To say that I don't go to a lot of doctors would be an understatement. However, when I told my Dad last night that I was going to a doctor he told me I hadn't been to one in fifteen years. Of course that wasn't the case, but I got a chuckle out of it. I stopped into my regular doctor just before Christmas when we were about to head south.
I need to have a doctor for some reason so I went into an office close by to make an appointment. They scheduled one six weeks in advance, which was okay with me-I was not in a hurry. When I went into the office today they told me that they tried to reach me two weeks ago to tell me that the doctor wasn't taking any new patients anymore. I couldn't believe it. Our pharmacy just closed and we had to get another pharmacy and now I have to switch a doctor I've never met?
One lady in the office wanted me to check in on the computer and the other woman told me I was in limbo right now. She gave me a choice of two other doctors who could see me today and since one started with a B, I chose him.(the other was way down in the alphabet)
While waiting for the doctor I was grilled with the usual questions about my health, my parent's health, my brother and sister's health and even my grandparent's health. I told her that I didn't have many neighbors right now so she didn't ask about their health. Then she said, "is there anything you're concerned about today?" I told her that I was worried about the Yankees pitching and she laughed.
The doctor came in and was very nice and very young too. I told him also about my concern about the Yankees pitching and he laughed too, but said he couldn't care less about them since he's a Cubs fan. The doctor decided I didn't need to continue my cholesterol medicine and they would do blood work in six months.
I told him that works for me and off I went. I never did sign in and I didn't pay anything and I don't have to go back until next year. Not a bad deal, my first visit to a southern doctor.
Monday, July 9, 2018
Sunday, July 8, 2018
The Newest Uber Driver
Being an Uber driver down here was something I considered 9-10 months ago when we decided to move. Since I enjoy driving, I expected to work at several things, and it was very flexibile, this would be a perfect fit. However, thinking about it is different than deciding to do it, and it's different than actually doing it.
I finally decided when I saw a scene from the "Rosanne" TV show. In the show she was an Uber driver and they showed her driving a man who was sitting in the back seat. He said something like this, "I'm never really sure if I should tip my driver." Rosanne said something like, "well, I picked you up at your house, so I know where you live. It's up to you." It was funnier watching it than reading it, but I said then that I was ready.
I ran into a problem getting approved because they needed to confirm that I was a driver for at least a year and did not have serious violations. Since I had just moved, nothing in South Carolina counted, only my record in New Jersey mattered. My New Jersey license had on it the date it was originally issued(or at least a couple years old), but the South Carolina DMV took it from me when I got my South Carolina license.
It took me maybe five weeks to get approved although I had a certified five-year driving abstract from New Jersey. I had to get an abstract that included my record for my whole life. However, today was the big day and I was on the road at 7 am on a beautiful Sunday morning.
It did not feel like working. I spoke with people from New York, New Jersey, Detroit, Texas, Ohio and a few other places. I picked up people at the airport, the IHOP, their home, and brought them to the airport, to work, to Wal-Mart, and to hotels. I spoke with a man moving to New Mexico, parents who had brought a child here for a college orientation, two students from Saudi Arabia, and several people who were in town just for a couple days. I also got a little reading in while I waited at the airport, ate my lunch in the car(which I usually do), and even took a short nap.
And best of all Rosanne, I got a number of tips without threatening anyone.
I finally decided when I saw a scene from the "Rosanne" TV show. In the show she was an Uber driver and they showed her driving a man who was sitting in the back seat. He said something like this, "I'm never really sure if I should tip my driver." Rosanne said something like, "well, I picked you up at your house, so I know where you live. It's up to you." It was funnier watching it than reading it, but I said then that I was ready.
I ran into a problem getting approved because they needed to confirm that I was a driver for at least a year and did not have serious violations. Since I had just moved, nothing in South Carolina counted, only my record in New Jersey mattered. My New Jersey license had on it the date it was originally issued(or at least a couple years old), but the South Carolina DMV took it from me when I got my South Carolina license.
It took me maybe five weeks to get approved although I had a certified five-year driving abstract from New Jersey. I had to get an abstract that included my record for my whole life. However, today was the big day and I was on the road at 7 am on a beautiful Sunday morning.
It did not feel like working. I spoke with people from New York, New Jersey, Detroit, Texas, Ohio and a few other places. I picked up people at the airport, the IHOP, their home, and brought them to the airport, to work, to Wal-Mart, and to hotels. I spoke with a man moving to New Mexico, parents who had brought a child here for a college orientation, two students from Saudi Arabia, and several people who were in town just for a couple days. I also got a little reading in while I waited at the airport, ate my lunch in the car(which I usually do), and even took a short nap.
