The Occasional Rant

I really haven’t been putting things on here like I expected to do when I started this thing.  

But just to confirm the system still works, here is a post for the new year.

I  just realized that I hadn’t posted anything here for a very long time.  So I thought that I should put something up just to indicate, “Hey I’m still here!”

Enjoy the summer.

Well folks, another year is almost at an end.

I’m not normally one to care that much about year-end recaps.  They are certainly done to death by enough other people that I don’t need to add to the clutter.  But perhaps in lieu of writing recap letter for Christmas cards that I am not going to get around to sending out anyway (sorry if you were expecting one), I can put some thoughts here instead.

I realized I hadn’t posted here in a while.  In fact, I noticed it some time ago – trouble was, I had forgotten my own log-on info to be able to post!  Oops.  I didn’t think about it then, but maybe this is age-related.  Luckily, I know my limitations, and I had recorded the information I needed.  So far, I don’t seem to have forgotten where I keep those sorts of reminders, thus I am able to rant once again.

In my last post, I was already sounding like a codger, and complaining about waiting in long lines.   I just had to pause and think about how old I actually am, and do some math to get the answer.  Uh-Oh!  That can’t be a good sign.  Maybe it’s not all that bad; maybe I am just to a point where I no longer care about my actual age.   I am probably going to still just act like a big overgrown kid anyway.

As a big overgrown kid, you might think that I am all excited about Christmas.  I am, but only because I get to take a trip to see family, and we are all meeting somewhere that is home to none of us.  This sounds strange, but since no one is really hosting in this case, I really think it will be kind of neat.  Plus, it’s a place I have never been to before, so I am hoping to do some sightseeing as part of the trip.   It’s been a few years since I went someplace new and just explored a little, so this trip should be fun.

Work has been slow this year.  I REALLY want the duldrums to be over!  Don’t get me wrong, I have been able to survive, which is more than others in less fortunate situations.  I am thankful for my blessings, and sympathetic to those with bigger problems.   There looks to be some good things on the horizon for 2012, though.  I just have to keep myself from spoiling anything.

And on that note, it’s time for me to go.  There’s stuff to be done, and I am not getting it done while ranting here.

Here’s to a great 2012!

Today I am enrolling for a class at the local community college.

It is refreshing and energizing to be hanging out around mostly young people, eager to embark on a new journey in their life, and ready, hungry even, to learn. I too am excited by the prospect of the class in which I am enrolling. But I think my age is showing – and not just in my gray hair.

I find myself far too impatient to wait in line. Don’t get
me wrong – the lines aren’t even that long, but I am still frustrated about it. And I have a theory about it.

I can’t fault the young folks – their life experience level just hasn’t taught them yet that there are ways around waiting in line. But there are older people too – ones that either also haven’t figured out they could avoid lines, or they don’t value their time enough to avoid wasting it in a line.

I do work for places who pride themselves on reducing the time spent waiting in line. One of their mantras is, “a convenience fee shall apply.”. Maybe that is what’s needed here.

Time passes…

Ok, I just got to the front of a line. I explained what I needed, and offered the information I thought might be required. The worker at the front of the line was very happy to help: “Wow! Someone who actually came prepared with the information required!” was how she put it.

Now another line is required. This one too is moving fast enough, but still irritating. Almost to the front. Time to wrap this up.

This post brought to by (and composed entirely while standing in) the lines at Glendale Community College enrollment center!

FH

P.S. For those of you wondering why I am tolerating lines, when there ARE ways around them, all I can say is that I did everything I could without showing up in person and waiting in lines, but there was a requirement that was best done in person. And the college’s IT system conveniently eliminated EVERYTHING I had done, so it had to be done AGAIN. Thanks for that.

Doing things twice really bugs me too, but that’s another post.

This is the first post in the re-launched blog site.

Hello.

Welcome to the re-launched Occasional Rant.

This site has undergone some changes – a move to a new hosting provider, and an upgrade to a new site framework (WordPress).

I am not sure that the posts from the old site will be coming back.   They may be technically difficult to retrieve.  But even if they not, it would take some time to do the recovery, and I am not entirely sure how much time I want to put into it.

I think I have things set to allow registrations, and comments from registered users (though comments might still be reviewed before showing up – just for safety).   If you had a registration for comments at the old site, sadly that has been lost permanently.  Sorry about that.

Here’s looking forward to a brand new set of rants!

FredH