Favorite Segway thing . . .

[SegwayDan]

Originally Posted by Seginaway

If only I could wear just a tee shirt this time of year. My vest is XXL so it fits over my sweatshirt, golf pullover and coat (down-filled if temperatures drop below 0).

If I see some value in wearing the vest, I'm planning on picking up a smaller more compact vest for summer gliding, but that's still five (5) months away for me.

Ah, pity you poor Northerners! Our Gulf Coast Florida climate far better embraces both t-shirts AND year-'round gliding! ;-) The temperature as I type, on a sunny blue skies January 2nd, 20012, is 63° F!!

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by SegwayDan

Ah, pity you poor Northerners! Our Gulf Coast Florida climate far better embraces both t-shirts AND year-'round gliding! ;-) The temperature as I type, on a sunny blue skies January 2nd, 20012, is 63° F!!

Thanks to Al Gore, the weather near Boston was in the 50's yesterday, the 40's today. Not bad for the start of the new year, north of the 42nd parallel. It is very glide worthy today. (Tomorrow should be only in the 20's, not so comfortable)

It is not bad here, but I do say that with a tinge of jealousy to Dan.

Glide well, smile for me, my friend.

[SegwayDan]

My Segway smile is nearly perpetual--between scowls and occasional obligatory beratings of inconsiderate gliding hecklers and miscreant drivers, that is! Glide on, my sagacious friend!

[aricisom]

Originally Posted by KSagal

Thanks to Al Gore, the weather near Boston was in the 50's yesterday, the 40's today. Not bad for the start of the new year, north of the 42nd parallel. It is very glide worthy today. (Tomorrow should be only in the 20's, not so comfortable)
.

How is that Al's fault? By the way, it was 81 degrees here yesterday....

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by aricisom

How is that Al's fault? By the way, it was 81 degrees here yesterday....

In other threads, I gave him credit for being the "Global Warming" poster boy. Many moons have past since then, and while the climate is changing, as it always does, that clamor has died down a bit, and that religion has changed it's name to 'climate change'.

It seems a massage therapist and Al believing his own hype has done more to take him from my view than any argument I have made against the doctored and inconvenient facts.

My reference to Al Gore was more of a forum inside joke than an assignment of blame. One of my running 'one liners' (when there is an uncommonly warm day for that date on the calendar) is to ask if I should send Al an apology, but then acknowledge that I do not have his underwater address. (another inside joke about his purchase of a multi million dollar home after his divorce in an area in or near where he said the sea would rise to cover, because of global warming.)

Last year, there were records broken with record snowfalls in this area. This year, other than a freak October snow storm, there has been none. Go figure. Or just blame Al, like I do. Who or what is actually responsible is not really in the soup yet.

So, you may share some of my jealousy if you like. Cali weather is pretty good, I will admit. Yours is a big state, and has many climates, but last March I was in San Diego (supporting a Segs-4-Vets event) and while it did rain a bit, and all the locals were freaking out over the 'horrible' weather, it was comfortable temperatures, and the rain was refreshing, as my home was under a blizzard.

Glide and smile for me on that coast as well. I just came back from a nice glide to do and errand or two, but fear it may be my last for a bit, as colder weather is coming in, and I am not too much of a fan of segways on ice.

I now have the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico covered. Any Sagal Segway surrogates on the Atlantic Seaboard available?

Glide much. Smile more.

[KSagal]

Someone left me a nasty comment on the reputation format saying I was interjecting my personal politics into an otherwise pleasant thread. I was just explaining my simple comment, and was not trying to be political.

The good news is that the person who left this nasty note finally signed it. Usually, they do this and hide their name. Apparently their name is 'Jerk' as that is how they signed it. I am guessing it is their name. Perhaps it is more of title.

[terryp]

Forgive me for reposting this, but it sums up the way I feel each time I glide.

The highway’s just a blur, a din
Of traffic that’s comprised
Of inefficient vehicles,
Most of them oversized.

Each solitary occupant -
A driver who will fight
To be the first that has to stop
At that next traffic light.

High on espresso, cell in hand
Each typical type A
Can’t wait to get from here to there -
Best not get in their way.

In sharp contrast, again I find
The sidewalk to be free
And glide along that private lane
The city built for me.

As for my 'favorite Segway thing', it would be hard to choose between flying along the sidewalk past cars stuck in rush hour traffic, or gliding past a bunch of cars pumping money into their gas tanks.

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by terryp

Forgive me for reposting this, but it sums up the way I feel each time I glide.

