My Most Memorable Comments From August

                                         

The young woman from Thailand said, "I like your car, it reminds me of the Scooby Doo car."(above)

Wishing me a happy birthday, the eloquent man from Honduras said, "I hope everything your hands and feet touch, prospers greatly."

The high school student said to her mom before she got in the car, "I hope this driver talks to us."

Married 29 years, I asked the couple from Minnesota, how did you two meet? Him: "We met going through a windshield together. We were in the front seat with a mutual friend driving and she hit a brick wall and we both went through the windshield and back inside the car. I was okay and went to Mexico and she broke her neck." (Dated later)

Her co-worker is keeping track of all the funny things she says at work. Her friend said, "She was on the phone and someone kept trying to get her to do something and she said, "You should call the ASPCA, because you're beating a dead horse."

"We struggled here not to have a good time."

He once when he was younger told a priest, "The most important things in a marriage are not going to church and having a lot of sex."

Me: "What do you do in Nebraska?" She: "We watch the corn grow."

The retired midwife told me: "I have delivered thousands of babies here and in Europe. Mothers and babies are the love of my life."

I asked the dentist vacationing from Poland, "What surprised you most on your first trip to this country?" He said, "There are no sidewalks."

Woman from Wisconsin: "My sister got married to the same guy three times during COVID-a small ceremony in a backyard, a large ceremony in a church and months later they renewed their vows at a large reception in another backyard."

Not opening her restaurant that day, a customer said to her, "We are entitled to have a place to eat."

I asked, "Have you gotten used to how friendly people are here?" From New York she said, "I may never get used to it."

In retail in the South she said, "Nothing is scarier than a southern woman."

She: "The way a person treats their animal is the way they treat the world."

In the hospital they asked her to pick out her favorite meal and they would get it for her. She: "I told them Bojangles. I told them I would kill for Bojangles-people don't know how good it is."

Woman from Wisconsin, "We met when our roommates got married and we met at the wedding."

I asked the couple who were engaged last night, how did you meet?" He said, "She hired me and then I asked her out many times and she kept saying no, before she finally said yes to dinner.  She asked to hang out the second time."

She said, "Some of the Uber rides we've taken have been like riding in a hearse."

From Nebraska he said, "Nebraska is so flat you can watch your dog walk away for three days."

They have known each other since they were five, but only married a year and he said, "I look for occasions to give her diamonds."

Married 29 years, I asked her, "What's the secret of a successful marriage?" She said, "Seven words, please, thank you, I love you, and I'm sorry."

He: "My wife has trouble remembering anything.  Our daughter told her the same joke seven weeks in a row until she finally remembered the punch line.  The joke was, why was the scarecrow up for an award? He was out standing in his field."

She: "When I moved here from North California, I was used to friendly people, BUT NOT THIS FRIENDLY."

She used to be a server at Waffle House and told me, "A guy in his 40's once gave me a $75 tip and he said, 'Thanks for talking to me."

She: "I never got the memo that you're not supposed to work hard in government, so I kept getting promoted."

She: "I was very good at my job as a Human Resources Manager, but I don't like people-I'm an introvert."

Me: "Are you taking an early flight home?"  She: "Yes, it leaves at 11 am."

Explaining how some people in the South don't stop talking, the woman in retail said, "I kept backing away from her because she was in my personal space and then she walked behind the counter and I had to tell her that you can't come back here."

"If you can do a Disney line, you can do a Captain George's line." (All you can eat buffet)

I asked the guy with three kids, "Are these three boys all yours?" He said, "I don't know, I just keep paying the bills."

She: "In Jamaica, we don't have babies one after another, we spread them out so we can pay for their schooling.  Mine are 3, 11 and 18."

9-ll-2001: She said, "I would have been hanging out with my friend at the World Trade Center that morning, but I had work done on a tooth the day before and it was still bothering me so I canceled."

She: "My friend's father was retired military and he was working in the World Trade Center on 9-11 for IBM. He was in a meeting early that morning and suddenly got up, apologized, and said he had to go and a few people left with him. He got the last ferry out that morning before the attack and he never could explain what he did and doesn't talk about it."

He's married 30 years and from Ohio and I asked him, "What's the secret of a successful marriage?" He said, "Finding common ground and maintaining your individual identities."

