Wow, forgot how to write...

Apparently I have completely forgotten how to write in my blog. Sorry about that. In my defense things have been quite hectic around here.

Since I last wrote a lot of things have happened and I'll get to that but first I want to share something I read in the newspaper today. As a hybrid vehicle owner I find it an odd request. My intention here is not to offend anyone who happens to be blind because I certainly respect what you have to deal with on a daily basis, but again this seems like a strange request...here goes:

Advocates for the blind have asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to set minimum sound standards for new cars and trucks, pointing to potential safety hazards for blind pedestrians who can't hear silent hybrids. The National Federation of the Blind says hybrids don't register among traffic sounds the blind use to determine when it's safe to cross the street. In one experiment, blindfolded listeners couldn't hear a 2006 Toyota Prius until it was about 11 feet away, compared with a 2004 Honda Accord, detected from about 36 feet.

I like that my hybrid is nearly silent at times and quite honestly I don't know of a way, barring putting a speaker on the car with engine sounds being played, of "creating" a sound that the blind can hear. Again, no offense to the blind, but it just seems like another thing we've found to complain about in our society. Usually it's noise producing things that get complaints though, not nearly silent vehicles that help the environment and my wallet.