December Rider Comments

(married yesterday-Age 27) Him: "I knew I was going to marry her when I was 13. I tried to date her younger sister so I could see her."  Her: "For our second date he drove six hours one way to take me to dinner."

Female: "I think we(Jewish people) are genetically coded that we enjoy humor on an entirely different level."

As he got in the car the real estate lawyer said to me. "You can take the mask off, it doesn't matter to me I had it in June."

Male: "My Dad taught me how to fly when I was 9 years old and I was sitting on a telephone book in the cockpit. I got my pilot's license when I was 15, before my driver's license."

Female: "I first saw his picture in a company newsletter and I told my parents and friends I was going to marry him. When we were dating for two months I said to him, "I don't know what you're doing the rest of your life, but I'm going to marry you." He said, "I'm going to marry you."

(Woman in her 20's) "All girls are crazy, but you just need to find YOUR OWN crazy."

Architect: "The Ravenel Bridge in Charleston was made to look like two sailboats from the distance. There are 128  cables on it."

When I asked the two couples what they thought the two structures on the Ravenel bridge looked like, the woman who had not been drinking said, "boobs."(really sailboats)

Server: "I don't know how people dress in the morning.  The other day a man sat down on our bench in front of the restaurant and he was "butt naked." He may have come from the beach.  He wanted water, but we got him a cop.  Some of the girls took pictures."

"I was recently traveling in Mexico as a special guest and I wore a mask, I didn't want to pee in someone's cornflakes."

"You can't shovel sunshine. My friends up north don't like me saying that."

Male: "I work a 24 hour shift as a fireman, go home and work out for an hour, and then go to my part-time job. I sleep about 5 hours when I get home."

Running late coming out to my car, he said, "you know what it's like, women always want one extra kiss."

Me: "I'm supposed to pick up 'Outlaw', is that your real name? Her: "No it's my e-mail address."

Female: "I had been in South Carolina only a couple months and could not go home for Thanksgiving.  I was at a bar and started talking with a couple on Thanksgiving and they invited me back to their house for their Thanksgiving Dinner and I had a great time."

"I had a choice of going to UCLA or Coastal Carolina and I chose Coastal Carolina because a friend was going here. I think I made the wrong choice, because we're no longer friends."

Female(early 20's) about her friend sitting next to her: "There was a guy going to get a ride in a Uber and he said to her, 'come into my Uber with me.' I said, what are you thinking, she's my 21 year-old daughter." His reply was, "she can think for herself."

"All the nice people in the south are from New Jersey."

Me: "What was the best thing about growing up in California?" Woman: " The first time I got high was with her and her sister." The other woman said, " My Mom, my Dad, and my grandmother all grew weed on their own."

Male barber to me: "You earned your hair loss by living a long time."

We had a sorority event in Charlottesville bar and we got into an Uber that had flowers and butterflies taped to the ceiling of the car.  The driver said, 'did you know that bar is the most popular gay bar in town-I get all my boyfriends there."

"My favorite quote is, 'A closed mouth does not get fed'. It means that you have to go out and get what you want."

"Our Great Dane is only four months old, but when he pees, it like a lake."

Female: "I started eating uncooked pasta as a kid and I still eat it now, sometimes I just snack on it."

Male: "I've eaten uncooked noodles, but they'll kill you when they come out."

Male: "I lost my job in March and I was pretty down for a few months, but I was hired by Google and it's a better paying job in Austin, Texas."

She: "Do you have any favorite rider stories?" Me: "We don't have that much time."

Female agreeing with me: "I would eat barbecue now."(7 am)

Me: "What's the best part of living on a boat for six years?" Him: "The front yard view of the water, but I do miss trimming my shrubs."

(15 year old male) "You don't look 60, I thought you were 40."  Saying goodbye he said, "enjoy being 40."

Me: "How did you handle the 70-30% ratio of girls to guys at the College of Charleston?" Guy: "I'd like to think I handled it with grace and aplomb."

Her name, "Sabra" has two meanings- 'a native of Israel' and 'red cactus plant.'

Male: "I know a Vietnamese family that eats uncooked ramen like a candy bar."

Female Urologist: "I learned how to fly when I was a kid and got my pilot's license before my driver's license.  It was expected since both my parents were pilots."

"My family is all creative, we're a very right-brained family."

Male: "I was a New England Patriot fan until they started kneeling during the National Anthem.  I haven't watched a game this year."

Me: "What's the best thing about being on the road all the time driving a tractor trailer?" Him: "Nothing, there's no upside.  The only motivation is the money."

(Older woman asking me) "Do you put in the tip?" Me: "Yes, it's usually $55." (I wish I had said that)

"Earlier in the year we flew in a private plane and it was so easy so I bought a plane and finally got my pilot's license."

"Our third child is out golden child, he just has this twinkle in his eyes like his Dad."

Recovering alcoholic: "If you have enough pain, you can overcome anything. A bottle is not worth prison."

Male: "Our two and four year old's are handfuls, but they are so freaking cute."

Helicopter pilot: "When you see an orange sky in the morning it means that a storm is coming."

"Our truck repair business is up 35% this year and we don't know why."

"Our first date was at a Mexican Restaurant and we spent six hours there talking. The staff wasn't too happy with us."

Female about their boyfriends, "They met us at a stripper joint." (not)

"We're going to Isle of Palms to get our car. Uh oh, I think the keys are locked in the car."

"All you need at work is a little caring."

Getting in my car she said, "Where are we going? Just kidding, I know where I live."

Hospital Pharmacist: "I have two good friends who are nurses and they only wear a mask when they have too. I don't understand it."

(Grew up in Anchorage, Alaska) "Alaska is beautiful and a great place to visit, but not to live."

(Just retired) "I don't miss the daily stress, but I do miss the people."

Female: "When I wear the right clothes, I look good."

Female bartender: "We once had a guy go crazy, just running around the bar.  It must have been drugs because he had only two drinks. We had to call the cops."

"Our kids are grown, they don't want anything to do with us."

"I've had two doctors tell me that masks were not effective."

"No one wants to be told what to F'N do."

"The best thing about doing nails is seeing the before and after."

"The best thing about living in South Dakota is you can go 80 mph on the highway and everyone knows you."

Favorite December Rider Stories

THE LUCKY RIDE: After sitting(napping) in a parking lot for an hour in Myrtle Beach I decided to leave and immediately got a short ride from the private airport.  Two doctors, also pilots, had flown in and were getting some lunch at a pizzeria.  The ride was .6 miles long until they told me their story. They had left North Myrtle in their plane in bad weather to fly to Wilmington, N.C. which is only 60 miles north.  They could not land due to the weather so they came back here and were going to Uber home after lunch. I was happy to drive them. They are the ultimate "power couple," and were interesting to speak with. The wife was a Urologist and learned to fly when she was a kid since her parents were both pilots. She said, "it was expected of me." She was extremely knowledgeable about flying and made some professional calls on the way home while also checking with the babysitter for their two young children. The husband, a Pain Management doctor, said "the kids are a handful, but they are so freaking cute." He also converted to Judiasm and being a Red Sox fan he got a kick out of my story about the guy who converted to Judiasm so he could raise his kids as Red Sox fans. It was a great ride in bad weather.

THE HELICOPTER PILOT:  I had the privilege of driving a 20-year helicopter pilot for the Navy.  He said, "I've spent most of my life helping fight other people's wars." He told me about fighting off pirates near Africa, the Gulf War, and also tours in Iraq. His career began when he was accepted by MIT after being turned down by Clemson, which he still laughs about since MIT is a much more prestigious school. He did get an engineering degree and is currently working as an engineer for a hotel here. We happened to see an orange sky just after sunrise and he told me that, "it means that a storm is coming."  He's very proud of his two daughters, one was speaks five languages fluently since she grew up in the Philippines. Both daughters will be following him into the Navy in different capacities. I thanked him for his service and suggested he probably doesn't get thanked much anymore, but he said he does in the South.

THE SERVER: I thought it was going to be a routine ride, picking up a server at a restaurant and taking her home.  She thought she was going to work, but she wasn't on the schedule.  It was a pretty good ride, but she seemed distracted and not that interested in talking, until she was able to reach her boyfriend..  For some reason she put the call on speaker and it was difficult not to listen, especially since she was crying.  It sounded like she cheated on him after drinking too much and he didn't come home the night before. She was begging him to come home so she could talk to him and he was saying he needed time to "reflect". The conversation ended with him saying he would be home when he was ready.

I had had a challenging morning and I knew I had to say something to her.  I completed the ride and shut my app off so I didn't get any calls. We talked about ten minutes and she said she did feel a little better and thanked me for being such a "good guy." I told her that she needed to give him time and he was obviously upset about whatever happened.  I said that I wouldn't expect him to be home for awhile, but when he did return she should let him talk and have his say. It was important for her to prepare herself mentally and to do some things the next few hours so she would be able to discuss what happened.  She hadn't eaten anything, so that was easy.  I told her to put on some music she liked, get some fresh air, take a bath, whatever things she can do to cheer herself up.  I also told her that after being married for 37 years it's important to understand that the other person in your relationship is not you. They don't necessarily think the way you do, due to their previous experiences and they handle thing differently and don't always agree with you and that's okay.

I think some of my message got through and I hope she was able to handle things later on in the day when his boyfriend returned.  She gave me a very generous $20 tip on a $25-$30 ride, hut I felt better the rest of the day after giving some reassuring words to her.