The highway’s just a blur, a din
Of traffic that’s comprised
Of inefficient vehicles,
Most of them oversized.

Each solitary occupant -
A driver who will fight
To be the first that has to stop
At that next traffic light.

High on espresso, cell in hand
Each typical type A
Can’t wait to get from here to there -
Best not get in their way.

In sharp contrast, again I find
The sidewalk to be free
And glide along that private lane
The city built for me.

As for my 'favorite Segway thing', it would be hard to choose between flying along the sidewalk past cars stuck in rush hour traffic, or gliding past a bunch of cars pumping money into their gas tanks.

Great post.

Today I was doing a simple errand at a store a couple miles from my home. On the way, I saw a car pulling out of a drive way, about 1/2 way to my destination, which happened to be on Main Street, at the time I was on a small residential street on my shortcut.

I stopped to let the person back out of their driveway. The driver and I made eye contact, and all was cool. After he backed out, I passed him as he went into drive, and he and I made eye contact again, as he passed me. At the end of his small street, he was at a stop sign, waiting for access to Clark Street. I passed him and went onto the sidewalk (there was none on his street) and we made eye contact again. He got to the light at Main Street just about the same time I did. We again looked at each other, but I did not stop, and went around the corner on the sidewalk, and glode the 1/4 mile to my destination. I did not see him again in his car after I turned onto Main Street. I went into a small store and did a quick bit of business, and then was gliding back past the other stores in the strip mall, and as I got to the supermarket, guess who was arriving at the door to the store? My new buddy from the grey car. He and I made eye contact again, as I was now on my way home, and he was arriving at his destination.

I need not tell you the tone of each eye contact. He was amused when I stopped to let him out of the driveway. He was a bit dismissive as he passed me that first time. He was more surprised than anything when I passed him at the stop sign. He was frustrated when we arrived at the stop light together. He was downright embarrassed when he finally got thru the traffic lights on Main Street, parked and then walked to the supermarket, only to find that I was several minutes ahead of him by then, clearly going the other way, showing that I had completed my business. I suspect he saw the small plastic shopping bag hanging from my handlebar as we passed at the market door.

I had no plans to change his mind. I do not really care how he feels, nor will likely ever see him again. But those few exchanges, and no words at all, let me know that he now has a different view of segways, and their potential for an alternative to cars for short trips and simple errands. He was sure the first time he saw me, and clearly not so sure the last time...

The whole time I had my segway smile. I did not notice the small grey car smile on his face even once.

Glide on.

[Civicsman]

that clamor has died down a bit, and that religion has changed it's name to 'climate change'.

1. No changes. Global warming causes local climate changes. That phraseology has been in use since scientists began to realize that some people are simply not able to understand the complex relationships, such as how global warming might sometimes cause big local snowfalls.

2. It's not religion. It is science. Religion is based on faith. Faith is belief(or preconceptions) without any need for facts. The scientific method is a rigorous process that is used to determine the truth of a situation. It has been developed over hundreds of years. It's not perfect, but it sure beats whatever is in second place. The results of the scientific method are all around us, from modern agriculture to the technology in your cellphone, and pretty much everything else. To embrace the results of the scientific method for all things except that for which one has preconceptions is the height of folly.

Global warming/climate change science has almost unanimous consensus of the best minds on the planet. The questions are no longer [U whether[/U] it is happening, or what is driving it at the current breakneck pace. The questions now are largely about how bad it will be and how soon. Right now, the answers are looking like "worse than was thought just a few years ago, and sooner too."

I agree with "Jerk" about how some posters seem to be unable to make posts without getting in a shot for their personal preconceptions, and how this need to politicize ruins a nice thread (kind of like a linebacker "accidentally" grabbing a face mask now and again). In this post, I have responded with my own perspective, which also happens to be held by an overwhelming percentage of all scientists who are climate-science related, and (curiously) widely disagreed with by people who have no education in climate sciences. I'll leave readers to determine who has "religion".

I am happy to have the thread return to its regularly scheduled programming, if others will stop trying to derail it. If not, I expect this thread will soon be locked.

[Seginaway]

Originally Posted by terryp

As for my 'favorite Segway thing', it would be hard to choose between flying along the sidewalk past cars stuck in rush hour traffic, or gliding past a bunch of cars pumping money into their gas tanks.

DITTO!!!!

Both bring a smile to me as well. Sometimes when the petrol station is empty, I make a round trip encircling the pumps and then off into night.