Sing A Song For Your Health

I have always enjoyed singing.  I have done a lot of singing over the years in the shower, in my car, and other times when I'm alone.  My wife has told me that when it starts to get sunny out that I always sing, "Here Comes The Sun." Always is too strong of a word, but I have done that from to time.  

I have also written a few hundred songs/parodies and I have sung some of them many, many times. I know that I do not sing well, but the most important thing is not how well you sing, but that you sing.  Recent studies have shown that singing is very good for you. They say, "Physiology singing regulates the nervous system through rhythmic breathing and vibration."  Not only does singing feel good it also reduces stress and "strengthens the body and the brain."

So you should up your singing, because it's good for you and you can do it almost anywhere. I am singing right now.

If you happen to be someone who enjoys doing karaoke with friends down the Jersey shore, this is a list of the top ten most popular karaoke songs:

10. "The Boy is Mine" Brandy and Monica  (never heard of it)

9. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" Bonnie Tyler (I like this one a lot)

8. "Friends in Low Places" Garth Brooks  (never heard of it)

7. "Super Bass" Nikki Minaj (never heard of it)

6. "You Oughta Know" Alanis Morissette  (I definitely do not know)

5. "Shallow" Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (Very nice song)

4. "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen (Love it, one of the classics)

3. "I Will Survive" Gloria Gaynor (Like it, very popular)

2. "I Want it That Way" The Backstreet Boys  (I do know it, but don't like it)

1. "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" Shania Twain ( I know it, but never would have guessed it's number 1)

MY MOST MEMORABLE RIDER COMMENTS IN NOVEMBER

On the way to New Zealand, he said, "I can't wait for the food we're about to have. But, my wife is gonna struggle. You're going to have to open up your palate."  She: "Good thing I brought my anti-diarrhea pills."

I asked the couple how they met and he said, "We met on e-Harmony. One of her pictures was in a Hazmat suit and I said, 'This is interesting.'"

She told me, "Grandpa's Burgers" are the best.  They've been around 50 years and the burgers are as big as my face."

                                                              

As he got in my car he handed me a $3 tip. After thanking him I told him that he was only the fourth rider out of 16,000 to give me a tip before the ride started.  He said, "I try to be a good person. I'm not very good at doing bad things."

She said, "Driving for an hour on the left side of the road (New Zealand) was the most terrifying experience of my life." Her husband added, "Mine too."

He told me, "I have multiple streams of income, managing a liquor store, rental properties and working in finance." I asked him how he manages that and he replied, "I get up and go and keeping going until the Lord tells me to stop."

The engaged couple had very different personalities.  The outgoing woman said, "We bring people out of their shell, or we put them back in it because that's were it belongs."

I asked the guy who has been married thirty-two years what's the secret to his successful marriage and he said, "We've had our ups and downs, but you have to solve the problems.  You have to forgive. My wife is a great woman."

She: "We've always joked about phrases that could be a hit single such as, "You have a half of a cat on your lap."

He: "For the last five years I've had a special holiday party.  I go all out. The first one was a cooking extravaganza. I invite all kinds of people I've met and some people fly in from other countries.  My only request is that you bring something from your culture to share with others."

She was very upset because she just left her assisted living job in tears. She: "They were abusing people. There was a woman lying on the floor covered in her own urine.  I took a picture, look at this." I said, "I'm driving right now."

Me: "This is the kind of ride that I don't want to end." Husband: "You want to drive us to New Zealand? You know it's on an island?" 

She: "When I started working at Amazon, "My hair to my pinky toe hurt."

For twenty years he built and repaired wind turbines and said, "I think I've climbed up 200 miles over the years and climbed down 200 miles. They are incredible machines."

My daughter said, "Compared to Uber drivers, you're funny. But most Uber drivers don't talk."

The creative guy said, "The end goal is not to be better than others, but to be better than you used to be."

He: "I was 46 years old and had no hope. I was a drug addict and I had spent twenty years in jail for three bank robberies." He was inspired at a meeting to change his life. He met his wife at a recovery meeting and at 60 years old he has two young boys.  "I was hired by a company for $12 an hour, was trained, and later became their operations manager supervising fifty people.  I helped two companies become million dollar businesses."

He told me this incredible story: "I should have died when I was 16. I was in a gang shooting and a bullet hit my heart. My doctor said he couldn't believe I was saved and it was a miracle. When I woke up I spoke to a nurse who told me, 'God put his hand over your heart to protect you because you have more to do on this earth.' A couple days later I was looking for that black nurse but I was told that they didn't have any black nurses in the emergency room.  I never saw her again."

MORE COMMENTS

My daughter and son-in-law gave me a rotisserie chicken for their ride to the airport. "We bought it four days ago, it's not going to last long."  I was going to stop over to see more family before eating it at home and she said, "Tell everyone we bought it a week ago, then none of them will eat it."

I told the bartender from Minnesota that he had the best laugh out of any of my riders from Minnesota. He laughed and said, "I'll take it. They can hear my laugh all the way across the casino.  I want people to have a good time."

The couple told me, "Our son plays football for the Colorado School of Mimes." I was confused, maybe they said, "Minds?"  It turns out that it was "The Colorado School of Mines," an elite engineering school.

She: "My friend had just moved to Richmond, Virginia and didn't know anyone. She was jogging and a guy almost ran her over with his bike.  She called him an, "Asshole," and he stopped to talk to her and they've been together ever since."

She: "When women gossip it just shows how miserable they are."

She: "You can tell a Coloridian(really Coloradan) by how accepting they are.  Some people also say by how eccentric they are."

She: "I've been a driver my whole life, with buses and now trucks. I traced my family back to Europe and they were all drivers, transportation-it's in my blood."

