Amanda Unvarnished

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I don’t know if that’s an actual term yet, but it sounds cool, so I’m coining it.
I’ve added Spam Karma to the spam arsenal, and it seems to be working rather well.
The other day, I got hit with over two hundred spam comments in the moderation cue, and decided that something needed to be done about it, fast.
I can’t spend all my time moderating comments, only to send them to the spam pile.
Here’s hoping we can keep a handle on this.
I don’t expect it to work forever, but it’ll give me a break for now.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I talked to the district attorney’s office this afternoon, after finding out that Michelle was released from jail.
The person I spoke to said that Michelle was sentenced to eight to ten months in prison, which was commuted to probation after the first time she robbed me.
Then, when she violated that probation, the probation was made harsher.
She wasn’t sure why they didn’t just throw her in jail at that point.
As of yet, her probation officer hasn’t charged her with violation of her probation even though she’s committed the crimes against me as well as others.
The person I talked to said that the reason she’s out of jail is because either the judge lowered the bond, she posted the bond, or someone bailed her out.
She won’t know until she goes to the clerk’s office to get the file on the latest charges.
She’ll either leave a voice mail on my phone, or I’ll call her back tomorrow.
She said that all the charges she’s been charged with are felonies, with the exception of the credit card fraud charges, which are misdemeanors, and that with her criminal record, she won’t get off with a light sentence.
The same goes with the other two.
She also said that, before sentencing in all three cases, the district attorney will talk to me to get my oppinion on what I think should be done.
The woman said that she was going to call Michelle’s probation officer this afternoon at 16:00 to push the issue of her being violated so they could possible put her in jail for that, and I should find out about the results of that either later when I check the mail or tomorrow.
I also have to go talk to Dione to make sure she doesn’t get rehired out here.
There’s supposed to be a rule about rehiring people who got fired no less than a year after they were fired, but given the company’s recent record, I’m not so sure they’ll follow that one either.
They could just rehire her, and then when I object, say it was due to the needs of the business.
So I’m probably going to have to go the police station and take out a restraining order against Michelle to keep her out of the building.
I don’t have much faith in that, because I’m sure the company will find some way around that too, if they decide to hire her back.
At least I’ve got a contact now at the DA’s office.
The person I talked to this afternoon gave me her direct number, and said I could call if I had any questions.
I hate all of this!

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I found out a little while ago that Michelle isn’t in jail.
She’s living in a state-run, tax-payer-funded halfway house, where she gets to keep her freedom, work, and keep all the money she earns.
All she has to do is report to them at a particular hour.
She called here asking for a job.
So that means she gets to travel across county lines as well.
It must be nice to be a criminal.
You get to rob, burglerize, mastermind an assault, practice identity theft, and all you have to do is live in a halfway house.
What the hell is wrong with this country?
No, more importantly, what the hell is wrong with our legal system?
If you’re a law-abiding citizen, you get fucked.
Over and over again.
Oh, I forgot, she’s a drug addict, so it’s our duty to help her.
I’d like to shoot her in the head myself.
I’d like to take her out to the middle of nowhere and slit her wrists and let her just bleed to death.
Why the fuck is it she seems to be able to commit crimes with impunity?
This is the second crime she’s committed against me, and it’s the second time she’s gotten some sort of fucking deal.
I don’t ever want to hear how badly criminals are treated again.
Ever.
I’d like to say work won’t hire her sorry ass back, but I’m not sure of that at all.
It must be really nice to know you can commit crimes and people will just feel sorry for you because you’re a lazy, good-for-nothing thug drug-crazed ghetto-whore who likes to take advantage of blind people.
I get to deal with the psychological aftermath of this bullshit, after dealing with the financial hardships, and she gets to walk around, getting a free ride, like nothing ever happened.
I’ll bet she’s found Jesus again too.
Yeah, I’ll bet she can thump the good book with the best of them.
Well, if he wants her, he can haver, and fuck him for it.
I hope she dies a very horrible death.
I hope the next time she tries to fuck with someone else, they shoot her.
Stupid piece of trash.
They don’t make an epithet strong enough for her.
She’s not worth the shit that comes out of her.
I’m so pissed I could cry.
This isn’t fair.
I spend my entire life trying to make something of myself, doing what I’m supposed to do, and I get fucked.
People like Michelle spend their lives having bastard children, robbing people, doing drugs, stealing, and generally just being trained apes, and they get fucking free passes, time after time after time, and then have the nerve to bitch about how oppressed they are, how the man’s keeping them down, how it’s so hard being them.
Right now, the man’s paying for her upkeep, at my expense.
I’m helping to pay for the upkeep of the piece of shit that robbed me, and then gave other people my private information so they could rob and assault me along with her, spend my money, and then used my bank card to take a nice little joy ride with.
We don’t have a justice system.
We have a criminal enablement system.
We have bottom feeder lawyers helping bottom feeder criminals with the aid of bottom feeder district attorneys.
I, on the other hand, can count on not receiving any compensation, and knowing that every two weeks when I get paid, part of my paycheck goes to keeping that whore and the rest of the dreggs of society on the dole.
This isn’t the land of the ffree anymore, it’s the land of the free ride.
We don’t make anyone take responsibility for their actions anymore, we just find an excuse, pin it on that, and then we do all we can to try to help.
She probably just had a bad childhood, and that’s why she’s a drug addict.
It’s not her fault.
What a God damn piece of bird shit.
I’d like to find out which sleezy piece if shit lawyer negotiated with which sleezy district attorney to get her ass off.
And I’d like to choke them both.
I don’t think I’m going to be able to think straight for the rest of the day, I’m that pissed off.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

