Gulf Oil Spill

Dead dolphin from oil spill in 2007

Now after writing about the lies of clean coal and natural gas, and that they are just fossil fuels and as bad for the environment as oil, well guess what, we have a major oil catastrophe happening in the Gulf of Mexico. One more reason for alternative fuels. Thousands and thousands will die including animals in, on and under the water, along with those on shore. Plus untold amounts of natural wetlands, beaches and shoreline will be affected. You will only be told of some of the sad stories because oil companies will be scrambling to put the best spin possible on this, and it will be more lies.

Clean Coal and Natural Gas

Are people really stupid enough to believe that clean coal exists or that burning either natural gas or coal is better for the environment? The ads are everywhere trying to say how good these two fuels are when compared to what, oil. All of them are fossil fuels, they all produce carbon emissions or green house gases if you burn them. China has now passed us in solar and wind energy production, and they are shipping the technology and supplies over here. People just need to start using some common sense and not buy into these ads. Is a small percentage less of carbon produced that much better?

Don't sweat the small things.

I was taking a load of recycling out to the dumpster this morning when I noticed a man in the dumpster and from a distance could not tell what he was doing? Maybe maintenance or some complex employee trying to compact the stuff more by stepping on it, or sorting out some things that should have gone in the regular trash. So as I approached I said hi and tossed some old phone books in the other end.
The man looked at me and apologized several times, he explained about losing his job and how hard it was to make ends meet  on only his wife's salary. I told him take whatever you want I don't care and headed back down the parking lot. I thought about it and decided to give him some money, my pockets were  empty so as I got home to grab a five I noticed the man getting into an old car and driving off.
We stress about bills and writing papers but is it really that important in the big picture of life?

Maybe it something about being educated that I find attractive. Being educated does not necessarily mean years of school, it can be world experience. Yes I do like looking at beautiful women of all types, but interest is lost if they are stupid. Maybe you don't hold a PhD, but be enthusiastic and knowledgeable about something, and be able to hold a conversation. This ran through my head yesterday while attending a seminar with some other students and listening to some of the attractive speakers.

Bay to Breakers

I need some goals in the interim of getting my masters degree. So there is a marathon here every May called the Bay to Breakers and next year will be the 100th year of the event. Why not run it this year? I stopped drinking and smoking a while back but after years of abuse and moderate exercise programs it takes time. My diet also has fluctuate between decent and horrible over the years. I can go to the grocery store and buy healthy foods, then on the way out grab a piece of chocolate cake, they make it so easy the way it sits there calling you. It will also give me time to do a 5k or something shorter in between because this race is 12k or 7.46 miles. The Iron Horse trail which runs for 33 miles is literally right out my front door so there is no excuse for not getting out there.

Seattle

When you mention Seattle to anybody around the country the first thought is rain. But it does not rain as much as people imagine, what actually gets to you is the lack of sunshine. I remember watching the news and the weatherman saying Seattle averaged 58 days of sunshine a year. Now that means sunshine from dusk til dawn so the days with an hour or two of sunshine in the afternoons does not count. There was also a reason the grunge musicians wore flannel and it was not a fashion statement, it was to stay warm. Seattle is damp and cold year round, homes with air conditioning are rare because it is not needed, except for a few days a year. It really is a depressing place to live
People are nice for the most part but there is an overall conservative mentality. Keep government out of my business, unless I need them. Pro death penalty, but anti-abortion. Social programs are bad, guns good. The timber and fishing industries really established the Seattle area last century, and that way of thinking still exists.

Seattle sunny days

Minneapolis

It is really hard to find anything negative to say about the area, except for the December through February weather. Mention the twin cities to most who have never been there and they think it is cold year round, but spring through fall it is hard to beat it for good weather. There is a saying about Minnesota nice, but it is overplayed by the locals, it should be Minnesota cliquey. It seems to be a Midwest thing that you will never go far from home, you grow-up, live and die having never ventured far. Minnesotans cannot understand why anybody would ever leave, or that there exist a better place, and if asked it is what I call home. The people lean a little left and settled by Scandinavian, northern and eastern Europeans they have strong community roots.

Phoenix

Phoenix  20 plus years ago was hot, dry and on some days so smoggy it was hard to see the mountains just outside the city, and it still is. When you mention AZ most people think of the desert and retirement, which is true for the most part. There also still exists a cowboy mentality, even though just about everybody moved there from someplace else. I was in my late teens and early twenties when I moved there, with no cares except to work, party, rest and repeat. One day it hit me that things would not change as long as I was there, so I hit the road north. The good of Phoenix being the sunshine and warm weather, the bad being dry, smoggy air, and if you have allergies you are really in trouble.

Home is where you plant yourself.

I have lived in six different areas and some travel nursing also, so you get to talk to a lot of people from different parts of the country, and the world. It becomes funny how some people become defensive about where they live by putting down other places.

Tell people you are going to California and you hear, what about the fires and earthquakes? Talk about Seattle and people think it rains 24/7. Going to Florida and you hear about heat and hurricanes, and let's not forget Minnesota because most think it only thaws out for a few month in the summer. Yes each of these places earn some of the criticism because it's partially true, but not as much as it's characterized.

I do like where I am living now although the chances of being able to stay here after graduation may be dictated by employment opportunities. It just made me think about the other places I've lived and the good and bad.