Easy Driving on Snowy Days

Well, today is the second snow day of the 2013-14 winter season here in the Northern Virginia. Schools are closed today, as they were yesterday, and government offices (even the federal government) closed as well. Here in the private sector, we're at work and loving the easier commute because everyone else stayed home.

In fact, I find that the most ironic part of today's commute: it was easy driving even though the weather and road conditions were iffy. I wish the commute was this easy every day.

Black Friday All Week Long

The timing of things are getting all squashed up and there doesn't seem to be anything special about the holidays any more.

For example, I'm sure there's one station that changes to an all-holiday format on Thanksgiving in every major radio market. Here in Northern Virginia, our station switched to that format last week (one week before Thanksgiving). That's not so bad because I can just avoid the station until I'm ready for 24/7 Christmas music.

But one tradition (or badge of honor) that I enjoyed over the long Thanksgiving Day weekend was getting out early on Black Friday and doing my part to keep the economy going. Even a couple of years ago, when the stores started opening up late on Thursday night, it was still an adventure to see what could be bought and my badge of honor became staying up all night and hitting as many stores as I could.

Now that's changed because I've already done most of my Black Friday shopping. That's because of the ridiculous "Black Friday Week" or "Pre-Black Friday Sales" that some retailers has begun. Um, doesn't that take some of the steam out of Black Friday? Yes, there are still some good bargains out there, but it's no longer worth my time and energy to run out in the middle of the night (or even early Friday morning) to get anything.

So, to whoever thought of extended Black Friday to a whole week or (in some cases, a whole month), I hate you for taking away another tradition, but I thank you for letting me sleep in this week.

Air Travel is Still an Adventure

I don't get to travel internationally very often, so when I do, I try to make an adventure out of it. I take in all of the experiences related to air travel, cut out the annoying ones--like waiting in customs and immigration--and remember the enjoyable ones--like people watching or shopping.

Recently, I had the opportunity to fly aboard an Airbus A380 from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, to Los Angeles. I flew on the plane pictured below, Qantas Airways registry VH-OQD. I was so excited to be able to book a flight on this type of aircraft that my wife asked me if I had some sort of bucket list. I thought about for a little while and then said, "Yeah, I guess I do."

For me, even with the hassles of airport security and the long waits at immigration and customs, air travel is still and adventure. It's still a great way to see the country or the world, it's a great way to meet people you wouldn't normally meet, and it's a great way to experience a marvel of modern life--powered flight.

Next up: trying to fly aboard a Boeing 787.

Qantas Airways VH-OQK (FlightAware)

Plane Spotting at LAX

So here I am waiting for my connecting flight at LAX. I don't often travel internationally, but I am this time and I got to view a plane that I've seen plenty of photos of but never in real life: the special Hobbit livery on an Air New Zealand Boeing B777.



Of course, I saw it at night and it wasn't in flight. But I did get an up close view of it because I was on an airside shuttle bus and the plane was being pushed back by a tug directly in front of the bus. Many people complain about air travel these days but I still love to fly and do a little plane spotting.

Love is War

Re-blog from my other blog, "Speaking 4 Life." Here's a thought on marriage and relationships.

I was at Oktoberfest at my church earlier this month and a small, insignificant disagreement arose between my wife and I. Immediately one of our friends asked, "Is there anything you two don't argue about?" Firstly, I'd like to point out that a disagreement between two people doesn't automatically mean that they are arguing. Secondly, the word "argument" is not rightly understood because in no definition of the word is there any hint of malice or anger, just a debate, difference of opinion, or rationale.

But here's something that most people don't seem to understand: all marriages will come with arguments (as in disagreements, not the angry kind). That's because we are all individuals with opinions, likes, dislikes, and whatnot. It's when those disagreements become angry and hate-filled that we have a problem (and yes, every marriage will have experienced a slamming door at one point). The real question is how do you handle those situations and how do you move past them?

Do you hold on to grudges or do you forgive each other? Do you want to mold your spouse into your vision of him/her or do you accept him/her for who she is? Do you work at the marriage or do you just give up? Sometimes there is no hope because the other person doesn't want to listen or change, but do you have no patience and move on too quickly?

I wanted to share this song with an interesting theme: love is war, but it's worth fighting for. 

