Apparently, the new craze is to plug your blog address into a blog I.Q. calculator to see what reading level your blog is. I just plugged mine in, and it came back with an elementary school level. What does this mean? Do I not use big enough words? Do I not talk enough about Chaucer? I just don't understand. Don't get me wrong. I don't feel any less smart because of the rating, nor do I think I will quit blogging either, but I am curious how the ratings are determined.
Jenny commented on Ali's blog that if the level of her blog is below genius, does that mean that her blog is more readable than Ali's? I think this is a valid question, but reading both blogs on a regular basis, I can't say that one is more readable than the other, or that one is more valuable to "smart" people than the other. I have to repeat myself, I just don't get it. It seems to me that the assignment of readability is arbitrary. Oh well.
Anyway, for all you elementary level readers, I dedicate this post to you, for I love you all and hope that my urbane commentary on life and whatnot entertains you for a few moments out of the day, even if it will probably lower your I.Q. to read it.
Happy Holidays to all, and I hope all your dreams come true in the new year.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
What the F***
So, today I'm reading the Yahoo! News, and I see an article about Jessica Alba being pregnant. I'm thinking, "Ah, that's nice." Of course, then I scroll down and see the comments that have been posted and think, "What the F*** are these guys thinking?" Apparently, some people feel they must point out that according to God's law, Alba is a bad person because she and the baby's father aren't married. This got me thinking about how often this kind of thinking pops up in today's society. These people seem to feel that not only is it wrong for a child not to grow up in a two parent home (male-female parent home), but they just have to force this view on everyone, whether others want to hear it or not. It's really starting to piss me off!
Sure, I think that a child growing up in a loving two parent home is better equipped to handle their future life than children not growing up in a loving home, but there are a lot of kids who receive just as much, if not more, love in a one parent home, or in a home that is not represented by the "traditional" family model. What people forget in their rush to follow "God's" law is that it is the child who counts. It's all about love. If the child is going to be loved, who cares if it's raised by a mom and a dad, 2 moms, 2 dads, a grandparent, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, or whatever.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're all equipped with morals, standards, ethics or whatever you want to call them. If you think that you have to have yours dictated by someone else rather than just doing good because it's the right thing to do to make a better world, maybe you had better re-evaluate yourself. Maybe you should take time away to discover whether your "good deeds" are done so that you can go to heaven, please another person, or look like an appropriate Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Muslim, etc., or whether you are actually a good person who just likes to see others happy and be happy, as well. I'm tired of the hypocrisy! Get a backbone, people, and think for yourself. I'm not saying religion is bad or good. I'm just saying that rather than let others tell you how to think or what to do, use the great, grey matter between your ears and make some decisions on your own.
And by the way, it's none of our business if Jessica Alba is married before she has a baby or not. This is her business, and she needs to do what she feels is right, not what we feel is right. Rant concluded. You will now be returned to your regularly scheduled program.
Sure, I think that a child growing up in a loving two parent home is better equipped to handle their future life than children not growing up in a loving home, but there are a lot of kids who receive just as much, if not more, love in a one parent home, or in a home that is not represented by the "traditional" family model. What people forget in their rush to follow "God's" law is that it is the child who counts. It's all about love. If the child is going to be loved, who cares if it's raised by a mom and a dad, 2 moms, 2 dads, a grandparent, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, or whatever.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're all equipped with morals, standards, ethics or whatever you want to call them. If you think that you have to have yours dictated by someone else rather than just doing good because it's the right thing to do to make a better world, maybe you had better re-evaluate yourself. Maybe you should take time away to discover whether your "good deeds" are done so that you can go to heaven, please another person, or look like an appropriate Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Muslim, etc., or whether you are actually a good person who just likes to see others happy and be happy, as well. I'm tired of the hypocrisy! Get a backbone, people, and think for yourself. I'm not saying religion is bad or good. I'm just saying that rather than let others tell you how to think or what to do, use the great, grey matter between your ears and make some decisions on your own.
And by the way, it's none of our business if Jessica Alba is married before she has a baby or not. This is her business, and she needs to do what she feels is right, not what we feel is right. Rant concluded. You will now be returned to your regularly scheduled program.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
No Really! It's a Blog Post, Not a Diary Entry.
Apparently I'm supposed to write in this blog more frequently than I do. I've been getting a lot of smack about not having written over the last two (or three) weeks. I do apologize, but hey! Life has been pretty much a continuous line of nothing new. It just seemed to me that I shouldn't bore everyone with posts of "Job's goin' well. Niece is sick. Haven't written a damn thing! Sure do wish I had some sort of life." Anyway, for those of you who have pestered me (you know who you are, Oliver!), this post is for you.
This job is going well. I've been trained to take care of Medicare D patients who are mostly from California. I've been on the phones a couple of days now, so I've been able to talk to these people. Let me say now that I adore these people and wish that I could do more for them than I can. So far, they have been so nice and laid back. All I want to do is say, "It's okay, Hun. I'll make sure everything is good for you." Ah well, nothing like trying to help the older generation with your hands tied behind your back. It's a good thing I like a challenge.
My niece, Elizabeth, is back in Children's hospital. She's been there since before Thanksgiving, and it doesn't look like she's coming home anytime soon. Most of you know the saga surrounding her, so I won't rehash old news. I'll just say that my angel is sick, and the doctors aren't sure why she's not getting better. I miss her.
Writing has definitely taken a backseat to my life, at this point. Even my thesis is suffering. However, now that I'm in my regular work schedule, I hope to get back on it. (Sorry Stephen. I love you, but you've been a little too much for me lately.)
