Month: July 2017

It’s been weeks since I paid any attention to the news. I think I’m better off.

I’m completely disconnected from the annoyances, and irritations that flood into our homes via the media. I haven’t even read a newspaper online.

I have been dealing with my own drama, and I suppose that’s the good news and bad news.  If I’d been paying attention to the antics of the politicians, I’d have been really, really, cross. As it was, the stresses of my life were more than sufficient to keep me occupied.

So now I find myself wondering what’s been going on, and simultaneously I’m afraid to look.

There’s a strange comfort knowing that if the end is going to happen, it will be a complete surprise to me!

Perhaps, this simply proves that old adage…

Ignorance is Bliss

The question now for me is, do I choose to remain in Bliss?

 

“Don’t do that with that firecracker, You’ll put your eye out!”

I miss firecrackers.

I liked that there was a bit of sanctioned “danger” and I liked knowing that the parents, and grandparents, and aunts & uncles were watching us blow things up, even if they appeared to not be. I knew as a child, in the back of my mind that they had my back and would intervene if us kids were about to do something really stupid.

As a child I loved this time of year. Long warm sunny days, swimming, camping, fishing, the smell of fresh cut grass, and complete freedom to explore my world, (within the neighborhood). School was still forever in the future (2 months).

Looking back I think it’s weird that my memory of that time in my life is still so bright and vibrant, but the pictures from that time are yellowed with age. At once, I’m that same child, and a wiser adult. Sometimes the juxtaposition is jarring. I guess that’s part & parcel of having the years adding up.

I miss the simplicity. I miss going as a family to the local school, or baseball field and watching the community fireworks show. We could see ours up close, but communities all across the city were putting on shows too and the night sky was lit with sparkling colors. You could lay on the grass long after your community show was over, and watch the surrounding communities shows.

Even up to 15 years ago, I could sit on my deck, and watch 4 local communities different fireworks shows. Those shows aren’t happening anymore. The fire danger is too high, but I get the impression that people now are happier sitting in their houses watching fireworks on their big screens; with clever narrative provided by a non threatening, friendly faced news moderator.

I’d like to go back to the other way.

Kids running around, sparklers sparkling, and fun glow in the dark toys. Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Fries and everything the Doctor says is bad for you. What’s one night gonna do? Live a little, splurge, have a good time and celebrate the independence of our nation.

Well that’s my suggestion anyway, and as soon as I get out of work… I’m going to go looking for trouble.

I hope your 4th is safe fun and that you indulge in independence.

This is a BMW, unlike the rental cars I was driving, I can actually park properly without backing up and adjusting.

I thought that perhaps I was just unused to those other cars. But after weeks of driving the rentals, I was still having trouble parking them. (I had 2 different rental cars; One American and one Japanese.) It was like the steering geometry was all wrong. I’d get the nose more or less where I was aiming, but the butt of the dang car wouldn’t ever be where it was supposed to be.

The weird thing is that even though the 3 is bigger and longer, than my 1 was, it maneuvers exactly the same way. So I don’t look quite so OLD trying to park, and thank goodness I’m not parking by “Braille”.

I’m really liking the vehicle, the gas milage is excellent. The power is good and it’s a comfortable ride. I do miss the seats of the 1, they were adjustable 6 ways from Sunday. The seats in this car… Not so much, comfortable, but not quite as comfortable as the 1.

I’m at work, and I’m crabby. I think it’s because I’d rather be out doing something aside from sitting here in the office. I’ve been feeling very tired and achy the past week or so, I’ve been attributing this to stresses in my life. I’m starting to wonder if the reality is that I’ve had some kind of bug. 

Which begs the question, do I take the car for a drive along the coast? Or do I go home to the apt and sleep? I’m thinking sleep is the direction I’m going. Maybe a nice coastal cruise later on in the week. Given that it’s a holiday weekend, traffic is likely to be throughly nightmarish.

Yep, home it is, snooze away the afternoon.

After all what’s the fun of driving if you could walk to your destination faster? A long coastal drive will wait until another day.

The transmission seems to be “Learning” my driving style. That means that I’m noticing fewer “Strange Shifts” and that power is there right when I need it. I’m amazed at how smart this machine is. Don’t get me wrong, the 1 was plenty smart, but this one is a genius in comparison.

Every time I drive it, I notice something else. Mostly that’s a good thing. New features, little attentive features that make life nice. So this car has