Friday, May 02, 2014

I'm Tired

     I'm tired of a lot of things.  I'm tired of idiots.  I'm tired of BS.  I'm tired of doctors who can't be arsed to write up and fax a simple referral so my Mom can get the care she needs when she needs it, instead of when her surgeon has to cancel because she's got problems obvious to even his diagnostic skills.

     I'm tired of numb-nuts and riders of the drama llama; I'm tired of shallow morons and ponderous, amateur intellectuals; I'm even tired of real intellectuals.  I'm tired of culture wars, culture warriors, and I'm tired of "happy warriors" who leap into the fray yelling at me to follow when I wasn't even in the battle. I'm damned tired of the yahoos that dance along the sidelines, yelling variations on "Let's you and him fight!  Fight!  FIGHT!" with blood in their eye and the foresight of a mayfly.  You people are sucking all the beauty, joy and fun out of life and you're not even drinking the juice.  A pox on all of yez, a murrain upon your cattle, bit-rot on your hard drives and premature switch failure on your keyboards.  I'll read what I like, I'll judge it by any criteria that damn well appeal to me -- literary merit, authorial politics, personality, entertainment value, cover art and/or sheer whim -- and bedamned to anyone who demands I do otherwise, a damnation now threatening, from sheer frustration and annoyance, to spill over onto those who merely request or suggest criteria for evaluating SF to me.

     I'm tired of working in a business that is circling the drain, all the while shrieking, "Things are better than ever!" as profits shrink, paychecks shrink in terms of real-world buying power for everyone outside of top management, staffs shrink and they tell you you're such a valuable team member but never replace equally-valued staffers who die, retire or manage to quit.  They're replacing us all with robots and ever-sloppier standards and what worries me -- of all things -- is that they probably can't do it quickly enough to stay afloat long enough for me to reach retirement age, even if my job manages to dodge elimination or outsourcing until the bitter end.

     I'm tired of headaches, of gnawing pain inside the bones of my face that no reputable kind of doctoring can diagnose and the quacks* can't cure.  I'm sick of bad knees and fading hearing, of tinnitus and tiredness and slowing reactions.

     I'm tired of two-faced politicians.  I'm tired of empty-headed politicians.  I'm tired of self-appointed pundits who can't distinguish between incompetence, idiocy and evil and I'm tired that they appear to be our only choices at the ballot box. I'm tired of religious people and I'm tired of atheists, neither of which have, in the aggregate, very good STFU skills. I'm tired of tone-deaf partisan shills.  I'm tired of being embarrassed by Ted Nugent, who can't keep his feet out of his mouth or find graphic artists who can properly spell "Ammendment" on posters touting his speech at the NRA AM.  I'm plenty tired of professional PR shill Shannon Watts and her phoney-baloney claim to speak for "Mothers."  (Does she even have kids?).  I'm tired of legislators and of legislative alerts.  Stop inventing new crimes, dammit! I'm tired of overpriced .22 ammo and I'm tired of being too tired to go bust caps on my days off.

     And I am damn tired of bad weather.  Spring has hardly crept from its den, bringing cold rain and nights so chill I've had to turn the furnace back on.

     Need some better stuff.  Soon.

_____________________________________
* See "NICO," who was also -- and with nearly equal levels of controversy -- a singer who performed lead vocals on the Velvet Underground's first album.  Hunh.

23 comments:

The Old Man said...

Well, I knew I wasn't the only one fed-up with the way things are.
but the weather has been grating my guts worse than MLB and the BGI this year. I feel for ya, sister.
I can relate to your Mom X woes - my 94 y.o. MIL just underwent basal carcinoma surgery on her right foot and is raging mightily against her need for a wheelchair. But we've still got them around...
Take care; and remember:
"Illegitemati non carborundum".

JPD said...

Ditto, thank you. Exactly how I feel, but not articulate enough to put in print.

