Mass of Contradictions

Cars & Convenience

So I've been carless in Boulder (by choice) for a couple of weeks now, and I must say I'm actually enjoying it. Despite the fact that we've had snow and ice on the ground since mid-December, and despite that I've been overloaded with work and have less time to spare than usual.

I realize that, at least for me, having a car in a town with great public transit, bike paths, and a car share program was mainly about convenience. And it was a very expensive way to get convenience.

I mean, when I had a car I didn't have to put much effort into planning the personal side of my week: when and where to grocery shop, which bank branch to visit, when to go get my prescriptions, etc. I could just jump in the car at any time and go.

Now that I do have to plan those activities more carefully, I'm surprised to find that I have at least as many options, and as much flexibility, as I had with the car. Plus, I get more exercise and fresh air. I find I want to go out more because I have to give it more thought than I used to.

The always-available "convenience" of having a car kept me from realizing that the alternatives aren't so inconvenient after all. At least not for me.

Carless in Boulder

Check out my new car, sitting there in my driveway. It's a.. Hey! Wait a second...

As the day nears that my husband is moving out (yes, we're separating, hopefully not permanently), I've had to make a lot of choices and changes. Transportation is definitely a challenging issue, since we've been a one-car family for ages and my husband will need that car for the job and community where he's heading.

So I was faced with a choice: Should I buy another car (a considerable expense, even for a used one) or try to do without?

I'm going to try to do without.

Why? Well, first of all, I don't want to take on a huge additional expense. But also, I've been complaining about our car-centric culture for so long that I figured I should finally "walk the talk" -- literally in this case. And of course there are the environmental benefits, which are important to me and which need no explanation.

Actually, given where and how I live, going carless turns out to be a surprisingly viable option. Here's my plan....

And so this is Christmas?

And so this is Lennon? Not really.

I'm spending a few days in NJ with my family -- South Jersey, just outside of Philly. My parents have been playing the radio a lot -- local stations in the car, XM at home (where there's an all-Xmas-music, all the time station).

This year there are a few covers of John Lennon's "And So This Is Xmas," recorded by various artists, making the airwaves. I've heard about 3-4 of them so far. There's something weird about this. They either omit the "War is over / if you want it / war is over now" outro entirely, or they cut it off before they get through a single line of it

Also, I heard them play the original once on the radio, and they cut off the outro.

Huh? They're censoring John Lennon to fit the Bush agenda? What's up with that????   What's the point of even playing a John Lennon song under those circumstances?

Five Things Meme

OK, Heidi Miller tagged me with this five things meme (thanks Heidi). I desperately need a little fun right now, so I'll bite.

Here are five things you probably don't know about me:

1. I've lived in Colorado for 11 years but I don't know how to ski. I think I can get kicked out of the state for that. (Although there may be a snowshoeing loophole.)
2. I adore sci-fi but loathe dungeons-and-dragons-style fantasy -- Including Star Wars, which is basically just D&D set in outer space.
3. In December 1988, I flew home from London on Pan Am 103 the day after the same flight was bombed over Scotland. One of my housemates was killed.
4. I'm a sucker for good foie gras
5. I've been doing origami since I was six. I find it fascinating and calming.

OK... I'll figure out who to tag later....

I'm Giving Up on MP3 Players, for Now

I've had it. My third MP3 player in a year has just died. As much as I love listening to podcasts, I can't afford to keep replacing the hardware.

And I refuse to get an iPod (or a Zune) because -- based on the experience my friends have had with those high-priced gadgets, they aren't any hardier or easier to fix.

This is really frustrating. For me, the problem is that, because the headphones need to be connected to the MP3 player by a cord, and because I need to be able to switch files, pause, change the volume, etc. at will,  the device has to be kept accessible.

That means it's easy for it to fall out of my pocket and die after a minor impact with asphalt in a Sam's Club parking lot, like it did yesterday. Or drop right out of my vest pocket into the toilet, like my last one did just over a month ago.

This is annoying.

Thinking Through My Fingers

So it appears that I'm going to be on my own. After 17 years together, my husband and I have decided to separate. It's a mutual decision, we still love each other very much, and maybe we'll find a way to work things out so we can live together better eventually. I've got a lot of stuff to figure out -- especially how to land on my feet, in every sense.

I'm toying with personal blogging again. When I have stuff to figure out, I think best through my fingers. I haven't posted to this blog for a long time, because I just haven't had the time nor felt a strong need. I don't know exactly what I'll do here -- but don't expect a tell-all confessional. There are just some things I need to figure out that I think could benefit from a potentially broader discussion...

What's in a Name? Sometimes Too Much...

There's a big project going on to expand transportation south and east of the city of Denver. This Transportation Expansion Project has been dubbed, ironically, "T-REX"

I love that. They name a system of light rail and highway expansion after a dinosaur? That's just too telling. Some decisions are beyond parody.

This reminds me of Philadelphia in the late 1980s. Back then I was attending Temple University. I lived in NJ, and took light rail back and forth to school every day -- including the Broad Street subway, part of the infamous SE Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA).

Back then, SEPTA's slogan was: "SEPTA: We're getting there."

I got no end of amusement from that. It always sounded like more of an excuse or apology than an explanation to me.

Questioning Evolution: Wrong Class

I see in the news today that the Kansas State Board of Education "approved new science standards for teachers in public schools Tuesday that question Charles Darwin's teachings on evolution and hand a victory to advocates of "intelligent design." (That quote is from a USA Today article on the decision because, as of this writing, there's nothing about the decision on either the Kansas Board of Education site, nor the Kansas Dept. of Education site.)

I recently attended the annual conference of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), where the "Intelligent Design" issue was (as you might imagine) a hot topic. While I was there, I got to thinking...  Actually, I do think the issues raised by the "Intelligent Design" debate are important and do deserve to be discussed in school -- but not in science class.

I think this debate would be perfect for social studies class. Really, it's not about science. It's about influences on society...

Alice's Restaurant 40 years later: Ready for an update

Tomorrow evening, my husband and I are going to the Boulder Theater to see a concert by Arlo Guthrie, celebrating the 40th anniversary of "Alice's Restaurant." Wow, that song is actually older than I am, just by a smidge.

Anyway, this morning we got to talking about the upcoming show...

Having a Conversation About Leukemia

As I've mentioned on my main weblog, Contentious, my brother was recently diagnosed with leukemia and has begun treatment. His chances are good, but getting through leukemia treatment inevitably sucks. And coping with the vast amounts of leukemia-related information is daunting for anyone, whether they have the illness or care deeply for someone who does.

As I try to wrap my brain around a flood of information on leukemia and its treatment, I'm thinking it might make sense to blog about this topic. Since that really doesn't fit in with Contentious, I'm going to start with that here, for now.

Here's what I envision discussing about leukemia...