Solving One Problem You Have Walking a Dog

You didn't know that there's a problem when you walk a dog? Well, not only are you going to learn what one of the problems are, I'm going to give you a solution and throw in a little bonus. Here's the bonus: how many dogs are there in the world? I didn't know, so I checked with Mr. Google and he said there are approximately 900 million dogs in the world. I kid you not. Sometimes, I think that half of them are in my neighborhood.

I'm still new at this dog thing, it's been only two years since I got my first dog. (I mean that as it's the first one I got and not that it's one of many dogs I will have in my life) One of the problems I have walking a dog, after getting the dog ready for a walk, putting his snazzy vest on and actually getting him out of the house-is the big moment when he decides to poop on a neighbor's lawn.

I'm not comfortable with him doing it, but it's after I actually pick the poop up, once I figure out how to open the bag and scoop it all up and then attach it to the leash, then I really have a problem.  Why do I want to walk around the neighborhood with the smell of poop? Don't tell me you've never noticed, you're lying. It is awful, just awful.

When I'm with my wife, she takes care of it and then I have to figure out where to walk.  I can't walk behind her, because the stench can knock you out. Right next to her? It doesn't work well walking close to poop, trust me on this. I have to walk on the other side of the dog and the leash and then switch sides when he does. I'm good if I walk in front, unless the wind is blowing from behind us.

Taking our dog for a walk today, I did come up with a solution when it's just the two of us.  The dog is on my right, the leash and the poop are on the right and if I hold the leash with my left hand behind my back, the poop is directly behind me and I can't smell the poop!  I did this for a couple blocks and I did have a slight strain on my hand, but it's better than smelling poop.

Here's a picture of the leash and our dog.  To take this picture I had to get the phone ready with my right hand and then hold the phone with my left hand and take the picture with one finger on my right hand, which was still holding the leash and the poop. Our dog, Odin, may be looking for a bird.

This has created another problem.  In doing this important research, I discovered that it is recommended to take dogs three to four times a day for walks of 15 minutes.  Are you "pooping" me? Sometimes we go twice in a day, but three to four times a day? I don't think the strain in my arm can survive that.

 

"The Power of Fun"

Back in December I read a short article about a book that came out in 2021, "The Power of Fun," by Catherine Price. I read some other info on the book and knew that I had to read it. I asked my wife to get it for me for the holidays and I just finished reading it this past week.  

The subject of "fun" has been interesting to me for about three and a half years ago. As an Uber driver I picked up four young women in Downtown Charleston and after the 1.2 mile ride, the young woman wrote a comment on the app that we, "Had a magical evening ride." It was a great ride, mainly due to her sense of humor. I gave it a lot of thought on what made it a great ride and my conclusion was that is was just pure fun. I put a note above my printer and it simply says, "FUN." There have been many times since then I have thought about it and decided I was going to do something fun or turn something into fun.  

As I write my book about my Uber adventures I have realized that many of my favorite rides were simply a lot of fun and it has been sometimes difficult to explain the fun I had.  That ride in Charleston is ranked as my second favorite ride partly because I realized that any ride could be a great ride and I wanted to have more fun in my life.

In the book, she describes what fun is and what "true fun" is.  She explains that "true fun is like magic." Frequently "true fun" comes when you are interacting with others, and it's good for your health, mentally and physically.  She explains what happens when you are enjoying "true fun" and how you can do more fun things in your life.  She used many personal experiences that her and husband had, friends and people that she met. When she asked her young daughter what fun looked liked, she said, "sunshine."

Since 2009, my business name has been the, "Sunshine Man," and right above my head while I drive is a sign hanging that says, "If you can't find the sunshine, be the sunshine." I like to think that one of the things I do is spread sunshine to others. If you're looking for more fun in your life, you should read this book-it was fun to read.

                                                  

How Old Do You Have to Be To Play Pinball?

