Questionable Internet Behavior?

Mr. Rant and I had a chat this evening over questionable internet behavior. The thing about internet is that it leaves access to gray areas that could or could not be questionable depending on the relationship of the person.

That then goes directly into the "privacy" aspect of internet and relationship. What can a partner read and question without getting the response of "Did you go into my account?" Is it ok for a spouse to enter your account? Is it ok to do questionable things under the umbrella understanding that one won't use the known password and check on the other?

I have always felt that, seeing Mr. Rant has all my passwords, he will one day check up on things. Personally, I call it healthy curiosity instead of prying. But let's be honest, we all like to pry. We want to know the dirty secrets of the person we are with, even though the person we are with isn't supposed to have any dirty secrets.

At the same time, how boring is it to not! My solution, to have dirty secrets with the one you are with! Oh the ideal world I live in.

In all honesty though, it comes down to perspective. And in the internet society we live in we have to have perspective. I'm sorry but at one point or another your significant other is going to either 1. download more porn than you are comfortable with 2. overly compliment someone else to a point that you are not comfortable with 3. have internet sex or 4. try internet bestiality (sheep are getting crazy smart these days).

So where is the line? Is it password use or activity? Is it communication over lack there of? How much contact are you comfortable with you spouse having? 

Metric system and Paris: That's just wise

I was reading a fellow blogger's post about what they would tell their 16 yr old self. Forgive me, but I forget who it was. If you know tell me so I can shout out.

Anyway, I can't just talk to my 16 year old because the rebellion started much sooner in my case.  While I don't believe in regret, I do believe that hindsight is 20/20 so here we go.

I'd first go talk to little Miss 3rd grader Rachel.  She refused to memorize the metric system.  I asked my teacher: "Why do I have to learn about meters if I use feet and inches?"  My teacher responded "In case you live somewhere else."  I replied, and I remember the exact moment as I was biting myself in the ass "Why would I live anywhere else?!" Well there you go little Miss 3rd grader Rachel. You live in Brazil. How do you like the metric system now?

Next is Spanish in the 8th grade. I was like, "Whatever. I'm an 8th grader. I'll do what I have to to get by. Why are people trying so hard?!" I got a C. Took me forever to learn crappy Spanish in High School. I didn't have that base for Portuguese. Hello 8th Grade Rachel, any 2nd language would have been awesome. Grow up.

I land in University and have credit to burn. I took 3 dance classes.  I so should have dropped one for a language or a history class. Maybe I could have taken cooking or geography. I don't know but 3 dance classes was a bit excessive, even though I burned so many calories that I could drink like a fish and eat like a sailor.  Hey, it was college.

At one point in University, my roommate bought a ridiculously cheap round trip ticket to Paris with a mutual friend.  It was something like $400 but I didn't have the money. She told me to charge it. I thought that was irresponsible. You know what, I still don't have that money around and I missed a trip to Paris with 2 girlfriends. Should have gone. College Rachel, don't save and go on trips.

Early 20s, I freaked out when I came to Rio and had to stay with my husband's Portuguese only speaking family. I was insecure and used it for evil instead of good. I was afraid that my husband of 6 months would decide we didn't match because I didn't blend right in with everyone and speak their language. To compensate, I shut off, pulled away, and argued with my husband. Yeah, that does not make things easier.  In retrospect I was crazy. At the moment I was just confused, sad, lost, and overly sheltered.  Learning is a bitch sometimes. Best to come into it with an open mind and thicker skin.

I also could have started to blog sooner! I have met so many people in my position now that I have a blog. It also works to start reading blogs. Get out there on the internet.  There are people in your spot, feeling what you are feeling. You just have to find them.

That's pretty much all I have.  I think that for 30 years, it's pretty damn good.  I've obviously made other mistakes in my life but I feel they were necessary. How else does a person learn?

Now the ones above, those were just stupid.  How about you, what stupid choices does your retrospect focus on?

Out of Control

My Sindico (spelling?), basically our building manager, is out of control. Well, not really out of control but not under control.

We were notified the day before yesterday that the lights would, once again, but turned off all day.  Keep in mind that the day before yesterday notification was posted after 9pm. I'm in hibernation mode by that point, just trying to get the little monkeys down and get some alone time. I'm not cruising the elevator looking for notices.

So I was notified yesterday. Now here's the issue, our emergency lights in the stairwell die after 3 and a half hours. Say what? That's just plain stupid. And you need power back on to charge them again. I talked to my building manager about this and he said that it's just how it is. I asked him if he really thought an emergency in Rio de Janeiro could be handled in under 3 hrs. Hell no! You can hardly get an ambulance in under 3 hrs!

And let's not talk about the old people in this building. Of course they all live on the upper floors.  We're risking hip breakage with every step down those stairs. But no, we could not rent a generator.  Too expensive. But have I mentioned that he has spent building money on new mail boxes. There wasn't anything wrong with the old one. A customized doormat, new doormen uniforms, tinted front windows on the building, water pipes, new intercoms, plants, handouts on how to save water... daily, etc etc.

I almost distributed handouts on how to save paper just to annoy him, and to point out how obnoxious his handouts are.  His are especially annoying because we are supposed to save water but he has the doormen spraying down the sidewalk in front of the building and outside the gate daily.  Heard of a broom much? And the other doorman makes extra cash by washing cars in the building. Bye bye water.

But he does do good. He deals with the crazy upstairs neighbors. Actually, he deals with the complaints from other people about the crazy upstairs neighbors.  We sometimes get concerned about their safety when we hear things being thrown. My building manager has a strict, and very unBrazilian, it's none of our business standpoint. I'm sure that has benefited us on numerous occasions.

So I will, once again, be AWOL today. I'm already going through withdrawals. Is it just me or has someone sucked all the internet... I mean oxygen out of the building? 

I will be ok! I'll take it one hour at a time.