This was the song we did for our father-daughter dance. The bride’s made of honor did an amazing job singing the song.
Hauling a boat or a trailer changes your opinion on other people’s driving
My dad had a 21-foot cabin cruiser that we took out on the Chesapeake Bay as much as possible. It was about the biggest boat he could get that he could still put on a trailer. He liked the idea of being able to go different places with the boat.
I watched and listened to my dad driving around in lots of different situations, and I got a pretty good sense of what to look out for, and what kinds of stupid behavior made life difficult for people pulling a trailer.
There’s a lot more to it than this, but the most fundamental thing is that people pulling a trailer have to deal with a lot more momentum, so they start and stop more slowly.
It’s been a few years since I’ve hauled a boat. My boat died and I mostly use kayaks these days. I just mount them on the roof. But we just drove down to Nashville with a trailer full of decorations and supplies for a wedding, and I got a fresh reminder of how un-courteous and just plain stupid most drivers are.
The joy of driving
[I’m writing this on 2/21, but it won’t be posted until I’m back from my trip.]
I’m driving to Nashville tomorrow for a daughter’s wedding, and while I anticipate lots of great things from this trip, what strikes me right now is the joy of packing a bag knowing that TSA drones won’t be searching, scanning, and approving everything I pack.
I can pack nail clippers, a pocket knife, or even a flask, without worrying about the nannies in security. It’s so liberating.
Why aren’t there settings on a car?
I like my Toyota Rav-4. It’s been a reliable car, and almost no trouble. But there are some things about it that annoy me, like the tire pressure sensors. Those things are notoriously unreliable. I want to turn them off, but there’s no way to do that.
Or how about the “I will lock your doors when I think they need to be locked” function? I want to turn that off. I will lock the doors when I want to lock the doors.
Or the “your headlights will stay on after you turn off the car” function? Again, I will turn them on when I want them on, and off when I want them off.
Other people might like these “features.” Fine. They can have them. But why do I have to be cursed with them?
I can drill into my phone and turn (most) annoying settings off. But I can’t do that with my car. Why not?
I imagine Toyota would say something like “we’re doing this for your safety,” to which I say “go soak your head.” Seat belts are for safety. Locking my doors when I didn’t ask you to is just annoying.
We desperately need new checks and balances
Morning Wire (which I listen to almost every day) had a very interesting episode on why pro-transgender laws continue to pass in red states.
Spoiler: because Big Pharma gives them campaign contributions.
Big Pharma wants to sell more drugs, whether people need those drugs or not. Rather than reining them in, Congress is helping them.
And that’s not the only form of government corruption. For the past several decades, the country has wanted Congress to stop illegal immigration, but they steadfastly refuse. Why?
Somebody is paying them, and the corrupt media doesn’t even report on it.
Our checks and balances have failed. We need new ones.