Bad combinations May 16, 2007
I've seen several examples recently of combining things that shouldn't be combined.  Some would say these all have something to do with thinning the herd.  I like that analogy. 
  1. Using a cell phone while running.  I can't imagine it would be a very meaningful or important conversation, not to mention the question of why a person would carry a cell phone while running in the first place.
  2. Using a cell phone while hiking.  This one wasn't too weird, but it was in the middle of the woods, miles from anything, going up and down steep hills covered with rocks.  Plus, the guy was with his family, so he was ignoring them at a time when they were probably supposed to be bonding in the first place.
  3. Using a cell phone while biking.  I saw this on the busy streets of New York City, and I pretended to not notice as the guy pulled into flowing traffic, hoping I wouldn't have to witness a brutal death.
  4. Smoking while riding a motorcycle.  This one isn't all that bad, but it just doesn't make sense.  The guy was riding with one hand, holding his cigarette with the other.  I was under the impression you needed two hands to ride a motorcycle, and I would imagine the cigarette wouldn't last too long in 40 mph winds.
#technology
Cell phone interruptions May 16, 2007
Just the other day, I was trying to think of occasions when it's acceptable to interrupt something to answer a cell phone, and I couldn't come up with any.  Everything that was a possibility always ended with "...but it could wait till later."  What if your sister was calling to say she had the baby?  She could leave a message, and I could listen to it later.  What if one of your relatives died?  I could find out about it later.  What if you were expecting a phone call from a certain person that couldn't call at any other time?  I guess it just wasn't meant to be, and I'll hear about it later. 

I'll admit that this is at least partially as a result of how I was raised.  No phone calls were answered during dinner.  Ever.  I was angry about that sometimes, but now I've adopted that practice for my "family" (a.k.a. Wendy and me).  Dinner is a special time that's spent with family, without distractions.  No phone call can possibly ever be important enough to interrupt that.  Another rule in my house while growing up was an unwritten rule about calls after 9pm.  You could make and receive calls, but there was always bad karma associated with it.  Wendy and I don't follow that rule quite as well, but it's mostly because her family doesn't do well with rules.  Either way, the phone in my parents' house was treated like what it is:  An object used to make communication convenient, not a life-controlling device that must be bowed down to with immediacy. 

It amazes me what people will interrupt to answer their cell phone.  Conversations.  Bible studies.  Classes.  Vacations.  Hikes.  My rationale in all these cases is, "What would you have done 5-10 years ago, before you had a cell phone?"  The answer is, obviously, nothing.  You would've gotten the message later.  Life would have continued. 

In the same way, life will continue if you don't answer your phone.  That's precisely why voice mail was invented. #technology
Wide turn (2) May 16, 2007
I really hate when people get in the shoulder to make a right turn, but then partially swerve to their left to make a wide right turn.  Unless you're a big truck or have a trailer, you're not gaining anything by making a wide turn.  And you're making people like me angry. #travel