• Chicago and the surrounding areas still suck.
• Alaskan crab legs are good.
• Prime rib is allright.

Well, my back is on center stage again. Last night, for some odd reason, I slept flat on my back for most of the night. I usually either sleep flat on my front or on my left side. So anyhow, I woke up and my back was a bit stiff. Big deal, I went about the day.

Part of my "things to do" list today was to bathe the dog, the big dog, Cleatus. Cleatus isn't too big on the whole "getting bathed" idea, so it usually takes a fair bit of effort getting him into the bathtub. He did fine this time, getting his front half in the tub, but I had to pick him up to get his back half in. Having a sore back already, and picking up an 80 pound dog, I kinda made the afternoon bad for myself.

Now, almost 9:00PM, I'm still really sore, and to move is very painful. Breathing is just about as bad as moving. And to add to it all, my digestive system is messed up, just as it always is when my back is bothering me.

Work should be interesting tomorrow.

Since Tuesday, I have noticed so many more positive comments from the customers than I have in the last year.

Such comments include, "This is my favorite Quick Lube," "You guys rock," "You two work really well together," and "You guys are impressive." Of course, there's been others, but man... It's just so amazing.

As "Dude 2" said before we left the shop today, it's only going to get better too.

Well, Dude 1 was in today to pick up his paycheck. While he was there, he apologized to Boss Dude and Boss Lady for the situation, but never so much as said, "Screw you," to me.

Boss Dude flat out told him that his customers have been suffering because Dude 1 was not giving the complete service that they have been paying for.

Since Dude 1 left, we have been getting so many positive comments in regard to our service and attitude. One customer went so far as to say that Dude 2 and I work very well together - something that nobody ever mentions.

Mom made mention tonight about how she thinks Dude 1 was right in what he did, he response, and all.

I'm too nice...

Finals are over.

The underclassmen have all gone home.

Graduation is tomorrow.

Faculty leaves next week.

Life is good.

Go see this entry on m4tt's blog.

So yeah... Time for a work-related entry with a few specifics in it. If you're reading this and it includes you, sorry if it offends you; This is my place to vent.

WARNING: This entry contains some explicit profanity. Not for the faint of heart.

Okay... There are 5 of us who have been working at the shop here in town: Me, "Boss Dude", "Dude 1", "Dude 2", "Dude 3". The "Dude n" guys are all the non-management staff, and are ordered in terms of seniority.

Yesterday, Dude 1, Dude 2, and I were all working. Boss Dude and Dude 1 opened the shop, I came in at 11:00, and Dude 2 came in at noon. At 1:00, Boss Dude had been gone for a little while and had asked if we had been busy, and when I told him we had 3 cars since he left, he asked me if I sent Dude 1 home yet. At that point, I sent Dude 1 home, to which he had no argument.

Around 1:30 or 2:00, Dude 2 and I found ourselves getting swamped. Between 1:00 and 6:00, we had a total of 19 cars. Anyhow... I told Dude 2 that if it continued to be busy, I was going to call Dude 1 back in. At 3:51, I called Dude 1. I said, "What are you doing?" His response was, "Nothing. Just getting ready to sit down and eat dinner. Why?" I told him that we had gotten slammed with customers and that we needed help. He said, "Oh shit," in a suprised tone, but when I asked him if he could come in to help out, his response was, "No, I can't." He made absolutely no effort to say, "In a little bit," or, "I'm watching the kids," or, "I don't want to because you smell funny." Instead, he said, "No, I can't."

So lets rewind here... Ever since Dude 1 was hired, I have been there to cover for him if he needed to call off, or leave early, or take a different day off than what he was scheduled for. Not once have I refused to cover for him, even when he claimed he had to go see a doctor about his foot and came in the next day, not having seen a doctor, but covering up a bunch of fresh hickeys on his neck. Just this past week, Boss Dude worked the schedule so that Dude 1 could have Thursday, Friday, and Saturday off, essentially giving him a 4-day weekend.

So anyhow, this deal yesterday wasn't the first time Dude 1 refused to come in. Twice in the past I have called him to see if he can come help with minor things, such as running a tire to the tire shop for another employee. Each time he has given the same response, "No, I can't."

Well, Dude 2 and I made it through the rush of cars yesterday, even though he's still kinda new to some of the things around the shop (such as running the computer - he's doing good at it though!). The customers were very patient yesterday too, which helped immensely. After the day was over, "Boss Lady" called and asked if we were feeling allright after that rush. I told her that we were fine, but that I was a bit upset, and I explained the situation to her about Dude 1. She wasn't at all pleased with it, considering I had covered him so much in the past, that they have tried to be flexible for him, but he's not been willing to do anything more than what was convenient for him, and even then it was questionable.

