Money is the root of all evil. For more information, send $10 to me.

[rambling]

It's not a party if you don't DDR.

Well, I suppose Dance Dance Revolutions doesn't make it a party either, but it helps, especially if you're at an arcade-like-place having a big party, and the scary-looking machine with the metal dance pads keeps screaming at you "DANCE DANCE.." wait for it "REVOLUTIONS! Come and play!" So, without that, if you don't DDR, it's a party I suppose.

[/rambling]

[sanity]

Maria's work does these "team building" things every couple of months. You hear about the companies that do them - paintballing as a group, bowling for the last half a work day to build team spirit, fun things to help be a cohesive unit - and it sounds like a great time, a fantastic way to improve company morale.

Normally, I would agree.

Next month, it's been decided, they're all going to take part in Roswell's Race for the Cure, which is a bike ride with sponsors intended to raise awareness and (more importantly) money for breast cancer research. This is a great idea.

Except for the people that don't have bikes, bike helmets, or access to getting a bike.

Except that it's a 20 mile ride, and people expect to hang out afterwards.

Except that, along with a minimum of $100 worth of donations or sponsors that you have to get, you also have to pay $15 to enter, and that's personal money, the company isn't comping it.

Now, the idea is great. Raise money for a charity, get some sun, spend time with coworkers that you're hoping will become friends. You're helping people, and doing stuff together, that's awesome. The problem is that you're putting quite a bit of pressure on the people doing this, and since they are signed up as the business, it's the business that gets the tax write-off, not the people, so they can't even feel all warm and fuzzy about that. (No, not everything comes down to money for me, but...a lot of it does.)

Me personally? I'd just through a LAN party frag-fest. These ARE tech people, after all!

Why I Hate EB Games

EB Game stores are stealing my money. They are sneaking into my house, late at night, looking through my wallet, and taking my hard-earned dollar bills. Oh, I would report them to the police, but the problem is that the police might not look at it as stealing. See, EB Games is always careful to leave merchandise in my money's place, with a carefully made receipt placed in a nicely left bag so they frame me to look as though I have actually bought these things!

The worst part is that since EB Games has started selling their used games at prices meant to sell, like 99 cents, this habit of theirs has increased. Before hand, in actuality, they only stole $50 once a year or so. Now? They've snuck into my home and force-fed me at least 30 different games. Cruelty, I tell you!

And then they give me games like Star Wars: Battlefront, Call of Duty, The Sims, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

What am I supposed to do? They're stealing from me, but giving me such gaming goodness!

I'm so confused...

Help me Obi Wan, you're my only hope?

Working Late

You know, a lot of these calls that I hear, I swear the people are speaking english, and I'm making out words that make sense in and of themselves, but when you string them together, they just don't form a cohesive unit.

Do people actually talk like this?

"I've been with AOL for three years so when I say that I can't do anything on my computer just know that now that I'm with you I'm happy because when I called that girl was just just you know. It's been three years since I've dealt with someone so and they got my computer back up and running but I'm satisfied really good. Thanks."

What?

EDIT: In other news, my dog WonTon, who is sleeping directly behind me as I work right now, has really bad gas. Thank you WonTon. If I have to deal with it, so do the rest of you, via the internet. ;)

Does anyone know how to tighten spokes on a bike? I could use a little advice there.