It sounds like a joke, but it isn't.  What if I told you that in South Carolina you have to be 18 to play pinball? When my oldest daughter sent me the information I was sure it was not correct, because it seemed ridiculous. South Carolina is the only state in the country that still has this law and currently there is a bill to get rid of it. It has existed for over sixty years although the law is not enforced.

Why would they do that? What could possibly be the problem with pinball? In the 1940's and 1950's states and towns banned pinball because it "Lured children into delinquency and school-yard debt." Back then, the game was looked at as a game of chance and not skill. It was created in the 1930's and before flippers were invented on the sides of the machine, players would be jostling the machine to score points.  Store owners would give out rewards for high scores and the game was very popular with young people, some who spent their lunch money.

In the early 1940's New York City's Mayor Fiorello La Guardia ordered raids to crack down on pinball due to organized crime being involved.  In 1942, the city banned pinball machines entirely and the law would remain on the books in New York City until 1972. 

And, that brings us to 1978 and Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. I was a college freshman and my roommate, Steve, introduced me to pinball.  We did not spend any lunch money, but we did spend some money on the machine pictured below.  It was a lot of fun and we set many, many records on this machine and another one called, "Pioneer." We left many free games on the machine for the next player because we had to go to class, or lunch, or dinner, or sleep.

My pinball skills came in handy after college when my wife and I went over one of her co-worker's house in the 1980's. The woman's husband had a pinball machine in his basement and in a very short time I set the high score on the machine. I knew my college roommate would be proud. I often thought that one day when I got older I would get a pinball machine for my basement, but now I don't have a basement and I don't have a television set either.  I may not be a pinball wizard, but I am confident that I can still play pinball well and I'm over 18 too!

What I Learned At The Comedy Show

How much can you learn at a comedy show? The purpose of going is to be entertained and when we saw Jim Gaffigan, I was entertained. I was surprised that I learned three interesting things which I did not know.  You, however, may find it amusing that I did not know these things and hopefully my view of what I learned is some entertainment for you.

NO PHONE SHOW: We were standing in front of the entrance to the coliseum and there was one other couple there. They told us that the next night, comedians Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle would be performing there, but it was a "no phone show."  I had never heard the phrase, but a number of comedians and some Broadway shows have started doing them.

Below is a picture of what happens: you walk into the event and put your phone on vibrate or off, or a smart watch and you hand it to someone who puts it in a Yondr pouch and the pouch is locked.  Yondr is the name of the company that created it.  You hold on to your phone and if you need to use it, you go to a designated area and they open the pouch.  At the end of the show you do the same thing before you leave.

I can understand if someone is in the hospital or you have a babysitter you could do this, but wouldn't it be easier to just leave the phone in the car? Reading up on this it is advertised as a way for a show to go on without distractions. However, comedians in particular have gotten in trouble for things they have said at performances when they have been filmed or recorded by people who did not follow the rules of the show. I heard later that this show went on for three hours and that Rock and Chappelle made jokes about everyone at the show. Two couples told me that the phone bag was not a problem at all. 

THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT?: It's called Shazam? I thought that was a movie about a superhero. It actually is, below is the superhero, who has nothing to do with what I learned.

My wife and I were in the coliseum and there was music playing. Suddenly, she grabbed her phone and did something and I asked, "What was that?' She heard a song that she liked and the Shazam app identified what the song was and saved it.  I'm not sure what else it does, but that was pretty impressive. I wonder, does it know Allan Sherman songs and the Partridge Family songs too? Yeah it was cool, but I don't want to put another app on my phone.

DID THEY TAKE MY IDEA? On the way home my wife amazed me, as usual.  She told me that our youngest daughter had bought something that lets you track a wallet, keys, or luggage if you misplace them. I thought she was making it up, but The Apple Air Tag is a real thing.  Below is a picture of the pack of four for $99.

If you lose something with this on it, you can go online and it will show you where it is.  I've talked many times in the past that when I lose something it would be great if you could say, "I give up." Only then could you go to a computer and hit a button and it would show you where you lost it. In my example, you can no longer get the item, it's gone. Here, for a mere hundred dollars, you can get it back.

