RedHatty

Come & check it out - and if you follow this link, you can help me win a contest!!!  They have fun brain teaser games that you win real prizes for, I've managed to win Garth Brooks, The Entertainer 5 DVD set, $40 in online gift certificates to stores of MY choice, a nice ball cap & tons of points (which can be used for shopping on site)

So come check it out, join if you want, but follow my link so I get credit & if you don't join & get into the contest yourself, then PLEASE pass my link on to all your friends & help me win an iPod Nano!

Current Mood: excited

Dunder Mifflin Infinity has launched!

If you would like to join my Lake Charles, LA Branch, sign up, do your employee app & list Lake Charles as your prefered location and this code 

r0jwgmvhaq

Welcome aboard! 

Current Mood: cheerful

Over the last 32 weeks, I hope everyone has learned something.  Whether it's how to save by cutting back or grow to eat, or maybe just to be more aware of what is happening around you and to be more active.

One of the things that brought us to the crisis was the amount of sideline citizens there are.  What is a sideline citizen you ask?  Well it's the person who may be a registered voter, but doesn't regualrly vote, who may vote, but when their elected officials do something that they don't a gree with, the only place they are complaiing about it is at the company coffee machine or over the back fence.  It's the person who thinks that their position in the checks and balances system stops after they leave the voting booth.

We need active citizenship - everywhere, but as I am a US citizen, I am concetrating on here in the US.

The checks and balances system only works when you make it work - we the people are the ultimate check & balance.  It is up to us to keep an eye on the congress critters, speak up LOUDLY when they do something wrong & demand more from the people we elect.  Write or call your congress critters, STAY on them to make choices that will help our future generations.  Look at what the Green Party supports and decide if you agree with it.  Learn more about alternative energy & push your officials to implement new energy programs that use alternatives to oil.

Keep learning what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, plant a tree somewhere, grow some food, walk, ride a bike, rollerskate, especially if you only have to go a few blocks, your body will thank you for it.

Remember that each of us is responsible here, not just the people we elect to government.  We can push them to make changes, but we have to make changes too & let's face it, for most people change is Scary & Hard.

I wish you all well, and hat's off to the regular posters, FallingintoSin, MiaWithoutOil, PrudentRVer, OrganizedChaos, PeakProphet, Lead_tag & everyone else I forgot to list, you have all done a great job, pat yourselves on the back!  

To the 10TSOC, thanks for the wake up call!  Thanks to Nico for the head's up, many of us would have been in a bad way without his warning.

Now it's time to really work on the problem, so let's all get to work, shall we?

Namaste

Well, for the most part, I have dealt with my little neighborhood throughout this crisis.  But this weekend there was a get together of sorts at City Park - a 3 mile long, 1 mile wide park by the lake in New Orleans.  Well since Katrina, most of the park has been unkempt, but the more public areas have been kept up.

So a ton of people all got together there and you know what?  I learned this weekend why Native American tribes gave the elders so much respect.  It is something we have lost over the years in America, but let me tell you folks, your Elders are an untapped resource!  Also people who were part of a group called SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) - another untapped resource!

There were impromptu classes on blacksmithing, weaving with a loom, spinning thread from cotton & flax, open hearth cooking, herbal medicine with love plants to learn the look of them from - did you know that Goat Weed brewed in a tea is great for chest colds?

Many of the area elders brought old tools that they used regularly when they were young, and the smiths were making drawings of them to make new ones.  They talked about growing cotton in an area of the park (lord knows there is plenty of unused land there) and hey, Louisiana was a huge cotton producer, why not go back to it.

We all sat around drinking some tea at a campfire & the elders told me about the days of the great depression, how here in Louisiana, basically no one knew there was a depression, this was an agricultural state for ever & people were always a bit on the poor side, providing for themselves & hopefully producing a little extra to barter with.

Will we see a resurgence of the plantations here?  In may ways i hope so, just without the slavery, but right now, I know many people who would gladly work fields in return for food every day & a roof over their heads.

We had quilting, crocheting, knitting, macrame and even lace making exhibitions in the park.  There were people sharing patterns for simple sun dresses we could make at home, even without a sewing machine.  There were kids on bikes & skates & running around with balls, dogs on leashes & it was an all together great time.

