MY MOST MEMORABLE SEPTEMBER RIDERS

                                                                                                                                                             

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

I have picked up a lot of couples and I have heard some amazing stories on how people met, but this may be the best one.  I picked up a couple living in Florida and they told me that they had been married for 38 years.  I asked the husband, who had his own finance company, "How did you meet?" He started laughing and told me this story:

"We met at McDonalds where she was working.  She was in high school and I was in college. I was with friends and they were talking to her at the counter.  I was sitting at a table and one of my friends moved and I saw her for the first time. She took my breath away. It's the only time in my life that everything moved in slow motion like a movie. I walked up to the counter and the first thing I said was, "I'm going to marry you."

I asked her what her response was and she said, "I blew him off and through away his number." She was dating someone else.  He visited the McDonalds several times and when her relationship with her boyfriend was ending, she gave him her number.  The rest is history.  

I enjoyed telling them that I met my wife at Burger King and we've been married 41 years.  We have a lot in common.

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF A FRENCHWOMAN

She was from the Bronx, New York, and she was impressive.  Her marriage was breaking up and she had four children between the ages of 1-15 and she decided to move to France to get a fresh start.  She did a little bit of everything to make it work and also had another two children in France where she has lived for 32 years.  Her best story she told me at the end of the ride. She said, "I was due with my fourth child and I cleaning the crib and I had to give birth suddenly by myself.  I wrapped the baby up in a blanket and I called the midwife to come over and cut the chord." She is one independent woman!

A GOLFING LEGEND

I am not a golfer, but I could tell this guy had done very well in the golfing world.  He said that he was, "A putting guru," and learned from one of the greatest.  He told me, "I once gave Tiger Woods a tip." He once got a putting tip with Jack Nicklaus from E. Harvey Ward, who was one of the best golfers in the 1950's. He told me that he won two hundred amateur tournaments and as a golf instructor he would charge people, "$3,000 per hour."  With another golfer he sold, "Over four million videos," on how to golf.  He's had quite an exciting career traveling the world and when he saw my money collection, he said, "I'm impressed."

EIGHTY YEARS YOUNG

He is close to turning 81, but he gave me the best laugh of the day and it was totally unexpected. He was in great shape so I asked, "How are you in such great shape, what's your secret?" He said, "Cheerios."  After I stopped laughing the black man said, "I used to eat the colored ones when I was young." We figured out that he actually meant, "Fruit Loops."  In his life he worked as a photographer, artist, and musician and he is still working in a store nearby where I dropped him off in downtown Charleston.  He did get around to saying that he has eaten healthy for a long time and, "Stayed away from the meats." He was a pleasure to drive, but I don't think I'll look at Cheerios the same way again.

A COLLEGE PROFESSOR

I had a great time talking with a professor from Georgia Tech, the school my youngest daughter graduated from.  He was working in product development for medical devices and was not enjoying it. "I decided I needed to do something doable and that didn't irritate me. He got the job at Georgia Tech and would up teaching a class in senior design and a semester many years in Ireland.  He's about to retire and he had some great advice for anyone-"Stick to the things that bring you joy."

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

I was driving in a remote area of Charleston, South Carolina, probably 2 1/2 hours from Myrtle Beach where I live.  A moment before leaving the area I got a ride from a woman who used to live New York. I'm from New Jersey and it's not unusual for me to pick up someone from New York, but when she said she lived in Myrtle Beach, that is very uncommon.  She said to me, "What are the odds," and that was odd. The book I am currently reading, that was in my car, is called, "What are the odds?"

We continued talking and laughing about the coincidences and she asked where I lived in Myrtle Beach.  After telling her, she said, "My parents live right there!" They live in the same neighborhood.  She asked me if we had a dog and I told her we did and we walk around the neighborhood all the time.  Her parents have a dog and the dog's best friend is Dewey.  Dewey is my dog's best friend.  If that wasn't enough, I found out the night or two before we met, I was walking with a few people which included her mom. What are the odds of that?

IT'S FINE, FINE, FINE!

Usually when there are four passengers in my car there is a lot of talking going on and this was no exception. There was one couple and two friends going to a party, which of course is fine.  One of the three women did say, "I hate these people," but she was joking. They were not a young group, all over thirty and under seventy and if I'm wrong it will have to be... fine.

One woman told the story of going to another party recently that she had to pay I think $130 to go.  She was surprised, but said, "It was fine." She said, "It's fine," many times and the one guy and I started repeating it.  It was not the normal conversation I have in the car, but it was fun and of course, it was fine.  They were all very nice, but it's probably the only ride I've ever had that centered around one word....fine.  

What Store Would You Like to Live On Top Of?

