April 30th, 2006
This posting isn’t about computers or technology, so feel free to skip it…
We drove from NYC down to rural Virginia this weekend, to visit some friends on their farm (hence the lack of blog entries on April 28th and 29th). I was curious to see if there were any signs of a stagnant economy, or any signs of the impact of high-priced gasoline. Bottom line: nope, no indication. Admittedly, things might be much different in various other parts of the country…
The cars on the highway were generally new and shiny; I don’t recall seeing anything over five years old, and certainly no beat-up old jalopies. Lots of SUVs and minivans, only one or two Hummers, but only one or two Toyota Prius hybrid cars (but lots of Lexus hybrid cars). Everyone — and I mean everyone — was zooming along the New Jersey turnpike at 70, 75, or 80 mph — despite the speed limit of 65 mph, and despite the frequent neon signs advising motorists that “slower speeds mean better mileage.” In most of the stations along the way, the price of premium gas was generally around $3.25, but business was brisk…
We stopped a couple of times along the turnpike to fill up the gas tank, and grab some lunch. The lines were long, the crowds were thick, the people were generally obese and pushy and rude, and the kids were noisy and also obese. I’ve been reading about the stagnation of wages among the middle class, and the impact of layoffs and outsourcing; but it certainly wasn’t evident here. And what ever happened to those low-priced fast-food meals? We got our lunch at a Burger King, which was promoting a “Texas Double Whopper” for $8.29; most of the other “value meals” were also four, five, or six dollars.
If we’re in the middle of an energy crisis, somebody better wake up Middle America and let them know … on the this weekend in late April of 2006, they generally seemed pretty oblivious…
