Shyzer.com

*VOTING ENDS FRIDAY!! Be sure you go vote for the Best of Shyzer soon! Anybody and Everybody is asked to vote, especially those who have been reading my site for over a month or two! For more information on what the heck I am talking about, please read this post I made a few weeks ago! Thanks!! *

Just a few things to get off my chest.

1. Yes, the Red Sox just completed the biggest comeback ever in the history of baseball. Yes, Curt Schilling performed one of the most amazing feats in sports I have ever witnessed. But please, don’t try and say this was one of the best series ever. The comeback was historic, the Yankees’ meltdown was momentous, but for all of that, it didn’t have the drama and excitement that the 2001 World Series had. I’m sorry, but that series still reigns high atop the “Best Series Ever” category. People seem to forget that back then, the Yankees had never fallen. They were still the powerful giant of old who didn’t lost close games and who knew it. Out of all seven games in that series, not a single one of them was a blowout and the entire series went back and forth and back and forth…that series, my friends, was of epic proportions. This series was just fun to watch.
2. And no, these have not been the “Best Playoffs Ever.” Do people not remember last year? Or 2002 for that matter?? In order to win this title, the entire playoffs as a whole have to be amazing. There wasn’t even a riveting series out of the four divisional series this year, especially compared to last year! Last year we had the Marlins-Giants, the Bosox-Athletics, and even the Braves-Cubs. This year, we had a bunch of boring, flat series. And people are calling this the best ever? Oh how quickly we forget.
3. “The Curse” hasn’t been lifted just yet folks. I’m telling you this, if Houston makes the World Series, they will win it like I said at the start of these playoffs. There is a serious possibility that Roger Clemens could pitch and win the decisive game against his former Boston team almost 10 years after they traded him away since he was “washed up.” If that doesn’t have “The Curse” written all over it, I don’t know what does.
4. And finally, why has nobody seemed to care about the NLCS? Tomorrow night we’re heading into a game 7 for Christ sake and people don’t even know it’s going on!

And after reading all that, it almost sounds as if I wasn’t in my living room each and every night telling Fellner “So what if a professional sports team in any sport has never overcome an 0-3 deficit in 238 attempts? There’s a first time for everything.” It sounds as if I didn’t stay up every night to watch every inning of every game. It sounds as if I didn’t jump on IM and send a message to every single person who was on-line telling them how exciting this series was to watch. I. Hate. The. Yankees. Case closed. So thank you Boston for giving me even more reason to smile tomorrow. Look, I’ll put these playoffs in the top 10 ever for sure and I won’t argue with anybody who tries to say this was one of the top series they have ever seen, but people just toss around the title “Best Playoffs Ever” and “Best Series Ever” far too generously.

But seriously, go Astros =)

*THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO VOTE! Be sure you go vote for the Best of Shyzer soon! Anybody and Everybody is asked to vote, especially those who have been reading my site for over a month or two! For more information on what the heck I am talking about, please read this post I made a few weeks ago! Thanks!! *

When I am in the library, like right now for instance, my usual intention for being here is to study. How come I am instead in the computer lab typing a post for Shyzer?

I got back safely from Virginia Sunday night after an awesome trip up there. I don’t care how much money I lost in poker or how much gas it took to get there and back. I had fun so it was well worth it. Case closed. I got to see live and in person the now infamous Math Emporium who can attribute its fame and glory to Dave’s away messages. Friday night was spent drinking, playing poker, and getting to know Dave’s friends. We capped it off with a trek to Waffle House, which apparently is a tradition for whenever any of David’s friends come up. It helps make them feel at home or something. =) Dave’s roommate Weed is also awesome as hell and no; his nickname isn’t derived from what you are probably thinking. And Virginia Tech’s campus blows USC out of the water. It’s amazing what a nice, clean, centralized campus can look like. Even though they are virtually in the middle of nowhere, the surrounding environment couldn’t be more beautiful. Honestly, is there a more gorgeous place on Earth then the outskirts of the Shenandoah Valley? I think not. But all in all, I had an awesome time and can’t wait to go back to see him one of these days.

Oh and Dave….quit putting the peanut butter into the refrigerator!

