A Rant and a Cocktail

So crude is flirting (or rather making out) with $140 per barrel, my Health Savings Account deductible is up to $2,500 for an individual ($5,000 for a family), and whenever I leave Canada, it is with less American money than I am used to (and that has nothing to do with the casinos). It will be interesting to see how our next President deals with this mess. I can't help but think our next leader will be nothing more than a scapegoat for the next 4 years. An opportunist would probably argue this is a wonderful time to run for office, but I am running for my underground-end-of-the-world bunker. So what, if any, solutions are out there? How about the Geo Metros (remember those?) is a 50 mpg car? That's better than the Prius (and less expensive) and you can buy one for $1,000 to $1,500 or so on Ebay. Unfortunately, I do not fit in either car, so it's back to the 10-speed.
I need a cocktail:
Aviation

• 1 1/4 oz gin
• 1/2 to 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 oz maraschino (NOT THE CHERRY JUICE!!!) liqueur*
• Shake with ice and strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. Lemon Twist
• Enjoy

* This can be tough to be find. There are 2 Italian versions, Luxuardo and Stock. If your local state store does not have it/can't get it, email Preiss Imports at website@preissimports.com. There is a Croatian version, Maraska, carried by SendLiquor.com

First Post

Hello all, this is my first post so there probably won't be much to it. My goals here are to 1) have a good time, (2) provoke new patterns of thought in society and (3) attain feedback and differing perspectives from the brilliant minds who will read this. How does that sound? Eventually we can get into the "hot button" topics of religion, the approval rating of congress, the economy, the impending election and more. Today, we should start with something light. I read an article today on "Second Life (a fantasy world populated by digital representations of real people)." I am interested to hear your thoughts and experiences with this new level of online gaming. The article goes on to describe young people turning to this medium as an alternative for summer work. There seems to be a way to make actual money here. One high school junior claims to earn $4,000 per month as an online architect. He mentions spending 12 hours a day on the computer to accomplish this. Admirable from a monetary standpoint (approx. $16.60 per hour working 5 days per week), but that much time in front of a monitor cannot be good for the eyes. This from a blogger.