I think I’m done…

…studying for my first Environmental Science exam, even though I’ve got at least two more hours in which I could pour of my notes some more.

I used to do this in undergrad (grad school didn’t really have exams). I’d just reach a point and I’d stop; I couldn’t study any more. Well, I could have, I suppose, but I just felt full up and that anything more was just overflow. But maybe that was justme being lazy,  a slacker. Still, I didn’t do half bad in college — community college, undergrad and grad school. So…

In any case, I can’t help wondering what difference it will make. Good grade, bad grade. What am I doing anyway? Aren’t there more productive/constructive ways I could be spending my time? Is this just a distraction? From what? And why?

I guess I just got kind of worked up about the idea of Environmental Science, but as always the reality set it. And as we all know Reality Bites, right. I know because I’m watching it on cable…again. This was a profound movie for me when it came out. Just as Generation X by Coupland was a profound book for me and Smells Like Teen Spirit was a profound album for me.

I still like the movie. But I guess I just woke up one day and realized that I wasn’t Troy. Oh, sure, I might be a slacker extraordinaire but I’m not as smart as the character is supposed to be. And I never was. I may have thought I was for like a blink but …

Anyhoo…it’s been kind of existential (if that is the proper term) day. Can you tell?

The 40-year-old Freshman

No. That’s not a new Judd Aptow movie although….

It is my new featured blog, which came to me in a dream. No. Not really. Unless, of course, you consider JenX67′s blog a dream. And you know what, I kind of do…<sigh>

Anyhoo…. JenX67 has a post about GenX men and how, because of the economy, GenX men are heading back to school — college/university not beautician, although…. (NOTE: post also brings up how GenX men have gotten the shaft [my word not hers] in the workplace)

That’s what I’m doing come winter semester. And I, as you know, am a GenXer. If you don’t then you’re NOT PAYING ATTENTION! Wake up dagnabit!

I’m taking an Environmental Science course. Thought I’d see what all the hubbub/ballyhoo/tom foolery is about. Who knows where it might lead. And, like the rest of Generation X, I aint getting any younger; don’t want to be back in school at 50-plus. Plus I’d like to be ahead of the curve or at least on the first wave of this new job market.

Actually, I had thought I might return to school once I was in my dotage but it would be for leisure not out of necessity. Silly GenXer, leisure learing is for Boomers!

Anyway, maybe I’ll blog about returning to school at age 42 (my age when class begins). It could kind of like that new TV show, Community, since I’ll be taking my class at a community college, the one I started at when I graduated high school and after I dropped out of two universities — sorry about that Mom and Dad. I’ll be the funny/snarky/cynical GenXer and I can poke fun at the graying Boomer (portrayed in the TV show by Chevy Case). I’ll call the due Pierce — he won’t know where I’m coming from.

Global warming: a reason to stay in Michigan

According to this slate.com article, part of week-long series that wonders how the United States might finally come to an end, if global warming does in fact inflict the damage that some predict it will Detroit is one of the places you’re gonna want to be. Along with Buffalo and Cleveland.

There’s a reason these cities were settled early on in the country’s history — there’s an abundant source of water, and for Buffalo there’s Niagara Falls nearby (i think; i’m not looking at a map and have no memory for geography and believe that i’m recalling the article correctly) to provide power. Makes sense to me.

Which is why I’ve actually considered this a factor in whether or not we should move, believe it or not. As appealing as California sounds right now, if water becomes scarce, which it already is out there, then it is not the place you’re going to want to be. Also, worst case global warm scenarios expect that both coasts will be pretty much devastated, driving people inward. The slate article assumes that cities like New York and Boston will be entirely abandoned.  Yikes! Just imagine. If you can, let me know, because honestly I can’t even begin to.

As for Texas, well, it, along with other gulf coast states/cities, will be pummeled again and again by increasingly powerful hurricanes and storms.

The Great Plains will turn to dessert. Southwest will become almost unlivable. And all the people there will have to migrate somewhere — inland and northward.

In such a scenario some think that we could head towards a conflict, ie war, with Canada.

Of course, the aticle concedes that this isn’t going to happen suddenly, like a James Cameron action flick. But rather it will unfold more slowly, like, say, a Terrence Malick or Stanely Kubrick film, over the course of years, perhaps almost a century. But still.

What the hell happened to Fall?

I mean, yeah, the leaves turned and fell and it was all oooh, aaah pretty and all that, but come on. Halloween was like 70 freaking degrees and a little more than a week later it’s snowing. What’s that all about?

It means one thing, for sure, that I probably missed my best chance to rake leaves. I hate raking leaves. One of the big reasons why, when I was younger, before I was a parent, that I never wanted to own a house. Cleaning gutters sucks too, something else that needs to be done. Plus, we got this skunk that likes to scent around our house and man it just creep inside and take days and burning multiple candles down to nothing to get rid of it.

Also, I missed my chance yet again, to plant tulip bulbs. Screw the pooch on that one again.

