I spent all day on the road yesterday. Not the most exciting birthday, but I can't complain. I did get to go to Colorado for a few days. It was really great out there. I only skied two days, but it was a relaxing break, in general.
Sitting in the car yesterday, I had time to think about lots of things. Unfortunately, I have forgotten all of my revelations now. That's why I need to write things down as soon as I think of them. I think I gave a lot of thought to the wastefulness of the automobile. This is something that I have gone back and forth on for a long time.
Sometimes I think that the U.S. is headed for sure doom because of its reliance on oil to fuel the economy. I imagine a day when all the interstates come to a screaming halt because there just isn't enough gas to keep our trucks and travelers going. It is amazing to just think of the 150 gallons or so that we wasted going out to Colorado this weekend. I used to have a fish tank that held 55 gallons of water. That was big. To think that we burnt enough gas to fill that thing three times, is just amazing. That gas is gone along with a few million gallons that other Americans burnt over this big holiday weekend. Is that not a scary thing?
Then at times, I realize that the States could not build an efficient rail system to reach every last city in this vast nation. Sure, it works all right in japan where there are 125,000,000 people living in the space of California. But even in Japan there are places, particularly in Hokkaido, where everyone uses a car to go to the grocery store. Trains just don't work for all purposes. In a way, the American interstate highway system is almost as beautifully efficient as the train system of other nations. It's not as if trains don't use power...
Then I consider other alternatives. We all could have flown to Colorado. Would that be better for the environment? No matter how you look at it, there is permanent infrastructure: roads, rails, runways, that has a huge impact on the environment. Then there is the pollution and problems raised in constructing the vehicle: cars, trains, planes. Then there is the energy used in propelling the vehicle: gasoline, electricity, fuel. Then there is the time spent traveling, and tons of other factors to consider in determining what mode of transport is the most efficient with the least ill effects on the environment and the social system. Hmmm.... I think many people would simply advise against moving around so much, but that is not really an option for me....
Where was I? Oh yes, my birthday. I don't feel much older or wiser, as usual. I still haven't made a decision about employment, despite my self-imposed deadline of today. I did call EDS and Quaker to tell them that I would not be accepting their offers. I have net yet heard from Price Waterhouse, so I called Arthur Andersen and asked for an extension. I really don't think the choice between these two companies would make much of a difference. However, Andersen has not been very responsive about my interest in work in Japan and/or work with Japanese clients around Chicago. I have seen a little of their arrogance that has made them infamous among disgruntled job-seekers.
Lots of work to get done this week. I can't wait for the semester to be done so that I can see Midori and Yai, Liza, Merry, and some of my other friends. That is what life is really about, eh? Friends. People. My dad tried to give me a hard time for wasting money that I don't have on calling Japan. I tried to explain to him that I value relationships and experiences more than townhouses and televisions. The latter might seem to last longer because they are tangible, but it is really the former that has the greater impact. That is my birthday revelation.