Al picked up a Duracell battery in one hand and an Eveready battery in the other hand and flipped them over to the back of the package.

“Duracell’s made in Connecticut and Eveready’s made in Missouri,” he said as he replaced the Duracell battery to the display and picked up another Eveready.

“Got something against Connecticut?” I asked him.

“Yeah.  Joe Lieberman.” 

When you hear a siren/see flashing lights, pull your damned car over to the curb and get out of the way of emergency vehicles.

Additionally, if you hear the sirens but don’t immediately know from which direction they’re coming, slow the hell down and prepare to stop/pull over, as it may be approaching from a street perpendicular to the one on which you’re traveling.

Erieites have been spoiled/made lazy by the Rad-O-Lite system that changes the traffic lights to green in the direction emergency vehicles are traveling.  Now that the system is getting old and not working quite so well anymore, we can’t rely on it.

Over the past couple of months, I can’t even count the number of vehicles I’ve seen not pull over for emergency vehicles, be they ambulances, fire trucks, or police cruisers.  I’m not sure whether the drivers are too busy gabbing on their cell phones, sending/reading text messages, eating, applying make-up, etc., but, not matter what the reason, not only are they putting themselves in the general category of Asshole Extraordinaire. 

And yes, according to the law, even if you are traveling in the opposite direction of the emergency vehicle, you are to pull your ass over.  Pronto. 

From the PA Driver’s Manual:

EMERGENCY VEHICLES AND SITUATIONS

Certain vehicles have sirens and flashing red lights or a combination of flashing red and blue lights. The lights assist emergency vehicles to move quickly through traffic and to answer emergency calls.

Emergency vehicles include fire department vehicles, police cars, ambulances, blood delivery vehicles and specially equipped vehicles from rescue organizations. Watch out for them.

When you hear a siren or see a vehicle approaching from any direction with flashing red lights or a combination of red and blue lights, you must:

Pull over to the curb or side of the road and stop.

Drive parallel and as near to the curb as possible.  On one-way streets, drive toward the nearest roadside and stop.

Stay clear of intersections.

Start driving again after the emergency vehicle passes you, staying at least 500 feet away from it.

Make sure another emergency vehicle is not coming.

During an emergency situation, all drivers must obey the direction of any uniformed police officer, sheriff, constable or any properly attired person, including fire police.

Take sirens seriously, and make way for an ambulance, fire truck or police vehicle. Someday you may be the one calling for help, or the life on the line might be a friend or family member.

And while we’re on the subject of the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code, there are a hell of a lot of people driving around Erie County who are either completely unaware of the law that requires a vehicle’s headlights to be on (headlights, not parking light) whenever the windshield wipers are on (yes, even if they’re on intermittent). 

HEADLIGHT/WINDSHIELD WIPER LAW
This law, which went into effect Jan. 28, 2007, requires motorists to turn on their headlights anytime their vehicles wipers are in continuous or intermittent use due to weather conditions. Daytime running lights are not enough. Your tail lights must be illuminated as well. Motorists who do not comply with the law could face a fine of $25, but with fees and other associated costs, the penalty would approach $100.

And since it’s only a matter of time before the snow starts flying in Erie (even though it was a glorious 58 degrees yesterday), here’s a little reminder about removing the snow and ice from your vehicle before you start driving away:

SNOW/ICE REMOVAL LAW
Under this law, which went into effect July 10, 2006, motorists will face severe fines if snow or ice that falls from their vehicle causes injury or death to other motorists or pedestrians. When snow or ice is dislodged or falls from a moving vehicle and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious bodily injury, the operator of the vehicle from which the snow or ice came is subject to a fine of $200 to $1,000 for each offense. PennDOT urges motorists to remove all ice and snow from their vehicles before traveling.

I just love it when you see people driving around and the only spots on their vehicles that are free of snow are where the windshield wipers touch.  It takes about two or three minutes to clear all your windows of snow/ice.  Get a decent brush/scraper and quit being so frickin’ lazy, because really, believe it or not, it is easier and safer to drive when you can see out all your windows and mirrors. Duh.

Finally… and I don’t care who you are – doctor, lawyer, cop, politician, or mother – you’re not nearly as important as you think you are, so hang up the gawddamned phone already and pay attention to your driving. 

