Ready To Meet The Jetsons?

Sorry, I’m stuck in an air-jam… You might be saying those words some day if the Woburn, Mass.-based Terrafugia company (which means, “escape from Earth” in Latin) gets its way and completes its TF-X – the world’s first flying car. That’s right – the thing that the Jetsons teased us with as futuristic transportation is currently undergoing feasibility studies as we speak. The four-seat, plug-in hybrid TF-X would be able to take off and land just about anywhere just like a helicopter. That’s all well and good, and I’m sure any circa-1960s science enthusiast will lust to drive/pilot one, but I have one concern that trumps all – if we, the collective people of Earth are such lousy drivers on the ground, what makes anybody think we’ll do much better in the air? I don’t even want to think of what happens when you run out of juice over somebody’s house…

While we’re on the topic… of bad driving, may I kindly remind all concerned – yield to pedestrians at the crosswalk. Not only is it good manners, it’s the law. And nobody likes it when I get grumpy counting the number of cars that whiz past me at a crosswalk without giving the pedal on the left a second thought.
Seasonal syndromes… No matter who I talk to, someone knows someone who knows someone who is suffering from a lousy cold during this time of year. Sadly, sitting behind this desk of mine, I am no exception. And it’s hard to know who is medically sick, and when a co-worker’s repeated nose-blowing can be blamed on allergies. While we’re wondering exactly what ails us, we can all do things to make sure we don’t inadvertently share the love, shall we say. If you are one of the unlucky cold-stricken lot, be sure to wash, wash, wash those hands, and carrying around a neat little bottle of hand sanitizer (they even sell key chains to attach to car keys!) is a safe way to keep germs contained and make a better work or home environment for everyone.

Does not compute… Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, isn’t it? It’s supposed to help us manage the household budget, while still leaving us time to play catch with the kids or get those new baby photos around the family. And when it’s all done, we’ll still have a moment to put up our feet and read the paper (ours, I hope!). Someone even created Moore’s Law, which states that computing power doubles every 18 months. But why is it that I always seem to be the victim of a technical mishap? Either the GPS on my phone can’t figure out what street I’m on, my favorite picture is too big to email. You get the idea – the list goes on, and on, and on… I don’t even get any respite at work – computers crash and files disappear with some regularity. Sometimes, I wonder if I should ditch technology and go back to the drawing board – literally. Anybody got an old printing press and wax machine handy?
Creative minds welcome… Huntington village is known for rich arts scene. We have museums, concert venues and associations supporting local artists. Heck, I see at least a few folks playing acoustic guitar or something outside Starbucks every year. But just recently I watched a man make himself comfortable near the former Black Lantern and start drawing. I think he may have been sketching from something in a magazine. Maybe he was whipping up an outline of one of the many fancy cars on Wall Street. But really, it doesn’t matter what it was. Creativity breathes life into us. Once upon a time, I heard that you can’t spell Earth without “art.” Food for thought, indeed.

Gotta love my kids… who were honored as the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce celebrated the area’s young professionals at their 30 under 30 dinner last week! I know a few of our kids have received that high honor in the past, and it’s always nice to see such young guys and gals, in all sorts of vocations and callings, really starting to make it big. Hats off to you from Aunt Rosie, and I wish you many more years of success!