.the.thieves.of.2004.

i think that most people are good. at least they start out as good. and then something happens to them, to make them cynical, crude, and rude. i think this is what happens within companies. i like being naive and believing that most of them start out wanting to make some kind of difference in this world. at least for the companies that are needed to provide the necessities of life. but then something happens: the wrong president/CEO is elected, the staff is not interested in making the company successful, or the top staff's ideals are just plain corrupted; and then the whole company becomes a thief. a thief to its customers, and a thief to the good, hardworking people of the U.S. i think you get my picture here. yes, that's right, i'm talking about the gas company.

how in the world are they comfortable with charging their customers an average of $200/month for the necessity of heating their homes?? what is going on here? i've lived in the condo for over a year now, and i don't remember the price being this high. i got the bill this month and almost peed in my pants! i mean, i thought we took most of the appropriate measures to avoid a disaster like this...like insulating our windows, buying this heat/cold protective curtain thingy from the great indoors, so that our heat doesn't get sucked out of the balcony doors, and turning down the heat to 65 during the day when everyone is at work. you'd think it would make a difference. not good to assume; now you just made an ass out of u and me. but apparently, peoples gas has decided to charge their customers (which is everyone in the area, since there is no other real gas company) the cost of bright, shiny silver tiffany necklace. i could have bought a whole month's worth of groceries with that money. and now i'm stuck with eating 2 hard boiled eggs with crackers because i can't afford anything else.

who is another thief of 2004? AT&T wireless. sure, cingular just bought them. know what that means? that sbc will be part of that connection. which means service and prices are sure to go down and up, respectively. i think for sure, this year, i will be switching to verizon. or maybe even nextel. i think i like nextel's phones better. but at&t's service has gone down the tubes. the only time i have been happy with them, was when i first got my cell phone service, with my nokia 8260. that phone was the bomb. and i barely ever had any troubles with it. but now, it's over. ever since i got greedy and wanted a new phone, service sucks ass. and for the money that i'm paying (which is actually cheaper than when i started), i'm getting ripped off. and sbc is just known to rip their customers off...so all the signs point to abort. and abort, i think i will...

anyways, that's all the thieves i can think about for now. if i think of anymore while i'm working, then i'll update this thing...in the meantime, if you can think of any others, leave a shout out...

.good.weekend.

this weekend was surprisingly fun and exciting. usually, i'm busy with mundane tasks. or catching up or running errands or meeting friends somewhere. we started out our valentines day by going to viking ski shop. bought all new gear, to get ready to board today. the salespeople were so nice, and very knowledgeable. if you're looking for a good ski/snowboarding shop, this one is awesome. the salespeople know a lot because they do a lot. i had no clue when i went in there, but i was able to trust everything they suggested to me. it made me even more excited to actually go snowboarding. one of the first question they asked me was, 'what kind of board to you want?'. my response? "red." nice. but they all knew that i was no-experienced, so we all had fun making fun of me. i rationalized to them, that if i was going to spend all day on my ass, and wiping out, then i may as well be color coordinated and look good while doing it. i'm sure those boys were making fun of us after we left. good times.

later that night, we went to nan's to get some sushi. good convo, food and wine. i usually do not like celebrating valentines day, and this year was no different. i don't expect any gifts, except maybe a flower and a card. or either is fine too. anyways, it was nice seeing archie and actually relaxing outside of the condo. absense makes the heart grow fonder. yeah, yeah, yeah...

then we all went snowboarding today @ wilmot (a good beginners place). it was awesome! i thought i'd hate it. the beginning of course, was rough; especially when i saw how that rope tow worked. i didn't even attempt to take it, i just took off my board and walked up the bunny hill. so i learned what boarding felt like, and then we went up the easy run. jeff took some time and tried to explain to me what was going to happen and how to get off. getting on the thing was defo a jolt. and then the lift stopped a couple times. the first time, i didn't open my eyes. but the 2nd time, i enjoyed just watching everyone. then when it came time to deplane (i know that's not the right word..) jeff, told me to get ready. i was supposed to angle my snowboard straight, put my right foot on the pad, and then glide off. sounds easy right?? wrong. i fell, crawled, scurried, and scooted my way off that thing the entire day. rho told me the goal for both of us today was to deplane without crashing...maybe next weekend, i'll try doing that. but i swear, i don't think i've ever laughed so hard, as when ven got off the lift the first time. i turned my head, and it looked like she did cross between a somersault and a cartwheel off it. too bad i didn't have my camera out at that time. hopefully next weekend will be better...

