Aug
8
Why didn’t I think of that?
Filed under mundane, humor at 4:58 pm | 2 Comments
Our local newspaper has had some incredible wisdom to share in recent weeks. Consider this gem from Heloise, entitled Ice-Cube Water:
Dear Heloise: I was making some pie dough that called for ice water, and I didn’t have any. I thought of a great hint.
I took several ice cubes from the freezer, put them into my measuring cup and used my blow-dryer to melt them. It was instant ice-cold water. — Suzy, via e-mail
Tuck that one away. And then there’s this letter to the editor, entitled Use some common sense regarding energy:
I would like to offer some commonsense solutions to our energy crisis.
I have always thought it was stupid to have to sit at a red light when there are no other cars for miles. A red light could be treated as a stop sign.
There should also be a stop put to the sporting events and other functions that cause people to drive. I am sure Redskins owner Dan Snyder and others like him couldn’t care less about what is spent on gas.
I also think that if an ambulance is required, there should not be a huge firetruck sent. They say that is in case the rescue personnel need help in picking up the person. I think it would be better to send a pickup with extra personnel to help pick up someone who is sick or injured.
There should be no half-day school sessions.
I think it is also a shame to see all the downed trees in the parks and on private land that could be cut up and used for firewood instead of lying there rotting.
The lights on the sports fields in the area should not be used, and stores should cut the lights out in some areas.
Though it’s great that Cal Ripken and others want to teach kids sports, someone had better teach them how to survive, as times are going to get worse.
Leo
Spotsylvania
And you were worried about the future of our country.
Aug
4
growing up fast
Filed under Washington D.C., parenting, family at 7:30 am | 1 Comment
This weekend was just what I needed: lots of time with my family, including some memorable Micah moments.
All summer long Micah’s been wearing sandles anytime we go anywhere, whether it’s to the park, the store, or church. On Saturday, we were preparing for a trip to the National Museum of Natural History, and he asked to wear his shoes instead. Who am I to argue? It wasn’t too long into the car ride that he started asking for his shoes to be off. We assumed he was bored and fidgety, so we obliged. Once we got to the museum, he started throwing a fit asking to take his shoes off again. Being the astute parents we are, we quickly realized his shoes were too small. He toured the entire museum in his socks. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous.
The next pair of shoes he has that fit are a pair that Rachel gave me as a gift when we first learned she was pregnant with Micah, almost 3 years ago. I’ve anxiously been waiting for him to grow into them, asking every couple months how much longer until he could wear them. This weekend was finally it!
The other time I’ll remember from this weekend was church on Sunday morning. The person scheduled to watch the kids in nursery wasn’t able to make it, so we decided to keep Micah with us in the service for a while. He was so well behaved that he stayed with us the entire hour and a half, much of it on my lap. Something about having him worshiping with us for the first time, paying attention and trying to sing along, made it a moment I’ll treasure for quite some time.
Jun
29
VDOT: Making Slow Traffic Slower
Filed under traffic, signs at 4:07 pm | 2 Comments
I left work around 2:00 pm on Friday afternoon, which unfortunately is well after the start of rush hour on Fridays during the summer in Northern Virginia. One particular stretch of the drive home that’s always particularly enjoyable is the backup where the highway “merges” 2 car pool lanes and 1 on-ramp into an already full 3 lanes of traffic. There’s nothing quite like inching along in a 2 mile backup on hot asphalt in 98 degree weather.
Occasionally traffic will ease up a bit after that merge, but on Friday the congestion remained and we plodded along. I wasn’t too surprised, as anything can cause traffic to slow down around here (e.g., a parked car on the side of the road, a new sign, rain, sun, clouds). This day, however, the additional slowdown was caused by our beloved VDOT. On one of the electronic overhead signs, usually reserved for useless and out-dated traffic information, they had a flashing message alerting us that we were under an Ozone warning, and encouraging us to reduce traffic by carpooling. As soon as I passed under the sign, traffic sped up and cleared out all the way to my exit.
VDOT claims to have “numerous initiatives to preserve the environment while keeping Virginia moving.” And yet they caused tens-of-thousands of cars to idle on the highway for 30 minutes longer than usual because of a pointless sign. How is that helping the environment or keeping traffic moving? It seems to me it’s doing quite the opposite. Nice work, VDOT.