I also got to finally see my brother Tommy play for the high school football team. The Ogre is actually pretty damn good. I feel like I can take some of the credit since we all know I toughened him up from all those years of torment and agony I forced him to go through growing up. Hopefully he’ll remember I’m the one to thank when he’s making millions in the NFL.

But now, I am back to Reality. I have a huge test tomorrow that basically determines whether or not I make a B in my Diplomatic History class. I have mountains for Latin homework and a quiz due Friday. I have my rough draft for my 25-page British History paper due on Monday and so far, all I have is my title. I have a Latin American History test the following Tuesday. And to top it all off, my afternoons are already full with classes, working for my Uncle, and tutoring people in Computer Science.

Yet I somehow find time to watch playoff baseball every night….Interesting…

I’m in no way complaining though. I actually don’t mind all the work. But I felt that I might as well justify why there won’t be any mind-blowing posts made on Shyzer in the next week or two (like there would be anyways, right?) I will be updating this week though, because I’m trying to balance out making long, drawn out and short, succinct posts. And what better time is there to make concise posts?

*Reminder: Be sure you go vote for the Best of Shyzer soon! Anybody and Everybody is asked to vote, especially those who have been reading my site for over a month or two! For more information on what the heck I am talking about, please read this post I made a few weeks ago! Thanks!! *

I’m about to leave Columbia for Fall Break. I’m heading back to Spartanburg to see my dad for the day and then watch one of Tommy’s football games! Then I’m packing up and heading to Virginia Tech for a weekend of massive debauchery, mischief, and alcohol consumption with my good friend Dave. Ahhh, good times are on the horizon.

But before I left, I wanted to share something with you all. I find this story absolutely hilarious.

Wearing shorts and a T-shirt, the boy left his suburban Kansas City home early Tuesday, making his way onto Interstate 35 and driving 92 miles to Bethany, a northwest Missouri community in an area where he used to hunt with his father. He stopped there at a convenience store for some chips and a soft drink, then drove off aimlessly, following several other highways before ending up 135 miles away in Callao in northeast Missouri’s Macon County.

The kid not only managed to steal his family car and drive almost 100 miles away, but he had the balls to pull over and buy some chips and a coke! Shouldn’t somebody be giving this kid a medal or something? I mean, not only does he manage to avoid a wreck or being pulled over, but he has the cahones to pull over and grab a snack?

The boy reported some problems during the trip, saying the 1995 Chevrolet ran out of gasoline at one point, but that he continued on his way after some construction workers helped him out.

So not only does the boy pull over and buy some food, but when he runs out of gas, some construction workers help him out? Not a single one of them thought it was weird that an 11-year old was asking for gasoline to put in “his” car? And when they gave him the gas, they didn’t notice there weren’t any parents around? Hell, the kid probably just hoped in the car and waved so long to the workers and they still probably stood there like complete idiots without doing a thing. I love it. Man, I wish I had pulled something like this when I was younger…

Scientific Research and Progress just lost one of it’s most identifiable and likable spokesman of our generation. Christopher Reeve was this country’s best champion for the possibilities that stem cell and spinal cord research had to offer. Not only did he inspire millions of paralyzed individuals around the world into realizing that their lives were not over simply because they couldn’t move their limbs, but he also gave them something many of them desperately needed. Hope. Even though Reeve was in one of the worst paraplegic conditions possible, he never once gave up hope that one day he might be cured. In fact, after only five years of being paralyzed, Reeve was able to inspire millions upon millions of people worldwide…by lifting his index finger, something that doctors had sworn he’d never be able to do again. I can only hope that before he passed on, Reeve was able to inspire and pass the torch over to another champion for Scientific Research. God knows it sometimes takes seemingly improbably odds to finally make miracles happen and I pray I’m alive to see the day when those miracles finally come to fruition.

I just wish Christopher Reeve could have lived to see the day as well…

And even though I agree with him wholeheartedly when it comes to stem cell research, I hope John Kerry doesn’t take Reeves’ death and use it as a playing chip in the days leading up to the election. Please, have some common decency and don’t make a political gain out of this…

No, I haven’t died. Yes, I will be posting tonight. Yes, when I do so, this post will vanish. Just sticking my head in and letting everybody know that all is well and that I’m busy drinking and partying with friends. Nothing like some fun to make all your worries wash away.

