This and That

BiddingForTravel.com

I heard Clark Howard mention this site on his show this morning.

I looked at it a bit. I think I shall give it a try one of these times.

Have you used BiddingForTravel.com?

If so, what’s been your experience?

Are there any other online travel-related sites you like to use for making various types of reservations?

In the past I have use Travelocity almost exclusively.

My Car, My Castle?

I suppose back in the good old days, if I could buy a Model T, I could drive it.

Then the liberties began to be chipped away.

  • Licenses — We must have them in order to legally drive a motor vehicle.
  • Registration — Our motor vehicles must be registered with (and license plated by) the state.
  • Speed Limits — Do bicyclists and joggers have speed limits?
  • Fueling Up — In Oregon we’re not free to pump gasoline into our own vehicles.
  • Insurance — first, optional; then, liability mandatory.
  • Seat Belts — first, optional use; then, mandatory use
  • DEQ Tests — first, in metro areas; then, further and further out into the country
  • Fueling up II — As of July 1, topping off you fuel tank is illegal as well.
  • Cellphone Use — after the first of next year, I won’t be able to drive and talk on a hand-held device in Oregon. (That’s already the case in Washington and elsewhere.) I guess that will make it easier to shave, hold a cup of coffee, and drive.

I could give more examples, but I’ll ask some questions instead:

  1. When will we have to start wearing helmets?
  2. When will our passengers have to be quiet?
  3. When will single-person (ie, driver-only) vehicles be mandated?
  4. When will we not be allowed to listen to radios and other acoustic devices?

Oh well. I could just go back to walking.

I’ll just have to be careful to stay in my lane while crossing the street. 😯

Boggle 3

It’s time for the next game!

First, though, a reminder of how we play the game here at Ain’t Complicated:

  1. Minimum word length: five letters
  2. No plurals created by adding s
  3. Maximum words per player per day: five
  4. No time limit
  5. Only what you can see

Item 5 means do not use online sources to generate words. This rule applies only for the first two days of the game.

Our third game of Boggle

Remember, please: Five words per player per day.

Thanks!

Oh, this is one of the “rolls of the dice” Ruby and Andrew and I ended up playing last night played a few weeks ago.

Jason Oglesbee, Hero

Jason, taking a break from his normal work:

Jason Oglesbee to the rescue!

Jason Oglesbee taking a break from his normal work.

Jason Oglesbee: 'I won't let you go.'

“I won’t let go.”

A construction worker dangled from a heavy-duty chain supported by a crane to rescue a woman from the swirling waters of the Des Moines River on Tuesday afternoon.

The dramatic rescue was met with cheers from spectators who had gathered on the banks of the river and nearby bridges after the boat the woman was in went over the Center Street dam.

[…]

Capt. Steve Brown, a spokesman for the Des Moines Fire Department, said rescuing someone trapped in the turbulent boil is “very rare.”

“We are trained for getting people out of those situations,” Brown said. “The construction workers definitely went well above and beyond.”

“She was getting beat up by the water pretty good – they didn’t think she had much longer to last.”

Brown said a rescue team from the fire department made multiple attempts to get close, but was unable to do so.

[…]

When asked if he volunteered to be rigged to the crane, Oglesbee said he just happened to be wearing the harness. Joe Lowe operated the crane that suspended Oglesbee above the water.

“I just told her to hang on tight. I won’t let go,” Oglesbee recalled.

On 99E: Shedd Cafe

So I took a break from hanging out at Linn-Benton Community College (Albany, Oregon) and went driving south on Highway 99E.

Before I got to the Highway 34 overpass, I saw this billboard:

Sign near Tangent (Oregon) for Tangent Mennonite Church

I’ve been to that church! If you can’t go visit them (as they invite), you could at least stop by their website: Tangent Mennonite Church.

That railroad bridge looks mighty rusty; keep Oregon green, I say:

Two bridges on Highway 99E between Tangent and Shedd, Oregon

Not knowing where I was going or what I was looking for, I drove all the way through Shedd and missed the cafe. Read it all

Above all, love God!