That's What I Think

Maybe hitting tailgaters in their wallets will incite civility

MONEY AS AN INCENTIVE TO CHANGE DRIVING HABITS

Alas, even with all of the "Choose Civility" bumper stickers on the road in Howard County, Maryland, exercising civility to others on the roads is not enough of an incentive for many drivers to curtail their dangerous tailgating tendencies. I can't tell you how many times I've sat in traffic waiting for the light to change, only to see that the vehicle behind me, without even a car behind it, is damn near crawling up my tailpipe. And, even as I pull forward to gain some space, they advance as if on purpose.

This pisses me off to no end. Do people really think they're saving themselves even one bloody second by practicing this annoying habit? Although this probably isn't too civil of me either -- If I get irritated enough for long enough, I'll slow down below the speed limit to get the hurrying fool off my back. Eventually he (or she) will get impatient and pass me. Works like a charm every time. Then, he can go harass someone else as he continues to hurry to beat the clock.

But this year, as gas prices climb toward $4 a gallon, maybe the tailgaters, speed demons, and people who regularly hurry to eke through impending red lights, might hopefully take the following 6 tips into consideration (probably most of them won't, even if gas hits 10 bucks a gallon). But, when you start talking money, ESPECIALLY the impact of the economy on people's wallets, inevitably, some of them will sit up and listen.

Yesterday I read the aforementioned article on CNN Money. I'm guilty of some of the actions on the list, like racing away from green lights and also up to red lights. I usually drive at anywhere from 5-10 mph, so that I can stay in the fast lane and presumably get to my destination more quickly. But, after reading this article yesterday, I paid close attention to my speed. I tried to keep more of a calm demeanor and ignore the often pressing urge to just hit the accelerator to pass one more car to get closer to where I was going.

From the article: "In tests by Consumer Reports, driving at 75 miles per hour instead of 65 miles per hour reduced fuel economy by between 3 and 5 miles per gallon, depending on the vehicle."

So… according to this, with my 12-gallon tank, if I follow the speed limit, I stand to save approximately… what… 4 bucks per fill-up? I'm not a math major. Still, with the current fuel prices, every dollar matters. I currently acquiesce to my gas hog of a car 1-2 times per week. That could add up to $30 or so monthly. Hell, that's almost my gym payment, or 3/4 of a tank, for me. And that's just taking into account what I'd save by not speeding, without adding in what I could save by avoiding my penchant for sudden takeoffs at green lights.

I have always been advised to let my car idle for a few minutes before moving it, so I was surprised to learn in tip #5 that this isn't necessary.

As for #6, Tim and I are spot on with that one. Once a week we drive to the Fort Meade Commissary and take advantage of our military benefits, often saving $100 or so bucks monthly. We try to get everything in one swoop each week, with a trip there and one to Costco. That usually works pretty well, and unless we need something urgent, we just keep a list of what we will need coming up, grouping those items together in one shopping trip to Target or whatever. Sometimes I'll swing by the Giant supermarket on my way home from work since it is very near the route I take. This definitely helps. We are within walking distance of The Mall at Columbia and close enough to another Giant supermarket. So, when I'm really feeling like stretching my legs, I hoof it over to one of those nearby places. Decrease burning the fuel type of energy and convert that into an increase in get-off-my-butt-and-do-something energy. I like that.

And, of course, going through the drive-thru… a good thing to avoid for our cars and our arteries. Does it really take much more time to park, get out, stand in line and order the same bag of food? People can waste even more time waiting in the drive-thru line, because it's often longer. Somehow though, we have the perception that even when there are 10 more cars in line, it would be disastrous to our schedules if we were to park and walk inside to conduct the same transaction.

FUEL PRICES MAY HERALD BIG CHANGES IN THE AMERICAN FUTURE

We have really become a lazy culture, and something needs to change. Like anyone, I hate to see gas prices increase. I can't afford to continue shelling out funds to pay for the privilege of going to work. A vicious cycle that no one enjoys. But, in the long run, as the following MarketWatch editorial by Chris Pummer (8 reasons you'll rejoice when we hit $8-a-gallon gasoline) argues, it may be just the shot we need to revitalize American culture and get us moving toward a healthier and more environmentally friendly world. Hope so, because this is further compounding the issues for those people buckled under by the mortgage crisis.

