29 September 2006

My two cents worth

Ok, so I'm talking to a friend about the lengths people go to get the cheapest gas they can find around town. Apparently, some will travel up to 10 MILES to get gas that is about 10 cents cheaper per gallon... even giving the benefit of the doubt, we'll say 15 cents. So you just drove a total of 20 miles to get gas on a roundtrip. Gas right now averages about 2.20 in Texas, closer to 2.00 in Houston. 20 miles burns about one gallon of gas for the average vehicle in town driving. A normal tank holds about 15 gallons. Say I'm on empty and fill up... I just "saved" 15 *15 = $2.25. But, wait a minute... I just used an extra $2.20 to go there and back. IN a place like Houston, 10 miles normally takes about 30 min in reasonable traffic. So is a NICKEL worth a half hour of your time?

Say you fill up once a week for a year doing this. You just saved a grand total of 52 *5 = $2.60. YIPPPEEEEEE!!! I can buy 2 more orders of 5 pc nuggets from Wendy's and have enough left to get a soft-serve cone from Mcdonalds! Oh, but wait... I just spent $2.60 in gas GOING to Wendy's and Mcdonalds...

Get a clue people!!! If you aren't saving at least 3-5 cents per gallon per mile you drive for it then it really isn't worth it.

Also, why does everybody thinks gas prices are coming down due to political reasons?!? I mean seriously.. do you think the price only goes down in the USA?? Canada dropped to .89 c/L avg this week also... and western Europe is down as well. It's not a coincidence.. it's called supply and demand. Bush isn't out having 200 chinese babies every 5 minutes making the demand skyrocket. Condi Rice isn't heating the tropical Atlantic in hopes that a category 4 hurricane will spurn and take out our gulf supplies. It's not their fault that maniacs like Chavez and Iran's pres Ahmadinejad have control over oil fields... or that OPEC will not allow barrels to drop under a certain range. People are greedy!!! Once oil tycoons see this money come in with crude this high they don't want to see it drop. Don't expect barrels to drop below $50-55 anytime soon... OPEC won't have it.

All I ask though, please, is to simply do some research on issues before starting the blame game. Oh, and stop complaining! $2.00 gas is here to stay.. it's not that bad, our parents had it worse in the 1980 crisis.

Anyway... I'm done ranting and raving.

28 September 2006

Stop the bleeding

Handprints of red stain the roads, streaked across the city... infiltrating the depths of mankind.
So thick...so unrelenting, tarnishing these streets of gold.
The "pure of heart" are bleeding straight from the mouth... Dying from hypocrisy
Stricken of a disease, far worse than imagined
This sickness... devouring the young and old alike with mindnumbing quickness
Lost in the flow. Wandering the desolate town, covered in blood. Tainted.
Ungrateful... lavishing the senses with selfish desires.. neglecting needs. Digging holes deeper than oceans.
Precious time by the wayside... taking years to climb out. Only to find another burrow in which to hide.
Hide from the ever-flowing river of blood!
You cannot escape it's wrath. Saturating the soil and poisoning the aquifers of life.
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Have hope my brothers in Christ
The time is here for redemption. To cleanse the impurities... replacing our blood with His.
A sacrifice made, greater than any before... rescuing the lost and lonely, the sick and hopeless, the greedy and lustful.
Merciful and forgiving; washing away the tears, healing the wounds.
Replenishing the city with shimmering gold. Clean... free of death.
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Give us life O Jesus, that we may be preserved from the depths of lifelessness. Conforming not to man and his religiousness, but to You O Lord.
Give us wisdom, we of feeble minds... whom misconstrue Your word and confuse the nations.
Free us from the past and bless our futures, for You alone are Holy, You alone are Worthy, You alone are praised!
"Don't hide children. Seek me and my comfort, for I am here to restore."