And Here I Thought It Was 2007...

Sometimes, I just have to laugh at the absurdity of television advertising, specifically the ads produced by pharmaceutical companies now that they are able to advertise their drugs to people other than the doctors.

In general, I think the ads for drugs are a really bad thing. Even for the most stable of those around us, I imagine the ads are creating more and more people that believe all their troubles will just go away with the right chemical concoction. "Talk to your doctor to see if Wonder Drug Z is right for you."

"Hey, Doc, I saw an ad on TV about the Little Purple Pill, and I was wondering if I needed it 'cause, you know, I don't have a purple one yet, and it would look real good next to the blue one in my daily pill box."

"But you don't have acid reflux disease, you have a bad heart, black lungs, on the list for a liver transplant and ED. But all those we can fix with the right medications."

"Alright, I was just checking because the ad said to. See ya next week. Oh, by the way, how do you get acid reflux disorder, cause I really do want that purple pill."

Yeah, I know, probably not very realistic, but either is the ad that brought up all this in my brain. The ad is for the drug Cymbalta, an anti-depressant. I have no problem with taking medication for depression. Even with the troubles I have had with them in the past, I still believe for the vast majority of people with depression medication is a great tool along with therapy. I even understand the concept that certain anti-depressants work better in combinations than separately.

What gets me about this commercial is the portrayal of the depressed person as some kind of zombie like creature. I know from my own experience I may feel like a zombie, but I'm not going to sit in a room with other people and act like one. There's still enough misunderstandings about the whole depression thing that those suffering from it generally do their best to never let the public at large know about it. All the depressed people I have ever known have one thing in common: we are pretty good actors.

So here comes this commercial. Showing symptoms of depression that look more like catatonic schizophrenia than anything else. And this is how those without depression are going to expect us to act? Let me tell you, it's not like that for the majority of people suffering with depression on a daily basis. Depression usually leaves some level of functionality. When a depressed person gets to a point that they feel they can no longer function, most of us crawl into a hole away from people. Besides, if we all acted like the folks in the commercial, depression would be easy to spot and then maybe everyone would stop telling us to just "cheer up."

I think there are much better ways to recognize depression, but they require observation and admittedly are hard to make come across in a 30 second ad. Oh well, capitalism at it's best. Exaggerate the symptoms to make them show up better on screen so you can sell a few more prescriptions, and to hell with the truth or if it hurts those your drug is supposed to help by giving a false idea of what depression is like to those who don't have it but still have to deal with us.

Who Stole Green?

Sounds like a punch line for a second grader's bad joke, don't it? But, really, I have occassion to actually ask who the fuck stole the color green? I want it back!

Actually, I guess "stole" isn't quite the right word, more like deleted. Green has somehow disappeared from all known color charts and graphs. I guess I really should try to explain this a little bit...

I have spent the last month and a half helping to get the backyard put together in a plan that I have no idea what the hell the final outcome is supposed to be. Basically, they point, I dig, plant, mulch, whatever. I am the non-paid labor on the project and my opinion is not needed nor wanted, so I just do as I am told. This past weekend, we finally get to a point when I cleared out all the trash and waste from a month and a half of planting and leaving the empty containers where ever they fell that it actually looks like we have a backyard instead of a hazardous material waste dump. There are some flowers blooming, a little bit of grass left, assorted bushes, and lawn furniture for 20 when the most I have ever seen in the backyard at one time is three. I take a step back, and say "Alright, now it's done they can just maintain it and actually enjoy the backyard now." Oh, pity me and my logical mind!

The only statement that came out of the job foreperson's mouth was "I need to go to the nursery to get something that has some COLOR in it now." I swear, if murder was not a capital offense in this state, I would have thought more about it than I did! As it is, I damn near bit my tongue in half to keep from blurting out "What the fuck? Since when is green NOT a color?!?"

Now, I know it has been nearly twenty years since I took an art class, but at least I passed the fucking thing. As far as I can remember, green was still a fucking color then! Who deleted it since then, and more importantly, where is the backspace key to fix it? I want it back!

Time Wasted...

I am normally a pretty nice person, but I absolutely hate when people think that my time is theirs to waste as they see fit. I have plenty of things that I would much rather do to waste a couple hours of my day. I don't need help from others.

Unfortunately, I have seemed to be getting a great deal of this type of help in the past week or so. For example, I have been trying to figure out a problem with a website for a friend of mine for the last two days. Seems she has multiple user accounts, passwords, and even upgrades on various accounts. Being the "computer" guy that she knows, it falls to me to figure out her screw ups. Now, I don't mind figuring things like this out. Actually, I find it rather fun and enjoyable. What I do mind is the fact that once I figure it out, and she's pleading with me to fix it, she refuses to listen to how to fix it, or even how it happened in the first place.

Seems real simple to me. Two accounts with upgrades, only need one, cancel the least priced subscription so at least if she is going to be out money it is the least amount that she is out.

Needless to say, she still has two accounts, two upgrades, and paying for two subscriptions because she refused to take action on anything. I ended up spending two days working on something for someone that I have no interest in other than she's my friend, only to leave it exactly the way it was. Well, that's not exactly true, I did change the emails she had listed with the accounts. So, in retrospect, two days to change two emails... A DAMN WASTE OF MY TIME!!!

My One Track Mind

I admit, I'm compulsive. And I now have a new one: World of Warcraft!

I have been playing Diablo 2 for several years, and I still get into moods that I want to do that, but the style with which I play D2 is solo. I am a magic finder, so I spend the vast majority of my time playing in locked room with just me. I like doing it, but also was looking for something a little different.

Since I obviously like the games that Blizzard develops, I started looking at World of Warcraft, and I have to admit, I am hooked! In only about a week! I have been playing just about any spare moment I get, and even now, I am waiting for when I can get back on and continue my adventures. I think I found another game that is right down my alley being something that is more involved than just a point and shoot or drive in circles.

Alright, so I'm happy (or at least happier), but not everyone around me is. I have a one track mind and I do tend to get lost in things like World of Warcraft for hours at a time. I think I tune out my life so I can recharge a little bit. And I really don't mean to ignore the people around me. Actually I see it as no different than sitting here and playing Freecell for hours (which I have been known to do also). If you want my attention all you have to do for the most part is ask, and it is yours!