The couple have been married 35 years and I asked them what the secret for a successful marriage was and he said, "Agreeing with my wife."

The pilot tried to quote a famous line about flying, but it turns out to be from Leonardo da Vinci: "Once you have tasted fl;ight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.  For there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

Married 23 years, I asked him for the secret of a successful marriage and he said, "My wife make it easy."

I asked the young woman who looked exhausted, "Would you like a laugh?" She said, "No, not really."

Married 36 years, I asked what the secret of a successful marriage was and he said, "My wife is always right."  His wife said, "Perseverance."

He: "It was easy to retire, I don't schedule anything anymore."

Living in Canada, the guy in sales told me, "My wife and I are transitioning into being pastors after helping a lot of young people."

He: "Singapore is an amazing city, very clean. We don't have a city like that in our country." (USA)

She: "When I was young I hated my name Alexxus because it was so difficult to write in script."

He: "Australia is the country that looks most like ours." (USA)

The New York prosecutor was upset, "They let everyone out up there."

Me: "We're going to be married forty years on the 28th." He said, "Well, one of you is tough."

She: "My sister is twice as funny as she used to be, she worked through her bitterness."

Correction officers from Canada, "We don't really have a justice system in Canada." (Too lenient)

He's from Jamaica: "America is a better place to build a life than Jamaica." 

The welder said, "I love life-people are awesome."

He had two women who were visiting him from another state, but he told me, "I picked them up in the airport by asking them, 'Do you want to party?'"

The J-1 student told me, "I'm studying Positive Psychology in Bulgaria."

On a girls weekend from Ohio they said, "Our husbands became friends first.  We all have two kids between two and seven."

She is living in a new apartment building and I asked, "Is the price reasonable?"  She replied, "I don't think anything is reasonable here."

He: "When I saw her I knew that I could marry up the ladder."

She: "In Jamaica, we don't have babies one after another, we spread them out so we can pay for their schooling.  Mine are 3, 11 and 18."

He told me, "South Carolina is eight times larger than Jamaica and we have only about 2.7 million people and South Carolina has 5 million people."

The New Yorker said, "I can't believe how many plastic bags you use down here?"

In 2014 the flight from the Philippines to here was $600 and today it is $2,200."

The doctor is a huge Chicago Bears fan and he told me this great experience. "I got on a subway in Chicago next to a very large guy and he was wearing a Super Bowl ring.  I started talking to him and found out his was a back-up player to Richard Dent and he was going to a 20th anniversary party for the 1985 Bears.  We talked a lot and he said to me, 'My wife couldn't make it and the party is only for players and coaches, would you like to go with me?' I went and met a lot of players and had a great time."

WHAT RIDERS SAY ABOUT LILY, MY MANNEQUIN HEAD

Uber driver who I didn't know, "It's awesome, that is great. I don't have cash, but I'm tipping you right now." (He did)

"She's beautiful."

"She has very pretty eyes."

Seeing her through the window the woman said, "I wasn't sure if I should get in the car."

I told them that I had a gift for them and one of them said, "Can I have Lily?"

He said, "Is this your girlfriend? Is she single?"

"She is very, very beautiful."

"That is crazy off the charts."

"I don't want to ever see her again, she almost gave me a heart attack."

The woman said, "You're not going to replace her with one of us, are you?"

"Hope your wife isn't jealous."

Looking at Lily, the young woman said, "Are you a psychopath?" After I told her I wasn't she said, "I didn't think so."

"She's a little troll.  You should bring her into my bar."

WHAT RIDERS SAY ABOUT ME AND MY CAR

"You're a comedian and you don't even know it."

"You have your own Myrtle Beach attraction here."

"You're a good driver."

"This was the coolest Uber ride ever."

"I enjoyed this ride."

Looking at my money, they young guy said, "Do you like money?"

He: "This was the best ride ever. You  made our day."

"This was an Uber we won't forget."

"You were wonderful."

He said to his wife, "Can we have him for every ride?"

"This is the most fun I've ever had in an Uber."

"Best Uber ride ever, what fun."

He: "I like your festivities."

"You have a lot of entertainment here."

"This was a great ride."

