Blu-Ray / HD-DVD

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD technology are definitely not as impressive as they would like you to believe. Why? Because you have to have everything perfect to have the full effect, and the technology isn't needed for everything.

First, to experience super high definition, you have to have: 1) A Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player. 2) An HDTV capable of excellent picture quality. 3) A superb sound system.

That alone costs thousands of dollars. I automatically take myself out of their target market because of this. The HDTV's I've seen don't have a smooth picture. The plasma TV I saw at Best Buy was superb, but it was $5,000. The other HDTV's were bright, but the pictures looked choppy. The pictures, to me, don't always look much sharper either. They just look brighter. And if I'm wrong in this, I stand firm that the picture quality upgrade from standard definition TV to HDTV is unimpressive, and doesn't deserve the hype that the companies are giving it.

Also, there's no need for this HDTV except for action movies and video games. HD cable TV is a horrible idea. Do I really need to see soap operas or cartoon shows in high def?

Lack of Car Mechanics Class at My High School

I don't think there was a basic car mechanics class at my high school. If there was, I overlooked it, big time. Co-worker of mine took that type of class at his high school. That would have helped me out so many times.

Bill O'Reilly

O'Reilly is a horrible person. He presents a story and if there's someone he doesn't like or agree with, he calls them a pinhead. I personally think he spawned reality shows with his "blah blah blah" attitude.

Subway

Subway isn't nearly as good as Quiznos. And they kept giving me cold pizza.

Baking Soda

Baking Soda grinds my gears. Why? Because it's good. Too good if you ask me. Go to the grocery store and look at all the uses baking soda can be used for. Baking, cleaning, absorbing smells in your fridge, and (of all things) skin therapy. It's so versatile and powerful, it's scary. Baking soda is so good, it grinds my gears.

And it's very inexpensive in a value pack.

Ford Motor Company

Over the weekend, me and Brandie visited Will at Carolina Beach. We had car trouble on the way back. Apparently, a cheap plastic ring that keeps the transmission and motor in sync broke. This would have eventually burned out the transmission, resulting in $900 worth of mechanical work. The mechanic replaced the disintegrated plastic ring with a sturdy metal one. The process took about 5 seconds because the part was on top of the engine.

This is just an example of how Ford isn't always very bright in their engineering. It's hard to think that Ford would allow a cheap plastic ring to be placed on a car in such a vital position that it could cause almost a grand in repairs should that plastic melt, which it certainly did!

Pens

Pens grind my gears. My handwriting with a pencil is decent if I'm writing on nice paper with a nice pencil. But every time I write with a pen, it looks like chicken scratch.

College Debt

One third of my minimum monthly payments for my college loans is interest. They're making a lot of money off of me unless I knock out the loan by paying way more than the minimum payment.
Of course, it is nice to not have to pay a lot each month. I have the ability to pay as quickly as I want. Some of the responsibility rests on me.

Mediacom

Mediacom really grinds my gears. Seriously, I want to be online at my apartment. Grr! Ah well. Looks like some other company will get my money now. That's the most powerful thing I can do against Mediacom. If WCU is dropping Mediacom like I hear, then they're losing a lot of money, not just mine. Sweet.

Rap Music

Rap music grinds my gears. It's all about treating women as objects, obtaining a huge amount of money, and being a gangster. Sorry, but I just can't relate to a someone who raps about owning a Lamborghini and going platinum, and that grinds my gears.

But at least some of it has a beat you can dance to, such as Black Eyed Peas, if you consider them rap.