Shadow Chase Sunday, Oct 28 2012 

Beginner Blogs and Musing and Whatever , , , kwlaff 1:48 am

Taking off from Denver one afternoon last week, the sky was blue and the sun was shinning.   The plane’s shadow mirrored our moves, skimming over the ground for miles as we climbed, keeping pace with us as we winged our way to Seattle.

I watched the shadow ripple over items on the ground.  It slid over grass, dirt, roads, parking lots, shopping malls, and trees; touching living and inanimate things. It climbed buildings, raced cars, mimicked other planes and covered people; contacting moving and stationary objects.  It passed over a man loading gear into the back of his car. It passed over two of a string of bike riders.  It passed over large tree canopies and was larger than small groupings of newly planted trees.  It raced up the side of a mountain and sped into the valley on the other side.  The shadow created a brief moment of shade where there had been none before and left brightness in its wake.

The higher we went, the harder the shadow tried to stay condensed into the shape of a plane.  Its efforts were not successful as its sharp, recognizable plane edges blurred into an elongated blob and its dark distinctive gray lightened, almost pixelated, as we traveled along.

The cityscape quickly gave way to countryside and the shadow paid no attention, remaining focused on its own agenda.  It skimmed along, touching what it pleased. It raked over the land, watched by me, but apparently invisible to others.  The shadow was not influenced and as it faded away, it left no trace of its existence.  Although it served as a connection between all the things it encompassed after it was created on that sunny Monday afternoon, its touch was benign, leaving no harm in its wake.

 

Doing Nothing & Lovin’ It Monday, Oct 8 2012 

Beginner Blogs and Genealogy and Musing and Whatever , , , kwlaff 11:13 pm

When was the last time you spent a day doing nothing?  It has been a long time for me and that’s what I did today.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zero.  Zilch.  Thank you Federal Holiday, spouse out of town  traveling, and the rest of the gang out of the house day!  Even the cats and dogs kept a low profile.  LOL.  In this day and time when everything is connected and we seem to be on call for work, family and friends 24/7, I actually had a day that was out of touch, disconnected and lazy.

I slept late.  Not an all day thing, just late.  Was up about 9:15.  Might had slept longer but the lawn service didn’t have the day off.  Fed the pets.  I read a book.  Remember those?  Paper thingy with a binding, cover from and back….not electronic downloads or audio recordings.  Even got a little paper cut.  I think I was out of practice.   Reviewed some genealogy stuff.  The 1940 census is indexed ya know.  Watched Ben Affleck give an interview on TV.  He turned 40 this year.  Still looks hot!  Very relaxing to look at. 🙂

Is it really so important that we stay connected every minute?  Or clean the house on a holiday?  I think not.  But then I’m not having deep thoughts today.

 

Gas Station Etiquette-Get Some! Friday, Oct 5 2012 

Beginner Blogs and Complaints and Musing , , , , kwlaff 6:45 pm

One of my least favorite things to do these days is to gas up my car.  I compute about 50 miles one way to work each day, so I am forced to stop by a gas station more frequently than some others might.  And recently, I have encountered a trend that is unpleasant and actually downright rude.  It seems that the public is determined that there is no reason to be courteous of others or consideration of the time spent waiting at gas stations!

Let me describe just a few of the examples, all starting with: Pull into a busy gas station and find a pump that lines up with my gas tank:

1)      One car in front of me at the pump. Brief moment of good feeling. A female in the car.  Is she done?  Getting right to pump?  Can’t tell, so I wait.  It is obvious she is texting on her phone.  I glance at my car clock.  One minute passes. Other cars are moving in their lines. Driver of the car in front of me glances in her rearview mirror, so she knows someone is waiting behind her. Two minutes pass.    The driver of the car in front of me decides she has completed her text conversation and gets out of the car to start pumping her gas, in no rush.  She wanders over to the attendant to pay before pumping and slanders back.  From the time I pulled up until she started pumping her gas, 5 minutes have elapsed.

2)      One car in front of me at the pump.  Young man is pumping gas.  Glances at my car when I pull up.  Finishes his transaction and gets in his car.  Picks up his phone and starts texting.  I glance at my watch.  One minute passes.  He is alternating between texting and reading his phone.  Two minutes pass. He starts his car, clears button on his dashboard, and puts on his seatbelt.  Answers another text.  Puts his foot on the brake (brake lights light up), places his car into gear (back up lights flash). Three minutes pass. Reads another text.  Then pulls away from the pump.

3)      One car in front of me at the pump.  Nozzle already inserted and pumping.  Young man leaning on side of car texting.  Auto fill clicks off.  I hear it from inside my close car and look up. Young man continues to text.  I glance at my clock.  Young man makes no move toward nozzle and continues to text.  I put my car into gear and move forward a bit. Young man continues to text.  One minute passes.  Young man finally reaches for nozzle, removes it while still reading phone screen.  Tries to place it into its holder on pump, and completes an ‘air pass’ because he is still reading his screen.  Second try is successful.  Waits for receipt and texts.  Receipt prints, and flaps in breeze, while he texts.  Two minutes pass.  He reaches for his receipt still reading his phone and texting.  He gets in his car. Puts on his seat belt. Puts his foot on the brake (brake lights light up), places his car into gear (back up lights flash). Reads another text.  Then pulls away from the pump.

4)      Four pump station, two on one side, and two on the other.  Pull into station and a pick-up with a trailer is blocking both pumps on one side of the station.  The driver is standing on the passenger side of the truck handling another person cash from his wallet.  The other person runs into the store.  The driver glances at me and starts checking his tires and hitch.  One the other side, a pick-up is placing the nozzle into his tank to begin filling.  He sets it to auto fill on gets back into his truck.  The last pump has a SUV pumping gas.  I pull around and line up behind the SUV.  The driver of the SUV finishes her transaction and pulls away; I pull in and start my transaction.  Other cars pull in and line up between me and the truck with the trailer.    I fill my tank and complete my transaction.  The truck with the trailer is still blocking both pumps on the other side with the driver sitting in the driver seat.  His passenger walks out, comes around to the driver side window, hands him a cold drink and his change.  Then walks to the passenger side and gets in the truck.  They both open their drinks, put on their seat belts and take a drink before putting the truck into gear and starting to move.  The line behind them is now three cars long.  The pickup on my side has auto clicked off while I was filling up and the driver is sitting in his truck on his phone.  I get in my car and pull away.  The line behind me is two cars long.

This is not a full listing of all the instances I personally have encountered recently, but it is enough to paint the picture.  I do not mean to insist that a minute or two of time is even that big of a deal.  However, I do question if we, as a society have become so distracted by our phones or so discourteous, that we cannot function or consider that others are waiting as we perform our routine daily functions.

In each one of the instances I listed above the guilty knew someone was waiting.  And their behavior did not alter.  They made no effort to show any type of courtesy.

I use my phone.  I text.  I get emails, posts and tweets. I am not opposed to instant communication.  I just don’t delay others while doing it.

Now should we talk about people that talk on their phones in line at the store?