Meanderings 70

1. Used weights: In our school classified email directory, there was a woman selling used weights "like new" for virtually the same price as she paid at Dick's. Her exact writing was "two 30 pound hex dumbells....only used a couple of times....like new....paid 30 bucks, would sell for 25 bucks." Why do weights lose their monetary value at all? Why would used weights be a "bad" thing? What could possibly happen to weights to make them lose their effectiveness? Why would it matter that they were "like new?" All a weight needs to do to be effective is be heavy. This woman is stupid.

2. When you are a kid, you get an "operation." Then, from the ages of roughly 15 to 40, you have "surgery." After 40 though, when you go under anesthesia, what was previously called an operation or a surgery is now a "procedure." Old people always have "procedures." Funny.

3. In Maine we make a big deal of low income heating assistance. This is where we give money to financially struggling people so they can pay for oil for their furnaces. This is totally the wrong thing to do--I dont mean "helping" people....I mean giving them money for oil. Fundamentally wrong. By giving them money for oil, all we are doing is fuding dirka dirka nations and their ridiculous price gouging of fossil fules. Here's what the gov't should do: give FIREWOOD allowances to people. This makes way more sense. We are, essentially, putting money back iinto the economy in Maine. Since it is my money going to these programs, shouldnt I have a say in this? And what I say is that we should, instead of sending the money to dirkadirkastan, give it to hardworking Maine loggers and wood people so they can get some cash. Now some people would say "what if these people dont have wood stoves??" SImple. That can be paid for too. Get them wood stoves. I would be willing to bet that if you did the math, it would be cheaper to install a basic wood stove and chimney pipe ANNND give them a few cord of wood rather than pay for oil. This makes perfect sense to me. The next thing people will complain about is how they dont want to be bothered with stacking/carrying wood....they dont want to clean up from the mess....they dont want to have to, essentially, DO anything (feed the stove, empty ashes, etc). Okay. Fine. But dont expect free handouts then. I burn wood. It is a lot of work. I do it because it is better heat and cheaper. Yes, oil heat is more convenient. Definitely. We continue to entitle the people of society.

4. Only in America do we have web sites with "INTERACTIVE" weather. Seriously people? How arrogant, American, and dominating do we need to be now that we want to/think we have the right to INTERACT with weather?? WEATHER??? It is the most powerful force on the planet....and, somehow, just because we can watch a cute little doppler of a rainstorm we somehow think we are "interacting" with this? You are NOT interacting with weather. Weather doesnt give a crap about you. And you cant control it. YOu cant hang with weather. Now go out and stack some wood.