Ya know, 2008 hasn't started out as well as I wanted it to. I was really looking toward the new year to be better than 2007 and it certainly isn't living up to the expectation. In fact, 2008 is turning out to be worse.

I got another ticket in February. It was for "speeding" (going 45 in a 40 zone) and I got "popped" in the exact, I mean THE EXACT same place I got popped the first time. Now I owe $651 in traffic tickets and I assume I have two moving violations on my DMV record which is going to make it impossible to find affordable insurance. I don't have to go to court this time though. I can just pay through the L.A. Superior Court website. Convenient, isn't it.

The Signal Hill Police Department is on my hit list. Long Beach Cops are pricks, but they have better things to do than give out bullshit tickets. Maybe it's because Signal Hill is the size of two city blocks that they feel the need to give out numerous traffic tickets for no apparent reason. Why that "city," and I use the term loosely, even has a Police Department I will never know. Now I take the freeway to work and back every day. Fuck taking the streets.

On another annoying note, I got some bullshit scam letter in the mail today from some con shop calling themselves: Check Processing Bureau Enforcement Division that claim I owe $140 on a bounced check from some pizza place I've never heard of. Number 1, I don't write checks. It's all about the debit card or cash. No. 2, I would never order $140 dollars worth of pizza from some delivery place. If I need that much pizza, I haul my ass to Costco and buy like 4 or 5 of their gigantic pizzas in the deli section. Fuck paying a tip and delivery fee. I can bake that shit myself.

Considering that I am still highly pissed off about being scammed by my own city (as far as I'm concerned Signal Hill is a glorified neighborhood in Long Beach and traffic tickets are indeed a scam by the city to line their pockets) I decided not to stand for that shit and reported their assed to the U.S. Postal Service for using the mail to defraud the public. Why these people aren't arrested and out of business by now anyway is something I don't understand. Apparently they've been doing this shit since 2006. My complaint to the postal service is below. I sound so snooty, LOL.

"A company by the name of Check Processing Bureau Enforcement Division has sent me a letter threatening legal action if I do not pay them the amount of $140 for a supposed bounced/fraudulent check that was written to a pizza delivery service (South Bay Pizza) that I have never heard of. They calm that the "issue" was first sent to a collection agency that "made" several attempts to resolve the matter before it was turned over to them. They are threatening civil and/or criminal action if I do not pay them immediately. I've researched this "company" online and many people in various states have received offensive letters and harassing phone calls from this company claiming that they owe money on bounced checks that don't exist. From the sound of the letter this company is attempting to sound like a federal agency and is using the U.S. Postal Service to send fraudulent and harassing letters to people in an attempt to scam them out of money for unpaid debts that are not real. They should not be allowed to do this. I ask that the U.S. Postal Service look into this matter and hopefully take the appropriate action to cease these fraudulent letters from reaching me and others as well as pursue any legal/criminal action if warranted."

See, I'm really hyped up about this. This seriously chaps my ass and I'm totally serious when I say I want them to pursue criminal action against these guys. I was lucky just getting a letter. Some people are actually being harassed over the phone by these people repeatedly, and who knows how many poor fucks fell for this shit and sent them money on something that was/is a complete lie. I really, really want to see these con artist and others like them in jail. Everyone is already having enough trouble keeping their head above water in this economy. We don't need evil bastards like these stealing from us too. We get enough of that at the gas pump.

*Sigh* I'm so bitter these days. I wish I could relax, but I can't. Maybe putting up a new layout here will help, but I can't do that until I take care of some other things. I DO have plans for this site though. Tons and tons of plans that I need to find the time to work out. If I didn't have to work I could do it. Having a job sucks.

This is the funnest blog I've found in a while. Hilarious....

Everyone either knows, has worked with, or IS this white person. It's time for you to laugh at yourself.

Traffic court sucks and I never want to go back! Ever!!

That's what happens when you live in Long Beach. There is a cop waiting around every corner to give you a bullshit ticket so they can fine you exorbitant fees for something you didn't even do and I'm not kidding when I say I DID NOT BREAK THE LAW OR DESERVE A TICKET!!! That fucking cop was just trying to make his ticket quota for the month and it's a genius system too! Even if you are found not guilty for the offense you STILL have to pay some sort of fee for something. Not only do you get the fine for the ticket, but you also get fees from the court and the state of California, so even you go for the long haul and prove that you got ticketed wrongfully; you still have to pay something. It's a fucking racket!!!

