I don’t often write rants. In fact, I’ve only written 2 rants tagged as that, but I’m going to be frank and honest as I always have been on this site.

I was fucking annoyed today.

Annoyed with what? Almost everything to be honest. I try not to let the “bitters get me down,” but I just have to vent and I’m going to do it in this long post and be done with it and then return to my “how does it get any better than this right now” thoughts.

Let’s start:

– NHL Lockout
Get your shit together boys. I’m SOOOO over the we’re doing it so the fans, the players, the teams, the owners crap. Example: “We’re looking for a long-term deal that’s fair for the players, fair for the teams and good for the fans. That’s what we want out of this negotiation and we need a negotiating partner to get there.” ~Bill Daly
Let’s be honest boys, if it weren’t for the fans who spend their hard earned money, you wouldn’t have hockey related revenue to talk about because there would be no HRR to argue about. That $100 million you lost in pre-season money you’re not going to recoup is because NOT ONE SINGLE FAN COULD GO TO A GAME and buy over priced concessions, righteously expensive domestic beer, their umpteenth jersey, rally towel, and high priced nose bleed seat three inches from the ceiling. (Note, we never really complained too much about those prices, we bought the tickets, the merch, the beer, the food, etc anyway.)
But hey, I’m not expert in business or finances but I do know that without us hockey fans, you’re playing in front of empty seats in an empty arena.

– Election Year
Friends, family, strangers, & the drunks at the bar: I don’t care what you think. Your views are your views. My opinions are my opinions. You have yours, I have mine. I will more than likely respect you more if you don’t get me involved in politics.
And if you’re going to ask me how I feel and what I think, then here are my opinion on the following:
Women’s Rights:
-It’s my vagina and my reproductive system, stay out of it unless you’re invited to come have a party in it or I asked your opinion. Until a man carries another living being in him and pushes it out of his body, then you don’t know what it’s like or what it feels like to be pregnant, to consider abortion or not consider. You don’t have to deal with the bullshit from society, the trauma, the emotions of making a very hard decision of having, keeping, raising, or giving up a child. I think abortion should be legal. I would want my nieces and myself to know all of our options if we ever had to make a choice and that includes abortion and all the alternatives to abortion should be available to us.
-Rape is rape. There is no such thing as involuntary rape. Period. End of Story.
-Women who do the same amount of work should get equal pay as men in their field.
Marriage & Family Equality
-If you love someone, you should be able to marry them. Black, white, gay, straight, transgender, whatever. If two hearts want to become one, I’m proud that you found someone you want to share the rest of your life with. Love is love.
-Gays, lesbians, and single parents should be able to adopt children just as easily as married straight couples. They provide loving and caring homes for children just as well as straight married couples.
          War & Military
-I don’t believe in the war. I don’t support the war. I do support our troops. I have a dad who was a Vietnam Vet and had a grandfather who fought during WWII. They defended our freedom, I support them.
          Presidential Election
-I didn’t vote for Obama in 2008. I voted for Clinton. I think Romney is a rich moronic businessman that will run the country into the ground. I’d rather vote for Michelle Obama than Barrack Obama.
          Taxes
-There is no excuse why someone who makes less than I do should pay more than I do in taxes. I don’t make a ton but a single mom of two who’s making five grand less than me shouldn’t be paying more than me, and if you make more than me, you should be paying more taxes than me.
          Health Care
-Everyone should have healthcare, free or affordable. Insurance companies should not be allowed to deny coverage because of cost, medicines, surgeries, etc. I go to the doctor twice a year. Once for my yearly gyno visit and once because I’m forced to go for insurance purposes and I pay a crap ton of insurance that I never use each year. Doesn’t make sense at all.
          Education & the Arts
-Seriously, do we need to really be called Dumb Americans by EVERYONE on Planet Earth. Educating our young should be a no brainer. Making sure those less fortunate have equal education is also a no brainer. The more we better ourselves, the better we can help others.
-Arts – as a creative person and as one that thrived in that area of school, it’s important to give kids a creative outlet. Let them channel that energy into creating new and exciting things that make the world a better place.

• Negative People
  We all complain every now and then. I get that and I’m not even talking about that moment we all succumb to that momentarily whoa-is-me-my-life-sucks-because-I-got-caught-doing-a-fifty-in-a-thirty. I’m talking about the people that never see the bright side of life. The ones who complain about everything under the sun: I hate my job, I hate my co-workers, I hate my pet, I hate my friends, I hate today because it was shitty, I hate green, I hate yellow, I hate working out, I hate my body because I don’t like the way it looks in the mirror, and so on.
  I tell my family and friends I weed my garden of life from negativity on a regular basis. I hang out less and less with people I find negative, oppressive, and that bring me down. I unfollow Negative Nancys and Negative Neds on Twitter and Facebook.
  Me telling a person they are Negative doesn’t really do anything. Most Negative people don’t know how to be anything other than Negative. They will never have anything nice to say about anything or anyone and if by some miracle they do have something nice to say, it still somehow comes off as a negative remark because their attitude is so negative. They don’t understand that their negative just amplifies and creates more negativity in their life.
  Life, jobs, co-workers, family, friends, health, situations might suck, and I wish the Negative ones could look at the lives of others and ask themselves this about whatever is sucking, is it really that bad? Really? Someone, somewhere is way worse and has a shitter day, life, moment, experience than me.
  Every moment I start feeling whoa what a day, moment, feeling, I am reminded of this tweet by Kevin Kindred Japanese nuclear worker on the news: “I am prepared to die to avoid meltdown.” Say it with me–I will not complain about my job today. 
       I will not complain about my life today: I am alive and breathing, how does it get any better than this. 

– Corporations
We are a corporate run world and I get it, but it doesn’t mean I have like it. As a corporation, I don’t think you should spew hate and negativity.
Chic-Fil-A might be a Christian faith based corporation but spewing hate against gays is not cool. I respect your right to be a Christian and respect your views that you think gay marriage is wrong because you are allowed to have your own opinions.
However, because I do respect that you as an individual and as a company have an opinion doesn’t mean I support your business.
As corporations, you have the ability to create positivity and positive momentum in the world. I feel you are responsible to take five steps forward, not five steps back.
Do good people. Let’s change the world!!

– Not Standing Up for What is Right
I was listening to NPR yesterday and it reported that the Boy Scouts of America would turn over the names to law enforcement of those being accused or have confessed to molesting scouts. I really couldn’t believe they wanted to hide that information, but then again as we have learned from the whole Penn State fiasco, secrets never stay hidden.
Why would any adult in their right mind want to hide the abuse of a child? Physical, mental, or sexual? You as an adult can give voice to those that are too frightened, too ashamed, too abused. Why would you make a choice to maintain silent?
I don’t get it. There is only one choice: stand up for what is right. If anything should ever happen to either of my nieces or any child I know, I would be grateful for someone if they spoke up because of something bad that was happening.
If someone sees a crime being committed, they should report it and if at all possible, help the victim. Helping someone across the street, carrying a bag of groceries to a car for a new mother, holding the elevator door open for someone rushing in…simple…do what’s right because standing up for what is right will never be wrong.