But there is one cool thing about the snow. Last night I was watching it fall through our front picture window. We have a street lamp on our corners and the snow coming down through that cone of light makes a nice image. Reminds of when my daughter was younger. I got up in the middle of the night and looked in on her and found her bed empty. Of course, I freaked more than a little. She was only about 3 and if she did get out of bed she’d come straight to our room. I hurried down the hallway to the living room and found her lying on the couch. She’d climbed up and was snuggled under her Dora blanky, looking out the window. It was snowing. When I asked he what she was doing, she just turned to me and said, “Daddy. I’m looking at the light.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I can see that.” Then I lay down on the couch with her and we watched the light and snow together, eventually falling asleep.

One of the best moments I’ve ever had with my daughter, who is not almost 8 and growing up way too fast.

Bicycle commuting slacker, that’s me

I’ve been really slacking off on riding my bike to work lately, especially last week in which I only rode in one day, even though the entire week’s weather was pretty riding friendly.

So this morning when I saw it was some 60 degress and might get up to 70 with sunshine, I made sure to get on my bike. But I left about a half later than I normally do, which made a pretty significant difference in the commute. It was the traffic. There was much more of it. I was ready at any moment to kick out with my outside foot into the door or quarter panel of any vehicle that got too close. But that never happened. Still, I think I’d rather make the ride in earlier to avoid the traffic.

Of course, as it gets colder that won’t even be a concern. Still, with global warming and climate change it will no doubt stay warmer longer. Evidence of this: we have day lillies in our back yard, which are dying and read to be wraked up and composted, but popping up between the dead, color-drained stalks, are new sprouts. If it gets warm enough long enough they’ll bloom again. But according to the weather channel it is going to cool down this week. So….

Bill Clinton on Letterman (9/22/08)

 

Watching Bill Clinton on Letterman from the other night, I was reminded why I voted for hime. Twice. And you know what, I would again if he were to run. Damn, the dude is smart.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

And Obama would do well to tap the man’s knowledge and experience, as well as Hilary’s.

I was as pissesd as anyone at some of the shit Bill pulled during the election, Hillary too. But hey, the primary is over, and guess what, Obama won. That’s enough. What’s the point of making Bill and/or Hilary kiss Obama’s ring? What good will it do? Let it got and let’s move on and win this election!

Obama’s economic plan

Some key elements include:

• A $1,000 emergency energy rebate to help families with high fuel costs right now while putting $50 billion into job creation to get our economy back on track.
• Families making less than $250,000 a year will get a tax cut three times larger than under John McCain’s plan and will face absolutely no tax increases.
• While John McCain has voted against raising the minimum wage 19 times, Barack would raise the minimum wage and set it to rise automatically with inflation.
• Invest $15 billion a year in green energy research to reduce our economy’s dependence on foreign oil and create 5 million American jobs a year.

Sounds good to me.

But I’m sure there are some who see a problem with it. So, let me have them.

Kudos to Colorado

What for?

For switching from coal to solar and wind power:

Following discussions lasting several days, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) backed the power company’s voluntary decision to close the two coal-fired plants at Denver and Grand Junction, making Xcel the first utility in the U.S. to make such a move solely in an effort to reduce emissions.

Check that — it was voluntary, not forced, and “solely in an effort to reduce emmissions.” Right on!

Now what I want to know is why can’t Michigan do anything like this for crying out loud?

This kind of thing goes under my personal heading for reasons to get the hell out of Michigan, which is a fine state but is being run into the ground by bone heads in the state capital and other assorted yahoo, and moving to a state like Colorado.

Also, Mork lives in Denver!

And I’m pretty sure that the Bronocs have a better chance of getting to the Super Bowl than the Lions. But then you could probably say that about most any other NFL team, right.

Of course, it is home of the Avalanche and they suck my Detroit Red Wings fan ass, so…

Decision, decisions.

Traverse City: 1 of 9 great places you’ve never heard of

That’s according to Mother Earth News magazine. Of course, we here in Michigan have always known how cool Traverse City is. But here are a few things Michiganders may not know. I didn’t, anyway. And I’m a Michigander, perhaps just not a very well informed one.

With voluntary support from Traverse City citizens who pay a premium for wind-generated energy, Traverse City Light & Power installed the first utility-scale wind turbine in Michigan — a huge machine that provides power to 110 homes and 15 businesses. A local business has now leased 40,000 acres in Michigan to harvest more of the state’s wind resources.

Very cool! Three enviormentally friendly cheers for the “cherry capital of the world.”

Also:

the town also has its own minor league baseball team, the Traverse City Beach Bums, who often make it to the Frontier League playoffs.

I did not know that. And I thought Lansings’ minor league team had a cool name, The Lugnuts.

Of the other 8 towns included in the article, the one I was most intersted in was San Luis Obispo, California. Man, does this place look like paradise or what?

CBS Sunday Morning report on bicycles

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=4297826n

Sorry. I couldn’t manage to embed video. But check it out. I especially dig the part about the mayor of Portland, Oregon, the 2nd most bike friendly city in the world, behind Amerstadam, I think, won on a bicycle format.