I think that covers it.  For now.

Hint:  You don’t have to read very far. 

I’m at a loss for words. 

If you happen to live in an area that has very few trees, this isn’t a big problem.  You rake some leaves, put them in a couple of barrels, leave them at your curb on garbage night, and … voila … leaf disposal accomplished. 

However, if you live in an area of Erie that has a lot of big trees (a) you’re lucky because the trees are great shade providers in the summer and color providers in the fall, but (b) you probably don’t have enough barrels to fit all the leaves you’re going to be raking.  And so you have to use plastic bags.  Very specific biodegradable bags that the City of Erie insists you use, lest they will not pick up the leaves you worked so hard to rake. 

And in order to purchase those very special leaf bags, there’s a good chance you’re going to have to run all over town.

I was in Valu Home Center this afternoon when I overheard a woman ask a store employee where their “City acceptable” leaf bags were.  His response was that they were all out of them.  The leaf-bag-searching woman was not amused.  Not five minutes later, a gentleman came in the store and asked the clerk at the register where I was checking out where their special leaf bags were.  She told him they were all out.  He then asked when they would be getting more.  She sighed a heavy sigh and very apologetically told him that they had no idea when or if they would be getting any more this season.

After my trip to Valu, I had several other errands on my list, which required that I drive over West Sixth Street through the Frontier area.  And there I saw house after house after house where the residents had not bothered to bag their leaves or put their leaves into barrels.  Instead, they just raked their leaves out into the street, awaiting the street sweepers.  And it occurred to me that, indeed, I’d been seeing them do this in Frontier for years.   

So I wondered… why doesn’t everyone just do that?  The street sweepers go over my street once a week.  If everyone raked their leaves into the street on the day before or the morning of the street sweeper’s arrival, wouldn’t that solve the problem?  There would be no added expense to residents for having to purchase special leaf bags or extra barrels.

Once I got home, I checked the City’s website to see what the exact rules are regarding leaf disposal, whereupon I found this Press Release about bagging or barreling your leaves.  I was rather surprised at this particular passage:

Residents are reminded that sweeping or raking leaves into the street is prohibited. Doing so can cause drainage problems and also poses a threat to safety and the environment.

Why is it, then, that the residents of the Frontier area of the City of Erie are permitted to rake their leaves into the street and leave the rest of the work to the City street sweepers?  And, near as I can remember, they have been permitted to do this for many years.

I wonder if the reason they are exempt from the rules the rest of the City follows with regard to leaf disposal has anything to do with why the lights at the Frontier tennis courts are lit until after 10:00 p.m., rain or shine, even after the nets have been removed.*  I frequently drive by the tennis courts at Frontier Park and I’ve seen the lights on during torrential downpours and also on as early at 3:00 in the afternoon, when the sun was shining bright as could be.

Are there any other City owned tennis courts, basketball courts, or other such recreational facilities that are lighted for such long hours (or at all)?  And how much do those lights cost the City of Erie taxpayers?  I thought the City of Erie was having financial problems.  If that were the case, then wouldn’t the City be cutting back on such extravagances as lighting tennis courts in the pouring rain?  Or until after 10:00 p.m.?  Or at all? 

Inquiring minds want to know.

* I noticed that they finally turned the lights off a couple of days ago… a few weeks after the nets were removed. 

However, Al and I do have a fantastic (or at least we think so) idea for a screenplay, so I might participate in ScriptFrenzy in April. 

If you’ve never tried NaNo but have any desire whatsoever to write a novel, I definitely recommend giving it a try.  The website is excellent and the forums are really great for encouragement, grousing, bragging, etc. 

I’m anxious to give ScriptFrenzy a shot.  Since it’s an offshoot of NaNo, I anticipate the experience will be just as good.  But I’ve not tried my hand at a screenplay before, so April should be interesting. 

Now, go forth an NaNo! 

And then a Blackberry commercial came on and the song in the background of the commercial was “All You Need Is Love.”

“Gee, thanks Yoko,” was Al’s comment.

“Hey… it could have been Jackson or his estate that sold that one.  At least they didn’t use it for the ED commercial.  It wouldn’t fit anyway.  That’s the whole point.  They need something a little more that just love.”

