Orange You Glad?

The other day when I was going to my mom's house, I saw the most amazing tree (above) I've ever seen. It was such an amazingly vibrant shade of orange that I couldn't help but stare at it as I walked down to her house after parking my car. It was almost the color of an orange highlighter, and I didn't think that color could exist in nature. It got me thinking: What if trees where normally that color? What if green trees were the exception and trees turned green when it was fall? Would green trees be as special as orange trees are now? Is it just the rarity of the colors of fall that makes them so special?

Swimming in Filth

On Monday, as I was walking, I saw that the maintenance crew had left unattended a pile they had made from sweeping. The pile was speckled with gray and black dust and debris from the day's activities, but within the collection of dirt was a small pink origami swan. It seemed so out of place. How did it get there?

I'd been wondering that all week, and then today I saw that someone had tacked the pink origami swan to a sign in the hallway. I'm so glad it found a home.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

I keep seeing all of these tents where people are selling natural Christmas trees. What a waste. You go to all that trouble to grow a tree, and then you chop it down to put it in a house. And then once Christmas is over, you throw it away. Why? If fake Christmas trees aren't good enough for you, not to mention cost-effective, I have another idea. I think people should buy potted Christmas trees when they're small and grow them themselves. Each year the Christmas tree would get bigger, and when Christmas was over, you'd put the tree outside and let it grow. Once the tree got too big to put in your house, you'd go plant it somewhere and buy a new one. Not only would it save money, but it would also save the environment, and the tree might even smell more like pine.

The New iPaw

A few years ago, my step-sister and I saw an ad for the new iPod at the time. Somehow, I got the idea of an iPod for cats and dogs called the iPaw, and I made a new version of the iPod in Photoshop, complete with paw-shaped buttons and an animal-themed display. Cats and dogs like music too, you know.

Do the Wave

I always make sure that I wave to thank the person who's driving when they let me cross the road. I sometimes let them go first, but when it's my turn to cross the road, I go as fast as I can, so I don't make them wait. I usually expect the same thing from pedestrians when I'm driving, but I rarely get a wave, and they usually cross the road very slowly. I start to expect this disrespect from pedestrians, and when one is polite, I'm always pleasantly surprised, even though I think this should be the norm. Yes, pedestrians have the right of way, but it's still nice to get a thank you. I'm just curious what these people expect when they're driving. It's sad that I'm so pleased when someone is polite. I hope when I wave, it makes someone happy, and they'll pass on the kindness.

Health Care Debate?

I've been following the recent health care debate in Congress, and it seems like such a difficult problem to solve. I agree that something needs to be done, but I'm not sure they're going about it the right way.

There are those who say (and I agree with them) that Congress can't just require everyone to get insurance. If they do, I think there needs to be some sort of public option to bring down the costs.

On the other hand, putting health care in the hands of the government could be really bad. The health care reform would probably use tax dollars, and it could increase bureaucracy and lack of choice. And what about the people who already like health care the way it is?

I think it needs to be more of a dialogue than a government decision. I've done some research about health care reform, but I would have to do a lot more if I wanted to really understand it. I imagine a lot of the public feels the same way, and trying to come to a compromise is difficult when people don't know what the plan would entail. I think we should get a whole bunch of doctors together and let them come up with a way to solve it.