A lesson in Off-Roading

I don't think that any two people who walk the same path in this life. Mine undoubtedly differs from any of yours. That being said, there are simular cross sections in every one of the paths that we walk. We cross them differently, some turn right, some left, I chose to go off-road for a bit.

We've all been down some tough roads, and most of us have found our way back, or at least we are trying to. The thing that really bothers me is knowing the right path to take, and feeling utterly helpless to get to it. It's like seeing a a river in the desert, but being so tired and hot that you can't find the energy to get to it. I feel that way right now.

I know what I need to do in order to pull things into check, but knowing and doing are two totally seperate issues. But, I push ahead, I'm enrolling in school, and working hard. I'm married to an amazing woman, and have a great kids, but there is the rub. As great as the kids are, they are still dumb as stumps. Now, I'm not saying that to be mean, all kids are idiots... Yes, yours too. The most frustrating experiences one will ever know in life is parenting. We want for our children to learn from our mistakes, we tell them exactly what is going to happen if they do something, but they do it anyway. Suprise! Exactly what we said would happen does happen!

The saddest part is watching the next group falling in line behind them, and watching them start the same cycle. I know why God sent the Flood...

The market, how it works, and why things suck right now...

I'm growing increasingly weary with the discussions that have been happening in my office, as well as on capital hill. That planted firmly in the back of your mind, here is why I am aggravated.

Since 1976 we have not built a single new oil refinery in the USA. It's not that the oil companies don't want to build them, it's that they can't! We have been enlarging refineries, and trying to combat the problem that way, but we still use 36 million gallons of gas more than the refineries can make... and that was just today. You heard me right, daily WE use 36 million gallons more gas than can be created in our domestic refineries.

This problem is significant for multiple reasons, not the least of them being that instead of importing crude oil that needs to be refined we have to import refined and ready gasoline.

Think about that, we have to import refined gasoline. Have you ever been to a gas station that serves only one flavor of fuel? No, you at least have regular, mid-grade, and premium. Not to mention diesel. Now think about the sheer number of other variants required due to state/local laws, and we are approaching 100 different blends of gasoline.

There are a hundred different things that I want to unload about this situation, and amazingly the oil execs getting stupid amounts of money isn't one of them. Maybe it's time for the morons in congress like Barbara Lee to shut her trap about nationalizing the oil industry, and start to vote for more refineries, and drilling.