Put DOWN the cell phone!

While it seems simply horrifying to imagine living B.C. (you know, Before Cell phones), the fact of the matter is that things were a whole lot more pleasant. With the onslaught of advancements in cellular technology and more cell phone shops than Starbucks around town, young people in Sacramento seem to have lost their manners! Unfortunately, we can’t create a total ban on cell phones, but in the meantime take note: here’s some simple etiquette to remember.

There aren’t too many things more frustrating than being stuck behind someone who is so involved in their phone conversation that they feel the need to walk two steps per minute in a crowded walkway or drive five miles per hour on the Capital City Freeway. And somehow, inevitably, it’s always when you’re in a hurry. Whether it be in a busy airport or driving during rush hour traffic, hang up the phone or be subject to angry expletives and lots of honking. Help contribute to the smooth flow of traffic and call them back later.

At campuses all around town, it seems that a good portion of students are afflicted with Too Much Information syndrome (also know as “TMI“). These are the rude people that feel the need to broadcast every insignificant detail of their lives to everyone within earshot and usually can be found in lines or waiting rooms where other people can‘t get away from them. Somehow the second they open their Motorola Razor, their voice amplifies by about 3,000 decibels. By the time they’ve hung up the phone you know just how many Mai Thais they drank last night, who’s tongue was down who’s throat at Mandangos, and you can now recite their entire grocery list. If you must talk in front of others, pretend you’re in a library and keep your voice to a 12-inch volume… if anyone really cared about your weekend, they’d ask!

Onto another important matter… cell phone headsets. While Bluetooth ear pieces and other hands free headsets are always encouraged while driving, it seems that some people are taking things a little too far.

Walk around town and it seems that there are a lot of 20-somethings who think they’re so important that they need a phone in their ear 24/7. Get real! Not only do you look like you’re talking to yourself (which is creepy), but is it really that hard to hold a cell phone? Plus, we all know that no one’s calling you besides your mom and girlfriend anyway… is a headset really necessary?

Onto the big daddy of them all: text messaging. Text messaging seems to have replaced talking almost entirely. Mass texts of “what are you doing tonight?” seem to go out by the hundreds on the weekends and it doesn’t even seem that crazy to text message your boss that you’re running late instead of a courtesy call. The worst of all? Text message breakups! How insensitive can people be?

In a city full of people who always seem to be in a rush, don’t forget that face to face interaction is still an option. Give your thumb a rest!

It’s not fair to complain only about the consumer, however. Cell phone kiosks and retailers in the malls should get some manners as well. There’s nothing more jolting than strolling along the Galleria and admiring the window displays when a obnoxious man yells, “Hey! What cell phone service do you have?! Can I talk to you for a second!?” These guys need to get a life and stop disturbing the peace.

While the convenience and benefits of cell phones absolutely outweigh the positives,
it really just comes down to this: either hang up the phone or get out of the way and shut up!

Look Officer, No Hands!

On a recent drive to work, I found myself the epitome of every annoying driver on the road. I was yakking away on my cell phone, catching up on last night’s gossip, while switching back and forth between bites of my hot pocket and sips of my Starbucks mocha, even taking time to brush the crumbs off my lap. It was when I glanced down and realized that for a brief second neither of my hands was touching the steering wheel when I realized…I had reached an all-time irresponsible low.

The alarming reality of this scenario is that it mimics many other drivers on freeways and streets all over California. Cell phone use is the No. 1 cause of accidents caused by distracted drivers. But are you really that surprised?

That is precisely why every Californian should be praising the lawmakers for the recently-signed bill, SB1613, prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving unless they are used with a hands free headset or a Bluetooth device. Beginning June 1 2008, all drivers in violation of this law are subject to a $20 fine for a first-time offense and $50 fine thereafter.

But many are scratching their heads and wondering why it took so damn long to enact the law in the first place! The issue has been inching its way to the governor’s desk for the past few years and is long overdue. Countless unnecessary fender-benders and even fatalities due to careless motorists could have been avoided if the ban had been put into action earlier.

There is minor opposition to the passing of the bill…but of course. There will always be a few Debbie Downers trying to bring down something that benefits so many. However, it’s hard to understand why anyone would argue against a law that will potentially save lives and save many drivers from headaches resulting from accidents. Maybe those voicing out against the bill are the chronic cell-phone users that the law is targeting.

There are also a large amount of cell phone users whining that they are practically being forced to go out and purchase a new accessory. But these people will probably be thanking the same lawmakers they are cursing when traffic flows just a little more smoothly on their 5 o’clock commutes. While drivers can still yak all they want, at least they will no longer be performing a juggling act between their oversized Blackberries and adjusting their AC and radio at the same time.