Technology continues to advance and it is not slowing down anytime soon. Fortunately, I don't have to participate in all of it, but maybe you do?

Comedy With Jim Gaffigan

 

Pictured above is the back of  the Charleston Coliseum and it looks like it is a very nice orange color, but it is not. The sun was shining on the building which is closer to a light pink. Last week my wife and I went to see the comedian Jim Gaffigan and we had a very good time. I have passed the coliseum hundreds of times over the past four years, but I've never seen the entire building because it's covered by trees from the road. It looks better as orange, but inside it looks like this:

We were in the parking lot early and got a great spot so we could get out quickly.  We were one of the first people in line and this picture was taken when we arrived.  When we walked in there was a big sign saying that we should text Jim and he would reply. My wife texted and attached the blog where I had Jim inviting my wife to the show.  During the show I kept asking her, did you hear from Jim? I stopped doing it after a couple days which I think she was happy about.  The message she sent did not go through, only the link to my blog.  The day after the show she tried again, but I think it's safe to say a week later, he's not texting back.

The show was only an hour and a half, with the warm up comedian doing the first half hour.  He was very good and had us laughing with his second joke which went something like this: 

"If I had a super power it would be to align my political beliefs with my Uber driver." 

He then said that you will be fine if you just learn to say three things, "I agree," "That's crazy," and "What is this world coming to." It's probably very rare for an Uber driver to talk politics, but the joke was very well done.

Jim Gaffigan started off with jokes about the pandemic, plane crashes, and diarrhea.  This was not your typical beginning to a show, but he pulled it off probably due to it's uniqueness.  He talked about his experiences with his five kids and that was very funny.  We enjoyed our whole day on our date, the barbecue, visiting a used bookstore and the comedy show. Here's a selfie we took in the coliseum.

The Best Barbecue in Charleston

For the past four years, I have been driving in Charleston, South Carolina and I have been telling riders all about the barbecue places.  There is a lot of them and some of them are very close to each other.  My wife and I ate at Jim & 'Nick's Bar-B-Que many times in Mt. Pleasant before the pandemic and before we drove home after driving for the day.  Two years ago, we ate at the one in North Charleston, but since we couldn't get into the restaurant, we ate out out of the trunk or our car and celebrated the birthdays of my wife and daughter.

Downtown Charleston has at least six barbecue places and it may be as many as ten.  The one that is most talked about is Lewis Barbecue which is known for it's out of  the world brisket.  One of my riders lives nearby and he told me, "There's nothing like waking up in the morning and smelling barbecue." Above is a picture of their brisket and some ribs on the top right.

My wife and I arrived around 2 pm and it was at the end of the lunch crowd. We ate inside, but above is what their outside area looks like. The brisket was amazing and the ribs were very good too. We took our time and finished everything except a little of the macaroni and cheese, which was also very good. These days almost everything is expensive, but the quality of the food was exceptional.  I was amused while I was sitting there and eating to see the below sign.  When I think of a "meat cutter," I think of a butcher, not a restaurant.

I've been raving about this place for four years and now that I've eaten there, I can rave about it more.  I may even show that brisket and ribs picture. Am I really going to eat soup now for lunch?

My Favorite Rider Comments in January

The first month of the year and below are my favorite comments.  The top 30-40 are the best of these and near the bottom I have a separate section on some of the comments about me or my car.

The intelligent and creative guy explained about a woman he used to be with: "I fell in love with all the moons that circulated around her."

Woman in sales: "When I was eight, I sold my younger brother's action figures door to door. The neighbors thought it was cute, my parents and brothers didn't."

After getting a pierced nose, she was pleading with her boyfriend to get some cream from the drugstore, "I don't want my nose to fall off."

Lawyer's advice about law school if you're not passionate about being a lawyer: "Don't pay someone to make you miserable."

The manager of the band, "Widespread Panic" said that "We hold the record for consecutive sell-outs in Red Rocks." (67)

She: "I used to have a crazy dog. The boxer was a killer. He had five skunks under his belt and we had to get rid of him after he got loose, broke into a neighbor's house and killed the cat."

