The Ordinary American

The Beauty of the Four-Way Stop

Rob — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:02:17 +0000

On my drive to and from work, I hit a four-way stop. I used to dread them, but the anti-depressants, mood-stabilizers, and occasional anti-anxiety pill has helped with that, and I can now see clearly what a well-functioning system it is. In the afternoon commute home, when the traffic is at its heaviest, this four-way stop moves along much more quickly than any traffic light would have drivers moving. Drivers are civil, clearly know the rules of the four-way stop, and are sometimes even polite. Though as much as I appreciate politeness, it tends to interrupt the flow.

All of this is great, until I get on the highway and remember what dill weeds drivers are during the majority of their commutes.

Gub’ment TV?

Rob — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:04:37 +0000

I’m not too much of a conspiracy theorist. There is a lot of talk from the left these days about a shift from towards a Fascists form of government. Fair enough. It’s out of scope for me to go into that now, but suffice it to say that I believe it may be happening. We’ll see how it plays out.

What I do wonder, though, is why the federal government is getting involved in this digital television conversion. Am I the only one thinking that this is an aggressive move towards state-run television? Of course, the FCC has been screwing with radio and television for quite some time, but something about this digital television thing seems a little more brazen to me. In all fairness, this is a gut feeling based on little research. That’s what this blog is about, though — getting my thoughts out there, even if they’re completely bizarre. That way, I can look back years later and laugh at myself, or say “Wow, I was right about that!” Hopefully, the result of this will be the former.

Recovering Fossil-Fuelics

Rob — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:36:51 +0000

I liken the prospect of drilling for oil in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge to the fate of a desperate addict who stumbles upon a stash of his preferred drug. He will be thrilled and satisfied for a short period of time, and won’t worry about finding his next supply until he runs out. That cycle will continue until there is no more supply.

Politicians like to talk about “ending our addiction to oil.” The problem is that most Americans don’t know anything about addictions, much less how to recover from one. I include myself in this group.

A successful recovering addict may tell you his or her formula for success: “Today, I’m not going to use [insert favorite substance here] .” In other words, start with today. What’s done is done, and tomorrow isn’t here yet. It’s Zen. I can relate.

From Behind the Desk

Rob — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:05:36 +0000

When you are waiting for a response to an email you sent, it will invariably arrive five minutes after you leave your desk to attend an hour long meeting.

Hillary’s Sliding, Chelsea’s Chiding

Rob — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:22:10 +0000

As a registered Democrat, I haven’t been too impressed with Hillary Clinton over the years, nor during the primaries. She’s shown quite a bit of desperation lately, and I think this article highlights some of that desperation.

Hillary’s desperation is an obvious salient point, but what I found most intriguing about the article was a quote from Chelsea that was buried midway through the article. The harsh words were in response to an inquiry about whether the Lewinsky scandal was damaging to her mother’s credibility:

“Wow, you’re the first person actually that’s ever asked me that question in the, I don’t know maybe, 70 college campuses I’ve now been to, and I do not think that is any of your business”

Well said, Chelsea. Planning on running anytime soon?

(Also, kudos to the numbnuts who asked that question. If there were a Darwin Award for stupidity, that question most certainly deserves an honorable mention. How do a husband’s infidelities effect his wife’s credibility?)

Bush expresses sorrow over U.S. deaths in Iraq | Reuters

Rob — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:44:54 +0000

Publicly, President Bush has expressed sorrow over the number of troop casualties in Iraq. Still, he attempts to convince himself, and the rest of us, that this was the right war at the right time:

“One day people will look back at this moment in history and say ‘thank God there were courageous people willing to serve’ because they laid the foundation for peace for generations to come”

It makes one question if, privately, he regrets this decision and sees the gross miscalculation he and his administration made. Does he lament his errors behind closed doors, or has he so firmly convinced himself with his own public rhetoric that he has done the right thing, that there is no room for consideration that things may have gone horribly wrong?

Soldiers are brave and selfless. They are heroes. It is sad that our president’s decisions have cost us 4,000 of these heroes.

Too Bizarre for a Title

Rob — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:55:04 +0000

If I were to put a checklist together of things that could go wrong during a boating excursion, I think a flying eagle ray stabbing me in the neck would fall pretty far down on that list — somewhere between a great white shark attack and a tidal wave.

Recession?

Rob — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:03:07 +0000

Has anyone asked the folks at Shell what they think about all of this chatter about the imminent recession?

It seems to me that when the big oil companies can charge me $3.20 for a gallon of gas, somebody’s still making money.

I suggest that the talking heads and journalists stop talking about recession and fanning the flames. Maybe the talkers and writers that seem to know so much about the problem should try to help fix it instead of stand by whilst it happens.

The Ordinary American’s English Lexicon Revival

Rob — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:36:31 +0000

I’ve been attempting to revive some words and phrases that have fallen out of favor. So far, my attempts have been met with indifference at best:

“Bitchin’”, and its superlative form, “bitchin’est”
“Far Out”
“Right on”
“Groovy”

I think four is a good number to start with; it’s not too ambitious, but it presents a choice. That’s what Americans want, “according to the polls”. Feel free to send your suggestions for some others you’d like to see revived.

The Power of Breathing

Rob — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:28:33 +0000

It’s late right now, and there are too many amazing things about having a child to list in this post. The one thing that seems to astound me repeatedly, however, is hearing the sound of my child’s breathing. Whether I hear it on the baby monitor, or while he’s next to me napping, or excitedly breathing as he plays with something, it brings a smile to my face every time. Kandis and I created another living person, and his breath reminds me of just how — excuse the wordplay — breathtaking that creation was. It’s an emotionally charged experience each time.

Hey, Cooper. Dad loves you.