I decided to leave this post open and just update straight into it and yet as I sit here and type, I realize this is extremely pointless. I have so much going on in my life right now and yet it feels like I have nothing to talk about. I actually took some pictures of what I spent most of the day working on, but for some reason, my digital camera won’t connect with my computer. Whoopee…another random task that I need to take care of. If I ever do get it fixed, I’ll upload the pictures and everybody can have a good laugh at my expense, because trust me, I spent way too much time manufacturing a piece of crap “bookshelf.”

I think I’ve found the reason why the posts here on Shyzer have seemed to dry up, though. I know I just said in the last paragraph that it feels like I have nothing to talk about, but that’s just it: it only feels like that. There most certainly is a wide variety of topics I could be talking about right now and in fact, the entire right hand side of the dry erase board hanging right next to me is full of potential Shyzer topics. So you might say to yourself, “then why have you suddenly started posting only once or twice a week?” Well, it’s because I’m hot.

That’s right. You see, Fellner and I have had trouble keeping our apartment cool while at the same time saving money. Our power bill for the first three weeks was exuberantly high, so we decided to try and save some cash and just cut the A/C off…permanently. Yes, it’s hot as balls in our apartment for most of the day, but it’s a CHEAP hot as balls apartment, which brings me to this new realization. I can’t think when I’m hot. I don’t like sitting in front of a computer trying to develop rational thoughts when my nuts are hanging down beside my ankles. I don’t like trying to stare at a computer screen and catch typos when the sweat is gushing over my brow. And I especially don’t like the sudden heat stroke I develop while I am in the middle of a post. So that, my friends, is why Shyzer has taken a fall recently. I’m too hot.

Now if Fall-weather could just hurry and get here =)

*Note. Make sure you vote for the Best Of Shyzer soon! Check out the post below for more details!*

*Note #2. I typed this before any of the playoff games started so as not to influence my prediction*

It has begun. The ever so sweet, succulent, fulfilling joy of playoff baseball has finally come full circle and I for one couldn’t be happier. October truly is the best month of them all when it comes to sports, for not only do you have playoff baseball, but you also begin to separate the men from the boys in football.

I’m still not sold on any one team though. Last year, I knew the Marlins were going to win it from the beginning. They had the perfect mixture of skill, hunger, depth to pull off the upset and I honestly think I was the happiest non-Marlins fan to see them win it all last year. You could just sense from the aura they gave off that they wanted it and by God they were going to get it, just like you could with the Angels the year before. I think I was the only person in the country rooting for them to beat the Cubs and it was funny to see how everybody thought the Yankees were going to win since they “only” had to beat the Marlins. Oh how they were wrong. (And side note, I’m so damn happy the Cubs didn’t make the playoffs. Is there any other team that seems to have less fun playing ball or play with less intensity then the Cubs? You know, it wouldn’t hurt to smile here and there guys. You are playing baseball, remember? Maybe not going to the playoffs this year will teach ya a thing or two…)

But this year is a bit different. Out of the eight teams, I’ve only been able to narrow it to three. The Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox. The Yankees are too flaky and are on the verge of collapse, the Angels aren’t that strong offensively after Vlad, the Dodgers need more hitting and lots of it, the Cardinals pitching won’t be able to win a 7-game series, and the Braves just…well, suck. They always lose. Always.

The Bo Sox are trying to ride two dominate pitchers to win it all in Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez. It’s worked before (ie, the 2001 Diamondbacks with Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson in what has been voted as one of the best World Series of all time) so there is some precedent for this method being able to work. But my problem is this…it’s the Red Sox. They always find a way to lose. I’m not trying to kick them while their down, but hey, it has been 86 years. So until they prove otherwise, I have to rule them out. I think they’ll knock out Anaheim with relative ease, but win the World Series? I don’t know…(But God, how awesome would that be if I was wrong?!)

The Twins are easily the “worst” team in the playoffs, yet they have probably the best pitcher, Johan Santana. This guy went 13-0 after the All-Star break. He didn’t lose a game. Not one. Oh yeah, and that’s never been done before. Not once. The man is a beast and I think it will be because of him alone that Minnesota knocks off New York in the first round and face Boston in the ALCS, but I question whether or not they have the depth to win a best-of-7 series. So I think Boston knocks them off and advances to the World Series.

