So, You are more important than me?

Why do some drivers consider their time more important than mine? In the process of proving this point, they are also STUPID and INCONSIDERATE!

Okay, here are some examples. I am driving, in a town, on a four lane divided road. I am in the left lane when a semi truck on my left decides to lumber into my lane. Now the normal defensive driver would see this happening and slow down. Which I did, and I started to move to the right when a knuckle head comes screaming past me on the right doing almost taking me out and then almost colliding with the lumbering semi truck.

Next example. I am at a stop light. It is basically a two lane road with a left turn lane. I want to go straight, the driver behind me wants to turn right. So on a two lane road with a left turn lane I am naturally in the same lane as the driver wanting to turn right. Can he wait for the light to change? Is he courteous? Noooooo. While the light is red he goes into the left turn lane and turns right in front of me as the light changes!!

Is it any wonder why we have so many accidents?

July from North Carolina

I can't believe that I haven't written a blog for the month of July. I guess I have been busy helping put in a tile floor in the kitchen, paint, put up a new ceiling fan, cut and paint all of the new trim for the kitchen, well, you get the idea. I have been busy.

Of course in between I had a few days of vacation (working), visitors, two huricanes, work, and now I am in Smithfield North Carolina working.

All is good though.

My Secret Addiction (revised)

One or two of you may not be aware of my addiction to New Cars! And some old ones too.

I guess it started in earnest when I was in high school. I remember when the 1964 1/2 Mustang came out - I wanted one of those! But what can you do when you are fifteen, no job, no inheritance, and your dad is so practical he bought a 1959 Ramble Station Wagon - six cylinder - three speed on the column with over drive and two tone pink to boot? There is a big difference between and sleek Mustang and a Pink Rambler Station Wagon!

Well, over the years my passion increased. The '60s was the era of the muscle cars - Camaro SS, Cougar XR7, Mustangs - Shelby, GT, BOSS - Chevelle SS 396, Dodge Charger with 426 Hemi, Dodge Challenger, - I think you get the picture.

When I got home from my mission in 1970 my dad bought me a 66 Mustang. Even though it was a six banger with a three speed on the floor, I really liked that car. But, I got married and had to think a little practical, so we sold that and bought a car from my dad - Nova Station Wagon.

Mary Lue worked for Tupperware when I was in College and did so well she became a manager. Tupperware let her drive a new Torino Station Wagon! That was our first new car as a couple.

When we bought a nearly new car (only four years old) we got a little Capri (imported for Lincoln Mercury from Germany). We had some good times in that car. Mary Lue did have a little fender bender, but it was a fun car. It even had a sun roof!

So what is a guy to do that loves cars? Well, he gets a job at a car dealership of course. I went to work for Marion Willey & Son Ford in Bountiful, Utah. I eventually got a demonstrator - you know a new car you don't have to pay for. My first brand spanking new car was a 1974 Mustang fastback with a V6 and 5 Speed manual transmission! That first week you couldn't get me out of the car. If I wasn't working we were on 'road trips'. At the dealership I would average two new vehicles a year. Some of them were Fairmont Wagon, two or three Granadas, a couple of Mustangs, LTD (the boat), Torino Elite, Thunderbird, Bronco, etc.

Then I got a job with, you may have guessed it, a car company! What better way to drive new cars than have a job where you get to order a new car two to three times a year. The hardest job I have is deciding what to drive and what color to get. (I just order all the options available).

About 5 years ago I tried to list all of the vehicles I had driven. I think it was in the high 80's at the time. So I would guess the list is over 100 now.

I don't know what I am going to do when I retire and have to BUY a car. What will I get? What will I be happy with? Because now I am so spoiled I start thinking about what I'm going to order for my NEXT car about one month after I get a new one.

Oh, well, I'll think about that tomorrow. Right now I will be satisfied driving either the '05 Red Thunderbird convertible or the '05 Merlot Ford Five Hundred.

Opportunity of a Lifetime

I went to the big opportunity meeting last night to hear about Pre-Paid Legal and Identity Theft protection.

It was in a big hotel room at the Crown Plaza. When I got there at 6:45pm (it was to start at 7:30pm with registration at 7:00pm) there were a lot of people waiting to get into the meeting room. About five to seven the crowd started 'moving' toward the door. I guess there must have been a signal that I missed. As the herd congregated around the door to the room the line kept getting wider and wider.

