Friday, September 23, 2011

Freaky Friday: Creepy Things People Do that Freak Me Out




Since the Alt-Tab seems to very strongly encourage bitching and complaining about any sphere of existence (with a heavy emphasis on office life) that pop into ones mind, and one of my strongest attributes in life happens to be combining both of those talents into scathing commentaries, this blog has been my proverbial megaphone for liberating my repressed thoughts.  On my old blog, I had a number of family members, old teachers, and neighbors read my pieces, so I had to monitor both my content and language rather carefully, an unwritten policy I was not particularly fond of.  However, since it is open game, I now move onto my next entry concerning the activities of the creepy fuckers who violate social deocorum that make me feel distinctly uncomfortable.  Again, I presume most people can relate to these scenarios, due mainly to the fact that I have ridiculous ADD/the attention span of Dory from Finding Nemo and if I can pay attention long enough to know something seems messed up, most others can as well.

The Bathroom Stall Peeping Tom
Whether it be at the mall, at work, or a bar when nature happens to call, all of us have inevitably been forced to use public restrooms to take care of business.  You find a nice stainless steel cube of solitude for your waste management activities and settle into whatever position/mindset you feel most comfortable in.  Then you notice a strange face briefly linger in that small gap between the door and adjoining wall before moving on.  Ok, just some rando getting intel on whether or not the stall is occupied, though the presence of my feet on the ground should have been a fairly significant giveaway, but whatever. 
For reasons unknown to me, some people don’t understand the concept of either “brief” or “single” glance.  Like half a second tops should be enough to let you know that you either need to find a vacant stall or clench your internal organs and fight the good fight against your internal waste for a few more minutes.  But these dickwads either continue staring or COME BACK for a second pass.  Like what the fuck do you have to gain by this besides incurring my wrath?  Is there something particularly compelling or arousing about watching me press out the second half of my Taco Bell value meal?  All you’re going to see are my pasty white thighs and probably a look of concentration on my face. 
I still dream of a day where a technological gizmo is installed into the door of bathroom stalls that determines if someone has lingered too long outside your rightful area which disengages the door lock and allows you to kick the door outward into the creepy fuckers face.  Serves them right, don’t interrupt my intestinal battle with your weird ass sexual fantasies.

The 3 Levels Deep Facebook Stalker
I completely understand Facebook is a breeding ground for both quick communication as well as passive aggressive-ism, especially as it continues to change (edit: imitate Google+.  Admit it Zuckerberg)  Nor am I condemning those who covertly wander through various profiles (creeping) since 95 % of people do it, myself included, and the other 5 % who say they don’t…well they just proved they are creeps AND a liars.
 Let’s face it, there are various categories of friends you have on Facebook; your actual buddies go would go out on weekends with, people you knew from a group project sophomore year, and those oddjobs who happen to have one of the most insignificant (like you were drunkenly introduced to them at a party then never spoke again) of the million possible connections to your life that caused them to request access to your friendship, yet you felt bad and added them to your friends list anyways.  These are the creeps I am calling attention to.  
Every now and then this event happens.  You’re chatting away with some of your buddies or looking at some new photos that were added, when OH YEAH, 1 new notification is up!!  You start to feel like a boss, telling yourself some good looking member of the opposite gender ‘liked’ your status or wrote on your wall, clearly indicating interest in your awesome-ness.   Then you realize it’s someone you BARELY even know commenting on something idiotic you added to Facebook 3 fucking years ago, rapidly deflating your alpha male vibes.  As if this wasn’t bad enough, it is usually accompanied with an inane comment like, “Oh, this is so cool!!”  Well, no shit that’s why I added it, to look much more interesting on a social networking site than I actually am in real life.  Not only have you taken away my moment of feeling like a baller, you have just made me feel extremely awkward. Though, you have also given me the opportunity to see how fast I can defriend you, which is always a fun game, so I suppose there is a silver lining in this situation. 

