If Twitter is cool, then call me Mr. Ice
How is it that — in a world full of web 2.0 widgets — we are still self-obsessed enough to popularize something like Twitter?
Forever Free Because You Showed Up for Work
Thanks to all who have served and are now serving in our Armed Forces.
Election Day ‘08
Well, it all comes down to this. I’m not going to convince anyone to change their mind at this point, so I’ll just say I voted, and happy Election Day to all. Thank God we are all still free.
Plug-in Hybrids and CFL Bulbs
It’s interesting to browse the materials of plug-in hybrid vehicle proponents such as Plug In America, but has anyone considered the additional load the new wave of electric vehicles is going to put on our existing, pathetically aged energy grid?
Also, the places which would see the greatest environment benefit from mass adoption of plug-ins are the same places whose power infrastuctures are already greatly stressed and overburdened.
I see the same sort of possible — maybe unanticipated — environmental impact when it comes to the massive influx of CFL bulbs practically being rammed down our throats. It’s becoming harder and harder to find standard incandescent bulbs. While energy consumption is a definite long-term benefit (assuming you don’t get faulty bulbs that burn out after a very short time — of which I’ve already had three in just the past year alone), what is the environmental impact of having to dispose of these bulbs through special, more costly recycling services. In addition, consumers are now forced to change their habits of simply tossing a spent bulb in the trash. Instead they are supposed to actively seek out local disposal regulations and recycling sites.
I’m all for energy conservation, but not at the expense of common sense. Ultimately, corporate America has to listen to consumer demand or they go out of business. Rather than rush this stuff to market, maybe a little more time could be spent thinking about a long-term environmental impact. Seems pretty basic, but I never hear people talking about that side of the issue.
Wealth Is an Illusion
My life isn’t as simple as I’d hoped. For my part, living paycheck-to-pacyheck is just a way of life. I’d like to think that I’ve learned some lessons since becoming an adult — one of them being how to remain frugal in a materialistic world.
I also have noticed my consumerist tendencies are sometimes in conflict with the lessons I am trying to instill in my children. I hear myself telling them that things don’t matter, but at the same time I am instinctively drawn to anything that gives me or them a little extra leisure or comfort. Plus, let’s face it: it feels nice to bring home little gifts that make them smile.
To be honest, I don’t even pay attention to the Joneses. Actually, I know that’s not their name, but I couldn’t tell you what their real name is because I barely spend any time outside — beside the point. In my opinion, the quest for the “American Dream” is something that is simply unattainable if you’re talking about the “American Dream” as it is presented on television and in magazines.
Just think back to your happiest times in life — something that stuck in your mind and makes you smile whenever you recall it. Now ask yourself how much that moment cost you or whoever was responsible. Most fond memories are of times spent with other people, and not with something you bought or received as a gift.
So I’m trying to look at things with a more long-term perspective; and it’s probably all about growing up a little bit more every day. I’m still pretty much a kid on the inside, so it is an ongoing internal struggle to keep my materialistic tendencies in check. I am learning to see past the childish tendency to reach out and grab every shiny thing I see in the store (or mostly on Amazon.com), and to think about the kind of future I am making for my kids instead.
I will try to teach my kids that time spent with the ones you love is the source of true wealth and happiness. I hope they have at least as many of the fond memories my parents and grandparents gave me as a kid.
