I’m so incredibly sick of people that don’t do their jobs. Today I spent most of my day chasing people around (via phone and email), trying to get them to do their jobs. I also found out that my license is expired and there is a warrant out for my arrest in the state of California. Not because I did anything wrong, just because people don’t do their fucking jobs.

Last time I was in San Diego, I made sure that the DMV had my current address, so that I would receive the paperwork I would need to renew my license online. It never came. Although I did get a bill from the DMV for registration (OH, so you DO have my address, huh?) What else did I receive? A letter from the court telling me that I didn’t complete my “work service” and that a warrant would be issued for my arrest if I didn’t clear this up with them. I already cleared this up with them. Someone just isn’t doing there job (on my tax dollars).

I’ve had a claim filed with Kaiser for reimbursement of medical bills, for 8 months now. It’s just sitting in someones file waiting for me to give up calling and asking for status.

Six months before 2007 taxes were due, I hired a CPA/financial planner to take care of my business stuff (taxes/investments/etc). When I emailed them 2 weeks before taxes were due, they decided that they couldn’t really help me. They were nice enough to file an extention for me (enter sarcasm here).

I hired a Quickbooks “specialist” that was supposed to get my company books fine tuned. I gave him a $1200 retainer, that he promptly cashed (within 2 days). Then I stopped hearing from him. Until I finally threatened legal action. Now, he wants me to jump through a bunch of hoops to get my money back. So I’m flying back to San Diego to sue him in small claims court, to get my money back for work that he never performed. Because, you know, actually DOING the work that I gave you $1200 for is entirely too hard.

I can see it now. As soon as I get back to CA, I get pulled over, while driving with a suspended license, record run to reveal a warrant out for my arrest and arrested. Wasting more of my time. Time that could be spent trying to get people to do their jobs, or, dare to dream, doing my own job. All because people are too fucking stupid and/or lazy to do their fucking jobs, and it’s all somehow my problem.

Man, those Nigerians are getting trickier and trickier. I got this email from “FedEx” the other day and nearly fell for it! The email is simply so well written and convincing (My favorite parts are in bold)!

Customers Service Hours–Monday To Saturday:
Office Hours Monday To Saturday:

ATTENTION: FEDEX COURIER MANAGING DIRECTOR
Thanks for your Co-operation.
Yours Affectionately.
Mr. John Newton.
Ikeja Branch Manager,
FedEx Express,
Lagos-Nigeria.
Tel::+234-8025 546 973

I seriously feel bad for honest Nigerians. Nigerians are known world-wide for being scam artists (well, attempted scam artists, because they don’t seem to be very good at it) and I’m sure that generalization follows them around when they travel outside of Nigeria.

While I wouldn’t exactly call myself an environmentalist, I try to do what I can to not kill the world. I love those 20oz bottled waters, and now that I live in the tropics, where it is hot year round, Stefan and I were going through a 24 pack of bottled water every four days or so. I was already feeling guilty looking at our trash cans filled with plastic bottles, and then I got the latest Surfrider newsletter that contained an article titled: “Repeat After Me: I Will Never Use Another Plastic Water Bottle Again“. These are the facts:

- Every piece of (petroleum-based) plastic ever manufactured still exists.

- Plastic in the ocean may be noe of the most alarming of today’s environmental stories. Plastics are forever because plastics do not biodegrade, no naturally occurring organisms can break these polymers down.

- Over 300,000 pieces of plastic per square mile have been found in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. 80% of the plastic comes from land-based sources.

- 100,000 marine mammals and 2 million sea birds die every year after ingesting or being caught in marine debris.

- Plastic is the most common type of marine litter world-wide.

- Globally, the proportion of plastic among marine debris world-wide ranges from 60 – 80%, although it has reached over 90-95% in some areas.

- Plastics comprise up to 90% of floating marine debris.

