Havasimy

One story I forgot to tell. On the way back from Carnival, I stopped at a rest stop about an hour away from Philly. When I pulled back out of the parking space and started to drive forward, it felt like I had gotten a flat tire. I got out and checked and all the tires were fine. I started driving again. I could still feel it. I got out again and even checked under the car. Found nothing. I started driving again. I was past the pump at the gas station rest stop by this point. I realized I couldn't get on the turnpike until I figured out what it was. I pull over by the gas station building and I checked the front left tire again. That's when I noticed it. A piece of tire retread was stuck to my car. It was going about a third of the way around the tire. I must have either drove overtop of it getting off the highway or parked right on top of it. It came off with a little force. I've talked with a few people who have spent times around cars and they've never heard of that happening.

And now still catching up on saved up news stories:
- I hope these guys end up missing the show because they were at the wrong theatre.
- This column brings up some interesting points. First, the fact that heavy drinking seems to slow down after a person turns 21. Second, that it's not right that someone in their late teens can do stuff like buy cigarette, own guns and even kill (and die) for their country but can't drink. (I've personally always thought that, at least, if a person is on active duty in the military, they should be allowed to drink, no matter their age.) But the most important thing in the article is the need for education. Teens are often attracted to drinking because it's illegal to do and an adult activity. They are never taught to drink responsibly and often have their first drinks with no adult supervision. Growing up across the street from a beer distributor and hanging out there, I saw the good and bad sides of alcohol early in my life. Also, my parents are occasion let me have a sip of wine. If I had wanted to, I could also have had a beer on occasion, but it would only have been when they were around. I've seen a few people who hit college with the easier access to alcohol and were not prepared for it. And considering raising the age limit for drinking will likely never happen, there should be more alcohol education given to those in their early teens than simply telling them not to drink before 21. This should start at home and be reinforced in the school.
- No real comment on this, just that find this interesting. Also, I'm sure Bill will say that they got the headline half right.
- Maybe dressing as a pirate could be used to get an elected office in student goverment at Carnegie Mellon. Or maybe it just requires getting a couple friends to vote for you.
- This is an article about names. It's worth reading for the story about the guy who named two of his sons Winner and Loser. Here's a related article.
- I can just imagine kids playing war and having Jesus fighting G.I.Joe or reenacting the parting of the Red Sea with the Moses doll and the toilet.
- Who cares? The article came off to me as an advertisement for iPods and iTunes.
- I agree with this article. Food service on planes don't matter to me too much and seat comfort (except for late night, cross country flights where the seat in front of me has actually fused to my knees) is acceptable. But I'm sick of seeing flyers take full suitcases that I could fit in onto airplanes while I've taken care to make sure my carry-on actually fit within the airlines guidelines.