Many of our elders already have the skills we all need to manage with less.  From Candle & soap making to making cloth to raw woodcraft to cooking meals on an open fire.  They grew up learning these skills & we need to give them the honor and respect they deserve while we ask them to pass on their knowledge.  I know I have made plan to visit a few of the elders i met this weekend & help then with things they need done that they may not be physically able to do anymore, in return for the privilege of learning new skills from them.

Ask your local elders how things were when they were kids, what kind of chores they had & what kind of tools they used, yo may just have to sit down and have a nice learning session! - I wonder if we can get the elders to teach the children life skills at school...

Current Mood: Amazed

Oil Crisis or no, it has really been almost 2 years since I owned a car.  While I do use one for work, I do not bring it home.  I use mass transit to and from the office and for longer journeys through the city.  I ride a bike for around the town errands.  

I was one of the really spoiled ones a couple years ago, I had a company car & a personal vehicle - I was 1 person in 2 cars, talk about a carbon footprint!  But all that has changed.

What have I gained?  Lower blood pressure, smaller thighs, less weight, healthier lungs, less stuff in the icebox to deal with as i only grocery for a couple days at a time, so I don't have stuff growing & going to waste in there.  More money in my pocket!!!!  What I used to spend in a week for gasoline, I spend for a month of unlimited bus fare ($50).

I find myself shopping less for useless "stuff" and more for essentials.  When we do splurge on something, it is usually something small, electronic & special to us.

Now understand, I have a 60lb dog who eats 50 lbs of dog food every 2 weeks & I manage to get it & bring it home on a bike.  If I can do it, you know you guys can too.

Changes I have made - more shop from home, the internet is a wonderful thing & using the services of USPS, UPS, DHL, etc. is a benefit for someone like me.  Not only has it taught me delayed gratification (as opposed to instant gratification), but it has allowed me to comparative shop without using any gasoline.

I really do grow food in my yard.  My salads come from the yard.  I am still trying to master the knack of asparagus beds - they are a bit tricky, but mine look good this year & maybe I'll get spears this fall, maybe not, but the fern that grows all year long from the plant is quite attractive.  I really grow onions and potatoes in large barrels and I can all my extra produce.

I have been known to make my own soaps - laundry and body, I usually make my own bath salts (Epsom & coarse sea salts & essential oils - it's real easy & a lot cheaper than those specialty stores)  I make my own all purpose cleaners & re-use the spray bottles I have (reducing waste).

These are things I have been doing for years & years, some began due to a need to be frugal, some were crafts I was interested in, gardening started because I wanted a tomato that actually tasted like a tomato, but once began, they became part of my lifestyle.

I watched and lived through my city going to hell two years ago and I watched as the people who live here became more closely bonded, more patient and more sharing - not all of the people mind you, but more than not chose to work together and lean on each other rather than go rogue and hurt people to get what they wanted or needed.

I really believe that there are more good people in this world than there are evil people and I know that while things will be hard, people will come together for the greater good of all.

If there was absolutely NO MORE OIL tomorrow, what changes would you HAVE to make to continue to live?  Would you have to move out of suburbia and closer to the city to get to work?  Would you have to learn ways of storing food that don't require plastic bags?  Would you HAVE to make sure that un used lights and other electric items were off/unplugged when not in use?  Would you be asking your state to develop more commuter mass transit?  What about lobbying for green energy sources to be used for your state?

Well why not do those things NOW?  Before it's too late!  Before you have to find out if there are more evil people than good.  Before you have to watch your children suffer because they can't understand why things are changing for the worse.

Start making your own small changes right now and start learning about & pushing your state for the larger changes that need to be made so that when the oil is really gone we can continue as a civilized world.

Current Mood: accomplished

5:20 PM, the phone rings, a look at the caller ID shows it is my 83 yr old mother who lives in Florida - alone.

"Hello"

"Hi Care, It's Mom"

"Hi Mom, how are you doing?"

"About the same I guess, How are you and the kids?"

"So far so good.  The oil crisis hasn't really affected us as much as I thought it would, but then again, except for work & that the Company car, I don't drive anymore anyway.  They are doing good in school, which is almost over, hurray! - So how are you holding out with all this mess?"

"Well Care, I'm not really sure.  I can't afford to drive to work anymore, you know I live on a very tight budget since your father passed."

"Oh No Mom, not working is just going to make that worse, you're losing that income.  What are you going to do?"

