I don't know if it's the weather, or the price of gas, or that I gave up ice cream, but I've been having one of those weeks. Here are my most recent (and some long-standing) pet peeves.
Bad drivers are among the worst offenders. I happen to believe that I am the greatest driver in history. Everyone thinks that about themselves, but unfortunately only a small few even come close. How is it that I am always stuck behind the bad ones? The ones who put their signal light on near the Ultramar to pull in to the Civic Center. The ones who view the speed limit as an outrageous suggestion. The ones who have enough room to navigate a tractor trailer with ease, yet take 25 minutes to back their SmartCar out of their parking spot, for fear of hitting something. The obligatory "sorry for the wait, thanks for your patience" wave does little to quell my fury. Move it along, people. And watch where you're going. Jeez.
People who don't pronounce words properly, and other language-related blunders. I'm no Rhodes scholar, but I can usually construct a coherent sentence. Unfortunately, I encounter this problem so often that I almost wrote an entire article about it, and that's pretty bad. A few tips: there is no excuse for using the words "irregardless" or "unthawed". There is no point in using fancy words, like "superfluous" and others like it, unless you know their meaning. And "there", "their", and "they're" are NOT interchangeable. These are simple truths, like it or not. So many intelligent people dumb themselves down by being careless, and it's really irritating.
Lack of customer service. There aren't many people put in charge of accounting departments who can't add 2 plus 2. So, it would stand to reason that someone who knows nothing about bed sheets would not be put in charge of a linens department, wouldn't it? You would think so. Unfortunately, there are human resources people in our area who do not subscribe to this logic. Hence, I often find myself faced with a blank stare after asking Bambi Jo Useless about sizing curtains, considering her specialties are in areas of "Facebook" and "Hanging Out". There is a phone right beside you, dear; please get someone knowledgeable over here to help me. My kids are throwing groceries at each other and I don't have time to explain the difference between a valance and a mini-blind.
This is the big one. The worst of the worst, the thing that makes me want to run screaming through the streets. How many of you have been in a rush running into the gas station to grab a carton of milk and some lady with a 4-inch thick portfolio of lottery tickets is at the counter to check them all and get new ones? Picture it: nine people in line, all of whom are paying for nothing more than a snack or a newspaper or a tank of gas, and some woman at the front is (slowly) saying, "I'll take 2 with the Tag, and 2 without, and I'll have 1 of the Bingo...oh no, wait...1 of the Crossword, and 2 of the Bingo, and I'll have $5 worth of Bucko...how much is that? Ok, then I'll take 4 of the pull-tabs, and...". Go ahead, name me something more annoying. Sure, I guess there's that noise the machine makes. There isn't a way to type it out, but if you can imagine the sound of crying babies, mixed with chain saws, mixed with cats fighting, that still wouldn't be as annoying as the "no win" sound of the lottery ticket machine. At least not as far as I'm concerned. It's not even so much the noise itself, it's the fact that people would rather be lazy and hold up the line, than check their tickets on the machine in the corner designed solely for that purpose.
Last but not least, there's the girls who pretend to be hockey fans. Do they do it to impress guys? To feel like part of something? Those are the only reasons I can figure out, but it doesn't make things any less annoying. I can't count how many times I read "Sally can't wait to watch the Habs game tonight!" on someone's Facebook page, when they clearly and by admission have not watched a single regular season game, know nothing about hockey in general, and don't even enjoy it. Unless you can name at least two players from each team in the NHL, a handful of coaches, and explain what off-side is, keep your phoney play-off proclamations to yourself. You're not fooling (or impressing) anyone.
Whew, that was a lot of complaining for 800 words. Hopefully I'll be in a better mood next week.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Dear Premier MacDonald
Please forgive me, Premier MacDonald, for misinterpreting the statements you made in a recent interview about rising gas prices. I was so busy struggling to make ends meet that I didn't put aside the time to thoroughly analyze your words.
Your plight for clarification was brought to my attention on May 14th, when I read your letter in The Reporter. You did a fine job explaining to us all how you were so viciously and maliciously misquoted.
After all, had I not been so consumed with my astronomically-priced light bill, I might have recognized that, when you suggested "taking up the opportunity for transit", that could just as easily have meant for people to take the subway or commuter train from Inverness to....um....wait now, hold on. I don't think there are any other means of public transit in Nova Scotia apart from the buses in CBRM and HRM, are there? I mean, except for the Strait Area Transit Cooperative, but, useful as they might be, I'm not aware of their fleet of vehicles making a daily River Bourgeois - Port Hawkesbury run. No matter, you didn't actually SAY for us to take the bus, you just suggested we use public transit....which would HAVE to mean the bus, since there aren't any alternatives....which would make the quote, "take the bus" pretty accurate. Anyway, I digress.
Thank you for your suggestion as to how to get some relief at the pumps. When I get a break from worrying about this region's high unemployment rates and economic hardship, I'm going to look into getting one of those hybrid vehicles you talk about. As one of the highest paid public servants in our province, I'm sure you'll have no trouble getting your hands on one, so maybe you could give me some buying tips. Who knows, since people who can afford hybrid cars probably aren't too concerned with gas prices anyway, perhaps I can find an owner to let me take theirs for a test drive! As long as I promise not to go for an ice cream, of course. We've all learned what a perilous outing that can be.
