Freecycling

I belong to this web "group" called Freecyclers. It's based off that old addage "One man's junk is another man's treasure". It also serves to recycle as much as possible, instead of just throwing away what you don't need or want anymore, since the issue of recycle, reduce, re-use is all the rage, and rightly so. I'm definitely not opposed to the concept of this site. It totally serves to help those people who may not be able to go out and buy the things they need. . .

The key word in that last sentence being "need". Not want. With this, like most things in my life that involve people (i.e. my job, life in general) I find the "want" part irritating.

So, the general rules of this site are that you are supposed to offer something, supposedly of modest value, before you start listing the things you would like to have.

The part of this that irritates me is that people, like with everything else that allows them to obtain things for free, get greedy with it. The email that sparked this blog went something along the lines of: "We are still looking for twin beds, bunk beds, washer/dryer, refrigerator, end tables, dvd players, entertainment centers...etc." Which basically means that the person or people who posted this email decided to have the whole rest of the Freecycle group outfit their entire house. I mean, really. It's one thing to inquire about taking something off another person's hands, especially if it's sitting collecting dust, and put it to good use. However, this email said "We are STILL..." as in, "this isn't the first time we have asked the freecycle community for these things, yet no one has come through and given us a fully outfitted house, yet!?!" It's so demanding, as if to remind the rest of the group that they are entitled to more than the bare necessities. Which they aren't. And obviously, if no one has offered to let these people have any of these items, it means that no one has them to give. So maybe you should stop demanding. It is completely possible to word these requests so that they sound grateful and hopeful, rather than rude and entitled. These people have yet to learn the art of tact, apparently.

The only other emails like this that really irkitate me more are the ones who get all kinds of picky about what they're looking for. For instance, I read an email requesting baby items, specifiying that these items are for a baby girl. The asker mentioned a certain brand of clothes she liked. They were not an inexpensive brand, by any means, either. Which made me think that maybe beggars really can be choosers. But then again, she never posted a "RECEIVED" email, so maybe everyone just ignored her.

Caterwalling!

My room is on the side of the house. My front window faces the street and the window on the side lookes into the neightbor's front lawn. Right next to my side window is a smallish plot of bare dirt, somewhat hidden behind the landscaping. The landscaping in front of the house hides my front window and sort of makes a natural fence and hides most of the front of the house, actually.

Anyway, for the past, few nights, there has been a cat fight, literally, right outside the side window, in the little side yard. The cats must either be neighborhood strays or something, because the outdoor pets usually stay closer to the houses where they live. Our next door neighbors don't have an outdoor cat, as far as I'm aware. So, I'm going to assume that this is a stray or ferral cat. I'm also going to assume that this cat either has kittens it has been protecting, or the cat just REALLY likes this particular plot of unadorned earth.

Have you ever heard an actual cat fight? It's hilarious, in a very "I feel bad that I'm laughing, but I REALLY can't help it" sort of way.

I was laying bed around 3 a.m., listening to these very gutteral growls and hisses, imagining fur flying, kitties rolling around in a cloud of dust, like you would see in a cartoon; and then two kitties emerge with black and blue eyes, cuts and scrapes, with those deeper, more serious wounds already wrapped in that white doctor's tape. I could only hear the fwap-fwap-fwap-fwap of paws machine-gun fire beating the crap out of whatever other cat dared to show his or her tail into the first cat's territory.

This scenario has woken me up three or 4 nights in a row. I want to see if I can get a look at which two cats are fighting.

A few little nuggets of nothingness and unimportance.

Um, so I may have a slight addiction to gossip. Ok, so I maybe like gossip a whole freakin' lot. Sue me, I'm a chick.

Lately my family has been having "issues" with my baby sister. I won't go into detail on here, number one because it's not for me to talk about it in this very public forum, and number two, because it's none of anyone's business. Suffice it to say the people who need to know are in the know (ok, I would totally tell you, but you can't say you heard it from me). Needless to say, the shit has hitteth the fan. In a whole bunch of ways. I feel bad for sister because she is confused and trying to find her spot in the world. I remember that age, so I empathize with her. I also remember my mom at that age, so from an adult perspective, I am able to look at the situation and see both sides. This probably doesn't make any sense, reader, but that's because you don't know the whole story.

Let's just leave it with, sister bit off more than she could chew with this newest incident. I hope for her sake, she learns from this, and quickly. Otherwise her teenage years are going to be total hell for her.


OK, onto why I really logged on today. Nadya Suleman. Yup, mother of octuplets. The one who already had 6 kids. And no job. And no baby-daddy. So let's count, that makes, what? 14 kids? 14 kids......uh huh.....does anyone else see the utter stupidity of this situation?

Why on EARTH would you add 8 more kids to the mix when you are barely able to take care of the 6 you already have?!?

Look, I'm all for people doing whatever the eff they please, but Christ on a crutch! Isn't the world over populated enough without adding 8 more mouths to feed into the welfare line? Those damn kids aren't even out of the hospital yet, and already California tax payers are going to have to foot the bill for the estimated $1.3 million dollars that will likely not be covered by Suleman, as she has no job, and no insurance.

Is anyone else incensed over this utter bullshit? Because you totally should be!

Let's review, shall we?

Suleman, already of a mother of 6, had been living on disability beneftis for a decade, received a total of $165,000, $100,000 of which went to IVF treatment, allowing her to conceive and birth the first set of 6, 3 of whom are receiving an estimated $2,400/mo in social security disability. Then she has another set of 8, all the while still living off of her disability, and social security disability for the 3 youngest of her first 6 kids. The octuplets were premature, which means a possible 12 week stay in the neo-natal ICU and could cost tax payers another $1.3 million, on top of th e$42 billion state-wide defecit.

SERIOUSLY??!?!?!?!?! WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK, PEOPLE?!?!?

Aren't there regulations on how many embrios a woman can have implanted before ethics are called into question?

A certain Charles Murray wrote, in a letter to Los Angeles Daily New, "It's my opinion that a woman's right to reproduce should be limited to a number which the parents can pay for." Yeah, it's not just your opinion, dude. Trust me, I hear you.

I also agree with KFI-AM talk show host Brian Suits that at this point, she is clearly unfit and the state needs to step in a take over the last 8 kids.

This woman is something else. I'm appalled that this situation could have ever been concieved, let alone actually happen.

Oh, and one more little tidbit.....can someone please explain to me, how a mother of 14, will be able to return to school to complete her masters degree, while supporting her kids on student loans? Because she swears that the assistance she is receiving now isn't welfare.

Fucking morons.....