And best of all Rosanne, I got a number of tips without threatening anyone.
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Teaching History
History was always my favorite subject until I discovered political science. There's a lot of history in political science, so you could say history is still my favorite subject. A couple times in my life I seriously considered going back to school to be a teacher and I would have wanted to teach history. However, sometimes you can teach history in different ways.
As a courier, delivering boxes to people, gives me the opportunity to teach a little history. One woman's last name was Hoover and I told her how Herbert Hoover was an engineer and a great humanitarian during World War 1 and there are literally streets in Europe named Hoover in his honor. When he was well into his eighties he liked to work ten hour days in his office, he had an incredible work ethic. Unfortunately he was not able to translate his very successful career into a successful presidency which resulted in the depression. Of course I did this in a minute or two, but it was fun.
Yesterday I told a woman whose last name was Wilson that Woodrow Wilson came from New Jersey, which she did not know. When I referred to her as Mrs. President, she laughed and said I made her day.
I've now had two women with the last name of Cox and I told them about James Cox, who lost a Presidential Election in the 1920's. He came from the mid-west and founded the company, Cox Enterprises which I used to work for.(Cox Auto Trader) The most interesting thing about his election was his running mate, a guy you have heard of- Franklin Delano Roosevelt. How many people know he lost a presidential election?
You never know when some history can be slipped into your life. Just my way of teaching you some history too.
As a courier, delivering boxes to people, gives me the opportunity to teach a little history. One woman's last name was Hoover and I told her how Herbert Hoover was an engineer and a great humanitarian during World War 1 and there are literally streets in Europe named Hoover in his honor. When he was well into his eighties he liked to work ten hour days in his office, he had an incredible work ethic. Unfortunately he was not able to translate his very successful career into a successful presidency which resulted in the depression. Of course I did this in a minute or two, but it was fun.
Yesterday I told a woman whose last name was Wilson that Woodrow Wilson came from New Jersey, which she did not know. When I referred to her as Mrs. President, she laughed and said I made her day.
I've now had two women with the last name of Cox and I told them about James Cox, who lost a Presidential Election in the 1920's. He came from the mid-west and founded the company, Cox Enterprises which I used to work for.(Cox Auto Trader) The most interesting thing about his election was his running mate, a guy you have heard of- Franklin Delano Roosevelt. How many people know he lost a presidential election?
You never know when some history can be slipped into your life. Just my way of teaching you some history too.
Sally The Salamander
When you move into a new house everything of course is new. New painted walls, new appliances, new grass, etc... Sometimes though, you get some unexpected new things. In the first week or two I was in the garage and jumped when I saw something moving quickly against the wall. I thought it was a lizard, but my wife corrected me that it was a salamander. It appeared to go inside the wall, which was not comforting to say the least.
What do we do about the salamander? My wife named her(?) Sally, which didn't make me feel any better. We left the garage door open for hours hoping that Sally would make a break for it, but she stayed with us. When our oldest daughter visited we weren't going to say anything to her about Sally, but Sally came out immediately and my daughter was not happy to see her.
The other day my wife saw Sally when she had a hose in her hand and sprayed her some. She then saw Sally on the driveway and we're hoping she didn't make it back inside the garage. My wife sprayed insect spray around the border of the garage hoping it would keep Sally away.
The good news for Sally is that there are plenty of other garages that are open a lot. Some people leave their doors open all the time, but I don't know why they do that. There are other houses that are being built that have no garage doors, so don't worry about Sally. She's going to find another garage that she can terrorize.
I wonder how long it will take before I can walk into the garage without looking for Sally.
What do we do about the salamander? My wife named her(?) Sally, which didn't make me feel any better. We left the garage door open for hours hoping that Sally would make a break for it, but she stayed with us. When our oldest daughter visited we weren't going to say anything to her about Sally, but Sally came out immediately and my daughter was not happy to see her.
The other day my wife saw Sally when she had a hose in her hand and sprayed her some. She then saw Sally on the driveway and we're hoping she didn't make it back inside the garage. My wife sprayed insect spray around the border of the garage hoping it would keep Sally away.
The good news for Sally is that there are plenty of other garages that are open a lot. Some people leave their doors open all the time, but I don't know why they do that. There are other houses that are being built that have no garage doors, so don't worry about Sally. She's going to find another garage that she can terrorize.
I wonder how long it will take before I can walk into the garage without looking for Sally.
