Philotic Web

How else do you teach kids about taxes?

Allowance.
One for you...three for me!
TAXES!

I will be shocked, shocked, if Syphon doesn't use that exact technique.

it does work.
But my kids still think its just sharing.

Let me tell you how it will be: there's one for you, nineteen for me. 'Cause I'm the taxman. Yeah, I'm the taxman.

Should five percent appear too small, be thankful I don't take it all. 'Cause I'm the taxman. Yeah, I'm the taxman

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.

Eff yeah!!

Irritation: Atty has a stupid little electronic microphone someone gave him. It irritates me in general, but here's what really (irrationally) bugs me. One of the things it does is announce "Rock n Roll!" or "Classical!" followed by some little public domain tune. The fact that "Froggy Went A-Courtin'" is being billed as a rock song just annoys the tar out of me.

Be very very glad it isn't one of these:



Noisemakers are the gift that keeps on giving.

1) Keep the microphone in good condition.
2) Wait until "someone" has their own kids.
3) ????
4) Profit.

Truth.

Another irritation. I actually find myself singing the little ditties from his toy remote.

Press the buttons, song a song
learn some numbers, count along!
You can start with number one.
Changing channels is such fun!

I have taken batteries out of so many toys because of that. I don't hate all singing toys, but some of them...

I turned my childhood talking remote control frontloader ("LIFT IT UP, LIFT IT UP! DROP IT, DROP IT") into a killer robot for my high school physics class. Got two years of dominating robot king of the hill with it, and then passed it on to my younger brother who got 2 more

I'm normally a very laid back guy, but I get really, irrationally irritated when I'm using a device (computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.), and someone just reaches over and starts pushing buttons. I have absolutely no problem with you looking over my shoulder, or telling me to click on something, or even asking if you can press something/look at something. But when you just assume that whatever you want to do is more important than what I'm doing, and you can just take control, I lose it.

Unfortunately, this has suddenly become my girlfriend's new favorite thing to do. The first few times it happened, I was too stunned/annoyed to even say anything about it, so I just let it slide. I'm really hoping next time I can keep it together enough to calmly ask her not to do that, without her realizing how frustrated I actually am.

I'm normally a very laid back guy, but I get really, irrationally irritated when I'm using a device (computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.), and someone just reaches over and starts pushing buttons. I have absolutely no problem with you looking over my shoulder, or telling me to click on something, or even asking if you can press something/look at something. But when you just assume that whatever you want to do is more important than what I'm doing, and you can just take control, I lost it.

Guilty. Though most often when I do it, it's because I've been spending 15 minutes trying to help you do something simple and I'm assuming whatever you do next is still going to be wrong. Some people still get frustrated when I do that, because "they want to learn how to do it themselves".

I have sort of a blanket ban on toys that make electronic noises. Mechanical noises (clacks, beeps, dings, etc.) I am okay with, but not electronic.

Irrational Irritation: The Black Friday sales seem really lame and not all that significantly lower than normal prices on things I'm actually interested in.

Irrational Irritation: The Black Friday sales seem really lame and not all that significantly lower than normal prices on things I'm actually interested in.

See, this makes me happy because I don't feel like I need to drag myself out of bed and participate in the insanity. If they had great prices on things that I needed, then I'd feel guilty about not being frugal enough when I wanted to just stay home.

It's especially irrational for me to be irritated because I work Black Friday and I have no vehicle to get to these places, anyway.

So far the only thing i've seen that will make me actually go out is $5 pillows, and that's just because I desperately need new pillows! At least it's a sale that starts at 8 and i'll be home by 9.

huh, I think the bluray selection/prices this year are pretty spectacular, Brave for $8!

I do not have a BluRay player and I haven't bought DVDs for myself since pre-fiasco 2008. It's amazing what a much smaller income will do for my spending habits. :)

Mostly I was looking out for stuff I still need around the apartment or clothes to keep me from freezing. The sale prices weren't anything I'd pay in either case.

huh, I think the bluray selection/prices this year are pretty spectacular, Brave for $8!

I always say i'm going to stay clear of the blurays/dvds, but I always end up picking out a couple. Last year I got season one of The Walking Dead for $10. I always keep a look out for the $2 dvds because they're usually older ones and I find a lot that fun memories with my best friend, and they make great cheap gifts!

