Recently I read about cops giving out tickets to good drivers, I saw the last episode of a season, discussed the driving desire of mankind to explore, and what it means to complete something. In brief, words have been on the move lately. People are talking. It's great!

Battlestar Galactica finished up its second season last night. Reviews are as expected loved it/hated it. Ron Moore, one of the producers, said it last week and that's what people are saying in the boards. I enjoyed it. There are some things I didn't like but on the whole. Well done BSG writers. Well done. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you planned out the next season before you finished the scripts for season 2. Of course, I'll probably have to re-watch season 2 because the wait until season 3 is 7 months... That, = \ That kinda bites bunches and bunches.

The other day I stumbled across this article. I read it. I scoffed and thought about the idea in a heartbeat. From the article "You know that heart-stopping feeling you get when seeing the flashing red lights of law enforcement in the rear view mirror?" I wonder, gee, have I ever had that hear-stopping fear coarse through my body only to send my temperature up 10 degrees making clothes unnecessary? Yea! And so have many other people. Great! Let's pull people over: that are on their way somewhere with time constraints, that have bad hearts, that do not want to be 'rewarded', etc. This program has so many flaws in it I'm surprised it made it out the front door of the police department in Travis County Texas. Then again, no I'm not. The police forces around the US have had a bad rep in the American culture longer than they'd ever admit.

From the early days police knew who was good and who wasn't. It was a small community based experience and that's where the corruption began. People knew about it and people were okay with it. Time carried on and the population exploded. Now, with faceless police officers patrolling the streets telling us we're doing right and wrong, taking advantage of their position, yes they've all done something at one point of their career. It could have been a simple photo op with a friend, letting someone see something confidential, etc. Power is easily abused. Back to the topic, this is a horrible by the Travis County police department(s).

If they really want to promote this program stop pulling people over. First thing... STOP PULLING PEOPLE OVER TO GIVE THEM SOMETHING 'GOOD'. Yes, stop at this very moment. STOP. There are some things that are burned into our minds, being pulled over is one of those things that means 'you did something wrong.' Let it be. Next up, take that license plate number of the person that did the 'good' thing and send to them in the mail, yes that archaic device we still use despite the advent of e-mail, and post to them their reward with a letter of thanks, etc.

What will happen will be better than this ridiculous pulling people over thing. They'll talk about it because it will be a surprise and they won't have that heart-stopping feeling that people get when pulled over by police. Get it?!

Out of curiosity I looked at the article and saw a poll at the end of the article. I checked out the results and found them to be very revealing...

If I got pulled over to be rewarded for good driving, I would be:
Thank you for participating in our poll.
Thrilled --- 19%
Kind of happy --- 20%
Ambivalent --- 6%
Kind of irritated --- 33%
Downright mad --- 22%

This means 55% of those polled do NOT want to be pulled over for something 'good' peeps.

Okay, on to something else...

Exploration. The Moon. And Mars. Recently NASA proposed the something old and something new. "The first moon visit is planned in 2018 with the establishment of the space station a couple of years afterwards." Going further the article states... "We are going to have to build those capabilities. Then the question is, are we going to build a large base, and that we don't know." The agency said that the first missions could be for as much as seven days. These can later be extended for six months.

It hasn't happened for a long time. The U.S. feels pressure from another country, or countries, to be the first to do something. Back in the 60's it was a race to reach the moon, now we have to go back and take the next step. It's sad that we rely on the fear of not being first as our motivation to reach out to the stars. It's waiting for us. We simply need to take a hold of the challenge and then... Reach! If the world were different and all the countries of the world saw this as our next big step who knows where we'd be by now. Who knows if we'd still be tied to this planet actually.

I dream that our kind will look beyond the pocket filled with gold and dare to take a step into the unknown again. There are so many willing to take the risk but sadly very few support these endeavors financially. Where will we be in 10 years? ...Well, If NASA has anything to say about it we'll be on the moon! Now, increase their budget already. Approximately 13 billion compared to 420 billion in the military seems more than a bit askew.

Ahh... Almost through my purge. Ceremony. Sometimes we miss out on ceremony because it just isn't done that way. Say you set for yourself a goal. You work at it and work at it and finally, after days, weeks, months, years, decades, whatever, you achieve what you set out to succeed. You did 'it'! So, what to do now? Can you celebrate and recognize the event with other people? Sometimes yes. Usually... No.

Our lives are made up of big and little achievements. Graduations have their day in the spotlight. What about your first car, or acceptance into a group/school, or your last cigarette. Where is the ceremony to mark the event, like those noted a moment ago? What feels large and significant can be lost in the blink of an eye or the tick of a clock. One day it's the biggest news since... Ever. And then the next day, it's just a story to tell. What am I trying to say here.

Ceremony is hugely important. I've recognized my desire to attend ceremony but it's possible that only now I see the necessity for such events. My 10 year high school reunion was a ceremony of sorts. Everyone that attended knows what I mean. We all returned with life altering experiences and shared with each other. We marked our 10th year from high school. We survived and had a chance to walk in the same space again. Even if for only a few hours.

Time will not wait for us to mark each event that we deem important. Take hold the flame and create your ceremony. Make it a movie night, or a dinner with friends/family, or go for a long walk alone. These events may only happen once. They are noteworthy and should be recognized as such.

Ahhh. The thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head for days finally put into written form. Ahhh. Oh wait! Another one! Last one.

To prevent. "To keep (someone) from doing something." Recently I heard someone say that they wouldn't allow their partner to do something. The topic, to me, was no substantiated by their reasoning. Had it been, oh, say, smoke in the house, or something harmful to their livelihood... Well, I wouldn't be writing anything about it. Instead it was something that could actually benefit either their partner's life and/or their life. The topic? Video games.

The act of not allowing someone to do something because of different opinions on a topic does not give one authority to dictate what can or cannot be done. We're this imposed on me I'd snap. In fact, I have in the past. Tell me I can't talk about something and I'll find a way to talk about it. Tell me I can't do something, the point is made I hope. No partner is a dictator. If there is a problem in the relationship talk it out. Not talk. Talk it out. Say the real problem or the concern out loud and get feedback. Then repeat. The IDEA that someone believes that they have the option to control their partner is as absurd to me as a single celled organism reciting the works of Shakespeare. With all that in place. Oyasumi no toki desu.
- posted by garyploski @ 3/12/2006 12:17:00 AM