It’s thundering outside, and according to the weather report, we’re supposed to get rain.
I like it when it rains at night, because I happen to hold the view (which is probably very irrational) that would-be prowlers and other idiots, including drunks, go inside when it rains, which means normal people are OK.
It’s really bad when I’ve come to the point in my life where the first thing I think when I hear wrustling outside my window is “start shooting.”
Or maybe not.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I was woken up by the sound of wrustling outside my bedroom window.
I heard the gate creek, which shouldn’t have happened because the gate was supposed to be shut.
So of course, I did the best thing I could think of, which was to call the police.
The officer said it was a good thing I called because the specimens of brilliance hired by the apartment complex to paint the place left everyone’s gate wide-open.
Brilliant guys, brilliant.
Anyway, it wasn’t people, but lots of plastic and cardboard boxes wrustling around out there.
It just sounded way too much like someone moving around in the bushes, which even the cop agreed with.
He said a box came at him and he almost shot it.
He also said he’d be around tonight and tomorrow night since he expects the painters will be back after the holiday, and everyone’s gates will undoubtedly be left open.
When I got home from work yesterday, I noticed the painters were out there, and heard several of them speaking Spanish to each other.
Maybe I shouldn’t have, but the first thing I thought was “illegals.”
I feel slightly bad for thinking that, but only slightly.
I should write a thank-you letter to the apartment complex for looking out for our security.
Yes, the gate and/or fence could be kicked down, but that’s not the point.
Right now, anyone can just walk right in.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

Tomorrow is family fun day at work.
They might as well call it “Family Fund Day,” because they’re charging for at least some of the activities, from what I’ve been told.
They’re doing things like having a dunking booth, playing basketball and football, and cooking out.
Mr. Frodo is supposed to be in the booth from 13:00 to 14:00, and I’m so tempted to pee in an empty water bottle tomorrow morning just after I get up, and take it to work so I can pour it in there before he takes his perch.
Today I attempted to go through the training for The Source, which is one of the “resources” we have to use during calls.
It was inaccessible for the most part, because it consisted of a lot of graphics you were supposed to click on, as well as simulations.
Then there was the fun part of explaining to the trainer that Jaws wasn’t working with the training simulator.
Once again, the client took no consideration of accessibility issues, and they can’t say they didn’t know.
I was surprised at how much that realization stung.
It’s like not being allowed to play in all the reindeer games, except it’s not a game, it’s work, and once again I’ve been shut out.
I thought I had gotten used to that by now, but apparently not.
I just don’t get how people can go through their lives being, (as John puts it), aggressively ignorant.
Sometimes I think ignorant is too nice.
They just don’t give a fuck.
I wonder how they would like it if it was them in this situation?
But anyway, on to lighter things, like making Mr. Frodo’s dunking experience a memorable one.
I can’t figure out how I’d pull it off.
I’m too conspicuous.
I’d go out there, and someone would think I’m lost.
“Oh no, don’t mind me, just pouring a little food coloring in.”
Man, if I had some food coloring, I could have so much fun.
We could just tell him someone had a really bad accident after he finished his turn.
I’d like to get a picture of the look on his face after that one.
“One bottle of food coloring, $1; One opportunity to take a shot at dunking, $1; Mr. Frodo finding out someone had an accident in the water, priceless.”
I know all of this sounds really evil, but if you met him, you’d understand.
He makes everyone’s life difficult just because he can, and he thinks blindness is contagious.
At least that’s how he acts.
I also know I’ll never get to do anything like this, but one can dream.
And with that, good night all.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

As I’ve said here before, I really hate it.
And it seems to be getting out of control.
More and more of it is getting through Akismet,, so it looks like I’ll have to add more to the arsenal.
These people should all be lined up and shot.
They’re probably all a bunch of child molesters.
They’re definitely thieves, and I hate thieves with a passion.
Whatever they are, I’m sick and tired of them.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