THE NEWLEYWEDS: They got married yesterday and instead of having 250 people at their reception they had a very small group celebrate with them.  How they got to be married is a pretty unusual story. He told me, "I knew I was going to marry her when I was 13."(he's 27 now) She is four years older and she was on his sister's baseball team.  He was pretty shy, but at one point tried to date her younger sister so he could be around his future wife. She travels a lot and  finally agreed to have dinner with him.  He said, "our first  four dates I had to travel out of state to see her." She was in LA for their second date and he said he'd be there and then drove six hours one way to make it.  He was persistent and after 14 years he did get the girl.

ANOTHER UNUSUAL WEDDING STORY: She was 21 years old from Eastern Kentucky with very little dating experience when she first saw him. Actually, she saw his picture in the company newsletter.  They were going to work together on a project, but they had never met.  She told her parents and college friends that she was going to marry him-before they met.  When they were dating two months she said to him, "I don't know what you're doing the rest of your life, but I'm going to marry you." His reply, "I'm going to marry you." Ten years later they have three children.  The youngest one is three months old and she calls him their "golden child," because of the sparkle in his eyes.(like his Dad) It sounds like she has a wonderful life and it all started with a picture in a newsletter.

THE YOUNG DYNAMO: I met another young person with a strong work ethic and a great attitude.  She is from the mid-west and she lives in the Charleston area.  Her Mom is a nurse who works in the homes of many older people.  My rider decided to be a "Nurse's Assistant", separate from her Mom's business.  She had taken care of her grandmother as she went through Alzheimer's disease.  Since most aide's for the elderly work in the morning and evening, she decided to focus on the middle part of the day and help people do things they have trouble doing. She usually spends 5-6 hours with them and tries to get them active and outside when possible.  I thought she had just graduated college, but she's only 19 and is putting off college for a little while.  I'm not sure she's going to make it there-she charges $50 an hour and is very busy and apparently somehow has a house. I think she has quite a future.

A Few Courier Tales

 As a courier during the week there are some amusing moments, but they are usually quick unlike some of my Uber stories.  Here are a few I've had this month.

'THE SNOWMAN" -It's my newest nickname from one of my customers.  The woman who had one of my favorite comments when I told her how much I wanted just five minutes of flurries.  She looked up and said, "Dear Lord, please give this man what he wants, but only over his house." Every time I go to deliver to her, we talk snow.  I walked in recently and said, "did you hear what Atlanta had this morning, snow?" She said immediately, "are you taking a flight?" Another day, I talked to her about the snowstorm up north in New Jersey. I said, "when do you get off work? We can grab a few things and I'll take you on a long car ride. I'll show you how much fun it is to drive in snow." Her eyes got big and she was shaking her head no, "I'll leave that for you to do." One of these days we'll get some flurries, can't wait to see her that day.

"HOW ARE YOU?" Those three words are not what they really mean today.  Most people use it as a greeting, like, "good morning" or, "hi." If someone asks you that in passing you could say, "I hardly slept at all, my car hit a deer and I forgot my lunch and my wallet at home." They'll just smile and keep walking and never hear what you said.  The best answer to, "how are you?", I read about years ago when someone replied, "fantastic, but I'm improving." I have used it once or twice and it gets a lot attention.

Recently, I was delivering in a hospital and I saw someone I knew and I said, "how are you today?" She replied, "perfect." I've never heard anyone say that and I said, "perfect?" She said, "yes, today I feel perfect." The next day I saw her and she answered, "okay," but for at least one day she was feeling perfect.

THE DOG GUY: Frequently I'll make a delivery to a house and as soon as I ring the doorbell, the barking begins. Sometimes, it's two dogs and it sounds like there's a kennel inside.  It's not unusual that the person answering the door can't open the door as they try to keep the dog away from the door.  I think it was earlier this year I made a delivery and a guy came to the door, yelling at the dog to stay back. He barely got out of the screen door to take the package from me. He told me it was his wife's dog which she loves and he just bares it. He made comments that he never expected to be ready to retire and have to take care of a dog.  He went on a little bit and I sympathized with him.

As I pulled up to his house again this month,  I remembered the conversation, but not what he looked like.  He was standing in the street talking to neighbors and came over to me.  I reminded him of our conversation.  He said, "I paid a heavy price for that conversation. My wife heard the whole conversation from the monitor on the porch." I was laughing and he was amused too.  We weren't on the porch so we could laugh about it.

110 Days

 You may not remember 111 days ago, but I do.  It was Saturday, September 5th and it was a fun day.  Our son and his new dog were visiting and I did not work at all that day.  I only bring it up today, because that was the last day I did not work at all.  I didn't realize it until the other day, but today, Thursday, December 24th, is the 110th straight day I've worked.

There was a Sunday a couple months ago that I technically did not make any money.  I had gotten a long Uber ride to Atlanta on Saturday evening and dropped off my passenger at midnight. I drove home later in the morning and arrived around noon.  You would have to consider that part of the work ride on Saturday and I was paid very nicely for the ride.

How does someone work 110 days in a row? One day at a time and it was not a big deal. Many people can't wait for the weekend, because they've worked hard all week. It's true for me that driving Uber does not seem like work, but it is.  I'm very relaxed and having a good time and getting no physical exercise.  I am getting paid, so it really is work.

Tomorrow is Christmas and I'm not working and on Sunday I'm taking a second day off.  I think I probably earned it. Will I ever work so many consecutive days? Probably not, but because of the virus I had more days off this year than last year, yet I still worked 110 consecutive days. Last year I had about five weekends off and some holidays and this year I had at least 15 weekends off and some holidays.

Merry Christmas to some and Happy New Year to all. Two days off out of the next three days! I'm sure Monday I'll be raring to go.

I'm "URL-ing" It

 It was bound to happen, I have entered the modern age of computer technology. Okay, I'm exaggerating just a bit.  I admit that although a ran a business on my computer and have spent many, many hours over the years on a computer, I'm still a novice.  Today however, something important changed.  I learned something.

I send out a lot of articles to my Dad and occasionally to others.  I've always just copied the whole article and sent it.  I have realized that sometimes the article does not come out at all and it's my fault.  My daughter has showed me in the past how to copy the URL and that's it and send it, but it really went in one ear and out the other.

I've got it down now and have started "URL-ing" all over.  It is faster and more efficient and I have no idea what URL stands for and I don't care, because I won't remember it.  What a year it's been! I learned how to put a picture on a blog and how to "URL-ing" it.  What am I going to learn next year?

It's Just Not For Me

 Let's face it, we are all different.  We have our likes and dislikes and at the same time, someone can look at those and say, "how can you not like peanut butter?" (it seriously stinks) Or, "what do you mean you don't like cottage cheese?" (I've been told even dogs like it) 

I've always considered myself to be a little different and there are some pretty normal things that are really, "just not for me."  I made a short list for your amusement, or just mine.

BAND AIDS- I know they come in handy and I use them, but they just don't stay on me. As a courier, I am constantly cutting myself a little here and a little there. Fingers, hands, and legs are the main places. As soon as I put them on, they start running away and falling off.  The worst places for me are on my fingers and when I put my hands in my pocket for my keys, a pen, my phone, forget it.  I have no idea how many band aids I've left somewhere, but they are just not for me.

CHEESECAKE: I absolutely love cheese, just cut some up and it's gone. (having some for a snack tomorrow) Give me a slab of cheese and I'll cut pieces off and I will love it. Cake, are you kidding? Make it chocolate and I'll finish it, no problem.  However, cheese and cake together to me sounds like applesauce on french fries.  I may have tasted cheesecake once, but I have no interest, it's not for me.

SUNGLASSES: I don't like things on my face.  I already have a nose and it's a good size and those things hanging on both sides of my head, they have to be there too.  But sunglasses, no way.  I tried it a few years ago for a few weeks and I hated it.  If it's light out, I want light not dark.  Does sun glare bother me, yes it does, but not as much as sunglasses on me. One rider of mine said, "so you don't like sunglasses, but you have no problem with your hand in front of your face." Yes, that is correct, I don't like driving with a hat on my head either, I like to be completely naked there and on my eyes too. Sunglasses? They are just not for me.

GLOVES: I like my hands naked too.  When I shovel snow, (wish I was now), the only thing I hate is wearing gloves and I will frequently take them off so my hands can breathe. When I was delivering newspapers or magazines, there is no way of wearing gloves because you can't count or separate anything with a glove on. Why would I want my hands to sweat? Gloves are just not for me.

APPS: These days I am told there are apps for everything to have on your phone. Is there an app to get rid of these apps that are unnecessary.  A few months back someone at work looked at my phone and said, "where are all your apps?" I told him that's it and I want to get rid of some of them.  K.I.S.S., is a famous acronym for "Keep It Simple Sweetheart." I want to be able find the app that I need immediately, I don't want to send out a search party to find something.  Other people like to have dozens and dozens and dozens of apps on their fancy phone, but it's not for me.

BARKING DOGS: Fortunately, there are some dogs that rarely bark, I even met one recently.  But, these dogs that don't stop barking, WHY? Are they barking for help, food, or do they need directions to get away from me. When I deliver to a house and the human being cannot open the door and the dog is barking as if I am taking his food, how do people live like that? Are they being paid to keep the dog? I believe that "silence is golden," especially when it comes to dogs.  Barking dogs? Are you kidding, they are not for me .

I know, there is probably some therapist somewhere out there, (maybe California), who is rubbing his chin and saying, "he has some real issues." Honestly, I couldn't care less, it's just not for me.

