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.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
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.
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.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
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.
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.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
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.
Hmm...makes me almost want a drab, rainy day.
Friday, April 19, 2013
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:
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.
- 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.
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.
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