I blogged awhile ago on how I've always had a bunch of nicknames when I was a kid. The one that really stuck for a long time was "penguin" due to how I used to run. (I probably run faster now) The oddest name was "cork" since one person thought I looked like a cork.
Over the years I have been called a lot of names and some of them were good. My favorite one was by a co-worker who named me "The Sunshine Man." She said that my friend KC and I should enter a work contest as "KC and The Sunshine Man." (For those of you over 90 the reference is to the famous band, "KC and The Sunshine Band) I loved the name immediately and I decided then in the 1990's that if I ever had a distribution business I would call myself, "Sunshine Man Distribution." (I still have a registered business in New Jersey and South Carolina with that name)
In South Carolina, I've already been called a lot of names. My co-worker has come up with dozens of them, but my customers have been calling me names also. Since I deliver many things to them, to some I'm "the water guy" or "the paper guy" or "the Staples guy." My favorite one last year was the guy who asked me, "are you the beer guy?" I had to answer yes, since I was delivering beer to him.
My current favorite name was the guy this month who said I was, "the head delivery dude." I can see that on a business card in the future in big letters and my name and number underneath it. I'd love to see the look on people's faces when I give them that card!
I've been driving people with unique names also. A couple who were both named Chris could have a lot of fun with solicitor's calling them on the phone. How do they separate their mail? Do they dare name a child Chris?
What if your name was "Special?" I gave her a ride and she told me that her parents did not have any girl's names picked out when they went to the hospital, so they called their baby, "Special." Oddly enough, she has met two other woman with the name of "Special."
Have you ever seen the name "Karen" spelled "Karrenn?" My rider said that they made a mistake on her birth certificate and never corrected it, really.
I've joked with some of the people I deliver to about their last name, when it's a "presidential name." The most common are "Wilson" and "Johnson", but I've also had people sign for deliveries with "Washington", "Adams", "Taylor", "Kennedy", "Jackson" "Grant", and "Bush". My favorite is Ms. Wilson in a hospital I deliver to and she starts grinning as soon as I walk in. I've told her Mrs. Wilson was really the first female President of the United States since she covered for Woodrow Wilson for some time when he had a stroke. I call her the First Lady which always gets a laugh out of her.
I was going to write this blog last night, but I didn't get to it. My blog would have ended with this: after naming several of the Presidents as I do above, I would have added "Gore", since some people still think he won the 2000 Election. But, the reason I didn't get to it was the better ending I got today.
A woman at a hospital today with the last name of "Grant" said her name and our conversation went like this:
Me: "A Presidential last name!"
Ms. Grant: "You said that the last time I signed."
Me: "Am I the only one who has ever said that to you?"
Ms. Grant: "Yes"
Me: "There are a lot of people with Presidential last names, like "Wilson" and "Johnson" and "Bush."
She did not want me to have all the fun, so she added:
Ms. Grant: "And Gore."
I politely laughed and did not fall on the floor laughing.
Me: "But,he didn't become President"
I'm not sure if she just got confused or she really thought he was President of The United States. You can't make these things up. Sometimes the reality of names are much more interesting and entertaining than what you can make up. I wonder how many people have signed for my deliveries who have names of Vice-Presidents? Well, there's Gore........
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Summer Is Here
The summer is supposed to begin officially on Memorial Day, but that's not the case everywhere. In Myrtle Beach we've been enjoying summer for a few weeks. The weather has been in the mid 70's to high 80's all month and this is just the beginning. We've had very little rain to speak of this month and in the next ten days there's a 5% chance of rain tomorrow, that's all.
Monday is Memorial Day and we are planning to spend all day at the beach, or most of the day at the beach, or it could be just some time on the beach. Our son and his girlfriend are visiting and I remember exactly what happened the last time we went to the beach with them. It was July 4th last year and after a few hours on the beach we watched very dark clouds come in from the ocean and absolutely pound us with water as we ran to the car. It would be awful if that happened again!
I will have a good time on the beach. I'll be covered in lotion, wearing a hat and shirt and sitting under the umbrella reading a book. I will not get sunburn and I haven't in 17 months in South Carolina. As a kid I would avoid the sun and I would sit under the boardwalk reading a book, but I've changed a lot since then.
I hope you get to enjoy the official beginning of summer in your own way and avoid getting sunburn. And, if you get to have some barbecued chicken Monday, eat a piece for me.