Rooting For The Tire

 We root for a lot of things, family, sports teams, sometimes the company we work for, and even presidential candidates.  I like to root for unusual things.  Recently, I was rooting every day for the State of New York to finally count the ballots from the election.  I think it was two days ago they finally managed to post 99% of the vote. For weeks they have been at 84-86%.  By the way, Biden won New York by 2 million votes.

So, how about rooting for a tire? Have you ever done that? I had a leak in my front right tire. Don't you hate it when that light comes on and you wonder, how serious is it? I did put air in it and waited to see how long before the dreaded light would come on again. Come on tire, you can do it! Well, I got through a couple hours to end the day and checked how it felt the next morning and it felt good.

A few hours later as I was leaving the warehouse with a full van full of boxes, I knew I needed air again. When I got to the nearest gas station my luck began to change.  A guy was putting air in his tire and stopped and handed me the hose and I used his air. It was free! We used to have a couple places that had free air, but now you have to pay for it.

I put in extra, extra air and checked the time.  It was 8:30 am and I needed to make it through until 6 pm when I would drop the car off to be checked. Maybe I'll only have to put air in one more time, that would be great. The first hour was nerve racking, I kept looking at the tire and giving it an occasional squeeze.  I was clapping too, encouraging the tire to hold on to that air.  Two hours in we are still looking good, maybe I have a real shot at getting through this?

It's now 12:30, four hours in and 5 1/2 hours to go and still the light is not on.  The problem I had was that every time you turn the car on, that light goes on with some others that mean something else.  I was breathing a sigh of relief each time when the light would shut off.

It's 2 pm, I think I'm going to make it! Come on tire, hold that air! Sometimes when you're striving for a goal you hit a bump in the road.  What if it's actually the curb? If you're going to bump the curb is there any chance it would be the other tire? No, no chance at all.  The tire seemed okay and it still had air.

At 4 pm, the light went on.  It had lasted 7 1/2 hours, but it still felt good.  Do I risk not putting air in now when there's only two more hours to go? It did last awhile the last time the light went on. I gambled unnecessarily and I won.  It was 6 pm and I parked the car at Meineke and congratulated my tire on a great job.

One question remained, was this the tire's last mile? Would it have to be replaced or could it be patched? THE TIRE LIVED-to ride more miles and miles with me. Encouragement works, even on a tire.

November Rider Comments

"To save money during the pandemic my girlfriend had the idea to buy a cow. We bought a large freezer and we've been eating the meat for six months."

She: "I'm having a bad day, I spent the night in jail after I was maced. She should have maced me before we fought."

"I told my daughter growing up that the South was winning the Civil War but when they went up North in the winter they wanted no part of the cold weather so they gave up the war.  I got a call from her middle school teacher. That's my story and I'm sticking with it."

(talking on the phone to the airline) He said, "if they don't let me check in when I get there, I'm going to flip over the counter and then call you back." Hanging up politely he said to me, "I have been escorted out of an airport on a golf cart."

"I'm going to be two hours late for my sister's wedding brunch, do you think I can get a police escort, just this one time?"  Me: "No."

"Don't get rid of your old lady, it's expensive."

"My dog is just larger than a hampster; she's barely a dog."

After the New Yorker cursed twice in the same sentence, I said, "You know, down here they don't talk like that much." Laughing he replied, "I get your F'N point."

"My cousin in Georgia is painfully nice, you just can't seem to get it out of her."

"Montana is as cold as "shikees."  (She didn't want to say shit.)

"Texas is so hot that you look outside and start sweating."

(Southern girl in her twenties) "I don't have a southern accent because all my family are English teachers. I can't even try to talk southern."

Quoting comedian Rodney Dangerfield he said, "what's the difference between an oral and an anal thermometer? They taste different."

Me: "Can I give you an early Christmas present?(my list of favorite rider comments) She said, "A puppy?"

Working at Trader Joe's a women with a thick southern accent asked my rider, "where is the ass cream?" She was puzzled by the question and said, "we don't sell preparation H here." The customer suddenly saw what she needed, "There's the ice cream."

Pulling up to her first stop a liquor store she said to me, "can I get you anything?"

She said, "you're awesome, you made my day." I replied, "No, you made my day."

Fireman: "When I work a 24 hour shift I come home and work out for an hour and then go to my part-time job for eight hours."

On a beer run with a manager of a store) She said, "five beers was not enough.  I wish you could take me on my beer runs all the time."

"I lost my job in March, but was hired for one or two days by the restaurant that is right in front of my apartment.  I was a regular customer and now I'm a manager there and I love it."

Former Uber driver: "My most memorable ride was down in Charleston when I picked up two girls who were having a rough night, one of them was crying. I asked her what her favorite song was and I played it and we sang it together.  They were strippers and invited me back to their place and they danced for me and I saw one of them for a couple months."

My rider who is in the Army working for the Defense Department to prevent another 9-11, told me a story I had never about 9-11.  When there was one plane missing and heading towards Washington DC, two fighter pilots jumped in their plane without arming it.  They had one goal, fly into the plane and make sure it goes down before it gets to Washington D.C. Shortly after getting in the air, the remaining plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

"Those golfers really no how to party.  My wife doesn't want me hanging out with them anymore."

"I think the riots in the cities are hijacking people's goodwill."

"We need a bigger backyard for our six pets and so we can get more pets."

Me: "What was it like being in the Army and living in Italy?" Him: "The beer was better and the girls were better too."

Pulling up to her first stop a liquor store she said to me, "can I get you anything?"

(South African couple living in Washington D. C. right now: "Next time you have a British rider, tell them we are really sorry about beating them in Rugby."

My riders said, "We're both lawyers." I replied, "that's terrific."  They said, "some days it is."

Male rider: "Uber changed my life and the way I do everything."

"My sister gave me my first cigarette when I was 9, but she still denies that today."

Two women in their 20's- "The best part of our trip here was to see the alligators at Alligator Adventure."

Emergency room doctor: "When I work a 24 hour shift I go home in the morning and stay up all day and go to sleep at night so I don't mess up my sleeping schedule."

(Arriving at the airport to head home to NJ) "There's nothing better than getting out of an Uber in 75 degrees."

"Due to the pandemic we're going to be able to expand from two to four coffee shops.  We've been able to improve our operation this year."

"My business(building surfboards) is up 300% over last year since our country has stopped all shipping with Taiwan and China."

"On my bucket list is that I want to visit all the best zoo's in the world.  I love animals.  I want to build a a very large animal shelter like a hotel, without rooms."

Me: "What do you do in Massachusetts?" Male: "I do as little as possible and I'm planning on doing more of it."

"Any time I fly into Philadelphia airport, I always put on all my Dallas Cowboy attire."

(Flight paramedic) "During the pandemic we're actually less sick, because people are constantly washing their hands and staying clean. Suicides are up though 300% especially between the ages of 35-55." 

"I made an impulse buy(a condo) in Barefoot Landing at the beginning of the year which probably wasn't a good idea until mid-March when we jumped in my truck and spent eleven straight weeks here to avoid the pandemic in New Jersey."

Me: "I heard there's only 8 people living in Montana." Her: "Yes it's true. We actually only hit 1 million people a few years ago."

"The people in Tucsan, Arizona were rude. I was there five years, it was 4 years and 11 months too long."

"I'm a foodie, I loved walking around Denver."

"The best thing about living in Thailand was how friendly the people were."

"I knew a guy in school whose real name was, "Gary Jumping Eagle."

"Uber saved my ass the last couple days with my car broken."

"There are going to be riots in the inner cities when the election is overturned. The National Guard is already on alert."

Me: "Are you visiting or do you live here." Her: "We're supposed to say no because we should be self-quarantining."     

When I told her about the rider who said she had "a magical evening ride," my passenger said, "that's really cute, like you rode up on a horse with a carriage."

"I lived in Myrtle Beach and was asked by my contractor to take an assessment for Boeing in Charleston to test my skills and knowledge.  They paid me to do it and then Boeing offered me a job. I spent six years working in Charleston and going back to Myrtle Beach on the weekends to be with my family until we bought something in Charleston."

"The Melting Pot is my favorite restaurant anywhere."

"We didn't go on the safari here because it cost $350 each."

"I learned to drink beer in the Army."

"I never met a nice New Yorker."

"We need a bigger backyard for our six pets and so we can get more pets."

"Blueberry's Grill has around 1,200 people on busy Saturday's and Sunday's:

"I may be the only one to say that Newark Airport is great, it's empty these days."

 (20 year resident of LA) "L.A. is like a socialist environment, trying to solve all the world's problems."

"L.A. has the world's fifth largest economy."

Me: "Where do you live?" "Massachusetts, unfortunately."

"People are way nicer in the south."

"Liberals are more about the optics, how things look and conservatives are more about how things are."

I said to the hair stylist, "I've never had my hair braided, what does it cost?" She said, "the biggest jobs are $200-$300 and take 12 hours to do."

"I was named after a Mexican Goddess."

"If you take drivers from South Carolina and put them in Ohio in the snow, I'm pretty sure they would be bad drivers too."

"Keep on smiling Mr. Sunshine."

"Ohio drivers are bad, but not like a New Yorker."

"I moved from Hawaii because I was working two jobs just to pay the rent."

"I like the food in New Jersey and that's it."

"My wife's son lives here, so I try to get lost on the golf course when I visit."

"Packer fans are sick and tired of Aaron Rodgers. You can't get a lot of help when you have that big salary."

"Philadelphia Eagle fans are not smart."

