baseball, ads & chevy

Chevy ad during the world series:

"I want to go electric"

"I want a hybrid that works for a family of 4"

you know what I want? I want a little HOPE.

The big, big picture is so depressing. The economy is tanking. The climate is changing ( and we don't know how this is really going to play out). I'm tired of looking at everything and seeing the truth. I'd really like a pair of rose colored glasses so that I could ignore, just for a little while, the real reality.

While reading MIT's Technology Review, I realized that one of the best ways to digest the collapse of the ice sheets is with a lovely margarita in hand. And that is just sad.

Lately, the Sundance Channel has been coming through for me. Last night, we watched Iconoclasts (BEFORE the Sox game) - Dave Chappelle & Maya Angelou. I'm really glad I watched it, but I can't exactly explain what I've taken away from it. Other than integrity is really important & I have a whole lot of respect from both of the show participants.

Tonight we watched something we had DVR'd from Sundance - it was called "Big Ideas for a Small Planet". This episode was about sustainable work places. Ironically, I found out that the company I USED to work for in Texas & in Las Vegas is trying to be an environmentally sustainable business. They were making a good effort when I was there, but they are now making more of an effort. Free bus & train passes for employees. They've taken out ONE of the lightbulbs in the double-flourescent tubes in the ceilings- in every single fixture in every single office. Sounds small, right? Apparently it's made a huge difference. I'm really afraid to know what the carbon footprint is of where I work now. Just the sheer amount of driving I do in the giant work truck should push the carbon footprint into the outer atmosphere. I need to read more about this - can anyone recommend a book?

What else? My oil tank was filled today. We paid $2.79/ gallon. I think it was 108 gallons. That's not cheap. Should have had it filled in JULY. When will I learn?

I did notice on my oil bill that they've included the last 5 fill ups. I'll have to figure out what to do with that info. It looks like I get a fill up 2x a winter, and then maybe once in the late spring/summer. It's irregular - I guess the oil company calculates when to fill it up based on our consumption & heating degree days. Whatever the method, thats a whole lot of oil...

On my bill, it does look like "ideal delivery" is when they have to deliver 206 gallons. They've only hit that once - in March 2006 (I wasn't even HOME for those 6 months, although we did have a house sitter, and I was so thankful that there is no way I'll complain about her heating oil consumption). So I guess that I should be encouraged that I am more efficient than their delivery models predict since they are frequently delivering at 50% - 75% of their "ideal delivery".