Empty Notebook

I just realized that it’s out…

After chatting with my buddy… I’m curious… why in society are all of the screw-ups of the world getting bailed out? Why are the people that screw-up rewarded for it in a seemingly endless cycle, when many of the hard workers bust their asses without getting anything for it, other than some ulcers and half-hearted thank you? Am I just noticing this now, or is this a fairly new trend now that we’re in a world where youth games have no winners or losers, and college grads think they should be handed a house, a Lexus and keys to the private country club because they graduated?

Then there’s the housing market crisis, that has screw-ups on both sides; the owners that couldn’t afford what they were buying and the greedy filthy bankers that were happy to give out 100%, $400,000 mortgages to people.

So where’s my slice of the pie? What do I get for being a good homeowner and paying the bank each month, as I agreed in my contract? Why do I have to struggle with my fiancee to figure out how to finance a wedding, a new car, etc. etc. etc. down the road, when lots of people are going to be bailed out of their poor decision?

Yes I know that the country can’t go into a depression, and this bailout is necessary, but I think it’s just horribly unfair to those of us that pay like we should, budget our money, save some for the future and try to do things right. What do we get? When are we rewarded?

My Avon Ranger TSE’s went over the 10000 mile mark recently.  What are my thoughts now that these guys have been on the car that long?

You get more than what you pay for in some ways, and in others you get exactly what you pay for.

Wear - I continue to run them at 36psi in the front and 38psi in the rear.  Tread wear is no longer minimal. In fact, it looks like the Ranger will only last about 25000 miles, with regular rotation on my Element. The tread wear is typical for a Honda Element, the front is pretty even and the back wear on the inside a little more thanks to the camber. I am disappointed, that the 520 rating doesn’t mean a whole lot at this point. I was hoping for 45,000 to 50,000 miles but I won’t get it. For what I paid for the tires, I’m not going to be too upset about it though.

Performance - The tires continue to perform admirably in wet weather, even at interstate speed.  The Ranger TSE continues to be stable at 70 mph.  On dry pavement they’re grippy, and I can hardly tell a difference between wet and dry traction with them.

Value - These tires are a good value (down from great). They perform well, but unless something drastic changes I will only get 25,000 miles out of them. I’d rather not have to put tires on the Element every two years, so I will consider looking into an upgrade the next time I buy.

I’ll see you at again if something drastic changes, or when I replace the tires!

The Miken 484, my bat for my rec league softball team. Why do I like it? Because it’s forgiving, and because it’s got plenty of pop. And it’s black. I love black bats… I had an Easton Black Magic in high school that was good to me for a long time. About half of our team is using a version of it at this point, even though it’s a 2006 model.

It’s one of those really good “daily driver” type of bats, and has held up well over the past two seasons. It’s money well spent.

Day 105 - It’s been nearly two weeks since I last wrote.  The water is cleaner, I’m feeling healthier and it’s been a lot warmer, just like I like it.  There’s been a lot of commotion out in the world lately. The female continues to work on the computer a lot, apparently she has a big project to do.  The male helps occasionally, but he’s been in the den a lot. I’m not sure what he’s been up to, since I don’t have a proper view of that room.

They’ve also been home a lot, which is nice. I like being able to watch them.  Oh! They brought in a ton of food the other day too, which I haven’t seen them do in a while. I supposed they are planning to eat at the house more often, but I’ve thought that before only to see them go out a lot.

And have I mentioned that blueberry muffins smell delicious? I realize I can’t eat them, but WOW do I wish I could try some of that.

Yeah, I realize that nobody is upset, but there’s still a big part of me that hates letting down a team, even if it’s just rec league softball. Yes work had an emergency, which caused me to miss a game last night, but it still doesn’t make me feel any better.

Sorry guys… I might not have made the difference last night, in fact probably not but I wish I could have been there!

Day 92 - A couple of days ago, I don’t know where I ended up… but it was yellow… very very yellow.

Not the water!!! Geez… the room I was put in. All of the humans (there were 4) seemed kind of skittish, like there was some sort of danger around. Sure the weather was bad, but I didn’t think it was awful. Then again I’m insulated here in the water, and I didn’t have a good view of any windows.

Pedro is hurt… that’s all I really need to write.

Metsblog has all of the answers in case anyone wants to know why I’m a bit down today. Who would have thought that the ticking time bomb would go off after 3+ innings?

Diet Sunkist

Why do I like Diet Sunkist? The taste. Frankly, I don’t remember what regular Sunkist tastes like, so it’s not fair for me to say that Diet tastes just like regular. It might not. But it’s the perfect beach drink. It’s light, it has good jolt of caffeine to keep me awake on the drive back to Tallahassee, and it doesn’t turn my stomach like a Diet Coke does in the heat.

Stay tuned for Volume 2.

Day 76 - Uh, so what’s the deal with the frogs in my bowl? There are four bug-eyed freaks on a toad stool, and they haven’t said a word to me yet, they’re just staring at me.