November Rider Stories

THE FINAL RIDE: It's easy to remember that some of my best rides are the first or last ride of the day.  This is the first time I will remember the last ride of the month.  Sunday was a very slow day and as I approached 5 pm I had only 1 hour or so to drive and there was little chance of hitting my goal for the day.  I picked up a guy at a bar and drove him home, it was a $5 ride.  He did have plenty to drink, but we had a good conversation in the car and I could tell he was a pretty good guy.  He lived on Ocean Blvd. and his backyard faced the water.  It looked like a pretty normal family house with a large front and back yard. 

Driving about 5-10 minutes away I heard beeping and realized he had left his phone in the car.  Typically what happens is that I report it to Uber and they contact him and charge him $15 which goes to me and I return the phone. However, I knew where he lived and I was close by, so I went back.  I rang the doorbell many times, knocked on the door and honked the horn, but I had no luck.  I left him a note to call me. About fifteen minutes later his phone beeped a message to call him.  He went back to the bar somehow to look for the phone.  I headed back to the bar and had lost enough time to call it a night.  At the bar, he thanked me and handed me some folded up bills. He gave me a $55 tip and wanted to know if he could do anything else for me.  I was hungry, so I did wonder if I could get dinner out of this too,(maybe ribs?) but I didn't ask.  Arriving at home I realized that he tipped me $5 for the ride also and on the last ride of the month I made $65 which was close to half of what I made for the whole day.

THE SHORTEST RIDE: The shortest ride I've ever had was a Texas couple I picked up at their hotel and they were going to a restaurant around the corner.  It was close enough that I could have thrown a baseball and hit the building.  They didn't  know it was that close.  Today I picked up a guy at a gas station and as I started the route I saw we were going to a Food Lion supermarket. I pulled out of the lot and turned right. Since the gas station was at that corner I went through the light and turned right immediately into the supermarket parking lot.  It was obviously zero miles and the time of the ride was 1 minute and 6 seconds which seems long to me. The supermarket was just on the other side of the side street.  I made $3 and the guy was nice enough to tip me for the ride. It can't get any shorter than that.

THE BUFFALO COMMENT: One of my favorite comments by a rider last year came from a woman from Buffalo, New York.  Knowing how bad the weather is there in the winter I said, "how do you manage to get through the weather in the winter?" She replied, "Since the world is ending soon, we'll be okay in Buffalo." I had no idea what she meant and I changed the subject.  A guy from Buffalo explained to me that there's a misconception about how bad the weather is in Buffalo and it's really not a big deal.  He's heard the same comment from people and that's what the comment really means.  

LEARNING ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA: I had a great opportunity to learn about South Africa from a couple who left there four years ago and are living in Washington DC and working for a finance company. They enjoy the city, but they do miss family and friends back home.  What they miss most apparently is the animals, since South Africa is known for their variety of animals.  I didn't learn this until after I suggested on their next visit they see the safari in Myrtle Beach.  The couple both had the virus towards the beginning of the year and struggled with losing their taste buds.  They are very grateful for the opportunity to both work at home since they traveled frequently in different directions and have spent a lot of time at home together.  They also have taken the opportunity to travel around to different parts of the county.  Just before we arrived at the airport, they told me that I should tell the next British passenger that they "are very sorry for beating them in Rugby." They were very interesting and fun to speak with.

IT'S TURKEY WEEKEND!

 I have said it before and I will say it again, turkey is the most underappreciated underrated food.  I don't mean the turkey you get at the deli counter, I mean a real cooked turkey, like the one pictured below.  We should be eating this kind of turkey once a month or six times a year, it is that good.  Let me explain in detail:

THE MEAL: We were only three people(or four if you consider my appetite for turkey) and it was about 15 pounds.  The legs on this bird looked and tasted amazing.  I ate one leg first and helped out with the other one.  See this exciting picture below and I promise you that I really, really enjoyed it, look closely at my eyes.(they were not bigger than my stomach)

THE LINE-UP: One of the things that makes Turkey so special is everything surrounding it.  On Thanksgiving, frequently there is mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, maybe a carrot dish or a green bean dish or some other vegetables and corn.(no cob), and maybe another half dozen dishes depending on the number of people eating.  And, let's not forget the cranberry bread which is missing from this table, because we started eating it a few days earlier and still have some left. The turkey is your clean-up hitter, the Babe Ruth of the meal.  And, if you have a bunch of these things "hitting" your stomach before and after the turkey, it just makes turkey even better.

THE LEFT-OVERS: I love bones, but not the bone itself.  The meat that is on the bones is fabulous and there's a lot more than you think there is.  Friday for lunch I ate the carcass, but not the bones.  Here's a picture of what it looked like before it was trimmed.  It was a terrific lunch, but admittedly it is not a pretty sight to watch me rip apart the bones and gnaw at them.  A video of this could go viral and upset the whole family.

FRIDAY DINNER: There are plenty of things to choose from, all the side dishes are still in play.  With a lot of pieces of turkey left, I went with the big salad with lots of turkey thrown in.  I don't fool around with salad, I keep it simple.  The picture below has lettuce, some egg, some cheese, thousand island dressing and of course a bunch of turkey.

SATURDAY: I prepared a turkey sandwich to eat of the road with thousand island dressing.  If your turkey pieces are not big enough, press down on them into the bread or roll so it will be easier to eat.  If a piece falls out while you're eating it, go after it! Don't leave any piece of turkey uneaten, this is serious stuff.  The picture below shows my sandwich and the special snack I put together for the road.  I will try to eat the snack after lunch, but I'll be thinking about it.  Instead of grapes, throw some pieces of turkey in a baggie and pop them in your mouth, it's the perfect snack for driving. For dinner, I'll let the others nibble away since I won't be home in time.

SUNDAY: It's clean-up time, if anything is left.  I could go with another sandwich or turkey snack or even a turkey salad for dinner again.  If you do this right, all the sides are gone and the turkey is being finished. Why do we have to wait a whole year to do this again? The bottom line is that this was, "some good eatin' on a turkey weekend!

I'm So Tidy???

 There are many words that could describe me, but if you know me, tidy would not be one of them.  However, I was told this week, "you're so tidy."  How is that possible?

Over the past several years there has been a lot of discussion about facts and how different people are coming up with their own facts. However, in many cases it's a difference of opinion, not a difference of facts.  Let's take a look at how I was called, "tidy."

My neighbor across the street came over to talk with my wife about painting.  He saw me washing my car and apparently has seen me washing my car frequently and said, "you're so tidy."  The fact is that I do wash my car every week to get it ready to Uber other people.  Since they are paying for the ride, it should be relatively clean.

If my neighbor had watched closely he would have seen that I do not do a spectacular and thorough job, that's how my wife washes her car.  I do a quick, general clean, which is just enough for it to look pretty good. 

My neighbor's observation is also based on him not being very "tidy," which is what he told me.  The correct fact is that I do wash my car every week, but only in his eyes am I "tidy."

Another quick example: the facts are that Joe Biden won the Presidential Election a few weeks ago. You and I may have very different opinions on the important conclusions from the election based on our views and experiences, however, he did win. 

Keep this in mind each week as you go about your daily life.  Are you reading or hearing a fact or an opinion? I think it's very important, but that is only my opinion.

Celebrating Birthdays A Little Differently

 This was a big week in our house with my wife and youngest daughter both having birthdays. We decided to go to a very nice steak house on Wednesday on my wife's birthday. The place had a courtyard and we could eat outside since it would  be safer. Below is a picture of the courtyard during the day and my beef tips and mashed potatoes below and the rest of the story below that.

We walked through the restaurant wearing masks and went out into the courtyard to sit at a table.  We were the only people outside so we had the whole area to ourselves, it was very private.  I did say that night that we could walk through the courtyard to our car without paying and no one would see us, but we didn't do that. It was a perfect night.

Saturday was very, very different. I went to Uber in Charleston, South Carolina and my wife and daughter were going to meet me at Jim&Nick's Barbecue to celebrate my daughter's birthday.  The usual one we go to was closed, so we went to the one near the Charleston Airport.  There was a 30-60 minute wait at 2 pm to eat outside.  We got take-out and went to the parking lot behind the restaurant  which belonged to The Marriott. We had a picnic there! I opened up the back of my van and my daughter sat in the trunk and we put our food out like it was a picnic table. I was walking around the car eating a large spare rib, which was really, really good.  Thirty years from now our daughter will remember the birthday she celebrated in a Marriott parking lot.

Maybe next year we can celebrate my birthday on the beach.  Wait, my family took me to the beach for years on my birthday, that would NOT be different.

COME AND GET IT

 Being on the road as much as I am, it is not unusual for me to see something unusual. There are times that I would like to pull over, get out of my car, and walk up to someone and say, "what is that on your lawn?" Or, maybe I would say, "What are you doing?" I remember very clearly the morning I saw a woman mowing her lawn just after 7 am.  She was not out in the middle of nowhere, she had neighbors.  How could she mow her lawn that early in the morning? I'll never know the answer, but I'd like to know.

Recently, I was driving and I stopped at a light and across the street was a car that had printed on it in big letters, "COME AND  GET IT." It was not on the back of the car, but it neatly printed on the driver's side of the car.  Was that a macho statement that he's not afraid of anyone? Was he saying, "my car isn't worth much, take it?" Was it a dare, "if you think you can take my car, try it." I don't have a clue,  maybe you do.

On most days we can watch the news or look on Facebook and there's something that makes no sense. Why would someone do or say that? What were they thinking? Were they thinking? It just goes to show how different we are and there are things that you may never understand.

You may have thought, "why would he even write about this?" You may have thought to yourself that you wouldn't have taken the time to write this blogpost. That may be true, but the next time you see or hear something unusual, you may ask yourself the same question I did ,when I saw that car, "what????"

October Rider Comments

 Female rider: "My dog is like my daughter and I call her dog-ter.  My Dad calls her grand dog-ter."

Female: "I try my best every day with my five year old and three year old and cocktails help."

"As an offensive lineman for Navy I weighed 290 pounds at the beginning of the year. I had to lose weight for their nuclear program and with a group of friends I lost 85 pounds in four months and have kept it off."

"Two years ago I told the company who owned my car to come pick it up.  I'm now saving $700 a month."

"I'll go inside Starbucks to order, I have to show them a video of what I want."

"I truly believe that God brought me here to Myrtle Beach to save my life."(great healthcare)

Couple in their 40's on their first date. Him: "We met on Sugar Daddy.com."(not) "She stalked me on Facebook after not seeing me in five years."(not) "Bambi is her "striptease-ego" name." (definitely not)

Female to me: "You've been married 37 years, how do you do that?" Me: "One year at a time."

A mom: "We're proud Pittsburgh Steeler fans.  When my son got married they had "terrible towels"(what are used at the games to cheer the team on) on each table at the reception.  They were in black and yellow, the Steeler's colors and had the wedding couple's name and wedding date."

(College female sitting in the middle) "You can't even tell I drank the most wine. We're twins.(the girl next to her), but she's one year older."

(The woman walked out of the pub in the afternoon barefoot and her boyfriend put his jacket on the ground for her to walk on towards my car." She said, "My feet aren't dirty, I cleaned them in the bathroom sink inside. I've done that my whole life."

Black female rider: My dad and I are dark skinned.  When my Dad saw my daughter for the first time he said, "ugly" and walked out of the room."

"When my 21 year old sister has a headache she describes it as "a little mouse running around in my head stabbing me."

I asked him, "how are you adjusting to your first year of retirement?" He mumbled and all that came out of his mouth was something like, "bb,rr,tt,bb, mm."(probably having a tough time)

"I want to make today special for my boyfriend since today is "Sweetest Day," which we celebrate in the mid-west. It's important to me since Christmas is coming and then my birthday."

Male: "South Beach in Florida is dangerous today.  If you melted me like butter and dripped me on South Beach, I wouldn't go."(? not drinking)

"We came from Chicago just for the safari."

"Texas is so hot that you can look outside and start sweating."

Me: "Did you go from selling commercial real estate to owning a store that sold and installed Jeep parts because you were making too much money?" Him: "Oh yeah, it's much better being in an industry that keeps me F'N poor all the time." 

Male New England Patriot fan: "She's seen me only cry twice and once was when Brady left."

"When I was in my mid-20's we had a contest on who could sleep with the oldest woman.  I slept with a 60 year-old, but I didn't win."

Male: "I've worked on a farm most of my life.  We had 25,000 chickens all together and it's easy for them to spread diseases. If we saw one with a bad leg we would hit it in the head and kill it."

Female: "Why did you move here?" Me: "My wife loves the beach and I love her, so we're at the beach." Female: "That's the best line I've ever heard."

"Keep on smiling Mr. Sunshine."

"I knew a family that owned a light company and their last name was Leer.  They named their daughter Shondra."

"Most of the year we get no sun in Michigan."

"We've been drinking all day and we have blisters on our feet from walking several miles.  We are so happy to see you."

"I drove across Montana and drove up to 140 mph in a trans am.  The steering got a little shaky and I decided not to pass anyone."

"I've seen a lot of people chase happiness, but lose their soul. The most important thing for me is to be a good father and husband."

A male and female 3rd mates who licensed to drive ships. He said, "we're just regular human beings, not big deals."

Referring to his pilot he said, "she's a baby pilot."

"If I had had a girl she would have been hell on wheels."

"All of New York is New Jersey's hat." (?)

(Top steak house in town) "Our sales are running almost 100% over last fall and we're now ranked in the top ten of our companies stores."

"I'm a nanny for a boy whose name is Saint."

"I want Brady to mess up so he can come back to the Patriots."

"I would do anything to keep my family together."

"When I was considering Navy and playing football, my Dad said I had to consider this not as a four year commitment, but as a 40 year commitment."

"Our HOA people are Nazis."

"Some Uber drivers have told me that a mask is optional, it's not."

"I think of selling as having a communication with people and helping them get what they want."

Young male holding a monopoly box: "I had a craving to play Monopoly last night, but I'm not very good at it."

"The four of us get together every year and go to a college football game somewhere. Two come from England, one from Florida and I'm from New Jersey. Due to the virus we weren't going to a game this year, but the two of us decided to get together so our wives couldn't say next year that we didn't go this year.  We didn't want any chinks in the armor."

"My significant other has bad karma and he's an awful driver."

"I hate painting, I'm just going to get some paint and slap it on."

Young male: "I wear a Trump mask in Chicago and no one says a word. They can't bully me."

Female: "I lost part of my big toe mowing the lawn. I was going up a hill and slipped and the mower went over my foot. It could have been a lot worse."

When they gave away the car he reserved my rider said to the agent, "What would you suggest?" She said, "I don't know what to tell you." He said, "You're not very good at your job, I worked for Enterprise for seven years."

"I was named after a Mexican Goddess."

After working as a pilot in Hong Kong for five years, "I was really happy to go into a supermarket yesterday and see 30 different barbecue sauces you could buy."

"I like snow in my cocktail."

"My Aunt and Uncle were married 71 years. He died of natural causes and she died one month later although she was healthy.  They say she died of a broken heart."

"I'm 24 and I have six partners who were wrestling friends.  We own an apparel business that did $1 million in sales last year.  I'm the CRO, Chief Revenue Officer, in charge of sales."

The steak restaurant in North Myrtle was up 50% in sales this September over last year.  The manager said, "some people are coming in five or seven straight days because they feel safe with our set-up."

Two young riders ate at one of the top steak places in Myrtle Beach and one of them said, "the $80 steak I had was not good."

"We flew in from North Carolina for a burger at Hamburger Joes."

"We drove through the west and mid-west in our motor home from February to August this year and we didn't kill each other.  We didn't eat outside our motor home until we got to Montana which had everything open since they only have 8 people living there."

"I want to tell you my Yankees story, it starts in New Dehli."

"I played shuffleboard once with a 60 year old woman and I beat her and retired."

23 year old female: "You don't look 60." Me: "Maybe it's the mask." Her: "It's not the mask."

Me: What do you do for work? Rider about the other male rider: "He's a stripper." (they saw strippers last night)

"I'm going to college online for free through Starbuck's program."

"The thing I like best about being a manager is seeing people in their first jobs get a handle on what to do."

"The best part of living in the Phillipines is that it's a calm lifestyle."

"I've been in sales since I was 14 marketing my Dad's landscaping business. Now I'm selling commercial real estate."

ESP replay guy: "If I'm standing next to a famous person on the sideline, I don't care.  I'm more interested in the technical side."

"My daughter's reception venue wasn't going to let us have 250 people, so we spent $7,000 to flatten out our backyard to have it there.  The venue came through and we could have 150. We sent out another set of invitations and cut 100 guests."

"I went on a facebook group called "Wedding disasters and I felt better that I wasn't the only one."

October Rider Stories

THE DISC GOLFER: If you've never heard of Disc Golf you are not alone.  It is a growing sport that is played around the world and has around 10,000 courses.  It began in the early 1900's and is an individual sport that you throw a disc at a target using golf rules to get through the course with the least amount of throws. There was a tournament in Myrtle Beach this month and I drove the wife of one of the top players in the country.  She was a photographer for one of the disc companies and her husband does this full-time, about 47 weekends a year around the country.  The grand prize in Myrtle Beach was $2,000 and her husband was winning on the final day.  She gave me quite an education on our ride.  Since my son plays disc golf I asked for her husband's card, but instead she gave me a very nice pin with her husband's name on it. It was a very unique ride and a lot of fun talking with her.

THE YANKEE STORY: I picked up an older man who was in town to visit a friend.  He's been a big Yankee fan his whole life so we had something in common. I have some great Yankee stories, but I never had a chance to tell him.  He had to tell me his story, but it took him awhile to get to it.  Several times he started by saying, "It all started in New Deli," which cracked me up and intrigued me. He lived in New Dehli for a few years when he was a child.  His parents were best friends with George Weiss and his wife who were neighbors.  George Weiss was the General Manager of the New York Yankees for 29 years and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.  Weiss introduced my rider to all of the Yankee stars in the 50's, Berra, Mantle, Rizutto, and DiMaggio too. He had quite a story to tell, but time ran out and I only heard a summary of it, but, it started in New Dehli!

THE TWO THIRD MATES: The couple met going to school in New York where they earned the title of third mate and they are licensed to drive ships. They were very outgoing and easy to talk to and the guy said, "we're just regular human beings, we're not big deals."  She worked on the Mississippi River and he was waiting for his ship to be repaired in the Charleston dock.

THE KICKBALL TOURNAMENT: Yes, this does say kickball.  Like most people, I haven't heard of kickball since I played it in grammar school.  Would you believe there is an adult traveling tournament in the country that pays $125,000 to the winning team at the end of the year? I had two players in my car who were on the coed team from Wisconsin.  They play on a baseball field with baseball rules.  Most of the players are in their twenties, but my riders were in their 30's. They were in Myrtle Beach for our tournament which paid out $3,000 to the winning team.  Each player pays $60 for the tournament.  There were about twenty teams playing from different states. It sounded like it was good exercise and a lot of fun.

