A $1.25 here, $1.90 there, adds up

It is not just the airlines that are padding the bottom line with fees, charges, and upgrades. As I paid my electric bill this morning it dawned on me the “convenience fee” I was assessed could equal real money to the utility. A quick internet search says Duke Energy has 8.6 million customers. If half of those households pay their bill online (and that’s probably conservative) the monopoly takes in an easy $5 million every month. So does the water company and the gas company and every other utility you pay. 

Now I could avoid this fee by writing a check and mailing it in, but given the state of mail service -at least around here- I’m not sure I could trust it to arrive in a timely manner. 

I suppose paying $1.25 to avoid writing a check, stuffing an envelope, finding a stamp, and worrying just how long it will take the postman to deliver said payment, is more convenient. It still seems like legalized theft. 

Thumbing through my rule book

 I guess we should believe all women until they accuse a Democrat . 

50 years was a long time ago

 Here is an excerpt from my First novel, Suburban Moon, Welcome to small town life in the 1970's:

It was Saturday Night, a few weeks later. The weather was more like early August; hot and muggy. The air was punctuated by the deep rumble of engines and glass pack mufflers. The shouts and whistles of teens mixed with an occasional car horn and racing engines. Some cars were parked, most were cruising at idle speed around Mary’s Drive-In. The cars were of various varieties and vintages. Dave Otto had a Dodge Charger jacked up in the back to accommodate wide tires. Next to him Bobby Bell revved the engine in the new Trans Am his daddy bought him and the Pontiac V8 rumbled with power under the firebird painted on the hood. An old Plymouth Fury station wagon had a different colored fender on the driver’s side. Jerry Schwartz drove past in his old ’66 Chevy C10. I swear it was held together by rust alone. Each vehicle blasted music, no matter the type of car or number of occupants. The music played a cacophonous soundtrack; radios and eight tracks turned to various volumes -- loud and very loud. Nearly all were playing rock and roll. The air smelled of French fries and sweat and Marlboros.

Or this...

Stuff you never asked for

 Geronimo and his band of Apaches surrendered in 1886. The US fought various wars with the plains tribes throughout the latter part of the 19th Century, culminating in the Great Sioux Uprising of 1890. Prior Indian wars raged through the East and Midwest in the early days of the nation. Those skirmishes and wars are the lore of American history texts. 

Somehow, the longest and most expensive Indian war is rarely mentioned. That would be the Seminole Wars fought over three decades and during seven presidential administrations. The Presidents, commanders and leaders of US troops in the Seminole Wars is a basic Who’s Who of 19th Century politicians and military leaders including Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison,  John Tyler, Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, and more. 

Thursday Deep Thought

One could make the argument that Skittles are merely semi-crunchy jelly beans. 

I’m not surprised at all

Imagine hating the president so much you actually wish for bad things to befall the US military. 

It is not really hard to imagine, the Democrats have taken this stance every time a Republican is in office since 1968. 

*spit*

A good time was had

 I’m back from a great week in sunny (most of the time) Florida. Sunny and 85 is replaced with cloudy, windy, and freeze warnings. Sigh.

I have about 100 emails to deal with along with my normal Monday reports. Sigh, sigh. And I even worked during the holiday. 

I know, I have no right to complain after taking a vacation. I would show you a picture, but Google will not let me post pictures or music on my phone. So it goes.