Posted on July 4 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

We are curtailing driving, not only on the holiday, but every day.
We are also aware of the various festivals, museums, etc. in the area. We really like the variety of cultural events that are available, and appreciate the great number of free ones. The Internet can help you find out details for things like local free theater productions, concerts, parades, etc. I do note that I find pointers from the Gazette, and then we record what/where we want to go on a seasonal calendar. So far, we've got at least 5 plays we're planning to see for free. There is one that costs a lot that we do want to go to -- but it's the free ones that allow us to do that!
I have friends who come out from Chicago and are amazed at what we do have to offer here. There's nothing to be ashamed of in our area's cultural offerings! We can stand up with the best of them.

On Have gas prices affected your holiday travel plans?

Posted on May 23 at 2:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Make that four. "Awesome" lost its original meaning, just as "awful" (awe-ful) has. It used to be that it was reserved for really grand things, such as the Deity, but now...how trivially we use it.

Re: two people at a restaurant and cellphones. Back in the computer dinosaur days (before laptops), I knew of a married couple who would have his-and-hers monitors in separate rooms, in the same apartment. They'd send email to each other rather than speaking. I found that exceedingly strange.

Cellphones -- we were probably the last in our group to capitulate to them. They are very handy, esp. with keeping track of the kids. We don't text (another anomaly), and our usual conversations are limited to "Where should I pick you up?", "I've got a flat tire." and "Could you bring me my x, y, or z? I forgot it."

On Allied Against "Awesome"