Already, in Maryland, commuter bus service has stepped up to accommodate an influx of new riders, and the concept of introducing the Purple Line on the Washington DC Metrorail system has again become a hot topic of debate and consideration.

Now I wouldn't take the whole issue as far as "Americans should be celebrating…" as Pummer says in his article, but the American people will only stand so long for paying these increasing prices before they rail against Big Oil in the name of logic and all that is sane. Surely. 

FUEL-EFFICIENT CAR TECHNOLOGIES FINALLY ON THE UPSWING

I've been doing some research on the Toyota Prius this week, and I'm considering that as a future car. Great gas mileage. No wonder I see one of them every few miles on the road. The one I'm also excited about is Volkswagen's upcoming diesel hybrid Golf that boasts 69 MPG. I think the technology that goes into these vehicles will get better and better, until we all drive hybrids or electric cars one day. The ability to create these more fuel efficient cars has been there for years. But their development has always been hampered by corporate greed. Hopefully that Iron Curtain will finally be pulled aside as we head into an uncertain future where nonrenewable resources continue to diminish.

NOTE: A tip for those in the market for a more fuel-efficient car, or those seeking to determine what their present car's gas mileage should be... Check out the federal site for fuel economy. It features a lot of handy tools, my favorite of which allows you to select up to four cars and do a side-by-side comparison of such details as their environmental footprint, MPG, etc. You can find that here.

Size Matters…And Smaller is Better

Days after Asus announced the newest release in its Eee line, the Eee PC 900, I was poised and ready at NewEgg.com to scoop one up. Six months ago I had begun scouting out the Asus scene. At the time, I almost bought an Asus Eee 8G. I'm glad I waited. (Well, I didn't actually wait by choice. The 8G just wasn't in stock anywhere I checked, and the 4G was too much of a step down for me.)

PCs like the ones sold by Asus and many others (Everex, HP…) can be categorized alongside similar machines in categories such as subnotebooks, Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPCs), Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and Intel's name for them, Netbooks.

Whatever you choose to call them, these significantly slimmer, more portable notebook computers (known as "handy laptops" in some countries) are a boon to travelers who want to avoid the shoulder strain caused by their heftier cousins. My new Asus Eee PC 900 can easily be placed into a purse or oversized pocket. I wouldn't recommend it to the typical business "road warrior" techie. But, for my needs -- surfing the Internet when on the go, writing and blogging, keeping my budget on a spreadsheet, uploading a few photos -- it's perfect. I'm even considering checking out the Skype service for communicating from afar, supposedly with which I can make cheaper mobile and landline calls. The built-in webcam can be great for instant messaging with friends too, although I don't do much of that anymore. Still, quite a lot is packed into these little packages.

Unfortunately, when I bought my 900, I was so ecstatic about getting it into my eager little hands -- I failed to realize I could have done much better storage space-wise with the Linux version instead of the model loaded with Windows XP -- a significant difference of 8 GB more real estate. On top of that, I was later advised that XP could be installed on the Linux model. Aargh! I just didn't know enough about Linux to take the plunge; and I wish I had. No money-back policy though.

Yes, the drive space is small, but this computer isn't built to be the average notebook computer with a 250GB drive or bigger, or for storing numerous video or photo files. I'm planning on easily supplementing the drive space with a 16GB Class 6 SD (SDHC) card in the 900's available slot. Not a bad deal. I found ones online for around $75. In addition, USB thumb drives come in affordable 16GB versions. RAM is also easily upgradeable.

I won't lie though about the most disconcerting feature, in my opinion. The tiny keyboard has really taken some getting used to. I love my new device. At a weight of 2.2 pounds, it can easily be slipped into my already heavy commuter bag without causing any further issues. But the first time I put my standard 10-finger typing moves into play, I was in agony. I'm also a grammar perfectionist, so constantly mistyping characters and words, along with my lack of patience, wasn't a joyful experience. Still, I think I'm making significant progress in getting used to the more cramped configuration of my fingers required to achieve the same effect of regular laptops. I wouldn't recommend this keyboard to anyone with fingers that are above-average width or arthritis sufferers.

