One of the things I have learned

 is to stay focused on what you are trying to do.

I just wrote a post about the laptops I tend to use. I use old, solid, simple machines to surf the web and write with. I do this to keep costs down. Why should I buy something I will never use?

I’m pretty much the same way with vehicles, too. I buy them dead simple and run them until they are no longer reliable.

The last thing I want or need is a loaded pickup with all the bells and whistles on it. I use it to go from A to B and to carry grub and stuff to and from work. Yes, it really is that simple.

When I get the truck I set and forget the front seat and it stays there unless someone else drives it. Afterwards I reset it and carry on. I don’t need or want some kind of hydraulic seat pusher-arounder-er to do what I can do simply with my hands.

It always winds up being a never ending battle for simplicity, reliability and peace of mind.

Electric windows always break and must get fixed. Roll ups work forever with no headaches. Thanks to Mr. President’s wonderful cash for clunkers program I was forced into getting air conditioning. All of the simple pickups were already sold. The A/C pump broke the instant it came out of warranty and now I’m $864 poorer.

There is always someone sneaking in and trying to get me to add something onto something simple. It turns things into a brawl because as soon as you add something someone tries to get you to add something else and pretty soon you wind up with EXACTLY what you don’t want and have been fighting against.

I have had nightmares over this.

It is not just about pickups, it’s about almost everything.

I remember the VCR I used to have that would record automatically and had a clock that required a PhD to set. There were a boatload of features on it, only one of which I ever used.

I used it to play tapes and that was it.

I looked for one that would do just that but they didn’t make one. I had to settle for more than I wanted. When DVDs came out I simply decided I’d watch them on my laptop because I figured it would be like trying to get another VCR and I’d just get pissed off again.

Then again, I do have to admit every now and then someone comes out with an add-on that is a stroke of genius. I saw a pair of flip-flops I snagged. Some genius put a bottle opener in the sole of them.

As I write this I suppose I would pay an extra $20 for a bottle opener on the dashboard of my pickup. You can’t have too many bottle openers. They won’t do this, though.

Some idiot will likely drink 42 beers, wreck and kill a bunch of people and blame it on the car maker for making it easy for people to drink and drive.

Still, you have to stay focused on things when you go looking for them. You have to keep asking yourself what you want something to do and not get sidetracked.  If you do likely you’ll wind up at Square One which is with something you really didn’t want to begin with.

It is a constant battle.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY