Check in
Greets to all. My apologies for being out of touch for so long. Lots of family, personal and technical drama, none of which is worth going into.
But I'm thrilled to see the place is humming along without me, LOL!
I so need to do some maintenance, and hope to get to it this weekend, or the first part of next week, so heads up on that. I will let you know when I have a more specific time frame for the downtime.
Some of the upgrades and changes I'll make will, I hope, make posting here easier, and reduce the need for heavy moderation. We may have to endure the occasional troll, but I think we can handle it.
Since it's still Thursday as I write this, let me take the opportunity to say THANKS to all you Commoners for participating in this site, and of course all you do in your own communities, tales of which make this site so interesting.
Shoutout to users wrolley and AlexWalker:
Some of your posts got caught in the spam filter and didn't get published, causing you to make multiple duplicates (which met the same fate). I've now published them all, but don't have time to weed them out. Could you please go through your blog and delete all but the posts you want to keep? Go the the "My Account" page and click on the Tracker tab. Thanks.
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have been great additions to the board. I've greatly enjoyed reading their posts. As regular readers know, I was an early contributor to this board but have not had a great deal of time this year to contribute due to my work related duties here in the commonwealth.
The actual adminstration of governmental activities can be overwhelming at times. This year has been a particular challenge for me. After a thirteen year hiatus, I returned to the service of state government in our capital in the summer of last year. We've recently elected a new governor and I believe there may be an opportunity for me to assume a higher level post than I currently occupy.
Ideology is definitely part of the mix but the rubber really hits the road where the actual administration of governmental activities take place. I think it's critical that Green officials be able to demonstrate their abilities to implement effective governmental policies at all levels in order for the party to grow. Along the same line, I believe our ideology can be translated into successful policy outcomes. Our primary challenge is getting the opportunity to do so.
Among my personal triumphs this year, I installed a wood burning stove in my home which meets the emissions regulations of both California and Canada which are stricter than those throughout the rest of this country. It's lovely. I've also installed a composting toilet and a tankless water heater which have reduced both my water and electric consumption as well as my bills for these comodities. My emphasis for the following year will be on the installation of a solar system which will provide power for all of the common areas in my home.
After eight years of being tobacco smoke free, I went back to smoking my pipe. What can I say? I'm in my mid-forties, my hair is graying, I had to go to bi-focals this year and I can't do enough crunches anymore to keep my belly flat. I tend to think of it as a natural phase of maturity - nice rationalization I suppose.
My predictions for the upcoming year include the final stages of the collapse of the housing industry which will be a good thing in my mind. I'm basing this on the facts that farms sold for developmental purposes in my region are finally in decline and my buds in the trades are telling me of massive lay-offs for the winter. The mindless creation of subdivisions which are unsustainable may have finally reached its zenith here in the commonwealth. Gas prices in the $3/gallon plus area will further fuel this development.
Most think I'm crazy when I tell them $5/gallon will be a blessing. If true market forces were at work, we would already have broken that threshold here in this country. Higher gas prices will produce the incentive for the development of alternative fuels as well as changes in most peoples' daily activities. I'm one year into making payments on my 2007 Prius so I'm set. I see flex time where people are allowed to work from their homes as opposed to commuting to work on a daily basis also becoming a fixture in the near future.
Lastly, I hope to be able to make some worthy posts in the near future. In the meantime, a toast of Crown Royal (KY bourbon is too sweet for my palate - Go Canada!) and best of wishes to all commoners for a happy holiday season.
The Colonel
Even when you reach my age, the ego can always stand a little massaging. Thank you for the kind words, Colonel, and you too, Rena. We very much need a place for all things Green to be discussed and thinkers like Alex have certainly done that.
Sometimes, one wonders whether the effort you put into writing is really worth it. At least I do. Then, once in a while you get a reminder that it can make a difference. I wrote an opinion piece for my local newspaper making the point that with a current drought and with climate change predicted to further exacerbated the problem, that is was not time for 'business as usual" with our local water district. I had absolutely no feedbak. Then, about a month later, the same local paper headlines "Business as Usual at the Water District."
I just smiled.
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente
http://tinyurl.com/389xpx
... having problems posting? I've tried from multiple machines and multiple browsers for the last 24 hours and get nothing but a blank page after submitting.