One possibility to upgrade this annoyance is to buy a full-sized, foldable, external USB keyboard; but, then, I think adding the cost of that and an extra accessory to carry with a UMPC is a huge contradiction to why I opted for one in the first place.

It is kind of exciting having such an attention-grabbing tool. Whenever I whip it out, I get comments. "Wow, that's tiny!" "What is it?" "Where'd you get that?" But, the whole reason I got started on this quest to find a smaller machine was to find a second computer that would be inexpensive and not require a handcart to move.

The story begins here.

A couple of months ago, I ordered my other computer, a Dell Inspiron 1720. I felt good about my purchase at first. I had meticulously researched the laptop's technical specs and carefully selected the high-powered features I desired. But nowhere in that entire process did it occur to me to verify its weight. I never knew it would turn out to be a monstrous pain in the butt. This fact was quite evident on the first day I decided to lug my new toy to the local coffee shop. Just last week this thing even busted the zipper on a newly purchased rugged Swiss Gear laptop backpack -- one of few bags I could find that would even fit this behemoth. A $100 bag, carefully chosen, so that it would secure my computer as well as possible (since I had already dropped the machine twice while trying to laboriously transport it from place to place). So much for that.

Excitement is in the air though, for consumers as well as the manufacturers of these mini laptops. The market for Netbooks is really beginning to take off at a quarter of the prices of the first UMPCs making their entrance in years past. Many of the newest introductions are priced under $500 and yet offer the durability and fast performance you'd expect from a pricier model. Plus, these are the best vehicles for the developing world to begin taking advantage of the Web more and more.

Lastly, If you're disheartened by the pricey MacBook Air and your need for all those bells and whistles is too low to justify the cost, you may be interested to know that Asus has taken a cue from Apple technology. The same pinch-and-pull type zoom abilities that you've seen or used on the iPhone work on the Asus Eee touchpad.

I'm a glutton for any new techie products. I had my WiiFit pre-ordered months before it was released on the market. I received it on Friday and tested it over the weekend too. Fun, fun, fun. But that will be another entry.

Songs, Music Artists and Groups That I "Heart"

I love to car dance, and I love to shower-croon. During my morning and evening legs of the daily commute, I am a pretty faithful listener of both the XM 80's and the XM 90's radio stations. These tend to bring back to mind a lot of songs, singers and groups I'd forgotten about. Today I decided to make a list of them. There are many more, but these are the ones that really strike a chord in me -- whether they make me want to dance like a wild woman, reminisce or belt out the lyrics while alone in the privacy of my car. I love them all.

AC/DC - "You Shook Me All Night Long" - The standard I-Really-Can't-NOT-Dance-to-This-When-I-Drink song

America - "Magic" and "Sister Golden Hair"

Animotion - "Obsession" - Another much played song by me, the lost-in-her-own-world teen attached to the Sony Walkman in the back of the family car.

The Bangles - "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Walking Down Your Street."

Blue October - Various

David Bowie - Various

Sarah Brightman

Candy Flip - Their remake of "Strawberry Fields Forever" (off of their "Madstock" album)

Belinda Carlisle (of Go-Go's fame) - "Mad About You" - One I liked to hear with the wind blowing through my hair.

The Cars - Various, esp. "Magic"

The Church - "Under the Milky Way Tonight"

Phil Collins - "One More Night" and others

The Counting Crows

The Cranberries - Various

Creed

Crowded House - "Don't Dream It's Over" - Just pleasing to listen to, a vividly remembered tune from the 80's.

The Cure - From the 80's until now - A lifelong favorite group of mine

Dashboard Confessional

Daughtry

Chris DeBurgh - "Lady in Red"

Dexy's Midnight Runners - "Come on Eileen" - Love the mix of music styles in this song.

Dire Straits - "Walk of Life" and "Money for Nothing"

Duran Duran - Was in my early teen years, certifiably Duran Duran-addicted

Echo and the Bunnymen - "Lips Like Sugar"

Enya - Various

Falco - They did the one hit song I played to death: "Rock Me Amadeus"

Fleetwood Mac - Various

Debbie Gibson - Various - Wanted to be her back then. I was always singing my heart out.