If you didn't see this in the news, it's pretty unusual, creative, and interesting. This past week construction began in South Los Angeles and pictured below is a Costco surrounded by 800 apartments. The Costco warehouse/store is 185,000 square feet and the apartments range from 350 to 605 square feet.  

The complex will have 23% of the apartments for low income residents.  They will also have a rooftop pool, basketball court, and gardens.  This may be the future in solving the housing crisis.

This got me thinking about chicken, Costco's famous rotisserie chicken.  Would you be able to smell chicken in your apartment? I once drove a guy who lived on the same block as a barbecue place and he loved waking up in the morning and smelling barbecue-I get that!

I have seen apartments or condos in Charleston that are above a Publix supermarket, but what other places would you like to live next to or on top of?

PIZZA PLACE: For those of you who love pizza, can you smell the aroma with your bedroom window open? How about a pie delivery in three minutes?

STARBUCKS: It's not that they are at every other corner, what if you lived with a Starbucks? Could you somehow resist getting a coffee, now? How about, now? What about after you finish reading this?

WAL-MART: It's all there. You have an aisle of cereal with 4,495 different kinds, according to Mr. Google. It's not just in your neighborhood, you are their neighbor!

MEINEKE: You want an oil change? They come to your apartment, get your key and go to parking space 222 and they bring the key and the receipt back when they are done right to your door.

So, the next time you are ready to move, who would you really like to have as a neighbor?

Can You Say "Scammer"?

Over the years I've come across a number of situations that involved scammers or potentially a scammer. Below are three areas I have experienced this, but I'm holding one more situation that is the most interesting and questionable situation for a separate blog.

UBER DRIVER: 

For many years Uber has had a problem that scammers are contacting drivers on the driver app and pretending to be Uber Support which almost never calls drivers. (We call Uber Support which is our customer service and the riders too.)  Scammers have been able to convince some drivers to give them personal information and they emptied money from their Uber account that the driver had made.

I have probably gotten this call or text about six times in six years, but I knew it was a scam for two reasons.  I read about it on our Uber Facebook site and the scammers were clearly not as friendly as Uber Support.  

FACEBOOK: 

When I published my book a year ago, I was on many Facebook sites announcing the book and I replied to hundreds of positive comments about the announcement.  I also received a number of friend requests, some with a question about Uber or how they could get me as a driver.  I also got some scammers or people with questionable objectives.

I found that their Facebook site was usually very sparse in content. They frequently would message me in the middle of the night and would say, "How are you?" I did communicate with a few of them and asked who they were and what they wanted, but did not get a reply that made sense.  I also had two people with the same scam-they had just gotten money from a government program and saw my name on a list when they received the money.  I can't believe people fall for that. The second time I got it, I told the person I already had this scam.

PHONE CALLS ABOUT MY BOOK: 

I have probably received a couple dozen calls from so called different companies that want to market for me, represent my book in Germany, Mexico, or Canada, get me into more bookstores, or get a movie contract.  I have talked with them about my book and in almost all cases their deal involved me paying $700 to a few thousand dollars.  The record was from last week, $3,800, but they would take care of most of the costs.

The companies all had websites, but usually the person I was talking to was not convincing and did not understand what my book was about. I was interested in what they were saying and how they did it and I told many of them that they were not believable and I wouldn't be interested.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Anyone who knows me understands that I do not spend money quickly or easily, so I am a very difficult sell.  The important thing is to not give out any account numbers and a minimal amount of information. How many of these people who called me were really scammers? I have no idea, some of them could have been the same people. I did check their websites and some of them probably do marketing and promoting. By talking with some of them, it was easier to spot the red flags and things that may not have been real.

 

The Big Fly (Part 2)

It is time for my final Colorado vacation blog and I'm going to end it with the same blog subject as the first one I posted on July 28th.  I know that one blog about a big fly is enough, but I was not satisfied with the ending last time.

The day we were leaving our daughter's house, I went into the bathroom and found my friend-the big fly. It was just as surprised as I was. I grabbed a towel and took a couple swings and it was gone.  The walls are dark and the fly used them as camouflage.  I tried to draw it out by standing still for five minutes, but it was long gone.

A couple hours later, my wife and I arrived at our airbnb and immediately noticed there were two flies, one big and one smaller one.  The big one could not have been the same fly as earlier since we were thirty miles away.

My wife and I took several swings in a larger room and then the small fly landed right in front of my wife and she took her glove off and showed the fly who was boss.  The evidence is below-

My wife went out food shopping, leaving me with a dog and one big fly in the house.  Looking at the front window the blinds, I was surprised to see the big fly on the window.  I had nothing near me to get it and it was inside the blinds. Could I get my hand between the blinds and finally kill a big fly? YES, I did it and here it is on the window sill.  It was very rewarding!

