Shqipo's Virtual Mumblings

As I've mentioned before, I do not follow American Idol. Those few times I've happened to watch parts of it as I look for something good on TV, it has convinced me it's a completely staged (pun intended) show and the creators have instructed that British guy to be an asshole so AI can become more interesting than just a regular high school talent show.

But I had no idea that being on a TV show (e.g. AI, Bachelor, Bachelorette, Survivor... you get my point) would automatically make someone the sexiest person or "the hottest bachelor" according to the high-class, full-color tabloid, a.k.a. People magazine. I can't say I am a good judge when it comes to men's "hot" factor but I am having a hard time understanding how Taylor Hicks is considered the hottest bachelor. I guess a different adjective before bachelor would have been OK, e.g. popular or whatever but hot?

In any case, it probably is true - at least for some Alabama women who are willing to kick their husbands out of their bed just to be with someone who has been on TV. What she said just made me laugh: ""He was such a fun kid," Worsham, 32, said. "I'm married. But I'd like to reconnect. He was like a brother to me."" What she was probably thinking, however, is "You were a loser kid we used to make fun of, but now you're a loser who won AI."

But what cracks me up the most is Mr. Hicks (being from Alabama, with that name... what a combination!) confessed to People: "He then said he was on the lookout for another love interest: a mystery blond woman he briefly exchanged glances with on an airline flight." Love interest? With some girl who was probably looking at the hunk behind you? C'mon!

Public announcement: If you're reading this and you are that brunette we exchanged glances with in that college bar in Mt. Pleasant back in 1997, please email me, I'm still in love with you.

Browsing the internets, one blog at a time, from blog to blog to sites, I ran across this page. Talk about blasphemy! I couldn't help laughing (is that blasphemy, too?) and I wonder who would use them. I guess it makes a good piece of conversation to hear something like "Last night I had Mary in my pussy and she made me feel soooo good."

I wonder WWJD in this case?

I love America!

Yesterday was a bad day for my humble blog: The hard drive of the server where it's hosted, apparently, burnt out. They did restore it during the night alright, except that my host's claims for daily back-ups seem to be a complete bullshit. Apparently don't even do weekly backups, nor monthly ones so the newest entry they restored was from February 19!

But, thanks to blogger.com, I got all my posts back (I think...), except for the photos. Oh well... .

Yesterday I went for a coffee with a friend after work. When we were done, I went to use the bathroom. What shocked me was that, instead of the usual "Please wash your hands" notice posted, they had this poster with step-by-step hand-washing instructions... with graphics!

Now, I know many people don't wash their hands when they use the bathroom, despite those "friendly reminders" - but I don't think they do it because they don't know how to wash their hands, they're simply lazy asses.

If someone needs directions to learn how to wash their hands, then maybe they don't need to be in a bathroom - by themselves.

Ah, I love America!

As most people know, Michigan's main industry is automotive manufacturing (and suppliers). Hence, organized labor is still quite powerful.

Ever since I got brainwashed at my Alma Mater, I am skeptical of the efficiency of unions and whether they really care about employees or just another venue for union officials to get paid through membership dues (or other unlawful ways...). Don't get me wrong, I think unions have done quite a bit to protect the employees - but this was many years ago.

Back to my point: I caught a bit of local news on TV where they were talking about GM employees' last day to take advantage of GM's offer for early retirement. In order to cut costs, and in light of not being able to keep up with the Japanese auto manufacturers, GM has offered voluntary early retirements to all those that qualify. They expect about 30,000 employees to take that offer. Those who don't... well, they'll probably still be employed, but you never know when the next cut is coming down.

What made me shake my head in disbelief was the head of the local UAW in Pontiac, MI. These are her first words "Oh yeah, the early retirement is a great devastation, we're going to lose a lot of our membership dues." WTF?? So, low and behold, UAW isn't about protecting worker's rights, it's about collecting membership dues!

On Monday, I'm petitioning to have a union organized at my place of employment... why not, I can be elected an official and make more than what I'm making now.

As always, I love America!

That's what thousands of red-blooded Americans have told the UN lately. Apparently, there seems to be some type of conspiracy that the United Nations will take away their guns on July 4th. Seriously, I don't care how red your neck is, how f... stupid do you have to be to still believe this "UN conspiracy" bullshit?

I've heard people (no, I am not mentioning the dreaded T word again!) who truly hate the United Nations organization and believe in some type of conspiracy that the UN is trying to take over the US or some other moonshine induced hallucination. And, of course, it doesn't help if the head of the NRA starts these idiotic conspiracies.

