My Top Ten Ways To Get Through The Holidays

By: The Rabid Rogue MrManUsa Writer


While the Holidays always seem to go by waaaaay too fast, I have come up with a few ways for you to Slow it Down and beat the Holiday Rat Race! Trust me THESE Work!

Listen to Christmas Music...Listen to the WORDS and let them fill your soul. There are heaps of Songs for the Holidays...Pick a Few...Burn a CD and LISTEN! Here are a few of my Favorites:

Christmas Shoes

I'll Be Home For Christmas

White Christmas

Where Are You Christmas

Listen to all of these and more at www.GrooveShark.com

On one of your days off from work, Volunteer! There are MANY Organizations and Groups that need Volunteers for the Holidays...You will be surprised at how fulfilled you feel after! It will renew your sense of the Holiday Season!

Take Ten Minutes to just Relax and forget about the Rush and the Shopping and the Presents!

Make Cocoa for the Family and Cozy Up to a great Christmas Classic like Irving Berlin's White Christmas.

Go Caroling!

Make a Snow Angel or Snow Person with the Kids or a Loved One! If You live where there is snow....if not...get some Packing Peanuts and do it in the Yard! Neighbors will LOVE it!

Buy a few Inexpensive Items, Wrap them, and Walk Down Main Street with a Santa Hat and Beard giving the Presents to Random People or Children!

If you have Children, take them shopping and let them pick out an Item, Buy it, and take them to a place to let them Donate it! Lets Teach Our Children!

Buy some Christmas Lights and Hang them for an Elderly Neighbor!

Have your Picture Taken with Santa!


BONUS:


If All Else Fails and you REALLY need to blow off some steam......Build a Snow Person and BEAT the CRAP Outta It!!!!! Then you can Laugh at yourself for what you've just done!!!


Happy Holidays!!!

Circle of Life

By TheRabidRogue - MrManUSA Writer


Before I go any further, let me explain that the whole point of this observation is to explain this: There is No Such Thing as a BAD Decision. Decisions are Decisions. Period. The outcomes simply define the boundaries in which we live. Let me give you a somewhat brief synopsis of my Life to illustrate my point.

My Life began by being born to an Alcoholic, Schizophrenic, Mother. A wonderful combination, I know. BUT, let me explain how her Choices and Decisions, however bad they may have been, led me to be the Man I am today. At Nine Years Old, my Sister was taking better care of me than my own Mother. When I was just over a Year Old, my Sister and I were placed in Foster Care after the County was notified of the lack of care our Mother was providing. We were placed with a loving Family that Adopted both of us four years later. Now I would like to point out that a few very important decisions were made in this time. Our Mother Chose not to take her Medication. She also Chose to immerse herself in Alcoholic Binges....BUT She also CHOSE to relinquish her parental rights and allow us to be adopted. I, at only Five Years Old, was given the CHOICE of allowing the Foster Family to Adopt Me. A pretty BIG decision for a Five Year Old. But my Sister was Happy, so I figured it must be OK.

So my school years passed and I went to College where I made poor Choices which ultimately led to my leaving college after only four semesters. After college, I left my fiancé and began dating the most wonderful woman I know. That was almost Ten Years ago. While together, I still made poor choices and got shafted by employers. The Ultimate shafting was given to me by the U.S. Federal Government. I applied and was hired by U.S. Customs. I, however, was later turned away due to very small print. I have an eye condition that does not meet Federal Regulations. After that occurred, I did not even WANT to hold a job. Angry at the world for denying me my dreams. I was not even eligible to serve my country because of this “technicality” as they called it. So, more poor choices were made. My Girlfriend and I decided to move to a different state for a fresh start. Vermont here we come! After approximately 4 Months in Vermont, we were blessed with the news that she was pregnant. A shock to both of us due to a medical condition she was diagnosed with that estimated there was a 99.9% chance that the only way she could bear children would be In vitro-Fertilization. After verifying that she was indeed healthy and able to carry the baby to term, we were ecstatic to say the least. The following July, we were blessed with a Baby Girl. Vermont also opened up some new avenues for me. I became employed by a reputable Security Company that Ultimately led to my current Employment with VT Department of Corrections.

