May 2008: A Reflection

On May 1st I got another picture of Chicken George in action:

On May 6th we got married, of course:

On May 7th we went to Baby Girl's mom's house on our honeymoon for a few days:

On May 9th we went to the Airforce Museum in Dayton:

Also on May 9th I completed the official 2007-2008 home video (CM237).

On May 10th we went to Carriage Hill Farm also in Dayton:

On May 11th we started our long journey home... First we saw this nifty alien sign.

Then, we crossed the Carl Perkins bridge back into Kentucky:

On May 19th I caught this cool picture of the moon coming up from behind the clouds and mountain:

And later, I completed the 71st WDN recording, "Larry King Live: Are UFOs Real?" (CM238). Awesome, two recordings in one month!

On May 24th locusts started their reign on Earth... Just mocking us until they return, and start eating our flesh in 2012:

















On May 29th I learned that I might be getting a bit of a "promotion" at work...

Dude, May 2008 was great! How was yours?

Photos From The Road

Tasting an A&W Oreo Swirl for the first time.

5-7-08.

Tasting fries from Big Boy for the first time.

5-9-08.

Tasting a Big Boy hamburger for the first time.

5-9-08.

Tasting a hot fudge cake from Big Boy for the first time. 5-9-08.

(Man, it was good!)

Greetings From Dayton!

Ummm... Hi, then.

Fill up for $5? You can in Utah

Cars that run on compressed natural gas are taking advantage of the lowest prices in the nation, and that's driving up demand for both the fuel and the vehicles that run on it.

By The Associated Press
Troy Anderson was at a gas pump in Salt Lake City and couldn't have been happier, filling up at a rate of $5 per tank.

Anderson was paying the equivalent of 63.8 cents a gallon for compressed natural gas, making Utah a hot market for vehicles that run on the fuel.

It's the country's cheapest rate for compressed gas, according to the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, and far less than the $3.60 or so national average price for a gallon of gasoline.

'This is practically free' "I'm totally celebrating," crowed Anderson, a social worker, who picked up a used Honda Civic GX earlier this year. "This is the greatest thing. I can't believe more people aren't talking about it. This is practically free."

Personal ownership of natural-gas-fueled vehicles in Utah has soared from practically nothing a few years ago to an estimated 5,000 autos today, overwhelming a growing refueling network, where compressors sometimes can't maintain enough pressure to fill tanks for every customer.

"Nobody expected this kind of growth. We got caught by the demand," said Gordon Larsen, a supervisor at Utah utility Questar Gas.
Utah has 91 stations, including 20 open to the public, mostly in the Salt Lake City area. The others are reserved for commercial users, such as school districts, bus fleets and big businesses, including a Coca-Cola distributor.

It's possible to drive the interstates from Rock Springs, Wyo., to St. George, Utah -- a distance of 477 miles -- and find 22 places to pull off and fill up.

California has more stations, but prices are much higher there, the equivalent of $2.50 a gallon for gasoline.

"Utah has the cheapest prices by a big margin," said Richard Kolodziej, the president of the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, whose members include utilities, Honda Motor, environmental groups and transit agencies.

Among major utilities outside Alaska, Questar is the country's cheapest provider of natural gas for home use. It can offer compressed natural gas for cars even cheaper because of a federal tax credit.

The incentives don't stop there. Buyers of new and some used and converted vehicles can claim their own federal and state tax credits totaling up to $7,000 -- nearly the extra cost of a vehicle fueled by compressed natural gas, also known as CNG.
Video on MSN Money

Republican Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman paid $12,000 of his own money to modify a state-owned Chevrolet Suburban last June.

"Converting to CNG gives us an opportunity to promote energy security and support a clean-burning alternative," Huntsman said in an e-mail. "Plus, who can beat running a Suburban on 63 cents a gallon?"

Mike Gaffa, a Continental Airlines reservation clerk, bought a used Ford F-150 pickup for $10,500. The vehicle came with a bonus: A previous owner had added three extra tanks that fill the bed of his pickup.

"I don't even keep track of gasoline prices anymore," Gaffa boasted. "You'd be hard-pressed to find another vehicle that can go 600 miles on a fill-up."

And when he runs out of natural gas, Gaffa can switch over to a regular gasoline tank for a total range of more than 850 miles.

Automaker can't keep up with demand Utah has caught the attention of Honda, which can't make CNG-equipped Civic GXs fast enough at its Ohio plant. For now, Honda makes the compacts available for sale to individuals only in California and New York, but the company says Utah could be next on their list.

Aside from fleet sales, no other automaker offers a CNG-powered car in the United States.