Monday is Memorial Day and we are planning to spend all day at the beach, or most of the day at the beach, or it could be just some time on the beach. Our son and his girlfriend are visiting and I remember exactly what happened the last time we went to the beach with them. It was July 4th last year and after a few hours on the beach we watched very dark clouds come in from the ocean and absolutely pound us with water as we ran to the car. It would be awful if that happened again!
I will have a good time on the beach. I'll be covered in lotion, wearing a hat and shirt and sitting under the umbrella reading a book. I will not get sunburn and I haven't in 17 months in South Carolina. As a kid I would avoid the sun and I would sit under the boardwalk reading a book, but I've changed a lot since then.
I hope you get to enjoy the official beginning of summer in your own way and avoid getting sunburn. And, if you get to have some barbecued chicken Monday, eat a piece for me.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Words of Wisdom
I was delivering to the main lobby of a very nice home community in Myrtle Beach recently. I've been there many times, but this was the first time I saw what was engraved into the wall in big letters. It read:
Another Day. Another Chance To Do As Little or As Much As You Choose
I read it a couple times and then wrote it down when I got in my car. I assume the reason it's on the wall is to promote the community and is mostly directed to the homeowners or future homeowners that are retired. However, I think it can be applied to everyone.
Every day we do have the power to choose what we want to do and how much we want to get done. Sometimes the most productive thing to do it rest. (I have one of those days every month or two) Seriously though, there is a lot in those words. People make lists and plan what they want to do for a particular day and it has been proven that if you do that, you will get more done. That does not mean you will get everything done, just more.
What do you put into your work, if you are working? Some people regularly put in 100% and some people don't. Some people "go the extra mile" on a regular basis and those people usually stand out. There's no doubt that I really enjoy getting things done and I like to move quickly. The other day, the receptionist at a hospital I was delivering to, said this to me as I walked towards her, "do you have only one speed, fast?" I replied, "yes.". She sees me constantly walking briskly while just about everyone else is moving at a slower pace. A worker at Wal-Mart recently told me, "you should slow down." I didn't bother to tell her that I have, I used to move faster in New Jersey.
There's been a lot in the papers concerning Uber and Lyft drivers and whether they are employees or independent contractors. I constantly read all the horrible stories and complaints how independent contractors are taken advantage of and are suffering. For the past 25 years I've been an independent contractor andI've managed and supervised independent contractors. It's a very good thing and The Department of Labor just confirmed that Uber drivers are independent contractors. I get to decide when and how much I work and pretty much how I work-I wouldn't want it any other way.
So, what are you going to do today or tomorrow? You do have a choice and even if you're an employee, think like it's your own business. You're in charge of your life and your actions, so go ahead and do what you choose to do.
Another Day. Another Chance To Do As Little or As Much As You Choose
I read it a couple times and then wrote it down when I got in my car. I assume the reason it's on the wall is to promote the community and is mostly directed to the homeowners or future homeowners that are retired. However, I think it can be applied to everyone.
Every day we do have the power to choose what we want to do and how much we want to get done. Sometimes the most productive thing to do it rest. (I have one of those days every month or two) Seriously though, there is a lot in those words. People make lists and plan what they want to do for a particular day and it has been proven that if you do that, you will get more done. That does not mean you will get everything done, just more.
What do you put into your work, if you are working? Some people regularly put in 100% and some people don't. Some people "go the extra mile" on a regular basis and those people usually stand out. There's no doubt that I really enjoy getting things done and I like to move quickly. The other day, the receptionist at a hospital I was delivering to, said this to me as I walked towards her, "do you have only one speed, fast?" I replied, "yes.". She sees me constantly walking briskly while just about everyone else is moving at a slower pace. A worker at Wal-Mart recently told me, "you should slow down." I didn't bother to tell her that I have, I used to move faster in New Jersey.
There's been a lot in the papers concerning Uber and Lyft drivers and whether they are employees or independent contractors. I constantly read all the horrible stories and complaints how independent contractors are taken advantage of and are suffering. For the past 25 years I've been an independent contractor andI've managed and supervised independent contractors. It's a very good thing and The Department of Labor just confirmed that Uber drivers are independent contractors. I get to decide when and how much I work and pretty much how I work-I wouldn't want it any other way.
So, what are you going to do today or tomorrow? You do have a choice and even if you're an employee, think like it's your own business. You're in charge of your life and your actions, so go ahead and do what you choose to do.
