The last 2 weeks I was in PA at my Aunt & Uncle's house, just before they sold it, I remember driving to Bubba's several times. Bubba's was a restaurant that used to serve really great hamburgers. They are still in business, but everything has changed and the buggers are now terrible.
I used to take the back way to get there, which was the shortest way, but was also very scenic.
The one road that I turned on was called Cassel Road. It went through a hollow and was a little tricky to navigate with all the turns.
In PA there were moments in time that were just amazing. Where you knew that what you were witnessing was something truly great. Where time almost stood still and you knew that God wanted you to see this and to appreciate all that it meant.
Cassel Road was one of those places and the last 2 weeks were one of those times. Coming back, on the left hand side of the road, just after the hollow, was a farm house with a big tree in front.
The farm house was not any different from all the others, but was different was the old man sitting in the chair under the tree.
He was there every day, just looking out over his farm. He looked too old and frail to have been the one that did all the work. My guess is that his family had taken over running the farm.
There was something about seeing him, so much expressed in that moment. His family could have put him in a nursing home, like so many other families have done, but they didn't.
He knew his time was growing short, but the pride he must have felt and the joy of looking out over his farm each day knowing what he had built. It must have given him great satisfaction.
A life well lived. All he had done and all he had given to his family, and his family continued to honor him for his hard work by letting him spend his last days where it meant the most to him.
I'll never know that feeling. What days I have left will be spent in this welfare apartment, or worse. I loved PA as much as that old man. Seeing it sold killed a part of me. It never meant as much to my Aunt or Uncle as it did to me. It was my home. The only home I've ever had. My life is filled with too much heartache.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
What Women Want
I was thinking about this interview that I saw. A reporter was talking with this LA 20 something women about dating.
The 20 something said, " All I want is a guy that doesn't wear flip flops as regular footwear."
I thought for a moment and said to myself, that's a reasonable request.
Then the 20 something went on, " And doesn't wear shorts."
Again, I thought this a reasonable request. "And he has to have a job", she continued.
Also reasonable, so she doesn't want a beach bum, surfer type.
But it continued with pauses after each statement.
He has to wear dress pants, and shirt and tie, a suit, and he has to make 100k a year, and drive a new car, and own a nice home, etc.. , etc.. , etc..
So in other words, she wants what every women wants. That perfect guy.
I've learned over the years that you have to listen to what women say and then translate it to what they really mean. I know this sounds like a cliche' , but it could not be more true.
If the reporter did not sit and wait during the long pauses, he would not have gotten the big picture.
I find myself questioning and analyzing everything that is said to find what they are really trying to say.
When someone tells me something I ask myself, WHY ? Why are they telling me this.
Especially when it comes to uncomfortable experiences. I ask why did they tell me about it.
I think it is a combination of several things.
They are showing off ( look what I can do, or look what I made happen )
and they liked the end result, but may be embarrassed or ashamed that they liked the result or of their behavior.
When I see how much women use men and then hear the women explain it as though they are the victims, it makes me sick.
My belief is that if someone needs help and you can help them, then you should. It's the right thing to do. And you should do so with no expectation of a thank you or of a quid pro quo.
This way you feel good and you are not relying on the other person to complete the emotional transaction.
Women, and some men, tend to abuse the kindness of strangers and friends. When me do it they are labeled users and have a stigma attached to them.
When women do it, it is rarely acknowledge as such. And labeling them with terms like "gold digger" or "cock tease" has been made the equivalent of a hate crime. It is hate speech, even though it is the truth.
Men are dogs. That's true and that's said often and men just have to take it. Men will date as many women as they can. People think Bill Clinton was an exception, but now we see that he was not. The first Bush has a full time mistress and 6 girlfriends in different cities and the wife knew.
If you are a women there is no better country on earth the the USA. You have all the freedoms and benefits and protections, and almost never have to take responsibility for any of your actions.
God Bless The USA.
The 20 something said, " All I want is a guy that doesn't wear flip flops as regular footwear."
I thought for a moment and said to myself, that's a reasonable request.
Then the 20 something went on, " And doesn't wear shorts."
Again, I thought this a reasonable request. "And he has to have a job", she continued.
Also reasonable, so she doesn't want a beach bum, surfer type.
But it continued with pauses after each statement.
He has to wear dress pants, and shirt and tie, a suit, and he has to make 100k a year, and drive a new car, and own a nice home, etc.. , etc.. , etc..
So in other words, she wants what every women wants. That perfect guy.
I've learned over the years that you have to listen to what women say and then translate it to what they really mean. I know this sounds like a cliche' , but it could not be more true.
If the reporter did not sit and wait during the long pauses, he would not have gotten the big picture.
I find myself questioning and analyzing everything that is said to find what they are really trying to say.
When someone tells me something I ask myself, WHY ? Why are they telling me this.
Especially when it comes to uncomfortable experiences. I ask why did they tell me about it.
I think it is a combination of several things.
They are showing off ( look what I can do, or look what I made happen )
and they liked the end result, but may be embarrassed or ashamed that they liked the result or of their behavior.
When I see how much women use men and then hear the women explain it as though they are the victims, it makes me sick.
My belief is that if someone needs help and you can help them, then you should. It's the right thing to do. And you should do so with no expectation of a thank you or of a quid pro quo.
This way you feel good and you are not relying on the other person to complete the emotional transaction.
Women, and some men, tend to abuse the kindness of strangers and friends. When me do it they are labeled users and have a stigma attached to them.
When women do it, it is rarely acknowledge as such. And labeling them with terms like "gold digger" or "cock tease" has been made the equivalent of a hate crime. It is hate speech, even though it is the truth.
Men are dogs. That's true and that's said often and men just have to take it. Men will date as many women as they can. People think Bill Clinton was an exception, but now we see that he was not. The first Bush has a full time mistress and 6 girlfriends in different cities and the wife knew.
If you are a women there is no better country on earth the the USA. You have all the freedoms and benefits and protections, and almost never have to take responsibility for any of your actions.
God Bless The USA.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Parking
Now that I have 2 vehicles I am aware of the parking shortage we have here. Thursday afternoons are the worst, especially if they serve Turkey dinner at the seniors.
We share the lot with the Senior Center. Half the lot is theirs. There are 90 parking spaces total, 45 of which belong to us. There are 121 apartments. See the problem.
Obviously the people that built the place did not.
Builders see parking as a liability. It's makes them no money, so they build as little of it as they can. Even in cities where they have parking meter, there is no parking.
Parking, like parks, should be a mandatory part of city design.
I was in Schenectady 2 years ago and parked on the street next to a parking lot that was the size of an entire city block. The street where I parked had parking meters. The lot said Permit parking, but the lot was completely empty.
I asked what the deal was with the lot and was told it used to be for GE workers, but had long since been abandoned due to downsizing. For whatever reason, the city did not take it over. I can't imagine that the parking meters make the city that much money and they deter people from coming to the city to shop. Having free public parking should be a priority, but it's not.
Go figure.
We share the lot with the Senior Center. Half the lot is theirs. There are 90 parking spaces total, 45 of which belong to us. There are 121 apartments. See the problem.
Obviously the people that built the place did not.
Builders see parking as a liability. It's makes them no money, so they build as little of it as they can. Even in cities where they have parking meter, there is no parking.
Parking, like parks, should be a mandatory part of city design.
I was in Schenectady 2 years ago and parked on the street next to a parking lot that was the size of an entire city block. The street where I parked had parking meters. The lot said Permit parking, but the lot was completely empty.
I asked what the deal was with the lot and was told it used to be for GE workers, but had long since been abandoned due to downsizing. For whatever reason, the city did not take it over. I can't imagine that the parking meters make the city that much money and they deter people from coming to the city to shop. Having free public parking should be a priority, but it's not.
Go figure.
The 4 Seasons
No, not the singing group. I refer to the 4 seasons of the year, which we used to have here in Upstate NY. Now we slam from Winter to Summer and back again.
When I was a kid, oh boy, now I know I'm old, we had clear skies and could see for miles. Now with the smog you are lucky if you can see 500 feet.
I remember that Spring started in March and there was a gentle climb in temps every day, but it was still cold in the mornings all the way into June. Then the summer would start and June would get a little hotter and July and August you had heat, like we have 5 months of now, and then in Sept it would get cool again and slowly the temps would go down till around Thanksgiving you had the first frost and snow by Christmas.
This year Summer hit in late April and has not let up. Long range forecasts say it will be hot like it is now till at least Sept. I went back in the climate records and found that the actual temps are not much warmer then they were 100 years ago, but the heat index is much higher.
The dew points used to be 30-40 degrees below actual temp, now they are only 10-20 degrees below actual temps and that is a big deal. On a day where temps hit 88, but the dew point is in the 50's, it does not feel that hot, but take that same day and have a dew point in the high 70's and it feels like 110.
The smog is causing this problem to get worse and the air quality is so bad up here it looks like LA moost days. You literally can't breath when you step outside.
I look forward to Winter for the clearer air that it will bring.
Bill
When I was a kid, oh boy, now I know I'm old, we had clear skies and could see for miles. Now with the smog you are lucky if you can see 500 feet.
I remember that Spring started in March and there was a gentle climb in temps every day, but it was still cold in the mornings all the way into June. Then the summer would start and June would get a little hotter and July and August you had heat, like we have 5 months of now, and then in Sept it would get cool again and slowly the temps would go down till around Thanksgiving you had the first frost and snow by Christmas.
This year Summer hit in late April and has not let up. Long range forecasts say it will be hot like it is now till at least Sept. I went back in the climate records and found that the actual temps are not much warmer then they were 100 years ago, but the heat index is much higher.
The dew points used to be 30-40 degrees below actual temp, now they are only 10-20 degrees below actual temps and that is a big deal. On a day where temps hit 88, but the dew point is in the 50's, it does not feel that hot, but take that same day and have a dew point in the high 70's and it feels like 110.
The smog is causing this problem to get worse and the air quality is so bad up here it looks like LA moost days. You literally can't breath when you step outside.
I look forward to Winter for the clearer air that it will bring.
Bill
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Movie Reviews & My Life is a Toilet
Movies are so tough to figure out. The reviews rarely tell the whole story.
Take Hancock. There was no hype and I only saw a few previews on TV.
The reviews were not very good. I did not plan to see it, but now that I saw it I have to say it was OK. The first half of the film was very good. I thought the last half was a little weak.
Sex and the City did not get very good reviews either. I have not been able to make it through watching the whole thing. The outright hostility towards men is sickening. It's a real feminist movie from what I've seen. I can't imagine the last 30 minutes would have made much of a difference.
The subtext was even more brutal. If you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about.
If you really hate men, you'll love this movie. I'm not sure if the original series was like this.
I seem to remember some bad stuff about men, but I don't think it was this bad. It's amazing how well the series worked when it was only a 50 minute show. Oh Well.
Now the Batman movie is Due out tomorrow and I have seen no previews on TV. I don't know why. Maybe they are counting on work of mouth. I have seen about 30 minutes of this film and it is awesome. If the rest of the movie is as good they have a runaway blockbuster on their hands.
Opening opposite The Dark Knight is Mama Mia!
What can I say about Mama Mia! There are so many bad things to say it's hard to know where to start. let's start with It's a musical. Meryl Streep is supposed to be the young pregnant woman who does not know which of the 3 men is the father. There's a good role model.
Not to mention the fact that she's like 60 and looks like the Crypt Keeper.
This is a movie that I'm sure women will love. And I'll bet every guy dragged to this train wreck will be secretly dying to see Batman.
I wondered what they could put up against Batman, and Mama Mia! makes perfect sense since most guys are going with a date and they default to what the date wants and I'm sure that Mama Mia! will make some money.
I think Dark Knight will be mostly single guys of every age range. Even though there is a love story in the plot line, I don't think women will want to sit through all the explosions, which are freaking awesome. And the cinematography and the choreography are amazing. The timing and the editing had to be spot on for these action scenes to work, and they look flawless.
Hopefully I will feel well enough to make it to the opening night. Right now I feel sick and have been feeling sick most of the past few weeks.
My life is in the toilet and there does not seem to be any way to fix it. I have not enough resources and too many responsibilities and too many people asking for help.
I should not have anyone asking me for anything. I don't get why everyone ignores this.
I feel like every day I get up I have to save the world, and I hate it. And even after people ask for my help, they get pissed because the help I give is not what they want.
Specifics are very important, and if it takes 50 pages, or 30 minutes to explain what is needed, they should take the time and then get the hell out of the way. Micro managing is not an option. If that's the option then they need to say that as well.
And most important, don't get upset if I decline to help because the demands are too high.
I watch professional contractors, who charge 100's of dollars an hour, not follow any of the requests of the people that hired them, do the job badly, incomplete, wrong, not warranty any of their work, and then the same people hire them back again to do more work.
That's insane! It happens all the time. My analysis is the world is mostly made up of people who don't have a clue. They don't know how to do their job and they don't care. They do just enough to get paid.
I like to think I do a good job, but I know I screw up and I have weak areas, and I apologize for my weaknesses, which is more then most do. I am who I am. That's all I can be.
Take Hancock. There was no hype and I only saw a few previews on TV.
The reviews were not very good. I did not plan to see it, but now that I saw it I have to say it was OK. The first half of the film was very good. I thought the last half was a little weak.
Sex and the City did not get very good reviews either. I have not been able to make it through watching the whole thing. The outright hostility towards men is sickening. It's a real feminist movie from what I've seen. I can't imagine the last 30 minutes would have made much of a difference.
The subtext was even more brutal. If you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about.
If you really hate men, you'll love this movie. I'm not sure if the original series was like this.
I seem to remember some bad stuff about men, but I don't think it was this bad. It's amazing how well the series worked when it was only a 50 minute show. Oh Well.
Now the Batman movie is Due out tomorrow and I have seen no previews on TV. I don't know why. Maybe they are counting on work of mouth. I have seen about 30 minutes of this film and it is awesome. If the rest of the movie is as good they have a runaway blockbuster on their hands.
Opening opposite The Dark Knight is Mama Mia!
What can I say about Mama Mia! There are so many bad things to say it's hard to know where to start. let's start with It's a musical. Meryl Streep is supposed to be the young pregnant woman who does not know which of the 3 men is the father. There's a good role model.
Not to mention the fact that she's like 60 and looks like the Crypt Keeper.
This is a movie that I'm sure women will love. And I'll bet every guy dragged to this train wreck will be secretly dying to see Batman.
I wondered what they could put up against Batman, and Mama Mia! makes perfect sense since most guys are going with a date and they default to what the date wants and I'm sure that Mama Mia! will make some money.
I think Dark Knight will be mostly single guys of every age range. Even though there is a love story in the plot line, I don't think women will want to sit through all the explosions, which are freaking awesome. And the cinematography and the choreography are amazing. The timing and the editing had to be spot on for these action scenes to work, and they look flawless.
Hopefully I will feel well enough to make it to the opening night. Right now I feel sick and have been feeling sick most of the past few weeks.
My life is in the toilet and there does not seem to be any way to fix it. I have not enough resources and too many responsibilities and too many people asking for help.
I should not have anyone asking me for anything. I don't get why everyone ignores this.
I feel like every day I get up I have to save the world, and I hate it. And even after people ask for my help, they get pissed because the help I give is not what they want.
Specifics are very important, and if it takes 50 pages, or 30 minutes to explain what is needed, they should take the time and then get the hell out of the way. Micro managing is not an option. If that's the option then they need to say that as well.
And most important, don't get upset if I decline to help because the demands are too high.
I watch professional contractors, who charge 100's of dollars an hour, not follow any of the requests of the people that hired them, do the job badly, incomplete, wrong, not warranty any of their work, and then the same people hire them back again to do more work.
That's insane! It happens all the time. My analysis is the world is mostly made up of people who don't have a clue. They don't know how to do their job and they don't care. They do just enough to get paid.
I like to think I do a good job, but I know I screw up and I have weak areas, and I apologize for my weaknesses, which is more then most do. I am who I am. That's all I can be.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Dark Knight
I've seen a few clips from the new Batman film and OMG, it looks amazing.
The movie will open at midnight on Thursday. Tickets are available on-line.
I would say if you plan on seeing the movie on Thursday, get your tickets on-line to be sure you can get in.
This will be THE blockbuster hit of the summer, hands down. It may even beat X-files sales on it's opening week, a week later.
The run time is just over 2 1/2 hours, so it's a little long, but I think the action is going to keep people interested throughout the whole movie.
The action looks over the top, but the previous Batman movie looked over the top, but played very well. I think I've seen that one at least a dozen times. Michael Cain and Morgan Freeman really add a grounding to the film.
The visual effects are killer. CGI has come a long way.
And if you don't like loud noises, bring ear plugs. This movie is big on noise.
The movie will open at midnight on Thursday. Tickets are available on-line.
I would say if you plan on seeing the movie on Thursday, get your tickets on-line to be sure you can get in.
This will be THE blockbuster hit of the summer, hands down. It may even beat X-files sales on it's opening week, a week later.
The run time is just over 2 1/2 hours, so it's a little long, but I think the action is going to keep people interested throughout the whole movie.
The action looks over the top, but the previous Batman movie looked over the top, but played very well. I think I've seen that one at least a dozen times. Michael Cain and Morgan Freeman really add a grounding to the film.
The visual effects are killer. CGI has come a long way.
And if you don't like loud noises, bring ear plugs. This movie is big on noise.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
DAVE
I was thinking about something the other day and I remembered this guy I used to know. I think his name was Dave. This must be 15 years ago.
I was working at the Mobil station and it was like the 6th real job I had by that point and I was only 22. I think I met Dave through another guy who had a carpet installing business.
Dave was 40 or a little older and life had not been kind to Dave. He had been homeless in the past.
Dave worked at the Howard Johnson's when I first met him as a cook. He was fired from there because of drinking on the job. A friend of his got him a job at the Ground Round. I remember one night he brought in a couple of steaks, frozen and packaged, and was trying to sell them to me. This was around 2am and normally that would seem strange, but many people came in with stuff they were trying to sell over the years, most likely all stolen.
The gas station was in the center of all the bars in the area and brought the worst kinds of people around. I saw a lot more in the 3 years I worked there on the overnight shift then most people will ever see in their life. I would have to say, unless you were a cop working vice or homicide you will never see anything even close. War, if you were in a real war you would have seen things like I saw. I got to see the real side of people and the real evil that dwells inside them.
I don't recommend it. It changes you forever.
Getting back to Dave, on one of the few nights that I had off, and there were only a few in the whole 3 years, the store was robbed. The clerk was beat with a metal pipe and hospitalized for a week. If it were not for the delivery truck driver arriving and grabbing his tire iron and attacking one of the other 2 robbers, the clerk would most likely be dead. On one of the other nights shortly after that, when I took the night off, they were robbed at gun point. So it was a dangerous place.
Right after this time I was nervous to work the shift and Dave came in to sell the steaks. I offered to lone him some money, which he wanted to buy beer. I knew that he had lost his apartment and had moved in with the guy that had the carpet business. he was living in the basement.
I offered to by him a 12 pack if he would stay there, since the station was never robbed when there was 2 people I felt this was in my best interest. This became a nightly thing and I felt that the 50 dollars a week was a good investment to keep from getting my head blown off or my brains bashed in. Did I mention that the police did nothing in either case, even though they caught the robbers both times.
Here is an interesting true fact. A police officer has a 1 in 100 chance of being killed in the line of duty. A taxi driver is 1 in 25. A clerk on the overnight shift at a gas station has a 1 in 10 chance. It is the highest mortality rate of any job. And the lowest paying.
Back to Dave. So I got to talk to Dave a lot and because he was drunk I got truthful answers. He felt that he had been wronged by Ground Round and by this one guy in particular who fired him. I guess he was the boss. Now, I felt that since he had been caught stealing the firing was justified, but that's not how Dave saw it.
So Dave's life continued to deteriorate and he was about to get kicked out onto the street for stealing from the people who took him in. The last night that I saw him He came in and had his 12 pack, then around 2am took another 12 pack. I yelled at him, but I could see he was not in a good place, so I just let him take it. As the night got late he told me that he had a plan to get even with the guy that fired him.
Now people when they drink say a lot of things, and most of it is crap, Drunk Talk. It doesn't mean anything. Dave explained how he was going to walk over one morning, he had no car, and take an empty windshield washer gallon bottle out of the trash, fill it with gasoline and take it over to Ground Round. He would then pour it all over this guys new car and set it a blaze and walk across the street to the McDonald's and sit and watch it burn.
The next night I came in and I reviewed the paperwork from the previous shifts and I saw that pump 1 had a drive off for 1 gallon of gas. I thought it odd, but compared to the usually 20 gallon drive-offs we had almost every day, I was happy it was only a dollar. Gas, a dollar a gallon, yeah a long, long time ago.
Around 5am the newspapers got delivered and on the front page of the paper was a picture of this boss guy's car engulfed in flames with the fire dept trying to put it out. Wholly SH*T was my thought at the time. He actually did it. What was even more amazing about this was that it happened only a few hours after Dave had left the station and he took a 6 pack for the road, so in 6-8 hours he had consumed 30 beers, yet was lucid enough to walk over to the station and then walk the 1/2 mile to the restaurant and carry out his plan.
I did not think this would have been possible, and maybe it is all a coincidence and Dave had nothing to do with the fire, but I can't say for sure. They ruled the fire cause unknown.
Most likely Dave is dead by now. He would have to be close to 60 if he was still alive. I feel bad for him, but I see many of the same injustices in my life and I wonder if I am making accurate assessments of the situations. I think that life is unbalanced and that many people get the short end of the stick, which allows a few to get the long end more then their fair share of the time.
Dave's boss was not on the bottom, but he was not much further up the ladder. I understand Dave's hostility even though it was misplaced. It's hard not to feel screwed over working in any business when you see how the business manipulates all the workers, like chess pieces, and puts plays into motion just by the rules they set up. Stealing is wrong, but from being on the bottom for so long I know why people feel it is justified.
My experience has been that the people at the top steal the most. Maybe not as often, but the take a lot more then their fair share and most of the time legally.
One of my former bosses stole money from every worker, right out of their paycheck. When the Labor Board finally believed the workers, which took about 7 years, they tried to fine him and get our money back. We never got it back and he never paid the fines and the Labor Board was powerless to do anything. I know this guy and he is a criminal. He has done several huge crimes and gotten away with them. Turning him in, even with evidence, would serve no purpose. With his resources he would have the guilt thrown on me and he would walk away a hero.
This is why people on the bottom feel right in taking from their companies, because the company takes from them.
It's easy to steal when the law is powerless against you. I'm shocked more employers don't do it more often.
I was working at the Mobil station and it was like the 6th real job I had by that point and I was only 22. I think I met Dave through another guy who had a carpet installing business.
Dave was 40 or a little older and life had not been kind to Dave. He had been homeless in the past.
Dave worked at the Howard Johnson's when I first met him as a cook. He was fired from there because of drinking on the job. A friend of his got him a job at the Ground Round. I remember one night he brought in a couple of steaks, frozen and packaged, and was trying to sell them to me. This was around 2am and normally that would seem strange, but many people came in with stuff they were trying to sell over the years, most likely all stolen.
The gas station was in the center of all the bars in the area and brought the worst kinds of people around. I saw a lot more in the 3 years I worked there on the overnight shift then most people will ever see in their life. I would have to say, unless you were a cop working vice or homicide you will never see anything even close. War, if you were in a real war you would have seen things like I saw. I got to see the real side of people and the real evil that dwells inside them.
I don't recommend it. It changes you forever.
Getting back to Dave, on one of the few nights that I had off, and there were only a few in the whole 3 years, the store was robbed. The clerk was beat with a metal pipe and hospitalized for a week. If it were not for the delivery truck driver arriving and grabbing his tire iron and attacking one of the other 2 robbers, the clerk would most likely be dead. On one of the other nights shortly after that, when I took the night off, they were robbed at gun point. So it was a dangerous place.
Right after this time I was nervous to work the shift and Dave came in to sell the steaks. I offered to lone him some money, which he wanted to buy beer. I knew that he had lost his apartment and had moved in with the guy that had the carpet business. he was living in the basement.
I offered to by him a 12 pack if he would stay there, since the station was never robbed when there was 2 people I felt this was in my best interest. This became a nightly thing and I felt that the 50 dollars a week was a good investment to keep from getting my head blown off or my brains bashed in. Did I mention that the police did nothing in either case, even though they caught the robbers both times.
Here is an interesting true fact. A police officer has a 1 in 100 chance of being killed in the line of duty. A taxi driver is 1 in 25. A clerk on the overnight shift at a gas station has a 1 in 10 chance. It is the highest mortality rate of any job. And the lowest paying.
Back to Dave. So I got to talk to Dave a lot and because he was drunk I got truthful answers. He felt that he had been wronged by Ground Round and by this one guy in particular who fired him. I guess he was the boss. Now, I felt that since he had been caught stealing the firing was justified, but that's not how Dave saw it.
So Dave's life continued to deteriorate and he was about to get kicked out onto the street for stealing from the people who took him in. The last night that I saw him He came in and had his 12 pack, then around 2am took another 12 pack. I yelled at him, but I could see he was not in a good place, so I just let him take it. As the night got late he told me that he had a plan to get even with the guy that fired him.
Now people when they drink say a lot of things, and most of it is crap, Drunk Talk. It doesn't mean anything. Dave explained how he was going to walk over one morning, he had no car, and take an empty windshield washer gallon bottle out of the trash, fill it with gasoline and take it over to Ground Round. He would then pour it all over this guys new car and set it a blaze and walk across the street to the McDonald's and sit and watch it burn.
The next night I came in and I reviewed the paperwork from the previous shifts and I saw that pump 1 had a drive off for 1 gallon of gas. I thought it odd, but compared to the usually 20 gallon drive-offs we had almost every day, I was happy it was only a dollar. Gas, a dollar a gallon, yeah a long, long time ago.
Around 5am the newspapers got delivered and on the front page of the paper was a picture of this boss guy's car engulfed in flames with the fire dept trying to put it out. Wholly SH*T was my thought at the time. He actually did it. What was even more amazing about this was that it happened only a few hours after Dave had left the station and he took a 6 pack for the road, so in 6-8 hours he had consumed 30 beers, yet was lucid enough to walk over to the station and then walk the 1/2 mile to the restaurant and carry out his plan.
I did not think this would have been possible, and maybe it is all a coincidence and Dave had nothing to do with the fire, but I can't say for sure. They ruled the fire cause unknown.
Most likely Dave is dead by now. He would have to be close to 60 if he was still alive. I feel bad for him, but I see many of the same injustices in my life and I wonder if I am making accurate assessments of the situations. I think that life is unbalanced and that many people get the short end of the stick, which allows a few to get the long end more then their fair share of the time.
Dave's boss was not on the bottom, but he was not much further up the ladder. I understand Dave's hostility even though it was misplaced. It's hard not to feel screwed over working in any business when you see how the business manipulates all the workers, like chess pieces, and puts plays into motion just by the rules they set up. Stealing is wrong, but from being on the bottom for so long I know why people feel it is justified.
My experience has been that the people at the top steal the most. Maybe not as often, but the take a lot more then their fair share and most of the time legally.
One of my former bosses stole money from every worker, right out of their paycheck. When the Labor Board finally believed the workers, which took about 7 years, they tried to fine him and get our money back. We never got it back and he never paid the fines and the Labor Board was powerless to do anything. I know this guy and he is a criminal. He has done several huge crimes and gotten away with them. Turning him in, even with evidence, would serve no purpose. With his resources he would have the guilt thrown on me and he would walk away a hero.
This is why people on the bottom feel right in taking from their companies, because the company takes from them.
It's easy to steal when the law is powerless against you. I'm shocked more employers don't do it more often.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Rainbow
I'm not sure when this was, but I think it was in April. I saw this rainbow that formed an arc across the whole sky. I was not far enough back to get the full arc in one shot.
It only lasted a few minutes, then a double rainbow formed on the left side of the arc.
Pretty neat.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Summer Blockbuster Movie Weekend
It looks like the weekend of the 16th will be the defining weekend for the summer movie season.
The new Batman movie is opening that weekend, along with several other movies, but I think Batman will blow them all away.
I'm amazed at how well the Batman movies have done. Back in the 80's they did Batman with Michael Keaton and there were sequals. Now they re-invented him again. The previous Batman to this one was Batman Begins and it was somewhat different and very good. Morgan Freeman was in it. He's in this one too. Hopefully it will be as good as the previews make it look.
Also opening on the 16th is Houndog, which has been on hold for about the last 6 months. It was supposed to release, but the ton of bad press made them hold off. I'm not sure why they picked the blockbuster weekend to release it. Maybe they are hoping to go under the radar.
There was a big problem with the ratings board. They wanted the key scene in the movie removed, which most likely would have destroyed the movie. The mainstream theaters said they would not run it even with an R rating. So, they decided to go with the uncut version which has the NR rating. I think if this film was actually given a chance it might fail on its' own, at least that's what the critics say.
The only private movie house within 50 miles said they won't be showing it, so I don't think it will do well ticket wise. If you live in NYC or Philly, LA you will be able to see it, but otherwise I think you'll have to wait for the video.
That brings up a topic that I was talking with someone about, that when a movie gets to PPV and video, a lot of times it is edited and loses a lot of it's feel. I know Fast Food Nation they cut the final scene ( edited it ) and it lost a lot just from that little edit. I'm glad I got to see the original print. I don't know what they think they need to protect us from. If you choose to see a movie about the meat packing industry, I think you know going in it's going to be tough to watch.
It would be like going to see The Passion of The Christ and being shocked by all the violence and horror. I actually was shocked, but the movie was trying to make a point and I don't think anyone missed the message. Let the movie makers tell the story and let the people see it if they choose to.
And to all the theater owners, PLEASE TURN THE A/C BACK ON.
It's 90 outside, I don't want it 90 inside as well. It ruins the whole experience.
P.S.: Regal, expect to get a letter from me about this.
The new Batman movie is opening that weekend, along with several other movies, but I think Batman will blow them all away.
I'm amazed at how well the Batman movies have done. Back in the 80's they did Batman with Michael Keaton and there were sequals. Now they re-invented him again. The previous Batman to this one was Batman Begins and it was somewhat different and very good. Morgan Freeman was in it. He's in this one too. Hopefully it will be as good as the previews make it look.
Also opening on the 16th is Houndog, which has been on hold for about the last 6 months. It was supposed to release, but the ton of bad press made them hold off. I'm not sure why they picked the blockbuster weekend to release it. Maybe they are hoping to go under the radar.
There was a big problem with the ratings board. They wanted the key scene in the movie removed, which most likely would have destroyed the movie. The mainstream theaters said they would not run it even with an R rating. So, they decided to go with the uncut version which has the NR rating. I think if this film was actually given a chance it might fail on its' own, at least that's what the critics say.
The only private movie house within 50 miles said they won't be showing it, so I don't think it will do well ticket wise. If you live in NYC or Philly, LA you will be able to see it, but otherwise I think you'll have to wait for the video.
That brings up a topic that I was talking with someone about, that when a movie gets to PPV and video, a lot of times it is edited and loses a lot of it's feel. I know Fast Food Nation they cut the final scene ( edited it ) and it lost a lot just from that little edit. I'm glad I got to see the original print. I don't know what they think they need to protect us from. If you choose to see a movie about the meat packing industry, I think you know going in it's going to be tough to watch.
It would be like going to see The Passion of The Christ and being shocked by all the violence and horror. I actually was shocked, but the movie was trying to make a point and I don't think anyone missed the message. Let the movie makers tell the story and let the people see it if they choose to.
And to all the theater owners, PLEASE TURN THE A/C BACK ON.
It's 90 outside, I don't want it 90 inside as well. It ruins the whole experience.
P.S.: Regal, expect to get a letter from me about this.
Bald Eagles
Since this past winter I have been seeing these large birds along the river, that I thought were hawks, but they looked to big to be hawks and they had a different look to them then anything I had seen before.
Turns out they are Bald Eagles, I kid you not. I'm not sure how many pairs there are, but with the river and the road kill they are thriving.
I also saw a deer that ran in front of my van in the same area. With all the developement I'm surprised to see so much wildlife.
I have not seen any moose this year, but I have not driven through Waterford at night. Usually they hang around by the river late at night. I've only seen one at a time, they apparently don't hang together like deer. They say that the ones that get seen most often are the young males that are looking for their own territory.
Turns out they are Bald Eagles, I kid you not. I'm not sure how many pairs there are, but with the river and the road kill they are thriving.
I also saw a deer that ran in front of my van in the same area. With all the developement I'm surprised to see so much wildlife.
I have not seen any moose this year, but I have not driven through Waterford at night. Usually they hang around by the river late at night. I've only seen one at a time, they apparently don't hang together like deer. They say that the ones that get seen most often are the young males that are looking for their own territory.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
PA
I fell in love with PA on a summer trip there when I was 10, maybe 11. There was a carnival in town and it was fun, but that’s not what made me fall in love with the area. My family was there, and they were being jerks, as usual. My Aunt & Uncle were trying their best to offset my family’s jerkiness.
The carnival was on a side street on the eastern edge of town and the road bordered a corn field. I looked at the satellite views to see if I could find a picture only to see the corn field is gone now, replaced with a housing development.
The sun was setting and as I looked out over the corn field it felt like the noise from the carnival drifted away and there was this stillness and this peacefulness and I just stood there in awe. It was, without a doubt, a religious experience. There have only been a few times in life that I have ever felt that calm, that peace, that moment where it feels like God is speaking to you. Showing you how beautiful the world can be.
The air smelled different, everything looked different, there was an electricity in the air that felt incredible.
I wish every day could be like that.
I felt the same feeling a few other times in PA.
One night was at Dorney Park several years later. I was on the water log ride and it had just gotten dark and the lights had come on and it was just amazing.
One fall, just before my Aunt & Uncle moved away, there was an orchard just down the road from their house that had dropped it leaves and the pattern was so symmetrical and it stayed like that for days, maybe even weeks.
I remember pointing it out. It was like God was leaving the beauty there for everyone to see.
Words do not do it justice.
There was a day, some time ago that I was feeling down and it was a grey day and it had been raining and I was just coming off the highway and making a left turn and I looked to my left and there was this rainbow. Like God saying there is hope. I looked at it and felt much better.
I wish God would speak to me more often, and I wish I was a better listener, but it seems when he really wants my attention He is able to get it. Maybe He just does not speak that often. Or maybe he does and only a few people stop to hear Him speak.
The carnival was on a side street on the eastern edge of town and the road bordered a corn field. I looked at the satellite views to see if I could find a picture only to see the corn field is gone now, replaced with a housing development.
The sun was setting and as I looked out over the corn field it felt like the noise from the carnival drifted away and there was this stillness and this peacefulness and I just stood there in awe. It was, without a doubt, a religious experience. There have only been a few times in life that I have ever felt that calm, that peace, that moment where it feels like God is speaking to you. Showing you how beautiful the world can be.
The air smelled different, everything looked different, there was an electricity in the air that felt incredible.
I wish every day could be like that.
I felt the same feeling a few other times in PA.
One night was at Dorney Park several years later. I was on the water log ride and it had just gotten dark and the lights had come on and it was just amazing.
One fall, just before my Aunt & Uncle moved away, there was an orchard just down the road from their house that had dropped it leaves and the pattern was so symmetrical and it stayed like that for days, maybe even weeks.
I remember pointing it out. It was like God was leaving the beauty there for everyone to see.
Words do not do it justice.
There was a day, some time ago that I was feeling down and it was a grey day and it had been raining and I was just coming off the highway and making a left turn and I looked to my left and there was this rainbow. Like God saying there is hope. I looked at it and felt much better.
I wish God would speak to me more often, and I wish I was a better listener, but it seems when he really wants my attention He is able to get it. Maybe He just does not speak that often. Or maybe he does and only a few people stop to hear Him speak.
The heat continues
I went out around 1:30 today to my therapist appointment and after that I went to the post office, dropped off my sister’s mail, stopped at Office Max, picked up my pills at CVS, then I went to the bank to deposit a check.
I had been running around in the heat for 2 hours and the therapist’s is not air conditioned very well, so By the time I got home at 5 I was really sick from the heat.
I’m still not feeling well. I’m still having heart palpitations. The temp in the apartment started going up about 2 hours ago.
I was listening to Rush Limbaugh talk about an editorial by some guy that said that A/C was ruining the planet and was unnecessary. Rush disagreed to my pleasant surprise. Rush read most of the editorial and towards the end of the editorial the writer expressed his views that he loved the heat and did not like being cool.
I’ve noticed as each year passes that businesses use less A/C as a way of saving money. Malls especially are doing this now, making very uncomfortable for both the workers and the shoppers, and even the movie theaters are not turning on the A/C, which is a first. I have never seen this before.
With the summer movie season about to explode, I am wondering if they will continue the trend. I think after one hot and sticky movie that most people would not come back. There have been a couple of big grossing films, like Wanted and WALL-E, but the new Batman movie is due to hit this month as is X-Files and I’m sure there will be other big hits.
I remember the summer of 89 when there were at least 2 great movies released every week. I used to take the 82 bus to downtown Troy where they had the old U/A theater. I think they had 4 screens.
I can’t remember where I was working at the time. It might have been for the payroll company. I didn’t have a car yet. I think I got my first car in the summer of 90 or 91. Boy the adventures I had with the Granada. I drove it to PA soon after I got it. That was a hell of a trip.
I think it took 9 hours. I took the Thruway south to 84 West and everything was going fine. I took 209 south and managed to miss the 209 bypass turn and instead wound up on the business 209 stretch that ran through Stroudsburg. I got a migraine just after I missed the turn and I had to stop several times in Stroudsburg.
Merging onto route 80 with a migraine was tough to say the least, then onto 33 and I could barely keep conscious. I pulled off the Bath exit and pulled into the Mc Donalds. I remember walking up to the counter and asking for a glass of carbonated water. This was back when MCD’s was charging for everything (including water ) and I said you can charge me whatever you want, but the girl looked at me and knew I was in bad shape. She gave it to me and I stumbled to a booth and sipped the water.
After a time, I couldn’t tell how long, I stumbled to the bathroom and passed out. I came to and dragged myself out of the bathroom and headed back on the road. I could have passed out behind the wheel, but my desire to see PA again was so strong I would have risked almost anything to see it again.
I had been running around in the heat for 2 hours and the therapist’s is not air conditioned very well, so By the time I got home at 5 I was really sick from the heat.
I’m still not feeling well. I’m still having heart palpitations. The temp in the apartment started going up about 2 hours ago.
I was listening to Rush Limbaugh talk about an editorial by some guy that said that A/C was ruining the planet and was unnecessary. Rush disagreed to my pleasant surprise. Rush read most of the editorial and towards the end of the editorial the writer expressed his views that he loved the heat and did not like being cool.
I’ve noticed as each year passes that businesses use less A/C as a way of saving money. Malls especially are doing this now, making very uncomfortable for both the workers and the shoppers, and even the movie theaters are not turning on the A/C, which is a first. I have never seen this before.
With the summer movie season about to explode, I am wondering if they will continue the trend. I think after one hot and sticky movie that most people would not come back. There have been a couple of big grossing films, like Wanted and WALL-E, but the new Batman movie is due to hit this month as is X-Files and I’m sure there will be other big hits.
I remember the summer of 89 when there were at least 2 great movies released every week. I used to take the 82 bus to downtown Troy where they had the old U/A theater. I think they had 4 screens.
I can’t remember where I was working at the time. It might have been for the payroll company. I didn’t have a car yet. I think I got my first car in the summer of 90 or 91. Boy the adventures I had with the Granada. I drove it to PA soon after I got it. That was a hell of a trip.
I think it took 9 hours. I took the Thruway south to 84 West and everything was going fine. I took 209 south and managed to miss the 209 bypass turn and instead wound up on the business 209 stretch that ran through Stroudsburg. I got a migraine just after I missed the turn and I had to stop several times in Stroudsburg.
Merging onto route 80 with a migraine was tough to say the least, then onto 33 and I could barely keep conscious. I pulled off the Bath exit and pulled into the Mc Donalds. I remember walking up to the counter and asking for a glass of carbonated water. This was back when MCD’s was charging for everything (including water ) and I said you can charge me whatever you want, but the girl looked at me and knew I was in bad shape. She gave it to me and I stumbled to a booth and sipped the water.
After a time, I couldn’t tell how long, I stumbled to the bathroom and passed out. I came to and dragged myself out of the bathroom and headed back on the road. I could have passed out behind the wheel, but my desire to see PA again was so strong I would have risked almost anything to see it again.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Social Security
I had a neighbor give me the Social Security booklets describing part A, B, C & D.
I'm not stupid, but I could barely understand them. they are written in a very strange style that makes them tough to understand.
I spent a couple days going over them and making notes, charts, spread sheets, and what I found was basically this:
You have to pay 100.00 a month for part B, you may have to pay another 100.00 a month for part A, it did not say what the criteria is for wether you have to pay or not.
Then you have to select a health plan. Currently I pay 5.00 for Dr visits and I get 6 a year. I do not pay anything a month for this. I get no dental and no optical.
Under the SSA part A & B I will pay 100-200 a month and Dr visits will be 30.00
Then I have to get a Rx plan ( Part D ) None of these plans are good.
You pay 30-100 a month and the co-pays are 12.00 on generics, which cost 4.00 if you pay cash with no insurance, and 30 dollars or more for brand name drugs ( if they are covered ).
The plan I am on now I get some of my generic for free and the brand name is 6.00
Bottom line, for me the part D would cost me a ton of money and it would cost me money to use the plan vs. paying cash out of pocket.
Medicare reform was a giant screw to old and sick people and I just figured it out.
Maybe that's why the booklets are so hard to make out.
I am hoping I can keep the insurance that I have. I will have to do some asking and see what the rules are.
I could pay 70.00 a month with the plan I am on now and get dental and optical, but there is only one dentist that takes the insurance and I did not like him, even though he seemed OK.
And the eye Dr., OH MY GOD.
I know things have changed, and with managed care you can't do things like you used to, but my Aunt is an O.D. and her office they saw patients 1 at a time. A class act. This guy was jumping between me and 4 other patients at the same time. had zero patience and zero bed side manner.
I'm a tough patient and my eyesight is really bad. I have astigmatism and a lazy eye, actually I think both eyes are lazy and I have bi-focals, and getting glasses I can see out of is really tough.
I don't think this guy could handle it. And in the last month my vision has gotten blurry in both eyes and I don't know why. If I look only out of one eye and focus for a while I can read with the right eye, the left eye is blurry all the time. this change happened suddenly and I'm not sure why. It is starting to worry me.
Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's my neighbors smoking pot & crack & meth, & God only knows what else. I can smell it in my apartment, so maybe it is affecting me.
I have to see my therapist tomorrow, so I have to get some sleep tonight, so I will sign off.
I'm not stupid, but I could barely understand them. they are written in a very strange style that makes them tough to understand.
I spent a couple days going over them and making notes, charts, spread sheets, and what I found was basically this:
You have to pay 100.00 a month for part B, you may have to pay another 100.00 a month for part A, it did not say what the criteria is for wether you have to pay or not.
Then you have to select a health plan. Currently I pay 5.00 for Dr visits and I get 6 a year. I do not pay anything a month for this. I get no dental and no optical.
Under the SSA part A & B I will pay 100-200 a month and Dr visits will be 30.00
Then I have to get a Rx plan ( Part D ) None of these plans are good.
You pay 30-100 a month and the co-pays are 12.00 on generics, which cost 4.00 if you pay cash with no insurance, and 30 dollars or more for brand name drugs ( if they are covered ).
The plan I am on now I get some of my generic for free and the brand name is 6.00
Bottom line, for me the part D would cost me a ton of money and it would cost me money to use the plan vs. paying cash out of pocket.
Medicare reform was a giant screw to old and sick people and I just figured it out.
Maybe that's why the booklets are so hard to make out.
I am hoping I can keep the insurance that I have. I will have to do some asking and see what the rules are.
I could pay 70.00 a month with the plan I am on now and get dental and optical, but there is only one dentist that takes the insurance and I did not like him, even though he seemed OK.
And the eye Dr., OH MY GOD.
I know things have changed, and with managed care you can't do things like you used to, but my Aunt is an O.D. and her office they saw patients 1 at a time. A class act. This guy was jumping between me and 4 other patients at the same time. had zero patience and zero bed side manner.
I'm a tough patient and my eyesight is really bad. I have astigmatism and a lazy eye, actually I think both eyes are lazy and I have bi-focals, and getting glasses I can see out of is really tough.
I don't think this guy could handle it. And in the last month my vision has gotten blurry in both eyes and I don't know why. If I look only out of one eye and focus for a while I can read with the right eye, the left eye is blurry all the time. this change happened suddenly and I'm not sure why. It is starting to worry me.
Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's my neighbors smoking pot & crack & meth, & God only knows what else. I can smell it in my apartment, so maybe it is affecting me.
I have to see my therapist tomorrow, so I have to get some sleep tonight, so I will sign off.
Bills, Bills, and more Bills
No end in sight for the heat wave. ( I swear it was never hot like this for this long 20 years ago). I can remember when we would have heat waves, maybe a week of 90 degree days, but it didn't last for months.
My electric bill will most likely be 400 dollars. That will be arriving around the 15th. My registration I just paid, 63.00. My insurance is due by the 30th, that's 300.
The van needs a tire and that's 120 including mounting and balancing, but I have to take the tire off the car and bring it to them, still have not worked out how I will do that.
Cable/phone/internet will be arriving on the 15th as well, another 120.
I paid the rent and hopefully the stimulus check will arrive before the 15th and I can pay the electric with it.
I still can not believe the relentless heat generated by this building. It's 1:30am and you can feel the heat on every wall and the floor and the ceiling. both A/C's going and it's still 80 in here. The hallway is close to 100 degrees.
My electric bill will most likely be 400 dollars. That will be arriving around the 15th. My registration I just paid, 63.00. My insurance is due by the 30th, that's 300.
The van needs a tire and that's 120 including mounting and balancing, but I have to take the tire off the car and bring it to them, still have not worked out how I will do that.
Cable/phone/internet will be arriving on the 15th as well, another 120.
I paid the rent and hopefully the stimulus check will arrive before the 15th and I can pay the electric with it.
I still can not believe the relentless heat generated by this building. It's 1:30am and you can feel the heat on every wall and the floor and the ceiling. both A/C's going and it's still 80 in here. The hallway is close to 100 degrees.
My Van
My 89 Ford Van, like all older vehicles, has needed a lot of maintenance over the years.
The first repair I did shortly after receiving it was to replace the back fuel pump.
Then I think I had to replace the front shocks. Then a coil and while I was under the hood I did a tune up, new wires, new distributor cap and rotor, new plugs.
With an older vehicle you expect this.
Going from front to back, as best memory serves, I replaced
A spring on one of the headlights. The headlight screws. Both headlights several times. Side marker lights, directional lights, The radiator ( twice )
Radiator hoses, heater hoses, the heater core (front ) Removed back heater core and aux hoses.
Removed A/C lines and condenser that never worked
New brakes and rotor on front, new tires on front ( twice )
New brake lines and hoses (front )
Alignments
New fuel pumps in front and back tanks ( twice )
New starter (twice )
New water pump
New EGR valve
New high pressure fuel pump and regulator.
New CAM for steering wheel
New temp sensor, new valve cover gaskets, new oil fill tube.
New exhaust manifolds ( 2 of them )
New Y pipe on exhaust
New O2 sensor
New catalytic converter
New exhaust system ( everything behind converter including hangers and brackets and muffler) (twice)
3 New batteries
Back brakes
Back shocks
Back bolts that hold back gas tank to frame
(they don’t make these any more, so I had to make a suitable replacement )
Side door parts
Side door window motor
I’m sure there are more things I have forgotten.
The thing is, I know the van. It’s not perfect, but I know what to expect.
It leaks all sorts of fluids, but it gets me around.
I drove it to Binghamton and back and it made it.
Sure, I would love to have a new reliable vehicle, but I can never afford that, and anything used is going to have problems.
That’s why people sell their vehicles and get something else, because it has problems.
The van is big. Holds lots of stuff, and I don’t have to squeeze into it.
There is a lot of elbow room and leg room and it’s up high and easy to see what is going on around me. It's not, as I have loving grown to call them, a clown car.
All the newer SUV's are like those little clown cars that you see at the circus that 20 clowns pour out of. There is no room in them. It's great for the 5' 4" socker mom that weighs 150, but for the 285 6 foot man, forget it. You can barely squeeze in and your leg nerve gets pinched.
I had brisitis in my hips and could not fgure out why. It was due to squeezing into my sister's and my mom's SUV's.
My van is easy to get in and out of and I don't have any pain after driving it.
I need to get it at least 1 new tire and I need to adjust the alignment and maybe it will pass inspection.
The turn signal switch I think I can get to pass and worry about replacing it later.
The first repair I did shortly after receiving it was to replace the back fuel pump.
Then I think I had to replace the front shocks. Then a coil and while I was under the hood I did a tune up, new wires, new distributor cap and rotor, new plugs.
With an older vehicle you expect this.
Going from front to back, as best memory serves, I replaced
A spring on one of the headlights. The headlight screws. Both headlights several times. Side marker lights, directional lights, The radiator ( twice )
Radiator hoses, heater hoses, the heater core (front ) Removed back heater core and aux hoses.
Removed A/C lines and condenser that never worked
New brakes and rotor on front, new tires on front ( twice )
New brake lines and hoses (front )
Alignments
New fuel pumps in front and back tanks ( twice )
New starter (twice )
New water pump
New EGR valve
New high pressure fuel pump and regulator.
New CAM for steering wheel
New temp sensor, new valve cover gaskets, new oil fill tube.
New exhaust manifolds ( 2 of them )
New Y pipe on exhaust
New O2 sensor
New catalytic converter
New exhaust system ( everything behind converter including hangers and brackets and muffler) (twice)
3 New batteries
Back brakes
Back shocks
Back bolts that hold back gas tank to frame
(they don’t make these any more, so I had to make a suitable replacement )
Side door parts
Side door window motor
I’m sure there are more things I have forgotten.
The thing is, I know the van. It’s not perfect, but I know what to expect.
It leaks all sorts of fluids, but it gets me around.
I drove it to Binghamton and back and it made it.
Sure, I would love to have a new reliable vehicle, but I can never afford that, and anything used is going to have problems.
That’s why people sell their vehicles and get something else, because it has problems.
The van is big. Holds lots of stuff, and I don’t have to squeeze into it.
There is a lot of elbow room and leg room and it’s up high and easy to see what is going on around me. It's not, as I have loving grown to call them, a clown car.
All the newer SUV's are like those little clown cars that you see at the circus that 20 clowns pour out of. There is no room in them. It's great for the 5' 4" socker mom that weighs 150, but for the 285 6 foot man, forget it. You can barely squeeze in and your leg nerve gets pinched.
I had brisitis in my hips and could not fgure out why. It was due to squeezing into my sister's and my mom's SUV's.
My van is easy to get in and out of and I don't have any pain after driving it.
I need to get it at least 1 new tire and I need to adjust the alignment and maybe it will pass inspection.
The turn signal switch I think I can get to pass and worry about replacing it later.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Economy
I was listening to an economist talking about China’s emerging middle class of 300 million and how they are running China’s economy while 50% of their nation lives in dire poverty, and I realized this is the same ratio we have here in America.
China has 1.3 billion people, 10% of which are the wealthy, 15% who are above the upper middle class, but below the wealthy, and 25% who are this upper middle class. The other 50% are in poverty.
In U.S. terms
10% are earning over a million a year
10% are between the 100K and million mark
30% are in this so called “middle class” that earns above 30K
The rest of us are on the bottom and really don’t matter much.
When I hear news stories about the economy here and how bad it is because of high gas prices and how people are feeling the pinch, I don’t see it translated out in the world, and I think I know why.
The “middle class” and above are not effected by this rise in cost, not really effected.
A good example of this is the lines at the gas station. More gas is being sold now then ever before. There are more gas tankers then I have ever seen. Demand is way up. Stores are jammed. You can rarely find a parking spot anywhere near the stores.
Now people may be buying generic on some items, but they are not shopping less. This middle class that has both people working, they both have cars, some even have 2 cars and a third or fourth vehicle, and the 3 kids all have cars.
In most suburban neighborhoods parking is a real problem. I see many homes with 2 car garages with 3 or 4 cars parked in the driveway. These people have the money to spend for gas, at any cost.
Speaking of cost, I noticed the price per gallon has not gone up even though the price per barrel has risen 10.00. So I’m not sure what to make of that.
Now I know the Dow has gone down, but looking over the long term it’s not really down. Now if it were to drop another 5000 points, then I would say we have a problem, but this only affects the upper class that have stock. The guy making 8 bucks an hour is not affected. Sure they could fire him, but since they are down to only 1 person running most places, that would not be possible.
I went out tonight at midnight to do my grocery shopping, figuring that there would not be anyone on the roads or in the store. I was wrong. On a Sunday night, at midnight, the stores should be empty, the roads should be empty. There not. It makes no sense. Obviously, some people have money to spend.
The night clubs & bars that 3 years ago were closed on Sunday night’s for lack of business are packed. I just don’t understand. And I swear to you that the traffic lights, that a few months ago were green at night unless there was traffic from the side streets, they are on fast red / green cycles, even with no traffic.
Every one of those lights I have to stop for. And the police are out with the radar like never before. I don’t want to sound like a nut, but it seems like they want the poor off the streets and out of the way.
China has 1.3 billion people, 10% of which are the wealthy, 15% who are above the upper middle class, but below the wealthy, and 25% who are this upper middle class. The other 50% are in poverty.
In U.S. terms
10% are earning over a million a year
10% are between the 100K and million mark
30% are in this so called “middle class” that earns above 30K
The rest of us are on the bottom and really don’t matter much.
When I hear news stories about the economy here and how bad it is because of high gas prices and how people are feeling the pinch, I don’t see it translated out in the world, and I think I know why.
The “middle class” and above are not effected by this rise in cost, not really effected.
A good example of this is the lines at the gas station. More gas is being sold now then ever before. There are more gas tankers then I have ever seen. Demand is way up. Stores are jammed. You can rarely find a parking spot anywhere near the stores.
Now people may be buying generic on some items, but they are not shopping less. This middle class that has both people working, they both have cars, some even have 2 cars and a third or fourth vehicle, and the 3 kids all have cars.
In most suburban neighborhoods parking is a real problem. I see many homes with 2 car garages with 3 or 4 cars parked in the driveway. These people have the money to spend for gas, at any cost.
Speaking of cost, I noticed the price per gallon has not gone up even though the price per barrel has risen 10.00. So I’m not sure what to make of that.
Now I know the Dow has gone down, but looking over the long term it’s not really down. Now if it were to drop another 5000 points, then I would say we have a problem, but this only affects the upper class that have stock. The guy making 8 bucks an hour is not affected. Sure they could fire him, but since they are down to only 1 person running most places, that would not be possible.
I went out tonight at midnight to do my grocery shopping, figuring that there would not be anyone on the roads or in the store. I was wrong. On a Sunday night, at midnight, the stores should be empty, the roads should be empty. There not. It makes no sense. Obviously, some people have money to spend.
The night clubs & bars that 3 years ago were closed on Sunday night’s for lack of business are packed. I just don’t understand. And I swear to you that the traffic lights, that a few months ago were green at night unless there was traffic from the side streets, they are on fast red / green cycles, even with no traffic.
Every one of those lights I have to stop for. And the police are out with the radar like never before. I don’t want to sound like a nut, but it seems like they want the poor off the streets and out of the way.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
It's All So Overwhelming
I was looking at some old photos and they really depressed me. Every photo I look at I notice something about myself that I hate. I hate who I was then, and I hate who I am now.
I try to be better, but I fail and it makes me angry and it makes everyone around me angry.
This week I heard several stories while talking with people about my inability to make a change.
I explained how I see myself as being a bad person through my thoughts and my actions, even though I try hard not to be.
I see these same bad traits in most everyone, and the fact that others see them in everyone surprised me.
One person thought that people are just dumb, and I agreed that some are dumb, but there is a much darker motive to their actions.
I don't know if it is the human condition that makes us this way, or if we are just animals doing what animals do, or if it is society that causes this behavior, but it worries me.
Always having to second guess motives and always having to look over your shoulder is not a good feeling.
A perfect example was today in the elevator one of the drug users / dealers that lives on my floor, he asked if I lived on this floor. Now he knows who I am and I know who he is and he knows I live on this floor, so what was his motivation for asking.
What was he really saying, and thinking. He is up to something. I hate living in fear. I hate living here, but I have nowhere else to go.
I was talking with one of the neighbors and they said be grateful you are not living under the bridge. When I asked what they meant, and if there were people actually living there, I was told there was.
I remember when I was a kid going to the Troy Public Library and seeing photos from the 1930's showing shanty towns down by this bridge. I saw what it looks like today, and aside from the clothing, if you took a black and white photo today and put it next to the the one from the 1930's you would have a tough time telling which photo was taken when.
This is not how America, or anywhere in the world, should be. We should be better then this. The lack of compassion, the total disregard for human life actually makes me nauseous.
I always think I am a bad person because I don't care about a lot of things, and I don't feel compassion for others. I'm not sure if other people don't feel it either, or if they just don't care, but on the scale of zero to ten, if I'm a 2, then those with the power, who could fix the problem, that don't must be a zero.
I saw a story on PBS about homeless people in NYC and how this non-profit group said that the opion of the city was wrong and that people don't want to live on the street. To that end, they started getting homeless drug addicts apartments, paying the rent, utilities, etc..
The city said this was bad and tried to put a stop to it. They said they would use the apartments as drug dens. It turned out that all the people that they gave apartments to got clean and sober, some for the first time in their lives. Some got jobs. The Cities response, We don't have 3 grand a month to give to these people for apartments and utilities, etc..
So basically what they said was, yes we know they don't want to be on the street, your program works, but we want to put a stop to it anyway because ( I don't know why ) . They brought up the fact that once these people wind up in prison it costs 30K a year and they have the money then. So what is the real agenda ?
It seems pretty clear to me. This is just one example, there are thousands, and how anyone can go through the day and ignore these issues, I just don't understand.
I try to be better, but I fail and it makes me angry and it makes everyone around me angry.
This week I heard several stories while talking with people about my inability to make a change.
I explained how I see myself as being a bad person through my thoughts and my actions, even though I try hard not to be.
I see these same bad traits in most everyone, and the fact that others see them in everyone surprised me.
One person thought that people are just dumb, and I agreed that some are dumb, but there is a much darker motive to their actions.
I don't know if it is the human condition that makes us this way, or if we are just animals doing what animals do, or if it is society that causes this behavior, but it worries me.
Always having to second guess motives and always having to look over your shoulder is not a good feeling.
A perfect example was today in the elevator one of the drug users / dealers that lives on my floor, he asked if I lived on this floor. Now he knows who I am and I know who he is and he knows I live on this floor, so what was his motivation for asking.
What was he really saying, and thinking. He is up to something. I hate living in fear. I hate living here, but I have nowhere else to go.
I was talking with one of the neighbors and they said be grateful you are not living under the bridge. When I asked what they meant, and if there were people actually living there, I was told there was.
I remember when I was a kid going to the Troy Public Library and seeing photos from the 1930's showing shanty towns down by this bridge. I saw what it looks like today, and aside from the clothing, if you took a black and white photo today and put it next to the the one from the 1930's you would have a tough time telling which photo was taken when.
This is not how America, or anywhere in the world, should be. We should be better then this. The lack of compassion, the total disregard for human life actually makes me nauseous.
I always think I am a bad person because I don't care about a lot of things, and I don't feel compassion for others. I'm not sure if other people don't feel it either, or if they just don't care, but on the scale of zero to ten, if I'm a 2, then those with the power, who could fix the problem, that don't must be a zero.
I saw a story on PBS about homeless people in NYC and how this non-profit group said that the opion of the city was wrong and that people don't want to live on the street. To that end, they started getting homeless drug addicts apartments, paying the rent, utilities, etc..
The city said this was bad and tried to put a stop to it. They said they would use the apartments as drug dens. It turned out that all the people that they gave apartments to got clean and sober, some for the first time in their lives. Some got jobs. The Cities response, We don't have 3 grand a month to give to these people for apartments and utilities, etc..
So basically what they said was, yes we know they don't want to be on the street, your program works, but we want to put a stop to it anyway because ( I don't know why ) . They brought up the fact that once these people wind up in prison it costs 30K a year and they have the money then. So what is the real agenda ?
It seems pretty clear to me. This is just one example, there are thousands, and how anyone can go through the day and ignore these issues, I just don't understand.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
HOT & MUGGY
It's amazing how, each year, I forget how hot it is during the summer.
This year is no exception. It's going to be close to 90 again today. We already have thunderstorms forming from the heat.
I bought another 8000 BTU A/C and had it put in. The worst part of the day, amazingly enough, is after the sun goes down. From 9am on the temp just keeps rising. Even with both A/C's on max, is was still 75 by 10PM in the apartment.
On the bright side, sometime after midnight the temp began to fall and by morning it was nice and cool, around 68, in the apartment.
I tried turning the A/C down when I got up, but the temp climbed pretty fast, and after just an hour the temp was up to 75. My electric bill went up 40 dollars with the one A/C running for a week. If that holds true, the bill will be over 300 dollars next month.
I'm really saddened by the fact that most of the people from the top floors stay outside all day and night just to keep cool, or cooler. With temps in the 80's outside and in the 110's inside, they are taking the lesser of 2 evils, but it's no fun. I tried spending an hour outside last night, around 9pm and the mosquitoes were eating me, and everyone else, alive.
I have bites all over my body. Being poor is terrible. I try to keep looking at the good things. I have TV and Internet, at least for now. I may have to have them turned off if the electric bill is too much. I am looking at the disconnect and reconnect costs. I would need to have the phone off for at least 3 months to offset the cost of having it disconnected, otherwise it would cost more then leaving it on.
The Internet is 50 and the cable is 60 and the connection charge 50 for each, I don't know what the disconnect charge is, but I'm guessing 3 months would make sense on those as well.
I have thought about working, but for every dollar I earn they would take away a dollar, so I would lose money. The disability system is not good. I need to spend more time talking to my therapist about this and see if we can come up with any legal solutions, since working under the table is not an option.
The price and quality of food is really terrible. Basically everything has almost doubled in price,
and that is not an exaggeration. A can of mushrooms was 1.29 and is now 1.99, same can.
Hamburger was 3.99 a pound, now 5.99 a pound. O.J is up, but not by that much.
And so much of the food has MSG in it now, chicken, pork, they all say self basting, which is code for MSG. you have to read the fine print to find it. I've been buying the day old pork since it's got the 1.00 off sticker. Even seltzer jumped from .99 to 1.39 a 2-liter.
Something has to give. The poor people, like me, can't afford to keep paying these prices. I tried to get the meals on wheels that the seniors get, but I don't qualify. They bring a bag lunch and a hot dinner for 2.00. That's a really good deal, but you have to be 62 or older to get it.
They should have a program here for the non-seniors. Maybe I could suggest that.
The school taxes here are some of the highest in the country, I think about 4K per 100K and they a having a vote to request another 26 mil to find improvements. This is a poor town with little downtown. Lots of vacant stores. I think that added tax would drive out more business.
I stopped ordering pizza, which was a big treat, because it went from 8.00 to now it's 15.00 for a medium pizza. They tried switching suppliers and the quality was awful and everyone complained and they went back to the good supplier, but the price went way up. I don't know how they are going to survive. I went down a few times and had slices at the restaurant, but even then it was 8.00 for 3 slices. They asked why I was coming down and I didn't have the heart to tell them it was the price.
It's a family shop and they try real hard. I just don't think they are going to make it. There are several other pizza shops in downtown and there isn't enough business to support them all.
Well, that's my update for today. Keep cool.
Bill
This year is no exception. It's going to be close to 90 again today. We already have thunderstorms forming from the heat.
I bought another 8000 BTU A/C and had it put in. The worst part of the day, amazingly enough, is after the sun goes down. From 9am on the temp just keeps rising. Even with both A/C's on max, is was still 75 by 10PM in the apartment.
On the bright side, sometime after midnight the temp began to fall and by morning it was nice and cool, around 68, in the apartment.
I tried turning the A/C down when I got up, but the temp climbed pretty fast, and after just an hour the temp was up to 75. My electric bill went up 40 dollars with the one A/C running for a week. If that holds true, the bill will be over 300 dollars next month.
I'm really saddened by the fact that most of the people from the top floors stay outside all day and night just to keep cool, or cooler. With temps in the 80's outside and in the 110's inside, they are taking the lesser of 2 evils, but it's no fun. I tried spending an hour outside last night, around 9pm and the mosquitoes were eating me, and everyone else, alive.
I have bites all over my body. Being poor is terrible. I try to keep looking at the good things. I have TV and Internet, at least for now. I may have to have them turned off if the electric bill is too much. I am looking at the disconnect and reconnect costs. I would need to have the phone off for at least 3 months to offset the cost of having it disconnected, otherwise it would cost more then leaving it on.
The Internet is 50 and the cable is 60 and the connection charge 50 for each, I don't know what the disconnect charge is, but I'm guessing 3 months would make sense on those as well.
I have thought about working, but for every dollar I earn they would take away a dollar, so I would lose money. The disability system is not good. I need to spend more time talking to my therapist about this and see if we can come up with any legal solutions, since working under the table is not an option.
The price and quality of food is really terrible. Basically everything has almost doubled in price,
and that is not an exaggeration. A can of mushrooms was 1.29 and is now 1.99, same can.
Hamburger was 3.99 a pound, now 5.99 a pound. O.J is up, but not by that much.
And so much of the food has MSG in it now, chicken, pork, they all say self basting, which is code for MSG. you have to read the fine print to find it. I've been buying the day old pork since it's got the 1.00 off sticker. Even seltzer jumped from .99 to 1.39 a 2-liter.
Something has to give. The poor people, like me, can't afford to keep paying these prices. I tried to get the meals on wheels that the seniors get, but I don't qualify. They bring a bag lunch and a hot dinner for 2.00. That's a really good deal, but you have to be 62 or older to get it.
They should have a program here for the non-seniors. Maybe I could suggest that.
The school taxes here are some of the highest in the country, I think about 4K per 100K and they a having a vote to request another 26 mil to find improvements. This is a poor town with little downtown. Lots of vacant stores. I think that added tax would drive out more business.
I stopped ordering pizza, which was a big treat, because it went from 8.00 to now it's 15.00 for a medium pizza. They tried switching suppliers and the quality was awful and everyone complained and they went back to the good supplier, but the price went way up. I don't know how they are going to survive. I went down a few times and had slices at the restaurant, but even then it was 8.00 for 3 slices. They asked why I was coming down and I didn't have the heart to tell them it was the price.
It's a family shop and they try real hard. I just don't think they are going to make it. There are several other pizza shops in downtown and there isn't enough business to support them all.
Well, that's my update for today. Keep cool.
Bill
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Customer Service sucks
Still no word from RCA on the TV.
My Panasonic Replay DVR stopped accepting time updates from the server.
The date was stuck on 11/12/1999.
I called Replay, which is now owned by DTV and they said called Panasonic.
So I called Panasonic and they said this was serious. I asked if this was the reason I was not getting any guide data, because it was looking for data for November 1999, they said maybe, but they were not sure.
The tech was really surprised that the unit was even still working. He said " We stopped making those units in 2000. That unit is over 8 years old. There's no way it should still be working."
Nothing like confidence in your companies merchandise.
I explained that I did have to replace the hard drive, and asked if there was any way to manually set the time, since I figured that would solve my problem.
He had no clue.
So I loaded a hacked image onto the unit that restored the option to input a manual date and time. ( The unit had this feature when it was built, but software updates removed this feature )
I set the date and time, and bingo, the guide data downloaded.
The attitude and the quality of the products being made really sucks.
Cars are made to not last much past the last loan payment, sometimes even less.
It seems like 3 years is the magic number for most electronics. 90 days is all they give on warranties, without buying an add on warranty that's roughly 20% of the purchase price for 1 year.
It also seems like the RMA depts delay processing the claims in an effort to get to that 90 day mark. This may not be the case, it may just be that they are short handed, or incompetent.
I know when I've worked in companies there has always been a good portion of the workforce that was faking it most of the time and a few of us that knew what we were doing. But, with downsizing and outsourcing it is very hard to provide good customer service with only a few knowledgeable people.
In my opinion, not that it means anything since most people don't want it, companies are looking for the wrong qualities in certain positions.
Take for example this company that called me out of the blue and wanted to interview me. They made DVD players that held 100 DVD's at a time. They had the ability to hook up remote units to the main unit, but you could only watch one DVD at any given time.
The units had hard drives, but because of copyright concerns they did not load the DVD's to the hard drives, which would have made sense, and you could play any movie on any TV simultaneously.
They needed someone to do tech support on the phone. they had already looked over my resume and they wanted a face to face interview. I went in and I saw what they were selling, and these units were very expensive. They stressed the point that even though the position was tech support, what they really wanted was a good salesman that could sell a new unit verses repairing the old one, even though these units were only a few years old. At 10K a pop.
I spent about 45 minutes talking with them and I told them I understood what they were looking for. I let them know that I thought it was crucial that they have someone who was tech savvy, even though they were trying to sell, more then repair.
I guess I missed the cue, because what they really meant, I believe, is "We don't want to repair any of these units, even if they are under warranty, even if they are only a few months old. We don't have the setup to do the repairs, we don't have the people to do the repairs, we don't want the hassle. We want you to sell new units to these people. These people are rich and stupid and that's why they buy from us instead of going with a more complex, cheaper, system that is far superior to anything we have to offer."
A few months go by and they call me again. They had hired a woman to fill the job right after they interviewed me. They thought that the female voice would work well because most of the clients were men. It turned out she had no tech experience, none. She had sales experience, but the people calling were not looking to buy new, they wanted help with the units they just purchased, in other words, tech support.
The woman that called me for another interview told me this. I explained to her that, at the first interview, I felt that tech support was key to this position. Selling units to replace older units was possible, but most people were calling for tech support, and repair. I again told her I would be perfect for the position of tech support, having dealt with so many companies tech support depts.
She e-mailed me a few days later to say they had gone with another woman for the job and that they were sticking to their original game plan.
I've got hundreds of stories like this, and depending on who listens, I get different responses. If someone in a management position listens they always see the negative, how I was wrong, said the wrong thing, did the wrong thing, did not give them what they wanted.
But, when I talk with people on my level, the workers, they see my point and they often agree with my assessments. Not all the time, but enough of the time that I know I'm not the only one seeing the situation in that way.
Now management will tell you how this is a bad thing, and in order to succeed you need to think like management, conform, " Be a team player" . However, management is hardly ever a team player. They say jump and you jump, no questions, no explanations. Having the money and the power makes their decisions right and yours wrong. It is that simple.
When you look at failures, major failures, in companies, it is rarely the fault of the workers. Management has put people in place that are not equipped to do the job. They have stripped away all the safeguards, they have set up situations that can only end in disaster for the customers and the employees.
The airlines are a good example of this. Enron is another good example. And the best part is they take absolutely no responsibility for anything that happens. The people at the top with all the power are clueless, or so they want you to think. If you believe them they have no idea about anything that has ever happened in the companies that they run.
The saddest part is some people actually believe them.
My Panasonic Replay DVR stopped accepting time updates from the server.
The date was stuck on 11/12/1999.
I called Replay, which is now owned by DTV and they said called Panasonic.
So I called Panasonic and they said this was serious. I asked if this was the reason I was not getting any guide data, because it was looking for data for November 1999, they said maybe, but they were not sure.
The tech was really surprised that the unit was even still working. He said " We stopped making those units in 2000. That unit is over 8 years old. There's no way it should still be working."
Nothing like confidence in your companies merchandise.
I explained that I did have to replace the hard drive, and asked if there was any way to manually set the time, since I figured that would solve my problem.
He had no clue.
So I loaded a hacked image onto the unit that restored the option to input a manual date and time. ( The unit had this feature when it was built, but software updates removed this feature )
I set the date and time, and bingo, the guide data downloaded.
The attitude and the quality of the products being made really sucks.
Cars are made to not last much past the last loan payment, sometimes even less.
It seems like 3 years is the magic number for most electronics. 90 days is all they give on warranties, without buying an add on warranty that's roughly 20% of the purchase price for 1 year.
It also seems like the RMA depts delay processing the claims in an effort to get to that 90 day mark. This may not be the case, it may just be that they are short handed, or incompetent.
I know when I've worked in companies there has always been a good portion of the workforce that was faking it most of the time and a few of us that knew what we were doing. But, with downsizing and outsourcing it is very hard to provide good customer service with only a few knowledgeable people.
In my opinion, not that it means anything since most people don't want it, companies are looking for the wrong qualities in certain positions.
Take for example this company that called me out of the blue and wanted to interview me. They made DVD players that held 100 DVD's at a time. They had the ability to hook up remote units to the main unit, but you could only watch one DVD at any given time.
The units had hard drives, but because of copyright concerns they did not load the DVD's to the hard drives, which would have made sense, and you could play any movie on any TV simultaneously.
They needed someone to do tech support on the phone. they had already looked over my resume and they wanted a face to face interview. I went in and I saw what they were selling, and these units were very expensive. They stressed the point that even though the position was tech support, what they really wanted was a good salesman that could sell a new unit verses repairing the old one, even though these units were only a few years old. At 10K a pop.
I spent about 45 minutes talking with them and I told them I understood what they were looking for. I let them know that I thought it was crucial that they have someone who was tech savvy, even though they were trying to sell, more then repair.
I guess I missed the cue, because what they really meant, I believe, is "We don't want to repair any of these units, even if they are under warranty, even if they are only a few months old. We don't have the setup to do the repairs, we don't have the people to do the repairs, we don't want the hassle. We want you to sell new units to these people. These people are rich and stupid and that's why they buy from us instead of going with a more complex, cheaper, system that is far superior to anything we have to offer."
A few months go by and they call me again. They had hired a woman to fill the job right after they interviewed me. They thought that the female voice would work well because most of the clients were men. It turned out she had no tech experience, none. She had sales experience, but the people calling were not looking to buy new, they wanted help with the units they just purchased, in other words, tech support.
The woman that called me for another interview told me this. I explained to her that, at the first interview, I felt that tech support was key to this position. Selling units to replace older units was possible, but most people were calling for tech support, and repair. I again told her I would be perfect for the position of tech support, having dealt with so many companies tech support depts.
She e-mailed me a few days later to say they had gone with another woman for the job and that they were sticking to their original game plan.
I've got hundreds of stories like this, and depending on who listens, I get different responses. If someone in a management position listens they always see the negative, how I was wrong, said the wrong thing, did the wrong thing, did not give them what they wanted.
But, when I talk with people on my level, the workers, they see my point and they often agree with my assessments. Not all the time, but enough of the time that I know I'm not the only one seeing the situation in that way.
Now management will tell you how this is a bad thing, and in order to succeed you need to think like management, conform, " Be a team player" . However, management is hardly ever a team player. They say jump and you jump, no questions, no explanations. Having the money and the power makes their decisions right and yours wrong. It is that simple.
When you look at failures, major failures, in companies, it is rarely the fault of the workers. Management has put people in place that are not equipped to do the job. They have stripped away all the safeguards, they have set up situations that can only end in disaster for the customers and the employees.
The airlines are a good example of this. Enron is another good example. And the best part is they take absolutely no responsibility for anything that happens. The people at the top with all the power are clueless, or so they want you to think. If you believe them they have no idea about anything that has ever happened in the companies that they run.
The saddest part is some people actually believe them.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Air Cleaner
One of my neighbors bought a 200 air purifier and as a free gift they sent a small Ionic Breeze cleaner. It stopped working after only a few days and the neighbor gave it to me since she was throwing it out anyway.
I took it apart, found the problem on the circuit board and repaired it. I've been using it for a few days and amazingly it actually works. It use metal plates that are electrically charged to collect dust. In theory I knew it should work, but I had my doubts.