Eddy Grant - "Electric Avenue" - Another song that calls for high decibels on the stereo. If I ever hear this song on Muzak, I'll know I've truly hit rock-bottom.

Foreigner - Various - esp. "I Want to Know What Love Is."

Greg Kihn Band - "Jeopardy"

Hall and Oates - Various

Hootie & the Blowfish

Billy Idol ("Dancing With Myself," etc.)

J. Geils Band - "Centerfold"

Jesus Jones - Various

Journey - Various

Katrina and the Waves - "I'm Walkin' on Sunshine" - Still the best wake-up song.

K.C. and the Sunshine Band - "Give It Up"

KLF - "3 a.m. Eternal"

Klymaxx - "I Miss You" - Sang to death by me, the wannabe daydreamer who yearned for nothing for years, but to be a singer.

Kool and the Gang - Various, esp. "Misled," "Cherish," and "Joanna."

The Lightning Seeds - "Pure" was the best, but liked them all. From the album "Cloudcuckooland"

Love and Rockets - "So Alive"

Lulabox

Madonna - Various

Bob Marley

Maroon 5

Sarah McLachlan - esp. "In the Arms of the Angels" and "Building a Mystery"

Don McLean - "American Pie"

Modern English - "Melt With You"

Morris Day and the Time - "Jungle Love" - Fun. Great for playing loud in your car.

Van Morrison - "Brown-eyed Girl"

Nena - "99 Luftballons"

NIN - Only the "Pretty Hate Machine" album

Pet Shop Boys - Various, but esp. "West End Girls"

Prince - Various

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Roxette - The "Joyride" album

Simple Minds - "Don't You Forget About Me," from the movie "The Breakfast Club"

The Soup Dragons

Third Eye Blind

Thrill Kill Kult - "Sex on Wheelz"

Tiffany - Various

Toto - Various

Van Halen - "Dreams" - But I love everything 80's up to current by these guys.

The Wallflowers - "One Headlight" - I love to play this with the windows down, wind blowing through my hair, with it loud. Just a good song.

White Zombie

Jane Wiedlin - Rush Hour - Fun and funky.

Kim Wilde - Keep Me Hangin' On - Another I used to dance to

And, lastly:

Irene Kara/Michael Simbello - "What a Feeling" and "Maniac," both from the movie "Flashdance." This was the movie that made me (and I'm sure many others) daydream of being a dancer. I did try in the privacy of my own living room. Whew! I'm glad YouTube wasn't around then, or I'd have died of embarrassment.

Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul

On that same note of Afghanistan, which I wrote about in the previous entry -- if you'd like to discover a piece of that land for yourself:

I came across an interesting article today, about some very brave Afghan museum curators who, when the Taliban began their reign, locked away and protected the countries rare artifacts.

These very same treasures will be on display in Washington, DC, through the summer beginning this Sunday, the first time such a display from this country has been made outside of its borders. The showing will be at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. From here, the exhibit "Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul" will travel onward to San Francisco, Houston and New York.

I feel that these next statements say it all, why it is so important, in times of strife, to protect a country's historical objects: In setting the course to rebuild the National Museum of Afghanistan, Omar Khan Masoudi, one of those curators, posted his driving motivation over the building's front doors. The sign reads: "A Nation Stays Alive When Its Culture Stays Alive."

Impressions of Afghanistan from my 2006 Visit

If you've never been to Afghanistan, you may think of it as a harsh place where the Taliban committed atrocities and women move about wrapped like mummies, restrictively clothed, so they may appear in public. Those are true statements, but there is more to this place than what you see in the daily newscasts. The countryside can be dry, rugged, dusty and unforgiving. If you drive outside of Kabul on a long stretch of road through the vivid, green mountainous Hindu Kush, you'll see small crumbling structures everywhere. Were they the remains of homes destroyed during the Soviet regime, or by the Taliban? Or did the ravages of time just eventually crush the constructions of man? Again, it is a mystery to me.

