The area of North Texas that I live in has received more rain this Spring than at any other time in my history. Every day it has stormed, and every day the rain has become torrential.
I took my daughter to work at six this morning, and a huge storm hit, so I decided to wait it out before driving home. Nothing feels as lonely as to sit alone in a car in the dark with the rain so thick that it could be a car wash cascading down, and the wind shaking the car with a feeling that it might move any moment.
All I dreamed of at that moment was to be in my room under the covers.
There are two benefits of this rain and one is everywhere outside is beautiful green on the ground. The second benefit is delicious thunder that rattles the windows with its sonic boom (when at home). These are cheap thrills and don't cost a penny. What better way to spend a stormy night in bed listening to the wind, seeing the flashes of lighting while waiting for the thunder that is soon to follow, yet knowing that all is safe and warm exactly where you are.
Now it's all over and the terrible heat of summer will soon be upon us, and I'm going to miss it, and when the temperature keeps rising, I'm going to long for it.
I don't watch Family Guy, but I think it's funny that there is a man on the show that always says, "you know what grinds my gears?"
I know how he feels since there are many things in this world that make me feel the same way, and a big problem I have are traffic lights. Those dastardly evil lights that rule our world by commanding and prohibiting our freedom to move.
I actually love traffic lights because I've seen the chaos in other countries where large intersections are insane without some kind of order. Please watch the video before you continue to read.
I know the video is moving faster than normal, but still it must be insane, since many cars are not even in their proper lanes. I would be terrified to drive through there, and would look for a different route.
There are two problems I have with traffic lights, and the first one is the moment we look around and no one is moving. There may be many cars on each side of the intersection, yet we are all held against our will in what must be insanity.
Of course, each time I wish I was the one moving, but I would be happy to let anyone go, and not make us wait as if the light is playing a cosmic joke on us.
The second problem is when a light stays on it's regular cycle, even though it's 5:30 in the morning, and I'm the only car there. Yet, I must wait for all the lights to change to green before it comes back to me. The lights near the freeway can be excessively long, and it just doesn't make sense, that there isn't sensors in the road to change during off peak hours--from ten at night to six in the morning.
Besides all the wasted time, my biggest pet peeve is the gas that is wasted every day. So I decided to try to find out how much is wasted by idling frivolously at traffic lights.
I really haven't any idea what the correct mathematical procedure would be, but just as Hercule Poirot uses his little gray (brain) cells, then I decided I would try to find out by using mine.
I found out there are 253 million cars in the US, but only 210 million drivers, so let's just say 200 million people are driving on a Friday--it might be last Friday or this coming Friday, but just Friday will do.
For every two minutes our cars idle will be equivalent to driving one mile. That is what the experts reported on one website I found. Whether it is correct or not I'm not sure, but in the absence of any other amount, I will use these numbers.
So on this particular Friday, 200,000,000 cars are driving up to traffic lights, and each one idles in one of my scenarios above. I'm only going to have them over idle for one minute, which is equal to 1/2 mile, so each car is wasting 1/2 mile of gas by the lack of improper light usage.
I'm choosing that most cars average 20 miles to the gallon at around three dollars a gallon, so that is 1/20 a gallon at 0.15 cents. I think that most cars faux pas idle more than a minute a day, but we will go with just a minute anyway.
So 200,000,000 cars divided by 1/20 is equal to ten million gallons of gasoline every day, which I don't want to know that equals in one year.
In terms of of money that is 0.15 times 200,000,000 equals 30 million dollars.
I'm terrible at math, so I' sure that I'm off by several zeros, but even if it's much lower, shouldn't we try to make all the lights work more efficiently to save our dependency on other countries.
Please help if you can understand math, and have a formula to let me know if I'm correct or if you even agree with me about over waiting at lights which causes the over idling of our cars.
John Lennon said, "Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives....." I'm not sure if this is true, but someone needs to come up with a better idea than the same invention that is almost 100 years old, or at least improve the quality of the device. I guess that is all I have to say about that.