It's surprising that you haven't received more thanks from the people of Mabou and Cheticamp and Framboise, all those small communities, for those generous transit tax credits included in the recent budget. People around here need all the help they can get, and even though credits like that won't apply to the majority of Nova Scotians (certainly not to the ones living in your riding), you would think the municipal councilors or welfare recipients or Ladies Auxiliaries, somebody, would have all got together and at least sent a fruit basket or something your way, in lieu of the widely-inclusive financial assistance provided by our government. How ungrateful.
But, while I'm sitting around watching tourism figures and population numbers rapidly decrease, I'm encouraged by the fact that you had the time and resources to pen and distribute such an important letter of explanation to your hometown constituents. One has to assume that, with enough time on your hands to successfully spin a potential media fallout, you must have projects up your sleeve that will solve all our problems here at home. I can't wait for the press conference announcing what plans for our area have developed to such an extent that letter-writing is your top priority. Is it a new plant of some sort? A change in the Accord agreement? C'mon Premier, don't play coy! We're chomping at the bit over here.
I don't have much more time to write, as I'm on my way to the post office (I can't afford to go visit my family in Richmond County every week, what with the price of gas and all, so we've started corresponding by mail). However, I would like to commend you on your flair for the dramatic. It's not every day a Premier has a letter published in every provincial newspaper for the purposes of damage control, attempting to clarify a point that is, I feel, pretty clear to everyone already. It must be difficult to compete for headlines with the likes of Judy Streach and your other colorful cohorts in Halifax. How very Strait regional school board of you to make much ado about nothing; it almost indicates a knowledge of goings-on in our region after all.
In closing, Premier, I'd like to extend to you an invitation to my son's third birthday party next week. I notice that you're usually in enthusiastic and jovial attendance at other functions around Port Hawkesbury as of late, and I'm willing to bet a well-to-do man like yourself will probably spring for a pretty nice present (there will be free food, after all). Just look for the blue house with the white "surrender" flag hanging on the deck.
Very sincerely,
Gina MacDonald
Your plight for clarification was brought to my attention on May 14th, when I read your letter in The Reporter. You did a fine job explaining to us all how you were so viciously and maliciously misquoted.
After all, had I not been so consumed with my astronomically-priced light bill, I might have recognized that, when you suggested "taking up the opportunity for transit", that could just as easily have meant for people to take the subway or commuter train from Inverness to....um....wait now, hold on. I don't think there are any other means of public transit in Nova Scotia apart from the buses in CBRM and HRM, are there? I mean, except for the Strait Area Transit Cooperative, but, useful as they might be, I'm not aware of their fleet of vehicles making a daily River Bourgeois - Port Hawkesbury run. No matter, you didn't actually SAY for us to take the bus, you just suggested we use public transit....which would HAVE to mean the bus, since there aren't any alternatives....which would make the quote, "take the bus" pretty accurate. Anyway, I digress.
Thank you for your suggestion as to how to get some relief at the pumps. When I get a break from worrying about this region's high unemployment rates and economic hardship, I'm going to look into getting one of those hybrid vehicles you talk about. As one of the highest paid public servants in our province, I'm sure you'll have no trouble getting your hands on one, so maybe you could give me some buying tips. Who knows, since people who can afford hybrid cars probably aren't too concerned with gas prices anyway, perhaps I can find an owner to let me take theirs for a test drive! As long as I promise not to go for an ice cream, of course. We've all learned what a perilous outing that can be.
It's surprising that you haven't received more thanks from the people of Mabou and Cheticamp and Framboise, all those small communities, for those generous transit tax credits included in the recent budget. People around here need all the help they can get, and even though credits like that won't apply to the majority of Nova Scotians (certainly not to the ones living in your riding), you would think the municipal councilors or welfare recipients or Ladies Auxiliaries, somebody, would have all got together and at least sent a fruit basket or something your way, in lieu of the widely-inclusive financial assistance provided by our government. How ungrateful.
But, while I'm sitting around watching tourism figures and population numbers rapidly decrease, I'm encouraged by the fact that you had the time and resources to pen and distribute such an important letter of explanation to your hometown constituents. One has to assume that, with enough time on your hands to successfully spin a potential media fallout, you must have projects up your sleeve that will solve all our problems here at home. I can't wait for the press conference announcing what plans for our area have developed to such an extent that letter-writing is your top priority. Is it a new plant of some sort? A change in the Accord agreement? C'mon Premier, don't play coy! We're chomping at the bit over here.
I don't have much more time to write, as I'm on my way to the post office (I can't afford to go visit my family in Richmond County every week, what with the price of gas and all, so we've started corresponding by mail). However, I would like to commend you on your flair for the dramatic. It's not every day a Premier has a letter published in every provincial newspaper for the purposes of damage control, attempting to clarify a point that is, I feel, pretty clear to everyone already. It must be difficult to compete for headlines with the likes of Judy Streach and your other colorful cohorts in Halifax. How very Strait regional school board of you to make much ado about nothing; it almost indicates a knowledge of goings-on in our region after all.
In closing, Premier, I'd like to extend to you an invitation to my son's third birthday party next week. I notice that you're usually in enthusiastic and jovial attendance at other functions around Port Hawkesbury as of late, and I'm willing to bet a well-to-do man like yourself will probably spring for a pretty nice present (there will be free food, after all). Just look for the blue house with the white "surrender" flag hanging on the deck.
Very sincerely,
Gina MacDonald
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
American Idol Finale
I wish I would have had this idea at the beginning of the season....Paula Abdul quote of the night: "You're standing in your truth." WTF?? I love Paula, she brings the crazy.
Do you think Simon reads my blog? Just humor me and say yes. I know he doesn't, but sometimes he says things that are exactly as I've written them, and I have wild fantasies about him logging in to see what I have to say after every show. God I love delusions.