Moderates Only Want Compromise if It's Their Way

I admit it. I would be considered ultra conservative in my political beliefs. I believe in the US Constitution, the rule of law, smaller governnment, states' rights, individual liberty but life lived in community, and I am a social conservative.

I lean right on almost every issue. Recently, I had an interesting conversation with some colleagues who are more moderate. Their position is that the Republicans need to rally behind one person in the next presidential election or they will lose again. Of course, their idea was that a moderate candidate is the one who will lead the way.

I believe that the Republicans need someone who will stand for something and not compromise his/her morals just to get elected, even if he/she is seen to be more rightist than centralist. Let's get something straight, in the last two presidential elections, I believe the Republicans did settle for moderate/centrist candidates. I went the party line and voted for them...and they lost. Maybe it's time for someone who is not a centrist to be the Republican candidate for president...maybe Sen. Ted Cruz, Dr. Ben Carson, or Rep. Michele Bachmann (may favorite three currently although I'd vote for Sarah Palin or Alan Keyes in a heartbeat).

The problem is, my colleagues kept espousing the need to get behind one candidate as long as the candidate was a moderate/centrist. They both balked at the idea of voting for a conservative/rightist. So even though I've compromised and voted centrist in order to try to get a Republican president elected, they wouldn't vote for a rightist to achieve the same goal.

In fact, one person said she would vote for Hilary Clinton if Clinton were to be the Democratic candidate for president versus a rightist Republican like Cruz. I guess the moderate Republicans will only compromise if it's their candidate.

What You're Used To

I grew up in New York City and have walked around Manhattan at some strange hours of the night but I've never felt out of place or worried. Last night (Sunday), I was walking around a part of Washington, D.C., that was mostly office buildings and it felt a little creepy. It wasn't that late at night, only 7:00 p.m., but the sun had set and the were few cars around. There were people walking and running, but it didn't feel quite right.

I guess it's just what you're used to that makes the difference.

No Hotels in NYC Good Enough?

My wife and I enjoy watching a show called "Unforgettable" on CBS. It premiered in the 2011-12 TV season but lost its way in the middle and we thought it would be gone for good, but it has now reappeared as a summer series in 2013. This isn't meant to be a review of the show, but I wanted to give a little background so you'll know why I'm a little upset with the producers of the show.

The show is a police procedural drama that was originally set in Queens but now takes place in Manhattan (boroughs of New York City). In the latest episode that we watched from Season 2, "Incognito" (episode 2), the lead character Carrie Wells (Poppy Montgomery) goes undercover to meet a team of bank robbers who will meet in a swanky NYC hotel called the "Alcazar Hotel."

Screen shot from "Incognito."

At 14:08 of the episode, we see brief footage of the "Alcazar" as Carrie is going there for the meeting. Here's my beef: why did they have to use an outside b-roll shot of the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington D.C. as a stand-in for the fictitious Alcazar?

Don't get me wrong, I've stayed at the Mayflower and I love the old school charm of the hotel and the guest rooms, but surely the producers could have found a nice, upscale hotel in NYC to be the stand-in. Aren't there any hotels in NYC that are good enough for the show?

In any case, here are the two things that gave it away: the Washington, D.C. flag on the right of the screen shot; and the Red Top Cab flashing by in the foreground.

Washington, D.C. flag

Red Top Cab of Arlington

My wife hates it when I spot errors like this in the shows and movies we watch but I can't help it. I love the details and sometimes it just thrills me to catch the mistakes, especially continuity errors.

By the way, if you're planning a visit to Washington D.C. and you're looking for a little history in your lodging, check out the Mayflower Renaissance, you'll enjoy it.

Mayflower Renaissance Hotel

Rental Cars are Evil

Well, not the cars themselves but the emotions they can evoke. Don't get me wrong, I love my Mazda3 at home; even with 60,000 miles, a dent here, and a ding there. However, I just spent a week driving a new Maxima withonly 3,700 miles on it and still with that new car smell.

All I can think of is how great it was to have the push-button door locks and "Start" button...never had to take the remote out of my pocket! I also loved the feeling of being in a big car and I think to myslef, "Wouldn't it be nice to get a new car?"

But I had to return it. And now I will go home to happily drive my Mazda again. But for a moment, a shiny new rental car caused me to covet something and that's why they're evil.

