User 1234

Hey Yucky.

So I've footed my way down to the Columbus area. I thought things were bad in Cleveland...that whole deal with Green and Red Zones that dessum was talking about was painfully clear. You could walk ten minutes down a street and find yourself going from one extreme to the other -- from people working together to move a couch into a community living center, to muggers holding victims at gunpoint for things like bottles of water or their jackets.

I happened to be the victim in that case. The guy with the guy looked to be in his late thirties, had a few day's growth of chin stubble. Put a cell phone in his hand, give him a shave and a suit, and he could easily have passed as a stockbroker. In fact, I think that's what he used to be. Must have been investing in the shipping industry before the 30th.

Like I said before, I'm a pretty stubborn guy. I've never been in a real fight before -- never had a gun pointed at my nose either -- but while he was yelling in my face, telling me to take off my jacket and hand over my water, I just eyed him quietly.

"No."

His eyes were shot. I'm pretty sure he hadn't slept well, or at all, the past couple of days. But when I turned him down, he looked at me like I was the crazy one. My hands were shaking, but I kept the tremors out of my voice, keeping my words simple and direct.

"No," I repeated. "I don't care how bad things have gotten. My job's gone, and I don't have a home. But I still have this country, and I refuse to believe things have gotten so bad you need to kill a guy for things that aren't going to last you more than a day."

He stared at me for a couple of seconds, then grabbed my bottle and ran off down the street. I watched him run, then stumbled the other way. I didn't stop walking till I reached what I hoped was a safe area. Then I let me knees give out and dropped onto a bench for awhile.

Pretty stupid of me, huh? Well, I never claimed to be a genius when it came to common sense. And maybe...just maybe...what I said got through to the guy. Yeah, it's tough right now. I'm not saying that it isn't. But we've seen tough times before -- not personally, maybe, but definitely as a nation. And we pulled through. We didn't dive into anarchy -- at least not right away. I can't make everyone see that, of course. Really, I only took the gamble because that guy looked like he was mugging for the first time.

So...yeah. A little bit of self-control goes a long way, I think. Too bad the stress is getting to the local police. I guess I can't blame them too much, what with all the riots they need to put down and such, but now I can see why some areas don't even bother calling for the cops.

I'm sending this one to you from the Metro Library...there was a pretty long line of people waiting to get online, but I wasn't going anywhere, anyway. I happened to notice this article while I browsed. Better late than never, I guess. The idea of saving 500 million barrels of oil a year is a heartening thought, though. Maybe technology like this will help the world make a smoother transition to life without oil.

I'm thinking about heading further south. If anyone's reading this and has a cot they can spare, let me know. I'd be more than happy to do any odd jobs for a bed and a meal.

Sorry about the wife, Yucky. I won't claim to be a better companion, but I'll try and head your way...never thought Rome would burn this fast.

Peace.

Hey, Yucky.

It's been a rough past couple of weeks, and I apologize for staying out of touch. Honestly, I thought I'd be better about this sort of thing, what with the chaos going on outside. It's not entirely my fault, I suppose -- I had my computer turned on during one of the blackouts, and that somehow fried my motherboard. Geek that I am, I had some spare parts sitting round the house, but it took me awhile before I could get a working system up and running. Turned out my hard drive crashed and I lost my power supply too. Not a fun time.

For all the goings on in my little corner of planet Earth, I haven't a lot to report. There's a lot of looting, but it seems like most of it is moving out of my community. I guess there's a couple of reasons for that: my side of town doesn't have a lot to begin with, and while I'm the last person to make a stereotype based on color, the black community seems to be supporting each other a lot better than the white. And I'm white, so maybe that says something. I could offer my thoughts on why that is, but dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a demographic analyst.

Anyway, I don't have a job anymore. The cost of operations, despite the energy savings we made with lighting, wasn't enough to keep me on. I didn't really have a fallback, either...it's not like there's a lot of people getting hired in the IT industry these days. I haven't told my parents yet. Mom and I had a falling out over something stupid, and we're both too stubborn to be civil right now. And Dad is...Dad.

Right. So, I've been thinking about dropping off the grid. Don't worry, I'm not heading for the hills just yet, and if you need me, I'll be checking my blog. But I've always wanted to go see the world...granted, I wanted a bit more cash to work with when I did, but since it's all hitting the fan anyway, I figure I better get my sightseeing in now, or never.

This will be good for me, I think. I'm not really one to get out of my shell much. If anyone needs a helping hand for a week or two in the Great Lakes area, let me know and I'll make my way towards you, then branch out from there.

Who knows? A roving eye may get a different picture on how things are going down. Keep me apprised, Yuck. The apartment is now locked and my bag is packed.

Peace.

Huff, huff. Yucky, if I've learned one thing this week, it's that stairs are evil, unforgiving abominations created by demented phyicists in a bid to dominate society by weeding out the unfit. Oh, for the days I could use the elevator...which coincidentally is now out of service at my apartment. Guess my preparations paid off in that regard, anyway. While I can manage seven flights, a lot of families are packing up and moving out of here...elevator issues aren't the start of things going wrong in Cleveland.

I got a friendly notice stuffed under my door from the landlord detailing the things management's going to do to cut costs. Hot water in the morning was a hit-or-miss venture before the oil crisis. Now, at least I know it won't be coming on before 8am. We had a power outage here, too...I'm not sure if we've been getting many of those around here, but it could be the start of something bad. And of course, there's the looting. Public parking lots are fair game for gas siphoning, and braver souls have been hitting the first floors of my building, looking for vacated or empty treasure troves. There's not much apartment security can do...I think whoever's behind this actually lives here.

I guess things aren't all that bad, comparatively speaking. I've got a good set of legs and can handle a staircase. Some of the handicapped residents aren't so lucky. I know a few decided to live with their families out of town -- there's even one family on the first floor that let an elderly man move in with them for a few weeks -- but some aren't so lucky. I really wish I could help, but...

My folks are coming to visit next week. They were planning on stopping by last Tuesday, but what with gas being what it is, they couldn't make it. So I get to play host for a day or two. I'm actually pretty happy...outside of work, I don't really do much socializing (Except for alien fragging...haven't seen you online, though I can't really blame you).

Long story short, I'm living healthier, skipping burgers struggling up stairs, and walking to places I don't have to drive to. Ohio seems to be a haven from the brunt of things...wonder how long that'll last.

Peace!

Well Yucky, I'd like to say I came around to your way of thinking all by myself, but the proverbial rock I've been hiding under these past nine weeks pretty much got blown to bits.

Someone stole my gas!

There really wasn't much I could do to prevent it, I suppose. I don't live on the wealthy side of town, and while I've never personally feared for my life or posessions, I've heard rumors. My car was only one of many that got hit last night...when I headed to the parking lot for work this morning, half a dozen of us found that ominous needle pointing to 'E'. And I'd just filled it up! Sigh.

Well, the budget's been tight enough as it is, and I since I couldn't afford to head to the pumps again this week, my only choice was public transit. Luckily, work's only a fifteen minute drive away, right off a main road. I was an hour late, but then again, so were a lot of other people.

Anyway, some things just can't be helped. I took a look at what you and the rest of 8TSOC have been up to, however, and I agree: we need to conserve our fuel, and we need to get the public aware of the crisis. I even have a bright idea of my own. It's not much, but every little bit helps, right?

Here's what I propose: If you have legs, use them! Cars aren't the only means of transport we've relied too heavily on. I can't remember the last time I used the stairs to get home. The elevator's there, it's faster and easier, so why not use it? The "why not" part's been made painfully clear to us now.

The theme of this mission is "Go, go, go!" Take a good look at your daily routine and see what labor-saving devices can be replaced with some good ole fashioned legwork. For me, it's going to be tackling seven grueling flights of stairs. A tall order for a lazy gamer, but I can't deny I need the exercise. For those of you who still shop at the mall, find that 'secret' flight of stairs that people skip over to use the escalator. A good many airports use speed walks to cut the distance in long hallways...well, what's the harm in taking a few more steps? And those of you who do hit the gym might want to exchange your treadmills and electric cycles for the real deal.

