It is what it is

“It is what it is.” Where the heck did that come from? I hear it all over the place and see it written in business communication as if it is stating something definite. Are we that ambiguous? Saying, “it is what it is,” is the equivalent of shrugging your shoulders and saying, “Eh…I don’t really care. Why should I try to change it?”

How about this one: “in the year…” I hear people talking about being progressive, saying things like, “in the year 2008 we shouldn’t have behavior like that.” Are we really that much more advanced than we were 5, 10 or 15 years ago? I was watching some old television program one night and one of the people stated something that began with, “in the year 1974…” It’s funny looking back at that. I like to think that we are way beyond that now. In actuality, people will be looking back at us saying the same thing. Come on people, it’s the 21st century!

“When I was your age…” Were things really that much different? We didn’t lock our doors…we left the keys in our cars…we played in the streets…we didn’t have to worry about “that” kind of thing…we didn’t have computers…microwaves didn’t exist… I like to think that I was safer when I was a child. I just have a different perspective now. Bad things happened when I was growing up. It didn’t bother me because I was a kid. My parents were the ones worrying. Now, I worry about my kids. They are careful and know not to go into a stranger’s house and to run if someone pulls up next to them in a car but they still have an innocent view of life. Maybe the reality of life just hasn’t hit them yet.

Are there sayings that bother you?

Real-world math.

Has you kid ever said, "Why do I have to know math?" Answer: So we don't get ambushed!

Here is a real-life example:

Companies are trying really hard to promote themselves as environmentally friendly. I heard a "green" ad on the radio last week from one of the railroad companies. They said that they could haul 1 ton of freight 423 miles on a single gallon of gas. When I first heard that it sounded great!

So...I did some rough calculations:

If a single locomotive hauls 5000 tons of freight, how many miles per gallon does the locomotive really get?

5000 tons = 5000 gallons of gas for 423 miles (it's what they said on the ad)
423 miles divided by 5000 gallons = 0.085 miles per gallon
or
5000 gallons divided by 423 miles = 11.82 gallons per mile.

Granted, rail transportation is probably a lot more efficient than any other type of ground transportation. It just doesn't sound as "green" to say you ONLY use 11 gallons of gas for every mile you go. It's not exactly the next hybrid vehicle.

The ad ends by saying something like, "too bad we all can't drive locomotives." Yeah, then instead of using one gallon of gas to get to work I could use 201 gallons!

Faith the size of a Mustard Seed

I grew up, and still live, in the Bible belt. I was raised in the church. To be more specific, I was raised in the Catholic Church. I went to Catholic grade school and continued all the way through high school. Heck, I was also an alter boy. Before you ask, no I have no shameful stories about the Church. It was a good experience. It’s pretty safe to say that most of my friends and acquaintances growing up were also Christians. I was exposed to a lot of information about different religions in school but I really didn’t have many non-Christian friends.

As a young adult I stopped going to church. It took many years to find my own way and find a religion that I felt comfortable with. I got married and had children and the whole idea of church because very important again. I wanted my children to be raised with strong morals and a strong sense of family unity that a church offered.

As I get older I still have religious doubts. There are times when I am not really sure why I am at church. A lot of times I look around and wonder why other people are at church. Are we a bunch of suckers? Are they thinking the same thing I am? I have always believed in God and I really feel like I have a blessed life. I have a wonderful wife and three children I am very proud of. I have a good paying job and live in a nice house. I admit that I am envious sometimes of people with a strong faith. They believe without question. Maybe I am too logical and try to see science in too many things.

How can you tell a good Christian? Well, around here you would think that a good Christian is good because he says he is. People brag about what church they go to and like to talk about God very loudly. I always picture them being the people who hug and kiss and shake everyone’s hands at church and then are the first ones out of the church parking lot after the service, waving their middle finger at anyone who cuts them off. These are the same people that have the fish decals on the back bumpers of their cars. Of course I’m generalizing, but you get the idea.

I always thought a good Christian should be discovered through actions not words. Instead of telling someone you believe in God, why not buy a homeless person a sandwich or pay for the person’s toll in the car behind you. These random acts of kindness, when done deliberately, show people your true character. Strangers shouldn’t have to guess whether you are a good person.

I don’t talk about my faith very much. God knows me and has guided my life. I will talk about church if someone is open to talking about it. Nothing is gained by force. I believe that God does have a purpose for all of us. I don’t understand why things happen the way they do but I remain the optimist and try hard to have a mustard seed’s worth of faith.

Living Green

I recently started manufacturing the patent-pending Aquabarrel through the Atlanta Rain Barrels website. I have found it to be a great design and now people in the Atlanta area do not have to pay the added shipping costs to have a rain barrel with a superior overflow port. If you have any volume of water coming off your roof, you should really look into getting one of these barrels. Your overflow water will always go where you want it to.

I also started thinking recently about different ways to save energy or gas or whatever. Maybe I should call it “green” living. Whatever the current, politically correct, thing to call it is, I really just want to save money. The added benefit, of course, is that it also benefits the environment.

I have about a dozen compact fluorescent light bulbs around the house. Have you ever wondered how much money those expensive light bulbs are really saving you? There is a saving calculator on the Easy Web Calculators website. Now, I can finally put into dollars, what I am actually saving by keeping those funny little light bulbs burning.

I have also been thinking about the hybrid vehicles. The new GMC Yukon has a hybrid model. Wow! They are $50,000! That is a lot of gas money. I love the idea but I just don’t drive enough to justify spending that much money on a hybrid SUV…and I don’t think my kids will all squeeze into a Honda hybrid. We’ll have to stick with the minivan for now. It’s paid for and I refuse to have another car payment only to “save” money on gas.

How are you saving money?

Water Conservation

The summer of 2007 was particularly hard on Atlanta and all of the southeastern United States due to a drought. Many cities around Georgia enacted total outdoor watering bans. Lawns suffered, gardens went to weed and people started watering their outdoor plants with gray water from their washing machines or bath tubs.

Honestly, except for the grass getting brown, I haven't really noticed a difference in my life. I already take short showers and have low flow toilets and water saving shower heads. As long as water still comes out of my faucet when I turn it on I probably won't do much else to conserve. Like gas prices, the price of water really hasn't reached a point where most people care about how much they use.

What did I do? Toward the end of last summer I started making rain barrels. I started by installing one next to our back patio. A few days later it rained for about 30 minutes. It wasn't a huge downpour. I would just call it a nice, steady rain. Before that rain was over my rain barrel had completely filled and was overflowing. My wife was happy. She was able to keep watering her outdoor plants without worrying about the water police coming around.

Did you know that 1/2" of rain on a 1000 square foot roof sends 300 gallons of water through your gutters? I had no idea!

After that first rain, I was hooked. I bought two more barrels, converted them to rain barrels and put them up under another backyard downspout. After those barrels I made a few more for some friends, and then a few more, and then a few more. I found that most people really do want to conserve water, they just don't know how easy it really is.

The 55 gallon drums are so expensive to ship, it is hardly worth the price. Even local distributors charge a small fortune for a used barrel with some hardware fittings put on it...and most don't really care if it is functional. I experimented with a few different designs and have come up with one I am very happy with. It is cost effective and does not require any type of gutter covers.

I now list my extra rain barrels on Craigslist and on my website: www.AtlantaRainBarrels.com . I make a little money on each barrel but I really do feel good when I make them. The people I meet are so happy to have a small solution to their watering needs.

I am happy to share some pointers with you if you are interested in making your own rain barrel. It's easy. Your plants will thank you.