When I passed through this area of the world, I spotted a group of men scattered across a field near the side of the road. I don't know if this was true, but one of the Soldiers escorting us, who had been there much longer, said they were hired to scout for land mines in the terrain. The driver of our behemoth, shiny black Suburban zigzagged constantly down the paved road, a tactic used to hopefully avoid contact with any Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). These were a known threat and had, in the past, exploded right alongside the highway where we were driving. I was in the back hanging on, trying not to think about this fact, as our driver and the ones ahead seemed to hit 90 mph on the bumpy road. At one point, the SUV we followed nearly did a roll-over. Staring at the almost dreamlike landscape of the Hindu Kush gave me something else to focus on. I was startled that I'd never realized what beauty was contained here, beyond Afghanistan's long history of struggle and strife.

When I first arrived in the capital city of Kabul, we rolled down those streets with our M-16 rifles at the ready, in the backseat of a small ramshackle car. Four military women, all of us armed. We passed many a vehicle where male drivers peered at us, suspiciously, with what I took to be glints of hatred in their eyes at the audacity of females with uncovered faces, intruding upon their culture with our modern, secular ways. I was scared but mesmerized by the stark contrast of where I was to any place I had ever known. It was like traveling a century back in time. Old men in white clothing, bearded, deftly crouched upon their feet atop small upraised concrete blocks and stared with withered skin, as they shielded their dark eyes to stare. Small boys laughed and played in the sandy street, barefoot, happy with their meager surroundings. Sometimes three of them managed to pile upon a bike to get around. It was difficult to believe these gentle souls would most likely grow up as their fathers and grandfathers, excluding women, seeing them as lesser beings that must be hidden from the world. Shivers passed through me as I glimpsed here and there the eerie motions of women moving along the peripheries in blue burkas, no characteristics to allow the differentiation of one from the other. I felt sad for them, knowing that beneath those personality-numbing coverings lay a unique heart, soul and mind that, given the chance, could have held and fulfilled so many dreams.

Faces leered at us. I felt that any moment one of these people might decide we shouldn't be there and shoot or lob a grenade at us. This was made worse by the fact that, during our travels, we ended up surrounded by traffic, sitting ducks for a few moments. There was no way of knowing if any of them were ordinary citizens or terrorists. Of course, having been conditioned by fear and the media, I think I subconsciously grouped them as being all the same.

The only time I was able to interact with the Afghan people was during a craft bazaar held right outside of the entrance to the base of Camp Eggers. I took my digital SLR camera and snapped a few shots of vendors selling ornate, hand-woven rugs. They were unused to being photographed, their smiles almost cartoonish when they posed, and their manner friendly and welcoming. When I showed them their pictures on the camera's LCD screen, they were in awe at this digital contraption. A small boy (Hakim, I think) ran quickly about playing his role as the consummate salesman. He tried hard to persuade shoppers to buy his postcards, aged and faded, with a variety of photos of Afghanistan. He sold them for a dollar, and, although I didn't need any, I bought one, because I knew he could use the money. I was taken by the beauty of stoneware and pottery handcrafted from vibrant blue lapis lazuli. I yearned to buy some, but I only had a rucksack with me, and no way to carry it back to my room in Doha, Qatar, without breaking it. I opted for a lapis lazuli ring to remind me of my visit. Unfortunately, I lost it before I even got back to the States.

I had met the true citizens of Afghanistan. The ones who just wanted to earn a living and live a life of simplicity, to care for their families -- basic needs we all have. Sadly enough, however, these shopkeepers came from miles away to sell their wares, and often they were hijacked upon their return home, only to be robbed of all they had earned.

Afghanistan looks nothing like Iraq. I think it is easy to link these places as being "over there." These are places many people think of as lifeless, cruel and inhumane. But there is much humanity there, just as in any place, once you look beneath the surface and past the conditioning we all receive in one form or another.

I'm going to look this weekend to see if I still have my photos from that visit. If so, I'll pick some of my favorites and share them here.

Sink Your Teeth Into This One; $175 Hamburger!

If you've got money to throw around, for nearly the price of a dinner for two at Ruth Chris Steakhouse, you can feast on a Manhattan restaurant's specialty burger.

New York restaurant offers $175 hamburger

Actually, the foie gras, aged Gruyere cheese, Kobe beef and truffles all sound to die for. But I could do without picking the gold flakes out of my teeth, thank you.