Some cell phone companies, namely Sprint, are worried that cell phone sales might suffer but even more see this as an opportunity to pump up car accessory sales and fully plan on taking advantage. Most people in this state can barely survive without their cell phones and will hardly get rid of their beloved technology. This means that most cell phone service providers and retail centers will have to stock up on handsets to prepare for the rush.

While this is definitely a step in the right direction, more can definitely be done. Holding a cell phone is not the only thing causing accidents.

If lawmakers wanted to take things further and get really serious about making roadways safe they should pass a law enforcing a ban on makeup application, text messaging, and cheeseburger eating among about a billion other things. And nothing is more frustrating than having to honk at the frazzled mom in front of you because she’s too busy screaming at her bratty kids to notice the light turned green.

However, until Californians are all ordered to become bicyclists or pedestrians, this is definitely one thing the state has done right.

Where have all the cowBOYS gone?

Take a moment and transport yourself to the 50s. The ideal man was rugged, manly and was ready to take on the world in a white t-shirt, distressed denim and a letterman’s jacket. Cigarette in their mouths, flask in their pockets, these were all-American men. Not that alcohol-guzzling and tobacco-consuming makes someone more masculine, but you get the idea.

Jump to the present day and take a look around Sacramento and the result is alarming. The city is plagued with an entirely new and alarming subculture: the Metrosexual man.

You’ve most likely had an encounter with more than one. Their designer jeans are more expensive than their girlfriends, their 100 dollar t-shirts have more rhinestones than any teeny bopper’s, and they look as if they spent the past 48 hours getting ready.. to run errands. No, that’s not a purse they’re wearing, it’s a Louis Vuitton “man bag”. Where have all the men gone?!

There’s a difference between daily grooming and over-the-top maintenance, but this group seems to have blurred the line between the two.

Women might be partly to blame. Men are repeatedly subject to the women in their lives begging them to cut their fingernails, put on a clean shirt, and wear some jeans that aren’t eight sizes too big. But it seems as if they’ve taken it about 3,000 steps too far.

The media might be guilty for this outbreak. Billboards and magazines are infiltrated with ads of androgynous humans that look scarily all the same. Pencil leg jeans are practically painted on men and women’s fashion proudly encourages menswear styles. And they might as well throw a lacy corset and fishnets on a Dolce and Gabana model.

If you haven’t yet had a meeting with one of these well-kempt men, look no further than any fitting room or makeup counter in a local department store.

It used to be girls lugging piles of this season’s must-haves into the dressing rooms and spending hours involved in impromptu fashion shows for their friends. Saunter over to the men’s departments and the same can be seen. Salespeople have to reassure “guys” that yes, their butts look fine in the boot cut True Religions and yes, that Affliction shirt compliments your skin tone.

Impatient shopping partners must endure indecisive males who can’t decide between two pairs of jeans because one pair has a green tint to it and the other has better stitching. Plus, they are worried that their purchase might go out of style so they might just want to wait for the new ones to come out next week. Are these guys for real?

Move a little further over to the cosmetics counters and Metrosexual almost crosses the line into full-on females. If a male can apply makeup and sell perfume better than his associates, then so be it and more power to him for his amazing talent. But men actually wearing layers of foundation, more mascara than Tammy Faye (rest in peace), and platforms higher than the girls at Centerfolds? It’s really no wonder our world is so screwed up.

The situation isn’t completely bleak, however. It’s great that men feel so comfortable that they can express their femininity and partake in conversations where they once stood silent with gaping mouths. Plus, it is just a little refreshing to see a man that takes pride in his appearance and isn’t so manly that he can’t trim that mass of hair on his chest. Menswear divisions all over are rejoicing at the sight of their skyrocketing sales.

And hey, if you can share jeans and hair products with your boyfriend, at least you’ll both be saving money right?

Would you like a side of bad attitude with that?

Just take one glance at a picture of a service station from the 1950s and it’s no wonder why everyone was so damn chipper. Beaming attendants would rush out to arriving cars, often weary from long car rides, and fulfill the car’s every need. Windshields were cleaned, the tank was quickly refueled and the tires were filled with air. All of this was done while the satisfied family sat in the car, not needing to move a muscle.

Imagine this scene taking place now and it’s hard not to laugh. Yeah right! Times have changed and it’s hard to find good service anywhere. Sadly, amazing customer service is the exception rather than the norm.

It would seem fair that paying outrageous insurance payments every month should guarantee you not only peace of mind but outstanding customer service. But let’s get real here. If an experienced teenager swerves into your lane unexpectedly, smashing in the front of your new (and beloved) car, get ready for frustration on a whole new level.

Being involved in a fender-bender is stressful enough, but dealing with the service of claim agents who are supposedly there to “help” brings forth a whole new wave of inconveniences… and if it’s a dispute over whose fault the accident was, you’ll most likely receive the worst customer service ever.

