by Pamela Grundy

Created on: December 24, 2007

This weekend my partner and I found ourselves without electricity for a day and a half. To my surprise, I enjoyed it. Time seemed to actually change, both in speed and in quality. The day felt longer, I got more done, I felt more relaxed, I read half of a book I've been meaning to look at for months: Barbara Ehrenrich's Bait & Switch. I got to thinking, why is it that being cut off like that from TV, news, computer time, and convenience felt so good? And then I remembered all the things I hate about the world we live in.

Here are 10 of them:

#10) Phone menus and 1-800 customer disservice numbers. I actually work for a 1-800 customer service call center, the second in six years, and I can tell you without the slightest bit of guilt or hesitation that such places exist to make you go away, preferably after wringing more money out of you. Basically, I am a human punching bag and a valuable employee as such, because I shield the executive tier of the corporation from distasteful contact with actual customers. I also provide a ready reason for corporate failure: It's not bad decision making at the top (i.e. making subprime loans, bad investment vehicles, horrible products only slightly less horrible than the competition, bloated CEO salaries), it's me. I am going to the bathroom .35 seconds on average more than the allotted time. Henceforward: no potty breaks on company time.

#9) Brokerage Commercials. Come on, how many of us have investments large enough to require professional management? Hardly any of us, that's how many. Fifty percent of American families make under $30,000 per year. Commercials for brokerage firms, investment management firms, online stock trading sites, and so on and so forth, only serve to make we huddled masses yearning to be free even more huddled and more miserable.

#8) Prescription Drug Commercials. My favorite parts are the long, speedy, under-the-breath disclaimers at the end: "Soma is not for everyone. Some users may experience indigestion, vomiting, hallucinations, naked sleepwalking, bleeding from the eyeballs, seeping skin lesions, halitosis, anal leakage, and heart failure. Most side effects have been shown to be mild and manageable. If you experience any of these, contact your doctor...And do ask if Soma is right for you!"

#7) Payday Loan Companies. I remember when these places were freelance and the individuals who chose this occupation were called loan sharks. About fifteen years ago they suddenly popped up on every corner. I guess

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