Random thoughts about our town
By Brent E. McCoy thereal@adelphia.net

Every once in a while I like to just note a few things that keep bouncing around in my head that won't quite fill a whole column. Not only does it free up brain space for the next column, it gets rid of the echo from all those things bouncing around up there.

I'm sure that we are all aware that the new cellphone ban will be taking effect at the start of July. I think it's a good law, but I get a little scared when I read that it will also henceforth be illegal to use a laptop computer to text while driving.

This implies that there are people out there doing just that. I don't see how a driver could use a computer to write a message while they are operating a motor vehicle on public streets. How do you type, hold the coffee, turn the pages of the newspaper, flick a cigarette out the window and still manage to get the spelling correct. I guess they use the spell checker when they are finished. I'm pretty sure this hands-free thing doesn't refer to the steering wheel.

My daughter will have to live with the new cellphone use ban for a few months, and then she'll be 18. I'll have to remember to discuss the relationship between the term "hands free" and the use of the steering wheel.

On the other hand, she might read this and I won't have too. But since she's still a teenager, the chances are pretty good that she won't. Maybe I'll text it to her while I'm waiting behind the trucks downtown. There should be plenty of time to text a short article like this before they make it across the intersection and I have to pay attention again.

My son's first driver's license is about to expire already, and he has to take some of the test again. For the most part, he did pretty well during his first four years driving, and we didn't feel the need to study real hard for the test. I did, however, give him a slight advantage when I pointed out that "like a bat out of hell" is, in all probability, not one of the answers to any of the questions that the DMV is likely to ask.

I think that the yearly baseball columns have come to an end, but I still look forward to the start of the season. I was over at the high school the other day to take a few photos, and I hung around to catch the game. It's still a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

On another baseball note, the folks supporting Musketeer Baseball are still looking for photos and press clippings from the past seasons. They hope to put together an extensive archive of the baseball program going back as far as they can.

If you have anything you think they might be able to use, please contact them at admin @musketeerbaseball.com. They will make copies and return all of the originals to you.

Once you've spent Saturday at the game, you might feel the urge for a little culture. If you find yourself in need of a little culture, don't forget that at the end of every month there's a performance of "The High Street Broadcast" at the High Street Arts Center- it's on High Street. Not only is it culture but it's darned funny. The Moorpark Acorn ran an article a couple of weeks ago about how all of the country's broadcasts will soon be forced to switch from analog to digital. I would suggest that you go see these fine live actors in "Broadcast" while they are still analog.

Finally, I think that thanks are due once again to the educators of Moorpark and the rest of the state. Once again we are in the throes of a budget crisis, and once again the teachers stand as our first line of defense. Many of them won't be standing there long. Soon they will be standing in the unemployment line.

If we didn't have teachers someone would have to sit down and really work long and hard to trim the budget. But don't worry- soon times will get better and the teachers will be back once again. With the stockpile replenished we can rest assured that we'll know who to ax in the next budget crisis.