People Watching in the Classroom

This is the first day of six that I'm spending on the campus of Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. The study includes a class in bioethics and the annual Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity conference. There are 17 students and we're in a large classroom that's set up for 80.

What's interesting is how you can tell those who are new grad students who just got their bachelor's degrees and are young and eager from those who are older and maybe not as eager. My key to knowing the difference? The young ones are sitting in the first row right next to each other while the "more experienced" ones are further back in the classroom with at least one empty seat between each other.

Well, after listening to student introductions, it appears that four students are actually undergrad students doing a dual degree. Ambitious, they are. :)

Updated: July 15, 2013

Simple Pleasures in Life

Early morning takeoff at DFW.

I recently stayed at the Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport with my wife for a three day convention. We had a great view of the runways on the eastern side DFW, 17R/35L and 17C/35C. On the day we left, we had a little extra time on our hands before our flight departed, so my wonderful wife let me indulge in a simple pleasure: riding the airside Skylink terminal connector all the way around the airport.

Skylink photo from DFW website.

Growing up in NYC, one of my favorite things to do as a kid was to get in the first car of the subway, stand at the front door looking forward, and watching the world through the motorman's eyes. It was always great fun and provided a simple rush in a little boy's life. The opportunities are rare these days, but I still love riding in the first car of a train and although the Skylink isn't a 10-car subway, it's still great fun to ride if you have about 20 minutes of free time at DFW.

Part of the fun riding the Skylink is that
it is on the airside of DFW and you get
great views of planes and things.
From DFW website.

And so, for a little while, I was able to enjoy three simple pleasures in life all at once: 1) alone time with my wife with no cares in the world; 2) watching the comings and goings of planes going to all corners of the US and international destinations; and, 3) riding in the front of the train. What could be better than that?

Updated: 07/08/2013; corrected minor typos.

Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain

I used to love listening to the rain fall on my windshield as I drive. Go faster...splat...splat...splat. Go slower...splat......splat.........splat. Stop at a red light and there might be hardly any raindrops hitting the windshield at all.

But since I lost hearing on one side and there's a near-constant ringing in my head, the falling rain no longer is an enjoyable experience. It's not just more background noise, it's causing the ringing to spike. Oh, for the days of yore. <big sigh>

Flying as an Adventure

Long, congested drive to the airport. Long, frustrating search for a parking space. Long, tiring hike to the terminal. Long, slow wait winding through the security checkpoint. Long, delayed arrival of inbound flight. Long, delayed boarding and pushback of my flight. Long, sleepy time on the tarmac waiting to taxi. Long, slow creep up to the runway.

Then it happens. The plane turns onto the active runway. The engines spool up. The brakes release. We roll, slowly at first, but quickly we gain speed. Soon we reach V(R) and the nose pitches up. The bumpy ride down the runway ends as the main gear lifts off the pavement. A huge bank to the left while still climbing makes the plane feel like a roller coaster. At this point, I remember why I always loved to fly and why I love airplanes.

Granted, this isn't the most fun way to fly (commercially), but since I don't have a pilot's license, don't have access to a corporate jet, and don't own a classic warbird, this is the best I've got. And I love it anyway.

Things I saw that thrilled me on this flight:

• A summer squall moving into the city just as we take off
• Clouds above and below us as the same time
• The top of a business jet at a lower altitude as we crossed paths
• The bottom of an airliner at a higher altitude, loaded with people going in the opposite direction; and I wondered what their stories were and where they were going
• Cloud lightning as we skirted a line of thunderstorms
• A rift in the space-time continuum (okay, maybe not, but can't I imagine that for a few seconds?)

  

  Possible rift in the space-time continuum?

• The tops of clouds that looked like waves in the ocean
• A beautiful sunset that we chased for miles, which never really ended until we began our final descent
• Dark patches of our nation where there were few man-made lights until we flew over a town lit up and visible for miles around
• Long rivers of headlights as we made our final approach

I think too many people view flying commercial aviation as a nuisance. Maybe it is, but every time I take off, I think about that poem that begins "Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth." Regardless how commonplace commercial aviation may seem, I still think of flying as a privilege, not a right. I think about the "glamour days" of flying and what a thrill it was to greet an airplane's arrival, knowing this was a special treat.