Friday, July 6, 2018
Jeff 2 Beach 0
Not that I'm keeping score, but on Independence Day I did get another victory against the beach. It wasn't pretty and there was a casulty, but it was rewarding.
The plan was to somehow spend 6-7 hours on the beach in the hot sun. I soaked myself with lotion, brought two books in case I needed them, and mentally tried to figure out what I could do for that long a period of time. The forecast was for rain most of the morning, but there were no dark clouds anywhere around.
The wind was there though and I wondered if our umbrella could hold on.(it was still standing tall, some of it, when the end came) I took a picture of the umbrella looking up at it before it started wilting. About an hour or so in, the umbrella was only about 60-70% open. Still, I was in the shade, which is all that mattered.
I was sitting on a chair that was about a quarter of an inch above the sand. I was told that people sit close to the sand to enjoy the experience more-it's more relaxing. I could only think of how to get up from that position and why I had some sand in my mouth. The wind was still blowing, so maybe that's why I tasted sand.
I ate a little, texted updates to my brother and sister, and read a little. I went in the water with my shirt on and then took it off to dry. The wind blew it on the sand which made putting it on, uncomfortable. Eventually, the rescue began when the clouds started moving in. At first there were a few dark ones, but then the reinforcements marched in. At three hours the umbrella was holding on for dear life, but it was still blocking the sun which I still could not see. And then the clouds covered the sun and I knew I was in good shape.
At three and a half hours I was relaxed as I watched the storm come in. Someone said, "maybe it will pass over?" Those were the last words I remember before the raindrops started which were followed by the buckets of water being tossed at us. We rescued the umbrella and made the journey back to the car, soaked from head to toe.
As we pulled out of the State Park where the beach was, there were lines of cars waiting to get in as the rain continued. A few miles later, the sun was out and there was no sign of rain. I was saved that morning, but our umbrella, which fought bravely, did not survive.
We now have a new umbrella with a table I'm told-I just want it to block the sun.
The plan was to somehow spend 6-7 hours on the beach in the hot sun. I soaked myself with lotion, brought two books in case I needed them, and mentally tried to figure out what I could do for that long a period of time. The forecast was for rain most of the morning, but there were no dark clouds anywhere around.
The wind was there though and I wondered if our umbrella could hold on.(it was still standing tall, some of it, when the end came) I took a picture of the umbrella looking up at it before it started wilting. About an hour or so in, the umbrella was only about 60-70% open. Still, I was in the shade, which is all that mattered.
I was sitting on a chair that was about a quarter of an inch above the sand. I was told that people sit close to the sand to enjoy the experience more-it's more relaxing. I could only think of how to get up from that position and why I had some sand in my mouth. The wind was still blowing, so maybe that's why I tasted sand.
I ate a little, texted updates to my brother and sister, and read a little. I went in the water with my shirt on and then took it off to dry. The wind blew it on the sand which made putting it on, uncomfortable. Eventually, the rescue began when the clouds started moving in. At first there were a few dark ones, but then the reinforcements marched in. At three hours the umbrella was holding on for dear life, but it was still blocking the sun which I still could not see. And then the clouds covered the sun and I knew I was in good shape.
At three and a half hours I was relaxed as I watched the storm come in. Someone said, "maybe it will pass over?" Those were the last words I remember before the raindrops started which were followed by the buckets of water being tossed at us. We rescued the umbrella and made the journey back to the car, soaked from head to toe.
As we pulled out of the State Park where the beach was, there were lines of cars waiting to get in as the rain continued. A few miles later, the sun was out and there was no sign of rain. I was saved that morning, but our umbrella, which fought bravely, did not survive.
We now have a new umbrella with a table I'm told-I just want it to block the sun.
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
The Battle of The Beach
Time ran out on Saturday morning as I pulled up to the beach on a hot day ready to do battle against the sun. My big advantage was that it was 5 pm and despite the warm temperatures it was a little cooler than a few hours ago. I was wearing an orange shirt and an orange bathing suit which my son gave me that morning as a hand-me-up. His girlfriend, Danielle, said I looked like a traffic cone and she was probably pretty accurate. I was only wearing flip-flops, I left my socks at home and my feet were naked and exposed.
I had already soaked myself with very strong lotion to protect myself. It took me five minutes to rub it in because I looked like a VERY white man who should not be allowed out in public. Making the trek towards the sand I remembered some of the nightmarish days of my past when I was lugging tons of stuff to the beach while walking on hot coals(or sand). My hat protected my head, but I could feel the sun burning on me, when will it stop?