I asked what he did for work and he said, "I'm a tattooer.  I'm an unusual person. While I work I can talk about anything I want, I have no HR to stop me."

She: "After college I want to be a Marine corps guard and then a foreign affairs analyst."

She: "Generations ago when my family came here from Europe, they disguised women and girls as men to get them here."

She explained, "I had my real estate license thirty years ago, but it wasn't right for me then so I let the license expire. Earlier this year I studied for twenty days and passed the test and got my license back and I enjoy it."

She: "I love healthcare, it's the best."

He: "I want to be a traveling carpenter and artist."

They taught me this: "In Burmese you say hello by saying "Mingaloba."

He: "I wanted to be a great father, but I turned out to be a great provider."

"If you tell yourself you're going to have a great day, you will."

He is a fanatical reader as I am and he said, "I'll always be reading." I told him it would make a great phrase for a tombstone and we laughed as he got out of my car.

Starting a new career doing taxes, she said, "I'm doing something for myself."

I told the liquor store manager that I don't put my mannequin head up in the car until 9 am, because I found out that if someone was drinking the night before, alcohol and mannequins do not mix well.  He said, "A lot of things don't mix well with alcohol."

He: "My handwriting makes it look like I have Parkinson's."

She: "I wish I had started counting how many times you said chicken when we gave it to you. We need a chicken counter."  She later said, "You've said it so many times that it would take an act of god to take you away from that chicken? I think we're at 72 for the chicken count."

"Despite how funny you two are, it was the chicken that got you to make my blog. She: "That's called bribery."

She: "My mom decided to change her life and personality. She started her own business cleaning houses and is about to become a life coach."

MY 71ST COUNTRY REPRESENTED IN MY CAR: NEPAL

NEW BILLS FROM NEW ZEALAND

On their return trip from their honeymoon, my daughter and son-in-law gave me these two bills.  The back of both bills are spectacular and are displayed in my car.

                           

UNIQUE OCCUPATIONS

She makes twenty wedding veils a day

Builder and climber of wind turbines

She was a former Black Hawk Army pilot

Chemist

Phlebotomist 

Builder earth rover( A luxury expedition vehicle for overlanders)

Business owner of swim instructing

Engineer building solar farms

I DROVE PEOPLE FROM THESE COUNTRIES:

Switzerland, Myanmar, Columbia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Denmark, Honduras.

WHAT MY RIDERS SAID ABOUT ME AND MY CAR

The yoga teacher said, "Thanks for spreading positivity in the world."

"I'll never forget you."

"You're my favorite Uber driver of all time."

After getting a concussion in another Uber that day, he said, "If I tell anyone what I saw here they are going to say, 'Yeah, but you had a concussion.'"

She: "I could sit here all day and look at this."

She: "You've got it all tripped out in here."

"I've got to tell my friends about this."

"I try to be a nice guy, but you may have me beat."

"You made my day."

"This was a great experience."

Giving career advice to a young guy he said, "I appreciate your wisdom."

"You just brightened my day."

Finishing their vacation in my car museum, she said, "Thanks for fulfilling my wish of going to a museum."

"Keep doing what you're doing."

"That's dope."

"You don't meet many interesting Uber drivers."

"You find the good in people."

"Fabulous, this is amazing."

"This is the most unique Uber I've ever seen."

"You made it fun."

"I love it."

"I appreciate you."

"Your car is great."

"This is the coolest Uber I've ever been in."

"We loved talking with you."

"This is dynamic!"

"Amazing, I like it."

MY FAVORITE RIDERS IN NOVEMBER

THE THIRD JOSE WAS THE CHARM

What are the odds that THREE of the first six rides Sunday morning were all named Jose? Not very good, but this Jose was unlike any other.  As he got in the car he immediately gave me a $3 TIP which is something only three other riders out of 16,000 have done. He explained, "I try to be a good person.  I'm not very good at doing bad things." I knew this was going to be a great ride, but I wasn't ready for what he gave me.

Married almost 33 years, I asked him what the secret of a successful marriage was.  "We've had our ups and downs, but you have to solve problems.  You have to forgive. My wife is a great woman."  Then, he told me one of the best stories I've heard in seven years.

"I should have died when I was 16. I was in a gang shooting and a bullet hit my heart.  My doctor said he couldn't believe I was saved and it was a miracle. When I woke up I spoke to a nurse who told me, 'God put his hand over your heart to protect you because you have more to on this earth.' A couple days later I was looking for the black nurse who told me that, but I was told that they didn't have any black nurses in the emergency room. I never saw her again."

At the end of the ride he tipped me another $3.  He also had three stops instead of the normal one. I didn't get a chance to ask him what his lucky number was, but on this day, my lucky number was three.

HE CHANGED HIS LIFE

The Florida man shared his amazing story with me. He said, "I was 46 years old and had no hope. I was collecting money from the government for a mental disability. I was a drug addict and had spent 20 years in jail for three different bank robberies." (One he escaped from)  You never know the impact you can have on someone. At a meeting he was inspired to change his life.

He met his wife at a recovery meeting and they have two young boys. He got a job with a tech company to earn $12 an hour.  They trained him and he wound up being their operations manager managing fifty people.  He helped two businesses become million-dollar operations.

At sixty years old he's a very different man than he was.  He was in town to give a motivational speech in a church about his life and at the same time he inspired me.  The below picture is his favorite hat that his kids gave him. He insisted I take it and I'll be telling his story to other riders for years to come.  

DOCTOR POSITIVE

I spent over ninety minutes with her and she inspired me.  I told her a bunch of stories that she enjoyed, but she is quite a success story herself.  She overcame a very negative family situation between her parents and was mainly raised by her grandparents.  She explained, "My grandmother inspired me because she puts everyone first. I had to separate myself from all the negativity."  She was working in healthcare and decided to be a doctor. "Healthcare, it's the best, but as a doctor I can help more people." By the end of this year she will be a doctor and on her way to succeed and be a role model for many people.  

I think "Dr. Positive" is the perfect nickname for her.  Does she connect well with others? She told me, "Everyone has a beautiful story," and I know when I hear one and she's it.

HE WAS THERE WHEN UBER BEGAN

He was one of the most interesting and successful riders I've ever had.  In the beginning of the ride I knew he was an entrepreneur and involved in many businesses including being a successful trader which gave him a lot of flexibility.  He spends his time between Colorado and Florida and owns several houses in Palm Beach, Florida.  His big break came when he had his own mobile automotive business and he outbid many known companies to get the first Uber hub in Colorado over ten years ago.

He told me that his income went from $60,000 a year to $60,000 a month.  He was responsible for getting all the new drivers signed up and most importantly their car inspections done.  He said that Uber really was a technology company and had no idea how to handle the many people who were signing up from other countries and also the people who had criminal records and were handicapped.  For over three years he was getting thousands of drivers started each month in the state of Colorado.  I could have talked with him for hours.  We did sit in the car for an extra 15-20 minutes after his ride was over-he was very generous with his time and I'm sure he will enjoy reading my book.

THE "SAGE" IN MY CAR

He had me laughing immediately. When I asked what kind of work he did, he said, "I'm a tattooer." It really is a word, but he added, "I have no HR department, I can say anything I want to my customers." He admitted, "I'm an unusual person," and he really was.  Although he went to school for art, he did very well in English classes.  I knew that because he kept using words that I don't here very often.  I knew he was a big reader and we had fun talking about books. He said, "I'll always be reading," and I said it would make a great line for a tombstone and we both laughed.  Married almost ten years I am certain he keeps his wife laughing and guessing what he's going to say next.  We could have talked for hours.

MY FAMILY CHICKEN RIDE

I have had a number of funny "chicken" rides over the years and usually I am attempting to get the rider to give me some chicken. This is the first ride and probably the last, that I actually had a chicken in the car that the riders gave me.  I was driving my youngest daughter and her husband to the airport for their honeymoon trip to New Zealand.  As a I pulled out of their development, they remembered the chicken they were going to give me.  Since chicken is my favorite food, I turned around to get it.

The "chicken talk" began when my son-in-law said, "I can't wait for the food we're about to have, but my wife is going to struggle. You're going to have to open up your palate." My daughter replied, "It's a good thing I brought my anti-diarrhea pills." It was just afterwards he told me, "We bought the chicken four days ago, it's not going to last long." I was going to visit the rest of our family in Colorado after dropping them off and she added, "Tell everyone we bought it a week ago, no one will eat it."

It did not end there. Here are the rest of some of the other comments: 

She: "I wish I had started counting how many times you said chicken when we gave it to you. We need a chicken counter." Me: "Despite how funny you two are, it was the chicken that is getting you on my blog." She: "That's called bribery. Compared to Uber drivers you're funny, but most Uber drivers don't talk." Me: "Do you know why I made that turn quickly? The chicken is running out of time."

She: "You've said chicken so many times that it would take an act of god to take you away from it. I think we're at 72 for the chicken count." Me: "This is the kind of ride that I never want to end." Son-in-law: "You want to drive us to New Zealand?  You know it's on an island?" My daughter laughed and snorted and I said, "I'm going be too busy eating chicken."

Pictured below is you know who arriving at my son's house.  Two hours later I was devouring that chicken and it was real and it was spectacular. I left a couple small pieces for a salad the next day and that is the longest chicken ride I've ever had and the most delicious one too.

A Year to be Thankful For

I wasn't going to do a Thanksgiving blog, but I was thinking about turkey and cranberry bread and more turkey and thought this would be a good time to be thankful for 2025.  Included in this blog are various Thanksgiving food from 2021 so you can enjoy them before you eat turkey in 2025. I am thankful for:

In the first few months of 2025 we were able to sell our home and pack up everything for our big move.

In April and May I had two of the best months driving Uber and my passengers were very generous. I could not have asked for a better ending to driving in South Carolina.

In the first week of May I drove 27 hours to Colorado twice in five days getting both are cars to our new state.

We lived for a few weeks or so with our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter and it was challenging and fun.

We found and bought a house and moved in by the end of May which was quite an experience and it was a good choice.

We were able to celebrate our youngest daughter's wedding with our family and Memorial Day Weekend was a perfect time for the celebration.  

We had a very small window for the ceremony on a rainy, sleety day in the mountains and the sun even came out for us during the dry outdoor ceremony.

The past six months we are very thankful for our health which has been good and improved from 2024.

We have spent a bunch of fun family dinners this year and although we've been here for Thanksgiving before, we'll be here for Thanksgiving and the holiday season next month.

We've had some terrific work done outside our house getting our backyard where we want it to be.

We have enjoyed babysitting our granddaughter for many, many hours and it's been so much fun helping out and playing with her.

Our oldest daughter published her first book, "The Great Tree of Iris," and we were able to enjoy her success by flying to New Jersey for her book party.

Our niece Marci was engaged and we are looking forward to her wedding to Alex next summer.

We have enjoyed the amazing and breathtaking scenery in Colorado and living among farms has been a terrific experience.

Lastly, I've been able to continue Ubering and although it's not the same as in South Carolina, it's been pretty good.

GIFTS FROM STRANGERS

October was easily the most unusual month I've had when it came to my passengers giving me gifts for my car museum. For the last few years I've regularly had riders give me things other than foreign money and I thought I would attempt to put them all together for one blog and try to explain them.

The main thing is that people wanted to be part of my museum, they wanted to give me something to be part of this spectacle that I have in my car and I didn't discourage them.  Unfortunately, there are a few things that have fallen through the cracks or are hidden in my car, but almost all of them are here.

1. The three hats from riders: The Green Bay Packer Fan, the guy who help start Hoop Tea with his friend and it's now owned by Anheuser Busch and the boat equipment hat that the young woman gave me who also gave me a beautiful bill from Australia.

2. The mannequin, "Lily", given to me by JenKelly from Kansas four years ago has provided more laughs and pictures and stories that I ever would of have thought possible.  There is a green necklace given to me for St. Patrick's Day  for Lily and there were green ears I had too which is MIA. The red hat was given to me for Lily, but it just wasn't a good look for her.

3. The sergeant's patch from Maryland I believe, the silver ball bearing, the rubber duckie from a plumber who worked for that company, a tiny Christmas tree leaning on the duck, a wooden chess piece from a guy whose dad was a rock n' roll singer, the Berlin zoo coin, and the handmade chain which you can see better in the next picture.  Also, a "Winner's Circle" card from a casino in Colorado and three US bills. 

The $2 bill from an 18-year old I told my dad worked for the Federal Reserve Bank and gave out $2 bills, a $1 bill from a big Yankee fan who said that 2024 was their year.  Lastly the $1 bill from two college students who were upset they had nothing to give and wrote on the bill, "Thank you so much George,' which would have been great if my name was George.  I asked her if she mixed me up with George Washington since we look so much alike. Her name is on it and she lives off exit 109 of The Garden State Parkway.

 The green key chain is made out of something, maybe green beans? The blue thing holds a work badge on it.  The jar is the guava jam from Hawaii from a cancer researcher when he was on his honeymoon. It did taste good and it's a very unusual item.  The rock on top of it is a beautiful rock  My wife loves rocks of all kinds and she would probably want it, but it's staying with my collection.

On my last day of driving in South Carolina, a young woman told me that she wears funny socks to make people laugh. Then she said, "I have an extra pair of Elvis socks I want you to have." I hung one on each side of the inside of my car and it looks great with my orange car.  My very last ride in South Carolina, (around midnight the morning we left for Colorado), was  a woman I have driven many times.  She was returning from Italy and she bought me a very nice pin which I pinned on the Elvis sock.

 Lastly this is a better picture of a handmade key chain I received recently.

The smaller things I have now put in a plastic bag so people can see them, because there's no way to display them without losing them.  Many thanks to all those and others for the gifts they've given me.  Who knows, maybe one day they will be in a real museum?

You Can Laugh About Getting Older

I recently read a bunch of quotes about getting older and I thought I'd share my favorite ones and comment on them since we are all getting older. 

"You know you've reached middle age when you're cautioned by your doctor instead of the police."

Joan Rivers

The legendary comedian, pictured below, was a lot of fun to listen to. She was also a writer, actress, and television host.  She was very talented and was successful in many ways.

"Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better."

Actress Ingrid Bergman

There are some older people who climb mountains, but I am not one of them and I probably will not be one in the future.  You can see a lot of great views without climbing a mountain.  That would be a last resort for me.

"The idea is to die young as later as possible."

Ashley Montagu

I had to look him up, I thought it sounded a lot like Yogi Berra. Ashley studied race and gender as an anthropologist. He sounds pretty smart or witty, but he could not hit a baseball like Yogi Berra, the Yankee great.

"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age."

Lucille Ball

This definitely sounds like Lucille Ball.  I can see her right now in that famous conveyer belt with the candy. I think she ate some of those candies, but she did live until she was 78 years old.  She more frequently was seen in black and white pictures, so this picture may look a little odd.

"No one is as old as those who have outlived enthusiasm."

Henry David Thoreau

The author and naturalist lived a simple life and was famous for doing it.

"My mother always used to say, "The older you get, the better you get, unless you're a banana."

Betty White

Another talented woman who was in television for seventy years.  She lived to be 99 years old and was liked by just about everyone.

"I don't feel old, I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap."

Bob Hope

The comedian, actor, producer and entertainer beat out Betty White since he lived to 100 years old.  He entertained people for eighty years and he was terrific.

Am I A Gym Guy?

For most of my life I have joked about that I was not a "gym guy."  It's not really funny to others, but I could never picture myself actually walking into a gym and working out. My new health plan through, Humana, gave me the choice of free membership to a local fitness place and for the first time in my life I went to a gym.

My first visit to the Brighton Recreation Center pictured above, I wasn't sure what to wear or what to do.  I showed up very early in the morning after an easy ten minute drive.  I had my identification card and I wore shorts and a light jacket over a t-shirt.  I pretended that this was very normal, but I'm sure I looked like a fish out of water.                                    

I got on a bicycle and a guy sat down next to me.  He started the conversation and I told him it was my first time in a gym.  He told me he was 91 and had been going to a gym for fifty years, which made me feel really comfortable.  I then got on a treadmill and walked for twenty minutes as I looked through the window at the large pool below.

                                                         

And if you really wonder if my feet were moving, this is the action shot I took.  It doesn't look exciting, but my legs were moving.

                                                  

My second visit I had trouble starting the machines, hitting start did not work.  I also noticed everyone was cleaning the machines, don't they have any workers cleaning? People who were exercising were cleaning everything.  They didn't seem to be sweating much, maybe they were working out their hands?

So, I was sitting on the bike and watching television which are two things I rarely do.  I thought, could I do a third thing that I don't usually do?  My youngest daughter and her husband are learning Spanish with an  app on their phone. I had them put it on mine, so I started taking a five minute lesson.  I had trouble understanding the English, but I did learn that man in Spanish is "le hombre."  I'm on my way!  They wanted me to repeat words and I couldn't do it at the gym.