Finally, to the point of all of this. The Circle of Life just IS. There are no real wrong or right choices. There really are no consequences...only RESULTS to the things we choose to do. The Choices I made in my life paved the way for the things to come. The “poor” choices I made in college set into motion the circumstances for my choices which led to the Birth of my beautiful Daughter! I may never have MET my Girlfriend. All of the circumstances of my life...the “poor” decisions made by others and by Me ultimately culminate and shine through years later by giving me my stunning, amazing Girlfriend (whom I plan to marry) and my beautiful Daughter. So I use the words “good”, “bad” and “poor” only as references to how outcomes are viewed. What if I was never noticed as a neglected child? Would I be where I am today? Or WHO I am today?? So remember that the next time you have a decision to make...just because you go left at every fork in the road, you may really be going “Right.”

Tech Help Line Idiots

Ok, Here it is....let me tell you a bit about my latest experience.....Tech Help Line Support...Idiots... I think some of these guys are hired just to anger people.. As I understand it, they are supposed to be there to HELP you...not Hinder the situation... Here's My Story:

I have an Xbox 360... I have had it for about 3 years... 4 months after I got it for Christmas, I had the "Red Rings of Death" as it is known in the Gamer World. This is actually 3 Flashing Red Lights on the Console. This is a Hardware Failure and it needs to be sent to Microsoft for Free Repair. No Problem there....Call them and they will repair it! Great Service... Now, the problem lies in this: the Idiots that are between you and your repair..... The First time I sent my console back, it was fine... the Second time was annoying, but I got over it.... the THIRD time was a DISASTER!

Now let me set the tone of the call: I was already pretty irritated that the Console was in a Hardware Failure State when I called...so that didn't help...BUT, I knew that if I was nice about it, and handled it in a mature manner, that the call would go smoothly....yeah...right... Instead, I call and have to go through an automated process to Fully Determine that this is actually the problem with my Console...Ok..Fine... I did...even though I already knew what the problem was after researching it Online... After it was determined to be a Hardware Failure by and AUTOMATED Line, rather than talking to a Tech to set up a Repair Order, what happens? The Automatic Line Directs me to do it on the Microsoft Website and HANGS UP ON ME! Ok...so I suck it up and go on the Website. It asks me to Login...so I attempt to Login with my Xbox Live Account...and What happens???? It won't recognize the account that I paid $50/year for....It keeps trying to get me to sign up for a new account....so...I call the Tech Line again and go through Options that have NOTHING to do with my problem JUST to get a PERSON to talk to...

Finally the Automated Line puts me on hold for a Tech...after about a 10 minute wait, a Tech comes on the line that sounds like English is his 10th Language! I could barely understand ANYTHING he said! And the WORST part? because of HOW I had to go through the options on the Automated Line, the Tech thinks that my problem is something different! WHAT A CIRCUS!!! after about 10 minutes of irritation with Him, I ask to be transferred to someone else...He didn't even understand THAT!!! He flatout refused transferring me!!! I say again: REFUSED!!!! I had to request a transfer 3 times!!!!

Finally, Habib transferred me to a guy named Joe! Joe was very helpful and set the Repair Order for me...in less than 2 MINUTES!!!! AND During this 2 Minutes he even reassured me that the repair would be FREE OF CHARGE even though my Warranty for the Console has expired! So the Process for a 2 Minute Call lasted OVER an HOUR!!!

So, I ask: Why do companies hire these idiots? I'm not saying the people are stupid that they hire, but isn't it counter productive? I mean people are already upset when they call...why irritate customers more??? What are the qualifications for a job like that? BREATHING?? Able to Sit in a Chair? Typing Skills? What makes a company WANT to hear Customer Complaints about their Employees???? Here's a thought: Stop Outsourcing Jobs to Idiots...Keep the jobs here and hire people that NEED the jobs!!! Like Starving Comedians!!! Wouldn't that be great?? Someone to make you laugh while getting the job done?

So a Ginormous Thank You goes out to Joe for his assistance...and a Samll Thank You goes out to Habib for wasting enough of my time that I didn't have time to Wash Dishes!