MY FAVORITE RIDERS IN MARCH-A GREAT MONTH

AN EXTRAORDINARY MUSICIAN AND PERSON

He had just performed at a classical Indian concert and he was heading home to Canada. I was introduced to him as I picked him up and he had a huge smile on his face as you see below.  I was told that he is a professional Percussionist and he's been doing concerts for forty years.  He said, "I've been performing concerts since I was nine years old."  He regularly performs concerts every month around the world.  He said, "Music gives me energy and keeps me young."

The musical talent in his family goes back six generations.  His dad still performs as a singer at 80 years old.  His entire family and his daughter are all in the music business.  He is listed as an Indian Classical Musician, Mridangam Artiste, Performer, Globe trotter, Collaborator, Educator, and Founder and Director & CEO of Naadalayam Arts & Music, a non-profit organization.

I had a great ride listening to how passionate he is about music.  He took pictures of my car and insisted on a picture of the two of us and it is hanging in my car.  He also gave me a beautiful Canadian bill to replace the one I have which will be on my next blog with my rider comments of the month.  He was heading to Texas to perform and was a real joy to drive-thank you.

THE VERY GENEROUS DENTIST

My second ride of the day was with a young dentist from Florida who had been practicing for five years.  I told her that if I went home after I dropped her off I would have had a great day.  I knew she was enjoying the ride and a couple of the dentist stories I told her.  She said two things no one has ever said to me- "I wish all of my friends could ride in this car and talk to you." The second comment was a question, "What have you learned after talking to all these people?" I told her that most people are amazing and that you never know what they are going through. 

She told me she was getting emotional and starting to cry a little since she's had a lot going on in her life including suddenly losing an uncle.  An hour after I dropped her off she showed how amazing she is when she tipped me 200% on our ride which is the most you can tip. Over 16,000 riders in almost eight years and her tip is one of the largest I've ever received. Florida is lucky to have this kind and considerate dentist and I'm certain that this amazing dentist will continue her successful career.

ARE PEOPLE READING ABOUT ME IN INDIA?

My passenger told me that his dad was an independent journalist in India with his own column and he would love to write about my story and my car.  He recorded me answering a few questions and telling my funny Gandhi story and he's going to send it and the pictures he took of my car to his dad. I say all the time that you never know who you're going to pick up or what they are going to say and this conversation is one I've never had.

THEY CHANGED THEIR LIFE TOGETHER

My first ride this past Saturday was one of the most interesting and inspiring I've had all month.  When he told me he used to be a broadcaster I was thinking about sports or the news, but it was actually on an app.  For several years he participated with a lot of other people on an app and entertained and informed others.  He met his wife one day during a broadcast when her picture showed up and he said, "She was the most beautiful female I had ever seen."  

Everything changed when they started dating and they both decided to beat the alcohol and drug problems they had together.  He was arrested one night trying to help a homeless couple and that was the turning point.  They just celebrated four years of sobriety and five years marriage.  Congratulations to you both!

THE YOUNG AND LOVELY LADY OF LEISURE

It happens only a couple times a year.  A rider gets in my car and the conversation immediately is going one hundred miles per hour.  It's not fair, how do I drive and record someone is so quotable? She is a graphic artist by trade, but right now she calls herself a "Lady of Leisure." She said, "I love not doing anything." She also told me that, "We have the same brain," and that Charleston, South Carolina where many of her friends live, was, "Too preppy for me."  She referred to guys in Boulder, Colorado as, "Boulder trust fund ski bums," and said that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, sounds like "Kermit the Frog." In addition to that she said, "I have a lot of boys who are in love with me."

As far as her next career move she suggested getting. "Hot sauce and pickles together and selling it at farmer markets," but maybe I missed another ingredient.  She has a gift and a lot of talent. She could sell, solve customer service problems, design the front cover for my new book, or she could possibly write poetry that would have to be analyzed to figure out what it means.  Maybe she'll have a podcast or be regularly on Instagram making people laugh or could she be doing stand-up and just saying whatever enters her mind?

This spring when you hear a bird chirping outside your window or walk by a tree with a bird singing, maybe it's not a bird? It could be a "lady of leisure" who is ready to fly.

THE SURPRISE WEDDING

 She was amused and surprised. I was waiting for her to come out of a gym class and I got a text saying, "My wife will be out shortly." When she arrived I made a comment about her husband and his text and she said, "That was sweet,  but we're only dating a year, we're not married." I said, "Congratulations on your wedding and I have your first wedding gift." I gave her my list of favorite comments to share with her new husband.  She enjoyed the ride and we had some laughs on her way home.