At Seven they opened up one door. Now I don't mean they opened both sides of the double door, no, they opened up one side of the double door. So now the line stretched several feet, and I mean several feet, on each side of the small opening. We dutifully shuffled to the door. I was fairly close to the front, so this only took me about fifteen minutes.

As I went into the room there were two small tables registering people. If you were a guest you got in free, if you were an associate it was like $5 to get in. Now when I went in, the seats set up were more than half full. Where did the rest of the people come from? I know not that many came in with the common folks.

I found my seat on the end. People were coming in and out of my row (the same three) four or five times.

They decided they needed to set up more chairs, so they had everyone already seated move the chairs closer together in order to get more seats on the end of each row. Then they set up a few more rows in front, at which time the people in the front moved up to be on the front row, which caused a ripple effect of everyone getting out of my row, again, to move up closer (the same three people plus some new ones). I stayed towards the back in case I needed to make a quick get away.

Then the hype and presentation started. I thought I was in a Southern Baptist meeting with all of the 'that's right', 'yah, right on', 'you tell 'em', going on. Clapping, standing ovations, laughs at the jokes. It was almost contagious, but I restrained myself and tried to be objective.

The speaker is one of the Executive Directors (up the pyramid a ways) who makes over $500,000 a year (yeah, right). He was telling little stories of how much he has used the Pre-Paid Legal and how it has helped him get out of speeding tickets, get money from a theater for a ruined shirt, etc. If I had that much trouble with tickets, etc., well it seemed a little exaggerated.

So basically the program is, you get five people to buy the product ($35.99/mo) for which you get $100 a piece or $500. That more than covers your initial investment of $249 (plus buying the program for $35.99/mo). Then you get them to sell for you, and they get people to sell for them, then they get people to sell for them, you know like a pyramid (oh, multi level marketing). Then you sit at home and wait for the big checks to start rolling in. Of course the more people you get to sign up and sell for you the more you make on each sell they make.

Then they had the top performers come up and tell you how they spend more time with their children, can now retire, can send their children to any college, help people in need, etc, etc, etc.

I must confess that I left the meeting just before the big SPECIAL offers were presented. Since my brother and nephew already do this, all of my relatives have already been contacted (probably several times). So who would I sell to? I would end up shelling out $249 and $35.99/mo and get no big checks because, as you may know, I am not really the salesman type.

Well, that was my experience in Multi Level Marketing (pyramid scheme).

Going Wild!!!

Am I going wild or what with this blog stuff?

It is not a good day for the convertible - cloudy and raining on and off :(.

I can't wait until Saturday (or early Sunday morning) when Brody comes to visit. Oh, Ben and Margaret are coming too :).

Another Multi Marketing Scheme

My long lost brother (not really long lost, but I have heard from him more in the last week than the last year) wants me to get in on the 'ground floor' of an exciting new 'opportunity' in pre paid legal. There is a meeting tonight with one of the most successful consultants who made over $500,000 just last year!

Well, I guess I will go, just because he is my brother, but I am sure I won't take it any farther than that.

Why do all of these schemes seem to orginate in Utah?

Another Saturday in Georgia

So much to do and so little time - Paint the hall and family room, mow the lawn, prune the roses, spray the trees, kill the weeds, tear up the kitchen floor, prune the bushes, power spray the front porch, help Miss Mary buy a computer, and that is just today!!It sure is nice though, to get in the Thunderbird and drive with the top down. The wind blowing in the hair, the power of the V8 (let's not mention the trips to the gas statrion), the good company of my wife and friend. So I guess it is not all work and no play.

Saturday Morning in Georgia

The weather is in a funk. Rain everyday for the last week, with more on the way from Tropical storm Arlene (or is it going to be a weak hurricane?). Of course two weeks ago I was complaining that we didn't have enough rain. Why can't there be just the right amount? Then who would decide what the right amount would be? Would be by committee? The name Sugar Hill dates back to the 1800s when a wagon carrying a load of sugar up a hill tipped over and spilled the load on the side of the hill. People started calling the are the 'hill were the spilled' which was later shortened to Sugar Hill. Just a bit of trivia.Oh well, just ramblings.