She: "I was having a bad day and you made it better."

"This was a very fun ride."

About my money museum, she said, "That is truly impressive."

"Thank you, that's the best ride I've ever had."

Guy in the Army, "This was a ride I did not expect."

From PA: "We could have driven with you for a couple more hours."

"This was a wonderful experience."

"You are awesome man."

MY FAVORITE RIDERS IN AUGUST

In August I gave 350 rides in 12 days, the most rides I've ever given in one month. Here are eight stories from the month, the most stories I've ever written for one month.

                         "WE MET GOING THROUGH A WINDSHIELD TOGETHER"  

It wasn't 100% accurate, but it was very close.  The couple from Minnesota married close to thirty years, made my day.  I asked them my standard question to couples who have been married a long time, "What is the secret of a successful marriage?" His answer was hilarious and her answer may have been the best serious answer I've ever heard. He is a welder and once when he was young told a priest that the most important thing in a marriage is, "Not going to Church and having a lot of sex."  She's a nurse and she said the secret was, "Seven words, please, thank you, I love you, and I'm sorry."

The two of them were riding in the front seat of a vehicle driven by a mutual friend who he wanted to date. According to him, the woman crashed into a wall sending he and his future wife through the windshield and back inside the car.  His future wife broke her neck and had two surgeries and he came out fine and went on vacation in Mexico. They started dating sometime afterwards.

He was one of the most enthusiastic and outgoing people I've ever met.  He told me, "I love life, people are awesome." I wish this ride was fifteen minutes longer.  He was having as much fun as I was.  As he got out of the car he was telling me that their daughter tattooed their wedding anniversary date so he would remember it.  However, he said he wanted it there, because his wife didn't like it.  The end of the story was that he pulled up his shirt and showed me the tattoo on his upper chest.  He said he was a really good welder, but he could have been a comic who has an unlimited amount of stories.

                                                FIRST DAY ENGAGED

The couple was grinning from ear to ear after getting engaged the night before.  Visiting from West Virginia, they told me that she had hired him and he was very persistent in going out with her.  '"He said, "She hired me and then I asked her out many times and she kept saying no, before she finally said yes to dinner.  She asked to hang out the second time."  They are in the time share business, setting up appointments for potential buyers.  To celebrate their happy occasion I wished them forty years of happiness and I got a great picture of them with my mannequin Lily.

                                             HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM HONDURAS

In Myrtle Beach we have a lot people who come from other countries and work here through the summer months and I've had a number of people from the country of Honduras and they always enjoy seeing the Honduras bill hanging in my car.  This couple who have been married four years, really made my birthday special. The husband absolutely loved my car and seeing all the money in my museum and the wife and a great way of laughing.  When I told them that it was my birthday, they suddenly started singing, "Happy Birthday" to me.  It was a very nice gesture and caught me by surprise.

However, they were not done.  They were heading to work and he said, "You really made our day."  And that's when he gave me this eloquent birthday wish, "I hope everything your hands and feet touch prospers greatly." When they leave here they are heading for their next adventure in Montana to work in the winter.  They were a delight to have in my car and I wish them forty years of happiness together. 

THE DEDICATED MIDWIFE

I only had her in my car about 10-15 minutes, but she was remarkable. Retired and recently turned 80, she was heading to the airport and told me about the career she was retired from. She explained, "I have delivered thousands of babies here and in Europe. Mothers and babies are the love of my life." To emphasize what she was saying she told me what she did when she retired.  "I used to visit the hospital and sit there and just watch the babies."  She was very grateful for the ride and charming to talk with. One day in Charleston she was in the supermarket and a woman walked up to her and told her that she looked like the woman who delivered her baby in England thirty-five years ago. She had been recognized and appreciated and it meant the world to her.  I appreciated her time and stories-she is a wonderful person.

                                        THE MAILMAN DELIVERS HIS LINES

He was with his wife and son and they had a great time riding with me.  He was very funny and his wife said, "I've told him he could be a comedy writer." He asked me if my mannequin was my girlfriend and then, "Is she single?" When I explained that some of my riders are a little afraid at first of the mannequin head, he joked that they wouldn't be afraid if they were the killer from Long Island that was just arrested.  At the end of the ride he assured me that, "This was an Uber we won't forget." I'll remember that he kept me laughing the whole ride.