Monday, May 13, 2019
Can Anyone Answer A Direct Question?
I'm waiting, did you answer yet? If you said yes, are you sure? It's amazing to me that some people have a very difficult time doing this. Maybe they are not paying attention to the person talking or they are reading something too quickly or they just want to talk about what they want to talk about. If I ask you, do you like coffee ice cream and your answer is, my stomach doesn't feel good tonight-you did not answer the question
Six weeks ago, I submitted a couple easy questions to Uber to understand better how a Rider can schedule a ride in advance. After eight e-mails, I surrendered. They could not or would not give me a direct answer. This is a common occurrence with Uber Support, but we have no idea why this happens consistently.
With technology as advanced as it today, how is it people can't answer a direct question? We have a Facebook Group for Uber and Lyft drivers and I asked a question for anyone to respond too. The question was, what per cent of drivers are full-time(online for 40 hours or more a week) and how many of them are part-time? under 40 hours a week) I guessed only 15-20 per cent were full-time.
Two drivers gave me a thumbs up, which could mean they agree with my guess and seven others told me their hours and if they were full or part-time. Most of them did not answer my question.
The next time someone asks you a question, pause and think to yourself, what do they want to know? Then, answer the question as best you can. If you don't know, say, "I don't know." Can you do that?
Six weeks ago, I submitted a couple easy questions to Uber to understand better how a Rider can schedule a ride in advance. After eight e-mails, I surrendered. They could not or would not give me a direct answer. This is a common occurrence with Uber Support, but we have no idea why this happens consistently.
With technology as advanced as it today, how is it people can't answer a direct question? We have a Facebook Group for Uber and Lyft drivers and I asked a question for anyone to respond too. The question was, what per cent of drivers are full-time(online for 40 hours or more a week) and how many of them are part-time? under 40 hours a week) I guessed only 15-20 per cent were full-time.
Two drivers gave me a thumbs up, which could mean they agree with my guess and seven others told me their hours and if they were full or part-time. Most of them did not answer my question.
The next time someone asks you a question, pause and think to yourself, what do they want to know? Then, answer the question as best you can. If you don't know, say, "I don't know." Can you do that?
Are They Counting Cars?
You're driving along on a road usually at night and you see it, the deer. The deer is facing the road, just standing there. It would be easy to say that like the chicken it's waiting to cross the road, but is it doing that? I decided to research it and I Googled the question. I use Google once or twice a year and I figured this would be a good time. Unfortunately, I did not get any serious answers. One person said that we're driving through their territory, they are not standing in our territory.
Driving down to Charleston on route 17 Saturday morning, I usually see a deer standing there and then a short distance later I see another deer. Could they be the same deer each week?What if they really have a purpose? What if they are doing a car census and counting the cars that go by? You probably wonder like I do, how long is their shift? Could they do it five hours or eight hours and then another deer walks up and tells them he's taking over? If they've counted 64 cars, do they give that information to anyone?
There are a lot of questions people have each day, some serious and some not so serious. There are questions that you would really like to get an answer for, but I'm not sure this question is very important. Are they fascinated by the lights or the sound of the cars? Is it that they don't know how to go backwards? If they want to cross the road, why?
If anyone has the real answer, let me know. You may not care about this question, but I do. If I get an answer I'll have one less thing to think about and one less thing to write about.
Driving down to Charleston on route 17 Saturday morning, I usually see a deer standing there and then a short distance later I see another deer. Could they be the same deer each week?What if they really have a purpose? What if they are doing a car census and counting the cars that go by? You probably wonder like I do, how long is their shift? Could they do it five hours or eight hours and then another deer walks up and tells them he's taking over? If they've counted 64 cars, do they give that information to anyone?
There are a lot of questions people have each day, some serious and some not so serious. There are questions that you would really like to get an answer for, but I'm not sure this question is very important. Are they fascinated by the lights or the sound of the cars? Is it that they don't know how to go backwards? If they want to cross the road, why?
If anyone has the real answer, let me know. You may not care about this question, but I do. If I get an answer I'll have one less thing to think about and one less thing to write about.
Monday, May 6, 2019
One Year Without Television
I know some people think it's odd that we don't have a television, but we've gotten used to it. When we came down here 16 months ago we gave our son our television set since it's a tough thing to move 650 miles without problems. We figured we could get along without it. We rented a place for four months that had a television and we did watch it.
