Blast From The Past!

I'm making a pictorial history of my cars to someday share with Gibson.

(Went to the Kickapoo County Fair today, there was a tractor exhibit - I didn't know there used to be a tractor company named Gibson!)

And I stumbled across this picture.

It needs a roof rack, of course. Fold down the back seat, toss some suitcases down, and some blankets, and you have appropriate sleeping quarters for two 5 year old boys!

Mom used to leave for Merced from La Cueva with 20 bucks, we'd drive to Kingman, pay $6 for a Motel 6, and then drive the rest of the way to Merced. Figure about 50 mpg with gas at $0.29 per gallon, and it's about 7 buck for the gas to go from La Cueva to Merced!

Holy Cow!

Granola bars, potted meat, Vienna Sausages, and those chewy stick things that sort of remind me of tootsie rolls but not really. What the heck were those?

Turns out I've owned (at least in part) 20 cars (except 3 were motorcycles). :)

Spend a Few Minutes Getting To Know Each Other

I just came across a couple songs I REALLY like and I wanted to share them. I think its time we start another thread for music tastes... so we can all benefit from the different paths we are on.

Here's #1: Roisin Murphy

The song called "Overpowered" is a very nice blend of electronica and pop with a hint of the stuff I love about Bjork. YES, I love Bjork.

And # 2: The Ting Tings

The Ting Tings - first off I like it from the name of the band, but then there's something cool about a song they have called "That's Not My Name". For one, it seems to be structured perfectly (which really means nothing to me since one of my favorite songs is Angels & Airwaves "The Adventure" and I suspect they tried to follow no structure.)

So how do you participate by putting snazzy links in?

Add links like this:

So what do you think of Roisin and Ting Tings?

Why they Say Freedom is Hard

For a long time I've been a libertarian, maybe even so much as "Objectivist". Not that I object to everything, but that I agree with a lot that Ayn Rand writes about. (more on that in another blog).

I don't know why, but I have a hard time picking a side in the debate about an "official language" of America. ((I do believe that American English would be a difficult "official language" to manage based on the fact that it is the most flexible language and is literally changing every day.)) WARNING: this blog is not about Zenophobia or legal vs. illegal immigration.

On the one hand, I like freedom enough that I truly feel that no one should have the right to tell others what language to speak. Even further, would we ever want to punish people for speaking the wrong language? And what about dialects? What about English people speaking English? Or Aussies? I sure know I don't want anyone telling ME what to speak and by extension, I wouldn't tell anyone what to speak. Plus, I always kinda figure that the invisible hand of the capitalist market will make sure there's always a shopkeeper able to speak my language. ((this is an old debate, but a local LEGAL immigrant radio DJ named Bill Handel hade a new take: let 'em speak any language they want, but believe me, if they want to be doctors, lawyers, or scientists, they'll learn English, too))

On the other hand, America has successfully grown for centuries because all of the wonderful people coming here in the past have added their knowledge to our society, which requires that we be able to communicate. In the past, Immigrants have come to America in small enough waves that the society could absorb them while allowing them to integrate and also remain themselves. So maybe there should be an official language.

But recently I got the honor of spending an hour in a LA courthouse for supposedly driving 86 mph in a 55 Zone. ((Damn those 55 Zones!)) It was an hour in court because I spent 3 minutes in front of a judge and 55+ minutes listening to the same "instructions" in English and Spanish.

So by my estimate, NOT having an official language ((where else would you use it if you didn't use it in court?)) cost me about 27-30 minutes. By my calculations, that half hour is worth about 25 phantom bucks. ((Wherease the three minutes I spent NOT driving 55 mph turns out to be worth about $361.))

So I lost a half hour, my company lost $25 of my productivity, and the other 100+ court attendees lost some time, too.

But since I hate to lose and I hate to waste, I listened to the Spanish part of the tape, trying to turn this into a government subsidized Spanish lesson, decreasing my losses.

Furthermore, during the Spanish part, the guy next to me lamented that he was in court for missing a previous court date for a jay-walking ticket and now, all told, he was going to pay MORE for jay-walking than I did for NOT driving 55 mph. The dude was like 50+ and didn't know where he was going to get the money...

And perhaps that was the most valuable lesson I was able to get during that "no official language" timeout: that I'm glad I don't STILL make dumb-ass mistakes like I did when I was 20 ((like not going to court and turning a tiny fine into a big fine.))

So no matter what language I have to use, I'll keep trying to see the message put in front of me.

I had this, once...

For 21 days one summer, with thrills galore, and a lifetime of heartache, and the biggest lesson of all:

Make sure you have insurance.

1986 Suzuki GSX-R 750R (Limited Edition). 55 imported to North America (one for each state, 5 for Canada). The guy who sold it to me said he kissed the ground every time he got off of it. I kissed the ground the last time I rode it, through the chin guard of my helmet.

I wish I had video of that wreck, maybe it would keep me from wanting another motorcycle!