Anyway, I got my fine reduced and have three months to pay or I can do community service, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $40 just to be put on a list to do community service and then once that's done, pay the court another $20 for the "convenience" of the whole thing. The reason I asked for that shit was BECAUSE I couldn't afford to PAY THE FINE... FOR SOMETHING I DIDN'T FUCKING DO!!!!!!!!

*Takes a deep breath* so I've decided to pay the reduced fine and be done with it. It will take me like two months, but I'll do it just so I don't have to see the inside of that courtroom again and you know what... that's what those greedy bastards were counting on.

I'm finally from under a paid web project I was working on and it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I'm not going to go into it or anything, but now I'm finally free to do what I want, when I want and not have a deadline looming over me. It's quite nice.

Anyway, this means that I can finally start work on a new layout for SS.Com and I can crank out the next chapter of "This is Absolution." I've written a bit on it already, but I find I'm having trouble working out how Chase and Claudia should act now that she's in Massachusetts to visit him. I didn't think it would be this hard but apparently it is. I figure I should just step back and give it a rest. Maybe I just need a break, but I also think I should go back and read "Proof of Life" and get back in touch with the characters. That always seems to help.

We are only 11 days into 2008 and already it's started off with a bang. Britney finally got committed (if only for a day or two), Obama won the democratic primary in Iowa (although he lost Super Tuesday to Hilary), and I've managed to get through three full eight hour shifts at work without getting seriously ill and feeling like I'm going to die. Things are already looking up.

I was going to write about all the above shit, but somehow I always find an excuse not to. I'm just so fucking lazy. I would have made a new year's resolution to stop being lazy in 2008, but I was too lazy to do that, so you know...

Anyway, joined last.fm recently and I must say I have weird taste in music and speaking of music, there is a music themed meme below that I got from Kayleigh. I was bored so I thought I'd try it.

The Lyrics Meme!
Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line(s) from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly (No lyric hunting! That is cheating!)

1. These are my confessions. Just when I thought I could say all I could say, my chick on the side says she's got one on the way. These are my confessions.

2. I'm holding onto your rope, got me ten feet off the ground. And I'm hearing what you say, but I just can't make a sound.

3. Some boy you are to take me by the hand. Through an elevator, got a little red light that tells you, boy, where the razor's been.

4. You simply defy, I cannot even move through the sky. We try it single file; take on me, hate is my denial.

5. Notice me, take my hand. Why are we strangers when our love is strong, Why carry on without me.

6. If you're looking for me I'll be on the block with my thing cocked back possibly sitting on a drop now. Because I'm a rider.

7. So if you're lonely you know I'm here waiting for you. I'm just a crosshair; I'm just a shot way from you.

8. I'll leave it all up to you girl, I'm I hitting it tonight? I'm gonna leave it all up to you girl, you're gonna break the ice.

9. Saturday night and my head is spinning. I wondered whose heart I've been sinning for.

10. It's Britney, bitch. Every time they turn the lights down, just want to go that extra mile for you. Public display of affection, feels like no one else in the room.

11. I've been gone for a minute now I'm back with the jump off. Goons in the club case somethin' jumps off.

12. I dig my toes into the sand. The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket.

13. Who could be the boss, look up to the cross stranded in the land of the lost?

14. I gotta ask myself what's it gonna be, babe. Am I gonna save myself, what's it gonna be?

15. Listen to me. I've been around the world, seen a million honeys. Been with special girls. Gave up my time and money.

16. Little blue mailbox, wonder if you'll have the next letter. Little blue mailbox, wonder if you'll ever make me feel better.

17. Tell me what kind of girl would want to play me. Tear me down and try to break me. Baby how could you betray me after all I've done for you.

18. I'm telling you to loosen up my buttons babe. But you keep frontin'. Sayin' what you gonna do to me, but I ain't seen nothin'.

19. The night I laid eyes on you. Felt everything around me move. Got nervous when you looked my way, but you knew all the words to say.

20. 6'oclock in the morning. My head is ready to explode. I can't believe I made it home alive. I don't remember where I went or what I was drinking. I know it made me sick and I'm not denying that I get this way when I try to get over you.

It's been a while since I've posted as usual. I think that not much happens in my life which is why I can't seem to get it up to write an entry every day. But I guess that's my own fault as I don't put myself out there in the world like I should.

Anyway, went to see Tool at The Nokia Theater on Monday. It was an awesome fucking show; much better than the one I saw at The Staples Center back in September of 2006 which was the first time I had ever seen Tool. My sister bought tickets for my birthday that year and since Tool is one of my favorite bands, I was stoked.