A year ago we moved into our new house without a television. We watch some shows online after they were on and that's worked out okay. We've watched some things on Netflix and Amazon Prime and that's been pretty good too. Maybe a few times in the past year we would have liked to have a television, but it wasn't a big deal.
When will we get a television for the house? I don't know. Can you rent one for a night? I think I'd like to have a television on election night 2020, but it's still eighteen months away. It's hard to believe but I think I've watched less television commercials than my Dad. (he avoids looking at them) He told me tonight he's having trouble finding things to watch. I am too, but I stopped looking a year ago.
A year ago we moved into our new house without a television. We watch some shows online after they were on and that's worked out okay. We've watched some things on Netflix and Amazon Prime and that's been pretty good too. Maybe a few times in the past year we would have liked to have a television, but it wasn't a big deal.
When will we get a television for the house? I don't know. Can you rent one for a night? I think I'd like to have a television on election night 2020, but it's still eighteen months away. It's hard to believe but I think I've watched less television commercials than my Dad. (he avoids looking at them) He told me tonight he's having trouble finding things to watch. I am too, but I stopped looking a year ago.
Celebrating May Day(oops, I forgot to publish this on May 1)
Today I am celebrating May Day, but not the May Day you are thinking about. It's not even the May Day you don't know about. May Day, May 1st, is actually a holiday around the world. Although it is somewhat celebrated in this country, it is best known in The Soviet Union who started celebrating this day in 1917 to celebrate their worker's by showing off their military force in a parade.
The May Day I'm celebrating is from four years ago when our youngest daughter, Marisa,(I probably can use her real name), had one of the ultimate great days someone can have. I will probably get some of these details wrong and she will certainly correct me. However, the bottom line about this day is this-you never know, almost anything is possible.
Marisa was about six weeks away from graduating high school and she had applied for over thirty scholarships, from small ones to very large ones. I was working a 19 hour day on the road and it turned out to be one of the most memorable road days I've ever had.
It all started when Marisa was in school and I believe she found out she had won a small scholarship and then she found out she won the $40,000 scholarship. Several students won the same award which was given out by The Singer Corporation. That is when I got my first phone call. I was a little concerned to hear her voice when she was in school, because I don't get personal calls on days like that. Then, I was just stunned and could not not believe the great news.
Marisa went home and in the mail she found out she received another scholarship which I think made three for the day. The clincher was the next phone call. She received a call from Google and the woman asked her, "how are you doing today?" Could she have been doing any better? No, until the woman told her that she had been selected to attend the Google summer internship program in New York City.
That's when I got my second phone call. It was too unbelievable for one day, for one person. We actually refer to today as "Marisa Day." So, I'm sending this out to our youngest child who right now is out in China for five weeks starting her first job as a software developer. She's going to have some pretty special days in her life, but it will be tough to beat May Day, May 1, 2015.
Love you Marisa and we're both very proud.
The May Day I'm celebrating is from four years ago when our youngest daughter, Marisa,(I probably can use her real name), had one of the ultimate great days someone can have. I will probably get some of these details wrong and she will certainly correct me. However, the bottom line about this day is this-you never know, almost anything is possible.
Marisa was about six weeks away from graduating high school and she had applied for over thirty scholarships, from small ones to very large ones. I was working a 19 hour day on the road and it turned out to be one of the most memorable road days I've ever had.
It all started when Marisa was in school and I believe she found out she had won a small scholarship and then she found out she won the $40,000 scholarship. Several students won the same award which was given out by The Singer Corporation. That is when I got my first phone call. I was a little concerned to hear her voice when she was in school, because I don't get personal calls on days like that. Then, I was just stunned and could not not believe the great news.
Marisa went home and in the mail she found out she received another scholarship which I think made three for the day. The clincher was the next phone call. She received a call from Google and the woman asked her, "how are you doing today?" Could she have been doing any better? No, until the woman told her that she had been selected to attend the Google summer internship program in New York City.
That's when I got my second phone call. It was too unbelievable for one day, for one person. We actually refer to today as "Marisa Day." So, I'm sending this out to our youngest child who right now is out in China for five weeks starting her first job as a software developer. She's going to have some pretty special days in her life, but it will be tough to beat May Day, May 1, 2015.
Love you Marisa and we're both very proud.
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