Like I said, it's not much, but it's my two cents for now. Keep it real, Yucky! I've got some stairs to climb!

Yucky,

So sorry I haven't been in touch, but it's been a heck of a week...you know that, of course. I've been meaning to get in touch with you after that fiasco in Denver, but I'm really not that good at keeping open the lines of communication. Truth be told, that rumor you dropped in my lap just seemed too, I don't know, ''Viral" to be believed, and goodness knows I deal with enough misinformation on a day to day basis.

Anway, it's been a few months now, so if you don't remember me, that's fine. I'll try and fill in the blanks for you. We'd been playing that online game and somehow both of us got dragged into an argument on internet ethics and such: I think you took the stance how the 'net is a much better medium for dispensing the truth than filtered news on television and so forth. I was playing devil's advocate, just to rile you. Hope there's no hard feelings. You gave me your contact info, at least, so I assumed you were in the modd to continue. Too bad I forgot to write you back.

By the way, if none of this rings a bell and I'm completely writing the wrong person, I'm really sorry. Let me know and I'll not bother you with my drivel again.

So...long story short, you were right. How on earth that man knew this was coming boggles my mind, but truth be told, I have more important things to worry about right now. We all do. I happened across your coverage of the crisis, and figured I'd toss in my two cents. It's more a tale of sorrow than solutions, though. Seems to be par for the course these days.

The thirtieth went well enough, but that's based more on my ignorance than anything. I've never made a point to watch the news in any form...too depressing, I suppose...so I didn't hear about the shortage till lunch. The news was annoying, of course, but I wasn't really worried. My memory's none too sharp, so the only thing I remember thinking was that I filled up two days ago, and would probably outlast this thing before I needed another tank.

I was wrong, of course. Things have slowly gotten worse here. See, my company's in the lighting business. It's mostly for signage and traffic, but we have a division in R&D as well. Immediately, what we do has very little bearing on gas -- except for deliveries -- but this thing's like a pebble dropped in a pond. The ripples keep getting wider, till everyone gets hit. Follow along:

1.) Gas goes up, so people take less trips in their car.
2.) Businesses are affected; namely, those that have a large customer base who arrive at their outlets via automobile. Grocery stores take a hard hit, but the fast food industry has all but crumbled...no one can afford to eat out these days. Food needs to be conserved and prepared in bulk to save on time and money. Every pimply teenager trying to save up for their prom night is now out of a job. Other industries are suffering as well, from the car production and repair businesses, to the postal service. (It's just a rumor, but I've heard plans are being made to cut mail days in half. Don't expect any bills on Friday anymore...or paychecks.)
3.) These businesses use our signage. At least, they used to. The orders aren't coming in anymore, since a neon billboard isn't quite as useful as another tank of gas.

There's really only two reasons why I still have my job. One large grocery chain signed a contract last year that guarentees at least half our business will remain intact. And our godsends in labcoats, the R&D division, managed to come up with a cheap alternative to the light bulb. I'll be darned if I can explain it, but phrases like "cuts energy costs in half" and "lasts ten times longer than normal bulbs" is enough for me.

So am I saying, after all that rambling, that things are fine? Heck no. We're in week two of something big. I may have made the first cut, but I'm positive I won't escape the scalpel forever. I only moved out of my folk's place last year, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to make my apartment bills in the next couple of months.

I hate to say it, but I'm getting a little worried. I like the whole "eight to save our country" deal you've got going on, but what can eight people do, Yuck? I'm all for going to a medieval faire, but I'm not sure what'd I do without my Concorde, either. This is big, and while your team's efforts are laudible, I think the real heroes will be the ones who figure out how to keep the status quo. People fear change, and this brave new world we're getting shoved into isn't one I'm ready for.

I guess I'm open to convincing. Seems like I don't have much of a choice. I'll try and stay in touch...might sell the computer to pay for next week's heating bill, though.

Peace.