"I don't know hun, maybe I'll just lie down & not get back up.  I really miss your father, ya know"

"Mom, Please don't start that nonsense, you don't give up, you aren't made that way.  Seriously, How are you going to manage?  You've got that great big house, the dog, the bird, the bills.  How are you going to make ends meet?  Do you at least have a garden - food garden growing?"

"Care, I haven't had a vegetable garden in years.  The Homeowners Association here had put so many restrictions on them it wasn't worth the effort.  But at the last few meetings, they have decided to remove all the restrictions - except it's too late to start one for summer, I can have one for fall if I can get George to come till for me"

"Well Mom, out here not everyone is growing on their property, but we all work together to keep all the gardens growing, can you check with your neighbors about the same thing for you, I mean heck, if you aren't working you can spend all day weeding and whatever else needs to be done and they share some of the yield with you, did you think about that?"

"No hun, I didn't, it's a good idea.  Maybe some of these young families out here will take pity on your poor old mom & let her work for food heh heh"

"Good, ummm.... What are you going to do with the Cadillac?  If you can't afford to drive it, why pay insurance on it?  You should turn in the tags or sell it, what do you think?"

"Oh Care, I can't do that, what if I HAVE to go somewhere?"

"Mom, you NEED to go to work, but if you can't afford that, how can you afford other places?"

"Oh I don't know, and I guess you're right, I should get rid of it.  I thought this would be a short term thing, you know how they always raise & lower the prices of things, but everyone says this is not going to get any better, do you believe that?"

"Yes Mommy, I do."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Honestly?  Sell Everything!  The house, the furniture, the car, pack up the bird & dog, jump on Amtrak & move here with me."

"I'm not leaving this house!  You know that!  You father died in this house and I am going to, too."

"Okay Mom, I didn't mean to get you upset, The offer is always open though, if things get too tough, you know you have an option."

"Thank you sweetheart, but even if I wanted to sell, I'd never get what this house is worth."

"Mom, NOBODY is getting what their houses are worth right now - whatever housing bubble there was popped a few weeks back.  But you could at least pay off the rest of what you owe & have some money left over - a security stash, ya know"

"Yeah, maybe, but I just hate to lose on an investment."

"Yeah, I know Mom, but I'd hate to lose YOU, especially when it can be avoided."

"Don't worry, you can't get rid of me that easy.  I wouldn't want to be an imposition on you and the kids - you have your own lives."

"Mom, I have enough property here that you could have your own space.  And as to the kids, getting to know their grandmother better is NOT an imposition, not in any way shape or form."

"You're a good kid, Care.  I don't want to leave here though."

"I know Mom, and I'm not making you, just letting you know you are always welcome here.  We really have a great community here where I live, we are all working together to make good changes to see us through the hard time everyone is living through.  We are all friends, there are even some people here that are in your age group - you can all play Bridge or Canasta together"

"I don't play Bridge or Canasta, I play poker!"

"He he he Mom, Seriously, I know the idea of change is a scary one for you, but it might be a really good thing, check with your neighbors, see if you can help them & get some help in return, if you want to stay there, then stay, but if you know you can't manage, then get out of there while you can still come out with extra money in your pockets, don't wait too long to decide!  Please Mom"

"Alright Care, I will, I'll call you next week."

"No Mom, I'll call you, you need to keep the bills down!  I Love you"

"Love you too, my Baby"

"Talk to you next week"

"Looking forward to it, Bye"

As I hang up the phone, I wonder if she will seriously consider moving here.  The last thing I want to think about is how I will get to Florida if something happens to my mother.  Dear God, if you're listening, please move her heart to deciding to come here & live with us, before it's too late!

Current Mood: hopeful

New Orleans is Officially Dead.  The city cannot recover.  Without the easy breezy life we had with the over use of oil, we are history.  Here's why:

Building Supply Stores have no more Sheetrock, 2x4's, counter tops, wiring, toilets, appliances, etc.

No trucks are delivering these items, these items are no longer as important as food & Medicine

The charitable organizations that have stockpiled to help people rebuild (even for free in many cases) have ran out of supplies

We do not have businesses in the state that manufacture these supplies

So we are now at a complete stop in recovery & I am sure the Mississippi Coast is also.