This morning, Boss Lady informed me that she wrote up a memo to put in Dude 1's employee file about the situation. She summarized the situation, but still maintained pertinent details, and explained the "implied call-back" deal, as well as my frustration. In no way was it mentioned that he was being written up, docked pay, demoted, or whatever else one could conjur up. Still, when Boss Dude presented it to him this morning, Dude 1 got really upset. Through the course of the morning, he gathered his personal belongings from his basket (we use them like lockers), his file folder, and removed his shop key from his keychain. When Boss Dude asked him what it was all about, Dude 1 said something along the lines of, "I don't know how long you were planning on keeping me here." Boss Dude handed him a piece of paper and a pen and said, "Write 'I quit' on it, sign it, and date it." Dude 1 wrote (exactly as follows), "I Qit."

Somewhere around that same time, I got a nice message on my voicemail. It said, "I think it's really fucking shitty how you turn on your friend/co-worker. Have fun training somebody new."

Apparently I am the one at fault here.

About 75% of the people I've discussed this with, outside of work, have said they would have done the same thing as Dude 1, having been sent home and called back in. Well, you know what, screw all y'all: He lives about 5 minutes from the shop and he owed me anyhow. It's not like he wouldn't have been paid for his deeds. Instead, he took the "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" attitude, took his days off without so much as a "thanks", and spat in my face. I don't think anything that was asked of him was out of line, and I think that he's looking for someone else to blame for his laziness and inconsiderateness.

So yeah... I'm not at all upset that he's gone. I am upset that he's trying to make me look the part of the fool here, when it's his own selfish actions that brought this about. Not only did he make my day rough, he made Dude 2's day rough, he made Boss Dude and Dude 3's day rough today, as well as causing me to have to work on my day off...AGAIN!!!

In conclusion: I don't think what I asked of him was wrong. I think he was way out of line for refusing to come in and help out for a little bit.

I am working on a "Stress Hangover", thanks to this all being done and over with, so I'm going to get some sleep.

"Half-Life: The Movie"

Okay, I admit... Movies based on video games tend to suck really bad. For instance, "Doom". I shudder at the thought of that movie. But video games that already have a good storyline, like "Halo", are perfect material for the big screen. In fact, I read a while back that Peter Jackson ("Lord of the Rings" director) is going to be directing a "Halo" movie. I will be in line to see that when it's in the theater!

So yeah. I've been playing "Half-Life 2" for the last week or so, and I think it would make a good movie. I've yet to play the original "Half-Life", but what bits and pieces I remember from seeing others play, it too would be a good movie.

Someone needs to find good actors and an awesome director to put this movie together. Oh, and give me credit!

WARNING: The views contained in this entry will more than likely offend a lot of people. All I can say is "good".

MSNBC: "El boicot set to test employers in US"

US companies are bracing for work stoppages on Monday during a series of demonstrations across the country to protest against efforts in Congress to crack down on illegal immigration. However, a marriage of convenience has emerged between undocumented workers who want to stay in the country and the companies that want them to remain.

This article just barely touches on the subject, but if you do a little research and observation of the way the US operates, you'll see a lot more about it.

There's something that really pisses me off, though. I don't mind immigrants at all. My family originated from European countries many years ago. To the best of my knowledge, everyone followed the laws that were in place when they made their journey to this country, thus, making them legal immigrants.

Now that we have somewhat more agressive laws in place against illegal immigration, there seems to be a bit of an uproar about them. The uproar isn't coming from the legal immigrants, or the legal residents of this country: It's coming from the illegal immigrants. Because now that the illegal immigrants are marked as criminals, they all feel upset about it, because they have a bad label.

Now, think for a minute: Person #1 murders an innocent victim. IMMIDIATELY they are considered a criminal, and thus subdued.

Person #2 finds their way to the United States via the undercarriage of a transport vehicle from one of the neighboring countries. They live in a carboard shack for 5 years, eating only what they can get their hands on from donations and such. Eventually, they make contact with a business owner who is willing to pay them cash to work as a janitor. About 5 years later, a bill is enacted which would mark them as a criminal for working in the country illegally. In the meantime, they have earned several hundred thousand dollars in cash, paid no taxes, and transfered 90% of it back to their home country to support their family.

Look at the 2 cases. Look at them again. Person #2 is not paying taxes, they do not have proper identification, they are working illegally, and they are sending almost all their earned money out of the country in which it was earned. Just looking at the face of this issue, we can count 3 legal offenses, and 1 ethical offense. Looking at person #1 we can see 1 ethical offense and 1 legal offense.

How do you think person #1 should be handled? Should they be slapped on the wrist and told "don't do that again"? Should they be thrown in jail for 20 years? Should they be given the death sentence?

How do you think person #2 should be handled? Should they be allowed to remain in the country? Should they be thrown in jail and forced to work off the owed taxes? Should they be deported, no questions asked?

