JUST SOME POSTS

I just returned from a road trip vacation. I covered a large portion of seven states and a bit of two others in seven days, for over 2,500 miles. I did a significant portion of it alone, and the rest with my mother, sister, and her eight (almost nine) year old daughter. It was a very nice trip. I will admit it was too much driving, but then I like to drive. One of the things I was thinking about on the day long trip through three states getting home, was some truisms or laws of travel. This is what I came up with. FYI, I am not basing this exclusively on this trip. I have logged a LOT of miles over the years, both work and leisure related. (in no particular order) 1) the restaurant, gas station, etc you really want is always on the other side of the divided highway 2) urine production is correlated directly to the availability of restroom facilities 3) the lowest priced gas always occurs when you have no need of fuel     subset - the...

A couple of posts ago I wrote about the irritating (at least to me) actions of members of Congress who can hate any idea that is brought up by the other party. It can be an idea that their own party championed earlier, but is now being offered up by the "bad guys" so it is automatically evil and something to be railed against. That phenomenon made me think of a similar thing that is happening with the voters. I am not claiming it to be a recent affliction, but it has grown in intensity for sure (as has all vitriol surrounding politics of late). It would be humorous if it was not such a serious matter, but I am amazed at the intellectual dishonesty by the critics of George Bush and his "Big Brother" tactics against terrorism when compared to their comments (or lack thereof) on the current administrations policies and actions. Bush was protested against, publicly vilified, and otherwise deemed to be Moloch incarnate for having the NSA/CIA/intelligence community trac...

I have not done these in a while. (if you are interested, there are three or four others back a few years) HEADLINES, said to be REAL! With my comments - Woman Missing Since She Got Lost Sun-Times Media Wire It always has to start somewhere!  ( alternatively) Of course, prior to that, no one was looking! Man charged with exposure at Northgate Mall after showing 'glistening white buttocks' timesfreepress.com Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? Drunk parrots acting up and falling out of the sky in Austrailia (again) metro.co.uk cracker heads   (or alternatively)   Crackers are a gateway drug   Man learns life lesson in naked fight with javelinas The Arizona Republic Some of lifes best lessons may be learned naked . (FYI, a javelina is sort of a wild pig-like critter) Cops: Woman had 81 lbs of junk in her trunk WWL Radio / freerupublic.com I am sure she is aware of it, no need to point it out! (alernatively) She's just big bon...

People, we have a real problem with our government. I can see a lot of you clicking away - "He's getting political again". BUT WAIT - READ ON. This not specifically a political problem, at least not a political problem specific to one party. We have a systemic and pervasive problem with our elected "representatives" in government. It affects the government at all levels. It is much more of a problem as you get farther away from the voters - ie Washington vs your town hall, but it is a problem everywhere.  It is to the point now that if you are a member of one party, anything a member of the other party comes up with of any significance is said to be wrong. I know this is a bit of an overstatement; but I submit, not much of one. There are still a few important issues that are worked on in a bipartisan manner, but not many and usually not by the "leadership" of the parties. As I said above, this is not a Republican problem nor a Democrat problem. Both ...

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of watching a cashier self-implode. (OK, not totally "self", I was involved!) I had bought six 2 liter soft drinks. She was bagging them. She had done the first two - two to a bag, then double bagged it. She complained - "Man I HATE working with these drinks and bags! They don't cooperate at all!". I said - "Why not just put one to a bag, and not double bag?" Her answer - "We are required to put two to a bag." My response (ever trying to be helpful) - "If you put one to a bag, and then DON'T double bag them, it will be the same number of bags; and even the same weight per bag." Her - ????????????? (I could hear the wheels turning) "...but we have to put two to a bag." Me - "I guess it is better. Carry on." Now, what is scary to me about this is twofold - 1) she obviously had no concept of what I was saying 2) it might be policy, which means some "manager/...

I have written some about this in previous posts, but I think it deserves additional attention. It is amazing how true the axiom of (paraphrased) "repeat a lie often enough and it becomes an accepted fact". Said with a different slant it applies to names, titles, and labels. For example, it is in my lifetime that swamps disappeared. WHAT? - you might exclaim. I know swamps. There are swamps near me. Au contraire mon frere. A swamp is now a WETLAND. We did not learn about wetlands when I was in school. Preserving the wetlands was not a requirement or even a wish. It was all about draining a swamp. Swamps and wetlands are homes to mosquitoes and other nasty insects. However, no one will donate money to save a swamp. Legislation to save the swamp is not a headline grabber. Therefore they became a wetland. Now we save them. (I understand that there are ecological and biological benefits from "swamps". I also understand that if I have an acre of my property that is alm...

I am amazed at how we Americans work so hard at vacationing. It has become a contact sport! I have made the trip to Florida quite regularly over the past 40 years. In fact I am writing this from just outside of Orlando. I am always amused at how people, especially those with kids, react and interact as they approach vacation nirvana. One can tell how close one is to the "vacation capitol of the U.S." by the expressions and actions of people at rest stops, fast food restaurants, and gas stations along I-95. As you get to southern Georgia the people are wound as tight as a drug addicted lab rat working for his fix. Eyes glaze over, tempers flare, smiles become those forced tight lipped things that do nothing but make you appear like you have lockjaw. The least little thing will set one of these traveling wonders off - "Where the HELL are my FRIES?" "This DAMN pump won't take my card!" "Get the homeless dude off the bumper". Nerves are a fra...