And enter, The Houston Astros. See, here’s why I’m going with Houston. They’ve got a little mixture of the 2003 Marlins AND the 2001 Diamondbacks. A month ago, nobody, and I mean NOBODY thought they would be in the playoffs. And then out of freaking nowhere, they win something like 18 out of 20 games, come roaring back from the dead, and snatch the Wild Card! That is extremely Marlin-esque. But they also have the players needed to win a championship. Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt are a pretty damn good 1-2 pitching lineup and their offense with Beltran, Berkman, Bagwell, and Biggio is killer.

So here’s how I see it all playing out. In the AL, Minnesota beats NY in 5 games. Boston beats Anaheim in 4 games. Boston beats Minnesota in 6 games.

In the NL, Houston beats Atlanta in 5, St. Louis beats Los Angeles in 3. Houston then beats St. Louis in 6 and to wrap it all up, Houston wins the World Series in 7 games.

Now let’s have some fun and see how this baby turns out.

“You used to be so whiney. Well not even whiney, but mainly ‘then I did this, but I reaaaaaally didn’t want to, so I went and did this and then I went…’ It’s almost annoying to go back and read. Now you just talk to us. It’s like you’re telling us a story.” - My brother Tommy on the way my writing has progressed over the years since I opened Shyzer.

I sadly have to admit he’s slightly correct. I won’t go as far as saying my writing back then used to be whiney, but I was certainly influenced by the majority of blogs out there that are, well, wretchedly awful yet mysteriously popular. I’ve never hidden the fact that those were the types of blogs to which I was first exposed to, so it is no surprise that they were also the ones I first imitated.

What a mistake.

I quickly learned that the people visiting my site had no desire to return the next day. They were here to comment and put their link on my site. Sure it took me some time to realize it, but you can’t say that I never figured it out. Eventually I trashed all of their links and whittled down my links over there on the left to only those whose writing I truly admire and respect.

And that is when I realized that my posts needed to change as well. I decided to write on Shyzer like I write in real life. Sure, there were going to have to be subtle changes for security or privacy reasons, but it could be done. I slowly, but steadily, began to find my niche. Which is where this whole thing is leading up to. Two years ago, I made this post. Two years ago, Shyzer was born.

I really can’t believe that I’ve had Shyzer opened for two years now. It feels like I’ve had Shyzer around for much longer then that, but when I remember that two years ago I was a sophomore still living on campus, well, that makes it seem like ages ago. It’s amazing how much my life changed over these past two years and how much of it I share with the world now. Sure, I’m still a relatively private guy, but I’m nothing compared to the hermit I used to be. Of course I still type in my journal every night, but the boundary between what I talk about in private and what I talk about in public has been undoubtedly blurred thanks to Shyzer.

So I started thinking about the posts I’ve made here on Shyzer over the past two years and realized that Tommy had a point. The earlier posts I made, well…they sucked. They’re atrocious, horrific, downright pathetic. I can’t even stand to read most of them now. But surely, I must have finally started making some good posts, right? I mean, people wouldn’t have kept coming back had I not finally turned things around and began writing just a little bit better. So this thought brought me to this question: What’s the best post I’ve made on Shyzer over the years? Instantly a few came to mind, but there was no way I could pick one. It’s like forcing a parent to pick which child is their favorite (even though mine would easily say me without hesitation) and that’s just not fair. After a few days of mulling the question over, I finally realized that the best way to decide was to put it up to a vote. And that, my friends, is where you come in.

I’ve got every single post I’ve ever made printed out and stored in a ginormous binder, which Fellner likes to make fun of me for, that ass. Anyway, I pulled out the binder last week and flipped through each and every one of the posts I’ve ever made (over 300) and jotted down any that I thought were exceptionally well written or any that received unusually high amounts of feedback from the readers. I finally whittled the list down to 15 posts, which over the course of the following month will shrink to 10, five, three, two, and one, who will be crowned the supreme champion. It’s almost funny that I didn’t deem a single post written during Shyzer’s first 10 months to be worthy and that most of the posts on the list came during last spring. I also realized that many of the best posts I’ve ever made were about serious or important issues that struck a chord with me deep down in my heart. I guess the old clich, “talk from your heart” sometimes is true.