My wife told me that I wasn't working out at the gym, I was warming up.  My legs were loosening up, but I didn't feel warm or break a sweat.  Maybe one day I will work out there, but I'm not sure what year it will be.  

It was free and I did get something out of it, so that's a good thing.

The Top Tourist Destinations in The U.S.?

Trip advisor just came out with a list of the top ten tourist destinations in the country and I was surprised at some of them. These are supposed to be the best places to visit in the country, what do you think?

1. NASA Kennedy Space Center- Did we deprive our kids by never taking them here? This is one of three places in Florida and none of them are Disney World! I'm a big Disney fan, I can't believe it is not on this list.

2. Empire State Building- One of three places in New York and they did not list Ground Zero or Rockefeller Center on the list.

3. Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee- I had to look this up. Elvis Pressley recorded his first song and it's known as the, "Birth of Rock N' Roll." I'll have to ask the next person I drive from Memphis.  This one is surprising.

4. Central Park in New York- This makes sense because it's free and it's pretty awesome. Below is the dedication to John Lennon in an area they call "Strawberry Fields." 

5. Stetson Mansion in DeLand, Florida- No clue on this and I had to look it up. This is a pretty amazing house built in the 1800's by John B. Stetson, who created the Stetson hat.  I had never heard of it, but it is awesome.

6. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo,Florida- I had to look this one up also, but I get it.  It's in Key Largo and I'm sure it's beautiful. What about the Grand Canyon?  Mt. Rushmore?

7. The Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn, New York- Is it better than the Golden Gate Bridge? How about The Statue of Liberty? 

8. The National Museum of World War 11 Aviation-Colorado Springs, Colorado- I'll have to check this one out since I live in Colorado, but is it better than the Rocky Mountains? 

9.The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New York- This one makes sense although I'm not an art guy, I'm sure it's very good.

10. Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California- The ferry ride over with the Golden Gate Bridge there was definitely worth seeing.

I think I've only been to four of these ten sites, how many have you been to?

Flying Twice in One Week

A couple weeks ago I was in an airplane to and from New Jersey. It was my second and third flight this year which is pretty unusual for me.  My wife and I are pictured above. Here are some of my adventures in the air:

Having just read about Orville and Wilbur Wright I could not help but think of them as I was packed into a front row seat.  I imagined what a sardine must feel like in a can, but this had to be easier than the Wright Brothers trying to adjust their wings as the wind hit them in the face.  I did not feel any wind, but was very grateful for the air I could breathe above me.

On both trips we sat in the front row for more leg room.  Both planes were Allegiant, but the leg room was much better on the flight home. If you've ever complained about a car door or a door in your house banging, you have to get a front row seat to hear the bathroom door slam frequently throughout the flight.  I thought sitting up front was nosier, especially with the flight attendants right in front of us.

What can you really do on a plane? I slept a little and read a little and I found myself looking at my hands, which I don't do that often.  Somehow, all the hair on my hands were standing up? Does that happen to everyone on a plane? I wanted to stand up, but instead my hair was!

When we were leaving Denver Airport I was bracing for takeoff. I'm not afraid of them, but it feels better flying straight than upwards.  I closed my eyes and relaxed and waited and waited and waited.  Did I fall asleep during takeoff as I did on my first flight forty plus years ago? It took forever, but finally we did make it into the air.  I was told that the runways in Denver are so long that it takes an unusually long time to get off the ground.

I haven't flown much in my life, maybe 15-20 times at most.  I'm pretty sure I've had some very smooth landings, but neither trip would fit that description.  I was told that it is also common for landings to be a little rough.

Conclusion: Flying is efficient and they are organized, but I'd rather be driving.  I get the sense that despite the cost and the drive to airports, flying by plane will be around for a lot more years. I'll fly again next year for a family wedding.

The Legend of Thomas Edison

I grew up in Edison, New Jersey and although I've been a voracious reader for most of my life, I finally read a book about the great Thomas Edison. Most people identify Edison with the discovery of the light bulb, but he was involved in the telegraph, radio, camera, telephone, phonograph and the movie industry.  I'm going to give you some highlights that I picked up in the 600 page biography I read.

He was not anything like a normal person. From the time he was a teenager he slept very few hours and would regularly as an inventor sleep in his lab in the corner of the room.  He looked at every setback as an opportunity.  He was always in a hurry even when he went to get his dry cleaning done.  He had his driver slow down and he would throw a large bag of his clothes out the window to the door of the dry cleaner, who recognized the sound of his clothes hitting the door. 

The chapters in this book are titled unlike any other book: Botany, Defense, Chemistry, Magnetism, Light, Sound, Telegraphy and Natural Philosophy.  He was deaf in one ear and half deaf in the other and it did not stop him from being called, "The Wizard of Menlo Park."

Throughout his life he focused his time on multiple projects and back and forth he was an inventor and a businessman.  He overcame fires and business losses and financial struggles to gain the respect of the world.  In his life he had 1,093 patents in this country.

As a young child he sold newspapers on a train and had his own newspaper and wound up being a top telegraph operator.  While he received worldwide admiration which he didn't really want, he earned a lot of jealousy.  One friend in Europe sent him a message, "My boy, you are not liked over here by these fellows. You have committed the grave error of succeeding."

The town of Edison began as one of his factories.  At the age of 84 he died in West Orange, New Jersey in 1931.  Below are some of the tributes when he passed:

Albert Einstein: "An inventive spirit has filled his own life and all our existence with bright light."

Henry Ford: "His achievement was etched in light and sound on the daily and hourly life of the world."

President Hoover: "He multiplied light and dissolved darkness. The dependence of the country on electrical current for it's life and health is itself a monument to Mr. Edison's genius."

