I park the motorhome.

 …with the windshield pointed north so the sun doesn’t come directly in .  Whenever possible.  It’s not always possible. So then the question is, “What do I do with all that heat inside generated by the sun coming in through that big windshield?”  Even on a cool day, the solar gain can be considerable. So I thought, “I know.  I can put down the windshield sunscreens!” But the sunscreens are black.  Solar collectors are black.  That’s the most efficient way to capture solar energy and generate heat. (There are other options for screening the sun, but for the sake of this conversation, let’s just consider these two.) Now I’m wondering, “If I’m trying to cut down on the heat generated by the sun shining in the windshield, is it better to put the sun shades down and cut it off before it gets very far inside, or is it better to leave it alone and let it hit the more neutral colors of the interior of the coach?” What do you think? 

Indy 500

 Slept in.  Went outside at 80 degrees and overcast for a little cloudbathing.  We’re fine with warm weather overcast.  For hot and sunny we seek the shade.  Coffee and cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  We haven’t done that in years.  That put us at risk of a sugar coma, but it never struck. Pre-race show at 10am.  Race coverage at 11.  Judy’s homemade chili and fresh-cooked flour tortillas.  A darned good Indy race.  We were happy for Tony Kanaan.  Pizza for dinner. A totally decadent day.  

If you can suck it in..

 ….it’s not fat.  Isn’t that what Dad used to say? At 165 pounds, I still have Dad’s big belly.  But way back then he could suck it in, and so can I now.  So that’s my story.  165 pounds is a fine weight, and I can just suck it in.  

Economics

 A recent continuing education experience included a segment on economics.  I like economics and I enjoyed that segment, but just the same as all those years ago when I was in college, performance is measured by growth.  Growth is good.  No growth or negative growth is bad.  It’s that easy. Growth is an absolute measure of good.  I recall a professor expressing it as “Either you are growing or you’re dying.  There is no such thing as staying the same.”  Something didn’t feel right about that then, and it still doesn’t now.  Growth as an absolute measure of good makes sense for a while, but ultimately has to be its own downfall.  Growth that consumes resources has to be considered in relation to the total resources available. The real study of economics probably acknowledges that growth has to be considered in context, and I’m making something out of nothing; I just haven’t stumbled into that depth of knowledge yet.