I am kinda pro gun rights because I do think that people should have the right to defend themselves. Laws or no laws, the "bad guys" will always have access to guns, and you can't really defend yourself with a kitchen knife when you have a 9mm shoved in your face. But... it really worried me when I realize that such idiots that believe in such conspiracies are armed - and even worse, the one who is the leader of the NRA is even more of an idiot!

I love America!

Remember that girl who traveled to the Middle East to meet with her Myspace.com boyfriend in Tel Aviv? Well, I guess it's not over yet. The virgin Palestinian lover in Tel Aviv is relentless and says he loves her and is planning to marry her - after she converts to Islam, of course. What a moron!

What puzzles me is that she faces charges for running away. Apparently I don't know all the laws. So, as if the expenses of intercepting her and bringing her home were not enough for us, the taxpayers, now we have to keep paying for a probation officer and all the other paper work?

And what really pisses me off is that the FBI has seized her family computer and "continues to investigate the case." There are two things that piss me off about this:

1. Waste of taxpayers money.
2. Talk about ethnic profiling! I would be very curious to see how much would the FBI give a @#$% if her lover was some blue-eyed, blonde hair Scandinavian boy.

Oh well, good luck to her.

This past Friday, going to work on I-75, I was driving along this nice girl in a grey Pontiac. I don't know her, never seen her and probably never will. But I do know that her name is Jeni and she is a Registered Nurse. At least that's what was written on her license plate... .

...of parenthood has started. Ema is crawling all over so we bought our first "gate" and locks for kitchen cabinets. I guess I need to get adjusted to these changes (among other ones...) now. Don't be surprised if you see me competing at any hurdles race during the next Summer Olympics.

Dear unfinished blog drafts,

I can hear you moaning and screaming, suffering from your missing limbs. I feel your pain. I can't promise you I'll bring you all to life, but I'll try - as soon as I find a little bit more time.

Yours truly,
Me

Here's another MySpace.com related story that is making news. I will write something else about myspace.com but I'll limit myself to this for now. It looks like a 16-year old girl from our lovely Michigan traveled all the way to West Bank to meet some Israeli guy. Well, good for her.

What makes me angry is her mom's reaction. "Shawn Lester told The Saginaw News that her daughter has "never given me a day's trouble. ... I just don't understand with all these new laws protecting America how a 16-year-old kid could get out of the country."" What?! What do laws protecting America have anything to do with your idiotic inability to know what your daughter is doing - but most importantly, where she's going? Now we need the government to keep track of every kid? Didn't that use to be their parents job?

It makes me laugh how, supposedly, this girl tricked her parents to get her a passport cause she was going to Canada with her friends. First of all, even a WT like her mom should know that there's no need for a passport (yet) to go to Canada. Second, why would they let a 16 year old go by herself to a different country?

Go back to your trailer and learn how to raise a kid!

For days now media has been making such a big deal about today's date: 6.6.2006. They even had special programs on TV and these weirdos were all freaked out fearing that today would be the end of the world. Well, here we are, still alive, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Freaks.

If that was the case (with 6.6.06), then the end would have come every damn century. Some people just amaze me.

It is amazing to what extent people will go for a free cheap product. I was reading the local paper (online, of course) and they wrote about people who have started to camp outside of the new IKEA store today - the store opens on Wednesday (2 days away).

I need to disclose that I'm a fan of IKEA and I'm very happy they, finally, opened a store here in Michigan. I've had to travel to Chicago, Toronto and even New Jersey to buy something from there. OK, I didn't go to NJ just for IKEA, but I tried to make it sound more dramatic. But I don't think I would ever do anything like this.

Why do they do it? Are they too greedy? Too broke? Do they really hate being at home that much? Are they looking to get away from their spouse? Is their idea of a vacation camping in tents and sleeping bags on cement outside a big cement building...next (really next) to 200 other morons?

What made me angry is that they had brought their kids and toddlers there with them. If the adults are idiots and like this kind of "entertainment" why do they make their kids suffer as well?

How unworthy is someone's time to make them do this? Staying in line, outside, for a freakin' $80 chair makes your hour worth $1.67. You could get a job at McDonalds for 5 times more, you freaks!

And last but not least, who pays for all the police that is needed to make sure these feisty stay-at-home moms don't get into trouble with each other, or for all the cleaning up, portable bathrooms, etc.?