Saturday Thoughts

Here's an experimental idea I've had in the back of my head for a while now. I do a lot of driving and a spend a decent amount of time alone in a quiet office which gives me plenty of time to think. I set this blog up initially so that I could share not only my experiences and have an outlet for rants but also to put up my ideas and opinions so here it goes: A weekly collection of thoughts and opinions from a less than perfect human being.

First and foremost let's discuss the oil crysis that is going on right now. Gas to hit 7 dollars a gallon in two years F@%^! I'm right there with you ladies and gentlemen, I recently bought a car and I love the thing immensely. It's a kick ass ride that is a blast to whip around with a great stereo. It's a 2.4L 4 cylinder Toyota Matrix XRS and is rated 19/29. I'm averaging 26-26mpg every time I fill up and here's how:

1. Cruise is your friend.
All you wanna be race car drivers out there need to slow down, drive 65 and leave it there. All the zig zagging and lead foot driving out there is not only safe but burns through your fuel tank at a much quicker rate than if you keep the car at constant speed and UNDER 70 mph. My father and I have both proven that the under 70 mph method not only helps return high averages of mpgs, but any speed between 65-70 gets you to your destination in a time efficent manner as well. No you can't leave your house with only 10 mins to drive 40 miles, so some time budgeting is required. Not to mention if everyone drove the speed limit or slightly above, emmisons and greenhouse gasses can be reduced significantly.

2. Walk
Get up off your butt every once in a while. If you can walk to the store, ride a bike, take the train: DO IT! Mass transit is not always the most convineint way to get around, living in Chicago all my life I understand this completly. BUT it saves you gas like none other, why? DUH because you're not driving. Simple solutions for complex problems. Oh and walking is good for you too, it's already started to change my pudge on my body :)

3. Turn your car off, stop idleing your vehicle
I see this all over the place and it drives me crazy. In the bitter cold Chicago winter or intensley hot summer I can sort of understand it, and I'm guilty as charged with this sometimes too. But seriously, sitting having your car idle for a long period of time is not good for several things. One is the environment, two is your car, and three is YOU. You may not realize it but there is an amount of fumes that gets back into your car when you are just sitting there with the engine running, windows opened or close does not matter. Air filters and all that does not matter, if there is no air flow to carry the fumes away they find their way into the cabin and now you are breathing an intesnly charged amount of polluted air-much more potent than the city air you breathe everyday anyway.

YES it is bad for your car! Your car is not designed to sit there idle forever. If there is not changes in pressure and combustion in your cylinders carbon builds up in them and then you've got huge problems, not to mention all the unnecessary heat, wear on your intake system, gear train, engine mounts, everything.

The environment just because why would you want to churn out more pollutants than need be?

Since I'm on a role with the environment here I'll continue. Recyle. Seriously, it's not that hard and YES it does make a difference. NO things that are in the proper recycle bin do not just end up in the landfill anyway. IT DOES MATTER.

Use a piece of paper front AND back before you toss it in the recycle bin. We do it at my office and it cuts paper waste by more than half! We print things that are not official documents on the backside of official documents that are not being used anymore. Essentially "scrap" paper is run through the same printer with the blank side up and viola! Two pieces of printed paper for the price of one. We mark the side that is old with a squiggle in pen so we can differentiate between the two.

Turn the freaking lights off, please. Around my house and my office I only have lights on that I absolutley must have on either for security reasons or if I'm working in a specific room. Also seriously, change your bulbs out from those pre-historic bulbs and use florescent or LED. Yes they cost slightly more when you buy them, but in the long run they can and WILL save thousands of dollars.

Quit smoking and drinking like you're invincible. You're not, get over yourself and grow up. An occasional cigar and or drink is totally fine but getting drunk off your ass just because you're in college and can? What are you 14?

All of you activits and "believers" should read the biblical text you keep refferring back to saying you are doing God's will. All of you claim to be doing it for "your God" when ultimatley we're all trying to get to the same place and please the same deity with a different name. Seriously stop killing each other, brainwashing your children, and smell the 21st century. Believe what you want when you want, no one is right the bible is too freaking old to be correct anymore and God is not as prominant in everyday life as we are led to believe. I believe in God, I really do-my life experience and blessings like my darling girlfriend are proof there has to be some higher power running the show. But maybe he/she/it just does not give that much of a shit about you as an individual, but the world as a whole. Love your neighbor as yourself is the greatest commandment given, why are we not obeying it more?

Finally stereotypes and ignorance. I've heard so many people bitching about how stereotypical society is and how stereotypes suck and blah blah blah. First off stop playing in to them. If you don't like the stereotype: ELIMINATE IT. Plain and simple, we are all in control of our actions and mouths-those of us without disorders-use some self control and get rid of the stereotypical behavior.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

end of line.