Woman: "I usually get about five hours of sleep. I have 3 cases of Red Bull at home and I drink three cans a day."

Picking up "Speedy Montana" from Louisiana: Me: "I thought you'd come running out of the building." Him: "I am pretty fast." Me: "How did you get to be fast?" Him: "Running from the police."

Woman who lives in Italy on what she likes in the USA, "You can go outside in your pajamas and no one cares."

She is a bartender in Greece and she told me, "I think the pizza here in Charleston is better than in Italy. I'm here for the slices."

She moved from New Jersey to Vegas and then moved to the South. "I probably would have died if I moved straight to the South. Being in Vegas prepared me for the friendliness in the South."

Respiratory Therapist from the north on his first week working in the South: "I almost got fired the first week for talking to a supervisor. You have to be cocky in Boston or no one trusts you."

Male: "I'm 27 and I give relationship advice to people. I hit rock bottom and lost everything due to drugs and decided to change because I saw how it was affecting my mom."

Living in Colorado for 13 years, the chef and guitar player said, "I've seen 500 shows at Red Rocks. There's nothing like it in the world. If you have the chance to see a concert there, just do it.  Talking about it is bringing me to tears."

Cook: "There are two kinds of people in this world, people who make food and people who eat it."

She: "Sometimes you don't know how your personality can brighten someone's day."

The young female attorney just won her first big case after an Amazon tractor trailer hit her client's car from behind. "We won $30 million for her. I have a cool life."

He spoke almost no English, but two minutes into the ride, the translator he was holding said, "I don't speak much English since I've been here a short time. I'm going to give you a bill from Chile." (To add to my foreign currency museum in my car)

Woman: "Every time I was making a big change in my life I would have the same dream that my teeth had fallen out."

She: "I worked answering phones at a spa and when I saw people walk out after five minutes with a smile on their face, I said, 'I can do that.' I'm an esthetician now and I love it."

Getting out of my car the young Uber driver from Charleston said, "I have to step my Uber game up."

"In Greece most people wake up at 9 am, have dinner at 10 pm and the bars get busy at 1 am and close at 5 am."

The retired accountant said, "Being retired, I don't care what numbers add up to."

Telling the man who was with his adult daughter, that one woman thought the Ravenel bridge looked like a bra, he said, "They look like pointy nipples."

She: "My dad has written down his dreams every night since college.  One night he had a dream about a guy that he hadn't seen in many years.  The next day he got a call that the guy suddenly died giving the eulogy for his mom."

She: "My dad always told me that, 'Above the clouds there is always the sun."

The navy guy told me, "During the pandemic I was in a supermarket and I sneezed and the look I got you would have thought I had said a racial epithet." Me: "Were you wearing a mask?" Him: "Probably not."

Female Uber driver: "My sister and I used to make fun of my cousin who was an Uber driver. We called him: "Uber Everywhere Ron."

She: "I was born where the gila monsters live. They were cute." (Southwestern US and the lizards can be 20 inches long.)

The woman said, "My life is a comedy."

The cancer colon researcher told me on a Sunday, "I have to go in and feed the cells every day or they will die."

She: "We didn't find many French restaurants in Paris, there were a lot of restaurants for Americans.  We had to look one up online and found one down an alley in a basement and it was packed and the food was amazing!"

The luxury chef from Long Island said, "My business really took off after the first few months of the pandemic. A lot of people wanted to have private dinners in their home."

Bartender in strip club: "I once had a 67 year-old man who came in on his birthday looking to take one of the girls home with him. It didn't work out well for him. He wasn't tipping them well enough to even get them to talk with him, but he gave me a lot of details what he wanted to do with them."

The assisted manager of a gas station: "The customer told me there was a naked man in the bathroom building a bird's nest. I walked in and there he was with newspapers all around him on the floor. I walked out and said to myself, 'What do I do now?"

