petroleum paranoia

i have an interesting perspective on the "gasoline crisis". i am slightly biased, however, as i ride a motorcycle that gets a meager 46 miles per fallon, and i commute daily in a carpool vehicle that has been converted to run on vegetable oil. oh the wonder of creativity and ingenuity! (Interesting fact, if you didnt already know: Dr. Rudolph Diesel, the Bavarian refrigerator repairman credited with creating the modern-day combustion engine, was almost killed when his original motor exploded. He was also a millionaire within a year of being granted the patent!)

in light of my bias, and strong opinion about gas-guzzling vehicles, i am baffled. baffled that i still see Hummers (12-14mpg), Escalades (12-19mpg), and even Suburbans (a modest 14-19mpg) on the highway. i truly do understand the need for 3 and 4-person families to drive vehicles with seating capacities of 7 or 8. seriously now, come on...but what saddens me the most is that we hear of the crisis, and all those whining and moaning about it, and we see the prices and pumps bagged due to shortage, yet still we do nothing out of the ordinary.

i will say that i have noticed that mass transit numbers are slightly up. buses are packed and the light rail is "flourishing" (sarcasm noted). yet there are still countless numbers of single occupancy passenger vehicles on the highway every day. can we not pull ourselves out of our own little narcissistic world, unconcerned with the plight of others, or even how our decisions may affect others, long enough to think about alternative forms of transportation.

in my defense, i at one time drove a pick-up truck that was only getting 18-25 mpg, on the high end of full size vehicles if i may say so, but parked it in favor of a motorcyle. conveniently, i have wanted a motorcyle for as long as i can remember. now knowing that it helps the environment makes it an added bonus, and a little less narcissistic.

a toast...to Dr. Diesel...a pioneer!

birthday parade

After a 4 day campaign of birthday shenanigans celebrating the birth and life of my wife, commenced by a proverbial parade, life has returned to the mundane. Oh yeah, I contracted an upper respiratory infection just for poops and giggles. Not so mundane after all. Thats it for now...drawing a blank (which I coincidentally learned is called an idiom in the english language from a group of 4th graders). I am officially NOT as smart as a 4th grader.

day 2 and counting...

You would think I was going through rehab based on my title, and to tell you the truth, it kind of feels like it. I am attempting to fight through some deadly habits (i see watching life pass you by as pretty deadly), and the temptation to fall back is strong.

 As I observe life, mainly my own, I have deduced that it is easier to live while using "crutches" than it is to become strong enough to walk without them. For instance, it appears easier to live with an addiction, and suffer the consequential guilt and remorse, than it would be to break said addiction. And so the vicious cycle continues. 

Today is a good day though, and I am acutely more aware of my surroundings. Teachable moments with my students seem to have presented themselves much more readily today. I even think at one point that I found myself "caught up" in the moment, living for the moment even. I needed that deja vu moment, a brief "ah ha!" if you would, for tomorrow is another big day.

I face a crowd of 24 tomorrow and the traditional modes of easing public speaking anxiety simply wont work in this atmosphere. 9 year olds are vicious, 10 seconds of transition time being just enough for them to eat you alive. So I hope and pray that the few "teachable moments" (genuine teacher/student connections) from today will be enough to propel me through tomorrow. 

A toast: to new adventures, and possibly embracing failure!

(or...grabbing it by the horns and making it call you "Uncle")

thought I would give it a try...

As always, i am coming into my own technologically...just 10 years behind. I think I had a cell phone 2 years after everyone else. For the gaming generation, I just got an XBOX 360, 2 years after initial release, and its been about 15 years since I purchased my last system, a Sega Genesis (Remember Sonic the Hedgehog?!). HA!

So, I need a place to capture some thoughts. I have purchased a couple journals over the years, but never really follow through. I even picked up a beautiful leather journal in Venice about 10 years ago and I'll journal for about a week. Thats it.

With as much time as we spend on the internet these days, i think it may be easier to keep up this way. We will see...

I do know this, however: most days are over before they begin, and weeks fly by before I take the time to sum it all up, and by "it" I mean life and all that accompanies "it". I start to feel detached, and thats a scary thought. Days used to feel like years, and I miss the sanctity of how that felt. I knew that I had to make the best of each day. Now, from time to time, I find myself just praying to make it through the day, and that's a sad thought.

My best friend and I have been talking lately about losing our joy. Maybe this will be a way to recapture that feeling of truly living. Not just existing, but living. I have some amazing friends, an extremely loving family, and some other fairly monumental relationships to contribute to, and without a genuine internal joy, I have the potential to neglect them all.

So, a toast is in order. Here's to recapturing all that is beautiful, joyful, and enduring. Salud!

Jay