Anyway, last night was the big showdown. The whole boxing theme was lame, from the "Are you ready to rumble" guy announcing the contestants, to the silk boxing robes, to the guy giving useless boxing commentary throughout the show. I know they're trying to spice things up a bit on that show, but last night's "theme" was not the right approach.
Archuleta got the pimp spot after a coin toss the day before (being the last to sing is considered the "pimp spot", for those of you who are in the dark...it's a definite advantage to be the last voice the audience hears). Tough break for Cook.
Out of the gates, I knew which way this competition was going to go, just based on the songs chosen by Clive Davis (I thought he was dead...what is he, like 150 years old?).
Cook was assigned "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2. Nevermind the fact that I can't stand U2, and nevermind that of all U2 songs, that one is a huge snoozefest; there are a million other songs that would have been better suited for Cook, and Clive knows it, don't you Clive? You conniving old bastard. And wait, what the hell is Andrew Lloyd Webber still doing there?? Gross. He creeps me out. I think he has a crush on Ryan....sorry, I digress. Cook did as much with the U2 song as he could...or did he? It was sung well-ish, but not his best, not by a mile, and certainly not good enough to rise above Archuleta. I was a bit perturbed. But anyway.
Then came Archuleta, who had been handed "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". (Note to most of the folks who read this blog regularly: don't even try to pretend you didn't snicker when you heard he was doing that song. I could not get "Don't let your son go down on me" out of my head the whole performance.) Plain and simple, that's a better song than Cook's, in many ways. In typical Archuleta fashion, he sang the crap out of it, stuttered and mumbled his way through the comments and accolades, and was declared the rightful winner of round one.
Round two allowed the Davids to choose their favorite of the best songs from the country-wide songwriting competition. Bring on the trite, sugar-coated goodness.
Cook sang...huh? A rock tune? Wow, I wasn't expecting that. It was a far cry from "A Moment Like This" or the other drivel that's usually forced upon the finalists. It was ok, but not great. Sung well, but the vocals didn't make up for the fact that the song didn't have much depth. I don't know, maybe I was just distracted by the fact that it could easily have been on the soundtrack for "Footloose" or something. A Kenny Loggins comeback tune maybe. You know what I mean. (Still, in the back of my mind I was thinking "mysterious...he's not bringing his 'A' game, and he knows it...why?")
Oh THERE'S the drivel....I knew it couldn't be far, turns out Archuleta was hoarding it all. His song was typical AI finale, typical Archuleta. Very predictable, but also sung very well. I'm talking VERY well. I gave round 2 to Archie, and so did Simon.
The final round was contestant's choice. As I said in last week's blog, and as was echoed by Simon, the logical choice for Cook would have been "Billie Jean" or "Hello". But what did Cook do? He chose a song by arguably the worst band in history...for his final song...the deciding song. Really? Are you kidding me? "The World I Know" is a crap song, and he knows that. It's at this point of the night that I realized the reason for this bizarre evening of performance: are you ready? David Cook threw the competition. Oh ya bitches, I said it. First song? Ok, but not great. Second song? Same thing. And then, with a choice of any song in the entire world, including the option to perform a song touted as the best and most original AI performance ever, he chose Collective Soul? This guy who has made incredible song choices the entire competition, mucks everything up on finale night? I don't think so. Cook knew he had made his mark. He knew that regardless of tonight's outcome, he'd have a record deal. And so instead of choosing a career of syrupy, pre-written love songs, he bit the bullet, sucked it up, and intentionally lost. It's probably best for everyone, and I applaud the master of using American Idol to his best advantage.
Roll out the red carpet, cause here comes Archuleta onstage to oversing "Imagine" by John Lennon. He really could sing the phone book and it would sound beautiful. He could have laid off the runs and the warbling a bit, but in any case, he killed it.
So at this point it's pretty obvious: David Archuleta is going to be the winner of American Idol Season 7. Good for him, he deserves it. I can't wait to watch him in interviews over the next few months, and then on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in about 10 years.
Do you think Simon reads my blog? Just humor me and say yes. I know he doesn't, but sometimes he says things that are exactly as I've written them, and I have wild fantasies about him logging in to see what I have to say after every show. God I love delusions.
Anyway, last night was the big showdown. The whole boxing theme was lame, from the "Are you ready to rumble" guy announcing the contestants, to the silk boxing robes, to the guy giving useless boxing commentary throughout the show. I know they're trying to spice things up a bit on that show, but last night's "theme" was not the right approach.
Archuleta got the pimp spot after a coin toss the day before (being the last to sing is considered the "pimp spot", for those of you who are in the dark...it's a definite advantage to be the last voice the audience hears). Tough break for Cook.
Out of the gates, I knew which way this competition was going to go, just based on the songs chosen by Clive Davis (I thought he was dead...what is he, like 150 years old?).
Cook was assigned "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2. Nevermind the fact that I can't stand U2, and nevermind that of all U2 songs, that one is a huge snoozefest; there are a million other songs that would have been better suited for Cook, and Clive knows it, don't you Clive? You conniving old bastard. And wait, what the hell is Andrew Lloyd Webber still doing there?? Gross. He creeps me out. I think he has a crush on Ryan....sorry, I digress. Cook did as much with the U2 song as he could...or did he? It was sung well-ish, but not his best, not by a mile, and certainly not good enough to rise above Archuleta. I was a bit perturbed. But anyway.