The 20 year old guy and his brother, a jeweler, are starting a new business, turning ash into diamonds. "We have an LLC and a patent to turn deceased ashes into diamonds. I got the idea when I told my brother that he liked diamonds so much that when he dies I'll turn his ashes into a diamond. Two cups of ashes equal one karat."

The woman from New Hampshire gave me some good news about their famous squatter, "River Dave." She: "He ended up moving away and living with family in a different state."

She: "My friend was going to her college orientation and asked me if I would come with her. I signed up and went to school for a year."

The woman in HR said, "I once had someone who was upset so he left his urine sample on my desk."

She: "It's going to be a good day."

She: "My name, Noemi, means happiness in Italian."

"In Washington state, summer always begins exactly on July 5th.

A woman named Xavier: "I don't know how my mom came up with the name, maybe she wanted a boy or she was drunk."

The cook said, "We're just throwing it down in the kitchen."

She: "We were going to Dollywood once and the GPS took us on a dirt road up the side of mountain and we wound up in the back staff parking lot."

When she moved from Harlem, NY to the south where her family was, she said, "It felt like I was from here."

The only woman to ever talk about Hugh Hefner, "He must have had a bad childhood."

Intelligent guy advice to his wealthy clients: "The most important thing is figuring out who you really are."

The lawyer said, "When I realized I could help people, I decided to be a lawyer.

The very large guy used to work in construction. Working in a restaurant his manager told him he shouldn't lift all those plates. He said, "I can squat those plates."

He: "The highest state paid job in every state is a head football coach."

Male: "I used to be a Tugboat captain in Staten Island and now I'm a Harbor Pilot helping ships dock."

He: "I once picked up a baby alligator and it bit me."

He said, "I had a pizza career. I went from dishwasher to manager. I said I'd quit every year until I did."

She was named Maleiva after an African singer. The "i" is silent but causes many to mispronounce her name so she gave her daughter the name as her middle name, without the "i".

Citadel cadet: "They say that they want you to walk about 120 steps per minute on campus, but it's really around 160 steps."

He: "I find insects to be very interesting, how they build their homes."

When she moved from Harlem, NY to the south where her family was, she said, "It felt like I was from here."

She: "I moved out of Washington state, because nothing was going for me."

The Ship Surveyor was leaving for Buffalo, New York to check on some ships. Me: "Can you do that in this weather?" Him: "I'm going to find out."

She: "I do U-tube videos with six of my friends, we're trying to promote our channel."

Male: "I used to be a Tugboat captain in Staten Island and now I'm a Harbor Pilot helping ships dock."

The woman in law school said, "It's tough, but you have to put this first."

                            COMMENTS ABOUT ME AND WHAT'S IN MY CAR

She takes 17,000 steps a day working in a parking garage. Me: "How about we switch jobs and I get some exercise and you can eat all the snacks I have today?" She: "At the end of the day you'll aske me why I had no rides, because I'll just pull over and eat."

Me to the rider: "I guess you noticed all the money hanging in my car?" Her: "Where?" Me: "It's everywhere, the money." Her: "I thought you said bunny." Me: "If there was a bunny hanging in the car, you would have said something."

He: "I'm sorry I don't have any currency for your car, but this South Carolina police patch can help you avoid a parking ticket."

Older man: "I just gave away a bunch of old Belgium and Germany bills at my garage sale, I could have given them to you."

I told the woman that I had an extra bill from Argentina and I could give it to her. She: "How much should I pay you?" Me: "No, I'm going to give it to you for free." (She did tip me)

She: "Where do you get your mats cleaned?" (I just cleaned them before she got in)

"You brightened our morning."

He said, "Keep on doing a good job Ubering."

About my car set-up: "This is the coolest thing ever. I neve had a better ride than this."

The young man said, "I love your vibe. You need to keep doing what you're doing."

She: "Your car is so interesting and unique. You're the best Uber driver ever."

She: "I'm so excited to be in this back seat."

She: "This is a historic Uber."

She: "This is the best ride since ever.  I am so happy."

She: "This was an awesome ride."