There have been a lot of wonderful days in my life, but only one best day. The best day of my life was thirty-five years ago today when Monika Melcher agreed to marry me. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without her.
We did meet three years earlier working at Burger King and I did trick her into giving me her phone number. When I got up the nerve to call her, her Mom amusingly answered the phone by saying, "Melcher's Pizza." I really did pull out the phone book and try to find where Melcher's Pizza was, not realizing that there are very few German pizzerias. On our second date I asked her if I could kiss her and she really did say, "I'm engaged."(sort of engaged to someone she hadn't met)
It was an unusual beginning, but it's been a wonderful 35 years. I am constantly amazed at how talented my wife is and all the things she knows that I don't have a clue about. She's a terrific cook, she paints and decorates like a pro, she can fix just about anything, and she has a terrific sense of humor. Those are only the first few things that come to mind at 5:30 am this morning.
We are fortunate to have three amazing children who clearly have many of her talents. She continues to be a magnificent Mom and she's a lot more responsible for who they are than I am.
She makes me happy every day and I am very grateful to have spent these 35 years with her. Every night when we go to sleep I look into her eyes and see a woman who is more beautiful today than she was on the day we got married, August 28, 1983.
Happy Anniversary Princess-I love you.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Friday, August 24, 2018
How Big Are Your Dragonflies?
I'm not a bug person, never have been and never will be. When I was in junior high school or high school and it was time for dissection, I never had any interest in that. I don't care what animals or snakes or bugs look like inside or out. I know some of you feel the same way.(at least on the inside)
I have to admit though, I have been staring lately at the dragonflies here in Myrtle Beach. They are H-U-U-G-E! I've seen plenty of movies where bugs or animals become larger and I've watched movies or television showes where you see these large bees buzzing around and cutting into cars with people inside screaming.
But, this is real. have sat in my van at a light or in a parking lot and watching a H-U-U-G-E dragonfly(yes I know I repeated myself) circling in front of my windshield and then following me as I drive. I have sat in my car and made a fist and tried to figure out if the dragonfly is bigger than my fist.(probably not)
Why are they so big down here? Do we have too much water? Is the weather so nice they are attracted to our area? What are they eating to get that big? Fish? Grits? Salamanders? I have no clue.
I just wanted you to know that when you visit Myrtle Beach or South Carolina, look for the nice weather, the beautiful beaches and the H-U-U-G-E dragonflies. You really can't miss them.
I have to admit though, I have been staring lately at the dragonflies here in Myrtle Beach. They are H-U-U-G-E! I've seen plenty of movies where bugs or animals become larger and I've watched movies or television showes where you see these large bees buzzing around and cutting into cars with people inside screaming.
But, this is real. have sat in my van at a light or in a parking lot and watching a H-U-U-G-E dragonfly(yes I know I repeated myself) circling in front of my windshield and then following me as I drive. I have sat in my car and made a fist and tried to figure out if the dragonfly is bigger than my fist.(probably not)
Why are they so big down here? Do we have too much water? Is the weather so nice they are attracted to our area? What are they eating to get that big? Fish? Grits? Salamanders? I have no clue.
I just wanted you to know that when you visit Myrtle Beach or South Carolina, look for the nice weather, the beautiful beaches and the H-U-U-G-E dragonflies. You really can't miss them.
"Seems Like Old Times"
This was a 1981 movie starring Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, and Charles Grodin. The comedy is one of my favorite movies due to the three stars who were in their prime and complimented each other perfectly. If you ever get a chance to see the movie, it will make you laugh.
What does that have to do with anything? Well, one of the reasons we moved to South Carolina was for me to slow down some. It is much slower paced down here and I have slowed down some from my 12,14,16 and even 19 hour work days running my business in New Jersey and Pennsylvania the past few years.
Most of my days working as a courier are pretty short and I've been finishing work between 2-3 pm., which, in my book, is closer to half a day than a full day. However, this week was different. Being several drivers short, I had the opportunity on three days this week to work around 12 hours. I am a little sore and tired, but it really was fun.
Don't ever forget that when you work really hard at something and you know you did a great job, it's a very rewarding feeling. I did make a lot more money and I lost a couple of pounds(probably just temporary), but it also gave me a lot of satisfaction knowing that I haven't lost a step.