Overly Touchy Conversationalists
This isn’t the usual “emphasis with gestures” style of chatting that most Italians use to great effect.  I’m talking a near-to-complete stranger invading your personal bubble of personal space like a blood crazed crusader and sabotaging any feelings of comfort you might have had by wrapping a constrictive arm lock around your shoulders.  This can extend to anyone really: bosses much higher than you on the corporate food chain, the parents of the person you just started dating, and swindling mechanics convincing you of how “badly” your car is fucked. 
But the ones this piss me off to no end are the people who stand around college campus soliciting donations (edit: aggressively demanding payment) for whatever cause they happen to represent.  I’m all for donating to the reputable altruistic organizations like the Red Cross or various cancer foundations, believe me.  But I will usually do so on my own damn time and in whatever way I feel like.  When you inundate me with a deluge of statistics as to how awful the plight faced by those members of your cause REALLY face, with clearly fabricated theatrical displays of emotion, the only thing I want to donate to you is a swift head butt to your chin, Victor Ortiz style. 
The addition of the Python Grip mentioned earlier around the shoulders or quickly moving laterally to block my path all but ensures I will most certainly not donate your cause, I will actively sabotage your existence in any way I know how.  Like, there is a concept of a “bubble” because there is a very defined concept of personal space people like to maintain.  You touching me despite our lack of acquaintance is freaky to me, and incites every possible violent tendency within my body.  Maybe I’ll start raising money/awareness for a coalition of people like me that kicks those other people’s asses.  THERE’S a cause worth donating to if I ever saw one.

Random Thoughts And Opinions That Occur to Me From Time To Time


  • Has Northeastern ever played Northwestern in competitive sports? As the two leading intermediate directionally named universities in America, I feel they have a natural rivalry and obligation to compete with one another.
  • Why is it Christmas in July? People know this makes zero sense right? Why do we let it continue. It should definitely be Christmas in June, Christmas in June makes sense. This is incredibly confusing to 3rd graders and younger. Lets fix this.
  • I could probably win Jeopardy...I'd have to get a little lucky with the opponents and avoid too many literature or sewing categories, but its definitely possible for me to win Jeopardy. It's all about timing.
  • I'd definitely win at Millionaire...there's just no way you can lose, I'd probably only need one lifeline..I often feel as though they're purposely picking the people with the least common sense for that show.
  • That said, I wouldn't make it more than three questions in Smarter than a 5th Grader...I'm defintely smarter than those smug brats, I just can't remember all my cloud categories and I've always sucked at conversion tables...news flash kids, we're not converting to metric anytime soon and you won't need to know that.
  • I hate it when people sync their twitter and facebook accounts...Look, I don't want to get whatever that is mixed up with whatever this is, I just don't. Twitter= self promotion, news sources, and a chance to talk to famous people you'd otherwise be unable to. Facebook= updates on what kind of sandwich you had for lunch and drunk pics from the weekend. Lets keep these worlds separate people.
  • I've always said Catcher in the Rye is my favorite book...I'm not even sure if that's necessarily true, or if I say it out of reflex because its the only book I've read that I'm not embarrassed to admit...It's not like you can tell someone your favorite book is "My Booky-Wook" by Russell Brand, that conversation will end real quick.
  • In truth my favorite book is probably something by R.L. Stine, the man is a writing legend.
  • There's nothing I hate more than getting paired with a stranger in golf...I don't take the time of day to get to know my neighbors and I have to live next to these people, I certainly don't want forced conversation and silent judgement about my golf game from a complete stranger. I'll never understand why golf starters assume this is ok. No one on earth has ever wanted to be paired with a couple of rando's.
  • Invariably I'll eat the worst thing for my stomach on the menu at lunch...Build your own tacos? Yes Please! There's a fan on my desk, but the majority of the time it's not because I'm hot...lets just leave it at that.
  • Few things infuriate me more than the following: You're on hold with tech support/some kind of call center, you mute your phone and wait, Ranjit finally gets to your call, says hello, you respond but you're still on mute, before you un-mute your phone, Ranjit has hung up.  Ranjit, you do this all fucking day long, you're telling me you don't know whats going on here? You can't wait one second for me? I just held 30 minutes for you!
  • I love when alcohol is referred to as "soda's," though I've never actually said it myself, I just can't see me pulling it off. 
  • To escalate something means to raise it upward, when you're riding down on an escalator, this makes no sense. These should definitely be called delegators.
  • That's all for today, but I'm toying with making this a monthly thing, so feel free to leave me some feedback so I can tell if this format is appreciated or not.

