Finally!

A new law goes into effect in July ‘08 in California. It will be illegal to drive with a cell phone to your ear.

There have been thousands of accidents on the road in California since the advent of cell phones. Hundreds have been injured or killed because idiots think they can walk and chew gum at the same time. Well, that ain’t really so hard, but trying to dial a cell phone and hold a conversation while maneuvering through traffic and PAYING ATTENTION to both is not so easy a task.

I had a 1988 Thunderbird totalled because of a cell phone driver. It wasn’t pretty. Thank heavens I’m still here to post about it.

Anyway, this is a step in the right direction. It needs to be done universally. I mean, like moonwalkers, even. Get that freakin’ thing off your face! You’re an accident waiting to happen, ferpetesake.

Well, now you gotta. At least in California

Thousands, if not millions of people in the world are scared of flying.  And can you blame them?    You are in a giant piece of machinery filled with jet engine fuel about 35,000 feet in the air.  But even if you are not afraid of flying, there is something about flying that can scare just about all of us… Airplane Turbulence.

Anytime I have been flying, there is nothing that makes my heart beat jump more than a sudden jolt of the entire airplane.  It is almost like the airplane is having an earthquake…  at 35,000 feet in the air.  And often times it does not stop after just one jolt.  The jolts keep coming and they get bigger!  If you get it real bad, you may even be lifted out of your seat by the strength of the turbulence.  Add on top of this a mob mentality of fear on the plane, and the turbulence can cause a few very scary moments.

Statistically airplane turbulence virtually never lead to an airplane crash, but it definitely feels like it could  when the plane begins to jerk and jolt and move violently in the air.  Despite it’s relative harmlessness, airplane turbulence is a scary thing.

Source: that

Some people are lacking in old-fashioned common courtesy.

I have a friend. She’s really a wonderful woman, and I often feel privileged to be counted among her friends. But she is sometimes totally frustrating.

Her life is a whirlwind of activity. She’s a real estate agent, an airline flight attendant, a notary public, a single mom, and an environmental activist. She’s into practicing yoga and working out at the gym. How she finds time for all of this, I’ll never know.

She’s mature, patient, understanding, helpful in many different ways, and a joy to be around.

When she’s around, that is. She has one flaw that drives me nuts.

She’ll go out of her way to call and ask if I’ll be around for a while. Well, if she wants to come by, of course I’ll be here. She says she’ll be over “in a bit.” Hours later, I’m wondering where she is. No call and no show.

Now, I’ve got two major character flaws myself. I tend to worry too much, and I’m somewhat demanding of others. I realize that. So when someone I care about is “missing in action,” I tend first to worry, then to get a little angry. Like a phone call would be a major inconvenience if a person has a change of plans?

Then I get mad at myself for being mad at her. What if something really did happen?

There’s a bright side in the end. When she finally does call or show up, I’m just so happy to see or hear from her that anger, frustration, worry and everything else flies out the window.

Then it happens again next time.

A little old-fashioned common courtesy would save me a lot of emotional wear and tear.