Finally, for one full minute most of the country went dark one night at 10:00 pm in his honor. He had little formal education, but he gave the world everything he had. The Latin words, "Carpe Diem," or "seize the day", was something he did every day of his life.

More Random Thoughts and Questions

 1. The best gas prices in my area are at a Murphy's station in Thornton, Colorado.  About six weeks ago I paid $2.32, which is ridiculously low.  This past Tuesday gas was at $2.74 which was low.  The very next day at the same station, gas was $3.37.  How could gas go up sixty-three cents in one day? (It is now down to $2.15)

2. My wife was dog sitting and she was waiting for a box of wipes.  I opened the box and read the below words off the box and she had no idea what it was.  Then I looked on the side of the same box and it said wipes.  Why would wipes have vitamin E and aloe vera? And what's the tea tree and chamomilla recutita?  I've been told it's better for you when you use the wipes.

3. Is it AI or A.1.? No disrespect to artificial intelligence, but am I the only one who mixes it up with A.1. steak sauce?

4. Do people really put orange juice in their cereal? According to Ms. Google, 15 million people have tried the combination and in 2022 Tropicana introduced a special granola cereal. (I have tried it with Cocoa Krispies by accident and it was awful)

5. Speaking of cereal, do most people drown their cereal with milk or just put some milk in their cereal? I'm in the latter group.

6. Did you ever wonder what they do when dig a big hole for a house? Where do they put all the dirt? This is the top of the pile that is from the house they just started next to us.  It's a mountain!

7. I came home after paying $2.32 for gas and I was pretty happy that I saved a few dollars.  My wife told me that she had to get two eyeglasses and they cost just under $1,000.00. (Yes, $1,000)  She went online and found almost exactly the same pair for less than one hundred dollars each.  I shouldn't have said anything about the gas.

8. Did you ever notice when you go to the same car wash the car does not come out the same? Sometimes there is more water to dry off on the car and sometimes it doesn't look as clean as other times?

9. Am I the only one who has pulled up to a gas pump, swiped my card, put the gas hose into my car and minutes later taken it out and then pulled away without gas? Someone must have done this once because you weren't watching the gas go in and you were something else.  I have done more than a few times and less than ten, really.

10. How long can you take medicine out of a medicine holder without realizing there is writing on it? Below is a picture of the new medicine holder my wife bought and next to it is the one I've been using for a long time.  If the light is shining on it a certain way I can see writing on it and it's for each day of the week! I had no idea.

MY MOST MEMORABLE RIDER COMMENTS IN OCTOBER

 

I asked the young flight attendant from Germany, "What do you like best about your job?" She said, "Anytime I want I can go to Saudi Arabia and get some sunshine when others are in the cold."

I asked the nine-year-old girl what she wants to be when she's older and working and she said, "I want to be an Olympic gymnast, a mom, and have a small business."

The male hairstylist (looking at my almost bald head) told me, "You can go to Mexico or Turkey and get a hairpiece for $4,000.  Here it would cost $10,000 and it wouldn't be worth it."

Married only five months, the wife said, "You've been with me all day, are you sick of me yet?" He said, "No, I have the rest of my life to get sick of you."

Thirty seconds after telling me he was a dermatologist, he said, "Last night I was playing poker with friends and I really got under the skin of one of them."  I asked him if he uses that language aldd the time and he laughed.

I asked the guy who was very interested in Art what he thought about Meow Wolf, which is a very interactive art and entertainment place in Denver. His nine-year-old daughter said, "I love the unicorn poop ice cream they have." (Yes it's real, the rainbow colored dessert served in the cafe)

In Denver, The New York Giant fan said, "We're going to the game tomorrow against the Giants and my friends who are Denver Bronco fans are going to dress up as New York Giant fans for me." The two friends said, "It's okay, we're going to wear orange underwear." (The Broncos color)

The young woman told me, "When I was serving ice cream I would make $200-$300 a week in tips. It was so much fun serving ice cream and making money."

Cancer researcher: "I hope that I'll play a small part in saving people's lives in the future."

After being kicked out of the house by his wife, he said, "I'm lovin' it."  I said, "You know that was a McDonalds slogan?"

"My husband and I both have mom's with the same first name and one son who are both Doug.  We call them the double D's."  (Or was the name Duane?)

She: "Doctors said that my daughter was the most allergic person they've ever seen."

Dedicated mom: "I worked two full-time jobs for twenty years so my kids would have things I didn't."

She: "Seventeen years ago in Pennsylvania, I used to go into the office around 9 pm. and open everything up for the night shift. We had a clothed male mannequin that they used to move around the office to scare me.  One night it wasn't there, but when I went into into the ladies bathroom, I just saw the head they had taken off.  I screamed so much I actually cried.  They have it on video and they still play it today and I post it around Halloween each year."

                                                     MORE COMMENTS

The woman from Ghana said, "I'm a fragrance freak."

When I told her that the woman gave me a coin from the Berlin Zoo, she said, "She was probably trying to get rid of something out of her purse."

I asked the young, but mature manager of Chipotle if he considered it fast food and he said, "It's higher class fast food."  He said he managing minors and I asked, "How old are you?" He said, "18."

He said, "Most people are very nice if you are genuine."

"People in New Jersey and New York are in survival mode."

"I haven't found my purpose yet in life."

"I decided to move to Colorado after I was stung by six yellow jackets and I got very sick.  If I died I wanted some family around for my kids."

After mentioning her younger sister, I said, "I'm old enough to know not to ask a woman their age, so I usually ask, how old were you last year?" She told me her sister was 19 and I said, "How old do you think I am?" She said, "How old were you last year?"