It's The Alt-Tab's First Birthday!



Yep, its our 1st Alt-Tabiversary, and I'm certain no one is more shocked than me. When I bought the domain name a year a go I went with the 5 year package, instantly I had the buyers remorse. 5 years CW? 5 years! You've never stuck with a hobby for more than 4 or 5 months. Yet here I am, still blogging away, 1/5th of the way through my purchase.

Anyone looking for gift suggestions, please see our Shoppe on Cafe Press and buy a shirt, coffee mug, or bumper sticker.  I know they're over priced, but seriously, its our birthday would someone please buy something? Please? I mean, I was in the grocery store the other day and saw a special on Chef Boyardee, 10 Cans for 10 Bucks...I only bought 9, didn't think I could swing the extra can. I need to sell a shirt, come on guys.

A few stats from the past 365 days:

-1,248 Posts - 1 From that Bum PennyPacker, gift ideas that don't include buying over priced shirts could include taunting Penny on twitter @HE_Pennypacker1. I know what you're thinking...there's more than one HE_Pennypacker on twitter? Yea, apparently there is. I know, I'm kinda shocked too.

-178,041 Page Views - The majority of which are from the US, followed by Canada and the UK

-Countless sketchy looking Russian websites linking back to us - I still can't figure out what the hell these Ruskies' end game is, but they should know I'm watching them right back.

-1 Writing Credit in A New York Show - By far the highlight of my year.

- $87.03 - Amount earned from advertising...this number haunts me at night, you have no idea how ridiculous it is to be excited about having a good day when your site makes $1.00...it's not something I'm proud of. I really need to figure out how to monetize this thing.

- 0 - T-shirts, coffee cups, or bumper stickers sold at the Alt Tab Shoppe- Seriously, buy something, it's the sites birthday. Wear it ironically, I don't care, just buy something.

-1 - Extremely thankful and amazed blogger that people continue to visit this site on a fairly regular basis...It honestly amazes me, I'm flattered, and a bit astounded, people have a lot more free time on their hands than I could have ever imagined if they've managed to work my site into their daily routine.

So thanks everyone, and here's to another year.

Some of the Most Hilarious Office Place Notes Ever Posted


There's very few things I enjoy at my job, in fact, it's down to like 3 things; holding my title over people lower than me, the absurd amount of vacation we get (seriously, I got 30 days this year...30!), the fact that my office has a college type cafeteria, and office place notes. 


I love reading them, and I love writing them. I'm just a huge fan of the office note. I've left them on walls, computers, sinks, water bubblers, and of course, the fridge. 

I also strangely love writing one only to find it's been torn down and thrown out a few hours later, just fires me up to write another one, even meaner. In fact I think that's what drives me to write the notes...knowing that its pissing someone else off...its the bastard in me.  It's just not enough for me to vent to a couple of friends about various things, I need to publicly shame the offenders.  And even if I'm not there when they find the message, I still get the satisfaction knowing that they read my message and knew I was talking directly to them.

I also love that in a corporate work place, it's really the only way to truly gripe the way god intended griping to be. You can only trust your bosses or friends at work so much, at the end of the day they're co-workers and your competitors for promotions, salary, and power. You've always got to watch what you let slip, no inappropriate comments, only a mild amount of swearing, and everything has to be kept at a certain level of PC. But that's the beauty in the office note, you can say whatever the fuck you want. As long as no one sees  you taping that baby up, you're home free.

