Just not worth it Sep 15, 2010
I was trying to log in to a stupid insurance website, and it kept giving me an error message that said to call an 800 number for help.  I hate talking on the phone, especially with "technical support" people ("Is your computer on?"  Yes.  "Try restarting."), so I waited until the next day and tried again.  Time heals all wounds, right?  Not in this case.  So I ended up calling the number and navigating the phone maze before eventually talking to a human being.  So far so good.  I told her my problem, and she told me the solution:  I had to register in order to log in, which is weird because I already have a username and password.  Long story long, I re-registered and was able to log in.  Hooray! 

While I was on the phone with this human, I asked her why the website didn't simply tell me what the problem was, instead of making me call an 800 number and waste a company's money by talking to one of their humans.  Instead of just telling me there's an error, why not tell me what to do about it?  It's like telling me not to make a U-turn.  Where the hell am I supposed to make a U-turn? 

Her response to my technical inquiry was the following, and I quote:  "The system doesn't know whether you're registered or not until after you register.  So if you're not registered, it doesn't know that.  You have to register first so it'll know you're registered." 

This is obviously false.  If I need to be registered in order for the system to check whether I'm registered, then that step is meaningless.  I'm not a genius, but I understand how technology works, and I even know how to program websites.  If I know one thing, it's that that's a stupid answer.  I was about to get all technical with this woman and either (a) try to correct her misinformation or (b) fix her website, when it occurred to me:  It's just not worth it.  This issue isn't worth my time, my effort, my stress.  And it's not like I have better things to do with my time, or don't have the energy to fix other people's problems.  I would like nothing better than to fix a mega-corporation's stupid website, saving them time and money so they can continue taking more from my pocket.  But honestly, I just couldn't care less.  And this idea has been coming up again and again in my life lately, when the wheels in my brain start spinning in response to some error or problem.  It's just not worth it. 

So I politely said, "Oh.  Ok.  Thanks for your help," and hung up. #technology
Dates on pictures Sep 15, 2010
For some reason, the advent of digital cameras brought with it the option to embed the date on the picture itself.  The problem with this is that many people don't know how to properly set the date or time on their camera, so the pictures show the wrong date, and they do so permanently.  Plus, digital picture files store the date and time they were taken by default, so that information is there if you want it.  And honestly, it's ugly.  A beautiful picture is ruined by a big ugly orange or green datestamp. #entertainment
Nice hearse Sep 15, 2010
I saw a non-corpse-carrying hearse on the road the other day.  It had bright decals on the side.  I thought to myself, "That's a nice hearse."  I'm probably the only person who's ever combined those two words in a single thought. #travel