What’s the best advice you’ve been given to deal with conflict?

What brings this post on today was the discovery by my BF of 10 floppy disks, stored in my drawer.  “Can I throw out these floppy disks that you have?”  My answer, of course, was NO.  He then told me that computers no longer have disk drives (duh) and that I should put the info on CD/DVD and get rid of the disks,.  He also offered to do it for me.  Now I am very aware that floppy disks are no longer used, and that new computers do not have drives for them.  I am also aware that this is an obsolete technology and that I should transfer the information to a memory stick or CD.  These disks contain old files, tax info from previous years, old business files, my book of poetry that only one other person has ever read, and really not things that anyone else needs to view or have access to.  I admit that they are things that I don’t need right now, but might someday (should I ever get audited, want to publish my book, review old documents, etc).  I also still own a desktop, that my assistant uses, with a disk drive, so there has not been a reason for me to convert the files.

The comparison to me keeping these disks in a drawer in my office area was that he should store his 4 summer tires (currently stored in a shed) in our basement (which is not really a basement, but the lower half of our home where our bedrooms and bathroom are).  This statement pissed me off and my reaction was as such.  Perhaps I shouldn’t have gotten mad, but I did and then proceed to tell him he was being an idiot.

There are two other things that I have kept that he does not understand why I don’t want to part with them: A small (10 L) rubbermaid container with VHS tapes (my Disney collection, movies & TV shows that I have been in and created, and a few of my favourite films) which I admit are an obsolete technology, but I still have a VHS player and do not have the funds to transfer to or replace them with DVD; and my collection of books, which are housed in two bookshelves.  I am an avid reader and I cherish my books.  I love the feel of turning the pages and I value each and every book I have.  It has always been a dream of mine to have a library or a least a wall of books in my office.  I know that there are new technologies where I can read online or download all the books that I want, but I’m not interested.  I take a book with me when I take public transit, I read at night before bed and I’ve even been know to curl up on the couch and read a book in an afternoon.

Should I get rid of these things and upgrade to new technology?  What’s your opinion?  I’d love to hear it.

So there is the end of my rant for Saturday.

Ok, so I’m not talking about Mall Rats but I am talking about Rats.  The kind that take your money and lie, or don’t perform the services you paid for.  The kind that book someone on an acting job and don’t pay for the work done (especially nasty if the person doing the work had to take time off their paying day job).  In this business of entertainment there are a lot of them.  So many in fact, that they could make up a whole industry on their own.  So what do we do about it?  Do I write about it on my blog?  Do I keep quiet and just let them get away with it?

I have half a mind to start writing a section to call out the rats?  Would this be a good idea?  Is it something that people would like to see?  I am just sick to death of having to deal with these assholes and then see that they do the same thing to the next person.  What do you think?  Should I really start kicking ass and taking names?  Or nameing names of bad businesses, people, etc.  I would love to call them out and I’m seriously debating on whether or not to do it.

I would love some advice on this.