Then came Archuleta, who had been handed "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". (Note to most of the folks who read this blog regularly: don't even try to pretend you didn't snicker when you heard he was doing that song. I could not get "Don't let your son go down on me" out of my head the whole performance.) Plain and simple, that's a better song than Cook's, in many ways. In typical Archuleta fashion, he sang the crap out of it, stuttered and mumbled his way through the comments and accolades, and was declared the rightful winner of round one.
Round two allowed the Davids to choose their favorite of the best songs from the country-wide songwriting competition. Bring on the trite, sugar-coated goodness.
Cook sang...huh? A rock tune? Wow, I wasn't expecting that. It was a far cry from "A Moment Like This" or the other drivel that's usually forced upon the finalists. It was ok, but not great. Sung well, but the vocals didn't make up for the fact that the song didn't have much depth. I don't know, maybe I was just distracted by the fact that it could easily have been on the soundtrack for "Footloose" or something. A Kenny Loggins comeback tune maybe. You know what I mean. (Still, in the back of my mind I was thinking "mysterious...he's not bringing his 'A' game, and he knows it...why?")
Oh THERE'S the drivel....I knew it couldn't be far, turns out Archuleta was hoarding it all. His song was typical AI finale, typical Archuleta. Very predictable, but also sung very well. I'm talking VERY well. I gave round 2 to Archie, and so did Simon.
The final round was contestant's choice. As I said in last week's blog, and as was echoed by Simon, the logical choice for Cook would have been "Billie Jean" or "Hello". But what did Cook do? He chose a song by arguably the worst band in history...for his final song...the deciding song. Really? Are you kidding me? "The World I Know" is a crap song, and he knows that. It's at this point of the night that I realized the reason for this bizarre evening of performance: are you ready? David Cook threw the competition. Oh ya bitches, I said it. First song? Ok, but not great. Second song? Same thing. And then, with a choice of any song in the entire world, including the option to perform a song touted as the best and most original AI performance ever, he chose Collective Soul? This guy who has made incredible song choices the entire competition, mucks everything up on finale night? I don't think so. Cook knew he had made his mark. He knew that regardless of tonight's outcome, he'd have a record deal. And so instead of choosing a career of syrupy, pre-written love songs, he bit the bullet, sucked it up, and intentionally lost. It's probably best for everyone, and I applaud the master of using American Idol to his best advantage.
Roll out the red carpet, cause here comes Archuleta onstage to oversing "Imagine" by John Lennon. He really could sing the phone book and it would sound beautiful. He could have laid off the runs and the warbling a bit, but in any case, he killed it.
So at this point it's pretty obvious: David Archuleta is going to be the winner of American Idol Season 7. Good for him, he deserves it. I can't wait to watch him in interviews over the next few months, and then on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in about 10 years.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
American Idol - Goodbye Syesha!
Thank god! Syesha needed to go. It's been the David vs. David show for a long time anyway, so I'm glad we've thinned the rest of the herd.
The top 3 performance night wasn't great as far as I'm concerned, and the Davids better get their asses in gear for next week. "And So It Goes" was pretty good, but when Archuleta sang "With You" by Chris Brown, it made me uncomfortable to watch him dance around (plus he forgot half the words and just barely covered it up). I don't even remember what the final song was for him.
Even Cook wasn't his usual stellar self Tuesday night. The Roberta Flack song that Simon chose for him sounded pretty good, but the second song wasn't very good. It's a hard song to sing anyway, and on top of it he was sharp in a lot of places. The Aerosmith song he did at the end was OK too, but meh, not memorable like some of his others. I wonder if these guys realized they were singing for their survival? Cause it sure didn't seem like they cared too much.
WTF was that black & fuschia creature that crawled out of the night and invaded the AI stage? I heard someone say it was Fantasia. I know I'm not a model, but my god, THAT is a hard looking woman. The hair, the outfit, the dancing, the shrieking, the braces....the look on Simon's face was priceless, he didn't know what to do. I was completely repulsed. All she needed was a cape, and she could have been the female version of James Brown. Highlight of the night.
Next week is the finale, and the Davids will (at least I think), in addition to singing whatever shiteous song is the Season 7 Winner's Song, be choosing their favorite song of the ones they've previously performed. Gee, I wonder which one Archuleta will pick? He'd be a fool not to do imagine. And Cook will probably do Billy Jean (though I'd like to see him do Lionel Richie's "Hello"). They better choose carefully and sing well, instead of dragging their asses like this past week.
Then, on Wednesday's 15 hour live results show, a bunch of irrelevant people will perform more shiteous songs. Ruben will be there singing "Celebrate Me Home", almost as though there are 3 people in the world who like that song and who care that Ruben still has a music, um, I guess you'd call it "career"? Whatever, moving right along. I'm sure all the top 12 will sing a group song a la High School Musical, maybe even some of the top 24 will be there. Jordin Sparks will probably sing assuming her vocal chords are back on par. I'm sure there will be at least 1 non-Idol-alumni performance, possibly Jesse McCartney, since he's the only person I could find who has an album being released next week. I'm sure there will be someone "shocking", someone really famous, but that will probably remain a secret until they grace the stage. Yawn. AI is getting pretty predictable.
It's going to be a close call, but a this point the producers seem to be gunning for a David Cook win, and that's probably what we'll see.