She asked a question that no rider has ever asked, "How many states have you been in?" I had to research this and the answer is, 24.

She turned her experience in nutrition and being a chef into something very unique: "I opened a Hawaiian restaurant in the Denver, Colorado area."

I asked how she met her husband and she said, "Surfing, it helps to have common interests."

I asked another guy how he met his fiancee and he said, "I was house sitting and was on a group chat with a friend and she was on there too."

She said she was worried now that she's 24 and I asked her why. "I just think I'm at the age and in my 20's that I have to have my life together."

She teaches math and science in high school. "I used to be scared of math, but then I got interested in Geology and realized I was good in math."

She said, "I left Thailand for the USA because of the opportunity."

UNIQUE JOBS

Data engineer for pipelines in Ghana

Dancer

Window Glazer

Hawaiian restaurant owner in Colorado

COUNTRY #70 IS BOSNIA!

The two coins were given to me this month and the bigger one is worth $30.

HONG KONG HAS IT'S OWN MONEY!

I DROVE PEOPLE FROM THESE COUNTRIES:

Mexico, The Soviet Union, India, Columbia, Ghana, Germany, Thailand, Senegal, Trinidad.

WHAT DID THEY GIVE ME AS A GIFT THIS MONTH?

A ball bearing to relieve stress, a small jar of guava jam from his recent honeymoon in Hawaii, (which I shared with my granddaughter), a coin from the Berlin zoo, a handmade key chain and an ID tag.

     

                                                                                                 

COMMENTS ABOUT ME, MY CAR, AND THE RIDE

"Best and most interesting Uber ride ever. Wish it was longer."

"Awesome experience, this is just the conversation I needed."

"I've seen a lot, but I've never seen anything like this."

"This is the coolest Uber ever."

"I started to get goose bumps as soon as you started talking and it wasn't because it was cold."

"You're doing a great job, this is the coolest Uber."

"You live a very beautiful life."

"This was very enjoyable and awesome.

"You're a very interesting guy."

"That was a beautiful story."

"You're the best."

"Love your van."

"This is beautiful."

"Sorry I don't have a bill for you."

"Thank you for your car."

My Favorite Riders in October

 THE NINE-YEAR-OLD WORLD TRAVELER

I was driving a man and his nine-year-old daughter to the airport for a quick trip to New York.  I found out that his nine-year-old daughter had traveled to many places in the world.  At first she said, "I've had one hundred flights," but her dad thought it was more like thirty.  Either way, she been on more planes than I have. She said, "My favorite places are Italy and New York, where I was born." Her mom is from Israel and she has fifty cousins there.

Her dad was very interested in art so I asked him about Meow Wolf in Denver which is a very interactive place that was worth seeing.  His daughter said, "I love the unicorn poop ice cream they have."  It is a real dessert that they have in the cafe which has rainbow colors.  I asked the nine-year who was very mature, "What do you want to be when you're older and working?" She gave a great answer.  "I want to be an Olympic gymnast, a mom, and have a small business."  She has a very bright future which is a credit to her parents.

THE FUTURE RESTAURANT OWNER IN SWEDEN

At the age of 31, he's already accomplished a lot.  With two degrees he's worked in animal rescue assisting the Navy, was a baker at a Publix for six years, lived in Sweden for three years and he is currently the general manager of a bar, although he was never a bar manager.  He's a very personable guy who wants to, "Learn all parts of the hospitality industry.  He has a clear goal to go back to Sweden and open up his own restaurant and I have no doubt that he will be doing that over the next few years.  He made our early morning ride to the airport a fascinating one.

FROM CASHIER TO FLIGHT ATTENDANT

The young woman was working in Germany as a cashier when her uncle told her that the major airline was hiring and she got hired as a flight attendant.  She obviously enjoyed traveling and I asked her what she liked best about her job and she made me laugh when she said, "Anytime I want I can go to Saudi Arabia and get some sunshine when others are in the cold."  I told her that no one in this country thinks of going to Saudi Arabia for sunshine.  She told me that sleeping is a challenge and, "Sometimes I go forty straight hours with almost no sleep."  She's had some some difficulty adjusting to time changes which are eight hours between here and Germany.  She gave me the below coin from the Berlin zoo, which is the first "zoo coin" I've ever gotten.

COLORADO WAS HIS LAST STOP

He pointed out his RV and said, "My wife and I have been traveling in it for the past three years with our four kids."  The children are all under ten and I asked if they were getting a medal for doing it.  They had been searching for some land to buy so they could build their "homestead."  That night they were heading to Tulsa, Oklahoma which will be the place they are going to settle down.  They've had a great trip and along the way he has been running a small accounting firm.  What was this goal oriented person doing at 6 am. on a Saturday morning? He was going on a long hike with one of his clients.  I'm wishing him and his family all the best in their new home.

SHE HAD ONE OF THE BEST MANNEQUIN STORIES

I was having a very good ride with a woman who was visiting Colorado and meeting her sister for a girl's weekend. Originally from Albania and now living in Oklahoma, she had been a surgical nurse and also a manager.  "I worked two full-time jobs, because I wanted my kids to have things I didn't." She is still working one job, but she told me a story I will repeat many times.  Below is her picture with my mannequin and the story of her adventure with a male mannequin that she showed me a picture of.

She: "Seventeen years ago in Pennsylvania, I used to go into the office around 9 pm. and open everything up for the night shift.  We had a clothed male mannequin that they would move around the office to scare me. One night it wasn't there, but when I went into the ladies bathroom, I just saw the head they had taken off.  I screamed so much I actually cried.  They have it on video and they still play it today and I post it around Halloween each year."  

She's sending this picture to her friends who will love it, but not as much as her video.

"THE GREAT TREE OF IRIS" IS HERE!