Thoughts on the Creative Act, Finding Blog Content

I don't make a practice of seeking to find filler content for my blog just to slap onto it whatever I dig up online. I want what I post here to be as authentic to who I am as possible. Sometimes I throw in tidbits of news - local, national and international - but only if it catches my attention enough to elicit shock, curiosity or other such strong emotions. I don't even know what I'm going to write about until it finds me. Often I find that to be the most satisfying and productive way for me to write. I can energetically churn out pages following this philosophy. That's why I believe it's so difficult in my role as a military journalist, to come up with an angle for the story, conduct the interviews and then try to organize the resulting information into an interesting, readable article. And the most difficult task is doing all of this in time to meet a swiftly approaching deadline. By the time I've gathered all of the details and quotes for my story, I am mired in pages of notes and digitally recorded conversations. Much of these technical and defense topics don't really hold my interest, and yet I have to present the stories in ways that will draw others to pick them up and read them. 

For me, writing is about letting your soul stir you to action, and finding a place where from within an idea screams loud enough to be heard. Then, suddenly you know what it is that you want to say.

I know I'm getting all New Age here. However, I didn't realize before I entered this career field - journalism - that it's primarily the opposite of what I've always considered as writing. It's about being outside of yourself. You should never enter into the picture. You are an unbiased observer and listener, recording details, nuances and facts. Ever since I was old enough to put pen to paper, back to when I remember sitting in my dad's old red ton truck, scribbling away beside the strawberry patch on our farm...I always knew I yearned to write. I never envisioned it would be for the Army, in strange, sometimes dangerous, faraway places; but this is where it led me, and I'm proud to serve my country in this way.

How do we serve this nation, you may wonder. Well, glad you asked. The images that enter the media (both civilian and military) through our camera lenses, the words conveying to people everywhere the actions of U.S. service members and their experiences, and the reports on how this country's Armed Forces interact (both in humanitarian and security missions) in situations worldwide...These are our products. I'd like to think that our jobs as print and broadcast journalists contribute to a more well-rounded understanding for those outside of the military. And maybe our work can help to counteract the often negative perspectives dredged up by the mainstream news outlets.

I would probably be more suited to writing essays, even novels; that is...if I could sit still and focus long enough to do so. I need to really "connect" with a topic to fully produce in the range of my creative talents. It's a longshot to do that when you're standing say...boots stuck in orange muck, freezing, in the middle of Hohenfels Training Area in Germany, trying to find a way to describe the role of a tank and its crew participating there...especially in a way that will spark your readers' curiosity -- and after you've been assigned to complete this type of story for the umpteenth time. Give me a cushy chair, a vat of coffee, a long stretch of time, and the inviting blank screen of my laptop at a cafe anytime.

Whining About Wine in the Woods; Making Other Plans

Tim and I miss Columbia, Maryland's Wine in the Woods celebration every year due to the unfortunate timing of our National Guard drill weekends -- Mother's Day and the Memorial Day weekend always causing this scheduling mishap. Last year we badly wanted to go, and then this year we both groaned as we again saw announcements around town and realized that yet again we'd have to forego.

However, from my Google Alerts for Columbia, Maryland this morning, I received a link to a calendar of upcoming Maryland events in the Baltimore City Paper. I'm hoping we can find one of these to attend and make up for missing the wine festival.

If you're interested, check it out here. 

Bumper Sticker Chasing, Recording Life, and Other Addictions

During this decade, technology really soared ahead in gifting us with the ability to quickly jettison the photos we take to anyone anywhere. Consequently, in these past few years, I discovered an addiction evolving in my constantly curious brain. From this almost criminally easy process of snapping and capturing anything I see -- et voila -- having it without "really having it," (in other words, needing physical space for it) came my incurable need to photograph bumper stickers. 

"Why those?" you ask, probably thinking there are so many more photograph-able objects in this world (Guys, too late...I totally know you were thinking 'boobs' as you read this).

Well, these cultural icons (bumper stickers, not boobs -- focus, stay with me now) are by far my favorite items to "collect" besides that all-purpose luggage space-deficient cheapskate's souvenir friend, the shot glass. Don't get me wrong. I think bumper stickers are fun, funky everyday symbols of our swiftly changing culture. But you won't find the make and model of my car totally unrecognizable and obliterated by my every political statement. Those people are S-C-A-R-Y. Especially the ones with those fire-and-brimstone, end-of-the-world-is-coming slogans. My bumper also will not announce how I feel about you, the complete stranger with the nerve to share the same highway lane. No, I prefer to stalk other people's bumper stickers for my own amusement.