I once for a week straight hung up a sign on our water cooler that said "please do not place the tip of your water bottle to the tip of the nozzle, it's fucking disgusting, use some hand eye coordination."  Every day it was torn down, and every day I hung up a new copy.  I was like an anonymous hero to my group at work. Everyone talked about the person who kept hanging the note like they were Batman, a caped crusader fighting for justice, never revealing his identity...Well secrets out, it was me...and it was worth it, because I caught that person in the act. Saw them placing the top of the bottle on the tip of the water spout, saw them tear down the message, and then saw them look back at me, mortified that someone was standing there watching the whole thing...She was fired about a month later, completely unrelated, but bears mentioning.

So here's to you, anonymous office note, and your never ending crusade to fight office place injustices on behalf of the voiceless people.

Moneyball: I Can't Figure this Out, Is It Going to Suck or Not?

The true story of a team that lost in the first round of the playoffs...just like 4 teams do every single year.

So what does everyone think of the Money Ball Movie? Going to see it? Not going to see it? Could give two shits because you haven’t been to the theaters in years because of all the hoodrats and kids in oversized white t-shirts?

I’m completely torn on this, the sports fan in me feels I have to see it, it’s the first move made about the mundane details of a sport, no fairy tale story, no trumped up endings or events, just the in’s and outs of an everyday baseball front office. 

Which would be fascinating if it were a Ken Burns documentary that I could watch on PBS, but it’s not. It’s a Hollywood movie. It’s got Brad Pitt, a still fat Jonah Hill, and one of my all-time fav’s, Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Yet, despite all that, I can’t shake that this is going to be one hell of a boring movie. Like historically boring. It’s not that I won’t find the subject matter interesting; it’s just that in the theaters, I’m pretty sure the movie fan in me, who abhors boring and slow films, will win out over the sports fan in me. 

What’s the climax going to be? Winning the 2002 American League West…Umm, gee, great guys, go Billy Beane. Can’t be that, so probably the 20 game regular season winning streak, which while quite the feat, and entertaining while happening, is hardly the stuff of legends 9 years down the road. I’m fairly certain there’s not one person in America waxing poetically about the great summer streak of the 2002 A’s…not to mention the fallacy of giving credit to Billy Beane or his tactics of that time for making that streak possible. That streak was possible for 4 reasons. 1) Mark Mulder, 2) Tim Hudson, 3) Barry Zito, and 4) American League MVP Miguel Tejada. It’s not all that hard to manufacture a winning streak with the MVP and arguable 3 of the top 10 pitchers in baseball at that time. Trust me, Scott Hatteberg and David Justice were nice role players, but they didn’t win those 20 games. Which would also help explain how they were so successful with a middling obp for the year, but let’s not bother with that either.

So even if they decide to live the lie and pretend they rode obp (yes I know finding undervalued assets and not obp/ops were the point of moneyball, but obp was the undervalued asset of the day) all the way to the top…err, first round loss in the playoffs (Yayy!), what comes next? 

Just about every baseball movie I’ve ever loved has an after-word presented in text to let you know how everything finished up, what could this movie’s possible say? "Billy Beane would continue on as GM of the A’s, and despite continued reverence with in the game, would preside over five straight years and counting of teams that finished .500 or worse." "Scott Hatteberg went on to finish his career as a platoon/role player," "Jeremy Giambi gained infamy as one half of the most disrespected brothers in baseball history," "The A’s proceeded to see all 3 of their young aces move to other teams, without ever truly getting anything good in return"… That’s just depressing. 

So 600 some words on, where do I stand? Well, pretty much in the same place I started. As a sports fan, I’m probably going to go see it, as a fan of movies and entertainment, I’m sure to hate it. On a positive note, I’m tickled pink to get a chance to see Fat Jonah Hill one last time before we’re stuck with post gastric bypass Jonah for the next 5 years as he makes flop after flop and tries to prove he’s still as funny as he always was, only he never will be and ends up being a hanger-on'er in Adam Sandlers crew of washed up comedian friends…Just look at his buddy Seth Rogen…