Just some Wednesday musings

• If you live and work in the Houston area, odds are now heavily in your favor that you have power again. If you don't -- and assuming that your property hasn't simply been wrecked -- then I'd say that fortune owes you one for your inconvenience.
• Commuting is still a big mess with numerous traffic lights still inoperable all over the place.
  
• Texans can breathe easier knowing that our hurricane season is practically over.
  
• I've discovered that a prepaid Subway card is a helpful tool for avoiding greasier lunch spots.
• I saw the season premiere of Heroes on one of the local cinema screens, which was a fun way to experience television. It's a smart business move on the part of the theater as well. How else do you pack the house on a Monday night?
• Annoyingly stupid car commercial #1: Cadillac brags that they now offer a hybrid-power Escalade because they "they should." There's two lines of reasoning for buying a hybrid -- saving gas money or saving the environment. It's going to be a challenge to save much gas money if you're still only eking out 12 miles per gallon even with hybrid technology. And as for environmentalism . . . well, you're only eking out 12 miles per gallon. Exactly how stupid does GM think we are??
  
• Annoyingly stupid car commercial #2: Lincoln is touting that most of their offerings only need regular octane gasoline to operate. People who are in the market for a luxury car are highly unlikely to be bothered by a five percent difference in their fuel bill.