Irrational irritation: when people my age (I'm a couple of weeks shy of 29) go on about "getting old".

Recent examples include a facebook status which reads, "was asked if I'm over 25 when buying a lottery ticket... Made my day!" This person is 29, it's not an amazing feat to pass for 24! Also, since when do you need to be 25 to buy a lottery ticket??

Another facebook status from a different female friend who just turned 29: "Was just hit on by a 19 year old. I guess I've still got it! I feel like such a cougar lol!" 'Cause, you know, most 29 year old women are sagging hags who send horny teenagers running the other way.

These are just recent examples among various "not as young as I used to be" type remarks from people who aren't even 30 yet. Am I hypersensitive about aging or is it a bit ridiculous to hear people in their late 20s talk like they're over the hill?

I talk about being old all the time and make no apologies for it since I mean it quite tongue in cheek. I don't, however, think it's irrational to find it irritating. Just realize, people who use it like I do know exactly how not-old we are.

I'm definitely talking about non-tongue in cheek references here.

I often give "back in my day..." speeches to my students to emphasize how "old" I am.

Irrational irritation: when people my age (I'm a couple of weeks shy of 29) go on about "getting old".

Recent examples include a facebook status which reads, "was asked if I'm over 25 when buying a lottery ticket... Made my day!" This person is 29, it's not an amazing feat to pass for 24! Also, since when do you need to be 25 to buy a lottery ticket??

Another facebook status from a different female friend who just turned 29: "Was just hit on by a 19 year old. I guess I've still got it! I feel like such a cougar lol!" 'Cause, you know, most 29 year old women are sagging hags who send horny teenagers running the other way.

These are just recent examples among various "not as young as I used to be" type remarks from people who aren't even 30 yet. Am I hypersensitive about aging or is it a bit ridiculous to hear people in their late 20s talk like they're over the hill?

The gray matter starts going around 28 or 29, if I remember correctly, so it's not totally ridiculous

Which is actually pretty sad when you consider that the brain doesn't even totally finish developing until around 20-21, so we basically get about an 8 year window when our brains are at their peak, and so many people do their best to wreak it with drugs and alcohol during those years.

Irritation: Paul and I decided to watch all of the Star Trek movies on Netflix, and they don't have subtitles for Klingon (or Vulcan) on any of them. I mean, seriously? I know *some* people speak Klingon, but it's kinda necessary to have subtitles. How do you even do that anyway? Stupid Netflix.

They will not dwell with the honoured dead in Sto-vo-kor!

This is really petty, but it's bugging me.

The Garfield comic for June 29, 1987 has Garfield lamenting that it's the "longest Monday". Jim Davis, why could you not have run that strip a week earlier, for the solstice?! The Monday previous was, in fact, THE LONGEST MONDAY OF THE YEAR.

Irrational irritation: "Mind blown" images on Pinterest that are completely inaccurate. Today's example: two sets of identical twins would have identical children.

Prepare yourself, it's a Jan rant.

Via the magic of Pinterest, today I found this:
You can buy it at Target for a little over 10 bucks.

LISTEN TO ME PEOPLE WHO BUY THIS. YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT.

Here is the plot of A Charlie Brown Christmas:
-Charlie Brown is sad about commercialism.
-Charlie Brown is told to go buy a big aluminum fake Christmas tree
-Charlie Brown instead brings home a tiny real tree
-The truth of Christmas is that the tiny real tree IS BETTER THEN THE FAKE ONES.

This "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" that you can buy and isn't a real tree is EXACTLY what Charlie Brown was sad about.

People who buy this are Lucy pulling away the football. Ruining Christmas. Ruiners.

I've either not seen that or haven't seen it in so long, I remember nothing about it other than that tree being like that.

I have to admit I have that tree... but mainly because I could afford it and I did love the movie as a kid... now I feel a little bad

I have to admit I have that tree... but mainly because I could afford it and I did love the movie as a kid... now I feel a little bad

Damnit, I'm sorry. I didn't think that anyone here would have one. It IS really cute in a way and I love that movie too.

I had planned to add a disclaimer to that post that the tree I own is fake. We can't have a real one. I just think Charlie Brown would be sad.

Oh, well. It is an irrational irritation.