July 28, 2015

Welcome to the second edition of the "Payton Rant" blog. In this edition: * American Radio Relay League raises dues in 2016 * Public Figures and the use of Twitter * Thoughts on "Dexter", through the first six episodes of season three * Exercise American Radio Relay League to raise dues in 2016 The American Radio Relay League, abbreviated ARRL, recently announced they are increasing dues in 2016 by $10 to $49 a year. They gave a bunch of yada yada financial reasons for the increase. My question is what exactly members get from their membership. There is the "QST" monthly magazine. They do serve as an advocate to maintain Amateur Radio airwaves and I am grateful for. Yet, every time I turn around, there is a mailing either for their catalog or a begging mailing for their various funds. I am not in a financial position to pop out a check every time they need money. They have other ways to generate money. They have their various funds. They also have their online store. It is getting to the point that I may not be able to afford a membership. Not only that, sometimes I really wonder what we get out of a membership. Public Figures and the use of Twitter I have been on Twitter for five years with the user name ke4ole1. I used ke4ole for a while and jeffke4ole for a while. I currently use ke4ole1. The one thing I have yet to figure out is why public figures tell the general public to follow them and then have a disclaimer of, "just because you write, it doesn't mean we have to respond." Now, if someone is writing and is badmouthing a public figure, that deserves to be ignored. However, I see in a lot of cases that even questions are ignored. I want to ask public figures a question. If you do not want to interact with us who do not send insulting messages, then why broadcast your handle on Twitter? You can very easily select your account to be private so you can choose who follows you. If you want to ignore us when we send a message, here is an idea: don't give out your user name. I also understand if you answered tweets all day, that is all you would do. I get that, too, but at least answer those who do not insult you, pay you a compliment, or ask a question. That may be the honey you get more bees with. Dexter, season three As I type, I am through six episodes of season three. This season guest stars Jimmy Smits of "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue" fame, who plays Miguel Prado, an assistant District Attorney, whose brother is murdered. I am trying to figure out just what Miguel's deal is. Is he one for justice or is he one likes justice in his own hands. He also has another brother, Ramon, who tends to be a hot head with a bit of an alcohol problem. Also, Rita finds out she is pregnant. As you watch season three, it becomes more and more obvious that Dexter has no clue when it comes to being a boyfriend. He says he and Rita should get married because, in his words, "it makes sense". Rita put her foot down and said that it has to be more than sense to get married. Hew also said he wanted to keep his apartment after they got married. I agree with those who looked at him and was like, "why?" I agree that it doesn't make sense to keep the apartment after the wedding. Tonight I begin the seventh episode and relay thoughts on the rest of the season next time Exercising I put this rhetorical question on Facebook last week. What is with everybody's obsession over whether or not I exercise? I see a psychologist every 4-6 weeks who wants me to walk in my neighborhood. I already exercise three days a week as is. The recommended amount of time per week for exercising is 150 minutes a week. I get that much at the facility I go to three a days a week. I put my foot down and said to my psychologist I wasn't walking because they wanted me to. I am not breaking the law or any moral code simply because I choose not to walk. Exercising is something I have to do. It is certainly not something I enjoy doing. I contend that if I could live life without exercise, I would. To me, exercise is like going to college. You could enhance life by doing both but you don't necessarily need to do either to be productive. I just wish I understood everyone else's obsession over whether I do it. Until next time, thank you for reading.