Multiple Sclerosis, Atkins, and Electric Scooters

I sent this picture to my mother tonight and she thought it was a mobility scooter. She thought this was one of those things old people ride at the grocery store up on the back of your legs. I had to explain to her this was something for fun, an electric, green technology, no gas, stick it to the man mode of transport. Put a whip antenna with a raccoon tail on it and I'm in business! Can you see me tooling around Perry Hall on my new scoot? Throw in an ooga horn and I'm a terror! Sure, they say you can't be over 260 lbs, but what does that actually mean? Can you be a little over that weight? What if you are close? I need a lawyer! I've been violated. Am I going to let them decide how much I can weigh? Well it sure looks like if I want to ride an electric scooter! 15 miles per hour must only be for skinny people?

That must sound funny to most people to hear someone say 260 lbs is skinny? I've been over 200 lbs since I got my learner's permit at least. That says 215 lbs, and that was 1978! I was bigger than my father the day I came home from the hospital in 1962! Most of my adult life I have been right around 250, so this extra bit I am toting around is just a temporary set back. I'd venture to say I should be down to scooter weight come about January. I could of course try to find a cool scooter made for portly gentlemen, but it would not only be more expensive, it would defeat the plan of dropping the ballast.

I am trying to figure out just how to do this Atkins type diet thingy. I've done it before, more for a quick weight lose, and it does work for that. I'm thinking I need to drop this weight first. All the worries about if a certain diet is safe or not doesn't fit, not when you are looking to loose at least 75 lbs, carrying that extra weight is what's not safe. Take the weight off, then figure out where I'm going to fall with the rest. Maybe Atkins will be friendlier with my type of MS then the Swank was. Any day now everything is going to come together for me. The weight is going to fall off, the vitamin D is going to do it's thing, and I will be able to ride a scooter and not look like one of those fat twins in worlds Guinness Book of World Records!

Bush Plays Politics With Our Pocketbooks.

I said the other day I was shocked to side with the President on any issue and that I wouldn't be surprised to be right back here talking about him in a few days. Guess what? I'm back! Bush today, in a purely political move, lifted an executive order banning offshore oil drilling. He said he did it to help the average Joe make ends meet. Oh Bite me! He did it to make it look like the Democratic controlled congress was trying to keep a foot on the throat of America by not changing the law prohibiting offshore drilling. By doing so I guess the thinking is the average American is supposed to say, "Hey, the Republicans tried, I'm voting Republican!" The problem is they are probably right.

You cannot rationalize, on paper or otherwise, that our president is any smarter then the average American. If you have had the opportunity to meet many people, you will know what a scary thought that is. He has no cares for me, he proved that with his holier than thou stand on stem cell research. He has used the argument that it may take several years to realize any gas from offshore drilling, but the longer we wait, the longer it will take to get the gas. Sucks, don't it? That's the same thing I thought about stem cells while I watched my body atrophy and digest itself, all the while knowing you did it because of your strong beliefs. I wonder if one of the twins was an MS'er if his beliefs would change.

He can't blame the Democrats for the original ban, it was a Republican who thought it was important enough to sign the original order banning the drilling. What was that chaps name? Oh yeah, it was Daddy Bush. That should make interesting Thanksgiving dinner conversation! Seems the President is making a habit of not following his father, first Iraq, now this.

I'm sure this will become a major issue in the election, with each candidate having opposite views on offshore drilling. Do you think that's why McCain changed his mind and is now in favor of it? It doesn't matter, by the time the election is here both the stars will probably flip on this, and many other issue. Take the money the government will sink into everything offshore, the 300 billion, with a B, that the feds want to give the mortgage guys, and all the money spent on the 2008 Presidential race and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I bet we could have a viable electric car for the average Joe to drive?

$10 a barrel

Wow! What a day! Oil is up, the Dow is down, and unemployment is up. Looks like a good time to be retired. Oil went up $10 a barrel today, $10! The good news is I saw today a representative from Shell Oil said we would shoulder this burden together. It's good we are doing this together, I'd be scared if we were alone! Ya think the experts have insider info on this gas thing? They said gas would be $5 a gallon by the 4th of July. Looks they like they are just going to be early.

What's our President doing about this? I mean his daughter is married now, so he can't say he's been busy with that. I saw his ultra green house in Crawford on the news the other day. He bought that in 1999, had all the latest technology built into it. He is capable of living off the grid, not having to depend on outside energy. It's like he knew the bottom was getting ready to fall out. He must have known he was going to win! When the subject of gas comes up, he says we need to drill in Alaska. End of story.

