Maybe it’s because I’m a city kid.
A city kid from what to Northern New Englanders must seem like the deep south-Washington, D.C. Oh, of course we had snow, but nothing like the dumping that we’ve had this year up north. We dug out the metal snow shovel when I was a kid (“darn! The snow keeps sticking to it!”)—and took care of the 1-3 inches we usually got.
In Washington, that was enough to close schools and virtually paralyze our Nations Capitol. Government shut down (“all non-essential workers may stay home”---talk about mixed feelings---“I get the day off……but apparently, I’m not that essential”)
So it’s little wonder that when I moved to Maine in 1982, I proudly made the purchase you would expect---a brand new plastic (high-tech!) snow shovel!
Twenty-six years later, I am still wielding the laughable plastic wand at Mother Nature as my neighbors (ALL OF THEM) deftly handle their driveways with a Toro or some such gasoline-powered, ice and snow munching machine!
I envy them as I flail away….I’ve snapped enough plastic snow shovels to afford a Peterbilt Snowplow semi. My back aches with every heave—and this year, with each successive storm, it gets harder to decide where to put each shovelful.
That’s it…….you win, Old Man Winter! Each year, I promise myself to buy a snowblower---but hey, wait until Spring when the prices come down! So what happens? Spring arrives—and the LAST THING I want to do is buy a snowblower when it’s 60 degrees outside. I’d rather buy a new sand wedge.
Not this year. Someone in some big box hardware store will hose me severely. They’ll see my glazed look from across the parking lot as I drag my shovel-worn body to the outdoor equipment display. My nightmare, of course, is that since I'll own the top-of-the-line snow removal apparatus, it will NEVER SNOW AGAIN. I’ll eagerly wait for a blizzard, drooling at the prospect of tossing it this way and that---and then it won’t happen…..Global Warming will actually arrive in New England—and I’ll have a brand new expensive….boat anchor in my garage.
Funny thing is—after this winter, I might be willing to pay that price. It might actually be worth it—the cost of a snowblower to ward off future storms.
But what do I know? I’m just a city kid who has shoveled all his life. Maybe I should go out that way—frozen solid, with another plastic tool clenched in my icy grip, taken from this earth in mid-heave! The neighbors will all sigh—and ask at my funeral-“Why didn’t that idiot ever buy a snowblower?”
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
THE ROCKET HAS CRASH-LANDED
I’ve never been a fan of Roger Clemens, even when he was a Red Sox player, but I, like so many others –took no joy in watching him self-destruct in front of a Congressional Committee and all the world today.
He is a liar.
A pampered player whose fame couldn’t insulate him from his own behavior. The sad thing is that one almost gets the feeling that HE believes his own BS. That may comfort him, but he fooled no one else. Throwing his own wife under the proverbial steroid bus shows how selfish he is---and how he will go to any length to save his reputation.
Too late for that. Good thing Andy Pettite wasn’t in the room to refute his lies (or was that “misremembering”?) at the moment they were uttered. Read more about todays hearings on http://www.cnn.com/
If today’s display was meant to salvage his good name, ‘ol Roger….uh…..struck out.
Karma is a tough universal force to override, even if you are the one and only Rocket.
I ceased being a fan years ago-can’t remember which one. All I know is that Roger had just signed a huge deal with the Red Sox. He then failed to show up for Spring Training in Winter Haven. He thought he was better than everyone else then….and that arrogance has only grown, nurtured in part by grown men like those in Congress that act like boys in his orbit. They got autographs, photos and tossed softball questions at their hero. How pathetic.
Baseball will be better off without him-and we will always question how good he would have been without the juice. My guess is that they would still be Hall of fame numbers. The problem is that no one should be rewarded for lying to Congress-and that’s exactly what happened today.
Sad. Very sad.
He is a liar.
A pampered player whose fame couldn’t insulate him from his own behavior. The sad thing is that one almost gets the feeling that HE believes his own BS. That may comfort him, but he fooled no one else. Throwing his own wife under the proverbial steroid bus shows how selfish he is---and how he will go to any length to save his reputation.
Too late for that. Good thing Andy Pettite wasn’t in the room to refute his lies (or was that “misremembering”?) at the moment they were uttered. Read more about todays hearings on http://www.cnn.com/
If today’s display was meant to salvage his good name, ‘ol Roger….uh…..struck out.
Karma is a tough universal force to override, even if you are the one and only Rocket.
I ceased being a fan years ago-can’t remember which one. All I know is that Roger had just signed a huge deal with the Red Sox. He then failed to show up for Spring Training in Winter Haven. He thought he was better than everyone else then….and that arrogance has only grown, nurtured in part by grown men like those in Congress that act like boys in his orbit. They got autographs, photos and tossed softball questions at their hero. How pathetic.