Finally, for those of you who didn't know before, I'm telling you now. I have no life. This isn't likely to change soon, but at least I'm now developing the finances that might support a life in the future. If any of you have suggestions for how I might develop a life, they would be greatly appreciated. If, however, you only wish to ridicule my lack of a life, I must request that you not comment and instead focus on the possible reasons your life is so awful you must make fun of my lack of one.
Well, that's it. I hope I haven't bored, but if I did, well, I told you there was a reason I wasn't posting.
This job is going well. I've been trained to take care of Medicare D patients who are mostly from California. I've been on the phones a couple of days now, so I've been able to talk to these people. Let me say now that I adore these people and wish that I could do more for them than I can. So far, they have been so nice and laid back. All I want to do is say, "It's okay, Hun. I'll make sure everything is good for you." Ah well, nothing like trying to help the older generation with your hands tied behind your back. It's a good thing I like a challenge.
My niece, Elizabeth, is back in Children's hospital. She's been there since before Thanksgiving, and it doesn't look like she's coming home anytime soon. Most of you know the saga surrounding her, so I won't rehash old news. I'll just say that my angel is sick, and the doctors aren't sure why she's not getting better. I miss her.
Writing has definitely taken a backseat to my life, at this point. Even my thesis is suffering. However, now that I'm in my regular work schedule, I hope to get back on it. (Sorry Stephen. I love you, but you've been a little too much for me lately.)
Finally, for those of you who didn't know before, I'm telling you now. I have no life. This isn't likely to change soon, but at least I'm now developing the finances that might support a life in the future. If any of you have suggestions for how I might develop a life, they would be greatly appreciated. If, however, you only wish to ridicule my lack of a life, I must request that you not comment and instead focus on the possible reasons your life is so awful you must make fun of my lack of one.
Well, that's it. I hope I haven't bored, but if I did, well, I told you there was a reason I wasn't posting.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Just a Question
I've decided that this blog is going to be a weekly one. This is due mostly to the fact that when I get off work, I'm just too tired to do anything accept watch a little boob-tube and eat some Ramon noodles. Perhaps this will change once I get out of training and start doing my job in earnest, but I'm not going to hold my breath just-in-case.
I've been trying to keep up with the blogs of my friends, but they, too, have to wait until the weekend, and I usually don't comment on them. My poor friends. They must think I don't love them anymore, and that I don't find what they write interesting, but I do. I truly do. I just don't have a lot to say right now that doesn't have something to do with work. This leads me to the question I want to ask with this blog:
Do you (have you, would you, etc.) allow work, school, social obligations, family, etc. to consume you to the point that it engulfs you, forcing you to foresake what you consider the pleasures of life?
(Obviously, my answer to this question is yes. You can use the two posts I've made since I started working as evidence. Throw on top of that the fact that I only leave the house to go to work, and it becomes clear that I'm working myself up to lonely recluse status. Ay, me. Looks like I'll be dying alone. I won't be found for weeks, and my body will be gnawed by the dozen or so cats I'll have collected by then.)
I've been trying to keep up with the blogs of my friends, but they, too, have to wait until the weekend, and I usually don't comment on them. My poor friends. They must think I don't love them anymore, and that I don't find what they write interesting, but I do. I truly do. I just don't have a lot to say right now that doesn't have something to do with work. This leads me to the question I want to ask with this blog:
Do you (have you, would you, etc.) allow work, school, social obligations, family, etc. to consume you to the point that it engulfs you, forcing you to foresake what you consider the pleasures of life?
(Obviously, my answer to this question is yes. You can use the two posts I've made since I started working as evidence. Throw on top of that the fact that I only leave the house to go to work, and it becomes clear that I'm working myself up to lonely recluse status. Ay, me. Looks like I'll be dying alone. I won't be found for weeks, and my body will be gnawed by the dozen or so cats I'll have collected by then.)
Sunday, November 4, 2007
There's Just Too Many Verbs
So, I've started my new job with Express Scripts. I think it's going to be a good job, and I like the people who work there. But there's one thing that bothers me. Friday, in my training class, we were asked to write a definition of a Patient Care Advocate in our little four person groups. Then, we all came together as a class and wrote a definition. What we came up with, or rather, what the rest of the class came up with, while stating what we all thought would make a good PCA, was horribly wrong in the grammatical sense.
I say that the rest of the class came up with it because I bit my tongue, for the most part, refrained from becoming the grammar Nazi I usually am, and allowed them to express themselves. It was very painful for me to hear, and see. The biggest thought in my head was, "Too many verbs." In fact, I think I pointed this out to them out loud, but no one took any heed. I'm not sure they even understood what I was trying to say. I don't think they realized that trying to fit utilizing, supporting, educating, assisting, providing, (and several more verbs in the same vein) was a bad thing in a one or two sentence statement.
In the end, they only used about half of the verbs they had originally suggested, but it was still too many. I wonder if I should have spoken up? But then again, how important is it to write grammatically in a class in which we are only learning to speak knowledgeably and empathetically to patients, not to write in this manner. After all, when speaking, all of these people seem to have a fine grasp of English grammar.
I say that the rest of the class came up with it because I bit my tongue, for the most part, refrained from becoming the grammar Nazi I usually am, and allowed them to express themselves. It was very painful for me to hear, and see. The biggest thought in my head was, "Too many verbs." In fact, I think I pointed this out to them out loud, but no one took any heed. I'm not sure they even understood what I was trying to say. I don't think they realized that trying to fit utilizing, supporting, educating, assisting, providing, (and several more verbs in the same vein) was a bad thing in a one or two sentence statement.
In the end, they only used about half of the verbs they had originally suggested, but it was still too many. I wonder if I should have spoken up? But then again, how important is it to write grammatically in a class in which we are only learning to speak knowledgeably and empathetically to patients, not to write in this manner. After all, when speaking, all of these people seem to have a fine grasp of English grammar.
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