Most Utah buyers must turn to the used-car market. They are tracking down vehicles on the Internet, some made earlier by the Detroit automakers. Some dealers are hauling used CNG vehicles to Utah by the truckload.

"The demand in Utah is huge," Kolodziej said. "It's sucking all the used vehicles from around the country."

This article was reported and written by Paul Foy for The Associated Press.
Published May 8, 2008

Vacation / Marriage Time!

I'm officially on vacation now, until next Monday. Woo Hoo!
Getting married to Baby Girl tomorrow.
Going to Dayton for our honeymoon / vacation / escape.
Got a lot of packing to do.
Happy Cinco De Mayo!

WDN Chatters 913

1) How do you like your grilled cheese?
Like grilled cheese, maybe?

2) Where did you go on your last vacation?
Walmart.

3) Who are your godparents?
I'm not from New York.

4) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Sitting here answering more silly surveys.

5) Where are you at 8pm everyday?
Work. My second home...

6) How many speeding tickets have you gotten?
Purple.

7) What is your favorite movie?
Orange.

8) What is the last thing you said out loud?
"It must've been a lucky guess."

9) What do you think of the IPHONE?
Just another money scheme.

10) What do you think of winter?
I think it's the coldest season of the year, here on Earth. The leaves all fall off trees, it snows, bears hibernate, and it stays cold for about 4 months.

11) What do you do for relaxation?
Pick earwax out of my ears.

12) Where did you get your couch from?
My boss. It surprised me, because I stopped being his friend, like, a year before he gave it to me.

13) Do you use a plan book?
No, but I plan to buy one soon.

14) At what age do you plan on having kids?
Whenever it happens. I'll have to check my plan book...

15) When was the last time you swam?
It's been too long. I miss it... 2005, Myrtle Beach, I reckon it was...

16) What do you order at Subway?
Nothing. Bad people work there.

17) Do you keep your closets organized?
Of course, you idiot!

18) How do you make headaches go away?
Just wait it out, until they go away. I never get headaches, by the way... Maybe, like, once every 3 years, or something.

19) Have you owned a beta before? What was his name?
You mean, like, one of those old VCRs? I think his name was Magnavox.

20) If you moved out of state where would you go?
Any state that has an ocean close by. Preferably Maine.

22) Did you attend pre school?
Heh, I was just telling Baby Girl about this yesterday! I attended for about 3 days. I was afraid of a bald kid.

23) What do your shower curtains look like?
Plastic.

24) Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?
Kinda. I used to talk to my finger, and call it "Baby Junebug."

25) How do you make eggs?
I don't. Birds do that.

26) Where do you wash your clothes?
Umm... In the washing machine... Duh!!!

27) Which parent do you look most like?
My mom, of course. My dad is a butt.

28) Who are the neighbors who live to the right of you?
I think they're serial killers, or something. I've never seen them out, and we've lived here for a year and four months!

29) What are your thoughts on Tom Cruise?
Over-rated.

30) What is the next vehicle you wish to buy?
A horse and carriage.

31) Do you pay bills online or by mail?
'Bout half and half.

32) What would be the best gift someone could get you right now?
I don't know, man. I have everything I could ever possibly want. Seriously.

33) What is something stressful you will deal with next week?
Trying to wake up, and go to work... That's kinda an every day thing, though.

34) What is something in your home that you collect?
Pepsi cans.

35) what are you doing tonight?
Probably watch a movie, and rock.

36) Who did you last see?
Ozzy. He's sitting in the window.

37) How do you take your coffee?
I don't.

38) What are you gonna be for a Halloween this year?
Work, like I always do.

39) On your keyboard what key is wearing out from pressing it so much?
Is that even possible?!

40) Where do you put your keys when you come home?
What, so you can break in, and steal my keys?! You freak!

41) Where do you go for Thanksgiving?
Work.

42) What color is your shirt ?
Camouflage.

43) What actor/actress would play you in a movie?
That would be a boring movie, whoever decides to play me...

44) How much cash is in your wallet?
Like, 15 bucks. Seriously. My job sucks!

45) Would you have a one night stand with your favorite movie star?
My favorite movie star is Nicolas Cage. I'm not gay... Besides, I have my soul mate now. Who needs one night stands?

46) What color is your house?
Purple with orange polka-dots.

47) If you were starving to death would you eat a pet?
You're weird, Survey Guy!

48) Ever been to Alabama?
I've been to 14 states. Alabama wasn't one of those. Sorry.

49) What kind of accent do you have?
Whatever kind you want me to have, I guess.

50) What kind of alcoholic drinks are in your fridge?
Water, juice, and pop. No alcohol, thank you.