For reference, I’ve gone and linked all the posts in contention for the title, in chronological order. I’ve also included a short recap of all the posts just in case people don’t want to go back and read them all or can’t seem to remember what one or two were about. Once you have a rough idea of how you might want to vote, click here to go to The Shyzer Voting Page. Fill out all the information and rank the posts in order of preference, with 1 being the finest and 15 being the worst.

Part I & Part II of Gay Marriages - The first nomination goes to a dual entry that stretches a few months. The first part was posted back in August ‘03 and basically asserted my stance on the rights gays have to marry while the second part was posted in Feb. ‘04 and is being included because of the reaction it stirred up in the comments section.

I’m Back - The “comeback” post after my hiatus during the summer of ‘03. It essentially was the springboard from “crappy, meaningless posts” to “thought out, developed posts.”

Road Trip - A humorous recap of my Fall Break trip to Washington D.C. back in Oct. ‘03 that probably captures best some of the random things I say in real life.

The Catch - Basically a narrative of “the catch” I made back in November ‘03 during an intramural softball game. Also one of my personal favorites. =)

Don’t Put Fragile - A sarcastic take on my experiences from working at a UPS distribution facility for a few weeks in December ‘03.

Tan Nguyen - I had trouble deciding if I should include posts like this one, but in the end, I decided not to place a filter on the vote. It’s real life folks, as much as we might wish it weren’t. This post is basically a somber reaction to the knowledge that one of my best friends had passed away right after Christmas in ‘03.

Week 1 - The first post of 2004 to make the list is a recap of my week back home during Christmas and the events that led to a very bleak ending. I ended up getting much feedback on this post from people I never even knew read Shyzer, which definitely helped with the whole healing process.

Part I & Part II of The Creation Education Science Fair - Probably one of the best and most well received posts I’ve ever made. This two-part entry was made in Feb. ‘04 and basically cracks fun at one of the most extreme Christian groups I have ever encountered.

Jesus Christ - In a playful attempt to have a little fun with a movie and spoof on my look at the time, I showed how Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ was ruining my Jesus Impersonator career.

Reunion, Part I - The first of four posts on this list made in April of ‘04, this one talks about the special and complex relationship I’ve had with my father. Again, one of my favorite posts.

Reunion, Part III - I knew this post was going on here from the start, but I wasn’t sure why. In this post, I say Good-bye to my longtime girlfriend and wish her well in her future endeavors. I honestly believe it might be one of the best written posts I’ve ever made.

The Three Musketeers - In an attempt to lighten the mood, I posted on the trip my two younger brothers took down to Columbia to visit me. While I’m sure only us three find many of the references funny, I still felt it deserved to make the list.

RIP Pat Tillman - Again, I wasn’t exactly sure whether or not to include this. The post itself was written quickly while I was on the run and I felt I could have made it better, but I ended up receiving a few compliments over it saying that I seemed to capture my feelings better then most of the sportswriters out there.

Only In Spartanburg - Again, one of the best received posts I’ve ever made. Here, I mock the botched handling of a hostage situation in Spartanburg over the summer of ‘04 and the pathetic news coverage by FOX. The whole event easily ranks highly on the list of funniest things I’ve ever seen.

Part I & Part II of 24-14 - And rounding out the 15 posts is the final dual entry where I relive the great joy of seeing The Packers and Favre play in person for the first time ever!

So there you have it. Everybody is welcome to come and vote at The Shyzer Voting Page, which will remain active for at least a week. After time is up, I’ll post the statistics and begin round two!

Oh, and Happy Birthday Shyzer, even if it is already a day belated.

I know it’s been a little dead around here lately, so I figured I’d check in for a minute. I’ve actually been working on Shyzer quite a bit lately, but it’s been on a few things for Shyzer that I have yet to release. (And yes Fellner, I am becoming that guy!) Shyzer’s birthday is actually later this week, so I’ve been trying to think of something to do for that as well. Make sure you all come back later for the Birthday Post.

As far as the rest of my life goes, well somebody seems to have tossed a brick on the pedal and let it go about 120MPH. I learned more Latin words during this past weekend then I ever thought I would in my entire life (Peccaba hodie!). I’ve also been busy with work and trying to make sure I get accepted in the study abroad program and I’ve even found some time lately for a social life. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you use up 18 out of the 24 hours each day. And hell, I was even able to ID the Mystery Sender =)

Okay, somebody recently sent out an e-mail to their friends or families or whatnot that had a link to Shyzer in it, because I am getting a ton of referrals from one specific e-mail from a lot of different e-mail providers, like Yahoo, Comcast, and Hotmail. But it won’t let me read the e-mail since I’m obviously not one of the persons who it was sent to and I want to know what it says!

