Wow...

I can't believe it's been five years. Time sure does slip away, doesn't it?

The sadness is long gone. The tears have dried up. Grass has grown over dad's grave. Time kept on progressing without him, just as it will after each of us is gone. I still think about him, though. Every day. I guess that's to be expected.

In the last five years, I've come to realize how fortunate I was to know that dad's time with us was very short. I was able to make the most of it. I was lucky, unlike many people I know who have lost loved ones since that hot Friday in June of 2005.

I've grown so much in so many ways since dad died. A lot in my life has changed -- my job, where I live, my general outlook on life -- but I'm also thankful for the things that have remained the same. In particular, I recognize that I'm at a time in my life where friendships tend to fade away. I've definitely lost touch with a lot of people, but I'm really thankful for those people who helped me through that tough time who are still in my life today. You know who you are. And most of you don't even know this blog exists, honestly.

Still, though -- thanks.

A couple of things...

1. I stopped at the grocery store on my way to work today. I do this about once a week, to buy stuff to make for lunch. I have a fridge in my office, and it saves me money and time.

Anyway, it was before 8 AM, so there was only one register open. The lady in front of me was shopping, baby in tow, and one of her purchases was a loaf of bread that proclaimed "NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!" on the package. She then proceeded to tell the cashier about how terrible high fructose corn syrup is for you, and how it will kill you, and how she never buys anything containing it.

Also in this lady's purchase were two boxes of Lance brand cracker packs (one cheddar cheese and peanut butter, the other peanut butter and jelly), a dozen donuts from the bakery (most of them topped with icing and M&Ms), two gallons of Hawaiian Punch, and nine -- yes, nine -- Moon Pies.

The only marginally healthy thing in her cart was a bunch of five or six bananas. I guess those bananas canceled out all the HFCS in her other purchases.

2. Many NFL players are total morons, but Vince Young takes the cake.

I have a general theory about why NFL players are so stupid. For starters, it doesn't take a lot of intellect to play football. You basically just run whatever play the coach tells you to run. Secondly, most of the NFL players who went to college were able to coast through -- especially if they attended a Division I school. Third is the schedule. NFL players work for like six or seven months, tops. I mean, sure, they need to keep in shape, but that's an awful lot of free time. You don't hear about professional baseball players getting into trouble nearly as much as NFL players. Why? Because professional baseball players are playing for eight or nine months, and during those eight or nine months, their longest period of time off is four days during the break around the All-Star Game.

And then there's the money. NFL players find themselves in a position where they have more money than they ever fathomed. That much money, combined with that much free time, is an excellent facilitator of bad decisions.

What's really sad is that the average NFL career lasts three and a half seasons. It's no wonder there are so many destitute retired football players out there. I'm no financial planner, but jeez, even I would make some sort of long-range plan.

Why you shouldn't boycott BP stations

You're driving down the road and are about to run out of gas. You have to fill the tank, and quick. You find two stations, right across the street from each other. One has a BP sign, the other is a Motomart, Quiktrip, or some other big regional chain.

The BP sign brings to mind oil-soaked pelicans, mucky beaches littered with tar balls, and the image of oil gushing from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. As an act of protest, you choose to patronize the non-BP station.

Where do you think that gas you just bought at the non-BP station came from? Quiktrip and Motomart don't explore for oil and refine their own gasoline. They buy it on the wholesale market from whoever has the lowest price.

They call this "unbranded gasoline." You'll notice that QT and Motomart don't have any particular oil company's logos displayed at any of their stores. That's what makes them unbranded -- the fact that they don't sell just one brand of gasoline.

Of course, because of shared pipelines, that gasoline you're buying from the Shell station may not necessarily have been produced by Shell. And the BP station may not be selling BP gas, either. It's really hard to tell what you're actually getting, as all gas is pretty much the same (before additives, anyway.)

So if you're interested in boycotting BP, you should just boycott all gas stations, period, since you can't be entirely certain that what you're buying at QT and Motomart isn't BP gas. Heck, you might even have a better shot at getting non-BP gas at a BP station.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of oil companies whatsoever, but I do recognize that, at present, oil is a necessary evil. I'd boycott all gas stations if I could, but my life runs on 87 octane gasoline, and yours probably does, too.

There's another reason why you shouldn't boycott BP stations: they are independently owned. It's very likely that they are owned by people in your community. They have nothing to do with BP, the company. They were just unfortunate enough to sign a branding agreement that involves the use of BP logos. As I said earlier, they may not even be selling BP gasoline. But the big chains almost certainly are. They just don't have to tell you where it came from. That's because they probably don't even know where it came from.

Quiktrip, Motomart, and the other big chains are just that -- big chains. They're not franchises. They're all company-owned and managed, unlike the mom and pop BP station across the street.

So, if you still insist on boycotting BP stations, just know that by doing so, you won't be hurting the guys who ruined the Gulf of Mexico nearly as much as you might be hurting your own neighbors.