“A Hard Day’s Night,” was Al’s response.  And then the silliness began.

“Please Please Me.”

“Yellow Submarine.”

“Norwegian Wood.”

“Ticket to Ride.”

“Help!“

“Don’t Let Me Down.”

And the last one, but I think the top choice…

“Come Together.”

¹I read a report that due to his financials troubles, Jackson had leveraged 50% of his portion of the Beatles portfolio so, technically, his estate owns half and Sony owns half, with John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, owning the rights to the Beatles songs not included in the portfolio Jackson originally purchased when he outbid both Ono and former Beatle Paul McCartney for the rights to those songs. 

But…

Lately…

No one has Ginger Ale.   

It seems the only decaf soft drink they have at most restaurants is Sprite/Sierra Mist.  No decaf colas.  No Ginger Ale.  No decaf iced tea.  Occasionally, I can get a lemonade, but sometimes I like some fizz in my beverage, you know? 

On three separate occasions now, at three different establishments, I’ve had waitstaff offer to “make” a Ginger Ale for me by combining Sprite and a “splash” of Coke. 

Huh? 

Which one of those beverages has a ginger flavor?

Finally, just out of curiosity, I took the waitress at Arnone’s up on her offer to create a Ginger Ale for me. 

The beverage actually did look like Ginger Ale.  The color was pretty close. 

But taste like Ginger Ale?  Um.  No.

It didn’t taste bad – the splash of Coke seems to cover the Spriteness I don’t care for, but it didn’t taste anything like Ginger Ale.

I’m surprised that places that have an actual bar (TGI Friday’s was one of the places that offered to make the faux Ginger Ale for me) don’t have it. 

What’s the deal?

This year, Blog Action Day’s theme is “Climate Change.”  I’ve been thinking about the theme for a few days now, trying to figure out what I would write about on this here little ol’ blog. 

I thought about writing about how being childfree is something huge I’ve done for the environment, but I believe I’ve covered that elsewhere. 

I thought about writing about my beloved Prius, but, you know, been there – done that. 

Ditto bicycling.

And walking.

And then I got to thinking about the possibility that I’m running out of things to blog about.  Which could be one of the reasons, coupled with an insanely busy schedule these last couple of months, that I’ve been very lax in my posting.  And then I started thinking about what we should have for dinner.  Indian food?  Italian?  And then, finally, I came back around to Blog Action Day.

And then I started perusing the Blog Action Day website for some ideas.

Which is when I came across the link to the Consequence website.

And a little light bulb went on above my head.  Just like in the cartoons.  Don’t you just love it when that happens?  It’s so much better than when you see stars. 

But I digress.

Consequence, it seems, is a call to today’s youth (can anyone say that without the scene from My Cousin Vinny running through his/her head? ) to create green jobs.  And I thought, hey, that’s exactly what some people (though not enough people and not the right people) have been talking about for Erie. 

Here’s what Consequence is about, in its own words:

Consequence is a national youth campaign calling for urgent Congressional action on a comprehensive clean energy and climate plan that delivers clean energy jobs, less pollution, and a more secure America. Young people have an incredibly important role to play in demanding a clean energy future. They understand that we must pursue a “Yes We Can” approach to our nation’s climate and energy challenges, and that there are real consequences—for our economy, our security and the future of our planet—if Congress fails to act.

Through an intensive effort to organize and mobilize these young voters, the partners of the Consequence campaign will ensure that our elected officials know that young people demand a commitment to a clean energy economy that creates millions of clean energy jobs, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and curbs dangerous global warming pollution.

Congress is moving now on clean energy and climate legislation that will move America toward a clean energy economy. This legislation will help to create new clean energy jobs and whole new industries while protecting the climate from the carbon pollution that causes global warming As the bill moves forward, the partners of Consequence will organize young people across America to demand Congress to pass legislation that will unleash investment in clean energy sources, like wind and solar, increase energy efficiency to save consumers money, and set firm limits on global warming.

