically correct, social “justice” agenda. I wanna see ALL points of view. I wanna see ALL manners of opinion. I wanna see an agenda-less feed of good writing, art, history, politics, food, humor, entertainment, DIY, outdoors, and hobbies.

Is that too much to ask?

Don’t mix them up

Posted on May 27, 2019 by backuphill

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Here in the US we have a national holiday today. Unfortunately, I am sure there are many people who take advantage of the day off but have no idea what it means or why. Then there are those who get the day mixed up with a different holiday.

Today is Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember those who died protecting and serving our country. These men and women gave everything so that we might be free. They deserve our honor.

But, some people get today confused with Veteran’s Day, which is in November and is meant to celebrate those who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces. Key distinction, Veteran’s Day is for those who are still alive. They too deserve our honor for their sacrifice, but their sacrifice is different than what we celebrate today.

It is irritating, to me at least, to hear people mix the two up. Yes, veterans deserve our respect every day but let’s at least keep the day for honoring the dead for the dead. Their sacrifice was the greatest because after their lives, there was nothing left to give.

We Piss and Moan about a lot of things around here, but we are thankful for the sacrifice of the men and women serving our country to keep us free so we can.

Headline spoilers

Posted on May 23, 2019 by backuphill

Thanks a lot, HuffPost!

Not only are you a hack news outlet, but you are also the jackwagon news outlet that chose to post a headline spoiler for “The Voice” the morning after the finale. Look at the other headlines. Any of those have a spoiler in them? NOPE!

I am still gonna watch The Voice finale, but I am irritated that this stupid gossip rag doesn’t have enough sense to keep the spoilers out of the headlines. I bet they also published that Santa and the Easter bunny weren’t real either….

Ever had something spoiled because you looked at the news?

A case of the drops

Posted on May 22, 2019 by backuphill

close up photography of people picking nachos chips

Photo by Raizza Videña on Pexels.com

No, that isn’t some sort of new disease and it isn’t some kind of euphemism for diarrhea. I am not even referring to what football receivers get once in a while in their careers. In this case it refers to a really annoying occurrence of dining out.

I am sure you have experienced it at one time or another, but it’s what I like to call the times when food just can’t seem to make it to my mouth (or I miss it all together) and it ends up down the front of me…on my shirt, my jacket, my tie, my pants…”the drops.”

I can hear you yelling now, “Oh, man! I hate that!”

Last night I visited a local establishment just because I could and because I wanted to. Maybe my motivations were bad and I ended up paying the angry food gods because the case of the drops started almost immediately.

Chips and salsa, meet shirt and pants.

Chips, meet shirt.

Sour cream, meet shirt.

Guacamole, meet shirt and pants.

I swear, it has never been that bad before. Maybe I just wasn’t leaning over my plate enough. Maybe I just got really weak chips for dipping. Maybe the gods are angry with me for wanting nachos. Who knows!?! All I know is that my food spent as much time on my fork or in my fingers as it did on my clothing.

Good grief. Maybe I shouldn’t be allowed in public. Do you suppose they deliver nachos? That way I can just eat naked in the shower and hose myself off when I am done (sorry for that picture).

Got any messy food stories? What’s the best (and by best, I mean worst) instance of the drops have you had?

Just gimme an answer

Posted on May 21, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Victor Freitas on Pexels.com

I had a friend in college that would never give a straight answer. He talked in circles. It was amusing at times, and we could spar for an hour or two before it got tiresome. Most of the time I got an answer but it was mental gymnastics to get there.

I have other people in my life who typically “beat around the bush” to give me an answer. They think they are being clear in giving an answer but it just isn’t. It could be interpreted in several different ways and trying to decipher the answer usually leads to more issues I can’t get answers to.

It’s a conundrum I tell you. The more I try to clarify the more frustrated they become because I am told that I am not listening. Really? Because there was no “Yes” or “No” in that answer so how am I not listening? Maybe it’s just that someone can’t speak clearly.

I know I can be a bit black and white at times, but not getting a simple answer to a simple question is frustrating as hell. Just gimme an answer!

Do you have someone in your life that frustrates you by not giving you clear answers?

Trailer park

Posted on May 16, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Djordje Petrovic on Pexels.com

Sometimes you do nice stuff for people. Sometimes you don’t.