THE FIRST DATE: When I think of a couple going on a first date I usually think of a young couple, but that's not always the case.  I'm guessing that my two riders were around 40 years old, but they were wearing masks, so I'm not sure.  They had an odd story.  They had met five years earlier at a wedding.  She is from Indiana and he is from Philadelphia and they were in Myrtle Beach sort of on a first date.  When they met five years ago she was married and he was with someone as a last minute substitute for a person who could not go to the wedding.  He really hit it off with this woman and her husband, but they are no longer married.  The woman looked him up through someone else and they decided to meet in Myrtle Beach.  I was only with them a short time, but the guy was very funny.  He said, "we met on n Sugar Daddy.com."( a site where younger women are paid by wealthy guys for dates and more) He said, "She stalked me on Facebook after not seeing me in five years and "Bambi is her "striptease-ego" name." I don't know how this relationship turns out, but the woman will certainly spend a lot of time laughing.

THE SINGLE MOM: When she got in the car I thought she was in her mid twenties, until I found out she had six children.  The most striking thing about her was easily her bright pink hair, which reminded me of Julia Roberts wig in the movie, "Pretty Woman." She was putting on her make-up and she explained to me that she was raising her kids all by herself and she was actually 36 years old. She was only getting some support, but was making money by selling creative things on her Facebook site and through a local store. She was overcoming a couple disabilities that she has and had some big plans for her business. She was determined to do "whatever it takes to keep her family together." I thanked her for her inspiring story and told her that her ride was a great way for me to end my day driving.

They Give Out Alcohol For Halloween????

 You have to be joking, tell me this isn't true. After I turned 60 I said that I should keep track of all the things I learn while I'm 60.  I find this impossible to believe, but I am told that it is not unusual for adults to give out alcohol to parents as their kids trick or treat.

Supposedly, one of our neighbors is going to give out wine or margaritas tomorrow night. Does this make any sense to you? A Milky Way or Musketeers bar isn't good enough? Get some Double Stuff Oreos or why not just make an ice cream bar and people can help themselves? Or, since it will be dinner time, how about appetizers.

Trick or treat or little hot dogs? Or, I could pick up some chicken wings at several houses, that would be fun. Maybe some swedish meatballs or just cut up a bunch of cheese.  I'm in for any of that, but alcohol on Halloween? You can have alcohol any day, but Halloween is really about chocolate, isn't it?

I've never had a margarita, maybe for Halloween I'll have one-don't count on it.

Facebook Political Post

 For those of you not on Facebook or who missed this, below is my first political post in almost four years.  I also predict what I think is going to happen in the election this year, although I could adjust some things in the final week.  I'm looking forward to watching what happens, since this will be unlike any election we have ever had or ever will have.

This is my first political post since January 20, 2016 when President Trump took office. As a political science major and a political junkie for a long time, I love talking and reading about politics. I don’t feel that posting political things on Facebook is worthwhile for me since few people are interested in having a reasonable discussion without being upset that you disagree with them.  With the election only a week away, I figured I’d make this post to cover the last four years.  I wanted to thank a number of you for your political posts over this time that have been entertaining, informative and at times infuriating.  As a former liberal Democrat(who voted for Ted Kennedy for President in the 1980 primary), I consider myself now a moderately, conservative Republican.  I enjoy reading both sides of the issues, which I do daily.  My thanks goes to Elaine, Frank, Jeff, Bill, Barry and Dan, who I’ve enjoyed reading and agreeing and disagreeing with. Over the last five years I’ve saved over 1,000 stories and some posts, I’ve written two hundred pages on President Trump’s first year in office and I continue to add to my political library of books.  My two favorite authors are Democrat James Carville and Republican Ann Coulter.

Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions that people have about “the other side.” (people they disagree with) Someone on the other side says, posts, or tweets or does something they shouldn’t have done and it’s easy to say, “see, that’s how they are.” The media plays up those comments which makes things worse. The truth is that people who disagree with you are not mostly on the far right or far left, the majority of them are much closer to the middle.  I enjoy reading things I disagree with for these reasons: 1. It can be very entertaining.  2.  I learn how and why they think that way.  3. Sometimes I find things I agree with on the other side. 4. It confirms my belief in what I believe by hearing the other side.

If you think you are objective and not a partisan of one side, try this: If you were very supportive of President Obama, how many positive things can you say about President Trump?  And, if you are a supporter of President Trump, how many positive things can you say about President Obama?

Election night 2016: I was convinced it was going to be a long night and that Donald Trump had a shot at winning. I predicted he would lose the popular vote, 48%-47% and the difference in the electoral college would be Florida and Hillary would win it and be elected. I only got close to being right, but two years ago I did pick Biden and Harris as the Democrats who President Trump would be running against.

2020: I’ll make three points:   1. President Trump has no chance of winning the popular vote and never did. President Obama won New York and California by 5 million votes in both his elections and Hillary Clinton won them by 6 million. (this means that President Trump won the rest of the country by more than 3 million votes)  I believe that Joe Biden will win New York and California by at least 7 million votes and President Trump cannot overcome those numbers.     2. In 2016, there were 138 million ballots turned in.  Two million people picked no one for President and 6 million picked a third party.  That will not happen this year. It is expected that there will be more votes this year, but let’s say it’s only 140 million. To win the popular vote, President Trump would need over 70 million votes or 7 million more than last time, that will not happen. I can see him getting a few more million, but not 7 million. If the numbers hit 150 million, he would need about 75 million to win or almost 20% more votes than last time, it’s not happening.  I think he’ll lose the popular vote by 8-10 million votes, most of them from New York and California and he will lose the rest of country by a couple million votes.

3. I think President Trump pulls out Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, but he falls short with a few of the states he won last time and Joe Biden is elected.  Some of these states will be close as there are always close races in some states.  With ballots being counted late and possibly as many as 1 million ballots disqualified because they came in late or were not filled out correctly, there will be controversy about the results in a few of these states.

Two years ago, as an Uber driver, I picked up a mayor of a small town in Pennsylvania. It was a lot of fun talking to a “politician” who was down to earth, very practical in his solutions to problems, and also funny.  I’d vote for him if he was in any party.  I had to ask him, “are you a Democrat or a Republican?” He said, “when people ask me that question, I tell them, I’m an American.”

Whatever happens with this election I think it’s important to remember that we are all Americans and we are all entitled to our opinions. No matter what you might think about “the other side”, the truth is that in many ways they are very much like you and me. They have different views based on their life experiences and what they’ve learned.  And, there really are good people on both sides of MOST issues. I would hope that over the next few weeks, months, or years, that more people spend time reading and talking to people they disagree with. I think it’s the American thing to do.

If anyone is interested in discussing anything in this post, send me a personal message. This post is long enough for the last four years, so I will reply privately.

 

The Frog

 Down here in the south you do hear a lot about alligators. There was a baby one in one of the ponds in our development, which is probably harmless.  I've seen a number of signs telling people not to feed the alligators.  Apparently, many people have the urge to give their food to an alligator and take a picture with it also. I don't give my food to anyone unless I have to and I'm not getting close enough to an alligator to take a picture either.  

I have seen one alligator down here, but our big problem now is that we're being stalked by a frog.  It was outside our garage just staring at the house, maybe wishing he was inside? Then he made his way into our garage, slowly of course.  We haven't seen him move, but he is showing up in different places.  The other night I took the garbage out and he was staring at the purple front door.  I think he like the color too.

Tonight, he was almost back in the garage and my wife had to gently push him towards the grass.  How do you get rid of a frog? When I go out in the morning at 4:30 am, I have to look for the frog, because I don't want to step on it. What does he want with us anyway? 

It's been a difficult year, but it's not any easier with a frog watching your every step. Do alligators eat frogs?

Cups Anyone?

 Some things you really can't call ridiculous, absurd is a better word.  I deliver a lot of different office supplies and some furniture, water and other things.  Many offices will purchase cups from Staples and I deliver them.  I deliver to two hospitals, one in Myrtle Beach and one in Little River, which is north of Myrtle Beach.

I've delivered to the hospital in Myrtle Beach for two years, but I've delivered 0 boxes of cups.  Some other company has the account and they take care of the delivery.  The hospital in Little River goes through thousands of cups a week in many different departments, although I don't deliver to the cafeteria.  Two floors in the hospital receive one to two thousand cups about every ten days.  The most cups I've ever delivered there in one day was 4,000.

The picture below is of 13 boxes with 500 cups in each box for a total of 6,500 cups.  I delivered those cups today.  They pretty much took over my entire van.  My supervisor and I think the employees are taking them home or they are selling them.  It doesn't make any sense that they could use all those cups.

So, if you've never seen 6,500 cups outside of a supermarket shelf, here it is.  How absurd is it that next week I'll probably deliver more cups to them?

Happy Sweetest Day??????

 The saying is that you "learn something new every day."  I'm not sure how accurate that is, but there are some days you do learn something new and today may be that day for you.  I know it was for me, because I learned about another holiday I had never heard of- "Sweetest Day."  I picked up a rider from the mid west and she was trying to make today a special day for her boyfriend, because "Sweetest Day" is like Valentine's Day for men!

You probably think I'm making this up, but you check it out. It is a holiday that is celebrated mainly in the mid-west and some parts of the northeast and northern Florida. It started in 1922, almost 100 years ago.  In Cleveland, Ohio a candy company employee, Herbert Birch Kingston, wanted to bring happiness to people in society who were forgotten, orphans and shut-ins. With the help of friends he gave out candy and some gifts.

How did it become mainly for men? I have no idea.  In some cities they sell more "sweetest" cards for the third Saturday in October than Valentine's Day.  How is that possible? I have no idea. The goal is to make the day special for the man in your life by giving something sweet or a gift or doing something kind.

Why can't it be "sweetest day" every day? I'm not asking that question, it must have been a rider today who asked it and I'm just passing it on to you.  Hope you males out there had a sweet day.

Is Pink My Color?

 Just in case you've never seen my wearing a pink shirt, here it is below.  I did try to open my eyes wider, but I looked scary instead of just tired.  Yes, that is our bathroom behind me.

I was going to put a shirt on and started looking through my shirts in the closet and saw this shirt.  I've never seen it before and it turns out my wife gave it to me recently.  She worked for a very short time as a bartender or server in Pawleys Island, not far from where we live.  It was a couple years ago and she got a shirt when she worked there and now it's mine!

I probably won't wear it much, but it's comfortable and it does fit.  I don't have many pink things as you would guess, maybe I'll start wearing pink a lot-not likely.

What's In My Car?

 Having spent a good part of my work life driving in a car or a van, I've always asked myself this question: what is in my car? I'm always taking things out and putting different things in, sometimes on a daily basis.  Over the years, I've also found a lot of unusual things in my car: several old pieces of Roy Rogers chicken in a box, 16 pens I took out(when the car finally died) that fell under my seat or between the spaces in the car, a $20 bill, my wedding ring which literally slipped off my finger and into the inside of the car and also an Uber's passenger's underwear which fell out of her laundry bag when I took her to the laundromat.

However, do you know everything that is in your car right now? I recently purchased a used van to make my courier deliveries and it really takes some time to adjust to how different it is than my other van which is now my Uber van.  The new van has the window controls in the middle of the two front seats instead of on the door and the back-up camera view is on the mirror in the middle of the car instead of on the dashboard like the other one.

Two features in my courier van are the window lip that allows you to keep your window open without rain coming in the car.  I had never heard of this before, maybe a lot of cars have it? The other thing which is pictured below is a slot on the front dashboard, that is made for a clipboard which is very handy.

I am not the most observant person so this should not come as a surprise.  Last week, I was showing an Uber rider some of the neat features in my Uber van. I hit a button by accident and a small mirror dropped down out on the ceiling which lets me see the people in the backseat! I could not believe that I've never seen it! I haven't used it yet, but it makes me wonder: what else is in my Uber Car(190,000 miles) that I haven't seen?

Anything unusual in your car?  

September Rider Quotes

As he got in the car he gave me a bottle of Corona and said, "this is for you.  You have to stay hydrated, but not while you're driving."

Bartender who was in foster care for ten years and graduated valedictorian of her high school: "I believe in being a victor not a victim."

"I was drinking Busch Lattees, that's how we say Busch Lite Beer in Ohio."

"My kids hate me because I'm so loud."

(6 am) Me: Are you heading into work? Male Rider: "I'm a better person than that." (?)

"When my wife doesn't like how something sounds that I say with my southern accent, I tell her I can say it any way I want because I make more money than she does."

"I met the singer Mac Davis(who just passed away) and he told me his agent said he should write a "hook" song and he was playing around with his guitar and wrote, "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me."(#1 song in 1972)

New South Carolina resident from West Virginia: "Do you have any negative temperatures here? We're used to 12 degrees below zero."

"My wife and I owned several photo shops and we made ugly women beautiful."

Manager: "Everyone wants a job until you give them one."

"My Aunt is a lifelong Democrat, but she was so disgusted with the Democratic Convention that she removed her Biden sign and put a Trump sign on her lawn."

Me: "What do you do?" Male rider" "I do as little as I can."

"I have a pillow problem.  I have four on my bed and four more in my closet.  I had to donate some of them."

Me: "What's the secret of your sales success?"  Rider who has sold timeshare for 17 years: "Ask for the "friggin" money." "When someone says no, I take it as a challenge."

63 year-old male: "My mama told me that if you don't have anything nice to say, shut your mouth up."

"If they had to have a last meal, they would go to Red Lobster."

Female rider said to me, "You're my brother from another mother."

"I started a pageant website after I dated Ms. Georgia and it's now the largest in the world."

"As a bartender I frequently get proposals and death threats, sometimes by the same person depending on the day."

"This was the best Uber ride of all-time."(mine was his third Uber ride that day and the only three he's ever had)

"I care about what we serve, everything that goes out of our kitchen has my name on it. My food sales went up 300% in the first two months."

Front desk manager: "I was talking to this couple who just arrived and they said they almost didn't come because they read an online complaint there was a very mean manager at the hotel who locked people out of their rooms. I then told them I was the "mean" manager.  They said they would have to change it online since I was the sweetest person."

"My uncle was one of only five students who did not take the plane that killed 75 from Marshall University in 1970."

"I could never live back in Philly. The last time I was there I said hello to someone and they looked at me as if they were saying, "who the "F" do you think you're talking to."

"I was in Myrtle Beach a long time ago when the wind chill factor was 5 below zero."

"My Mom said if you ever want to be anything in life you have to go out and get it."

"Anyone who drives her should get double pay."

"My wife found me the job.  She's a much better salesperson than I am, I was her flunky.  She would just get you laughing and you'd hand over your credit card."

"I lived in Maryland and my girlfriend suggested we go on vacation in Charleston. I said no, because I didn't want to spend the money. Two weeks later I decided with a friend to move to the Charleston area without my girlfriend."

"I sell masks and air ventilators."(He didn't have a mask to wear)

"We played five different golf courses in five days, but we don't know how to play."

"Grandchildren are much better to have than children."

Doctor: "I've been working a flexible schedule for two years and it gives me time to explore life.  I took a breathing course in Europe and it changed my life."

"The people down here smile, but then stab you in the back."(in customer service)

"Wear a mask, you don't have a right to kill someone."

Me to New York City Cop: "There's a lot of support for the police here." Cop: "Not so much in New York." 

"There are 1-2 million women in the country who are involved in pageants."

"Dogs give unconditional love. My 70 pound pit bull was a great partner during the virus."

"The toughest thing about being a manager is taking care of everyone's gripes."

"In Colorado this week one place had a high of 91 one day and a high of 36 the next day with snow."

"In Charleston it's like 5 to 1 women to men."

Businessman: "Not having to travel continuously has been a blessing during the pandemic."

"I've lived in 15 cities. My favorites are Charleston(has house on James Island), Denver, and Miami.

"When a mob approached Halls Chop House in Charleston, the owner came out with a gun and shot in the air which drove them away."

Male rider to me: "You're so nice and sweet." Me: "That's what my wife says sometimes."  Rider: "She should tell you that more often." Me: "I'll tell her you said that."  Rider: "Don't tell her my name."

Me: What is Dayton, Ohio like? Female rider: "It's sucky, humid, and no ocean."

After seeing my wife's picture the woman said, "she's beautiful, I love her smile." Me: "Me too." 

Me: How are things going with the virus in Carson City, Nevada?" Rider: "It's pretty smokey."(He thought I asked about the fires in the west)

Male nurse from North Carolina-"I was offered a 13 week job in a New York City hospital and I would have made about $98,000, but I turned it down because I didn't want to leave my wife with two small kids."

"My Mom's favorite song was "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder so she named me "Lovely."

"My nickname is La La and I named my daughter "Leyla" after the Bob Dylan song.

After giving him a mask the rider said, "you're the MVP of the day."

"I got the virus in early June and somehow did not give it to my wife.  She got it a few weeks later from her family."(Nevada rider)

"I'm producing a performance of "Godspell" in November outside in the parking lot at Broadway at the Beach."

"The only reason they love me at work is because I know everything and I do everyone's job."

"I don't always make the best decisions."

Male rider: "I go to my regular physician once a month to have my blood drawn and check on my overall health."

What You Haven't Read About The Presidential Debate

 I haven't blogged about politics for awhile and after the first Presidential Debate last night, it would be difficult not to write a few things.  I've watched a lot of debates over the years and I've read a lot about them too.(I just read about a very contentious debate that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had in the 2008 primary. The debate was in Myrtle Beach too!) 

It was an extraordinary night last night and a debate that will certainly be remembered for a long time.  When it ended I told my wife that if you thought the President got bad press now, wait until tomorrow.  Let's face it, it is difficult to find much praise for President Trump in the press and it's understandable-they mostly disagree with his views and he's made them an adversary from the very beginning of his campaign. So, here are a few positive things about President Trump's performance last night:

1.THE DEBATE WAS NOT BORING: All too often the complaint that people have is that it's not interesting.  When President Trump is on stage it is never dull and it's difficult to walk away because you're afraid you'll miss something.  He did this four years ago and last night was a repeat performance, but as President.

2. PRESIDENT TRUMP LOOKS PRETTY HEALTHY: A few weeks ago there were a lot of stories about his health.  I'm sure he's got some ailments that haven't been disclosed(physical), but for a 73 year-old man to perform at a peak energy/intensity level for ninety minutes with millions watching, I thought it was remarkable.  He would have been good with 70% of that intensity, but there are people twenty years younger who would have difficulty doing what he did last night.

3. WAS HE "SLEEPY JOE?" President Trump gave Joe Biden that nickname as he gave Jeb Bush four years ago the name, "low energy Jeb." I think President Trump's strategy was to be very animated which would make Joe Biden look very docile and for the most part it worked. This is his personality and Joe Biden's personality is very reserved and it was very visible last night.