At first, I had decided to port my number once the VOIP was set up.
In the end, I had to kill that because I don’t have an old phone bill, and since my bill is set to be emailed to me instead of sent in paper form from Sprint, I won’t be getting one any time soon.
But now I have another reason not to port my number.
Telemarketers!
Especially ones like the folks calling for the Daily Rejecter, (otherwise known as the Daily Reflector, which is the local rag).
They can’t seem to get it through their heads that, since I’m a Braille reader, and the paper isn’t printed in Braille, I won’t be needing a subscription.
Anyway, since the number is new, it means they don’t have it in their database.
It’s also not listed in the phone book.
Definitely good for me.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

After the breach of the Israeli defensive wall and kidnapping of Cpl Gilad (ben Aviva) Shalit on Sunday, , Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has finally said enough is enough.

Mr Olmert has put the army on standby for an extensive military operation against Palestinian militants to free Cpl Shalit and Israeli tanks and armoured
vehicles have been assembling on the Gaza border.

“The question of freeing [Palestinian] prisoners is in no way on the Israeli government agenda,” Mr Olmert said during a speech in Jerusalem.

“There will be no negotiations, no bargaining, no agreements.”

Mr Olmert said that Israel would not allow itself to become the victim of “Hamas-terrorist blackmail”, warning that “a large-scale military operation is
approaching”.

“The time is approaching for a comprehensive, sharp and severe Israeli operation. We will not wait forever,” Mr Olmert said.

Source.
This is exactly what Olmert should have said, and I’m glad to see he’s acting on it.
As of this writing, Israel has attacked a bridge in Gaza in order to prevent Shalit’s being transferred from the Strip.
Meanwhile Secretary Rice is doing her best to encourage Israel to lay down and take this, like the good little dog the State Department and the Administration expect her to be.
Thank G-d Israel is giving the Administration, the State Department, and the international community the finger.
Hat-tip Euphoric Reality.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I got another message today, telling me that the button-hanging problem should be fixed, and asking me to test it again.
Of course, it’s not fixed.
And, even more to the point, the button-hanging issue is very small in the grand scheme.
The standards issue has yet to be addressed.
Really, I tried to make sure I didn’t come in here today with my hopes in the clouds.
I think I dealt with the possibility that we might actually have a solution to this huge mess very reasonably, trying my best to keep a waight-and-see approach.
Nonetheless, getting that message was a real let-down, because it means we’re right back where we started.
It’s yet another sign that we’re going to keep running this circle until it either runs itself out in the form of someone in a position to do something finally taking the initiative to act, or until I quit.
I suppose whatever information John has that he can’t give me might contain an actual solution, but that all depends on whether or not he gets shot down.
I don’t know anything about what he’s been involved in, so I really can’t speculate.
It’s hard not to get angry about this latest round though.
Then again, I can get angry, but there’s nothing I can do.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

It seems as though I’ve been all out assaulted by the block monster.
All the links on my sidebar are blocked as a result of their being generated by Javascript, which is being blocked.
Furthermore, if I type in an address manually, the ones I remember are blocked as well.
Oh joy.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

For a long time now, I’ve been making it a point to read David Bonner’s bloog, because it serves as a source of entertainment my days would otherwise lack.
Well, I was reading it just a minute ago, and the block monster struck.
By way of explanation, the block monster is what denies me access to many of the web sites I try to visit during my time at work.
It usually strikes when there’s something that seems really good behind the next link.
Sometimes, it has the added disadvantage of blocking the source of the link I was trying to click on.
For example, if I’m reading Dov Bear, or Orthomom, I have to hold off on reading the comments until I get home, by which point I’ve totally forgotten what was so interesting that it caused me to try for the link in the first place.
Once the productivity problem gets fixed, this will become a virtual non-issue, as I won’t be surfing blogs all day.
But until then, I’ll continue to combat the block monster, and savor the occasional victories.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

“What, I’m a loser?” (Shimon Peres asks the Labor Party central committee, and they yelled back a resounding “YES!” )

That’s great.
I only wish we could see that kind of thing in politics in this country, and I mean on the official level.
Hat-tip: Jameel.
He’s got more quotes, so go over and read the post.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I thought I was going to come into work and find that I would finally be able to be productive, but John can’t give me any details.
Oh well, we’ll try again another day, or wait another six years until things get worked into their final form.
At least something’s headed won the pipe though, which is a better prospect than I had last week.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