Don't get me wrong, David Cook should win. He's the rightful winner. He's got it all. But really, in the grand scheme of things, would he be better off winning? Or would he be better off losing? I hate seeing someone win AI when they don't deserve it, like Taylor Hicks coming in 1st when Katherine McPhee & Chris Daughtry went home. I know it turned out for the best for Daughtry, but it still pissed me off a bit that Hicks won the popularity contest. If Cook wins, he'll have to make an album of sugar-coated pop songs, which might ruin his credibility altogether. But if he loses, he'll be signed by a record label, wait 18mts as per the Idol contract, then records and releases what will probably be a completely awesome album that he has creative control over. That seems like a better idea to me, but the deal is pretty much sealed now. I'm hoping the Idol thing doesn't mar his image and overshadow his talent.
Anyway, I guess we'll see next week.
The top 3 performance night wasn't great as far as I'm concerned, and the Davids better get their asses in gear for next week. "And So It Goes" was pretty good, but when Archuleta sang "With You" by Chris Brown, it made me uncomfortable to watch him dance around (plus he forgot half the words and just barely covered it up). I don't even remember what the final song was for him.
Even Cook wasn't his usual stellar self Tuesday night. The Roberta Flack song that Simon chose for him sounded pretty good, but the second song wasn't very good. It's a hard song to sing anyway, and on top of it he was sharp in a lot of places. The Aerosmith song he did at the end was OK too, but meh, not memorable like some of his others. I wonder if these guys realized they were singing for their survival? Cause it sure didn't seem like they cared too much.
WTF was that black & fuschia creature that crawled out of the night and invaded the AI stage? I heard someone say it was Fantasia. I know I'm not a model, but my god, THAT is a hard looking woman. The hair, the outfit, the dancing, the shrieking, the braces....the look on Simon's face was priceless, he didn't know what to do. I was completely repulsed. All she needed was a cape, and she could have been the female version of James Brown. Highlight of the night.
Next week is the finale, and the Davids will (at least I think), in addition to singing whatever shiteous song is the Season 7 Winner's Song, be choosing their favorite song of the ones they've previously performed. Gee, I wonder which one Archuleta will pick? He'd be a fool not to do imagine. And Cook will probably do Billy Jean (though I'd like to see him do Lionel Richie's "Hello"). They better choose carefully and sing well, instead of dragging their asses like this past week.
Then, on Wednesday's 15 hour live results show, a bunch of irrelevant people will perform more shiteous songs. Ruben will be there singing "Celebrate Me Home", almost as though there are 3 people in the world who like that song and who care that Ruben still has a music, um, I guess you'd call it "career"? Whatever, moving right along. I'm sure all the top 12 will sing a group song a la High School Musical, maybe even some of the top 24 will be there. Jordin Sparks will probably sing assuming her vocal chords are back on par. I'm sure there will be at least 1 non-Idol-alumni performance, possibly Jesse McCartney, since he's the only person I could find who has an album being released next week. I'm sure there will be someone "shocking", someone really famous, but that will probably remain a secret until they grace the stage. Yawn. AI is getting pretty predictable.
It's going to be a close call, but a this point the producers seem to be gunning for a David Cook win, and that's probably what we'll see.
Don't get me wrong, David Cook should win. He's the rightful winner. He's got it all. But really, in the grand scheme of things, would he be better off winning? Or would he be better off losing? I hate seeing someone win AI when they don't deserve it, like Taylor Hicks coming in 1st when Katherine McPhee & Chris Daughtry went home. I know it turned out for the best for Daughtry, but it still pissed me off a bit that Hicks won the popularity contest. If Cook wins, he'll have to make an album of sugar-coated pop songs, which might ruin his credibility altogether. But if he loses, he'll be signed by a record label, wait 18mts as per the Idol contract, then records and releases what will probably be a completely awesome album that he has creative control over. That seems like a better idea to me, but the deal is pretty much sealed now. I'm hoping the Idol thing doesn't mar his image and overshadow his talent.
Anyway, I guess we'll see next week.
Before It's Too Late
A friend of mine called me today, very upset about having just quit her job at Minacs. She needs the money, and didn't mind the work, but she had no choice. She wasn't able to arrange transportation for her newest shift change, and no alternatives were available. It's unfortunate.
The majority of people who have written about and continue to report on the call center in Port Hawkesbury, whether now with Minacs or previously with EDS, are lucky enough to have never had to work there. I have.
When the call center in Port Hawkesbury opened in a few years ago, people applied in droves for a position. On the surface, it seemed like a pretty good gig. The money was good, at least compared to a lot of the minimum wage jobs available in our area. A new, air conditioned building, paid training, benefits, opportunity for advancement; these were all perks widely advertised in order to recruit new employees, and in the Strait area, with dismal prospects on the Job Bank and high unemployment, working at the call center was like hitting the jackpot. Politicians bent over backwards to lure a call center here, and groveled with thanks and appreciation when our "saviors" finally came to rescue our area from the depths of economic disparity.
At first, everything was wonderful. Maybe not the most glamorous job in the world, but hey, it's work; who were we to complain, right?
But the staff turnover pointed to problems soon after the novelty of the call center wore off. People were quitting after only working there a few months, and the majority of remaining employees were dissatisfied and miserable.
Working in a call center environment is very stressful. Callers screaming and swearing at you, telling you to get a real job; supervisors, no more qualified than you, barking orders in your direction; bathroom breaks often timed to the minute, with a demeaning tongue-lashing as the mildest consequence for taking two minutes too long; a quality assurance staff monitoring your every move, your every call; these are just some of the components that turn a once-appealing state-of-the-art building full of opportunity, into a windowless dungeon of misery. Every job has its stress, but call centers are notorious for it.
The biggest problem for most was, and continues to be, the hours of operation. Call centers thrive in large cities because there are so many local people to fill the positions, and just as many to apply once that staff has turned over. There is also local transit to get people to and from home at all hours.