Expect a game of phone tag to last approximately forever between not only your insurance company but the other driver’s as well. If you’re in the “good hands” of Allstate, get ready for a letter in the mail saying “you’re dispute is being processed” instead of a return phone call, complete with an auto signature at the bottom. Makes sense; who has time to sign their name anymore?

While the powers that be are trying to decide who’s at fault, you get the privilege of driving a wrecked car around with absolutely no sympathy from anybody employed at the aforementioned insurance companies.

From there, you will most likely deal with a rental car company and a body shop where all of the employees seem to hate their jobs and make you feel as if it was you that filled out their job application and managed to get them hired. Would it really hurt anyone to smile and genuinely mean “have a good day”?

Bad service doesn’t only plague automobile companies. Try to flag a sales associate down at Macys and see how far you get. Or try to order a Dirty Martini from a bartender at a crowded bar and consider yourself lucky if you get as much as a nod. They can get a better tip from the hot guy ordering a round at the end of the bar.

It’s disheartening that this is where service is heading but just look on a local CraigsList job listing and it seems to make a little more sense.

With the cost of living sky-rocketing more and more everyday, shouldn’t employers pay accordingly? Wages are usually offered at 10 to 13 dollars per hour, and that’s with job experience. Forty hours a week will give you around 1600 (give or take) a month, which is barely enough to survive on.

A lot of the disgruntled employees that seem to enjoy making consumer’s lives miserable are just actually just stressed about how they’re going to make next month’s mortgage payment. Combine low wages with a lack of emphasis placed on the importance of good service and it’s a recipe for not only failure but angry customers.

So what’s the answer then? Employers should get back to the basics and mimic companies such as Nordstrom that have a reputation built on excellent customer service. They must be doing something right; the Nordstrom brothers might as well have dollar signs tattooed on their foreheads and their employees are always (genuinely) smiling.

Even if the customer ISN’T always right, is it so hard to fake it?

Exhausted and Hungover... but at Least They Have A's!

On a typical Friday night in Sacramento, from Old Roseville to Downtown and everywhere in between, the bars are usually crowded with college students. Shots of yummy poison are downed, bar tabs add up quickly and there’s always a feeling of excitement and crazy carelessness in the air.

Fast forward to Monday morning and a harsh reality sets in. The same students that were pouring vodka tonics down their throats and partying until the sun came up are now regretting their decision to forgo sleep and studying for a weekend of fun. Sleep deprivation and a hangover set in and it’s a race to complete last week’s reading assignments. Hilarious pictures were taken and unforgettable memories were made, but is it worth the constant fatigue and stress?

The dilemma of balancing a social life and school is one that many college students face and exhaustion seems to be a rapidly-spreading epidemic. Just take a walk around Sac State on any given day or hour and you will see hundreds of students with a death grip on their iced white mochas, caffeine the only thing helping them sleep-walk through law classes and fraternity meetings.

While this state of exhaustion isn’t unique to Sacramento by any means, the importance of partying and good times seems to be promoted more often than in surrounding areas. A new bar, club or lounge seems to be popping up on every corner of downtown every month. It’s hard to focus on school when the week’s parties are strewn across the ground and under your windshield wipers on postcards in addition to being broadcast all over the radio.

To make things even more stressful, many students have to balance part-time or full-time jobs, sports, children, volunteer work and Greek activities alongside their academics.

“I know that I shouldn’t go out as much as I do but I work about 40 hours a week and have school, homework and fraternity events. Even though sometimes I’m so exhausted that I pass out in my second beer, looking forward to fun times with my friends keeps me going,” said Christopher Berry, a junior Business Major at Sacramento State.

One reason many students feel the need to spread themselves so thin is attempting to become the ideal 20-something. It’s not enough to be a responsible student and work enough hours to eat and barely make the rent. Gone are the days when “student” is an acceptable profession.

Many students hold sales or real estate jobs on the side to pay for expensive car payments, weekend trips to Vegas, and ridiculously expensive nights out to local bars and clubs. Forgoing a flashy ride and a social life to hit the books has become a the exception rather than the norm.
It seems to be an evil cycle that just keeps spinning. By the end of the week, you’re so exhausted that all you can think of is closing your eyes and curling up into the fetal position in your bed.

You’re driving home, in anticipation of some much-needed REM sleep, when you hear your cell phone ringing. All of your friends are meeting up at the Park (the lounge on 15th and L, not the one with swings) and want you to join; they won’t accept no for an answer! That’s when the reasoning starts in your head: maybe 5 hours of sleep is sufficient; class doesn’t start until 10:00 anyway and an hour is definitely enough time to write the final draft of a term paper.

Who needs sleep when there's so much fun to be had?