Category: Miscellaneous

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Dress Codes and Perspective

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Dress Codes and Perspective
Miscellaneous

Fundamentalist Mormon Attire

I stopped by our local sandwich shop for a quick lunch yesterday.  The lady behind the counter is of Islamic descent, and wears a head scarf.  She is always pleasant, if not a bit shy and deferential.

As I sat with my lunch, I thought about her attire.  I’ll be up front and admit that my initial reaction is always one of cultural xenophobia.  It brings to mind the treatment of women in general in Middle Eastern countries, and the lack of rights for so many of them.

About the time I’m ready to let loose with a round of mental condemnation, I pull up short.  What really motivates someone in their choice of attire.  Is it really a choice?  I am concerned for this woman if she were forced to wear this by her husband, but it could just as easily have been a cultural choice of her own.  She may simply feel more comfortable wearing that with which she is familiar.

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Lowcountry Lookout Towers

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Lowcountry Lookout Towers
Miscellaneous, Travel

Pineville Tower

Even though most of my recent outings have involved kayaking, I haven’t abandoned my search for South Carolina’s lookout towers. I have the locations plotted on the GPS on my car, and as we have driven past I’ve made note of condition, and have stopped to check them out and photograph them, where possible.

This past trip took us by several towers, so I decided to document all of my findings over the last few months. Here they are..

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Jimmy Buffett and the Shoe Event Horizon

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Jimmy Buffett and the Shoe Event Horizon
Miscellaneous, Weirdness

In Douglas Adam’s original radio play “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, Arthur Dent eventually lands on the planet Brontitall.  There he discovers a super-evolved race of bird creatures with a painful past. On Brontitall the main industry was the production of shoes.  Eventually the economy reached the “Shoe Event Horizon” where it became economically … Read More “Jimmy Buffett and the Shoe Event Horizon” »

Tall Tales and Group Camaraderie

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Tall Tales and Group Camaraderie
Miscellaneous

I thoroughly enjoyed the paddling trip with the Greenville Canoe/Kayak Meetup. However, it just wasn’t the same as paddling with some of my informal group of friends, or even with Lowcountry Unfiltered. Don’t get me wrong. This was a great group of people, and I loved meeting them. When we hit the river, it was … Read More “Tall Tales and Group Camaraderie” »

Adventures in Used Autoland

Posted on By Tom 2 Comments on Adventures in Used Autoland
Miscellaneous, Rants

I believe I mentioned that my truck died. The cost to repair it would have been more than I what I would pay for a new truck. I wasn’t sure I even wanted to replace the truck, but it was Laura who talked me into it, saying that she liked having a third vehicle available.  It just had to be a small one she could drive to get gardening stuff. So, we set a budget for that amount and decided to see what we could get.

I had already test-driven a couple of trucks and had some candidates in mind. I had looked through the papers, and I had checked several online websites. Having done my research, I felt like I had a fairly good grasp of the market for small pickups, so on Saturday I set out to see what was really available. I did get a truck, but I’ll save that for last

Used car dealers run the gamut, from cliched plaid jacket wearing caricatures to some decent folks just trying to make a living selling cars. I think I ran into just about all of them. I stopped at one place where the salesman puffed a cigarette the entire time. He apologized, saying that the only time they are allowed to smoke was when they were out on the lot with customers. What??? I left.

I stopped at several little lots along Poinsett Highway. On close inspection, the little trucks on their lots led rough lives. It was a good thing that no one came out to answer questions or let me take a test drive.  Eventually I made my way to Toyota of Greer.  This is where things really took a turn for the bizarre.

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