"I get no respect" is a one liner that the comic Rodney Dangerfield always delivered in his stand up act. Many people today can feel that same lack of respect in our everyday lives when we don't agree with popular opinion. ---To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater. Bono--- I recently read The Handmaid's Tale, and as usual, I read several commits about the book on Goodreads before reading, and was shocked by one comment in particular. ---I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me...All I ask is that you respect me as a human being. Jackie Robinson--- The writer believes that Hobby Lobby and the Tea Party are mirror images of the Taliban, and writes in a way that if everyone doesn't believe her then they are wrong. She also believes that Hobby Lobby will not let their employees receive any type of birth control through their insurance. She believes that birth control pills are not offered either, which isn't true. I commented and put a list of the fifteen birth control items the employees have to choose from(everything that doesn't induce abortion). Immediately, she wrote me and told me she blocked me from writing in her comments, and told me she was right and I was a Troll, which amused me beyond measure, since I've never been called a troll before. ---Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized. Albert Einstein--- She believes in so many ideas that are expressed full of hate, rudeness, and the inability to see the other person's side. The sad part is that she received hundreds of people who stated they agreed with every word she said. I love Goodreads, and since I read a great deal, I go there almost everyday. I believe that the site has many intelligent people, so I'm surprised that so many would associate themselves with someone who has no respect for people who don't agree with them 100%. ---A person's a person, no matter how small. Dr. Seuss--- Does she have a right to believe the way she does and to write about it? Yes, but the way she does so is indicative of the total lack of respect that many Americans give each other in today's society. If someone believes differently than ourselves and tells their views without hatred, judging, bitterness and disdain, then I believe we owe to ourselves to listen. It doesn't mean that we need to believe the other viewpoints, but we shouldn't just shut them out. ---It takes no compromising to give people their rights. It takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no survey to remove repressions. Harvey Milk--- Everyone has a belief in today's top issues--abortion, welfare, gay marriage and the list goes on and on, but a good debate team listens to the other side with respect, and tells their views with respect. Doesn't everyone deserve the respect of being heard and not judged? Of course, as long as no one is hurt. ---Love thy neighbor as thyself. Jesus---
So to end this blog, I would like to add that we should all just stop judging others, but that is a blog for another day. ---Here are the values that I stand for: honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated and helping those in need. To me, these are traditional values. Ellen DeGeneres---
If you name a TV show, any TV show, there is a huge possibility that I won't like it. Almost every show on Hulu might be one that I can't or won't watch, so many times I end up watching my favorites on Netflix.
If enough time has passed, then it feels as if I'm meeting old friends after many months or years. Today, I started Eureka again on Netflix. At one time Netflix had all five seasons, but now only seasons 4 and 5 are available. I felt quite dejected when I realized I couldn't watch it from the beginning, but as I contemplated my sadness, I felt comforted by the thought I've seen the first three seasons many more times than the last two. So as I began to feel better, I remembered how much I love this show, and it's still number one on the list (Fringe is second).
I know that it's true love when I see such fault with a show and love it anyway, and Eureka has many faults. Every week there is a catastrophe in which one or more of the cast members or the entire town is building up to a point of death. All the scientists are trying their hardest to come up with a solution or cure. Sheriff Jack Carter says something in laymen's terms, and helps the scientists see the problem in another light. Then Carter must risk his life to follow through with the cure, by going right into the middle of the problem. Later, everyone sees each other at Cafe Diem and all is alright with the world.
It's a silly premise, but the actors just make it work. I would love to live in this town, but you must have a PhD to do any job, even lowly jobs such as dry cleaner, chef or dog catcher.
The biggest plus to residing in the town is Cafe Diem. All the food is free, and Vincent (who has a PhD in molecular gastronomy) can make any food that is asked for. I'm not sure I would or could ever leave the building. I must go because my old friends can't move or talk without me, and I don't want to leave them hanging.
