Randy Phillips

My $600 economic stimulus incentive has dropped into my checking account today, and it was right on time.

If your social security number’s last two numbers are 75 or less and your last tax refund was a direct deposit to your bank, you, too, should have received your money by today. SSNs ending in 76-99 will receive it by May 14.

For non-direct-depositors, the checks will start arriving after that. You can find out more details at the IRS website.

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when I mark a deeper entry into my second half-century.

I don’t feel older…except when I get sick, for some reason. Twice so far this year I have been nailed to the bed for several days at a time with some kind of flu-like illness. I’m never down for more than a day or so, but sadly that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Maybe it’s just a bad coincidence, because I’m making a concerted effort at improving my health - eating better (and I have lost some more weight), but still have to work on the exercise part.

No complaints, no regrets…at least none that I can do anything about now. Onward and upward!

Here’s some great news. After three and a half years of living in Southern California sitting on my hands musically, I’ve auditioned for and won a seat in the tenor section of The Hollywood Master Chorale!

So what have we got here?

Food commodities becoming scarce

Resulting food prices spiraling upward

People going hungry (yes, even in the US)

Riots in the future?

Gas prices at four dollars a gallon with no end to increases in sight headed into the summer driving season

The Iraq war still unwinnable

Unemployment on the rise

Inflation becoming more of a threat

Are all the cards in place for unrest among the American people? Will our current government use that escalating unrest to eventually suspend the Constitution and declare martial law to quell the uprising, cancel the November election and remain in power in order to ensure a smooth transition?

Is this so far-fetched?

In honor of the upcoming 30th anniversary of the release of Roadway To The Son, and in honor of the upcoming 34th anniversary of the group’s start, I give you the newly-redesigned Heirship Archive

It seemed a lot more exciting back in the day…and what exactly is he saying when he talks?

By the way, there’s one up for bid on eBay. My birthday’s coming up (hint hint)…

There he is again…ole Bullethead held captive in a Minnesota artist’s studio, being tortured by all the surrounding plastic, although he looks to be in fairly good shape. You can get a better idea of how tall he actually is.

Here’s a story about a 69-year-old man in Georgia who, twelve years ago when he was 57, was the transplant recipient of the heart of a 33-year-old man from South Carolina who had taken his own life by shooting himself in the head. The older man was so grateful that he began writing letters to the young man’s family, including his 28-year-old widow. One thing leads to another, the man buys a house in Georgia for her and her four kids, and eventually marries her, nearly 30 years his junior. Today his body was found in an outbuilding on his property, having died the same way the donor of his heart had died - a self-inflicted shotgun blast to his own throat.

Now the headline reads “Man With Suicide Victim’s Heart Kills Self”, as if somehow the seed of self-destruction was implanted in the flesh of his vital organ.

Remember the old joke about a man having gotten the heart of a (insert your favorite ethnicity here) and suddenly developing a taste for (that ethnicity’s favorite food)? Seems a little glib. There was something else that the older man had in common with the younger guy, but they dare not put that in a headline: “Man With Suicide Victim’s Wife Kills Self”. WIth all respect and sympathy to the two-time widow, that angle has as much validity as the hyper-sensationalized story of the heart that once beat in both men’s chests, as if that had anything to do with their shared decisions to end their own lives.

Man With Suicide Victims Heart Kills Self - Spotlight News Story - WKMG Orlando

I tend to gauge how fast the price of gas changes by the Arco station I pass commuting to and from work every day. Yesterday they were selling a gallon of regular for $3.60.

This morning it was going for $3.66, an increase of 2% in one day.

In recent months I’ve changed my driving habits, keeping sudden accelerations to a minimum, avoiding jackrabbit starts, but mostly reducing my speed. I generally keep it at 40 or under on surface streets, and (gasp!) limiting my freeway speed to 55 MPH (at least when I’m driving alone - if I have a passenger, it drives that person crazy).

That pretty much relegates me to the slow lane. There may be other people trying to do the same thing, but it’s rare that I come across them. You’d be surprised how many drivers use the far right lane as a pseudo fast lane, climbing up my trunk lid and shaking their head at my rear view mirror. Folks, remember that the posted 65 MPH speed limit is the MAXIMUM, not the MINIMUM. You are completely within the law to drive at a lower speed than the maximum; in fact, trucks are required to keep their speed at 55 or under (ha ha).

Driving at 55 is zen-like, in a way. It’s quieter, no worries about having to pass anything other than the occasional garbage truck headed for the landfill, no worries about getting pulled over by the CHP, the people behind you can always pass if they don’t like how fast (or, rather, how slow) you’re going. The impact on time is pretty minimal for short trips like my commute, although I think I’d kick it up to 65 for a trip to, say, Bakersfield or Encinitas.

It has made a significant difference, maybe 15-20%. I can just about make a 16-gallon tankful of gas last me for two full weeks of commuting (Monday through the following week’s Friday), assuming that I keep my weekend driving to a minimum. At $3.60, filling an empty tank costs me just under $58, or about $5 a day.

Interestingly, I saw a headline this morning that the Energy Department says that retail gas prices will peak near $3.60 a gallon in June. I’m sure they’re speaking of the national average (which is $3.32 as of today), and California always leads the nation in that category. Most experts still believe that gas will approach $4.00 before…well, what else will the prices do but rise, ultimately? I guess at $4.00 the increases will slow? My favorite phrase applies - we’ll see.

Here’s my Andy Rooney impression:

Did you ever wonder, if the gov’mint can get along without our $600,  why we had to pay it in the first place?

Also, Apple is rumored to be coming out with its next interation of the wildly successful iPhone, supposedly including a super fast data speed…just in time to hand over your rebate check for one! Support the economy! Spend that check on American goods!