I see flying as an adventure and I wish more people would, too. Then maybe, just maybe, we'd all have a better experience as we wait to grab our carry-on bags from the overhead bins; use the terminal's rest room that hasn't been cleaned since the morning; wait 20 minutes at the baggage carousel hoping all our bags arrived; get lost looking for the on-airport hotel because of the lack of signage; walk forever to the hotel because the one employee we could find said it was a short walk; and arrive safely in the lobby covered in sweat because the temperature is 92 degrees (with a heat index of 95) even though it's 10:12 p.m.

P.S. - It's now 5:49 a.m. and I can hear the beautiful sounds of engines whining as the day's movements begin. I wonder where they're going.

Here's a link to one of my favorite magazines, Airways, which has great articles on commercial aviation past and present. Another fun link is the Weather Channel's collection of photos called "Glamour in the Skies: Vintage Air Travel Photos."

I Love the 80s

Peter Gabriel...Huey Lewis and the News...Dire Straits...The Bangles...

My car was involved in her first accident last week. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but my car did have to spend most of this week in the repair shop. So what does that have to do with the 80s? Well, the rental car I got has Sirius satellite radio in it and now I remember why I loved having Sirius: Channel 8, "80s on 8." So I've been listening to (arguably) the best decade of music ever on my commute to/from work. And now I'm trying to get my wife to let me get Sirius again.

Erasure...Pet Shop Boys...Bananarama...Dead or Alive...Duran Duran...

Wandering Around Cluelessly

Yesterday evening (Sunday), my wife and I went to a fundraising event to support the school my step-granddaughter attends. It was at a club where they have dinner theater and it was a very enjoyable evening.

The real "fun" started after the event was over and I had to make my way back to the underground parking garage. I dropped off my wife at the club and then parked underneath the building where the club was located. I hopped into an elevator, noted the level I was parked on, went up the 1st floor exit (which was a lobby of the building), exited the building, turned left and there was the entrance to the club.

Afterwards, my wife asked if it was far to get to the car and I responded, "No, it's right next door." So we left the club, turned right to the entrance of the building lobby, I pulled on the door handle...and nothing happened. The door was locked.

I thought, okay, these are double doors, so it must be the other door that opens. Nope. My wife started getting worried, she asked if the garage was closed. I responded that there were no signs saying the garage would close. Maybe it's just this entrance that's closed, let's walk around the block to the side of the building where I drove into the garage. So we walked, all the while I had no idea where I was going and what I would do when I got there.

Around the corner we went and I saw another lobby to the building. I immediately went over and tried to open the door. Same result. Fortunately, there was a sign on the door that said to use the revolving doors. Ah, that must be the answer, so I pushed on the revolving door. Same result.

Now, all sorts of things start running through my head. Oh no, it's Sunday and maybe the garage has different rules on Sunday. Oh no, we're 25 miles from home. Oh no, there's no one at home who could come get us. Oh no, none of the other attendees at the event lived near us. Oh no, a cab ride home would cost and arm and a leg. Oh no, should we just get a hotel room and wait until morning? Mind you, I'm thinking all this while I tell my wife, "Oh, there must be another entrance."

I find the ramp I drove down earlier that evening and we walked down the ramp. Nope, no signs that say it was was closed. We walk and hear some voices coming from the garage, familiar voices, voices mentioning names that we recognize. Then we see the people and think, yes we know them, where did they come from? Then an elevator door opened and more people we recognize came off the elevator.

Apparently, when I entered the garage, I was smart enough to notice the posted signs and know that the garage didn't close that night, but I wasn't smart enough to notice the posted signs that pointed to an elevator that led directly to the club. I had taken a different elevator that led to the lobby next to the club. Same building...different entrances/exits.

Got to the car, told my wife that I had it all under control, and "See? There was nothing to worry about." Even though we were wandering around cluelessly.

So the musing for today is: don't be afraid to turn back. Because if I had at the very beginning, we would have gone back into the club and noticed the elevator to the parking garage. No muss, no fuss, no worries.

People Watching at the Airport

So today's musing doesn't come while driving, but while I'm sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to depart.

Most people I know like to arrive at the airport at late as possible. On the other hand, I love to get to the airport as early as I can. For example, I arrived at my departure gate 90 minutes prior to pushback time, and I love it! This has given me time to eat a snack, check and see if I need additional snacks, check the latest magazine covers to see if there's anything interesting, and write this post.