And this is why any call center operation in Port Hawkesbury will inevitably fail. Training allows employees to fall into a regular routine, establish car pools, and let their bodies adjust to a certain schedule. But after the training is over, the shift work is sporadic and unpredictable. One week you're working days, two weeks later you might be working until 1am, and without nearly enough notice. How is someone in L'Ardoise with no car supposed to make travel arrangements to and from Port Hawkesbury for a 4-12 shift, especially when the person they travelled with the week before has been switched to 9-5? How is a parent from a very rural area supposed to find suitable childcare for a few weeks during the evening, and then someone else to provide this childcare a few weeks later early in the morning? We don't have city busses, or 24-hour day cares. If these people had the kind of budget to make the arrangements necessary to work at the call center, they wouldn't be working at the call center to begin with.
It's very unfortunate that the right people haven't yet come to realize and address the pitfalls associated with a call center in Port Hawkesbury. EDS, Minacs - it's more of the same, and that should have been recognized and resolved before bringing in another company. Whether it be decreasing the hours of operation, thereby decreasing the number of shifts, or accommodating people more effectively to ensure better attendance, changes need to be made in order to sustain Minacs' success in this region. The status quo won't work in the long term. It hasn't it the past, and since nothing much has changed in terms of the transition from EDS to Minacs, it won't this time either.
People from this area aren't lazy, but they're also not able to draw blood from a stone. And unless "the powers that be" can correct deficiencies with the current set up, pretty soon we'll have a vacant building on the Queen Street Extension and plenty of hard working people filing for Employment Insurance benefits.
The majority of people who have written about and continue to report on the call center in Port Hawkesbury, whether now with Minacs or previously with EDS, are lucky enough to have never had to work there. I have.
When the call center in Port Hawkesbury opened in a few years ago, people applied in droves for a position. On the surface, it seemed like a pretty good gig. The money was good, at least compared to a lot of the minimum wage jobs available in our area. A new, air conditioned building, paid training, benefits, opportunity for advancement; these were all perks widely advertised in order to recruit new employees, and in the Strait area, with dismal prospects on the Job Bank and high unemployment, working at the call center was like hitting the jackpot. Politicians bent over backwards to lure a call center here, and groveled with thanks and appreciation when our "saviors" finally came to rescue our area from the depths of economic disparity.
At first, everything was wonderful. Maybe not the most glamorous job in the world, but hey, it's work; who were we to complain, right?
But the staff turnover pointed to problems soon after the novelty of the call center wore off. People were quitting after only working there a few months, and the majority of remaining employees were dissatisfied and miserable.
Working in a call center environment is very stressful. Callers screaming and swearing at you, telling you to get a real job; supervisors, no more qualified than you, barking orders in your direction; bathroom breaks often timed to the minute, with a demeaning tongue-lashing as the mildest consequence for taking two minutes too long; a quality assurance staff monitoring your every move, your every call; these are just some of the components that turn a once-appealing state-of-the-art building full of opportunity, into a windowless dungeon of misery. Every job has its stress, but call centers are notorious for it.
The biggest problem for most was, and continues to be, the hours of operation. Call centers thrive in large cities because there are so many local people to fill the positions, and just as many to apply once that staff has turned over. There is also local transit to get people to and from home at all hours.
And this is why any call center operation in Port Hawkesbury will inevitably fail. Training allows employees to fall into a regular routine, establish car pools, and let their bodies adjust to a certain schedule. But after the training is over, the shift work is sporadic and unpredictable. One week you're working days, two weeks later you might be working until 1am, and without nearly enough notice. How is someone in L'Ardoise with no car supposed to make travel arrangements to and from Port Hawkesbury for a 4-12 shift, especially when the person they travelled with the week before has been switched to 9-5? How is a parent from a very rural area supposed to find suitable childcare for a few weeks during the evening, and then someone else to provide this childcare a few weeks later early in the morning? We don't have city busses, or 24-hour day cares. If these people had the kind of budget to make the arrangements necessary to work at the call center, they wouldn't be working at the call center to begin with.
It's very unfortunate that the right people haven't yet come to realize and address the pitfalls associated with a call center in Port Hawkesbury. EDS, Minacs - it's more of the same, and that should have been recognized and resolved before bringing in another company. Whether it be decreasing the hours of operation, thereby decreasing the number of shifts, or accommodating people more effectively to ensure better attendance, changes need to be made in order to sustain Minacs' success in this region. The status quo won't work in the long term. It hasn't it the past, and since nothing much has changed in terms of the transition from EDS to Minacs, it won't this time either.
People from this area aren't lazy, but they're also not able to draw blood from a stone. And unless "the powers that be" can correct deficiencies with the current set up, pretty soon we'll have a vacant building on the Queen Street Extension and plenty of hard working people filing for Employment Insurance benefits.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
In With the New
Welcome, everyone, to what is hopefully the last installment of "beating a dead horse." I hate to dwell on the negative, but this issue is like the 600lb gorilla in the quad counties. I'm talking, of course, about the strait regional school board.
The Minister of Education stripped the board of the power to handle matters of finance and human resources. In a much publicized meeting, Karen Casey laid down the law and appointed third parties to grab the reins in those departments, and with good reason; the SRSB has proven time and time again that personal agendas take precedence over problem resolution, and someone had to step in to protect the interests of students. I applaud her for that, as I'm sure she felt considerable pressure to "let sleeping dogs lie." Many were calling for the entire board to be dissolved, but, in a move that surely relied on faith that the board functioning would improve, she gave them yet another chance.
