Dust in the storm

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The wind blows. The dust gets kicked up.
I have to wash the car…again.

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The wind blows. The dust gets kicked up.
I have to wash the car…again.

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It is that time of year, fall, and it is really irritating that I have to keep climbing to the top of the ladder on a regular basis. And by regular basis, I mean like every other week…
In the Northwest we get a lot of rain, and wind. As a result, the wind causes all the leaves and pine needles and pine cones and small twigs that blow off the trees end up on the roof of the house. When the rain comes it washes it all off the roof and into the gutters on the house.
I try to keep up, but I usually am reminded that the gutters need cleaned when it is pouring down rain and the gutters are overflowing. Then I gotta drag out the ladder, climb to the top, and empty the gutters while I get soaked to the bone.
Sometimes being a homeowner sucks.

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I am little overwhelmed at the moment.
Can I just take the day off from anything that has a major decision involved? Can I just take the day off from responsibility?
Anyone have any suggestions for getting away from it all?

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Can someone just hold on a minute?
Why do we need to have shorter days already? I am not done with summer and the ever encroaching of darkness is pissing me off. I got stuff to do and the darkness is in the way.
Season change blah blah blah…dark at 4:00pm. WTH?
Longer days. You know, the ones where it gets dark like at 9:30pm. I like those. Let’s just do that all the time and call it good!

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OK, I know this is cliche. I know this is a generalization. I know this has been my experience in EVERY car purchase I have ever made, so I am pretty sure others have it as well.
It is universally known that car salesmen are the worst! I am sure every comedian has probably covered this topic so I am not exploring any new ground here, but I am gonna throw in my two cents.
They perch themselves up near the front entrance of the dealership, waiting and watching for any movement on the lot. They respond to email inquiries and bang out phone calls to people who have shown even the remotest interest in one of their cars. When a customer finds it’s way onto the property they flap their wings and decide who gets to approach the potential meal.
They leave the perch and saunter over near the customer trying not to look too eager. They circle, make small talk, and assess the situation. They wait for the customer to show signs of weakness or excitement about a vehicle.
Then they swoop in and land near their prey. As you fight to maintain the upper hand, they wait you out until you finally give in. You offer, they counter. You offer again, they counter again. Then, when you appear weak, another one swoops in to add more pressure. More offers, more pressure. You’re gasping, breathing hard and trying to hang on to the little life you have left, but there are now two vultures waiting, waiting to see last breaths of hesitation escape from your lungs as you agree to the purchase.
Now they feast! There is a flurry of feathers and papers and the next thing you know you are standing in your driveway with keys to a new car and buyers remorse.
Good luck out there!
Nothing reminds you of this fact more than when you begin your new car search. The process is the same on every single lot. Sure, the names of the dealerships change as you shop around and look for the best deal, but the process is the same. The behavior is the same. It is so predictable.

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Everyone has skeletons. This is a fact.
No one is perfect. We all have things in our past that we likely regret. We all have things in our past we would rather not have others know about. We all have things in our past that we’re embarrassed about. We all have things in our past we would probably like to take back or change.
The expectation that those who are in the public life, whether in government service or celebrity, be perfect and have no skeletons in their past is absurd. This is an impossible standard and one that no one can meet. Quite frankly, we, the American public, should be ashamed of ourselves for expecting this standard and for mistakenly trying to create it. Not all skeletons can be ignored and some most definitely shouldn’t be; however, there is also a limit to what should be considered when determining the true character of a person. Time and behavior have to be considered. Character isn’t built in a day, for good reason.
If you have ever considered a public life, or even if you haven’t considered it but some how end up with one, you better keep your head down. “They” are coming for you! It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, how long ago it was, or even what side you’re on. “They” are gonna find you and get you. It doesn’t take evidence. It doesn’t take witnesses. It doesn’t take corroboration. It just takes accusations and allegations. No proof needed. It doesn’t matter if you’re innocent or not, maybe the skeleton doesn’t even exist. No matter. “They” are gonna get you!
Our Founders are rolling over in their graves. None of them were perfect, but at least they understood that about others nor did they expect it.
If you are currently in a place of power, in the government, a celebrity (major or minor), or just a regular person…you should just stop doing whatever you’re doing and resign. Go live in a hole and interact with no one, because eventually your skeletons will come out of the closet and no one is exempt from being haunted by them.

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What’s with water anyway?
Why is it so tasteless? Yes, I know that is a generalization and all water has a little something (chemicals/minerals/etc) that give it a “taste,” but it isn’t really a taste at the same time.
Drink more water they say…
OK, can you make it taste better without me going through the effort of adding something too it? It is just too much work. How about it just come out of the tap or, better yet, the dispenser in the fridge with some flavor?
Damn, I should patent this idea immediately! Soda machines let you choose the flavor of soda (who knew there were 435 *exaggeration* different flavors of Coke?), so why can’t my fridge do the same thing (some on Samsung, innovate that! I want credit though)? I press a button and the water that fills my bottle has a hint of lemon or a hint of lime or a hint of blackberry or a hint of mint (ewww) or a hint of fruit punch or whatever you think would be nice.
Make it happen people!
Otherwise, plain water is boring and I don’t want to drink it. But I do, reluctantly and begrudgingly.

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Electric cars.
I think they would be more prevalent if people weren’t so worried about distance it could travel and charging it. I think those two things are sort of intertwined.
I guess I have always wondered why you have to plug the thing in in the first place. Why? If there is technology out there that will make high rise windows into charging panels, why can’t that be incorporated into automobiles? Or if Tesla can make solar roofing tiles and turn the whole rooftop into something that charges your home, why can’t it make the hood (or roof) of your car out of the same material?
I know, it takes a lot of time to recharge and I know (I asked this once of a smarter friend) that it would take a huge amount of charging to make a car work from such limited charging capability. He asked, “Would the cost be worth it?” My answer was that I didn’t know because apparently no one has tried, isn’t some charge better than no charge, and eventually cost would come down because that is what happens with tech as it improves.
Here’s the thing, most people’s cars spend most of the day sitting around, either in the driveway or in a parking lot somewhere. Why can’t it be recharging at the same time without having to be plugged in?
Things that make you go, hmmmmm.

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I am not totally sure what that means, but I do know it means whatever I was trying to do on the internet isn’t working, and it is frustrating as hell.
“Page not found.”
“We’ve encountered a problem. Try again.”
“HTTP server not found.”
It all means that whatever is trying to be done ain’t working and everything comes to a grinding halt.
Ugh, tech problems are the worst!
Anyone else have a “favorite” that short circuits their day?

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Anyone else find other people’s kids annoying?
Not that my kids were perfect by any means, but man I really dislike being around other people’s kids. I don’t really know why. Maybe I am just getting old.
I mean, yeah, I am old. Other people’s kids are loud, obnoxious, messy, whiny, and ill-mannered. They are picky food eaters, when they eat. They always want “play” with you and can’t play Wait, maybe it’s their parents I dislike. I mean, they little attention to their kids because they are focused on their phones, they yell as their kids when they don’t listen but don’t do anything to correct the behavior (“let’s talk about it” and “timeout”?). They seemingly expect other adults in the room to parent their kids for them, but they when you do they are offended that you did.
All I can do is shake my head.
#SMH