Is anybody fooled yet?

Here in Georgia, the governor repealed the state tax on gas to give us hard working folks a break when we are filling up the tank. Well, the state tax goes back on in a few day at the end of September and they are already telling us to brace for a gas hike of about $.20 cents. They might have just as well left the tax on for the whole month, at least I wouldn't have to deal with the shock of having to pay $.20 more cents all at once.
The truth be known, is I haven't seen a reduction in gas prices since the hurricanes hit.
This winter they predict that heating oil might go up as much as %70. They predict that people will just have to pay it or turn down their thermostats. Well, they forgot about a third choice. Just can't afford it at all. I wonder if our elected officials will notice when we start finding old people freezing to death because they could afford heat. Or families dying from fires or smoke because they could afford heat and lit a fire in an unsafe fire place.
I grew up in the Midwest, and I know how cold it can get. We really need to find another way to fuel our cars and heat our houses.

Regular or High octane?

After two big hurricanes hit this country in the refinery belt gas prices are going to get nothing but higher and higher. I hate to pay for higher gas prices just like the other guy, but on the flip side maybe they need to stay high.
Here are some of the things high gas prices would force people to do.
Say goodbye to the gas-guzzling SUV. I've never really understood why a 110 pound housewife needs a Tahoe to haul around 1.5 kids to school, or buy groceries, or to soccer practice. Folks in Europe have been doing the same thing with smaller vehicles for years.
And why do we allow parents drive their kids to school every single day? I understand there are doctor and dentist appointments, but drive by a school one morning and there are two traffic control points. School buses and parent drop-offs. Put all the kids on the bus, let the parents know that they will not longer accommodate a drop-off point and see if there is a reduction in morning traffic. With high gas prices, parents might have a second though about having their kids ride the bus anyway.
People might get more exercise. With high gas prices they might walk or ride bikes to get around. With all the bike riders, city governments will have to plan new roads with bike or walk paths. I live close enough to my work that I could ride a bike, but as it is now, I would most like get run down. And maybe we will see a resurrection of the neighborhood store.
City governments would also be forced to plan better mass transit. Buses and trains to cover more areas. I ride Marta here in Atlanta, and I would ride it more, but it just doesn't go every place I go.
When employees start calling in to their bosses that they can't come to work, because they can't afford gas to get there, then maybe businesses will take a closer look at telecommunting.
And last but not least, maybe there will also be a resurrection of train travel. I miss train travel, the clackty clack of the tracks.
These are just a few things that I see..add some of your own.

Who you staring at?

I'm getting fat. When I was out of work and collecting unemployment, I worked part-time at an Office Supply Store for a while. I was always on my feet. Walking here, lifting boxes etc. It really kept my weight down. But now I'm flying a desk. I'm a computer helpdesk guy. I'm like a fireman, but not as dangerous. I only need to move when someone's PC crashes. So I started putting on weight.
I started walking after work. I have a little 2 mile track that is easy rolling hills, not too hot and mostly in the shade. The weather her in Atlanta is starting to cool a little in the evening, if you can call 89 degrees cool.
I was walking last night and this creepy guy in a beat up 70's mini van turns into the apartment complex in front of me and he is just staring at me like he knows me. I'm like I don't know, just drive on.
I get a little ways down the road and I hear this honk from behind me. Its the same guy and he waves at me this time. I'm like, huh..I don't know you and I don't wave back.
As I walk further down the road, he must have done a U-turn somewhere over the hill, cuz now he is coming towards me. He slows down and really give me a hard stare. I have sun glasses on, so he can't see my eyes. I do my best to just ignore him.
I'm at the corner where I cross the street and head back. This fool has turned around again and made one last pass past me. Another hard stare, another just ignore him.
That was the last I saw him. The road that I walked on has a lot of traffic so I wasn't really worried. Its just gave me the creeps and I glad he finally decided to move on, because I really didn't want him to follow me all the way home.

May I take the next person in line?

It never fails, when I'm waiting in line at a fast food place the guy in front of me decides to look at the menu over the back when he get asked by the over-worked minimum wage teenage girl what would he like. Never mind that he's been waiting in line for 5 minutes and could have looked at the menu while the counter help was waiting on the people in front of him. Besides, its a FAST FOOD PLACE! Unless he's been ship wrecked and hasn't stepped into a fast food place in about 20 years the menu never changes.
Its the same with ATMs. When I in a hurry it never fails the person in front of me act like he/she has never used technology before. The other day, the car pulled in front of me like they were in a hurry to get to the ATM. That's ok, they are in a hurry, in & out, but no. I see them fooling around with papers on the seat. The woman in the passenger seat see me and knows they are unprepared to use the ATM. She waves at me, in that universal sign language that says, 'wait, we are dumb asses, please give us a min" I see the guy licking an envelope, and finally he puts his card in the slot and finishes up. I was so tempted to honk, but they looked like the type that are carrying.
And why is the guy sitting at the red light in front of me picks the exact moment the light turns green to look for something under the seat.
Oh, hey, how was your day?

Where Have I Been?

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while. Don't know if there is anybody out there that has been hanging on my every word, but there really just hasn't been anything going on in my life. Its been wake up, go to work, come home, go to sleep and who wants to read that. However there has been a lot of stuff going on in the world. The war in Iraq is still going on, New Orleans was all but wiped out by hurricane Katrina, and Ophelia is churning up the Atlantic off the coast of N. Carolina. Here's a random thought, hurricanes are named with alternating male and female names in alphabetical order. Well between Katrina dn Ophelia we seem to be missing 3 letters. Wonder where those hurricanes went. I guess we could always blame the prez. I promise to write something in here a little more often. I could always complain about traffic.