THE FUTURE ANIMATOR 

Her dream to work in animation has been developed for many years and encouraged by her dad.  She is about to graduate with a major in animation and has very big goals for her future.  She told me that the key to being an artist is persistence and that, "Art has soul."  I shared a few things about Walt Disney that she didn't know and I was very impressed with how determined she is to succeed in her field.  She drew the below dragon in the car on the back of an invoice because her dream started after seeing a movie as a kid about, "How to make a Dragon."  Her dragon will be hanging in my car as part of my museum and I'm expecting big things from this artist who has a soul and a lot of spirit too.

SEEING THE KNICKS PLAY IN DENVER

It's been a long time since I went to an NBA basketball game, but my son and I were there to watch the Knicks spank the Denver Nuggets.  I saw they were going to be in town and I'm glad we went. It was a short ride and we avoided rush hour traffic on a Friday night despite having some rain, sleet and snow showers.

It's always an odd feeling when you walk into someone else's arena but we felt right at home. We were surprised how many Knick fans were there wearing hats and shirts.  As the Knicks kept pulling away there were more and more cheers from Knick fans.

It was a sellout crowd of just under 20,000.  I couldn't help but notice the amount of alcohol in the arena.  It seemed that most people were drinking and I even had a sip of beer.  My son suggested it so I could say I had some beer.  I wasn't impressed with the beer, I never have been.

The Knicks won 142-103, beating a good basketball team.  142 points is a lot of points for a basketball team to score and we enjoyed every basket.  Since the game wasn't close, fans were leaving early which made our trip home easier.  

My dad was a big Knick fan and he would have enjoyed the game too.

Where Is My Salt?

I recently went to my doctor for a physical.  Other than still having Type 2 diabetes, I have some swelling in my right leg.  He told me it was likely due to my salt intake.  I told him I didn't use salt and then he went on to explain it's not necessary to add salt to my food.  I explained I hadn't done that in decades and I think he believed.  After more thinking, I don't know if I've ever done it.

However, there is salt in foods I eat.  So I looked it up and found a list of food with a lot of salt and I'm breaking it down into two groups: foods I'm done with and foods I can reduce.

GOOD RIDDANCE TO THESE

1. Instant pudding: I haven't thought about that in a long time.  Maybe I'll get a chocolate one just to say goodbye.  Ok, goodbye. It looks really good, ok goodbye.

2. Vegetable juice-Farewell to something I've never tasted.

3. Boxed potato casseroles-cheesy potatoes. I may have cheesy potatoes once or twice a year-bye, bye.

4. Pork rinds-sorry no interest, gone.

5. CANNED VEGETABLES! I like some canned corn a couple times a year, but I can do without it. I'm really going to suffer without CANNED VEGETABLES!

6. Jerky and other dried meats.  Jerky no way I'm eating it, but not sure what the dried meats are yet.

7. Tortillas? So long amigo.

8. Pickles-I have tried to throw any of them away my whole life. My kids always slipped a pretend pickle into a sandwich from their toy kitchen and I threw them away which they thought was hysterical.  I knew they were bad for me!

9. Sauces to flavor food.  I'm not much of a sauce guy other than tomato sauce which I could reduce some.

REDUCE THESE:

1. Pretzels I'll reduce once I finish the bag we have.

2. Lunch meats like salami, no problem.  I have been sticking to roast beef and turkey which is suggested.

3. Processed cheese, I need to stick to swiss or mozzarella, I will do it.

4. Sandwiches- I have cut back on bread and I can do more of it.

5. PIZZA- I'm not a big fan. I'll cut back- "Sorry honey, it's not good for me."

6. Salad dressing- I'll use less, but I eat salad because it's healthier. 

7. Cottage cheese-I do eat it regularly and I'll eat less somehow and I'll start with these:

8. Ham: I do like ham and swiss together, but I'll eat less ham.

9. Soup: I have cut back on soup in the last year, I guess I'll continue that.

10. Shrimp? I have eaten a bunch of shrimp the past two weeks but it's not something I eat all the time. I'll eat less after we eat this.

11. Bagels and other breads? I'll have to stop eating the bagels my wife buys, but I've eaten less bread the past year for sure.

            HOW IS IT THIS DID NOT MAKE THE LIST WHEN SALT IS IN IT'S NAME?

How Witty Was That?

Some people are just very clever and very funny, but in an unusual way.  Here are some comedians and others with some of their best lines for your amusement.  I was amused.