Now this reality hasn't quite had it's full impact yet, most people are just griping loudly about the lack of supplies, very few are aware - so it seems - that there are no more supplies coming in the near future.

I wonder how the towns destroyed recently by tornadoes are going to handle this reality.

Now imagine a city full of under-paid, under-privileged people - not that they really are, but they think they are.  People who live on Social Security or SSI and have been trying to repair their homes a little here & a little there as funds allowed & with lots of help from Charitable Organizations all of a sudden realizing that not only are we in a crisis like they have never seen before, but they are going to have to remain in their mostly gutted homes for who knows how long.

I know that with the news reports talking about the rioting all over the country, that our riots are going to be here soon, I can just see the satellite picture when the city goes aflame & there is no one to put out the fire.

So since our death is imminent, I call upon all locals to form us a second line and get ready to march in the biggest jazz Funeral this city has ever seen.

Oh Great - *Breaking News* on the radio - a grocery truck was hijacked.  The driver was injured when he found himself at gunpoint while at a stop light.  He wasn't shot, he was thrown out of the truck.  Police are trying to locate the truck, anyone with any information is asked to call blah, blah, blah

It has begun

Current Mood: melancholy

So as I was riding last week, A person who could still afford to drive a car apparently decided that because they could pay for the fuel, they owned the roads & well, to save my life I made some quick maneuvers and went el-smacko into a street sign - right on the forehead.  I didn't think much of it, figured nothing hurt but my pride until Sunday.  You see the smack became a bump, which became a festering wound, an abscess, so I figured I had to get to the doc, I called my doc & he said - go to the ER (great!)  So, I catch 3 buses and walk 5 blocks with a face swollen like something out of star trek to get to the ER.

Well it's obvious that with so many people out of work, the ERs have gotten really busy here, so I figure I am going to be there a while & try to settle in.  Now before the oil crisis, you would anticipate seeing at least 1 ambulance arrive during a 2 hour wait, right?  Not anymore.  Not one ambulance while I was waiting to go back - strange.

Later when I was in back & getting treated, I was noticing some strange changes (good for me, but still strange) as the nurse started an IV line, she also used that puncture to draw a ton of blood into syringes.  I thanked her for only sticking me once & she confided that it wasn't out of kindness, they are trying to control the use of supplies (sharps and such) since they can't be positive when more will come in.  WOW!

Also the machines they would normally run - O2 meter, BP ever so many minutes, they didn't even turn them on.  They even used just the drip chamber in the IV, no machine to control the flow!  I was asked to keep the lights off unless a medical professional was in the room.  Now I understand the need for conservation, but in the hospital ER?  WOW.  

Anyway, After about 6 hours there, with a lanced abscess filled with packing, a couple percosets in me & a script for Bactrim, I set off the do the return trip home.  Only 1 change, I have to stop at the pharmacy (remember, I still work for a drug store chain) to fill the script.  

Now I am not normally ill, I take no regular meds, so the changing cost of medications is not something that effects me directly, I just see it in our EOM statements usually.  But one of the perks of the job is that we pay next to nothing (at least used to) for meds, especially generic meds.  Oh yeah and if you are wondering what happened to me to get the abscess, well it's "community acquired MRSA"  Something very common here in New Orleans post Katrina.

So I go into one of my stores to fill the script & present all my required employee identifiers for the perk discounts & when I check out the cashier says "That will be $42.80"  I was shocked - I asked her, Didn't you enter my employee discount in?  She says, yes I did, Sorry but that's the price AFTER the discount - for a lousy 14 pills that would have cost $1.80 3 month's ago.

After seeing that, I am all of a sudden afraid to see how much my medical insurance will no longer cover.  How much will that ER visit put me back, especially now, when every penny is so precious, as everything is so expensive.

On a side note, I overheard an exchange from an ambulance to the ER while I was there.  Apparently a young child was seriously injured in an accident (no details of the accident).  The hospital I was in is the one that was the closest to the scene, but the parent of the child was insisting that the child be brought to Children's Hospital (an excellent hospital here)  The ER dispatcher was going over the list of forms that the parent needed to sign for the ambulance to do the transport - including a fuel charge form!!!  Now you KNOW there is no insurance policy that is going to cover that one.

I wish I had a hospital closer to home, but I don't & I don't want to live where the hospitals are - there's no place to grow stuff.

