I forgot my camera, but I don't wanna forget this

Ok, I'm over here at Shalane's doing laundry before I gets the yungins. I fergitted the camera, so no pictures of the beautiful sky, etc. on the way over here this morning. I am just going to use this picture from the other day, because I want to write about something on my mind, since I don't expect myself to remember or even feel like taking a picture of these receipts later for this blog entry.

Lately I have been slowly but surely wanting to switch over to the cloth shopping bags. The exorbitant amount of plastic grocery bags used and discarded every day is becoming more and more troubling to me. Not quite enough yet for me to quit using them, unfortunately. So, in other words, I need to get on it. Anyway, I took my two items through the frickin awesome Self Checkout and, since I only had two small items, I didn't get a plastic bag. Well, ironically, I think, since they were not in a bag, the greeter lady had to see my receipt. Were they high dollar items, like a tv or supm? Nope. It's understandable really, why, but it just seems unfortunate to me that we have a system in place that rewards you for being wasteful and penalizes you for being conservative. This is just the one small example I'm focusing on here.

The other thing, equally substantial, in my opinion, of course, is the flagrant use of paper. The internet and computers have made many 'paperless' systems possible. However, there is still the absurd use of paper elsewhere, such as packaging and other things. The one that really has my attention right now is receipts. Holy crap! I saved these three because I wanted to remember to write this entry, first of all, but second, a picture to illustrate its ridiculousness. On that trip to the sto for those mere two small items, I got like two frickin feet of receipt. This was my second trip that day. The other time, I had gotten a whopping three things.

Then, I went to the Orange Consumer Construction Supply store and , not only was I frustrated by their self-checkout actually requiring me to push the button 'Finish and Pay', sliding my card, as it is elsewhere, was not enough to alert the stoopid ass computer to my intention, but beyond that, I again got two damn feet of receipt for only one item this time. Of course, I am exaggerating about the length, but I think you know from your own life experience what I am talking about. How many frickin trees are cut down every year, day, hour, minute even to make this ridiculous wasteful use of paper possible?!

Rhianna just gave me her two cents and reminded me of certain grocery stores, which are the only ones I've seen doing it, using the backside of receipts for spam, coupons, etc. There's an idea. If you want to offer me some survey that most people pay no attention to, put it on the frickin back. That would save, at least, half the paper. Aaaagh! It is ironic that I am a long-time gearhead, wrench monkey, adrenaline junky, consumer and past wealthy, spoiled idiot, but now I am so concerned about the conservation of resources. Hell, I guess, my very practical mind just wants to see some balance and some 'reason' for wastes. I mean, a dragster dumping gallons of jet fuel into a chamber to burn it is waste, but not waste'ful'. It is propelling the beast of an engineering dream come true 300+ miles per hour for a mere quarter mile, indeed, but the joy that gives to so many is worth it, I believe. I mean, I hate golf, but if people get joy from that and they want to spend millions on it and pay some guy gobs of money to play it, whu-evah. It serves a positive purpose.

Ok, it's time to transfer my clothings to the dryer. I feel adequately vented.

Listening to: Low Self Opinion, by Henry Rollins.