Though everyone thought there was nowhere to go but up, somehow the situation with the board still hasn't shown much improvement. Opening this newspaper on any given week is proof. For every article about events in the area, there seem to be five articles about the latest conflict within the school board.
The most recent example deals with a board member from the Inverness area. This member, whose name appears frequently in the kind of articles I'm talking about, at the last board meeting, made it known that she was boycotting the Annual General Meeting of the Nova Scotia School Boards Association. This proclamation wasn't just made in passing; she pointedly called for the record to show that she was boycotting the event. Her reason was that the NSSBA did not support or stand up for our board during the Minister's dose of "tough love". And I quote, "There was nothing (in the NSSBA's press release) to say that the minister shouldn't do this to elected people. They let me down."
If I may, a few things. Well, more than a few, actually.
First of all, nowhere was it reported that this board member had been asked to represent the SRSB at this meeting to begin with. From what I deduce, more suitable candidates could certainly be found.
Secondly, boo-hoo. I'd be willing to bet that the big wigs at the NSSBA aren't losing too much sleep because they "let down" this member. In my opinion, it's a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.. Members of the SRSB let everyone down, including the NSSBA, when they allowed their behavior to escalate to such a degree that it required the intervention of the Education Minister. I hope no one expected any association to go to bat for them, all things considered.
The method of denunciation is what stands out the most, however. I have never watched soap operas, but I can't imagine even Days of Our Lives having as dramatic a cast of characters as we have on our school board. If ever there was a mountain made out of a molehill, this is it. Complain to your mom, your friends, other board members; hold a grudge, whatever. But to officially go on record boycotting a meeting? Put down your crown and scepter for a moment and consider if all the hoopla and press is necessary in making your moot point.
Many people have asked me why I care so much about this issue, and the answer is simple. I have a son in elementary school. I do what I can to help him and support him and make sure he gets the best education possible, as does every other parent with school-aged children. And we do it with no compensation. Far be it from me to tell people how to do their job, except when, not only is the job obviously not being done, but when the results affect me (and on top of it all, when this person's salary is coming out of my own pocket). Seldom do I read about productive strides being made within the school board which will benefit our schools or our children. Most overwhelmingly, I'm forced to hear about counterproductive behavior that is not only embarrassing to this region, but detrimental to everyone involved.
But on perhaps a more positive note, the member I speak of has said she will not seek her seat in the next election. To that, I say good riddance. Out with the old and in with the new. And all we can hope is that the new will bring to the table the kind of priorities, behaviors, and goals that the rest of us share. Our kids deserve it, and parents will be charged with electing people who will ensure it.
The Minister of Education stripped the board of the power to handle matters of finance and human resources. In a much publicized meeting, Karen Casey laid down the law and appointed third parties to grab the reins in those departments, and with good reason; the SRSB has proven time and time again that personal agendas take precedence over problem resolution, and someone had to step in to protect the interests of students. I applaud her for that, as I'm sure she felt considerable pressure to "let sleeping dogs lie." Many were calling for the entire board to be dissolved, but, in a move that surely relied on faith that the board functioning would improve, she gave them yet another chance.
Though everyone thought there was nowhere to go but up, somehow the situation with the board still hasn't shown much improvement. Opening this newspaper on any given week is proof. For every article about events in the area, there seem to be five articles about the latest conflict within the school board.
The most recent example deals with a board member from the Inverness area. This member, whose name appears frequently in the kind of articles I'm talking about, at the last board meeting, made it known that she was boycotting the Annual General Meeting of the Nova Scotia School Boards Association. This proclamation wasn't just made in passing; she pointedly called for the record to show that she was boycotting the event. Her reason was that the NSSBA did not support or stand up for our board during the Minister's dose of "tough love". And I quote, "There was nothing (in the NSSBA's press release) to say that the minister shouldn't do this to elected people. They let me down."
If I may, a few things. Well, more than a few, actually.
First of all, nowhere was it reported that this board member had been asked to represent the SRSB at this meeting to begin with. From what I deduce, more suitable candidates could certainly be found.
Secondly, boo-hoo. I'd be willing to bet that the big wigs at the NSSBA aren't losing too much sleep because they "let down" this member. In my opinion, it's a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.. Members of the SRSB let everyone down, including the NSSBA, when they allowed their behavior to escalate to such a degree that it required the intervention of the Education Minister. I hope no one expected any association to go to bat for them, all things considered.
The method of denunciation is what stands out the most, however. I have never watched soap operas, but I can't imagine even Days of Our Lives having as dramatic a cast of characters as we have on our school board. If ever there was a mountain made out of a molehill, this is it. Complain to your mom, your friends, other board members; hold a grudge, whatever. But to officially go on record boycotting a meeting? Put down your crown and scepter for a moment and consider if all the hoopla and press is necessary in making your moot point.
Many people have asked me why I care so much about this issue, and the answer is simple. I have a son in elementary school. I do what I can to help him and support him and make sure he gets the best education possible, as does every other parent with school-aged children. And we do it with no compensation. Far be it from me to tell people how to do their job, except when, not only is the job obviously not being done, but when the results affect me (and on top of it all, when this person's salary is coming out of my own pocket). Seldom do I read about productive strides being made within the school board which will benefit our schools or our children. Most overwhelmingly, I'm forced to hear about counterproductive behavior that is not only embarrassing to this region, but detrimental to everyone involved.