So, this post is addressed to you, Mystery Sender. Thank you for spreading the joy of Shyzer to others. You, my friend, are always welcome here. =)

First off, I wanted to thank all the people who IMed and left me comments expressing thanks for linking to CB’s site. I’m glad some people who visit Shyzer take the time to read what I have to say. (Yes, that was an indirect insult to you Fellner. Haha, now it’s direct!) Seriously, his writing is some powerful stuff, both for those who thing we shouldn’t be in Iraq and for those who wonder why they aren’t standing alongside their fellow countrymen. We’re already in this mess folks. We’ve got to at least finish it now…

Anyways, school is slowly settling back down. I’ve only got one more exam to go (In Latin. On Monday. Wish me luck), which means that the waters have once again become calm and smooth. I know this is just a ruse; that in only a week or two things will go all ape-shit as Mid-Terms rear their ugly heads, but I’m gonna enjoy this easy sailing while it lasts.

My Senior Seminar class frankly is one of the most pathetic classes I have to take. The professor is well meaning and I understand why the school requires History students to take one, but my main qualm with the whole class is over the subject matters offered. Here is the short list of classes I was given to choose from.

Race and Cultural Diversity
Civil War in Film
History of American Women
Residential Colonial America
Britain 1660-1760

Wow. Nice selection there, old chaps. And don’t be fooled by the cool Civil War class, because that one is a given. We have to offer that class seeing as Clyde Wilson teaches here. I guarantee, if you ever watch a documentary on the History Channel about anything relating to the Civil War, old Clydy and his stomach-curling raspy voice from years of chain smoking will be on there. So the department has to offer a class for him to teach. It’s so kind of them to let a whole 13 of us sign up for that class! Wow! Thirteen! That means one out of every 94 students who wants to take it will be able to sign up! I like my odds already!

IT’S A MOVIE CLASS! THIRTEEN?!? Could we not get a bigger room to show the video and let a few more students in? I understand the department doesn’t want to bog Wilson down with hundreds upon hundreds of term papers to read and grades, but if you aren’t going to let but just a few of us in the class, the least you could do is offer us something worthwhile as a backup.

History of American Women? I don’t care. I stopped by and looked in on that class. Not a male in sight. Big surprise. The teacher was also talking about “those chauvinistic bastards in the office that won’t let her teach the class the way she wants to.” Yeah, a whole semester of being bashed on by the teacher? Not my cup of tea. Race and Cultural Diversity? I just don’t relate to it. I can at least understand why this one is being offered, but it’s just not for me. Residential Colonial America? That just sounded like trouble. I mean, what is that? An essay on the female skirt patterns over on Dover Street during 1753 or what men’s favorite dinner in the mountain area during the not-so-famous famine of 1722 was? Honestly, what the hell kind of class is this? Does anybody even care about the Revolutionary War anymore? The more I study it, the more I’m irritated with the Americans. They had the best style and expectations of life then anybody in the world had ever had and they were pissed off because they had to pay an extra cent on every crate of tea. Boo fucking hoo.

Which meant I was stuck in Britain 1660-1760. I figured there had to be something I could find in there relating to war and diplomatic history. I was right…well, sort of. Even though I had never heard of it, apparently the first Prime Minister resignation in Britain’s history came from some war with Spain that he got the country into. So what happened? A few newspapers said nasty things about him and he resigned.

Riveting!

I see no reason why I should be forced to go through old newspapers from the 1740s and dig through countless numbers of books just to find out who the 3rd Count Duke of Wellington was. I didn’t even know there were Dukes in Wellington. I didn’t even know there were three of them. In fact, I didn’t care then and I still don’t care. I don’t care. I DON’T CARE!!!!

I’m sorry, I just had to vent about this class. I honestly don’t “hate” it per say. In the end, I actually find it funny that I have to take it and it’s fun complaining about it with the hot chick in class since she too thinks it’s a waste of time. But I promise another post will be up soon that won’t be full of bitching and moaning.