The Stop-Go

I have heard from various sources that the highway system in Texas sucks. Apparently there is a better way to access various places than the on/off ramp - feeder road system of Texas. I am not here to debate that today. What I wish to convey is my disdain for vehicular operators that fail to use the on ramp to garner velocity, also known as the stop-go method of driving. If a person doesn't use the on ramp to a major highway to speed up, then they should not be allowed to drive. There are several reasons for this. It makes that said person a danger to all parties involved, as the drivers already on the thoroughfare must decide if they should a) slow down and allow the stop-going moron over b)speed up so as not to be smashed into by someone stop-going there way into traffic c) move over a lane at the risk of being smashed from behind by some jack ass with no insurance d) in a torid fit of road rage, smash the car stop-going into the wall and save everyone esle the grief. None of these seem like great options to me. Furthermore, let us dissect the design of the on ramp. All of us have made an exit, then had to drive 2 miles only to wait at a stop light do a 180 and go 2.3 miles the other direction to get where we were going. The point of this is to allow cars to accelerate and decelerate when entering/exiting a major road. Therefore, if enough morons start to stop-go their way into traffic, we might as well not have the graded ramps and just have all exit and entrances at 90 degree angles to the road. This would alleviate the burden of having feeder roads, and all travel in cities would be simplified, except for maybe Austin, as everything would be on a grid, even the major highways. So if you see someone stop-going do them a favor and flip them off or throw cigarette butts at their kids and let them know that we could have made driving easier at the expense of speed, but we chose not to.

"If it ain't broke, a woman hasn't messed with it yet"

Kirk Cameron

What a Long Strange Trip Its Been

For those of you that are in the know, I borrowed that title. Now, without further adieu....

School ended for another year, and once again the genteelmen at 6118 hosted a modest get together. There were a couple of pinatas and some stone casts even managed to get stuck in a block of ice that had become frozen with a perfect trough in the middle of it for pouring beverages in. The shin-dig was a big hit, although we got moved inside around midnight, and it was extremely hot in the house. The night was full of many highlights, with my favorite being some guy that I didn't know, walking around and eating some 14 month old ice cream from our freezer straight out of the tub...fantastic. All in all, school is school, and I was just happy for a little respite.

I then went that next weekend to Doodle's wedding, all in all it was a great time, of seeing some old friends and making some new ones. However, it did become apparent to me, that I do find it somewhat discourteous to have a wedding transpire in any proximity to a usual mealtime...but hey, not about me. Saturday night after the wedding was a good time, and myself, the Delicious, Truck and some others went to the historic Blaine's pub in San Angelo. The band was average, but the fun started when we made a point to shoe polish doodle's ride convieniently located at the comfort suites on the way home. Truck and the Delicious set it off. There were several other "wedding cars" there, and someone had made sure and tipped the cops off, that many of the cars were ridin durty....and that one person even had the gall to drive a fake lincoln.....and the journey continued on from there.

I spent the next three weeks in Belcourt North Dakota, staying at the Skydancer Hotel and Casino, and working at the hospital in Belcourt, North Dakota. It was a great time, and I really enjoyed working there. Furthermore, staying at a casino was great as well, I got in a fairly good routine of going to dinner, and then going to play some blackjack. My buddy B who was with me, did win a friday night blackjack tournament, which netted him 300 dollars and an awesome Skydancer leather coat complete with intricately stitched on casino paraphanelia. So, many thanks to the people of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation. Also, we had a chance to visit the International Peace Gardens and did visit the Geographical Center of North America..probably the first Texans ever to do so. On the way home, we detoured over to see Mt. Rushmore, Black Hilll Nat'l Forest, Crazy Horse Monument, and the Badlands Nat'l Park, and Deadwood, South Dakota....all were fantastic, but I do believe that the Badlands were indeed my favorite....very nice....here are a few of the pics.


I followed the three weeks in North Dakota with two in Laredo, Texas...quite a contrast. Laredo wasn't bad, but I don't care if I ever go back there again, maybe there will be more on that topic later, but I doubt it, because I don't care enough.


Lastly, I am now back in San Antonio and starting my three weeks of summer vacation. I am stoked about that, and look to resume a more frequent blog posting schedule.

Thanks and good night,

The Steak Abides