                                                 POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY?

The young man was visiting from Bulgaria and is considered a J-1 student, working in Myrtle Beach for the summer. He had his undergraduate degree completed and he was getting his masters in "Positive Pyschology."  I had never heard the phrase so I asked him to explain it to me.  He spoke pretty well, but wasn't that confident in his ability to explain it.  Ironically, I encouraged him with my positivity and he was able to explain it pretty well.  A good definition of it is this: positive pyschology is the study of what is going right with people and how to use those insights and tools to help people not only cope, but thrive." I explained to him what I do in my car to brighten up people's day and the book I'm about to publish and his eyes got very big and he understood the connection.  I hope to drive him again before he goes back home, I'm sure we'll both enjoy it.

                                               THE BARTENDER WAS SHOCKED

It was a short ride, but the first minute was almost too much for the local bartender.  As she got into my car she started talking and then gasped when she saw the mannequin head peering out from the front seat. "It almost gave me a heart attack; I thought it was a child looking at me." She took a picture and said, "I'm going to be talking about her all day." At one point she told me, "I don't want to see her the rest of my life." But moments later she said, "That's hilarious, you should bring her into my bar." I asked if she wanted a picture with Lily, but she said no.  It was a fun ride, because she was so startled.  

                                                A WOMAN WITH MANY TALENTS

The woman from Oregon told me that she was a nurse and had worked the past few years in a hospital.  Like many other nurses, she had gone through the difficulties of working on a COVID floor.  She became interested in being a nurse during her six years in the Navy. It was her job to check the couple of nuclear areas on ships and she used to spend time working with medical personnel in the Navy.  You never know what a person's background might be and she was very open to sharing that background with me and it made our ride a whole lot more interesting.

Happiness and Marriage

During the past month I have come across a number of articles on happiness, what is happy and who is happier? A recent study by the University of Chicago after evaluating thousands of Americans, said that, "The most important differentiator" in being happy is a good marriage.  It doesn't mean that people who are not married are not happy or that all married people are happy, but it did show a 30 point difference for married men and women compared to unmarried men and women.

They concluded that the reason levels of happiness have decreased over the years is due to the falling marriage rates.  Since 1970 the number of people who get married has dropped 60% and since 1990 the drop is 40%.  It is estimated that only half of the people in the country are married, down from 72% in 1960.  They concluded that if marriage rates increased, so would the level of happiness.

This coming Monday, my wife and I will celebrate forty years of marriage.  When I drive a newly engaged or married couple somewhere I usually say, "I wish you forty years of happiness, and after that it's up to you."  They usually laugh, but they do appreciate the kind words.

A Wall Street Journal-NORC poll showed that 12% of the people in the United States who were the happiest, "Are those with strong emotional ties to others."  According to a study of over 1,000 people, women are happier than men and people over 60 are happier than younger adults.  They said that happier people tend to believe marriage is important, they believe in God and in helping their community.

Robert Waldinger, a professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School, gave a speech in 2015 on a seventy-five year study of men and happiness.  The speech has been watched by forty-five million people and it runs only twelve minutes long.  The conclusion of this study is simple, "Good relationships keep us happier and healthier."

I read recently about a General Social Survey that has been put out since 1972 and they had similar results. They found that married people tend to be 30% happier than unmarried people, people who trust others are happier and the Northeast is the unhappiest region.

Finally, the article about "The World's Happiest Man," who was given that title by the media.  His name is Matthieu Ricard, who is an ordained Buddhist Monk.  He has written many books including on the subject of happiness. His advice for your happiness is this, "If you can, as much as possible, cultivate that quality of human warmth, wanting genuinely for other people to be happy." He said, "That's what I call happiness.  It's not as if all the time you jump for joy. Happiness is more like your baseline. It's where you come to after the ups and downs, the joy and sorrows."

It sounds a lot like a good marriage to me.  Below is a picture of the happiest day in my life.  It was taken forty years ago this Monday, August 28, 1983. Thank you to my wife for keeping me happy and healthy for all these years. Happy anniversary princess.