Another reason I really like getting to my gate early is that I get to do some people-watching. This is one of my favorite activities, it always has been. I don't want to meet anyone, I just want to watch them and imagine stories about where they are going, what their relationships to their apparent companions are, and just observe human nature when people don't really think they're being watched.

For example: here are three businessmen ending their trip and heading home, trying to avoid talking shop but eventually falling into that familiar topic; there is a group of teenagers, mostly girls, who look like they're just starting their journey when they suddenly get up and depart en masse because they're apparently at the wrong gate; there's a single businesswoman checking her emails on her smartphone and now finishing her dinner here in the gate area; here comes a tired airline employee straightening her uniform while looking out the window before getting ready to take care of my flight--can't really be that bad today because there aren't any flight delays.

All of this is made even more enjoyable because I have a beautiful view of the active runway and can see planes landing and taking off in the background. regardless of what most people think, air travel is still romantic for those of us who love airplanes and airports (which are really cities within cities).

So today's musing is: be careful what you do and say in public, you never who is watching you.

Strange Marks on Your Body

Do you ever get worried when marks just appear on your body for no apparent reason in strange places? Well, I do.

I noticed this morning while getting ready for work that there was a small, dime-sized bruise on the bottom of my right foot. I poked and prodded it, but it didn't hurt, so I wasn't too worried, but still, it was a little disconcerting that it would show up out of the blue.

Finally, while driving to work, it dawned on me where the mark might have come from. At work, my office chair has a 5-wheel base and I place my right foot on the end one of the legs. Apparently, I place my foot at the same spot every day, for who knows how many hours per day, and I have done so long enough and hard enough to cause that bruise to form.

In fact, my foot hurts now from putting it on the chair base. Mystery solved.

Creature of Habit

I am a creature of habit. I have a removable GPS attached to my windshield in the lower left corner. That's where it always is, even if I'm just doing my same old route to and from work every day. I took it into my house the other day to download the newest updates and have forgotten to bring it back to the car for the last three days.

There's nothing in the lower left corner of my windshield now except the bracket to hold the GPS and a power cord. Yet I am constantly looking at the corner to see if there are any traffic problems on the route ahead; or I'm looking to see what my speed is; or I'm looking to see the next intersection.

Even though I know there's nothing there to look at, I constantly glance at that spot to find that it hasn't magically reappeared.

Don't Flash You Headlights at Me...

...if I'm in the passing lane and I'm already driving 10 m.p.h. over the speed limit. You may not like what happens next.

After leaving the office to go home, I take a limited access, four-lane, divided highway for a short distance (approximately 5 miles). The posted speed limit is 40 m.p.h. and I usually drive 10 over the limit on this roadway. So I get in the left lane to pass a slower moving car and, as often happens, the car I am overtaking accelerates to my speed so I can't pass him; but everything's copacetic as we toodle down the road together.

Everything's fine until someone zips up the road right up behind me and decides I'm driving too slowly in the left lane and flashes his headlights at me. Let's get something straight, according to the law, I am not obliged to give way to a faster vehicle that is overtaking me if I am already at or over the posted speed limit.

The problem is most people think they are libertarians but they are really just egoists, and not ethical egoists at that. Let me explain: most people like to think that they are libertarian in thought, i.e., people are free to make decisions about what is right or wrong so long as they do not inflict harm or inhibit someone else's freedom. In reality, most people are egoists whose only concern is what they want for themselves.

Someone might say to me, "Stop calling the kettle black; aren't you a little bit of an egoist by imposing the speed you want to drive upon someone else?" But here's what people don't seem to understand: by applying for and accepting a driver's license, you have freely consented to be subject to the traffic laws. So, the driver behind me and I have both freely consented to abide by the posted speed limit of the road we were on. Therefore, the other driver has no cause to be upset with me when I was driving over the mutually agreed upon speed limit just because I wasn't driving as much over the speed limit as he wanted. However, it was wrong of the other driver to impose discomfort on me by driving up to my rear end and flashing his headlights at me. A true libertarian (or an ethical egoist) wouldn't do that, therefore I conclude that he was really just a jerk.

But back to my story: what happened next is what will always happen if you flash you headlights at me and I'm already doing 10 m.p.h. over the speed limit...I turned off my cruise control and let my car slow to the speed limit because I make no claims to be a libertarian or an ethical egoist.