When I go into work this morning, I’m supposed to find out about the solution they’ve come up with to fix the non-productivity problem.
I think they’ll have me doing admin overflow work at first, which is fine with me.
Here’s hoping things don’t snag.
I hope to be able to post less from work, or at least have work-related stuff to post about, and post most of the news items at home, as it should be.
I had digital cable installed yesterday, (or at least, the cable guy brought the boxes by), and I’m switching to VOIP phone service as well.
Sprint really stuck it to me, and I’d like to be able to save some money.
It looks as though I’ll be able to pay only $70 a month for cable, high-speed internet, and phone service.
Not bad.
The VOIP guy’s supposed to come back out this evening because he had the router set as a bridge, so it wouldn’t get its own IP.
I should have all that working by 21:00 this evening, assuming everything goes well.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I talked to the detective responsible for arresting Michelle and her thug accomplices this afternoon, and he says they’ll be indicted in the next few weeks.
He says he doesn’t think it’ll go to trial, but I’m not sure if that’s because the DA’s going to give her another deal, or because the evidence is so overwhelming that their lawyer has convinced them they have no choice but to plead guilty and hope for the best.
I’m going to call the DA tomorrow to see if I can get some more information.
I sure as hell don’t think any of them should get a plea bargain after what they did.
Being robbed and assaulted like that has caused some huge problems.
On top of the wages missed due to having to take time off, I’m a lot more paranoid than I used to be, especially at night.
I’ll be glad when it’s all over, and the three of them are in jail for a very long time.
I’d love to put them under the jail, but that’s just not possible, and won’t be as long as we have a legal system that cators to criminals.
And I still wish there was something I could do about the company allowing her to come back and work after serving the sentence for the first time she robbed me, because I’m sure there’s something in the Code of Conduct that talks about being fired immediately if it comes out you end up in jail for committing a crime.
Oh well, at least she’s not on the streets.
Here’s hoping she doesn’t see them for a while.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I was in the breakroom a little earlier for lunch, and someone was microwaving chitlins in there.
Not only did it stink up the entire place, but since I was standing next to the microwave stand waiting for my own food to finish nuking, my shirt now smells like I imagine innards to smell like.
I don’t understand how people can eat food that smelly.
Not just once, mind you.
They had to cook it at home, and then bring some left-overs in and nuke them.
Jesus.
At least with other smelly foods like fish, you can really do a lot with it to make it taste good.
I wouldn’t nuke that either though, because it just wouldn’t taste good reheated.
And I sure as hell wouldn’t bring it into work.
I can’t wait to get home and bathe in some sort of disinfectant.
I’m definitely going to have to wash this shirt tonight, or it’ll stink up the rest of the clothes in the basket, as well as the rest of the room.
Stupid, ghetto rednecks.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

It seems I have a post that keeps being resubmitted.
I’ve deleted over one hundred instances of the damn thing.
God I hope that’s done with.
I don’t know what the hell caused it, but I’ve disabled the post-via-email script for now until I can figure out what’s going on with it.
Probably spammers.
Shoot them all.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I’m starting to get feedback from other blind and visually impaired users of customerservant.com, and it seems as if, though I’m used to dealing with sites that aren’t as accessible as I’d like them, and so I hadn’t considered that this one was a huge problem, it apparently is a huge accessibility challenge.
I think we’re going to have some huge problems further down the road, given that Web 2.0 is the latest rage, and it seems everyone wants to make their applications web-based.
I don’t see this going anywhere but more and more graphical, which will present problems for screen readers unless something comes up that allows for them to be a little more interpretive of dynamic web content.

Originally published at customerservant.com. You can comment here or there.

I can’t sleep, so I decided to get up, turn the TV on in the living room, and make rice crispy treats.
Not the usual thing you do at 3AM in the morning.
But I was going to do it later today anyway, and this just means they’ll be done cooling, and the chocolate they’re smothered in will be all nice and solid, and they’ll be sitting in the fridge tempting me to eat them.
I’ve managed to get some of my coworkers addicted to them, and I promised I’d make them some more this weekend.
And no, you can’t have the recipe.
The weather wasn’t bad here on Shabbat, although the mosquitoes were out in full force last night.
I ended up taking my dinner outside and eating it out there.
I made a tomato sandwitch and a salad.
I had forgotten how good tomato sandwitches were.
It’s been years since I’ve had one.
That tomato’s going to be gone in three days.
This week I should actually have a paycheck that’s very close to normal.
With the exception of coming in to work late two days in a row two weeks ago, it should be the full amount.
I had almost forgotten what it was like to see a normal one.
I still haven’t heard any word on what’s going on with my robbery case, but I’d really like to go and burn the jail down as long as Michelle and her hoodlum buddies are still in it.
I’ll feel a whole lot better once this goes to trial, and if they all get sentenced to forever in prison, and it’s done and over with.
Now back to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress.