Morbidity of Mortality

Nobody really likes to think about dying. One of the questions for testing to see if you're depressed is all about how often you think about death or dying.

Someone I know recently underwent a triple coronary bypass, open-heart surgery. They're fine now, more or less, recovering nicely, from what I'm told.
In discussing some of this, where one winds up after death, and so forth, some people got rather irate.
And I figure it has more to do with having to deal with the fact that they themselves aren't as young as they once were, and will inevitably die.. and most likely not at a time of their choosing, to boot.

So what is it about dying that gets people all down?
I mean.. seriously.. if you know where you're going, why get all funked-out about it?
As one man I know has said many times.. he wants his funeral to be a party, and the quote on his tombstone to read `What a ride!`
He knows where he's going, some folks I know -know- where they're going.. I know where I'm going.

Do you know where you're going?
..Better yet.. can you know beyond a doubt that that's where you're going?

Black sheep, or bleached wool?

Ever feel like you stick out like a sore thumb? Alone in a crowd? As if the people who are around you, though having the same very-basic things in common.. are either beneath you or above you?
How about ostracized, black-balled or purposely left-out?
Anything about just simply not fitting in with the people who make up the general populace of where you are?

I feel like that, a fair bit recently. I know I'm a `black sheep`.. I tell myself it's because I speak my mind..and don't tend to care about how you feel about what I say. (granted, I'm attemting more thought-induced responses instead of knee-jerk) There are a few things I cannot stand, and refuse to tolerate.. one of which is lies. Most everyone hates.. HATES to be lied to. Well, there are more ways to like to someone than by speaking.
And I find a lot of folks seem to put on their smiley face.. bleach their blackened wool to a faux-white and bleat their conversations out like good little sheeps.

Do you know what bleach does? Sure, it kills bacteria.. but it doesn't clean dirty things. It just burns the colour out of it. And eventually, it eats away at the cloth beneath, and will destroy the garment.
And as such.. when people put on the smiley face, and act like everything is okay, when it's not... that irritates me. To no end. Have we as a society become so self-focused and selfishly that people are afraid to openly admit their pain when it's plain to others. Especially amongst a group of people that are supposed to be more like a loving family than a dysfunctional psych-ward ?

So excuse me while I bleat under my breath and nibble my grass away from the rest of the flock of you fellow sheeps, but I can't stand the hypocrisy. If there's something bugging me, it's usually fairly evident. ...Now, I understand the need for privacy, and that some things you only share with certain specific individuals.. but come on.. if you're asked how you're doing, and it's miserable.. don't lie and say `fine`.. be honest, and let the person know you'd rather not discuss it.

How hard is that?

The importance of credentials

So.. apparently, having alphabet-soup after your name, or some specific-gibberish is supposed to make you more important, or at least, knowledgable in some respect. Usually somehow related to the alphabet-soup or gibberish after one's name.

Well, it seems I want to partake of this silly-fun. I'm going to wind up taking some certification tests for various programs that I've already taken, and will need to study up on to refresh my ailing memory. As it stands, I've already got a few credentials after my name.. little did I know. They haven't shown up in paper-form yet.. but I've earned them, and should proudly display them. And someday.. I will.

Suppose you suddenly have a sharp stabbing pain in your leg..and can't stand on that leg. Or put any weight on it, and it hurts like the dickens to move it. JoeSchmoe off the street tells you that you've broken your shin and need to get it set and splinted and put in a cast..
Okay.. sounds possible.. nice. Take it under advisement.
You go see JoeSchmoe, M.D. ...and suddenly.. whatever he tells you, must be right. He's got the alphabet soup after his name.. and uses bizarre terms like `fracture` and `hairline` and `owie` that, of course, only alphabet-soup people would understand.

Naturally, we assume doctors, lawyers and such `professionals` know what they're talking about. But what about those other alphabet-soup add-ons that we're not so certain of?
What if suddenly, you run into JoeSchmoe, Sr.V.P. of K.P. & J.D. ??.. Do we know what that means? ..Well, I do, because I made it up. This JoeSchmoe is the Crew-chief of a Clean-up crew.. the Senior Vice President of Kitchen Patrol & Janitorial Duties.
Wat about Joe Schmoe, B.Sc. Eng. N.Ph. & T.Dy's ?

Alphabet soup also seems to command a better dollar-amount per hour give up in exchange for labour. But is that the reason one should have it after their name?... Nooooooo... of course not.

So... until my paperwork comes through, and I take these other cert. tests.. I'll just use some Alpha-bits cereal on my resume`... and maybe some cheerios when negotiating a salary.

The get you coming, they get you going!

Okay.. I must be old.

Because I recall a time when, you paid for something.. you owned it. And there was no major pressure for a warranty, no fear that it would crap out after a year's use, and that more or less (depending on what you bought)..once you finished paying for it, it was done, no more paying for it. ..except for houses or cars, which require upkeep. But how much do you keep paying for a CD, or a pair of pants, or ..uhh.. a bag of apples??

And so.. Game companies have erred from the path of staying true to their audience, in my opinion. Final Fantasy XI and World of Warcraft were the big guns that blew through the walls and showed the western-world this demon. Plenty of them existed over in EurAsia for a long time now. The difference? You pay your 50$ or more for the game, install it.. and then pay to be able to log-in/on and play the blasted thing. Whereas for most of the ones in EurAsia.. it's a micro-charge (they call it).. where, the game is free.. but for items, or multiple characters, or whatever, it costs you a nominal fee. One-time fee, but these things(items) typically have a limited-time use to them.. let's say, for sake of an arguement, 7-days use before it's removed from your inventory.

The key thing here is.. you pay for the game system or computer. You pay for the internet connection.. you pay for the game. ..and now you must pay to enjoy the thing you've paid for already.
That's like having to throw a wedding every month just to stay married to your spouse.
Or renting your house.. or your car.. and never being able to the thing outright.

To me, this is legal-thievery at it's most money-grubbing-greediest.

The only way I've found to fight back is.. by not playing these games. Not buying them, or using them. ... And I'm not alone.. my friends are now starting to see the idiocy of this. ...and, go figure.. in general, our desire to play games dwindles. Time for a new hobby.. maybe something healthier. I've picked up the bass.. and am slowly getting back into comics and reading. Not sure what my friends are doing. But one thing is certain : It's not wasting our money on these wallet-pigs who whore-out our interest in games.