I don't want you to think I'm just a one-fly guy, so here is another one I killed on vacation.  Fortunately for you, I did not write down the details.

More New Things I Saw on My Vacation

1.  If you have never played the game, "Connect Four," it is a fun game.  Our youngest daughter has always been good at it and I lost a lot of games to her.  Her brother bought her a gigantic sized board and I watched them playing standing up as if they were being filmed  Imagine if there was a monopoly board that size with all the pieces enlarged!

2. If you have to follow another car, this car, driven by our realtor, was very easy to follow.

3. These days people will run anywhere, but have you ever seen someone jogging on the shoulder of a major highway? How about during a major accident where the traffic is backed up for miles? I could have taken a picture of her, but I was too stunned that she was there.

4. The car in front of me had a covering on her big tire that had a picture of a periodic table and the message was, "I have periodic issues."  It was clever, but the traffic was moving and I could not get a picture of it.

5. They call this "Blucifer," which is what everyone sees as they enter the grounds of Denver airport.  I had heard about this, but it's amazing to see.  It is officially called, "Mustang" and it is 32 feet tall.  It took 15 years to finish and the creator was tragically killed when a part of it fell off on  him during construction.  The red eyes are a tribute to the creator's father who owned a neon store.

6. I'm not big on a lot of pillows, but there were ten pillows on our bed at our airbnb. You can't even see them all-ridiculous!

7. Don't you hate it when you're going to sit on a bench and there's already a stuffed animal sitting there? She wasn't much of a talker.

8. Lastly, you're at a restaurant and you're uncomfortable with who is sitting next to you.  I couldn't even tell if it was a he or she? The buffalo was on the sidewalk and our table was too.

Ralph The Tic?

Have you ever been driving at 75 mph in your car and you notice something in your car? In the corner of my eye I saw a ladybug on my window just to my right. It was about 3/4th of the way up the window and it wasn't moving. I decided not to do anything. I was leaving it up to him and I decided to call him Ralph. (Yes they can be male or female according to Mr. Google.)

After about an hour of staying put, he moved down the window and then back up it.  I noticed it had eight legs. A ladybug doesn't have eight legs, does it? (Mr. Google said six legs.) Whatever it was, it did get a lot of exercise.  This is how it looked on my window-it's right above the big tree.

I'm not sure if it was trying to get out of the car or just get its steps in.  My wife woke up and said that it looked like a tic.  Does a tic have six legs or eight legs? I am keeping Mr. Google very busy today and he said that tics have eight legs.

When we stopped at a rest stop, I opened the door and swatted at it.  My wife said, "What did you call it?" I answered, "Dead." The tic was dead, but here's a better picture of it below.  It looks like a drone or a small helicopter and now you've read my first story on our vacation.

It's Grandparent's Day!

Okay, it was Grandparents' Day this past Sunday and for the first time, my wife and I are grandparents! What do you know about Grandparents' Day? Here's the rundown on what you and I did not know:

It all started in 1969 when a nine-year-old boy, Russell Capper, sent a letter to President Nixon suggesting that there was a special day for grandparents. He got a letter back from President Nixon's personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, saying that there needed to be a congressional resolution for that to happen.

In 1973, a resolution was introduced in the Senate, after being promoted by a West Virginia housewife, Marian McQuade. Finally, it was passed in 1977 and on August 3, 1978, President Jimmy Carter, signed it into law. The first Sunday after Labor Day would be recognized as Grandparents' Day.

Fast forward exactly forty-six years later, our first grandchild, Riley, was born in Colorado.  Although we did not get to see her since we are in Myrtle Beach, we did get this adorable picture of her at about five weeks old. I'm pretty sure she is saying, "Happy Grandparents' Day!"

MY MOST MEMORABLE VACATION QUOTES-PART 2

 I am not the only who enjoyed these comments, I'm just the only one who wrote them down.

16. "She's so small." Someone else replied, "That's how most of them are."

They were talking about the baby and both comments were pretty obvious.

17. "Spicy food can make your butt feel spicy."

I don't like spicy food and I probably would not like my butt to feel spicy, would you?

18. "He was snoring so loud they were picking him up for the baby's hearing test."

It was the dad and not me, the grandpa, who was snoring too loud. They heard him clearly, but could not hear if the baby could hear?

19. "The shepherd's pie has a lot of vegetables, he's going to have a great poop!"

Fortunately I can tell you that I ate the pie, but this did not happen.

20. "I can't wait to grow up and get old."

Obviously from someone short on experience, but with plenty of humor.

21. "Riley is like the size of a banana."

I'm not sure who would like a baby to be compared to a banana, but she was.

22. "Is it a chicaterie  or a charcuterie board?"

Either way, it was not made.

23. "Odin looks like a man in his 30's smoking a cigar."

I have to admit as you see below, he does.