There's nothing wrong sometimes in turning the clock back a little bit and enjoying doing something you used to do. What can you do this week that would give you that great "Seems Like Old Times" feeling?
What does that have to do with anything? Well, one of the reasons we moved to South Carolina was for me to slow down some. It is much slower paced down here and I have slowed down some from my 12,14,16 and even 19 hour work days running my business in New Jersey and Pennsylvania the past few years.
Most of my days working as a courier are pretty short and I've been finishing work between 2-3 pm., which, in my book, is closer to half a day than a full day. However, this week was different. Being several drivers short, I had the opportunity on three days this week to work around 12 hours. I am a little sore and tired, but it really was fun.
Don't ever forget that when you work really hard at something and you know you did a great job, it's a very rewarding feeling. I did make a lot more money and I lost a couple of pounds(probably just temporary), but it also gave me a lot of satisfaction knowing that I haven't lost a step.
There's nothing wrong sometimes in turning the clock back a little bit and enjoying doing something you used to do. What can you do this week that would give you that great "Seems Like Old Times" feeling?
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Happy Birthday To Me(The Seafood Buffet)
(Fair warning-if you are hungry or if you just ate, you are better off reading this later)
Why not wish myself a happy birthday, everyone else did. Well, not everyone, I haven't checked Facebook today. Being here in South Carolina I have seen all kinds of restaurant buffets advertised and the one that gets the most praise is Captain Georges Seafood Buffet. I decided that on my birthday my wife and I would go there for dinner and I was looking forward to it a lot more than she was.
GAME PLAN: Comedian Jim Gafigan has said that when you go to an all-you-can eat place the goal is to eat one more dollar than you spend for the meal. I was thinking $33 the whole meal and about the food of course.
WHAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE: We didn't see any lobster(although it could have been there) and there was no pasta or chicken parmesan. They had just about everything else including a ridiculous dessert area that I didn't get back to.
THE FIRST PLATE: It's a seafood place so I went with seafood first. A bunch of scallops and shrimp were incredible and filled half my plate. I squeezed in some salmon, flounder and some kind of fish combo, which was good too. I had some mashed potatoes and a small piece of corn. I tried to take my time, but this plate did not last and I said to my wife, "that was a good appetizer!" (I also had a taste of one of her crab legs which was okay)
THE SECOND PLATE: I went southern since I'm trying to be a southerner. Spare ribs and steak were the first two things on my plate. I passed the fried chicken and went for the healthier broiled chicken drumstick, but I circled back for a fried chicken drumstick too.(I haven't really had fried chicken here and I've been craving it) I had a few small potatoes and some pork and I topped the plate off with another small corn on the cob.(just had to have one more) After I finished this I said to my wife, "that was a good start!"
THE THIRD PLATE: Did I tell you that I've lost two pounds in the last couple weeks and now weigh less than I have in maybe 20 years? I went with surf and turf- two ribs, one fried chicken drumstick, some more shrimp and scallops, two small pieces of steak and another corn on the cob. As I started eating the server brought over a large piece of chocolate cake since I told her we were here for my birthday. I had to ask if I could bring it home, because I knew I could not eat it tonight.
You'll be "proud" of me when I tell you that I did not finish my third plate. I left spare ribs on the plate and one piece of steak, I may never forget that. I think I ate at least $50 worth of food and I enjoyed every minute of it. And tomorrow night-some cold chocolate cake I will share with my wife.(if she wants some)
I'm going to get that tall glass of milk ready right now....
Why not wish myself a happy birthday, everyone else did. Well, not everyone, I haven't checked Facebook today. Being here in South Carolina I have seen all kinds of restaurant buffets advertised and the one that gets the most praise is Captain Georges Seafood Buffet. I decided that on my birthday my wife and I would go there for dinner and I was looking forward to it a lot more than she was.
GAME PLAN: Comedian Jim Gafigan has said that when you go to an all-you-can eat place the goal is to eat one more dollar than you spend for the meal. I was thinking $33 the whole meal and about the food of course.
WHAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE: We didn't see any lobster(although it could have been there) and there was no pasta or chicken parmesan. They had just about everything else including a ridiculous dessert area that I didn't get back to.