So today's musing is: slow down, take it easy, and stop being a jerk on the highway.

366 Days

It's been 366 days since my dad died, so I was thinking about him this weekend. This song from Reba came to mind and the second verse brought back one of my favorite memories with my dad.

This line, "The greatest man I never knew came home late every night," was my dad. In fact, he used to come home so late that we never really saw him during the week while we were growing up. But that's not one of my favorite memories.

Nope, one of my favorite memories were of late night television on Saturday during horse racing season. That's when WOR--that's not a typo, there used to be only one "W" in the station's name when I was growing up--used to broadcast the trotters from the Meadowlands (or was it Freehold?) and it was a treat for me to stay up late with my dad when he came home from work. We got to look at the names of the horses and "place our bets" with each other to see who was a better guesser.

Unfortunately, the third verse of the song brings up a not-so-happy memory as Reba sings:

     The greatest words I never heard
          I guess I'll never hear ...
     He never said he loved me
          Guess he thought I knew.

Of course, this goes both ways since I guess I never really told him I loved him, either, or that I appreciated all that the did for us while we were growing up: we never went hungry, we always had a roof over our heads, and somehow, my sister and I were able to go two very nice, very expensive private universities.

Why this is especially poignant these days is because my step-granddaughter purposely avoids responding "I love you, too" when those around her tell her we love her. I understanding that this is just part of growing up and there's a stage when children don't like to say "I love you," even to their parents, but I hope she gets past this stage so she has no regrets as the days and years go by.

So today's musing is: it's never too late to say, "Love you dad," until it's too late.

Better Weather Means Worse Drivers

I took a nice drive today across Prince William County and had a thought contrary to what you would normally think: the beautiful weather (sunny, blue skies, few fair weather clouds, high temp in the low 60's) actually makes for worse drivers. People get aggressive when they can see better. A good example of this: the posted speed limit is 55 mph, I was driving over that, and I was one of the slowest cars on the road. I also noticed that there were a lot more lane changes and cars darting in and out of traffic.

Hmm...makes me almost want a drab, rainy day.

We Need More Government

I can't believe I just wrote "We need more government" as the title of my post, but I did. I've often thought of this before but once again, during a 1.5 hour commute, it was made oh so apparent that many people simply do not know how to drive and should have the privilege of driving a motor vehicle taken away from them. Here are some examples I saw this morning:

• Driving on the shoulder of the exit ramp to avoid the slowed/stopped traffic a the merge
• Using a "jughandle" to get to the intersection and then turning right to go in the original direction of travel just to get ahead of traffic stopped at the red light
• Failing to clear the intersection during a left turn, thus blocking traffic when the light changed
• Using a parking lot to avoid traffic at the red light (yes, this was me the other day)

The reason why I promote more government in this case is that I believe the government should institute a mandatory road test every time a person renews his/her license, regardless of age. Here's the reason: I last took a road test in 1984 and I think it's safe to say that some of the rules of the road have changed since then; for example, triple left-turn lanes. Now, I was able to stay on top of the latest developments because I worked as a traffic engineer/transportation planner for over 14 years, but I'm not in that line of work anymore and things continue to change.

That's why there should be mandatory road tests every time you renew your license. In the state I currently reside, I was able to renew my license online and it's good for 10 years! Doesn't someone think that my understanding of traffic laws and my ability to drive safely will change in those 10 years? Isn't it the government's responsibility to uphold the law and protect its citizens? If having a driver's license is a privilege--which it is--and not a right--which it is not--then shouldn't there be some kind of minimum standards we should have to maintain every time our licenses are renewed?

So there you have it, one of the extremely few times I will advocate for more government. And please obey the traffic laws, lives literally depend on it.

Why I am Writing This Blog

Well, the answer is simple: because I can. I spend a lot of time driving: not only commuting, but also whenever we go anywhere, I drive. And although I used to sleep a lot while driving when I was single, now that I am married, the instances of sleeping behind the wheel have decreased dramatically. Thus, I end up thinking about a lot of things while driving, even as my wife sleeps soundly next to me.

So, if you're going to read this blog regularly, be prepared for a very disparate set of thoughts coming your way because I end up contemplating things regarding religion, theology, the government, psychology, driving, planning the weekends, news items ... well, you get the picture.

Updated: 21 April 2013.