When the umbrella was put in the sand I quickly found the shade and sat on the blanket, waiting for us to leave. It had been five minutes and as of then, the sun was winning. I did relax a little since there was a breeze, no flies, and a limited amount of people. I left my book in the car, but I didn't want to trek back there to get it, because of the sun, but after an hour or so I made the journey back. I I found some shade on the walk and stood for a couple minutes-to rest.
I did make my way into the water with my shirt and hat still on. There were no rocks in the water and it wasn't cold either, but still the sun burned. Back to the blanket I went where I found that the shade was moving quickly and the water was getting closer to the blanket. Fortunately, it was time to go-two and a half hours later, my first trip to the beach in years. I escaped without any sunburn, so I win!
The plan for July 4th is to spend SIX OR SEVEN hours at the beach. The forecast the night before unfortunately, was for rain all morning. I woke up today to beautiful, sunny skies. And so the battle continues-what am I going to do for SIX hours on the beach?
I had already soaked myself with very strong lotion to protect myself. It took me five minutes to rub it in because I looked like a VERY white man who should not be allowed out in public. Making the trek towards the sand I remembered some of the nightmarish days of my past when I was lugging tons of stuff to the beach while walking on hot coals(or sand). My hat protected my head, but I could feel the sun burning on me, when will it stop?
When the umbrella was put in the sand I quickly found the shade and sat on the blanket, waiting for us to leave. It had been five minutes and as of then, the sun was winning. I did relax a little since there was a breeze, no flies, and a limited amount of people. I left my book in the car, but I didn't want to trek back there to get it, because of the sun, but after an hour or so I made the journey back. I I found some shade on the walk and stood for a couple minutes-to rest.
I did make my way into the water with my shirt and hat still on. There were no rocks in the water and it wasn't cold either, but still the sun burned. Back to the blanket I went where I found that the shade was moving quickly and the water was getting closer to the blanket. Fortunately, it was time to go-two and a half hours later, my first trip to the beach in years. I escaped without any sunburn, so I win!
The plan for July 4th is to spend SIX OR SEVEN hours at the beach. The forecast the night before unfortunately, was for rain all morning. I woke up today to beautiful, sunny skies. And so the battle continues-what am I going to do for SIX hours on the beach?
"Are You The Beer Guy?"
I think a lot of people have trouble believing the old phrase "never say never." It's hard to believe that just about anything is possible, but it is. The next time you doubt that, just think back to the fall of 2016. Two major events happened within a few weeks of each other and both of them seemed nearly impossible. The Chicago Cubs won The World Series for the first time in more than one hundred years and Donald Trump, who had never run for any office, was elected President of The United States. It will probably be a long, long time before two events like this happened so close to each other.
If you had asked me six months ago, is it possible that someone would say these five words to me-"Are you the beer guy?", I would have laughed and said, "no, that would never happen." Nothing against beer, but I've never been confused with being a "beer guy." It's not that I don't drink beer, but I've probably had 20-25 beers since I graduated college in 1982. I can probably recall many of those times I had a beer in the last 36 years.
However, last week, "the impossible" did happen. I've been delivering boxes to stores, offices and a few homes. Once a month I usually have a couple small boxes of beer that are delivered to a person's home. I pulled into the driveway of one home and the guy was out on the porch and he asked me, "are you the beer guy?" And I chuckled and said, "I am right now."
I am "The Sunshine Man'(my business name), I've been "The Candy Man"(owning candy machines) and a couple times a month I am "The Beer Man." And, one day I'll be "The Southern Man," but right now, I'm still working on becoming a southerner.
If you had asked me six months ago, is it possible that someone would say these five words to me-"Are you the beer guy?", I would have laughed and said, "no, that would never happen." Nothing against beer, but I've never been confused with being a "beer guy." It's not that I don't drink beer, but I've probably had 20-25 beers since I graduated college in 1982. I can probably recall many of those times I had a beer in the last 36 years.
However, last week, "the impossible" did happen. I've been delivering boxes to stores, offices and a few homes. Once a month I usually have a couple small boxes of beer that are delivered to a person's home. I pulled into the driveway of one home and the guy was out on the porch and he asked me, "are you the beer guy?" And I chuckled and said, "I am right now."
I am "The Sunshine Man'(my business name), I've been "The Candy Man"(owning candy machines) and a couple times a month I am "The Beer Man." And, one day I'll be "The Southern Man," but right now, I'm still working on becoming a southerner.
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