Current Mood: sore

So I guess you have all heard about the storm in the gulf, FELIX.  Well folks here some more bad news for you - all the guys who have been on the oil rigs out there & the natural gas rigs, well, they all got pulled in because of the storm.  Standard protocol when a storm enters the gulf.  You guys see an average of what?  $6.18?  Well from this morning to this afternoon, prices jumped $0.20 here, because the guys came back from the rigs.

Like many other places, you can only use cash or debit now at the gas stations, they won't take your credit cards anymore.  Seems too many people haven't paid their fuel cards (and other cards) these past 3 months.

So, New Orleans only being 2 yrs past Katrina, and now we get the fear Felix, can I just say that it isn't any fun here anymore.  People are trying to start stocking up on fuels, but there aren't enough to go around.  We have all gotten used to seeing the closed/out of gas signs at the fuel stations.  They have to wait until the tankers bring more, seems they are rationed, just like we have been, except theirs is enforced.

There are NO canned goods or bottled water on the grocery shelves - NONE.  People are stocking up.  BUT, we know that the 17th St Canal levies are still leaking, the Army Corps of Engineers has had nothing but trouble with the new pumps put in at all the pumping stations, what happens if Felix comes here & floods us again?  What good are canned goods when you are underwater?  We know we can't really evacuate, there's no gas to go anywhere.  We know we can't count on our state politicians to help, we saw how effective they were 2 yrs ago.  We can't count on the buses - they have just as hard a time getting fuel as the rest of us.  And Amtrak - well lets just say that those stockholders are getting rich - Amtrak's prices have skyrocketed.  Now if I can afford the Amtrak ticket, when to leave?  We still have some time before we figure out what the storm is gonna do & I can't just leave now & hope for the best (or worst as the case may be) - plus I know I can't afford 2 weeks in a hotel in another state and train tickets.  Okay - this just sucks - I said it, sue me.

I am afraid to wait until the last minute and have a rush on Amtrak, I am not able to bug out early & afford to wait it out.  I guess I can just pray that the storm goes somewhere else, but I don't wish that on anyone.

But staying here could be a death sentence if the storm hits here, even without flooding - the gardens will be ruined, the infrastructure will be destroyed - again, the supply lines are already mostly broken with no fix in sight.  

I won't be sleeping good for a while, I can see that coming, just like the storm clouds

Current Location: in front of my computer
Current Mood: scared
Current Music: Should I Stay Or Should I Go by the Clash

We all need one of these
 

Can you just imagine - travelling to work with the power of the sun :)  Read More Here

Current Mood: excited

Since I last wrote & things are not good.  While I still have a job, the company is seriously considering laying people off, especially those of us with the company vehicles.  The community of Area Supervisors are worried, we are afraid that the company will see our position as redundant to the District managers.  The other theory is that there will be no more District Managers & we will absorb that work load.  I already review the work of 4 districts, 98 stores - to have to do the daily chores associated with them as well as my review & refine role, Wow, I don't know if that is possible.  So it's either gonna be no job, or more job for the same pay (or close enough that it isn't gonna help).

Here in New Orleans, things are getting stinky!  In it's efforts to conserve, the city has changed the trash pick up to once every 10 days.  The worst part is that we now have small packs of hungry dogs digging into the trash that people still leave on the side of the road.  Wild hungry dogs thinking my neighborhood is a place for a free meal scares me for too many reasons to list.

Good thing is my community is still sticking together, we have all talked about finding ways to secure our trash - one guy pulled out a bag of about 1000 bungee cords & passed them out to everyone, saying to use them to secure the trash can lids - but with 1 pick up every 10 days, what happens when there is more trash than cans???

While produce & staples are still well stocked for me, meat is getting scarce again - heck it's been 6 weeks since I bought any - I stocked up as soon as I saw the news from Nico was real - Wow Nico, I wonder how he's doing.  Anyway, it's time to get meat again & I am not sure I can afford it.  I don't mind going without, but my kids need the protein, they are still growing & working harder than ever with growing food.

The Luminous Energy coins are here & I will be setting one out here in my home area (New Orleans area) and I have one that will be going to Michigan, but that leaves 2 that are still unclaimed.  If you are not aware of what I am talking about be sure to read this post to get all the news.