so the first time down the slope was fun. i was still learning how to stop, so i basically stopped myself by landing on my ass. and it actually helped me feel my balance. so the 2nd time down the run was a lot of fun and much better. from that time on, i usually went down the runs horizontal to the hill. so it was like i was breaking the whole time. i did the criss-cross thing a couple times, where i went down normal, then switched to goofy, then back to normal...so i got the feel for it. i was actually proud of myself. but i think it helps a lot that i've been working out regularly now. so i was able to use my new-found muscles...woohoo!

overall, it was a fun day in the snow. can't wait for next weekend @ granite peak. good times!

.the.critics.

i guess i'm not the only one who noticed the horribly produced grammys show. from eonline:

"Boobs Exposed on CBS: Apparently, CBS and the Grammy folks were so concerned about "wardrobe malfunctions" that they forgot to put together a show without missed cues, screwed-up sound and fouled-up camera shots."

at least i'm not talking out of my ass...

"Unless, of Course, You Were Offended, in Which Case Call CBS: While the hit single "Hey Ya!" was used on the telecast at least eight times, Andre 3000's performance, featuring go-going Indian maidens, a marching band and his own freaky choreography, was by far the best reason to have tuned in."

that performance was the only reason to watch the show. cbs is lucky.

ok, that's all for the grammys...man, did i really mispell grammys down there?? i better change it...

.those.grammies...i mean, grammys.

i had so many gripes about this broadcast, i should have written them down as i was watching it. i have to say that this was probably the worst telecast i have ever seen on a major network, for a major event. i think the higher-ups were too worried about the whole janet-justin superbowl fiasco, that they forgot how to run a show! lets stick to the basics please. here's a short list of the wrongs:

- the odd duets/group performances. example: sting, dave matthews, some dude, and...pharrell?? the sexiest guy (except for justin, of course) is workin the drums, instead of performing 'frontin' with j-z??! outrage.
- the camera angles and cuts. wtf? why are we looking out at the audience for 1 full minute, hoping that andre 3000 will magically pop out?? if i were in the production room, i would have defo kept the tv camera on the presenters, not at the mass confusion in the audience.
- the technical glitches. celine, i'm sure, went on the tirade when she stepped backstage after her performance of 'dance with my father' with richard marxx. at this point i was thinking, "what's going on here??"
- the overly scripted presentations. there is usually some idle banter going on before the nominations are announced. this year was no different, except almost every presenter was stiff and reading too much from an obviously too slow/too fast/and bifocal-required teleprompter. and with the 5 minute delay, you would think that they'd be able to edit stuff out to make the viewers at home have a more pleasant tv-watching experience. lets get with it cbs and the grammys association. you may be worried that the FCC will come after you too, but lets loosen the reins a bit and have some fun. after all, this is supposed to be a night of some celebration.

so i must say, this was the worst televised event in recent history, save for some of the awesome performances. i don't want to leave this on a sour note, so i'll list some of the good stuff:

- justin timberlake's performance with arturo sandoval. so much energy and spunk. that's what performing is all about.
- both of outkast's performances. another reason i love watching live shows. it makes the audience feel alive. i wanted to jump up and dance in the living room.
- black eyed peas performance. again, such an amazing live performance. i can't believe christine and i met them! and justin's appearance was an added perk. (i'm not sure about the girl in the group, though...nice body, but her voice is a little...je ne sais quoi...and not in a good way)
- thank god justin, christina, outkast, and luther won.

i did get teary-eyed when the clip of luther was playing. so sad. he's an amazing performer and his voice just makes me melt. i hope he is able to recover fully.

anyways, obviously, the only worthwhile reason to watch the show this year was for the performances. outkast is the bomb, for sure.