Czeltic Girl

There’s a lesson here.

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 | Screed! | 1 Comment

And that lesson is: it’s probably not wise to send editors a poorly-written memo letting them know about upcoming layoffs.

Disgruntled [Toronto] Star Editor Takes Constructive Revenge

That’s an awful lot of red on there. I think a certain publisher would have definitely been hit hard by the “three mistakes in an article and you get an F” policy my journalism classes had. Tsk tsk.

Also, it warms my heart to see the phrase “weasel words” again. I had an editor who was fond of that phrase. I quite like it.

(Via Ze Frank)

A follow-up to the Buy Indie Day post

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 | Screed!, Shameless Consumerism | 5 Comments

I found out about this from several online acquaintances today. It’s called the 350 Project and it seems like a pretty good idea to me. The idea is that you spend $50 each month at a local business.

It’s pretty easy to drop $50/month at a grocery store. And think how many times a year you’re going to get your hair done and your oil changed. Now how about that coffee you pick up every day? It wouldn’t really change much in your life if you spent that at a locally owned business rather than a chain. And while 3/50 is easy to remember, feel free to increase either of those two numbers (especially the last one). Every little bit helps.

I’ll hop off my soapbox now, but please do think about supporting your local businesses and helping keep brick and mortar stores in business. Keeping the money and jobs in your neighborhood is good for everyone. (Ok. It’s not quite as good for Amazon, but I think they’ll manage.)

Manners 101

Friday, April 24th, 2009 | Screed! | 5 Comments

My goodness, but this country needs a refresher course in eating in public. Why is it that the concept of “put food in mouth, close mouth, then chew” is so difficult for so many? Did that many people not have mothers or grandmothers?

Makes me crazy.

Ok. I’m done now.

I feel the same way

Sunday, November 25th, 2007 | Screed! | 3 Comments

Already sick of the Christmas music.

Not even trying

Thursday, October 25th, 2007 | Screed! | No Comments

Dear spammers,
If you really want me to believe you have a free gift card to send me, the tactic of sending me an email telling me you don’t have my email on file (and then asking me to “verify” my other info) is probably not the one you want to go with.

A little critique

Friday, September 28th, 2007 | Screed! | 2 Comments

Our “War Room” conference room here at work is on the other side of the wall from my desk. Despite the fact that while you’re in the room it looks like you’re in an enclosed room, you’re actually not. The walls don’t go to the ceiling and there’s a curtain, rather than a solid wall at one end. Ergo, I hear most of the conversations that go on in there. (This is the part where my coworkers make mental notes not to have private conversations in there any more.)

Lately, there have been several interviews going on in the room. Every single person who’s been interviewed so far (and also many of the interviewers) need a little sit-down about their seeming inability to go more than two sentences without using the word “basically.” (This goes double for the interviewee in there now. I’ve caught her three times using sentences that start with “basically” and then also contain it later in that same sentence. It’s making me nuts.)

I don’t know when exactly this word got to be the new “um” — certainly it’s been a few years already — but it needs to stop. It makes a person sound less competent than they likely are. If you’re answering a question in an interview, you’re probably giving a summary of your talent/activity/qualifications. “Basically” is implied in the fact that it’s a summary. Preceeding every sentence with it makes you sound like you’ve got no real skills and that you don’t want the secret to get out, but a 6-week-old monkey could probably do your job. That’s really not the impression you want to give to a prospective new employer. (Don’t even get me started on how irritated I am when I catch someone using it while describing a concept or giving a presentation to a client.)

And I see I’m not the only one bothered by this. The Wisconsin State Journal had a nice little article on it. (From four years ago, yet. Look how behind the curve I am in my annoyance. How unlike me.)

I’ll be the first to admit, I will occasionally overuse words. But I can’t think of any word I use as often as many people use “basically.” I think I’d rather hear “um.” (But really, neither is best. Let’s try for neither.)

A note to other tenants in my building

Thursday, September 13th, 2007 | Screed! | 3 Comments

All,

You are such big pussies. It is in no way cold enough to turn the heat on yet. Put on a sweatshirt and man up, Nancy. Sheesh.

Moose kisses,
Me

(My landlord called me to ask if I could fire up the boiler because some of the other tenants called to say they were cold. Here’s an idea: Take your air conditioners in and close your windows. Newsflash for some of you, but it sometimes gets chilly at night in Wisconsin in September. Also, I’m so not flipping that switch tonight, as it’s freakin’ 70 degrees out today.)

(Ok. I’m done now.)

‘Coz it’s that time of year again

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007 | Screed! | No Comments

The Shield’s on. Final season, from what I understand, and that’s ok. There’s not much life left in this show. The Strike Team can only get away with being crooked so long and I get the feeling there’s a shark looming on the horizon, just waiting to be jumped.

But I’m gonna be really, really pissed if they don’t make it right with Lemanski by the end of the season. And if there’s any justice left, crappy things will happen to Forest Whitaker’s character. That guy really bothers me.

Yes, I know. I’m cheering for the bad guys, but come on. They don’t have to spare Mackey and Shane deserves what’s coming to him. But Lemonhead? Fix that.

The weekend looms large

Friday, November 3rd, 2006 | Life in Czeltistan, Screed! | 2 Comments

I’m taking the afternoon off work. Been a bit slow this week, I’ve got some vacation time left to use up, and Pres. Clinton’s in town this afternoon, stumpin’ for our governor. Kind of excited to go see him, as I’ve never seen him speak live before. I’m also hoping it’ll kind of ease the pain of missing the Barack Obama event earlier this week (at which Flickr buddy Devi got some lovely shots). And then later tonight, there’s hockey, which will be a welcome respite from all the political nonsense of late. Hooray!

