More Journal

OK, so I looked over my past journal entries and realized that just posting five per day would take me forever to catch up, so here's five more:                                                            5/6/2004 

Recently a co-worker told me that she had heard a news story on the radio that claimed that hybrid gas-electric cars pose an electrocution hazard to rescue workers attempting to free accident victims trapped in them.  In fact, a quick search of Google News (as of this writing) using the words “Hybrid Cars” shows that five of the top ten “hits” are about this problem.
 
I can’t help but wonder how long it will be before I receive a forwarded warning from one of my internut friends telling me that if I support my local firemen, I will not buy a hybrid car! 
 
Gas-electric hybrid cars may be the greatest innovation in automotive technology since the assembly line.  Sales of them have increased exponentially every year since they were first offered.  And now, with the price of gas over $2 a gallon in many places, it only makes good economic sense to own a car that can average 40-50 mpg or more!  I firmly believe this overblown hysteria about the dangers of hybrid cars is the oil companies’ reaction to more and more people wanting a car that will use less gas! 
(yeah, no Entry for 5/7/04) 
5/8/2004
 
Cable.
 
Why do people want cable TV?
 
Whenever I think I might want to order cable TV, I go over to my dad’s house some Saturday or Sunday afternoon, and I flip through the 60+ channels on his cable.  That cures me of wanting it!
 
Seriously.  In Toledo there are about 6 channels that are viewable by regular antenna. There is very little to watch on these.  What is the point of paying an additional $40+ per month for 60 channels worth of nothing to watch?
 
Cable TV may be the single worst innovation to come by the way since sliced raisin bread.
 
On occasion, there is something on cable worth watching.  This is the exception, not the rule.  When 60+ networks are forced to come up with 24 hour a day programming, quality suffers.  I would be VERY happy if TV networks were required to restrict their programming to just a few hours a day.  Quality beats quantity on just about every occasion! 
 
5/9/04
 
Well, today is Mother’s day.
 
I personally haven’t had a reason to celebrate that day since January 11, 2002.  This is the day my mom died.  It is our family’s own personal September 11th.
 
It’s hard to enjoy the Sunday funnies when every other strip is something about M.D.
 
It gets even worse when I turn on the Sunday morning TV and see all the M.D. commercials. 
 
To top it all off, I’m sick!  I woke up with an incredibly stuffy nose, and it only seems to be getting worse.  It’s ironic that now that still winter is finally over, I catch a cold!  Where is the justice?
 
My sister is back from her vacation to the Virgin Islands.  I’ve often wondered about that particular name.  I mean, I’m sure it comes from them being a pristine, unspoiled wilderness when they were first discovered, but I seriously doubt they’re still the same way today… 
  
5/10/2004 
 
A quick quiz:
 
(all answers true or false)  (And TRY to answer HONESTLY!)
 
1) All Americans deserve quality health care.
 
2) Anyone, regardless of criminal record, deserves any gun they want, whenever they want it.
 
3) Someone who has more money than you should pay more taxes than you.
 
4) Letting low and middle-class working people keep more of their money makes sense.
 
5) People are free to say anything they want, even if you disagree with them.  You’re also free to ignore them.
 
6) Everyone has the right to their own religion, as long as they keep it to themselves.
 
7) What goes on in the bedroom between two (or more) consenting adults is nobody’s business but their own.
 
8) EVERYONE should enjoy equal protection under the law, regardless of race, creed, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc.
 
9) A woman has the right to choose what happens to her own body.
 
10) People in prison deserve nothing more than comfortable facilities and decent treatment.  They don’t deserve to live better than you do!
 
 
ANSWERS
 
All true except #2
 
How did you score? 
 
0-2:  Hello, Mr. Limbaugh!
 
3-9:  You are of the same mindset as probably 80% of the population of the U.S.
 
10:  How’s your new job at Air America Radio going?    
 
5/11/2004 
  
Thank God for Dilbert.
 
When I come in to my dreary job in the morning, I am met at my desk by my page-a-day Dilbert calendar.  This small gem of humor helps me get started in the morning.
 
It’s the little things in life that bring such joy.
 
I’ve saved a number of the “series” strips in my desk drawer.  Whenever I need a quick laugh, I pull one out and page through it.  While you may think this is wasting time at work, I consider it a more productive use of my time than, say, flying into a psychotic homicidal rage and killing my co-workers, the security guards, the state troopers, and anyone else who happens to be in the building.
 
Not that I’ve ever thought about doing that…
 
Hey, smile!  No matter how bad things are, they can always get worse. 
                                                             
(no more today.  More entries to follow tomorrow)