Baseball will be better off without him-and we will always question how good he would have been without the juice. My guess is that they would still be Hall of fame numbers. The problem is that no one should be rewarded for lying to Congress-and that’s exactly what happened today.
Sad. Very sad.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
GAS IS A BARGAIN (When Compared To Milk!)
Yes, I remember when gasoline was 50 cents a gallon…..I was pumping it at the Texaco station in Maryland back then. Of course, the Ford Maverick MSRP at the time was $1,995. Things change.
We’re never going back there-and although I dislike paying north of $3 a gallon as much as the next guy, at least I can understand the costs embedded in that price. What I don’t understand is why MILK costs $4.59 a gallon!
Let’s take a quick look at each commodity and compare:
Gasoline is a derivative of oil, a fossil fuel that is a non-renewable resource.
Milk is a renewable resource, as it comes from a COW.
Oil exploration is a costly and risky business. Whether drilling in multi-million dollar offshore rigs or at home and abroad, it is capital intensive and many drilling shafts yield nothing.
As far as I know, 100% of Milk exploration is successful (“Hey, there’s a cow!”)
Once extracted from the earth, oil needs to be transported many miles, often in hostile areas such as the Middle East.
Milk, once extracted, must be poured into a bucket.
Oil needs to be pumped into huge tankers and often must travel thousands of miles in all kinds of weather to reach the refinery.
Milk must travel many feet to reach a bigger bucket. It is then transported to the local dairy
Oil goes through a multi-step refining process in a plant containing sophisticated, state-of-the-art equipment.
Milk undergoes a couple of admittedly sophisticated processes too, but let’s face it, putting milk through a centrifuge (homogenization) and quick heating (pasteurization) are not cutting edge technologies.
Refined gasoline is then transported by tanker to locations around the country where you and I have supplanted the friendly Texaco man to personally deposit it into our tanks.
Milk is bottled and shipped to the supermarket. The distance between the producer (cow),the dairy and the supermarket and end user is usually under 50 miles.
Frankly, we should never be caught in a milk “shortage”. Breed more cows, grow more hay. There’s your answer.
The outrageous cost of milk is more likely due to artificial price supports and factors other than the market forces of supply and demand. OPEC has held America “hostage” in the past by restricting supply. Is there a “Milk Mafia” out there? Are farmers and dairies colluding to drive prices up? Are cows unionizing?
The plain fact is that milk is cheaper to produce-and should ALWAYS be significantly LESS than a gallon of gas. Why isn’t it?
We’re never going back there-and although I dislike paying north of $3 a gallon as much as the next guy, at least I can understand the costs embedded in that price. What I don’t understand is why MILK costs $4.59 a gallon!
Let’s take a quick look at each commodity and compare:
Gasoline is a derivative of oil, a fossil fuel that is a non-renewable resource.
Milk is a renewable resource, as it comes from a COW.
Oil exploration is a costly and risky business. Whether drilling in multi-million dollar offshore rigs or at home and abroad, it is capital intensive and many drilling shafts yield nothing.
As far as I know, 100% of Milk exploration is successful (“Hey, there’s a cow!”)
Once extracted from the earth, oil needs to be transported many miles, often in hostile areas such as the Middle East.
Milk, once extracted, must be poured into a bucket.
Oil needs to be pumped into huge tankers and often must travel thousands of miles in all kinds of weather to reach the refinery.
Milk must travel many feet to reach a bigger bucket. It is then transported to the local dairy
Oil goes through a multi-step refining process in a plant containing sophisticated, state-of-the-art equipment.
Milk undergoes a couple of admittedly sophisticated processes too, but let’s face it, putting milk through a centrifuge (homogenization) and quick heating (pasteurization) are not cutting edge technologies.
Refined gasoline is then transported by tanker to locations around the country where you and I have supplanted the friendly Texaco man to personally deposit it into our tanks.
Milk is bottled and shipped to the supermarket. The distance between the producer (cow),the dairy and the supermarket and end user is usually under 50 miles.
Frankly, we should never be caught in a milk “shortage”. Breed more cows, grow more hay. There’s your answer.
The outrageous cost of milk is more likely due to artificial price supports and factors other than the market forces of supply and demand. OPEC has held America “hostage” in the past by restricting supply. Is there a “Milk Mafia” out there? Are farmers and dairies colluding to drive prices up? Are cows unionizing?
The plain fact is that milk is cheaper to produce-and should ALWAYS be significantly LESS than a gallon of gas. Why isn’t it?
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