After seeing the amount of black crap it has collected in only a few days and the absence of dust on surfaces, I am convinced it does what it says it does.
It even makes the air smell clean without any foreign smells like a spray cleaner would.
Everyone should have one of these. I don't know how much they cost, but free is a great price and the current draw is about the same as a digital clock.
Now the bigger $200 unit has filters and a fan, so that would add a few dollars to the electric bill, but it also cleans the air in a room in less then 5 minutes, where the small unit probably does not clean the whole room in 24 hours.
I've noticed I am not sneezing as much and my nose is only a little runny, so this is definitely something to put in the plus column.
I took it apart, found the problem on the circuit board and repaired it. I've been using it for a few days and amazingly it actually works. It use metal plates that are electrically charged to collect dust. In theory I knew it should work, but I had my doubts.
After seeing the amount of black crap it has collected in only a few days and the absence of dust on surfaces, I am convinced it does what it says it does.
It even makes the air smell clean without any foreign smells like a spray cleaner would.
Everyone should have one of these. I don't know how much they cost, but free is a great price and the current draw is about the same as a digital clock.
Now the bigger $200 unit has filters and a fan, so that would add a few dollars to the electric bill, but it also cleans the air in a room in less then 5 minutes, where the small unit probably does not clean the whole room in 24 hours.
I've noticed I am not sneezing as much and my nose is only a little runny, so this is definitely something to put in the plus column.
Waterford Downtown Revitalization
While, the Waterford downtown revitalization program continued this week with a fire that destroyed 2 more aging buildings.
31 people lost everything, but on the bright side there is now another vacant lot, right accross from the vacant lot from the last fire.
This theme is common. Troy did the same revitalization last week destroying the old iron works.
Cohoes has not seen any fires lately, but a fews years back there was one after another.
If memory serves me correct, we lost 3 mills in one summer.
You should see all the vacant buildings and store fronts, it looks like a war zone.
31 people lost everything, but on the bright side there is now another vacant lot, right accross from the vacant lot from the last fire.
This theme is common. Troy did the same revitalization last week destroying the old iron works.
Cohoes has not seen any fires lately, but a fews years back there was one after another.
If memory serves me correct, we lost 3 mills in one summer.
You should see all the vacant buildings and store fronts, it looks like a war zone.
HOT AS HELL
Everyone told me I would need 2 air conditioners. It's been in the 80's and even at night when the temp drops down to the 50's, it stays well into the 70's even with the A/C on all the time.
I've resorted to turning off all the lights and TV, not just to save power, but to cut down on the heat. It was 72 when I got up and I thought I could just open the window and turn off the A/C, but the temp rose to 88 in just 30 minutes. The halway is at least 100 degrees and that's with the windows open in the hall.
I noticed many people have had their A/C's put in the windows, but I have not seen any of them on. I know some people are still cold. It was 82 outside and people were getting their jackets because they were cold.
Now I know why people move to FL or AZ where it's 120 every day. When the circulation no longer works you feel cold and need external heat to compensate.
I guess after 50 you add 20 to your age and that's the temp you need it to be, so at 80 you need it to be 100 degrees. Me, I like the cold, not -20 cold, but 45 degrees sounds good to me.
I still don't know how people who need it to be so hot can take the winters. Do they just not go outside for 4 months ?
I'm sure June's electric bill will be high with the A/C on all the time. I find myself turning off all the lights and closing the doors. If I had a kid I could yell at them things like "Turn off all these lights, I'm not trying to own the electric company".
And the transformation would be complete.
I've weather stripped the door to stop the loss of cool air to the hallway. Every little bit helps.
Gas is 4.09 a gallon. Deisel is 4.99. NY is higher then most other places.
I saw an MSN story about how 10.00 a gallon gas would not cause a depression, only a recession and people would still drive just as much and cut back on everything else.
I think 10 / gallon is a stretch, but I thought 5.00 a gallon would never happen and it looks like we will be there by the end of the summer, so who knows.
I've resorted to turning off all the lights and TV, not just to save power, but to cut down on the heat. It was 72 when I got up and I thought I could just open the window and turn off the A/C, but the temp rose to 88 in just 30 minutes. The halway is at least 100 degrees and that's with the windows open in the hall.
I noticed many people have had their A/C's put in the windows, but I have not seen any of them on. I know some people are still cold. It was 82 outside and people were getting their jackets because they were cold.
Now I know why people move to FL or AZ where it's 120 every day. When the circulation no longer works you feel cold and need external heat to compensate.
I guess after 50 you add 20 to your age and that's the temp you need it to be, so at 80 you need it to be 100 degrees. Me, I like the cold, not -20 cold, but 45 degrees sounds good to me.
I still don't know how people who need it to be so hot can take the winters. Do they just not go outside for 4 months ?
I'm sure June's electric bill will be high with the A/C on all the time. I find myself turning off all the lights and closing the doors. If I had a kid I could yell at them things like "Turn off all these lights, I'm not trying to own the electric company".
And the transformation would be complete.
I've weather stripped the door to stop the loss of cool air to the hallway. Every little bit helps.
Gas is 4.09 a gallon. Deisel is 4.99. NY is higher then most other places.
I saw an MSN story about how 10.00 a gallon gas would not cause a depression, only a recession and people would still drive just as much and cut back on everything else.
I think 10 / gallon is a stretch, but I thought 5.00 a gallon would never happen and it looks like we will be there by the end of the summer, so who knows.
It's been a bad week
It’s been a rough week.
My new TV, that is only 6 weeks old, has developed a blue tint. All my efforts to correct the problem have not worked. I can’t find how to do a factory reset, so I have an e-mail into RCA to see if they can tell me how to do a reset and hope that fixes the problem.
I bought it at Wal-Mart and I threw away the box, so I doubt they will take it back. Most likely I will have to ship it to a repair center and that will probably cost more the TV for shipping.
The quality is just not in the workmanship.
I’ve had some left side paralysis this week. It started Friday with the numbness and pain in the left arm. I get that once in a while, but it spread to my face and yesterday I was talking funny and my whole left side of the face was droopy.
As I write this I still have the pain and numbness in the left arm and also in the left foot. I had some mental confusion earlier in the week as well. I could not make sense of what I was reading. The words seemed to be reversed and I had a very hard time focusing my mind on anything. My vision also was blurry. The left eye is still blurry.
I have no idea what is causing this, but I’m sure it is not normal.
I can only hope that it does not get worse.
I’m wondering if my neighbor’s drug use could be causing any of this. There are several pot smokers on my floor, and I doubt that pot would cause any of these symptoms by itself, but who knows what it might be laced with.
There are also crack smokers on my floor. The smell is definitely of something burning, and it is from more than one apartment, and it is not food or pot. One of the only other “clean” people that live on my floor tells me it is crack. There have been 2 small fires in apartments that we believe were crack related. The most recent was last night.
This is not a safe building. I really don’t feel comfortable here.
Today I did not get to sleep till 11am and at 2pm I was jolted awake to a pounding on my door. The pounding was so loud and constant that I thought there must be an emergency. I opened the door to find a shaggy looking man that looked like a drug user / dealer. He was looking for one of my neighbors.
My guess is he either was making a delivery, looking to collect money, or in need of a fix. It was a scary experience.
I’m afraid to say anything to management for fear of retaliation.
I’m not sure what to do.
In other news, Randy, the guy from Greene, NY came on Sunday and picked up the 8 ½ foot dish. I hope he enjoys it. I was sad to see it go. It’s just one more piece of my life that I have to give up.
Most people by the time they hit their late 30’s have a wife and kids, or at least a girlfriend and many are trying to buy a home. This should be the time when I have built a solid foundation with a good job and a healthy relationship and be looking to the future and to all the good things to come.
Instead, I look to the future with dread of how much more I am going to lose.
There is no light at the end of the tunnel, no happy ending, no American dream.
My new TV, that is only 6 weeks old, has developed a blue tint. All my efforts to correct the problem have not worked. I can’t find how to do a factory reset, so I have an e-mail into RCA to see if they can tell me how to do a reset and hope that fixes the problem.
I bought it at Wal-Mart and I threw away the box, so I doubt they will take it back. Most likely I will have to ship it to a repair center and that will probably cost more the TV for shipping.
The quality is just not in the workmanship.
I’ve had some left side paralysis this week. It started Friday with the numbness and pain in the left arm. I get that once in a while, but it spread to my face and yesterday I was talking funny and my whole left side of the face was droopy.
As I write this I still have the pain and numbness in the left arm and also in the left foot. I had some mental confusion earlier in the week as well. I could not make sense of what I was reading. The words seemed to be reversed and I had a very hard time focusing my mind on anything. My vision also was blurry. The left eye is still blurry.
I have no idea what is causing this, but I’m sure it is not normal.
I can only hope that it does not get worse.
I’m wondering if my neighbor’s drug use could be causing any of this. There are several pot smokers on my floor, and I doubt that pot would cause any of these symptoms by itself, but who knows what it might be laced with.
There are also crack smokers on my floor. The smell is definitely of something burning, and it is from more than one apartment, and it is not food or pot. One of the only other “clean” people that live on my floor tells me it is crack. There have been 2 small fires in apartments that we believe were crack related. The most recent was last night.
This is not a safe building. I really don’t feel comfortable here.
Today I did not get to sleep till 11am and at 2pm I was jolted awake to a pounding on my door. The pounding was so loud and constant that I thought there must be an emergency. I opened the door to find a shaggy looking man that looked like a drug user / dealer. He was looking for one of my neighbors.
My guess is he either was making a delivery, looking to collect money, or in need of a fix. It was a scary experience.
I’m afraid to say anything to management for fear of retaliation.
I’m not sure what to do.
In other news, Randy, the guy from Greene, NY came on Sunday and picked up the 8 ½ foot dish. I hope he enjoys it. I was sad to see it go. It’s just one more piece of my life that I have to give up.
Most people by the time they hit their late 30’s have a wife and kids, or at least a girlfriend and many are trying to buy a home. This should be the time when I have built a solid foundation with a good job and a healthy relationship and be looking to the future and to all the good things to come.
Instead, I look to the future with dread of how much more I am going to lose.
There is no light at the end of the tunnel, no happy ending, no American dream.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I Could Have Been Somebody
Looking at this picture reminds me that there was a time when I could have had a normal life, a good life, that's all behind me now.
My 10 Foot Dish
This was my 10 foot dish. You can see my 8 foot dish on the ground. This picture was taken about 2 months before we lost our house. I worked all through the winter setting the dish up. In negative 10 degree weather with snow 4 feet deep. I loved my dish. The few months I had it up brought me much happiness in an otherwise depressing life.
One of my Satellite Dishes
This was my 12 foot dish that I gave to a girl I used to work with. She had no TV at all because of the mountains. I miss my dish. It brought much happiness to my life, but like everything that brings me joy, it gets taken from me.
I could no longer have the dish because I live in a high rise. I had it in my van for about a year. I kept hoping some day, some how, I would be able to put it back up again.
That day never came, and never will.
Welcome to my life.
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