We had better seats this time and Nokia is a smaller theater which houses about 8,000 people so it was way civilized, plus I had money this time (as I have a much better job) which always seems to make things more enjoyable even if you don't spend much of it.

I do have to say that Tool is just an incredible band. They're as close to purity in music as you can get. There's no pretence of ulterior motives to what they do. They just want to make music that is meaningful without being pussy about it and that deserves respect.

They've been around forever so I can't really add them to music section, but I may still upload some of my favorite Tool songs as people who haven't heard of them (which is insane because they're famous) can check them out if they're so inclined.

As far as the lackluster droll of my life goes, I'm getting really irritated with people's expectations of how I'm supposed to handle my diagnosis of diabetes.

In fact, I'm sick of writing about it and more sick of talking about it, but my family seems to think that I'm blowing the whole thing off (which I am not) and being an incompliant patient and that shit is so untrue. I take my fucking medication and I am very aware of my medical condition; I can't fucking avoid it, but I'm not going to let it define me as a person. I'm not going to fucking walk around with a stamp on my forehead saying type 2 diabetes and I'm not going to walk up to every person I meet on the street and say, "Hi, my name is Tiffany and I have type 2 diabetes." People don't need to know my business unless I tell them that shit and I'm not going to walk around with some badge of shame because of it. For a year I was sick without knowing it and managed to go to work and live my life. Yes, I've made changes and need to make more, but I'm not a fucking cripple and I'm not going to let people talk to me like I'm a child and treat me as if I can't wipe my own ass.

Of course, my mother in particular, thinks I'm being completely irrational about the whole thing and I should just shut my mouth and be pathetic, but that's always been our problem. She doesn't know how to get the fuck out of my business and let my handle my shit on my own. Why is it so hard for her to understand that she needs to BACK OFF?

*Holds hand up dismissively* don't try and answer that. I know you don't know I'm just throwing the rhetorical question out there... It's just very frustrating.

Hmm, I've sat here and written a venomous rant on my blog but it hasn't changed my situation. I still have the same problem I had ten minutes ago, but I have to remind myself that that really isn't the point of this blog anyway.

Just typing out my issues isn't going to solve my problems. However, it DOES help me become aware of them and at least plant the seed of solution in my head.

I feel like I need to write something, but to no one's surprise, I have no idea what to write.

I suppose it's the anticipation of the winter. I have all this holiday vacation time spread out before me and as always I want to make the most of it and use it to get my web stuff in order... however, that never happens. I end up wasting the time away sleeping or watching pointless things on TV when I could be spending that valuable time coding something.

I hate coding.

I used to love it because it made me feel accomplished, but when you look back at the past and realize you've been doing this web design thing for going on ten years, you understand why the act of typing html code doesn't have the same warm and fuzzy feeling it used to. Not to mention that I'm a dinosaur compared to the new blood on the net and my html is proof of that. I find myself on the tail-end of the cutting edge, trying to fully understand xhtml, div layers, and code validation.

I feel defunct...I feel out of date and spoiled like something that needs to be flushed down the garbage disposal.

It's amazing to me how fast this year has gone by. Not that I'm complaining or anything. I've had many shitty years and this one is going to go down in the record books as the worst yet. Everything has been a struggle, I've gotten nothing but bad news, the road has gotten rockier and I know there is a lesson to be learned, there always is, but I can't seemed to fucking see it. I desperately look to 2008 to be a better year and get me back on track. It's undiscovered, so for right now it holds nothing but the brightest possibilities and I need that if I'm going to keep on keeping on.

I think some of my ho-hum attitude stems from my struggling with Chapter 11 of This is Absolution. It was so easy to write Proof of Life; the words just poured out of me, but this one is really hard. Maybe it's because it's not just about Chase and Claudia anymore. I have a slew of characters that need to be fleshed out and an intricate plot that is developing and changing all the time. I know that once I get Chase and Claudia in the same room together things will get easier, but it's killing me to have to write about the other characters and move the plot along without sounding forced. It's not that I don't like writing the other characters or that they have no importance to me; I just know Chase and Claude so well... It makes things difficult.

Anyway, the plan is to get the chapter online by Thanksgiving Day or the day after and add some new content here. I'll also continue changing the site html over to xhtml as I cannot stand not driving or at least being on the bandwagon with all the other web children.

I'm a sucker for conformity.