4. JOE BIDEN DISAGREEING WITH THE FAR-LEFT: It was a strategy either President Trump came up with or someone in the campaign.  Several times Joe Biden was pushed to disagree with things the left want.  President Trump knows that maybe as many as 13% of Bernie Sanders supporters four years ago voted for President Trump and who knows how many of them did not vote at all.  If he can get the left to complain about Biden it can make all the difference in some of the critical states.  President Trump made it work last night several times.

5. PRESIDENT TRUMP TALKS DIFFERENTLY: You would think after five years in the political world, the media would recognize that President Trump does not answer questions directly and he doesn't like to give the person who asks the question, exactly what they want.  When he was asked to disavow White Supremacists, he said he would be willing to do it and when Joe Biden said, "The Proud Boys, " he told them they should, "stand down and stand by."  What does that exactly mean? It's anyone's guess, but to suggest he agrees with white supremacists or he is one, it's pure fantasy.

I have a funny Father's Day card hanging near my desk from my kids that makes fun of how he talks and it is funny. "You are the best father in the history of fathers. All the other Dad's? LOSERS! Total Disasters! Ask anyone.  They all know.  BELIEVE ME...  everyone agrees."

Four years ago Donald Trump was asked in a debate if he would accept the results of the election on election night and he answered, "I'll look at it then." He was crucified for refusing to say he would accept the results, but that's not what he said.  This year again he has been asked several times and he's giving pretty much the same answer-he'll look at it then. Considering how different this election is with so many ballots being mailed in, there's nothing wrong with his answer, except the way he communicates it. Let's face it, the chance of fraud will be much higher this year and the number of ballots that will be disqualified is also much higher.(over 1 million disqualified in 2016 Presidential Election)

Also, the media had no problem with Democrat Stacey Abrams refusing to concede her governor's rack in Georgia two years ago.  Recently Hillary Clinton publicly said that Joe Biden "should not concede the election if it's close." What President Trump said should be no big deal.

6. PRESIDENT TRUMP GOES ALL OUT TO WIN: One of the reasons President Trump was elected was that he outworked Hillary Clinton.  He gave more interviews, did more events, and put himself in front of more people. There are some of the same similarities in this election and last night he went all out in that debate and it was noticeable.

7. SUPREME COURT CHOICE: Finally, President Trump's first answer he handled well. I'll give him a lot of credit if he can get this done, but I personally don't think they should be doing it now. He did say last night that the Democrats would do the same thing in the same situation and he's absolutely right. It's called politics and this is the move to make for anyone if they can get it done.

Who won the debate? Joe Biden did have some good moments, especially defending his son and looking directly at the camera frequently. President Trump's personality makes it difficult for him to win a debate, but at times Joe Biden was rattled and stumbled over his words.  He did get through 90 minutes with President Trump, but he's going to have to do it two more times. Can he do it? Probably, but what if.....?

September Rider Stories

ANOTHER YOUNG DYNAMO: I have been fortunate to meet a number of very motivated and inspiring young people as I drive them to their destination.  I picked up a 23 year- old woman who needed a ride because she had been in a bad car accident and totaled her car and lost two teeth.  She had the teeth replaced immediately and didn't seem fazed by the bad experience.  She has three bartending jobs and is a manager of a retail store.  She grew up in foster care for ten years only a couple blocks away from where we live now.  She was the valedictorian of her high school class and told me, "I believe in being a victor, not a victim."  She believes she can learn anything she wants to learn and her goal in five years is to have her own funeral home.  She was an intern for a funeral home for two years and told me she had "embalmed 1,500 people." She wants to have her own place and will probably move out west in the future.  She told me that she's a "planner," and I'm pretty certain she's well on her way to being successful at anything she wants to do.

THE GIFT FROM THE BIRTHDAY BOY: I was down in the Charleston area and was leaving The Isles of Palms area when I had to turn around and pick-up two guys.  They were celebrating the one guy's 21st birthday and they had been drinking.  The birthday boy was living in the area, but how he got there was unusual to say the least. He said, ""I lived in Maryland and my girlfriend suggested we go on vacation in Charleston. I said no, because I didn't want to spend the money. Two weeks later I decided with a friend to move to the Charleston area without my girlfriend." We started talking about relationships and of course I gave him some advice which he really appreciated.  It wasn't a very long ride, but we were laughing and having a good time. I pulled up in front of their destination and he said, "This was the best Uber ride of all-time."(mine was his third Uber ride that day, the only one's he's ever had) They got out of the car and walked away and I was fixing something on my phone.  Suddenly, I realized he was walking back towards me and handed me a $20 bill and said, "thank you." I felt a little guilty and thanked him and made sure that he wanted to give me the generous tip.  How often does someone on their birthday give a generous gift?

THE RETURN OF TRIPP: More than a year ago a young, black guy got in my car and we really got along well.  He nicknamed himself Trrrip, because he said, "sometimes I'm a Trrrip."  He told me some personal stories and he really was a "Trrrip."  At the end of the ride he said I should have a nickname and he immediately named me Jeff-ro No-Fro. I thought it was hysterical and my very next rider was a few blocks away and I asked him if he thought it was funny.  I found out he was good friends with Trrrip and he called him on the phone. This nickname has gotten dozens of laughs from riders and people have said to me, goodbye Jeff-fro No-Fro.  One rider wrote on my app, "Jeff-Fro No Fro, you're my hero."

I've always wanted to pick Trrrip up again to thank him and tell him how many people enjoyed his line. This month I picked up a young guy near where Trrrip lived and I asked him if he knew Trrrip. "You picked me up before and you're taking me to his brother's house!" It was the same guy I picked up after Trrrip originally.  He called Trrrip up and I was able to talk to him on the phone as I was driving.  He said, "you made my day."  I told him, "you made my day."  It was so much fun talking with him again and being able to thank him for his funny comment.

(There are times I have someone with a lot of personality get in my car and it is impossible not to have a good time talking with them.  It's also impossible to remember and write down everything they say.  These are two people who would be a lot fun giving an hour ride to, if I'd be able to drive that far with them while I was laughing.)

PERSONALITY PLUS(FEMALE): The woman in the car was from Ohio and she was with her husband and a friend heading to the airport to go back home.  She dominated the conversation and was a lot of fun to listen to.  Some of her comments on the trip: "I was drinking Busch Lattees, that's how we say Busch Lite Beer in Ohio."  "My kids hate me because I'm so loud." She said to me, "You're my brother from another mother." That wasn't an original line, but it was still funny. "The only reason they love me at work is because I know everything and I do everyone's job."  Her husband seemed a bit embarrassed by her comments, but her friend said, "Anyone who drives her should get double pay." I should have asked her if she had ever done stand-up comedy, because she definitely could have.  I'd love to have one rider every day just like her.

PERSONALITY PLUS(MALE): The 63-year old man got in my car and had the energy and enthusiasm of a 23 year-old man.  He sold time share locations in Myrtle Beach and was number one in his office for ten of the last 17 years. He was very successful and had a lot of success in the past with his wife, who had passed away a few years ago.  This is what he said about his past: "My wife and I owned several photo shops and we made ugly women beautiful." "My wife found me the timeshare job.  She's a much better salesperson than I am, I was her flunky.  She would just get you laughing and you'd hand over your credit card." I can't imagine how funny his wife was, because he was hilarious. I asked him, "What's the secret of your sales success?"  He said, "Ask for the "friggin" money." "When someone says no, I take it as a challenge." He has a new wife and he told me, "When my wife doesn't like how something sounds that I say with my southern accent, I tell her I can say it any way I want because I make more money than she does." There's no way I could keep up with all his funny comments and he added one about his mom, " My mama told me that if you don't have anything nice to say, shut your mouth up." I was fortunate to have picked him up twice this month and it was exhausting trying to follow all his remarks, but it was well worth my effort. I hope I can pick him up again soon.

THE MISSIONAIRIES: My first passengers from North Dakota were also the first missionaries I've had in my car. The husband had been a pastor of a small church and he wanted to do more for farmers who are struggling in the country since he came from a farm background.  They work as a family for a company and help spread the gospel for farmers who need help.  They have three adorable kids, 2,4, and 6 who travel around the country with them in a camper.(they gave me their card with their family) We talked about how beautiful North Dakota is and they showed me some pictures of where they live.  They were a very nice couple and I'm sure the work they do is appreciated.

YOU NEVER KNOW: When my passenger got in the car he told me he was from Boston and that got me talking about sports.  I've had so many great sports conversations, especially with Red Sox and Patriot fans, this was easy.  Although he wasn't a huge sports fan anymore, he has a lot of friends who are and I gave him some memorable stories.  He told me that one of this friends was a physical therapist for the New England Patriots and one day Tom Brady needed someone to catch some balls.  Brady told his friend to put his hands out and don't move them and he would hit his hands.  He had gloves on, but the force of the ball was so much that it hit his chest after his hands and knocked the wind out of him.  And then, Brady said he was going to throw some hard ones! After talking sports for 15 minutes I was surprised how interesting his job was.  He runs the largest pageant website it the world.  He started it a number of years back when he owned an arena football team and he wanted a pretty girl to toss the coin at the beginning of the game.  Since the game was in Georgia he contacted Ms. Georgia and she agreed and also agreed to date him. She filled him in on the world of pageants and that's how he got the idea.  He said, "there are 1-2 million women involved in pageants." When he would visit other countries he would get tours from women who had won beauty contests.  I said, "that must be a difficult job." He admitted, "there are tougher jobs." He is married to Ms. Massachusetts now.  What an interesting guy to talk with, I wish I had talked less sports with him!