- Americans consumed 50 billion plastic water bottles last year, that were totally recyclable polyesthylene terephthalate plastic. Recycling rate for (PET) is 23% which means we pitch 38 billion water bottles into landfills per year – more then $1 billion worth of plastic!

I have tried many times to break my water bottle habit, but nothing has really stuck. I really like the convenience of being able to close up my water and if I leave it somewhere (which I do a lot), bugs are not going to fly into it and it will still be good the next time I find it. So, Stefan and I found the recycling center in our little Puerto Rican town and have started recycling all of our plastic and aluminum (for whatever reason, our recycling center does not accept glass). I also found these awesome 750ml, vintage-style glass bottles from France that I have been refilling and drinking out of every day. I love them!

Music totally drives my life/emotion/energy. I have to have music on all the time. I can’t run a block without listen to music, but crank some “DJ Trashy” or anything with a strong beat and I can easily run 5 miles! I’m the type of person that is totally honest, but I can stuff my emotions away, so when I’m alone and hear a song or watch a movie that hits certain cords, I will totally cry my eyes out (as long as no one is around). With that being said, this song by Evanescence has made me cry more then once. I’m not going to go into details as to why this song twists a dagger in my heart, but I’m sure some people can probably guess:

My Immortal by Evanescence

I’m so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
‘Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won’t leave me alone

These wounds won’t seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There’s just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I’m bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me

These wounds won’t seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There’s just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

I’ve tried so hard to tell myself that you’re gone
But though you’re still with me
I’ve been alone all along

When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

You can listen to the song here.

Do you ever stumble across “inventions” that make you think , “WTF?”. What do you think about an acrylic dome window for your fence so your dog can shove his face inside and take a look at the world? I don’t know about you, but this seems kind of silly…unless you and your dog live in a submarine. If not, then I would recommend walking your dog in order to “help satisfy their curiosity and make it possible for them to have a peek.”. Then you don’t have to cut a hole in your fence and attach this silly doggie window (that your dog probably won’t even use).

I used to “complain” about Stefan befriending all of my friends and hanging out/surfing with them more often then I did. Now that Stefan and I have moved to Puerto Rico, apparently our separate groups of friends have all become pretty close and are hanging out without Stefan and I around!!! What the hell? Those are MY friends, damn it!

(Names in pink = Summer’s friends, names in blue = Stefan’s friends)

I feel so out of the loop !

When The Smythe and Josh get married, I hope that they remember that it was Stefan and I that brought them together…

Let me be the 1st to tell you that I hate politics/politicians. I have never voted in a political election, nor have I even bothered to register to vote. Not because I’m lazy, but no presidential hopeful has EVER struck me as being worthy of my vote.

(Thanks for the vid, Bulbboy

With that being said, I registered to vote today. I honestly think that Barack Obama can change America for the better.

I saw a “life story” type documentary on Barack Obama’s childhood and I wish I could find it to post here. Obama has so much more to bring to the table then someone coming from the typical affluent, rich, white, family (like every other US President).

The only thing I don’t like about Barack is his logo…It reminds me of the Pepsi logo …

I have been in California for almost two weeks now, with a laundry list of stuff that needs to get done while I’m here. One of my top priorities is moving Vicious Enterprises to a larger location. I lucked out on the FIRST day I was in town and found an insane office space right on Garnet in Pacific Beach. It was a little bit more then I wanted to spend ($1900 a month), but the advertising potential of this space is worth $1900 a month alone. Plus, the office is HUGE. Garnet is the busiest street in PB and PB is filled with college students (our target market). I got the new sign up today and the official moving day is Saturday!

Wired Magazine is having a contest that requires you to destroy your most hated gadget and submit the photographic proof.

The funny thing is that this was brought to my attention (thanks Conner …), just as I was contemplating smashing my new Lexmark printer ala “Office Space”. At least now I have an extra excuse to destroy this POS…

Details to follow, but fireworks are legal in Puerto Rico. I might try and get this bitch airborn…