Many, many years ago in the 1960's, my dad wrote and published a book on banking. Over the last few years, my niece has written a number of books for young adults and three years ago I wrote and published my book, "Driving on the Sunny Side With 10,000 Strangers."

This past week, we have a new author in the family.  My oldest daughter, Jess, published her first book, "The Great Tree of Iris,"  which came out on Tuesday. It is a romantic fantasy that she has worked on for the past three years. She self-published the book through Amazon(paperback $26.99 and Kindle $6.99)

On Saturday, my wife and I attended her book launch in Flemington, New Jersey.  Jess talked about why and how she wrote the book and answered questions from a group of forty friends and family for around ninety minutes.  She is pictured below in front of a very colorful quilt she made.

This is the first fantasy book I've read and it is impressive.  There are dozens of characters, a detailed plot full of twists and turns and the creation of a whole new world. I just received my copy and I'm 75% through it.  It's a terrific book and my wife and I are very proud of what she's done.

So if you're looking for a fantasy, I highly recommend it!

What Did Franklin Roosevelt Say?

Eighty years ago this past April President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died of a stroke at the age of 63 after serving 12 years as President of The United States.  His two most famous quotes are these: About the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, he said that December 7th, 1941 would be, "A date that will live in infamy."  He also said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  He was certainly right about those comments.  

Below are some other quotes from him and my comments.  By reading them you can feel his optimism, his strength and his intelligence.

1. "If you treat people right-people will treat you right 90% of the time."

You can treat everyone well and how you would want to be treated, but it's unlikely that you'll be treated the same way by everyone.  Sometimes we are treated unfairly, because we're not dealing with the same information that someone else is, or it could be that we're very different people and how we measure treating someone well just isn't the same thing.

2. "We do not retreat. We are not content to stand still. As Americans, we go forward, in the service of our country."

These are positive, optimistic, words of a leader, for sure.  It is important to look at the past so we don't make the same mistakes, but the future should always be a focus of where we want to go individually and as a country.

3. "Confidence thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligation, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them, it cannot live."

It's important to be honest and be honorable whether you're leading a country or being a spouse or a parent or a good employee.  It's easy to think all the time about what you want, but when your focus is always on others, I think it's a much better way to live.

4. "Let us not be afraid to help each other-let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us."

People don't like to be told what to do and over the years there's been a lot of opinions on how much should government be involved in our lives.  Without getting political, there are people who want more government and others who want a lot less.  What is a good balance? Does it depend on who you are or where you live or how old you are? I don't have an answer to those questions, but eighty years later it is still a big issue.

5. "Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off."

People have learned a lot from being on teams and playing sports. Part of being on a team is learning to work together towards a mutual goal.  Cooperation in a marriage or family is obviously more important that competition between each other.  How do we work together in the future better than we have in the past?

6. "The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man, or one party, or one nation, it must be a peace which rests on the cooperative efforts of the whole world."

Over the years it's been easy to see how difficult the concept of world peace is. Diplomacy is important, but has been challenging in the past and in the present day.  Like people, countries can be very different and have different ideas that don't fit comfortably with other nations.

7. "Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds."

I've read many books that talk about how true this is. Sometimes people will play over and over in their minds how they were wronged in the past or the things that they messed up.  We have the power to expose ourselves to more positive things and forgive others and say, "This too shall pass."  Sometimes watching the news or too much social media can do a lot of harm to a person.

8. "Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth."

This is true, but you can gain confidence by telling yourself positive things.  It's very easy to put yourself down and think about times you messed up.  When you go for a job interview you need to be expecting that you will do well and not that you won't get the job.  The same thing does apply to living day to day.  To do our best and be our best we need to expect the best, although things don't always work out for the best.  When that happens, it is very helpful to ask, what is good about this?

9. "Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough."

 On a personal level, we need more kindness in the world.  I recently copied this quote from Scott Adams, "Remember there is no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." This does work on a personal level and I think it does also on a national level.

10. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Focusing on what we want in our future definitely will get better results.  He didn't say "a positive attitude," but that's how it sounds to me.  He overcame polio and was elected President of the United States four times and helped lead the world to defeat Hitler.  He added action to his attitude and is recognized as one of the top leaders in all of world history.

"When Do You Want To Dig Up The Bushes?"

In over forty-two years of marriage my wife has asked me a lot of funny questions, but this one is ridiculous and I did LOL.  If I made a list of one thousand things I might want to do, I promise you that digging up bushes would not make the list.

My wife loves to garden and she's really, really, really good at it.  Moving rocks and plants and bushes are just not fun for me and if I had the choice I would prefer to do it during rem sleep, but only once a month.

Our neighborhood is still being built and the two model houses in the front of the neighborhood and around the corner from us, have been sold.  They have started on the landscaping and in the next week they will begin on the rest of the property.

Since it's in the front of our neighborhood, there are at least a couple dozen plants, flowers, and other things in the ground for people to see.  My wife asked our neighborhood advisor if we could dig up some of the plants that were about to be dug up and FORTUNATELY she said we could.

Thirty minutes after my wife asked me the question, the two of us were digging up I think six bushes. These are the pictures of my wife after we captured our prey.  I told her I needed the picture for when the police came by to ask what we were doing.    

       

Do you think anyone will notice that the bushes are gone?

 

Did we get enough bushes? Absolutely not and two days later we had to go back and get three more.  

This one was more challenging. They are building a house next door and before they could fill in the hole some of the dirt collapsed taking part of our fence and two garbage cans with them pictured below.

                              

Our wheel barrel was in the back and we couldn't take it along the side, so we carried it through the house.  When we arrived back to the house from digging up the bushes, we carried two of the bushes through the house to the backyard.  We now have a bunch of bushes that will look nice for many years.