(no subject)
Welcome to happy Livejournal posting fun time!!
First, and I've need to get this out of the way for the past month, you can find all our RoadTrip pictures, organized by subject no less, over yonder:
http://public.fotki.com/Farkas/1/
Previewing them again myself brought back the fondness of the road. There is just something alive about it, something that makes you glad to be among those still breathing. Indeed this kind of blissful existence can remind you of how mundane normal life is. There's nothing more invigorating than looking out from the summit of a mountain and seeing a field of smaller mountains laid out before you covered in mist and trees. This does have a point so bear with me.
That is why me and my sister made a vow that we would try to live more. That once every month we would go out and see the natural world and be reminded of the primal energy it can imbue in us. This last weekend we had planned to go camping in Mount Charleston, a mountain range near Las Vegas, NV. However it seems you need reservation to camp....which is kinda stupid, and they would not let us cold camp (camp without nearby facilities and in the middle of wild). So we hiked around for a bit and then left for clearer grounds.
As it went we settled for camping next to Lake Mead, the lake near the famous Hoover Damn. Since we were close to home anyway the parents came out for dinner and we had a nice campfire dinner with hotdogs, beans, and beer. However I miscalculated how hot it would be during the night, and neither of us got a wink of sleep because of the temperature. We were prepared for the frigid temps of the mountains and not the blistering heat of the valley below. Suffice to say we had other problems that we did not plan for, however they are simply lessons learned for next time. We got some good hikes in, had a good time, and are already planning the next trip.
::CAUTION ZONE:: :::CAUTION ZONE::
Read further only if you want to hear political/economical opinions.
At the start of this whole housing thing I initially blamed stupid people for taking on more than they could afford. As it turns out that is only part of the problem. Now I see it was also lenders pushing these stupid people to take out the loans/mortgages. Me and a friend were looking at a mortgage and our lender was talking about these things called N.I.N.J.A. loans. Cool name ya? Well it means No-Interest-No-Job-or-Assets. Or something like that. More or less loans to people that couldn't afford them.
Why? Because people are greedy. And now we, we being all the taxpayers of America, are being forced to bail these people out and still pay their now-fired CEO's millions of dollars. Why you ask? Because the big banks have their hands far down Uncle Sams pants. What can we do? I honestly believe we really can't do anything. The people you elect will do what there party wants. The party will do what's best for what ever business it's members are invested in. And after this latest "Crisis" is averted, things we be good for awhile and it will happen again. I'm not saying not to vote, just don't be surprised when the person you vote for isn't who you thought they were.
I mean if a CEOs can get paid millions for fucking up the economy, not just their firms but the whole FUCKING global economy, then I have little faith left in the government to look out for us. Not a whole big surprise, but a firm reminder.
Either that or we all take to the streets and demand things be put right. That's not going to happen though.
::END CAUTION ZONE::
Anyway, till next time. Peace!
First, and I've need to get this out of the way for the past month, you can find all our RoadTrip pictures, organized by subject no less, over yonder:
http://public.fotki.com/Farkas/1/
Previewing them again myself brought back the fondness of the road. There is just something alive about it, something that makes you glad to be among those still breathing. Indeed this kind of blissful existence can remind you of how mundane normal life is. There's nothing more invigorating than looking out from the summit of a mountain and seeing a field of smaller mountains laid out before you covered in mist and trees. This does have a point so bear with me.
That is why me and my sister made a vow that we would try to live more. That once every month we would go out and see the natural world and be reminded of the primal energy it can imbue in us. This last weekend we had planned to go camping in Mount Charleston, a mountain range near Las Vegas, NV. However it seems you need reservation to camp....which is kinda stupid, and they would not let us cold camp (camp without nearby facilities and in the middle of wild). So we hiked around for a bit and then left for clearer grounds.
As it went we settled for camping next to Lake Mead, the lake near the famous Hoover Damn. Since we were close to home anyway the parents came out for dinner and we had a nice campfire dinner with hotdogs, beans, and beer. However I miscalculated how hot it would be during the night, and neither of us got a wink of sleep because of the temperature. We were prepared for the frigid temps of the mountains and not the blistering heat of the valley below. Suffice to say we had other problems that we did not plan for, however they are simply lessons learned for next time. We got some good hikes in, had a good time, and are already planning the next trip.
::CAUTION ZONE:: :::CAUTION ZONE::
Read further only if you want to hear political/economical opinions.
At the start of this whole housing thing I initially blamed stupid people for taking on more than they could afford. As it turns out that is only part of the problem. Now I see it was also lenders pushing these stupid people to take out the loans/mortgages. Me and a friend were looking at a mortgage and our lender was talking about these things called N.I.N.J.A. loans. Cool name ya? Well it means No-Interest-No-Job-or-Assets. Or something like that. More or less loans to people that couldn't afford them.
Why? Because people are greedy. And now we, we being all the taxpayers of America, are being forced to bail these people out and still pay their now-fired CEO's millions of dollars. Why you ask? Because the big banks have their hands far down Uncle Sams pants. What can we do? I honestly believe we really can't do anything. The people you elect will do what there party wants. The party will do what's best for what ever business it's members are invested in. And after this latest "Crisis" is averted, things we be good for awhile and it will happen again. I'm not saying not to vote, just don't be surprised when the person you vote for isn't who you thought they were.
I mean if a CEOs can get paid millions for fucking up the economy, not just their firms but the whole FUCKING global economy, then I have little faith left in the government to look out for us. Not a whole big surprise, but a firm reminder.
Either that or we all take to the streets and demand things be put right. That's not going to happen though.
::END CAUTION ZONE::
Anyway, till next time. Peace!