THE FIRST PLATE: It's a seafood place so I went with seafood first. A bunch of scallops and shrimp were incredible and filled half my plate. I squeezed in some salmon, flounder and some kind of fish combo, which was good too. I had some mashed potatoes and a small piece of corn. I tried to take my time, but this plate did not last and I said to my wife, "that was a good appetizer!" (I also had a taste of one of her crab legs which was okay)
THE SECOND PLATE: I went southern since I'm trying to be a southerner. Spare ribs and steak were the first two things on my plate. I passed the fried chicken and went for the healthier broiled chicken drumstick, but I circled back for a fried chicken drumstick too.(I haven't really had fried chicken here and I've been craving it) I had a few small potatoes and some pork and I topped the plate off with another small corn on the cob.(just had to have one more) After I finished this I said to my wife, "that was a good start!"
THE THIRD PLATE: Did I tell you that I've lost two pounds in the last couple weeks and now weigh less than I have in maybe 20 years? I went with surf and turf- two ribs, one fried chicken drumstick, some more shrimp and scallops, two small pieces of steak and another corn on the cob. As I started eating the server brought over a large piece of chocolate cake since I told her we were here for my birthday. I had to ask if I could bring it home, because I knew I could not eat it tonight.
You'll be "proud" of me when I tell you that I did not finish my third plate. I left spare ribs on the plate and one piece of steak, I may never forget that. I think I ate at least $50 worth of food and I enjoyed every minute of it. And tomorrow night-some cold chocolate cake I will share with my wife.(if she wants some)
I'm going to get that tall glass of milk ready right now....
Friday, August 17, 2018
Tales From The Road(updated name change)
I'm not sure what stories will be funnier, the ones from when I'm delivering boxes to people or the stories about me delivering people as an Uber driver. I don't think the below stories can match my last post of Uber stories, but you decide:
I was delivering some large boxes to an outlet mall and I went behind the store and rang the back door. When the door opened I laughed because the entrance to the back was almost completely blocked. How am I going to squeeze these in? I struggled a little and as I pushed my hand truck into this tight spot, the manager said to me, "Sir, is there anything you can't do?" I said, "no you're right, but don't ask my wife." I did get a laugh and another delivery done.
Ms. Wilson: As I approached Mrs. Wilson in the hospital to sign for my delivery, she was standing with someone in her department. I looked at the other lady and said, "did you know Ms.Wilson here is famous? When her husband, President Woodrow Wilson was sick, she took over and was the first woman President of the United States!" Ms. Wilson of course, was laughing and once again she enjoyed me making her delivery. The other lady probably didn't quite know what to make of what I said.
Ms. D: I'll call her Ms. D, so you don't know if her real last name is Davenport or Davis. She is the die-hard New England Patriots fan who awhile back told me that the Patriots lost the Super Bowl because they ate too many fatty food that day. As much as she made me laugh then, she actually topped herself last Friday when I delivered to after the office had closed for the day.
I reminded her about her Super Bowl comments and she shared this story with me. Her favorite Patriot player was the wide receiver, Julian Edelman. One game when she was watching with several of her women friends, the Patriots were struggling.(it doesn't happen often) She stood up and got her friends standing and put her two hands on her chest. She then started shaking around and had her friends doing what she called, "The Edelman Shake."
Her 24-year old son happened to be walking down the stairs at the time. He looked at the group of middle aged women shaking and holding their chests in front of the football game, said nothing, and turned around and went back upstairs.
Ms. D demonstrated "The Edelman Shake" to me and now I understand why some kids think their parents embarrass them.
I was delivering some large boxes to an outlet mall and I went behind the store and rang the back door. When the door opened I laughed because the entrance to the back was almost completely blocked. How am I going to squeeze these in? I struggled a little and as I pushed my hand truck into this tight spot, the manager said to me, "Sir, is there anything you can't do?" I said, "no you're right, but don't ask my wife." I did get a laugh and another delivery done.
Ms. Wilson: As I approached Mrs. Wilson in the hospital to sign for my delivery, she was standing with someone in her department. I looked at the other lady and said, "did you know Ms.Wilson here is famous? When her husband, President Woodrow Wilson was sick, she took over and was the first woman President of the United States!" Ms. Wilson of course, was laughing and once again she enjoyed me making her delivery. The other lady probably didn't quite know what to make of what I said.
Ms. D: I'll call her Ms. D, so you don't know if her real last name is Davenport or Davis. She is the die-hard New England Patriots fan who awhile back told me that the Patriots lost the Super Bowl because they ate too many fatty food that day. As much as she made me laugh then, she actually topped herself last Friday when I delivered to after the office had closed for the day.