Is anyone in a position of power aware of the windfall profits the oil companies are making in these "tough" times? Do any of them care? I tell ya, I'm starting to feel like Rodney Dangerfield, no respect! This is a problem that exists on both sides of the aisle, so I don't to hear anyone try to blame it on either side. They don't care. Plain and simple. Meanwhile the oil companies have our onions in a vise.

What are we going to do? I already quit smoking because I couldn't afford it. Do I sell my car and quit that too? I was reading about electric cars, you know the ones I mean, just like Tom Hanks and Jay Leno bought. That right there tells me I can't afford it. They sell conversion kits to make your car the envy of Ed Begley Jr. The problem is they are like $13 G's. Not happening at my ranch. I am stuck. There aren't enough buttons in the world to fix this problem.

Food prices are up, everything is up except the Dow! I can't smoke, can't drink, can't afford to buy groceries or ride in my car. It doesn't matter what your views are on the war. It doesn't even matter who you voted for. I'm starting to think it doesn't matter who you vote for anyway. One way or another the little guy is going to get it in the end. Nobody s going to stand up for me and I know it. I don't expect them to anymore really. It's just $10 a barrel. Wow! That's incredible! Gas went up more today then ever in a single day. The interesting thing is in 1999 gas was under $10 a barrel! WOW!

An Olds Man

My daughter totaled her car a few weeks ago. She wasn't hurt, so it was no big deal. In some ways it worked to our advantage. She was driving a 97 Nissan Pathfinder. It was a nice car, we had it for a few years, not too many problems with it at all. It had 120,000 miles or so, but a nice running car. The problem was it got about 4 miles to the gallon, if it was going down hill only! I don't know about where you are from, but gas has gone up a little in the Baltimore area. We decided to use this as a chance to get something a little more fuel efficient, a little more green, something that fits the times.

The last car we bought was a real jewel! We bought it from the daughter of an old neighbor of mine. Her father had passed away and she was getting rid of his car. It was a 95 Oldsmobile 98. A real classic! It has leather interior, power everything, and only 11,000 miles on it! Yeah baby, I said 11,000 miles! This was about 3 years ago when the car was almost 11 years old. You don't find many of those type of deals. There was a downside, the paint was falling off almost as fast as the black carriage top! It did however still have that new car smell, so it was a push. That was a bit of history to tell you how much of a car guy I am.

So we start the process of new car shopping. We knew we weren't looking for new cars, but we thought a nice used hybrid would be nice. Did you know a nice used hybrid cost a lot of money? I figured it would take us 75,000 miles for us to start saving money on gas! I know what you're thinking, it's not just about the cost of gas, what about the environment? I am always telling the kids about saving money, recycling, using less, making our own, and really meaning it. The problem is we have college tuition for her, bowling expenses and travel for him, and I am trying to figure out how to pay for it on a retiree's salary. Hybrids are out of the picture.

We decided we needed a nice compact car, something like a Corolla or Sentra. We asked the dude at the dealer how much the used ones were and we started laughing. Once we gathered our composure, we told him how funny he was, but really, how much? As we were leaving I remember thinking this is tougher than I thought. There has to be a car out there for us that doesn't cost as much as our first house and gets better gas mileage than a Sherman tank. Used compact cars are a no.

We see SUV's all over the place for sale, but they are no bargain cost wise, not to mention the gas. Maybe I have to lose the mind set of looking for a 1974 Dodge Dart for $400. I know they exist, I bought one, once. When was that, probably close to 10 years ago I would think? No, come to think of it more like 20 years ago would be right. Dream on! OK, I bought my first car 30 years ago, and if you could find that Dart now even that car would be worth more then I paid then! Bummer!

Hello there! Now that is a cute little car. It's even the same color as the Pathfinder was. We talked to the guy at the dealership and it was just what we were looking for! I nice smallish car, but not small. It has airbags, so it has safety equipment. He told us the color was the reason it hadn't sold, that and the fact it was an American car! What? Did this guy just tell me the car of my dreams was no good because it was American made? He sure had. I told him I'd take it! I was not going to stand there and listen to this guy bad mouth the United States of America, at least the auto industry part of it!

Like I said in the beginning, it all works out in the end. My daughter got a new car, a cute little 4 cylinder car that while not a hybrid, is definitely better on gas then the Pathfinder. It is solid all ways around. The body is good, engine too. Front wheel drive and roomy to boot. There's one thing about it that puts us in a class probably with only a few families on the east coast. I bet you will have a hard time finding a family that is driving not only one, but two cherry Oldsmobiles! If I can find an Olds dealer I may go buy a new one tomorrow!