Ryu2.mind

I understand the desire to rant in blogs (I've done it many times myself), but I was hoping you could explain reason #1 - rampant and conspicuous consumerism? How is the Lexus SUV an example of that and why is it "bad"? Also, I wasn't there when this SUV parked in that spot so I don't know the whole situation, but maybe the driver parked there because there were no other spots available at the time? Maybe instead of blaming the SUV driver, we should blame the people who made the parking spots. Honestly, I'd prefer to have fewer regular-sized spots than more tiny-sized spots.

would you be so kind and generous to make the perl script that you use to auto-mirror your MT blog to Xanga ? it'd be such an incredible contribution to the MT community! :) thanks for reading this comment and considering..

My response to the above two comments:

1. To the anonymous first commenter (do I know you? =) ), I don't have anything inherently against SUVs, nor against people who buy them, *if* it's the car that fits their needs best.

My comment on consumerism was directed to those people who buy them for no reason other than just as status symbols, and/or jumping on the bandwagon. I realize that I had no way of telling which category the owner of said SUV falls into, so I will admit that my consumerism slam was perhaps unwarranted by the available evidence.

But as for having no spaces available, the fact is that parking that SUV in the space for "small cars" denied the use of the two adjacent spaces. If there were no spaces available (I didn't check), they should probably park somewhere else, or on the street, rather than inconveniencing others due to their selfishness.

2. To djchuang: Yes, you can find it online at http://www.markwang.com/projects/xangamirror/ Please let me know how it works for you!

In response to your first question above, no, I don't think you know me. ;)

Anyhow, I just wanted to ask because I wasn't sure what you meant. Everything I wrote above, I believed. But I also believe that it's easy for me (someone who did not witness the situation firsthand) to think of and give some credibility to alternative explanations. Had I actually been there, I probably would have been annoyed with it too, though maybe not as annoyed as you seemed to have been.

Anyway, I like to ask questions, even if it means taking a position I don't agree with. So, I have a question regarding your comments above that "I don't have anything inherently against SUVs, nor against people who buy them, *if* it's the car that fits their needs best. My comment on consumerism was directed to those people who buy them for no reason other than just as status symbols, and/or jumping on the bandwagon."

The question is, do you have a problem with people who own two-seater sports cars, convertibles, or Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, or Jaguar cars? Arguably, those cars are frivolously excessive and overpriced. A Sentra, Echo, or Accord would be just as, if not more, functional, reliable, and affordable than those fancier cars I mentioned.

Welcome, stranger. Hope you feel at home. =)

Yes, I do believe those who buy cars which are not fully utilized are not making the best choice with their money. If they can find some satisfying purpose for them -- even entertainment, like racing in a track, great. If they are just buying them for the sake of buying them, then I am opposed to such practices.

[I'm sure some people feel the same way of my propensity for computer gear and gadgets... I do spend more than most on such, but I do try to find practical or at least entertainment uses for whatever I buy.]

This does not mean that I hate or am opposed to them as people -- my parents fall into this category, as do some of my friends even -- it's just that I have a differing opinion about the value of their purchase than they do. So no, while I think it's not the best thing, I don't "have a problem" with them per se.

I am not some radical environmentalist or Luddite -- some people like to have fun with cars, others like to have fun with computers, boats, planes, etc. As long as they aren't causing inconvenience for others (eg, the reason for my original post), it's not a big deal for me in the grand scheme of things.