Does person #2 have anything above person #1? Should they not be treated as a criminal?

My response: HELL YES THEY SHOULD BE TREATED AS A CRIMINAL! I know that a lot of businesses are reliant on migrant workers. Big deal! Make them obtain a green card, make them pay taxes, and encourage them to spend their money in this country! They have done just as much wrong as person #1 in the sense of breaking the law.

This country has become so overwhelmed with the concept of "human rights", while becoming blind to the law. As a result, nobody is going to say what I am saying, because it's "discriminatory" or "unfair to person #2". SCREW BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT! You want politically correct? FOLLOW THE F'ING LAW, THEN I'LL GIVE YOU POLITICALLY CORRECT!

If the illegal immigrants don't have to pay taxes, don't have to obtain a driver's license legally, and can drive on the roads with no insurance, and can do all this without anyone blinking an eye because they're afraid to "discriminate", then why the hell should I have to pay taxes, obtain my license the legal way, and pay $600 a year for insurance?

What happens when you allow a little kid to take that piece of candy from the store without paying for it? What happens when they are allowed to jump on the furniture? What happens when you don't yell at them for backtalking? You end up on "Nanny 911" because you don't know how you raise your kid.

What happens when an immigrant is allowed to not pay taxes? What happens when they're not repromanded for driving with a fake license? What happens when nobody complains that the immigrant who wrecked his car into yours has no insurance?

I'll let you answer that question.

Yeah, I know... I shouldn't be doing that... Anyhow...

I figure that Google is big and bad, yes. However, They're not going away any time soon, and if they'll pay me to do what I'm already doing, big f'ing deal.

So yeah... Click the button over there on the right and get a better browser. Then, when you're done, feel free to remove the Google Toolbar extension.

So today I was talking to the boss dude about selling the racing go-kart we have. As soon as I asked him if he knew anyone looking to buy one, he said, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that... You need to get back out on the track because so few people do it anymore."

He went on to mention something about partial sponsorship from the business, paying for equipment a little bit at a time.

After I got home from work (which was early for the day), Dad and I loaded the kart up and took it down to the shop. The oil needed changed in it really bad anyhow, so it was a good time to do it. The boss dude was there, and he wanted to look it over and hear it run. Afterwards, he said he'd talk to the boss lady about sponsorship. :D

So you thought your internet connection was fast, huh? You thought that websites would load quickly, huh? You thought that the days of dial-up were gone, huh?

Well, not anymore. Thanks to the failure of a "Net Neutrality" bill, website owners can "pad the pockets" of content providers, to allow their site to be given optimum bandwidth, while their competitor can be throttled.

What does that mean? Well, eventually, when you come to visit my blog here, you may have to wait...and wait....and wait....and for it to load, just like on dial-up, when in turn, Google's Blogger service may load instantly, if they so choose to take part in this unfair act. I know, that's probably not the best example, but it gets the point across.

I hate politicians and I hate greedy businesses.

So yeah.. Today is my day off from work. So far, it's sucked beyond belief.

8:15AM - The phone rang several times and nobody answered it. Because the phone in my room is a piece of crap, I can't turn the ringer off, and I have to hear the stupid thing ring every morning that I try to sleep in.

8:20AM - I decided to roll out of bed and work on some code. I got as much accomplished on it as I really needed to today, so I figured I'd take the rest of the day to relax and get some other things done.

11:30AM - I tried to join a buddy in Counter Strike:Source, but due to Valve's absolutely horrid multiplayer system, the game's totally unoptimized code, and my computer being an archaic hunk of poo, we weren't able to get anywhere. Just as my computer was connecting to his to play the game, mine crashed. I got pissed and gave up.

11:50AM - I went to the garage to finish stripping down an engine I got for parts. I got to the point that I needed a hammer, but alas: I couldn't find one. I don't get that one bit, either... The hammer is the most common tool in nearly any home. I mean, even my GRANDMOTHER has a hammer in her house. I couldn't find one in this house, even where Dad does woodworking and stuff like that.

12:05PM - Came back to try and play CS:S again, as the buddy got his network issues resolved. Naturally, my computer was being stupid and I couldn't even get the friggin' game to load.

Now, I think I'm going to go sit in the corner and twiddle my thumbs, as nothing bad could come of that... Knowing my luck, I'll probably get my thumbs tangled in each other, rip one out of socket, and break the other.

I've never been one to get sick feeling after playing video games, but today I did for the first time.

I felt the need to expand my video game collection today, and I did so by purchasing "Half Life 2". Initially, it seems like the typical strategy shooter. You have to complete some puzzles and such, and you do a lot of shooting.

Well, I got probably 3/4 of the way through the second level, and I started feeling very sick, almost like I was getting carsick.

So yeah... I'm taking a break for a while. I doubt I'll play HL2 any more this weekend.