Just My Take On Things...

From the look on my face in this photo, I knew just how tough life was gonna be!

It's crazy, this picture is one of my earliest memories. I remember my Mother made that little bow she clipped in my hair...of course she made EVERYTHING.

Now I am fifty (even crazier) and wish I had listened to my parents when I was young. All I heard then was that muted trumpet sound adults have in a Charlie Brown Special..."WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH."

Let's get started on my latest gripe...Printers.

Who owns the rights to ink cartridges that go in your printer...Saudi Arabia? Why does a cartridge the size of Tic Tacs cost $34.99?

I got duped by someone I used to work with when she came up to me one day at work and said "You gotta go buy this printer they have at Target."

Granted it was only $25 and came with ink cartridges. Since buying it I have realized that the cartridges they so graciously give you are about half full. When my black ink ran out I decided to let the color run out too and only purchase a black cartridge so I could print documents etc.

Got home and Massey installed the cartridge for me so I wouldn't have to strap on my binoculars to read the instructions.

Whadda you know...my printer that was such a fantastic bargain has to have the color cartridge too to print in black ink.

Next thing I know they will tell me I have to use unleaded ink only. What a rip off.

Not to mention with my old printer I could take the empty cartridges and have them refilled at Office Max for $10.

Can I do this with my new printer? That would be a big fat NO.

Somebody tell me how a tiny cartridge of ink can cost $34. Somebody, somewhere is laughing all the way to the Ink Bank.

When you have high school or even elementary school kid's you HAVE to have a working printer. Maybe the school system should look into buying stock in printer ink.

Next on my list is people buying lottery tickets at the gas station. If you are hooked on playing the lottery you should have your game plan down by the time the clerk says "What can I do for you?" Don't hem haw around saying "Umm, give me two of those and three of these...no not that one but the one beside it." It kills me when I am running late for work or running late to pick up one of the kids and I scream into the gas station to pump $5 only to stand in line behind some idiot plotting out his future, one scratch off at a time.

That's why I like stations that have the lines "Lottery Only." I have nothing against the lottery but I hate being held hostage by people with obviously more spare time than me.

Moving on...How many Holidays do banks need? I didn't even think about Monday being President's Day. I mean I did when I went into work that morning knowing we would have a good lunch because it was a holiday. Then I got off and had a two hour break. I picked Massey up and we went to run errands. She was driving so I was already distracted. I told her to pull into the bank drive through and was busy endorsing my catering paycheck. When I had every thing filled out I glanced up to see their notice about being closed. I thought "Yeah...you're closed, but you're still running my checks through."

Luckily I have finally realized you can't beat the banking system...but still believe it is an evil institution.

I am beginning to believe that banks, printers and cell phone providers are our biggest enemies.

When the above photo was taken of me...I think I knew then what the future held. My face seems to say "You mean MY kids will have cell phones?"

How did I grow up in the "Flintstone'" era and end up way past the "Jetstones?"

How did I grow up in a house with one land line phone and one TV set?

How did my mother raise us without cell phones...and why didn't walkie talkies know what they had going? They could have cashed in big.

We are so spoiled in life it is pitiful. I am as guilty as anyone and embarrassed by how technology and continuing advances are tossing us all into this "Cyber" world.

If you stop to think about it, it is scary...especially if you are MY age.

Til next time "Cyber Cotton"