I’m not immune from the grinding fear that things might get real shitty, and I know for some people, they already have.
But so far, the economic downturn has:
• Raised the price of gas to the point that even the least environmentally conscious of us are thinking and talking and open to new ideas about energy and sustainability and other ideas that bored us all to death two years ago. (Gee, I haven’t heard the term "tree-huggers" in a while, have you?)
• Served us our first reminder since the sudden death of "the new economy" (remember that one?) that you can’t always get what you want. (And that banks can be sharpers, too!)
• And, as of today, put Bennigan’s out of business. One down … TGI Fridays to go!
So you’ve gotta take the good news where you can find it is all I’m saying.
You damned tree hugger you . . . you used to love eating at TGIFs . . . only you pretentiously would shorten it to “Fridays,” as if we didn’t know.
Glad you survived the sailing trip. Your article on it is terrific.
Steve C.
Steve, I like a lot of things that probably ought to go. In a decade, is the world going to allow me to drive, for reasons of pure novelty a 44-year-old vehicle that gives off more fumes than the Lorax? I doubt it.
Hey! When do the rest of us get to read the article on your sailing trip?????
I think I should wait until it’s published to publish it here. I just sent a draft to Steve, boater to boater. I’ll put it up here as soon as comes out, this fall sometime.
I heard on the radio that because of gas prices, there is (finally) a major decrease in consumer gas purchases.
Makes sense; however, this phenomenon has depleted a federal trust fund that takes something like $.20 from each dollar of gas purchased and uses it to pay for highway construction across the country. All those highway projects are now out of money.
So, instead of taking a hint that we need to invest in alternative fuel research, the legislators are trying to just transfer money into the fund from other places, like the general transportation fund (which, ironically, funds the mass transit system that many people are now opting for).
Go figure.
here’s the whole story:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/highway-fund-is-latest-victim-of-high-gas-prices-2008-07-16.html
Just catching up on my reading here, and have to weigh in on the 44 year old fume-spitting Lorax: that is ART, that rig. I don’t care what happens to the atmosphere, I don’t care if we die tooling around in it, I don’t care WHO thinks it’s some weird new Chicago tour–it’s perfection itself. I love it. It is good and right, which is more than I can say for high-end chain restaurants, no matter how good a margarita they make.
Your Scout-loving friend,
Joan
PS: the margarita thing was a guess. I’m not positive I’ve ever eaten at one of those TGIF places, though I believe one does exist in Anchorage. I tend to go for the hole-in-the-wall ethnic places that look like they might have bugs, but definitely have really good food. Go figure.
Joan, when you refer to my truck as a “rig” I’M good and right inside. But it’s been running a little rough lately.
And so today we go to NAPA Auto Parts and answer Scout’s questions: “What is a spark plug?”
I think little Scout is a spark plug!
We need another 4-wheeling adventure, Davy. Get that rig back up to snuff! I’m thinking sand dunes….