So the weekend’s off to a good start, anyhow.

Saturday evening is my niece’s baptism. Being the good auntie that I am, I’ll be attending the baptism. Won’t so much the mass beforehand, though. There’s really only so much Catholic nonsense one can be expected to put up with in one day. My brother suggested I don’t stand too close to the baby during the baptism. Guess he’s worried about the holy water being kind of a natural conduit once the lightning is through with me. New parents. So overprotective.

Other than that, I’m still working out my plans. They claim it will be nice on Sunday, which could lead to some letterboxing, or possibly just a lovely day for a walk. I’ll believe it when I see it, though. With my luck, it’ll rain all day and then be absolutely beautiful just in time for the work week to start on Monday.

Next weekend will be busy, though. Seems like there are just too many events going on, and all of them good. Miz Christyl and I will be attending an event at Flux Design for Second Harvest on Friday. Seemed like a no-brainer: The price was right, the cause was good, and I’ve always wanted to see Flux’s studio space. Also, hello — wine.

Now to just figure out how to divide up my time for all the other fun things happening that weekend.

Pet Peeve

Thursday, September 14th, 2006 | Screed! | 8 Comments

I must vent about this, ‘coz I’ve now heard this phrase misused about 1/2 a dozen times this week alone.

It’s “couldn’t care less, not “could care less.” If you could care less, it means you actually do care about whatever it is you’re claiming you don’t care about. Worse: I’ve seen this misused in a publication recently. Were the copy editors off that day?

Ok. Now that I got that off my chest, I can get back to my usual venting about they’re/there/their, it’s/its, you’re/your and other little irritations that make my brain want to explode.

Enough already

Wednesday, September 6th, 2006 | Screed! | 3 Comments

Between the Verizon Chocolate phone commercials and last week’s onslaught of Nip/Tuck commercials, I’m sick of that “Strict Machine” song already, and as far as I’m aware, I only know 30 seconds of it.

Sing it, sister

Thursday, January 19th, 2006 | Screed! | 2 Comments

Midwestgrrl’s got a lovely anti-phone rant posted. I, too, really dislike the phone. I hardly ever use the one at my desk at work (in fact, it sits behind me so I don’t even have to look at it) and I’d just as soon not use the one at home either, unless I need to. I’ve managed to make it without a cell phone so far, though I fear I may need to get one at some point. (Doesn’t mean I have to have it on, though. So essentially, I would be getting a portable voicemail retriever.)

And, like Midwestgrrl, I am a HUGE fan of communication through email. It’s so much less intrusive than phones. Phones demand immediate attention when they ring (especially at work, where failing to answer your phone by the third ring usually results in getting paged), whereas email just waits patiently for you to get around to it. Oh, sure, it’s crap for emergencies, but for everything else, it’s just fine. (911 email would be a terrible idea: )

To: emergency@911.com
Date: 1/19/06 1:15pm
Subject: I’m having a heart attack
Please hurry

To: emergency@911.com
Date: 1/19/06 1:45pm
Subject: I’m having a heart attack
Hello?

To: you@neardead.com
Date: 1/19/06 4:45pm
Subject: Re: I’m having a heart attack
Hey. Sorry. We were away from the computer for awhile. You still there?

Hello?

Update: Steelbuddha weighs in on the subject, too. Also, lest anyone think that I will sit around coming up with new curses for a caller, should anyone call me, that’s not it at all. I mostly reserve my scorn for people who call for a) no particular reason, b) to tell me something they’ve just sent me in an email (or — worse yet, though growing more frequent — to tell me they’ve just sent me an email) or c) to sell me something. People who call with actual news or scheduling concerns or just to quickly say hi are exempt from the seething.

I think what upsets me most about the phone is that people have forgotten what used to be basic manners: Asking if you’re interrupting anything, keeping the conversation brief and to the point, and not just calling about random things simply because you have the technology to do so. (And don’t even get me started on the rudeness of certain cell phone users in public places.)

Ok. I’m done now.

Hi-larious

Tuesday, October 25th, 2005 | Screed! | 2 Comments

I was having a cranky bit of a morning today. (Note to staffers at my local coffee shop: If you want to chat with one customer instead of paying attention to your job, then quit calling other customers over to your register. In the space of 2 minutes, you gave me the wrong total and then the wrong change (both of which I corrected), forgot to give me half of my order until I reminded you about it and then almost forgot to give me back my punch card. I mean, I get distracted sometimes myself, but yikes.) So, anyhow, like I was saying, I was having a bit of a cranky morning until I heard this little gem on NPR on the way into work: The White House has sent a cease and desist letter to The Onion, telling them to quit using the presidential seal.

Way to go, guys. Every week I find yet another reason to love that paper.

As for our president, doesn’t he have anything else to do these days? Would he like a reminder of the unfinished business he should be tending to instead? ‘Coz I could whip up a list in about 20 seconds.

Oh noes! Call FEMA!

Thursday, September 15th, 2005 | Screed!, You Call This News? | 1 Comment

Headline on Yahoo: “Katrina a challenge for Emmy Awards broadcast”

Dear Emmy Awards people,
The folks down on the Gulf Coast are a little busy with other things right now, so I’ll step in and speak on their behalf: Get over yourselves. Seriously. Just shut the fuck up and do your little TV show. Not everything is about you. You have to figure out how to keep your show light and fluffy in the wake of a disaster? How horrible for you all! I hope the rest of the country can someday appreciate the magnitude of the sacrifice you must now make.

You asshats.

(Looks like BB beat me to the punch yesterday with a link to a similar story over at Defamer.)