Monday

So the weekend was a bit of a bust for the blog. The Road to Perdition is paved with good intentions.

How about a Top Ten list to start the week? I'm thinking of 10 conveniences of modern daily life that I could get along without. Not necessarily because of some "green" initiative, or philosophical effort to better society. Just some routine things that I have or use, the elimination of which would not adversely affect my life:

1. Paper coffee cups. I could use a cup from home. (Al, this one's for you!)

2. Bottled water. (Another one for Al!)

3. Lifesaver peppermints. (I'll just ease up on the garlic!)

4. Shaving cream. (Hey, I only shave twice a week. Ivory soap was good enough for Daddy!)

5. Sun glasses. (What did they do before Oakley's anyway?)

6. Pennies. (It's a problem for the government as well.)

7. Store bags of any sort, for any store. (I just have to remember to bring my own!)

8. Carbonated soda. And I love Classic Coke.

9. Paper towels. I think. They do come in handy.

10. The US Postal Service. Seriously. Think about it.

It took me all ten elements to come up with a truly great idea. The USPS is a "dead man walking". A veritable Detroit sucking money for a failed business model. If people want daily delivery, make them pay a fee. If there's enough demand at the fee level, outsource the deal to the private sector. If companies still feel a need for a service to deliver the ads and other solicitations, pay up. Find a way. Or better, a different way.

Shifting to the other side of the spectrum, here's a nominal effort at a Top Ten list of similarly simple things that I am not prepared to give up in my daily life, at least not for now:

1. The SB's coffee in the cup that I will bring from home. I'm hooked.

2. The computer on my bike. I need to know my speed.

3. A nice selection of T-shirts. With a story for each.

4. Classic Nabisco Saltine crackers. They go great with Tuscan red.

5. A well formed, clean baseball hat.

Well, that's half of a Top Ten list and that's all I have for now.

Finally, I walked out of the oh-dark-hundred spin class this morning with one of the "regulars", kind of whining my way to the exit. She asked, "But don't you feel good when you're done?" And my thought was, "No". Actually, I am glad that its over. But there is really no part of me physically that is real happy with having gone through it.

A shout out to 3 who is on the road back to Beantown.

And a belated Happy Valentine's Daytona to all.Here's to Levi for kicking some serious butt today in the rain near the Bay area. That's RevKev in the 20th position giving his impression of Rosie Ruiz.

BCOT