24. "The hospital wanted her (the baby) to poop only once, but she pooped seven times."  "Is there a record wall."

Two different people said these things, but I'm probably the only one to ever write something like this down.

25. "Next week the baby may be walking. She'll be speaking French soon."

I didn't walk for 19 months and I took French in Junior High School because my friends did. This is one very independent baby.

26. "A lot of people dip french fries in ice cream."

This cannot be a real thing.  I like french fries and I like ice cream, but together? NO!

27. "People always ask, 'Is that a freshie?' You can probably get that reaction by picking up random babies."

I have never heard babies referred to as "Freshies," but I don't think you can walk around a supermarket lifting random babies up.

28. "Uh, What's'er face? We'll name our kid, What's'er Martin."

Yes, the last name would be Martin, but that first name will not cut it.

29. "Forgetacini."

We were supposed to remember  to take the fettuccine home with us, but we did not.

30. "It looks like a brain."

I think this is a strectch. This looked and tasted incredible- chicken parm pizza

31. "As a therapist, what would you ask the buffalo?

I asked the question to my brother-in-law as we sat next to the below buffalo as we ate dinner.  He answered, "Why does everyone pick on you? Do you really have wings?"

32. "I can't wait until I'm in the car when my daughter is pulled over speeding."

I did not say this.

33. "It's surprising how unfunny you are."  "I'm sorry you were raised in a funny family."

I'm not sure which line is funnier and I don't know who said what about whom? It's a good one to end on.

MY MOST MEMORABLE RIDER COMMENTS IN AUGUST

 It was a very short month of driving for me, but here are my rider comments:

"Our Uber driver yesterday was a little quirky. At one point he said, "I can't see too well anymore and then he was talking to us as if he was talking through a radio to the back seat."

His name is Lauren and he told me, "Uber drivers are always looking for a girl, I'm not even a good- looking dude."

I asked the three girls of the bachelorette party, "What is something unique or unusual about the bride to be?" With her sitting in the car, someone said, "She has a crooked elbow." (Broken twice)

The 27-year-old from North Carolina said, "When I was in college I did work in marketing and made $100,000. I then decided to be a rapper." With his music business he works with four artists and is about to do a three-city tour performing. He added, "I also wrote a children's book which did very well on Amazon."

"My last Uber driver was 70 years old and he said he's in a rock band. He played some music and then started rocking out."

She surprised me when she said, "I became an attorney so I could work for a non-profit."

I asked the trumpet player, "What are you going to do when you graduate with a master's in music?" He replied, I'm going spend time enjoying my life."

I asked the couple married 62 years, "What's the secret to a successful marriage?" They said, "Show love and respect to each other and a sense of humor helps."

I asked the Navy guy who had been on a nuclear sub, "Did you pull into any foreign ports?" He said, "No, they are not usually fond of nuclear missiles."

"When I came to the South I couldn't understand why everyone was waving at me."

She: "If you want a bachelorette party to drink, go to Nashville, but if you want to shop, come to Charleston."

He: "When I was in Dubai they had a ski resort in a mall. They go all out to keep people cool."

The couple had been dating five years and I said to the guy, "When are you going to pop the question?" His girlfriend started laughing and said, "Never."

From Wisconsin he said, "We are a drunken state. We have some of the drunkest cities in the country."

She: "The beaches in California are not as nice as the beaches in Myrtle Beach."

He: "When I was in eighth grade I was a running back and I received a trophy from Walter Payton at an awards ceremony."

She said, "Charlotte is the best place in the world to live."

"I was in Chicago during the Democratic Convention and I was stuck there two days trying to get a flight out."

She golfed in the Myrtle Beach tournament and said, "I had 35 friends here and I made others too."

The group of four girls said about the rest of the girls, "They are boring."

UNUSUAL OCCUPATIONS

Cave Tour Guide

COMMENTS ABOUT LILY, MY MANNEQUIN

Telling him that some people are afraid of mannequins, he said, "You can count on me not to be afraid of mannequins."

"She's cool."

"She's beautiful."

COMMENTS ABOUT ME AND MY CAR

"This was a great experience. Thank you for your time."

"Keep spreading sunshine."

"This was the best ride we've ever had and it was only two miles."

"This was a fantastic experience."

"Unfortunately, I can only contribute with American money."

"I like your style."

"Best ride we've ever had."

"You're a genius."

"You're the best Uber driver around."

From Minnesota, he said, "You give off Minnesota vibes."

"You're one of a kind."

"This was super cool, thanks for sharing."

"I love this car."

"I think you love your job." 

"This was one of the best Ubers we've ever had."

"You have the audacity to show these bills."

"I love this."

"This was the best ride ever."

"This is way too cool."

"I love what you did here."

"You were so inciteful."