Here's how I go about it.

I stealthily approach an unmanned vehicle in a parking lot. Then, I verify the absence of the vehicle's occupants, and that said sticker on the bumper qualifies as either unique, hilarious or downright offensive. My Child is an Honor Student at Blah-Blah-Blah would hardly make the cut.

Once I've located my target...seconds after that, the info is on my iPhone and sailing in the form of data packets through the ether to maybe one of my blogs or my still as yet mostly bumper sticker unpopulated Flickr account.

The small, everyday items of our modern-day existence...these most intrigue me. Centuries from now, possibly these same hardly noticed pieces of culture will be on display in a museum or studied with confusion by future archaeologists (hmm...they'll ponder...what did those Golden Arches mean in the religion followed by the Mcdonaldites). I enjoy knowing the stories of ordinary people. Oral history is another fascination of mine. For some time, there has been a trend in getting a window into the lives of others (i.e. the concept, albeit false, of reality TV). (Well, it's either that or the muses have packed up and left Hollywood). But, maybe glimpsing similarities in other people's lives just makes us feel less alone, and helps us to feel validated in the way we live.

I've always known I was either a packrat in the making or a kind of amateur archivist/historian/sociologist. I think I'll stick with the latter description. I once seriously considered getting a degree in folklore at one of only a few colleges in North America that offer this program. I'm quite sure I would have loved it. I didn't change my mind to pick up a different major. No, although I'm an information glutton with an above-average IQ, I tend to have a hard time staying with anything, even more than one semester of college. I've launched this plan in my life, to begin a degree, on at least 10 different occasions, at different schools in different states, in programs such as Fine Arts, Photography, Journalism, Business and Web Design/Programming. I may even have Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. I don't know. But my name inscribed on that highly valued piece of paper looks to be a dream as far away as the tip of Mount Everest.

Whatever the reason, here I am, a researcher, a consummate reader, a would-be academic only in thought with an unceasing thirst for knowledge at every turn.

I believe blogging fits into my fondness for recording life. It is so much a part of my routine, because, just as I've done since I was a 10-year-old, I place all of the pieces of my world into safekeeping for a rainy day. Life moves so quickly. How can we not want to photograph it, to write about it and keep it fresh. Before we know it, we'll look back and wish we had.  Even the most boring moments in our 20's or 30's will resonate with energy decades down the road. We'll have documents that unfurl our experiences for our children and grandchildren in ways that merely telling them the small bits we remember cannot.

But if you see a strange woman kneeling down to take a picture of the rear of your car in the parking lot, trying hard to look inconspicuous, just smile, and realize your bumper decor was notable enough to be memorialized.

Here are two of my recent snapshots. They don't reflect my political beliefs (or they may - but I'm not telling). I only posted them, because they were interesting.

The British Create Human-Animal Hybrid Embryo

This new development just seems so wrong on so many levels. Haven't we learned enough from dabbling with animals' true habitats, thus leading ourselves to environmental problems with invasive species? Take, for example, the nutria, which inhabits, among many other locales, areas like Louisiana, where it has run rampant and erodes the plant structure in swamps. I once went on an airboat ride when I was in New Orleans following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Surprisingly, our guide pointed out, the "floor" of the swamp, on the water's surface, in some areas -- this intricately fashioned root system -- is so dense in places that it can support human weight. Amazing.

However, the nutria is tearing apart this part of the ecosystem, a place far from the animal's original beginnings. While we were on our boat, the Cajun leader of our excursion reached into the water with a hook and proudly brought one of the creatures topside for us to have a better look. Egads, basically a big rat with some decidely scary teeth. I had no need to get any closer than I had to.

I believe, in most instances, nature should be left alone (except maybe in the case of stem cell research, which I believe can help a great many people), as it was created, before we began technologically tinkering as scientific gods. I don't have any religious issues with this hybrid embryo concept as some do, but I can see this experiment going awry.