  

Eating Through My Birthday Week

My wife decided last week to have some of my favorite meals and foods all week during my birthday and it was really good.  I didn't want you to miss out on the food, so here are some pictures and a few comments about each.

There is nothing fancy about a bagel, cream cheese and lox, but the taste is incredible.  My favorite bagel is cinnamon raisin which some people don't think mixes well with lox, but it works for me.  I did have two and the one in the back I got a bite in so taking the picture really tasted good too.

We did have burgers the second night which was good, but it's not really a favorite food of mine.  However, the next night was this big roaster chicken.  I did not eat the whole thing, but I'd like to one day.  I started with a couple drumsticks and then worked on the carcass.  The leftover chicken that my wife did not eat, turned into a terrific sandwich on Friday for lunch on the road and also dominated a salad for another dinner.  It's 7 am right now and I'd have no problem eating a couple more drumsticks.  I think I can still smell the chicken in the house six days later.

I took a couple bites of this giant turkey drumstick before snapping the picture.  It may not be as big as the Disney drumsticks, but it was delicious.  I was just thinking how much fun it would be one week to have a turkey drumstick with a regular dinner every night of the week.  Yes, I am getting hungrier writing this, maybe I should have had breakfast first?

What could be better to round out the week than a plate of very large pieces of chicken parmesan? I  had two that night with pasta and one the next night with pasta.  We put two away in the freezer for another night in the future. How long would it take to defrost a piece? Can I eat it before my wife wakes up?

My wife decided to surprise me by making a chocolate cake from scratch.  I hadn't had a good chocolate cake in weeks, so I did not object.  The icing had a coffee taste to it and this was a great way to wash the chicken parmesan down-with milk too, of course.

We did not finish this in one sitting and the next night I had another good piece and I left the rest for my wife to eat the next day.  Sitting at breakfast after eating eggs, my wife told me that I could have the rest of the cake.  It was 9:30 am and I was still hungry so.....   Below was the final part of my birthday week of eating my favorite foods. (Don't worry I got the pint of Haagen-Dazs coffee ice cream in earlier in the week, but I ate it too fast to take a picture)

I only gained two pounds all week, is that even possible?

Southern Clouds Part 2

If you missed my previous blog on the incredible clouds in the South, you should check it out. That blog had the interesting and unusual clouds, but this one has the colorful ones.  The first two pictures were taken by a professional and they are too good not to include with the ones I've taken.  You may notice that many of these cloud pictures are taken in our neighborhood-enjoy.

Southern Clouds Part 1

In the process of becoming a southerner during these five and a half years, there are a number of things to adjust to.  The top five things in my opinion are: the slower pace of life, the beautiful weather, the lower taxes, the incredibly friendly people and the lower wages.   

Something that no one else talks about are the incredible clouds in the sky.  I noticed it in the first month we were here and I started taking pictures of clouds.  Clouds have never interested me, but down here they are amazing.  I asked a pilot one day that I was driving if the clouds were different here, but he said they were the same everywhere.

I finally got around to going through my phone and I emailed myself all the pictures of clouds that I really liked and there were over 50 pictures.  I went through all of them again and cut the pictures down to half of that.  In this blog are about a dozen pictures that are not colorful, just beautiful and unusual.  I'm saving the colorful pictures for my next blog.  Enjoy some southern clouds, do you see this where you are?

An Incredible Journey Completed

If you missed this story recently, it is worth reading.  Torbjorn Pedersen is 44 years old and he just returned to his home in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Ten years ago, he left his house with one suitcase and he planned on becoming the first person to visit all 195 countries in the world, without flying.

His career was in shipping products and planning construction products, but he wanted to set a travel record.  He expected it to take four years, but it took six years longer, partly due to COVID.   He spent two years working in Hong Kong during the beginning of the pandemic.

He traveled by car, boat, taxi, and shipping containers and traveled about 260,000 miles on his journey.  He spent at least 20 days in each county and planned on spending only $20 each day. He also used social media to track his progress.  He traveled into countries at war like the South Sudan and overcame dangerous situations and several serious health issues.  

Last October he married his girlfriend in the country of Vanuatu.  A few weeks ago, 150 people greeted him as he returned home for the first time in ten years.  He is planning on getting speaking engagements and writing a book about his trip.  Looking back at his journey he said, "People are just being people everywhere."