(Especially the Ted Nugent and Shannon Watts thing.....How about we get them on a blind date?)

Jennifer said...

Here's to better days, may they be just over the horizon. (Sometimes, I'm tired of my own stubborn optimism, but whatcha gonna do?)

Phillip said...

I can sympathize, I've been feeling the same way, with a dose of fatalism and dread over the future. Which sucks, because I prefer to be an optimist and think that things are going to end up great.

Hope you find enough sunshine, flowers, and other good things to keep you afloat and hopefully bring a smile or two.

Be safe.

DaddyBear said...

I hear ya. Bozos are the bane of our existence. I hope that I don't get tallied in that column too often.

Also hope your mom is doing better now that the cranial-rectal interface at the hospital has been disabled.

aepilot_jim said...

Why can't I find the like button? Where's the like button?!

OldTexan said...

Yep, your signal is coming in 5 x 5 and I understand and agree with you about the unhelpful idiots. We, your loyal readers do care about you and your mom and I hope things start improving for both of you. At the very least I wish you some rest and peace to handle the crap as it comes your way.

Thank you for your wonderful blog site and education and entertainment over the years, you are one of the very best folks in the world.

Anonymous said...

Does this mean you are a Beatnik?

gfa

Don said...

It's hard to be tired. I hope it's a passing thing for you. I know that buggy-whip-maker feel, at least.

Opinionated Grump (Rich in NC) said...

I agree with that sentiment completely....
My first thought when reading was
"Good Morning to you too, Ms Ecks. Slept well last night, did we?"

It sounded like a Monday Morning, not a Friday Morning.
Having a parent sick will absolutely suck the patience right out of you.

Ithink it would be a great idea to have Ted and Shannon on a blind date.

Rich in NC

Anonymous said...

Sorry to see you are so down.

My all time favorite supervisor used to say "I'm sick & tired of being sick & tired"

Hang in there & don't let the bastards win!

Merle

rickn8or said...

All I can say is "Yeah, me too."

And so very well written!

I wonder if Shannon Watts even knows who Ted Nugent is...

Anonymous said...

The only thing I can not say "me too" about is the weather. It is close to 90F and humid and not raining..so maybe a dose of too cool temps would beA Good Thing.
Kishnevi

JohninMd.(Help?!??) said...

Yep, dittos all around.... "That which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." And yada, yada. Yeah, but how many Buicks do I have to bench-press?

Dave In Indiana said...

Nice Rant, you should do that more often!

However the title reminded me of Lily Von Schtup's song on Blazing Saddles.

rickn8or said...

Yes it was a nice rant; I love watching an artist at work.

"A wed wose? How awdinawwy!"

Bruce said...

What she said, can't say it better!!

Old NFO said...

Yep, agree completely... And I'm hoping to make it to retirement next year...

Cincinnatus said...

Hear her, hear her.

Anonymous said...

At the risk of sounding like a jingoistic Pollyanna, I was feeling similar last week when I was reminded there are still people dying to get to our country. As bad as it is, it's still pretty darn good. I don't "know" you, but you come off as the type who'll find a way to make it work. Until then, know you're not alone. I'm praying for you and Mom X.

- Drifter

danontherock said...

You need to go to a place where the earth is much like it was before mankind got his grubby hands all over it. Get clear of the drag of the race.

Roberta X said...

Daontherock, I don't think so; I need to spend time in a well-tended garden. Plop me down in a state of nature, without the artifacts of modern (say, post-Renaissance) technology and I'm dead in a week: I cannot function without eyeglasses. If it's more than foot away, it's a colorful blob.

"Mankind's...grubby hands" are why I didn't die of rheumatic fever in early childhood; I have trouble resenting 'em as much as some other folks do.

danontherock said...

I too would be dead if it weren't for "mans grubby hands". I just go to town as required. I just need a "less tended garden". I will not abandon tech that I find useful.

I enjoy your blog!