BETTY WHITE: "I've always liked older men.  There's just more attractive to me. Of course at my age, there aren't that many of them left."

OSCAR WILDE: "I have the most simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

ELIZABETH TAYLOR: "I reckon that some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses.

MARK TWAIN: "Always do right. This will gratify some people and surprise others.

STEPHEN FRY: "You don't have to remind my of my age, I have a bladder to do that for me."

WINSTON CHURCHILL: "I am ready to meet my maker.  Whether my maker is prepared for the great ideal of meeting me is another matter."

GORE VIDAL: "The United States was founded by the brightest people in the country-and we haven't seen them since."

JOAN RIVERS: "I wish I had a twin so I could see what I look like without plastic surgery."

MAE WEST: "His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." 

Where is Elmo?

How does a small child get attached to a stuffed animal or a doll? Our eighteen month old grand daughter's favorite by far is Elmo.  She walks around with him and is constantly looking for him. The question frequently is, "Where is Elmo?" 

He is everywhere and in case you don't know who is Elmo is, he's the red one waving to us in a crowd of animals and dolls.

How old is Elmo and where did you come from? He is a "fictional" character on "Sesame Street" today since 2012 when he came to life. He was first used in 1979.  He is actually 3 1/2 years old all the time and celebrates his birthday on February 3rd. He has been the star of two movies and has appeared on many television shows over the years and had a very popular Tickle Me Elmo doll in 1996.

Sometimes it is difficult to find Elmo and recently my granddaughter and I searched several rooms without finding him.  I was sitting in the kitchen and looked downstairs to another room and this is what I found.  He did not have a heart attack.

Sometimes Elmo dresses up and thinks he's on a television show in the house.

He has a different way of shopping because he just jumps in the cart.

Elmo is going to be doing very important work for our granddaughter in the near future and I think it's about time he did something valuable.

If you think it's difficult getting diaper on a baby, it's a different kind of difficult putting a diaper on Elmo as you can see from this picture.

Frequently when I'm babysitting Elmo is just hanging around looking very innocent, but my granddaughter absolutely loves him. After her mom and dad and my wife, I'm just slightly ahead of.... Elmo.

Would You Take A Polar Plunge?

You have probably seen on TV or pictures of people running into freezing temperatures and you may have asked yourself, WHY?   Would you do it one day? People have been doing it across the country since 1902 and I don't think anyone has died from doing it, but it is cold.  It originally started in Boston, Massachusetts many years after The Boston Tea Party.

The above picture is from last year in San Francisco.  It's not just a couple of people. Studies have shown that there are benefits and risks to doing this.  Here are some of the benefits you could have on your future plunge: regular plunges can make your body more resilient and give you a psychological boost also. On days you plunge you can feel more confident, have lower anxiety, and get better sleep.

I had to laugh reading what happens when you go into these kind of temperatures. Tell me if you were thinking the same thing I was when I read this: "You feel Zen, you feel every part of your body, you're aware of your breathing, you forget about everything else." How about these comments, "Your heart rate goes through the roof, your blood pressure goes through the roof, you have trouble breathing."

Maybe I would try it in a cold bath tub, maybe not?  Something to consider if you ever want to do it, it can be beneficial, or your body could be close to going into shock. I'll leave it up to you.

Changing A Filter

If you're going to change a filter you might want to change the water filter on your refrigerator or maybe your coffee filter.  When I heard that the air filter in our crawl space needs to be changed every three months, it did not sound exciting.  However, this may make an entertaining blog.

I know our kids have changed the filter a couple times, but it was time for me to experience this exciting household moment. Below is the steps leading down to somewhere in our closet.  

We were prepared.  I put on some dirty sweatpants and two knee pads.  My wife had a very soft, old blanket we would move across the luxurious floor pictured below.  We also had a small flashlight if we needed it. This is the new world that faced me below.

We were both going to go down because as usual, I had no clue what I was going to do.  My wife said I should bring my phone in case we couldn't make it up.  My wife's knees couldn't make it down, so it was my mission and I was going in blind.  I had my phone to communicate and she facetimed me. I was about to visit another world and I would have liked to have Scotty beam we down instead of climbing into it.

I didn't see anything that looked like a filter, but there was a latch somewhere in the above picture and inside was the dirty filter, pictured below, which I replaced.  It says "test" here, is that important?

The crawl space was bigger than I thought and I thought I was going to be crawling and hunched over, but it wasn't that bad.  Below, I am triumphantly coming up the stairs.  All that was missing was the banner behind me saying, "Mission Accomplished." Three more months and I'll be doing it all over again.