But on perhaps a more positive note, the member I speak of has said she will not seek her seat in the next election. To that, I say good riddance. Out with the old and in with the new. And all we can hope is that the new will bring to the table the kind of priorities, behaviors, and goals that the rest of us share. Our kids deserve it, and parents will be charged with electing people who will ensure it.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
American Idol Top 4
I haven't done one of these in a few weeks b/c it's a battle of the Davids, and everyone else is more or less obsolete. So what if Syesha had a "good week" (as far as some are concerned), do you think she really has a chance at beating the Davids? Ya, that's what I thought.
But anyway, since I'm waiting for the results of the Indiana primary, I have a few minutes to kill.
So now we're into the 2-songs-each stage of the show. First up was David Cook, who sang "Hungry Like the Wolf". Um, hello?? Who loves Duran Duran? I do! I do! LOVE Duran Duran. And if you add David Cook with a good DD song, the results are....well, they honestly weren't as great as they should have been. I don't know what the problem was, but it didn't come off as well as I had hoped. It's like he just paced aimlessly around the stage until the song was over. Not a bad vocal, but not a great performance. Maybe if he would have caked on the Simon LeBon guy-liner and leopard-skin pants or something, but there was just no "wow" factor.
His next song was Teenage Wasteland by The Who. Meh. Whatever, not my favorite song for sure. Reminds me of something John Cusack would have on his iPod. A few bum notes, but all in all it was a good vocal. Yet, there was still something important missing, that David Cook polish and originality that I have come to expect and enjoy. He must have felt quite a bit of pressure, being the resident rocker, but I think he could have chose better songs and really shined tonight, and unfortunately he didn't step up to the plate. I'm sure he's safe, but he better get his ass back in gear.
Syesha. Oh my god, enough already. Tina Turner, yikes...it was like Beyonce on downers. And who, Sam Cook or something? Whatever. As soon as she heard Simon criticize her, the waterworks started. "blah blah blah, civil rights movement, yadda yadda". Oh snap! You played the race card? How desperate!
Yes, she has a good voice. But so does Robin Williams and so does Donkey from Shrek, and you don't see them on AI. Above average pitch control and steady vibrato aren't enough to make an Idol. Broadway, sure. Maybe a Vh1 Diana Ross tribute. But not special enough to beat the likes of David Cook. Sorry, honey. Voices like yours can be found in any ghetto in the US. Perhaps she's cried her way into one more week, but if not this week, next week for sure.
Jason Castro. Could this guy be more stoned? He might be pretty, but tonight he screwed up and he knows it. I didn't think he was good enogh from the beginning, but his female fanbase didn't seem to care much. Tonight's massive flubs might be enough to book him a ticket home. Doesn't matter much anyway, does it?
Archuleta looks like he's about to crap his pants every time he finishes a song. Truly, sometimes I expect Fox to cut quickly to commercial because he's defecated in his pants. It's painful. Still, the little bugger can sing. I'd almost like to see him win, since the sugar-coated, pre-written AI songs will suit him better than David Cook. He was great tonight, can't take it away from him.
Anyway, I'll be back when Castro and Whitney, er, I mean Syesha, are eliminated.
But anyway, since I'm waiting for the results of the Indiana primary, I have a few minutes to kill.
So now we're into the 2-songs-each stage of the show. First up was David Cook, who sang "Hungry Like the Wolf". Um, hello?? Who loves Duran Duran? I do! I do! LOVE Duran Duran. And if you add David Cook with a good DD song, the results are....well, they honestly weren't as great as they should have been. I don't know what the problem was, but it didn't come off as well as I had hoped. It's like he just paced aimlessly around the stage until the song was over. Not a bad vocal, but not a great performance. Maybe if he would have caked on the Simon LeBon guy-liner and leopard-skin pants or something, but there was just no "wow" factor.
His next song was Teenage Wasteland by The Who. Meh. Whatever, not my favorite song for sure. Reminds me of something John Cusack would have on his iPod. A few bum notes, but all in all it was a good vocal. Yet, there was still something important missing, that David Cook polish and originality that I have come to expect and enjoy. He must have felt quite a bit of pressure, being the resident rocker, but I think he could have chose better songs and really shined tonight, and unfortunately he didn't step up to the plate. I'm sure he's safe, but he better get his ass back in gear.
Syesha. Oh my god, enough already. Tina Turner, yikes...it was like Beyonce on downers. And who, Sam Cook or something? Whatever. As soon as she heard Simon criticize her, the waterworks started. "blah blah blah, civil rights movement, yadda yadda". Oh snap! You played the race card? How desperate!
Yes, she has a good voice. But so does Robin Williams and so does Donkey from Shrek, and you don't see them on AI. Above average pitch control and steady vibrato aren't enough to make an Idol. Broadway, sure. Maybe a Vh1 Diana Ross tribute. But not special enough to beat the likes of David Cook. Sorry, honey. Voices like yours can be found in any ghetto in the US. Perhaps she's cried her way into one more week, but if not this week, next week for sure.
Jason Castro. Could this guy be more stoned? He might be pretty, but tonight he screwed up and he knows it. I didn't think he was good enogh from the beginning, but his female fanbase didn't seem to care much. Tonight's massive flubs might be enough to book him a ticket home. Doesn't matter much anyway, does it?
Archuleta looks like he's about to crap his pants every time he finishes a song. Truly, sometimes I expect Fox to cut quickly to commercial because he's defecated in his pants. It's painful. Still, the little bugger can sing. I'd almost like to see him win, since the sugar-coated, pre-written AI songs will suit him better than David Cook. He was great tonight, can't take it away from him.
Anyway, I'll be back when Castro and Whitney, er, I mean Syesha, are eliminated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
