Sunday at home

After I shut my alarm down at 11, I was woken up at noon by a friend calling from Boston. A good thing too, else I'd have slept until late afternoon.

Bright sunshine streaming through the window. CNN's all about United 93, and is it too soon. Again.

Then we heard about record oil company profits - woohoo! How nice. Is it as easy as just cranking up gas prices for any rumor? I heard a commentator say sure people will whine and complain, but they'll keep buying gas. The whole thought of possible greedy cartels is disgusting.
I recall gas at 90c/gal in Syracuse back in '97. There were gas stations doing $0.67/gal in Indiana and Atlanta then. The wonderful oil glut, the good ol' times. Heck, gas at $1.50 mid-2000 felt expensive.

Now you get those upgrades to full size real quick n'easy at rental car companies. Downgrading to a compact is near impossible - all taken!

The 9-11 film

I watched United 93 on opening day Friday at the Great Mall in Milpitas. Not many people in the theater, despite all the controversy and the media talking about the movie non-stop. There's 'Is it too soon?' discussions on TV all the time.

Anyway, the film was well made - focussed only on the flight, against the background of the events of 9/11/01. It was a like a camera happened to be observing the incidents as they happened. No flag waving patriotism, no jihadist anti-American rhetoric from terrorist organizations - just a re-enactment of what happened that day.

Many of us watched it all on TV. I kept thinking back to how it was that morning, as I watched from my apartment in Framingham. The jammed phone lines, the incoming calls, the images, the chaos.... My roommate had left from Logan airport just that morning, from the gate next to one of the hijacked planes.

And the theories, the rumors, the controversies... days and months after. Especially about flights 93 and 77. Were they shot down? Did the passengers really save the White House/ US Capitol by bringing United 93 down?

'Let's Roll' is barely heard. I recall particularly how people stopped being sympathetic to Lisa Beamer, after she became a media princess.

The film has none of this. It shows what happens on the plane right from boarding/taxi among passengers, and hijackers on this particular flight. It shows events on the ground among air traffic controllers, and NORAD in response to the attacks. That's it. It ends in abrupt fashion, because there can't be any more to show.

Sunny out the window, nice to see from inside

The allergy symptoms have slowly come down. Nice and sunny clear day out, and I'm again in the office. Actually an endless 3 days in the office, with some progress, and it's been a lot of work. The office is now empty save for two coworkers and I.

Would have been nice to step out for some tennis or a run. Not to be. I've rarely managed going home with daylight out during DST.

Electric cars - need a Reva

Looking at the gas prices around here, I feel the need to find a Reva dealership. Where is one when you need it! $3+ at the pump for regular unleaded at this time.

What happened to all that ethanol from sugarcane that we heard about a few months ago? The way things are going, even the prospect of a hybrid seems uncomfortable.

*Sniff*Koff*Kaff*A-tishoo!

Story of the past 3 days. Must be the lousy rainy weather around here. Haven't been out running either.

Trading up from a paper clip to a house.... lookit this guy!