Back to the home front, Many people are talking about how they may be homeless soon.  With all the increase in prices, not just fuel but everything, they are finding it harder and harder to make the house notes & the banks are not being understanding at all.  Now I know how irritating the guy with the sign on the side of the road could be, but how do we react when it's whole families with children on the side of the road?  With no home for no other reason than the fact that our country ran itself into destruction by being addicted to oil?

Also, the little small businesses are closing, one by one the going out of business signs are showing up, the small business owners can't get supplies/stock to keep the store full or can't get it & resell it at a price people are willing to pay & still meet the overhead much less make a profit.  Of course, there aren't many people worried about knick-nacks or draperies or new big screen TVs anymore.  Even clothing sales are down.  But personal care and cosmetic sales are stable - people may starve to death, but they are gonna look & smell good doing it.

Current Mood: discontent

Wow, Around 1 am the storm hit, and while a very small tornado took out a guy's shed in Plaquemine's parish, & we had some irritating street flooding, we all survived okay - the deluge even pretty much put out the fires in the devastated areas - so everyone is breathing a hugh sigh of relief.

At work, we had a video conference brainstorming how we are going to change the way we do things so that we can keep our profit margins.  While they did not say no more company cars period, they did say that store visits should be restricted to "trouble" stores only.  Leave the stores who are doing it right alone.

One other thing that was discussed was the potential for increased "shrinkage" - known as theft to the rest of us - and they aren't as worried about the theft from customers as they are theft from employees.  You see, they have decided that to keep profit margins where they need to be, prices are being raised (we have our own trucking system) and employee discounts are being cut by 1/3.  Now that still leaves our employees with about the same discount every other chain gives, but the "special" feeling they have for choosing to work for us, well...  Some may see the cut as a slap in the face for being loyal to their jobs in the face of rising fuel costs.

But then again, we have had an increase across the country of people taking personal days, vacation days, sick days, etc. - I think that they are trying to conserve fuel, but we still need the coverage in the stores too - I don't know a solution for this, I wish I did.  Maybe I need to send an email out to the district managers & let them send it to the store managers & see if we can utilize an employee at each store to car pool, maybe we can even find a way to help subsidize it a little.  I'll have to check with the higher ups.

Back at the home front, the neighborhood had a great idea - I was asked today to be hostess for a "stone soup" party.  Why hostess?  because I have a swimming pool ;)  I said SURE! the idea is, everybody brings something - not for a soup, ya know, but something, salad, veggie, meat, charcoal, fruit, beer??? (I can only hope), whatever & we all share & cool off at the pool & have a good time.  I think that the idea is great, we can all get together with the idea of having a fun time & then talk about the harsh reality we are all facing & see how we can band together to get through it safely & securely.

It has become obvious that we are in this for the long haul & well, we all realize that individually we will have to give things up, conserve & change, but together we can increase the "quality of life" for all of us, as well as develop a neighborhood watch system to keep us all safe.

I know a few of the neighbors have family coming to live with them & I can understand the reasons, I just hope & will discuss it over the weekend, that they can some how, some way, pull their weight.  I mean seriously, even my 84 yr old mom can at least water the food plants & sit on the porch looking out for strangers (with a cell phone in hand, mind you!).  Kids can pull weeds & help with harvesting (and if they eat a few radishes & pole beans in the process, who cares, really).  All of us have different skills, but right now, I am having a problem with an overloading circuit breaker & the electrician around the corner will be here this weekend, so maybe she can show me where the problem is & teach me how to fix it.

Read that well, teach me how - this is where the crux is in my opinion, we need to teach others the skills and knowledge we have - share it - and let everyone absorb it to the best of their abilities, that way we become stronger, more self reliant & closer bonded as a community.

The lines for gas & flaring tempers



The Fishermen fighting fires instead of the Fire Department and A pic from last night, the best I could manage

Current Mood: scared

So there you have it, for less than $1000 (£503.07), you have taken one room off grid, and eliminated $0.09 / day (600wh’s x $0.15 kWh) of grid electric, giving you a 30.5 year payback ($1000 / $0.09 = 11,111 days / 365 = 30.44 years). And if electricity prices rise faster than inflation, which they will, the payback is much faster. In fact you get the double benefit of having made one room Kyoto-compliant, AND saving money.


Original Version, This post has been modified to reflect my personal usage and currency conversions recalculated to current values.