I chose to feature Consequence on on Blog Action Day because I think it fits in nicely with the kind of future I’d like to see Erie embrace.  Everyone bitches and moans about how “manufacturing” and “industry” are gone, never to return… the “whoa is me” crowd.  Instead of complaining about no longer having what once was, why not work to obtain what no one else (or few others) have – a green economic base.*  Why isn’t Erie looking to be the wave of the future, instead of being the ghost town of the past? 

Of course, I also really like how Consequence calls for young voters to get up off their asses, get to the polls, contact their representatives, and DO SOMETHING. 

As Gandhi said, “you must be the change you want to see in the world.” 

*And no, I don’t consider the “Tires to Energy” plant a green business.  Their plan was to incinerate tires with no (or far too little) concern as to how much it would pollute Erie and the surrounding communities and what the results of that pollution would be on the health of, oh, I don’t know, maybe actual people?  Oy.  Don’t get me started on that subject. 

Whoops.

Sorry.

I’m really trying to schedule my time better so I can work in more EriePressible posts.  But, honestly, I swear, I’ve just been really, really busy.

But, tomorrow is Blog Action Day! 

That’s one of the reasons that the momsrising organization pissed me off when it first came on the scene.  Not only was it trying to get more rights for women who chose to have children, often to the detriment of people who chose not to, but they also, as evidenced by the name of the organization, give only a passing nod to fathers. 

So, when I read Thomas’s blog post this morning, I wasn’t really all that surprised by the content, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t pissed off about it.  And I think I’m even more pissed off about it because I’m not surprised by it.  It’s just par for the course.  And that’s wrong.

The abridged version is that Onslow Memorial Hospital is looking for some bloggers to discuss the trials and tribulations of parenting.  What’s wrong with that?  They’re only looking for mommy-bloggers.  Because, you know, obviously, women are the only people who know anything about raising kids. 

Personally, I think Thomas should apply for the Onslow Memorial Hospital blogging gig despite the fact that he’s not a mommy.  He’s a damned good parent who shares custody of his daughter with his daughter’s mother.  He’s just as responsible for his daughter’s well-being, education, financial needs, emotional needs, etc. as is the child’s mother.  So why would his opinions, thoughts, stories, and comments be any less valuable? 

It is, therefore, with a tip of my hat to Delmer and Ron, and the other guys I know who are fathers, that I implore Thomas to fill out the online application for the “mommy”-blogging position.  If not for yourself, Thomas, do it for all the other fathers out there who have been forgotten, underappreciated, and ignored. 

Anyway, whilst I was reading the article, my eyes were drawn to one of those little boxes on the side that contains links to other articles that might be of interest.  And one of them was “Jon vs. Kate:  will interest wane?”  And I screamed.  Seriously?  Are those two fuck-ups still around?  Are people still talking about them. 

To calm myself, I continued to read the Monty Python article.

Read, read, read.

Scroll, scroll, scroll.

Another blue box on the right catches my eye.  This one includes links to “Kate Gosselin:  ‘show needs to go forward’”  You mean it’s still on?  They split up and the show is still on?  Oh.  Wait.  Two items down in that same box is another link:  “Kate Gosselin:  ‘I can’t pay my bills’”  Well, I guess that adequately explains why the “show needs to go forward” now, doesn’t it? 

Pimp those kids for all you can get, sweetheart.  After all, isn’t that what any good mother would do? 

Now that I give it some thought, perhaps it’s appropriate that those links were included on the same page as the article about Monty Python.  I can almost picture Eric Idle and Terry Jones sitting on a couch, one dressed as Jon, the other as Kate, while eight little animated children toddle about at their feet, completely ignored, while they do things like stick their fingers in sockets, smoke cigarettes, hit one another over the head with mallets, and spontaneously combust.  All the while the parents are chatting with someone who’s come to interview them about their wonderful life. 

h/t Seegtunes

This isn’t an odd phenomenon.  There are other songs that have come on the radio and, although I haven’t heard them in years, sometimes decades, I can sing right along without missing a single word.  And, coincidentally, they’re usually songs that I have to turn up.  Perhaps to drown out the sound of my singing along with them?  I’m not particularly known for having a beautifully melodic voice.

Here are some of the others I remember experiencing this phenomenon with… even the embarrassing ones:

h/t intergalacticjourney

h/t 4adrecords

h/t forronadrag

h/t canthelpit

And… oy vey…

h/t andreklau