Sometimes people take advantage of your niceness. Sometimes they don’t.

There are some people staying in my yard, in a trailer. Let’s call them, family. This is the second time they have stayed in the yard, only the first time they were staying in a bigger POS than they are in now. This accommodation was made within the last 15 years, the former was at least 30.

Regardless, I didn’t have much of a say in whether or not they moved into the yard the first time and once again I didn’t have much of a say about their return either. Sometimes, against your better judgement, you have to do nice stuff.

What I didn’t want was for the yard to start looking like a trailer park. What I am getting is that the yard is starting to look like a trailer park. The living space and storage of the trailer is slowly creeping outside and into the yard.

Sometimes nice…isn’t.

Welcome to the trailer park.

Communication busted

Posted on May 15, 2019 by backuphill

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Things around here are just not working.

Have you ever had a hard time talking with someone because you just don’t have anything to talk about? Or, had a hard time just because every time a conversation starts it ends up in a disagreement?

Not only do we live in a society that seems to have a hard time having a conversation, but often we find the same thing happening in our personal relationships too. There is just no way to break down the walls and just no way to carry on without conflict. So, everyone does their own thing and then nothing gets any better. Really, it just gets worse. The next time you try to engage someone the meltdown just comes that much more quickly.

What’s left is perpetual egg shell walking and no real relationships, just shallow surface existence.

The death of conversation is upon us.

Little caulk

Posted on May 13, 2019 by backuphill

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There are some things in life that require a little more skill that just a weekend warrior can handle. Tasks that are sometimes necessary, but also dreaded at the same time. A skill that can’t be improved unless you do it a lot.

I don’t get to use caulk much, but when I do I try to make a mess out of it.

OK, not really, but I sure could use more practice! No, wait, I don’t mean that either because more practice would mean more things that needs to be sealed or fixed or leaks stopped…so scratch that. Should I be wishing for more caulk in my life? How about if I am just magically bestowed with great caulking skills?

So, the weekend saw me use the sparse caulking skills I have on a project that I had been putting off for about a month. It is now done. Some places on the job turned our rather well, if I don’t mind saying. AND other places look like a blind person was doing the job (it’s sealed, but looks messy). Good thing I am not being graded on this or I probably would have scored a C- on looks (some nice beads but also messy in places) but a A- on “there ain’t no water getting through that.”

Thankfully, I don’t have any more caulking jobs in the foreseeable future.

Any weekend warriors/DIYers out there that have projects they are putting off or absolutely hate doing?

We meet again

Posted on May 10, 2019 by backuphill

It’s Friday and it’s meeting time.

Again.

I know I have complained and whined about this before. Just so we’re clear, I am doing it again and will continue to do it in the future too.

That’s how serious I am about not having meetings on Friday mornings.

Like really serious.

Apparently the memo I sent out (and by memo I mean this blog) hasn’t been read by everyone. So, please spread the word.

-less

Posted on May 6, 2019 by backuphill

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I found one more thing that needs to have -less at the end of it. To remind you of where I am coming from on this, let’s look at other things that are -less…

Anything that is gluten free is pretty much tasteless.

There are smokeless cigarettes (or so I am told. I am not a smoker).

Supposedly Red Robin has “bottomless” fries and Olive Garden has “endless salad and breadsticks.”

Our home are going wireless on just about everything.

There is a crisis in our country for the homeless.

We all want to live carelessly and fearlessly, but often end up feeling helpless and hopeless because of the state of the country.

Anyway, hopefully you get the point.

I discovered one more thing over the weekend that could use a little -less at the end. A campfire. Not specifically the fire, but the smoke. How about we figure our a scientific way to make those things smokeless?

Yes, I know, if you make them hot enough they smoke less (oh, look! It’s possible!) but that also requires, in many cases, a larger fire and when you live in a city that isn’t an option. Plus, no matter what you do, there is going to be smoke (unless it’s one of those fake campfires made of gas…) and maybe a little is OK to start with so you have a partial feeling of woodsiness. Anyway, smoke gets in your eyes and it hurts. It gets in your lungs and makes it hard to breathe.

Smokeless campfire. Sounds good to me.

Anything else in life you would like to see as a -less? Comment below!