Current Mood: creative

I love geo-caching, so, in the spirit, I have ordered trackable coins - 4 of them - you can see them here: http://www.coinswag.com/luensi.html

UPDATE: They are IN!  Claim them now or I get Swag to keep!!!

I will place 1 of them, lirath is getting one of them & that leaves 2 up for grabs.  To get one to place, you need to contact me & tell me your excellent idea for the cache, not placement, but your task / exchange for someone to claim the coin.  I will print up your instructions & have it laminated, as well as having the reverse side with instructions for posting to geocaching.com after WWO - the task will not change - these are trackable & I, for one, will enjoy following the stories of the coin's travels and what people have done as tasks.

Some ground rules - 

You have to know what geo-caching is & have the equipment to record the coords.

You have to promise to actually cache the coin & not keep it as swag

Okay - now for how I hope for this to work out - If you have a great idea, I will send you a coin - one is already going to the North Midwest, so preference will be given to Pacific Coast & North East areas - that will cover 4 sides of the US to start the coins out (mine will be in Louisiana).

I will 2 day the coin at my expense to you.

The coin is called Luminous Energy - I thought that was ftting!  Whatever your idea is for the cache, it must include alternative energy or energy conservation.

These will NOT be posted these on geocaching.com until after WWO has ended.  Geocaching.com has a mad dash for the first to find on new caches, I want to keep this for active players/lurkers for now.  When they are posted, the awareness lesson continues!  I know that this is a lot of honor system stuff & that's okay.  My coin's task will include posting to WWO.org detailing your individual efforts to either use alternative energy or conserve energy.  I KNOW there are people in Louisiana lurking here <I see you> and you need to get active!!!!  Become a netizen Hero!

Please contact me via redhatty@gmail.com if you want to receive a coin, comment here if you have feedback :)

Current Mood: excited

Once before we tried to persuade people not to drive so much to conserve resources: This was in World War II. 

Current Mood: anxious

Current Mood: confused

After having my car totalled in September and all the physical therapy, I finally go back to work.  But I am wondering... You see my company gives me a company car & company gas card.  I work as a supervisor for a major drug store chain, if you wondered how that perk came into being.

I just got back from running with a friend & he stopped to fill up his pickup truck - $110 (26 gallon tank)- Unreal!  And he only gets 16 mpg on a good day.  I calculated, if I still had my little Kia, it would have cost me about $50 (12 gallon tank) to fill her up & I would have gotten about 30 mpg, total a little over 300 miles to the tank in real conditions & using the a/c.  Truck total mileage - empty (nothing being hauled) about 400 miles to the tank with no a/c.

You could hear the anger, frustration and, get this, pain in people's voices at the gas station.  

So then I start thinking, what changes will I have tomorrow at my first day back to work?  Will my company think this is a temporary thing and not bat an eyelash or will the soaring cost of fuel cause us to now log each and every mile driven in the company cars, or even worse, will we lose the company cars completely?  I can't afford to pay a note on a car & these fuel prices, even if it gets reimbursed on an expense account.  That takes 3 weeks to get back into my bank & I get paid once a month (gotta love salary).  I go through at least a tank of gas a day with my job, visiting my stores, boy our profits are gonna be slim if any!  This could crush my budget.

I will take the bus to work and back home, right now the bus costs $1.10 one way.  I wonder how soon that will go up?  But at least it is still less than what it would cost me in gasoline.

I know I need to hit the grocery today & stock up on as much meat as I can, by the end of the week, prices will be higher for food, I can see it coming. Produce & staples I am good with what I have.

My bike is in good shape for the little runs I need to make from home, that's a blessing.  I saw a few more bikes out on the main road today too.  Soon this city is gonna look like it has a bunch of religious people riding their bikes in suit pants and shirts & ties, at least until it gets too hot to wear your work clothes for your commute. - Note to self, pick up those bathing cloths at the drug store - gonna need them for the presto chango if I ride the bike into the office.

Time to invest in a good backpack, so I can carry more with me on the bike.  Wonder if I can find one of those plastic milk crates & zip strip it to the handlebars?

I'll know more tomorrow as this new reality hits home to everyone & I am back at the job, I'll fill you in on any changes & challenges.

Good luck everyone, we knew it was coming (thanks Nico) & we knew it would be bad, but this is just shockingly bad!

Current Mood: worried