California, at it again...

It seems California has forgotten that it has the second highest unemployment rate in the nation at 12.3%.  Being beat out only by my former state of Michigan which is at 13%.  Not only is the state of excess in excessive debt, but they now seek to rape their state residents of their hard earned (or unemployment earned) cash.  I know I can be dutch sometimes (actually, I'm always Dutch, but sometimes I'm "dutch" too; fortunately, Matt is of the same school of thought). 

Matt and I thought we'd go explore nature and ride mountain bikes down near the beach yesterday.  I think it cost us more to go places around Orange County, than it did to drive down there in fuel.  Did you know Toll Roads in Illinois cost anywhere between 30 cents and $2 at each toll booth (and $2 is unusual)?  Well, you're lucky if you pay $2 in California.  I thought the point of toll roads was to get people to use them and to help pay for the upkeep?!  Well, these roads are practically empty.  Why you ask?  Because most can't afford to take them.  The road to Laguna was backed up for miles, so we sought an alternative route.  Word to the wise: AVOID the 73.  Sure there was no one else on it, but it cost us $4.50 to go 1 mile.  Yes, 1 MILE!  And this was only one of the toll fees we paid.

Then we thought we'd hit a State Park.  Well, it now costs $15 to get into a State Park, whether this is for 2 hours or the whole day.  If you want an annual pass, it's $125.  Oh, and there are some state parks and state beaches that won't accept your $125 annual pass.  NO state is this much.  Tennessee and Missouri are free.  In Washington state, you can get in for a day for $5-7, or $70 annual.  Moab State Park in Utah, is a mere $7.  Have you ever been to Moab?  It's pretty sweet.  In Michigan, you can get an annual pass for 10 bucks if you're a resident (and $24 if you're out of state).  Montana State Parks cost $4 to get into daily.  And, to top it off, a National Parks Annual Pass is $80.  Well California, you can keep your annual pass.  All of these other places are so much cooler.  And as far as riding mountain bike in the State Park?  We went up the hill and parked at the city park for free, and rode our bikes straight into Crystal Cove State Park without paying a cent....

My Handyman

I've found a wonderful handyman,
What a lucky girl I am.

So much he can do,
And this is just some of it too:

A rat ran down the chimney;
Up the roof my man shimmied.

The racoons in the cellar;

He stopped the little fellers.

The kitchen sink got leaky;
Under the sink he fixed it neatly.

My new mailbox looks the best;
It put his cement-work to the test.

Dug, planted and watered my new avocado tree,
And all of this just for me!










How to open windows that high?
He's got a great creative eye.

Sprinkers, garage lights that fall,
He's a master of it all.

I love my MF.  Thank you, baby.

Going Postal (or not): Part 3

This is what my mail looks like lately. Do you see anything useful in here? I don't. More often than not, I walk directly to my recycle bin and dump most or all of it. I think the USPS is killing more trees than it is actually delivering mail. The famous inscription on the James A. Farley building, which is the main post office in New York City, says: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Well, I'm afraid that prediction was a little premature; it's hard to complete rounds when there's nothing to complete. Apparently the US Post Office is a dying breed. They're losing more money than they're making: hence yet another increase in your postage stamp (the latest featuring Bart Simpson; boy, isn't our Federal Government displaying the intelligent side of our country). Don't get me wrong, it's nice to receive that personal letter or card in the mail (my mom is the only one who sends me these), but inspite of good intentions, I never use snail mail unless I have too. Yet another way our hard-earned tax dollars go down the toilet: delivering junk mail by the billions of dollars.