In ancient Greek culture, the King of Ithaca, was Odysseus.  Returning from a war it took him ten years to get home. Who would believe that in 2023 we have a real Odysseus and he's now safely home in Denmark?

My Birthday Cake

When it comes to a birthday cake there are no rules, so I am not breaking any here.  My 63rd birthday is this coming Saturday and I have already eaten my birthday cake.  They say you can't have your cake and eat it too, but I absolutely did.  I looked this proverb up and it said it meant this, "You cannot simultaneously retain possession of a cake and eat it too. Once the cake is eaten, it is gone."

On Saturday, July 22nd, almost a month before my birthday, my wife and I met my sister and her husband at the famous Harold's Deli in Edison, New Jersey.  I have walked into this deli many times over the last 30-40 years and looked at a chocolate cake and said, "One day, one day."

I would like to tell you that I bought the whole cake, but as you can see below I got enough of it.  This piece was maybe 1/8th of the above cake.  It was really, really thick.

We had just had a big meal and I shared a piece with my sister and husband and I really enjoyed eating this.  It tasted as good as it looked, I promise it did. My milk was ready, what could be better than this?

Later than night I ate some more cake and I saved some for breakfast the next morning.  I had to eat it because we were driving home at 5 am.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's the picture of me eating the cake in the hotel room.  It's a terrible picture, but the expression on my face is priceless.  If you look carefully you can see I have a very large piece on my fork; I did not put it all in my mouth. The cake was eaten, but it will never be gone from my memory or my stomach!

"MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE"

 

It was September 17th, 1966, when the television show, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, first came on the air.  I was six years old and I did not watch it. During the seven years, a group of extraordinary spies took on only the most difficult assignments, if they chose to except it.  The beginning of each show had them receiving their mission by tape recorder and then it would "self-destruct. The theme song was great and as you heard it clips of the show flashed in front of you.

It was a very good cast that included Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Martin Landau, and for a couple years, Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame. In 1988, due to an actor's strike, the show was revived for two years.  Since then, seven movies have come out beginning in 1996 with Tom Cruise as the star.  Some of the other known actors and actresses in these movies have been, Jon Voight, Vanessa Redgrave, Josh Holloway("Lost"), Jeremy Renner("The Avengers"), and Henry Cavill.("Superman)

The seventh movie, "Dead Reckoning, Part 1) just came out and the conclusion will be out next year.  My wife and I have seen all the movies and they have always been good.  We went to the movies last week and saw the earliest show and this is what the theatre looked like before twelve people joined us.

It was a terrific movie and the action was non-stop.  It ran close to three hours, but it did not drag.  The most talked about scene is when Tom Cruise rides a motorcycle off the top of a mountain to catch a train. (Really)  It's well worth watching and I'm sure when they put this idea on the air in 1966, they were not expecting people to still be enjoying it almost sixty years later.

MY BOOK IS COMING SOON!

This is not a very good picture of the front and back of my book, however, this is all I have.  I had to take a picture of this on my computer and then send an e-mail to myself and post it the way I post any picture on my blog.  I can make technology difficult, it's a gift I have.

My final edits of my book are at the publisher and they are putting the book together.  I may have some books in my hand in 3-4 weeks and the book should go on sale somewhere around the end of the month or beginning of September.  I don't have some other details at this time, but after two years of working on this, it is getting close.

On the cover to the right is my reddish, orange van, which I have had for the past almost thirty months and I've given over 3,500 rides. On the left is my greyish, green Ford passenger van, that I had for the first 3 1/2 years of driving around 7,500 Uber and Lyft passengers.  Below that picture are four special quotes from my riders that summarizes the experience many other riders have had.  The cover will look a lot better than this, but it is very bright and I think Palmetto Publishers in North Charleston, South Carolina, did a terrific job.

The book is dedicated to my riders who have entertained, educated, inspired and shared their lives with me. Included in the book are my fifty favorite rides, inspirational rides, fun moments, and rides from "The Twilight Zone." Some of the other chapters are on sports, southern hospitality, relationships, unique names and occupations. It's been quite an adventure the past five years and I'm looking forward to sharing it with more people.