Semo.net Weblog

Maybe you’re already part of the tribe.

Maybe you already know what it’s like to thrill to the sound of engines screaming at full-throttle all around you. To escape the civilized world of paved pathways and “put the pedal to the metal”, tearing forth, slamming on brakes, spinning out of control then peeling out again with what’s left of your bearings—both literally and otherwise.

Or, hey—maybe you like mud. Maybe it likes you. Big-time.

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At first, the scene was reminiscent of Father of the Bride, a classic, serio-comic glimpse into the lives of a seemingly normal household turned upside down while arranging the daughter’s wedding.

But while the wedding at Poplar Bluff’s Oakdale Care Center last Tuesday evening offered plenty of excitement, it was a sense of love, friendship, and true calm in the midst of action which made it an unforgettable experience.

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I was suddenly moved to take a look at the calendar the other day—a tendency that’s not really in my nature, but there you are.

And you know what? I realized we’re right in the beginning of the serious wedding season, and folks are planning nuptials, arranging trips, and spending money like they’re in Vegas! (Of course now that I think of it, actually a lot of them are, in fact, in Vegas…)

What’s more, we’re seeing an ever-more intriguing mixture of tradition and innovation in relation to wedding ceremonies themselves; the vows that are spoken by prospective brides and grooms; the focus and itinerary of today’s honeymoons (bungee jumping, anyone?); and even, increasingly, the matter of a surname for the bride, any children born into the union—and in some cases, indeed, for the groom.

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Guess I need to get out more! But, of course, there are many who say that people who devote hours to perfecting pretend-guitar need to get out more, too!

Quick! What pops into your head after you hear the name “Finland”?

Half a year’s worth of nightfall at a stretch? Not-so-gentle Arctic breezes? Nokia cell technology? Finlandia vodka? Hockey and auto-racing standouts competing across the globe? Personal names that have an unparalleled number of “k”s in them?

Well, here’s something truly quirky to add to the list: Finland is the mothership for all serious competitive air guitarists!

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“We want to get the word out to people in New Mexico, Colorado and Missouri. You can drive a short way and enjoy a great family experience on your vacation and save money at the same time.”

—Chuck Mai, American Automobile Association’s Oklahoma Spokesman,
on vacationing in Sooner Country this year

Maybe you’ve seen it: The American Auto Association publishes a TourBook travel guide that lists the most and least expensive U.S. vacation spots in a given year. The good news for Missourians is that some of AAA’s least-expensive travel destinations for 2008 are not wildly far from where we live!

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Hi!

Thanks for taking a break from your holiday festivities to check out what’s cookin’ here at semo.net on this Memorial Day holiday!

We thought it would be best on this day to share reminders of how the holiday came to be, and of what it was, in fact, established to commemorate.

For the holiday today, we may have traveled some distance to enjoy the company of family and friends; now, we may go the barbeque/four-wheeler/fishing/boating/picnicking/Branson route—trying to squeeze every bit of excitement we can out of these precious moments away from the daily grind!

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“I really do believe [a certain U.S. presidential hopeful]…wants to change the U.S. into a third world country. That is pretty much what [the candidate] said the other day when chastising us for using too much energy.”

— Posted by “S. Henderson”, #31
New York Times, “The Caucus” Blog
 May 21, 2008

“The candidate”, as you may have discerned, might have been John McCain or Barack Obama; both have spoken at some length on conservation in their campaigns. But our discussion here is not a political one; so let us rather, for a moment, take a closer look at the reality-challenged “S. Henderson” for possible insights into our own energy future.

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“If you think $40 a barrel is bad, wait till it reaches $60, then $80 then $100 plus. The golden age of cheap and plentiful fuel is over, so we’d better get used to it.”

–Posted by “Rob” from New Zealand
BBC News Blog
May 24, 2004
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3736917.stm

Jeepers! “Rob” really called it, didn’t he? Way back in 2004! 

Well, in 2008, you don’t need a crystal ball to see that there’s no way around this: We’ve got to rethink the whole business of “getting from here to there” so that it can work to our advantage, and not our detriment.

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“…It’s amusing to read the hard-done American stories. I wonder if [Americans] realise that the price difference from one side of the Pond to the other is 300%? Two bucks a gallon in the US; well over 6 bucks a gallon in the UK…”

–“Bennett” from Cambridge, England…
BBC News Blog

May 24, 2004

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3736917.stm

We’re catching up to you, “Bennett”. And we don’t find it amusing at all.

Wo! The honeymoon is so completely over, as if I need to point that out! Yes, the American love affair with cheap gasoline has come to an abrupt, very unromantic close due to our sudden exposure to some devastating political, economic, and environmental realities—the kinds of issues that have been affecting other parts of the world for some time, as our man Bennett would attest.

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Last time we listed a goodly number of gas-and-money-saving ideas that could immediately be put into play before you even get behind the wheel!

Today we’ll look at other solid strategies for extracting the most from every gallon that goes into your tank.

Keep idling your engine to a minimum, and minimize fuel waste!
Apparently you don’t need to warm up these new cars for as long as they did the automotive dinosaurs of old. Also, try not to leave the motor running while you’re off doing business. I remember once reading of D.C. lawmakers introducing a “bold, new” gas-price-relief plan on the steps of a public building in 2006—and all the while a fleet of their own drivers sat across the street with their engines idling like they’d discovered Jed Clampett’s private reserve…just waiting for this “groundbreaking” energy press conference to wrap up!  What’s wrong with that picture?
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