Zimagal Monthly Magazine - Volume One, Issue Six

Random Rant:
The new millennium begins January 1, 2001. The year 2000 is the last year of the current millennium.

Sometimes I just need to vent. I don't get on a soapbox often, because I do not like to preach. But I do like to bitch about what irks me. And plenty of stuff irks me. Hence this new column. I am not sure if it will be monthly or bi-monthly; it depends on how much pisses me off in any given month.

Singin' the Unemployment Blues

Ok, so I am not really unemployed, just not making terribly large amounts of money at the moment. Anyone need a web site? Ok, want a website?

I worked in the jewelry industry for 5 years, first toiling as a peon, then as an independent appraiser. I was hired by a local jewelry store to be an assistant to one of the owners. This job entailed processing repairs, contacting vendors for various supplies, and writing appraisals, with the occasional need to wait on a customer. In turn, I was spoken to as if I were an ignorant child, while being gloriously underpaid. Soon after my tenure there began, my fellow co-workers grew tired of their ill treatment, and fled to greener pastures. I was left with my appointed duties, plus answering the phones and taking care of the door, and other secretarial chores such as ordering office supplies and making sure the copier was full of paper. And now assisting two salesmen. Superwoman that I am, I took all the extra jobs and handled them efficiently, albeit with much grumbling. After a few months of this, two more employees were hired. Within a year, one was fired for having her own mind and the other quit because she could not take the abuse. At this point, being the elder statesman of the group, I was receiving a tad more respect from the owners. Well, I am not being entirely fair. One of them has always treated me well...as a friend even. The other one, however, has some kind of control issues he needs to deal with, and mistakenly thought he could control me. (HAH! Not even close.)

Yet another new girl was hired, and as I watched her go from enthusiastic to weary, I planned my own escape. I had been dreading waking up in the mornings, because I knew it meant I had to go to work. Work was not fun. I had too many responsibilities and few of them took advantage of my brain. I had decided that becoming a web designer, full time, was the answer. I quit my jewelry job and became a happier, saner person for it.

A few months later, I was called by the owners and requested to come work for them as an independent appraiser. We settled on my rate and I set about my work. I spent a few hours per week at the store, completing my tasks, and being promptly paid. Come May, I find less and less work to do there. Three weeks pass without a call, without an appraisal. Naive me, I just figured it was the slow season. I had a doctor's appointment downtown one afternoon, so I stopped into the store to see if there was any work. No, I found no work there. But I did find that I had been replaced by another independent appraiser. Now, I have no problem with having someone more qualified take my place. May the best man win, after all. But, it would have been nice to be told about it. Apparently this other person had been working there for well over a month before I found out. And I have a feeling that if we both hadn't been in the store at the same time, they would have continued to allow me to believe that it was merely the slow season for appraisals.

My Opinion: There's nothing I hate more than a man with no balls. In other words, a coward. In this case, two of them. Ah well...life goes on!

Random Rant:
Touchy-feely people drive me nuts! It's one thing to touch someone on the arm to get his or her attention, or put an arm around someone in a gesture of affection. It's another thing entirely to have to touch another person just for the sake of doing so. First of all, it's annoying. Second, it's downright creepy!

Random Rant:
If it is hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, it's too hot for ice hockey.

Randon Rant:
People who don't like pets are strange.
People who keep reptiles as pets are strange.
People are strange.

Life's a Bitch, and So Am I. But apparently I have a lot to learn from the professionals.

Seems that there are some people in this world who just don't know how to mind their own business. I, unfortunately, spend a bit of time in chat rooms on AOL. I like meeting new people, and I like making people laugh. I will say almost anything to get a reaction. A few "LOL, Zima"s and I feel like I have done my community service for the day. Apparently, there are folks who have so little life of their own, they spend most of their energies doing just the opposite: creating havoc and dischord online. Case in point: earlier this year, I had a short-lived relationship with a man I met online. He dumped me and went back to a former girlfriend. I was hurt; it was ugly for a bit, but he and I patched things up and started getting along like nothing happened. I had always been friendly with the former-now -present-again girlfriend. She is intelligent, witty, and a lively fixture of the room. Apparently also territorial and easily made jealous. Not my problem.

Enter Bitch 1 and Bitch 2. These two clowns seem to think that I am "after" this guy again. In front of the girlfriend, they make disparaging remarks about my being a "predator." Believe me, if I am "after" a man online, it ain't this guy. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. NEXT!!

Now you and I both know that I just want to remain friends with this guy. Enemies, if it comes to that, is fine too. Nothing else. But still these Bitches try to plant seeds of doubt in the jealous girlfriend's mind.

Rethinking what I had printed originally, I have one thing to say to all of them: leave me the hell out of it, please? I try to mind my own business. I suggest you try minding yours.

A Question For My Readers:
If a relationship is so volatile that it can possibly be damaged by hearsay and lies, is it a relationship worth keeping?

Random Rant:
Why are fashions for teenagers so ugly? Isn't it bad enough that the kids are going through one of the most awkward phases of their lives? To make them parade around in baggy pants with the ass around their knees and 8" platform shoes is criminal. What's worse, the teens are all brainwashed into thinking that they are "cool."

Random Rant:
Who the hell is Tommy Hilfiger anyway? And why should I want to wear his name anywhere on my body?

First Official Zimagal Monthly Survey Results.

A few months back, I took a little survey via email. I was curious to find out whether political affiliation had anything to do with the choices a person made regarding computers and web browsers. My theory was that Republicans would choose MSIE and PCs while Democrats would prefer Netscape and Macs. And Independents or "other" would choose more esoteric operating systems and browsers. The results were startling.

I received fifty responses. Netscape and MSIE each garnered 21 votes, with the remaining 8 being "either/or" or "no preference." PCs were the overwhelming winner over Macs or other platforms with 35 votes. But the most amazing thing to me were the answers to the political affiliation question: the majority were avowed Republicans, with 22. Democrats and "other" evenly shared the remaining 27 answers (one responder did not answer this question.) This was a result I did not expect from a poll taken in the state of Maryland.

Truth be told, there was one person who responded, but did not answer any of the questions posed to him. Instead, he decided to take his own poll.

Caseyrides wrote:

I am taking a little survey....perhaps you could answer a few questions.
1. You seem like an intelligent person, why do you befriend idiots, slugs and liars? Methinks you should elevate your sights.
2. Why are you so unbelivably hostile, especially to men? I am certainly not the only one to notice that. You come across as a very negative person, and I find that vexing and taxing.
Mark

My response to the first question was that none of my friends were idiots, slugs, or liars, but perhaps some disliked him. I have no problem with my friends - why should he? And if he does...why take it out on ME?
To the second question, I suggested that he put me on ignore if he did not like what I had to say or how I said it. There are plenty of people out there who like me. Need I worry about one asshole?

One more snotty response from him:

I feel sorry for you. I hope your life gets better.

My Opinion: Another loser heard from. I wonder about those people whose houses are built with so much glass that they need to use the bathroom next door to get any privacy, yet they insist on pointing out the flaws of others. "Private Dick" is not a bad term for this man, even if "Public Dick" is so much more appropriate.

Stay Tuned For the Next Exciting Bitchfest!

Random Rant:
The "IM" wav is highly annoying when heard in rapid succession. Yet turning the PC speakers down somehow leaves an aural void.

Random Rant:
Television is highly overrated. If it were a drug, what classification would television fall under? Narcotic? Hallucinogenic?