Blogged Topics of a Random Nature (BTRN)

I have a lot of thoughts in this ol' noggin of mine, so let's begin, shall we?

Trial of the Century of the Decade of the Year of the Month of the Week of the Day of the Hour of the Minute of the Second

Ok, so the Scott Peterson case never quite got elevated to such status, but the media circus was extremely reminiscent of the OJ trial we all know and love to hate. But the difference between OJ and Peterson was that Simpson was actually a well-known celebrity, whereas Peterson...well...wasn't. And this is where I take issue with the insane coverage this trial has been given...

Now let me preface this by saying that I am in no way belittling the murder of Laci Peterson and her son; the media has done a good enough job in that regard. But let's be very honest here...what makes this murder different from any of the thousands of other murders that occur on a daily basis? Was it brutal, sick, and twisted? Absolutely. But have there been more twisted murders out there? Um, yeah, there have.

I'm not trying to really play a game of compare-and-contrast here; murder is murder and should be punished to the nth degree. But that's my whole point...nothing truly sets this case apart from many of the other cases out there, yet the attention this case got was just beyond comprehension. Let's face facts: Scott and Laci Peterson were a well-to-do, attractive, and yes let's say it...white couple. If this were to happen in an urban setting, would this have garnered this level of media attention? No. If they were two poor rednecks with missing teeth and mullets the size of Arkansas, would there be talks of TV-movies? No, because COPS would have already gotten first crack on the story.

Now that Scott's been convicted, it is just a matter of the sentencing being handed down. After that, I hope I never have to hear anything about this case ever again.

EVER EVER EVER EVER AGAIN!

Because There Is No Better Way to Honor Our Fallen Soldiers Than By Selling Discounted Gucci Purses

Ok, I guess that's all I really have to say about Veteran's Day Sales, other than that I just find them incredibly distasteful and tacky.

MY Turn to Make an "Organized" Pun

I just wanted to share the irony of the fact that, last night, I dealt with a Professional Organizer who couldn't get a full refund because she lost her receipt.

Just think about that one...

Retail (Leads to) Therapy

I don't know if I've ever mentioned how much I truly hate Radio Shack. Everything there is an upsell.

"Sir, because you are spending more than $5, you are entitled to DirectTV service, with 500 channels, parental controls, 200 Argentinian Soccer games, and access to the 24-hour Judge Judy channel, all for the great monthly price of $29.99."
"Can I just have my batteries please?"

Well, last week, I made the mistake of saying, "I need a Digital Camera cord and I'm in the mall...might as well stop in Radio Shack."

*ala Chris Farley* Stupid stupid stupid!

Actually, that visit itself wasn't bad. But, because I have a knack for being the wrong shit, I bought the wrong shit. I needed a different kind of cord. So yesterday, I went back to return it and found myself behind two Hispanic men who really didn't seem to have a good grasp on English. And by saying, "didn't seem to have a good grasp," I'm being extremely generous. Now let me stop and say I am not mocking the guy for not knowing the English...I'm mocking the moron behind the counter who can't take a hint.

So the cashier first spends 2 or 3 minutes trying to sell the one guy on a "Buy Four Batteries For $10" deal. No comprende. After a lengthy game of Charades, the cashier finally gives up on that endeavor.

Then the cashier tries to get the customer's zip code. Shock of shocks, the customer doesn't know what he means by "zip code." So the cashier condescendingly says, "Ok...one...nine...oooooh..." and motions for the customer to fill in the blank, which he (barely) does. Meanwhile, I'm still standing there while the other available cashier is sipping on an Icee.

So I'm thinking to myself, "Ok, he got the guy's zip code...he's just going to make the transaction and get on with it."

Just by me saying that, you know where this story is going.

The cashier then tries to sell him a WARRANTY. Now if the guy doesn't understand the words "zip code", what in the blue hell made him think that he's going to know what the word "warranty" means? Not taking "No comprendo" for an answer, the cashier proceeds to EXPLAIN THE WARRANTY TO THE GUY WHO CAN'T UNDERSTAND ENGLISH.

And the other cashier is still sipping on her Icee...

Now I'm not one to visually show my frustration when I get impatient, especially because I know how crazy retail can get. But when you have a guy who doesn't even let a blatant language barrier impede him from an upsell...add a woman and her Icee...and you have a frustrated Dan. Now I'm not saying I threw a fit or started yelling, but the eye rollage was starting to become frequent, which I almost never do (well, to someone's face at least).

In conclusion, the customer (probably unknowingly) bought the warranty, a new cashier processed my return, and the other cashier was still sipping on her Icee.

And I'm sipping on my last drop of coffee, so I'll go get some more and end my diatribe here.

Until next time...
Dan