What is your culture?

Normally, when we are talking about culture, we are talking about a country or an ethnic group but I think each person has their own culture. 

So where does your culture come from? I think it comes from many influences. Mine comes from family, faith, food, friends, and my activities. 

So, as a way to try and get to know my audience more intimately, I ask, "what is your culture?" 

I now have a Facebook page for the blog and I encourage you to like the page, share, and interact. The page is http://www.facebook.com/rjmrt

My appreciation and frustrations with dentists.

So I'm currently sitting in the dentist's office with my wife. We get here at 9:15 and her appointment is at 9:30. We get back there on time and the assistant comes in and says we have a change of game plan, not only are they going to do a double root canal, they want to go ahead and finish one of them today too. I had scheduled an appointment at the tire shop at Noon and the assistant tells me we will done in plenty of time.

Well time is rolling by and at 10:30, still we still haven't seen the dentist and then the hygienist comes in and says, "hey, we could go ahead and do a cleaning. 

Well, it's no 11:15 and we aren't really into the first root canal yet. I'm frustrated. All I ask is please respect my time. 

Now, I do appreciate the fact that these folks are professional and have great bedside manner. I think that should be a major part of the dental licensing exam, a personality test. I think the label should be on their license that away if you are one who wants a person who doesn't small talk much and gets it done, you can find a dentist that is that way or if you want a friendly type, you can have that too. 

I don't know, really just my random thoughts.

I'm tired of the deflated football crap!

I don't about you all, but I'm sick of hearing and seeing "Deflategate" over and over. It's on the news, on sports talk radio, socia media, and everything else. 

Ok, so they deflated balls. Roger Goodell would normally jump on this, have it fined, and on to his next duty as NFL Head Nazi. 

Face it Colts' fans, you got best 45-7, deflated footballs were the least of your problems. I'm not a Pats fan, I'm just tired of hearing about this crap. 

Here's my solution, fine them and set a policy that can prevent something like that from happening in the future. I don't know, maybe an official who has to guard the "cournicopia" of footballs for both teams and keep a record of when they went out, when they came back, and their weight. 

Again, really just my random thoughts.

Griffin Communications' greed may just lead me to an answer I've been searching for.

So, if you read my blog any, you know I also throw some sports blog in there as well, after all this is "Really just my RANDOM thoughts." I will not get to see the AFC title game due to a dispute between Griffin Communications, owners of my local CBS affiliate, and Dish Network. 

The blame game is being played but after me doing some research, I'm hacked at Griffin Communications. They are asking for 4 times the amount that they had been getting from Dish, which Dish doesn't want to have to pay and pass off to customers. 

Dish however may have an answer to my quest of wanting to drop Satellite/Cable altogether. They have come out with a set up where you can stream a number of channels for $20 including ESPN 1 & 2  & Food Network. That's probably 40% or what we watch. Plus there's no contract attached from what I've found. So, internet, plus $20, plus I think it's like $7 a month for another streaming service and I'm set. Some networks show entire episodes online for free. Yeah, it might be a week after, but I don't usually get to watch stuff live anyway, I'm using the DVR. 

I wonder how many people could benefit from this? Again, really just my random thoughts.

I'm not so sure

So thinking about things today, I'm not so sure all of our available technology is the greatest thing for mankind. 

Yes, there are some amazing pros of all this stuff, GPS, Google at our fingertips, being able to reconnect with folks, etc. but seeing some of the negative ramifications that come from it still make me wonder. 

I teach high school kids and the lack of knowledge of things most of us learned as students is sometimes astonishing. These kids don't know geography. I had to learn all my states and capitals in middle school plus label the states on the map. Now if it isn't the states right next to ours, there's a good chance they don't know where it is. All they need is Google or GPS, God forbid they have to read a map. They might be up a creek.

We've gotten so dependent on technology, it almost leaves us open to vulnerability as people and a nation. I mean think about online predators and things like that.

It's just something to think about, I'm not saying all technology is bad, I use it in positive ways all the time like communicating with parents of my students, paying bills, and even writing this blog on my Iphone(No, I don't have an IPad, I teach in Oklahoma, 49th in teacher pay.) I just think we should think about how much we are depedent on technogy.

Seriously?!

So a HUGE pet peeve of mine in drive -through windows of fast good joints is getting interrupted by the worker asking me about combo size, drink, and etc. 

This is RUDE!!!! In fact I dang near drove off from Arby's tonight because of it! Do us a favor, either post a sign of the way to order that fits your computer system or just simply wait until the person is done talking.

Don't give me "it's for efficiency and customer service." Being rude and cutting somebody off is good customer service? Honestly, just set out the sign. If someone gets upset cause they can't read, that's not on you. 

I know I'm not the only person that this irritates!

What we learned from Kentucky/A&M.

Just got through watching the UK double OT win over Texas A&M. A couple of things I learned today..

1. Kentucky struggles at the free throw line. They are tied for 231st in the country  with a .667. COME ON, these are top recruits and they can't shoot at the line better than that. This could bite them in butt later on. 

2. They don't like a good zone. It gave them fits all day. Somewhere, Syracuse is sming cause they know there is probably no one better in college basketball that runs te zone better than them. Thoughts for the tourney.