I reminded her about her Super Bowl comments and she shared this story with me. Her favorite Patriot player was the wide receiver, Julian Edelman. One game when she was watching with several of her women friends, the Patriots were struggling.(it doesn't happen often) She stood up and got her friends standing and put her two hands on her chest. She then started shaking around and had her friends doing what she called, "The Edelman Shake."
Her 24-year old son happened to be walking down the stairs at the time. He looked at the group of middle aged women shaking and holding their chests in front of the football game, said nothing, and turned around and went back upstairs.
Ms. D demonstrated "The Edelman Shake" to me and now I understand why some kids think their parents embarrass them.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
The Snow Lovers Club
What could be more fun in the dead of summer while we have heavy rains almost every other day? How about discussing how much we love snow! I had a great conversation with someone moving into our neighborhood when I overheard him say how much he loved snow. He's been in South Carolina for around 15 years and he really misses the snow.
I suggested we form a new club, most likely the first one ever in South Carolina-"The Snow Lovers Club." He said he used to watch the snow fall when he was a kid, just like I did. And, this is the best part, he has a snow shovel here, just like I do. I told him we have to get together for a picture with our shovels. About ten years ago it snowed six inches here and he built a snowman! I wonder when the next real snow will be?
So, what can "The Snow Lovers Club do? Here are a few ideas:
1. We can get together and tell our favorite snow stories.
2. We can watch Christmas movies since it always snows on Christmas in the movies.
3. In the winter we can check out where it's snowing and find out who is getting the most snow.
4. Print up t-shirts that say, "We love snow, how about you?"(with snow falling on the shirt of course)
5. Publish a "Snow Newsletter" with snow information, so people here in South Carolina can learn more about it.
6. Learn about the biggest blizzards in history.
7. Take a group picture with our snow shovels.
8. Debate who has the best snow shovel and what shovel is the best for snow.
9. Give lessons on how to drive in the snow.
10. Has anyone ever skidded on snow or ice and ran into something like a mailbox owned by the post office?
11. Write down our prediction on the date we will have one inch of snow, three inches of snow and five inches of snow. Maybe we throw a couple bucks into a pot and see what it can add up to over the years!
When my new best friend moves in we're going to start working on these big, important plans and I'll make sure to keep y'all updated.
I suggested we form a new club, most likely the first one ever in South Carolina-"The Snow Lovers Club." He said he used to watch the snow fall when he was a kid, just like I did. And, this is the best part, he has a snow shovel here, just like I do. I told him we have to get together for a picture with our shovels. About ten years ago it snowed six inches here and he built a snowman! I wonder when the next real snow will be?
So, what can "The Snow Lovers Club do? Here are a few ideas:
1. We can get together and tell our favorite snow stories.
2. We can watch Christmas movies since it always snows on Christmas in the movies.
3. In the winter we can check out where it's snowing and find out who is getting the most snow.
4. Print up t-shirts that say, "We love snow, how about you?"(with snow falling on the shirt of course)
5. Publish a "Snow Newsletter" with snow information, so people here in South Carolina can learn more about it.
6. Learn about the biggest blizzards in history.
7. Take a group picture with our snow shovels.
8. Debate who has the best snow shovel and what shovel is the best for snow.
9. Give lessons on how to drive in the snow.
10. Has anyone ever skidded on snow or ice and ran into something like a mailbox owned by the post office?
11. Write down our prediction on the date we will have one inch of snow, three inches of snow and five inches of snow. Maybe we throw a couple bucks into a pot and see what it can add up to over the years!
When my new best friend moves in we're going to start working on these big, important plans and I'll make sure to keep y'all updated.
Friday, August 10, 2018
"Ubering" Away
I'm not sure that "Ubering" is really a word, but it is important that it's seven letters. That would be worth fifty points in scrabble, so I'm going to try to use that the next time I play with my kids.
July was my first month "Ubering" and I took around 90 rides mostly on the weekend. It was fun and it didn't feel like I was working. The hours were very flexible, the money was good, and there were plenty of people who generously tipped me for the ride. I met people from all over the country and a number of foreign students who were working here for the summer. They came from Taiwan, Russia, Lithuania, Albania, and Romania to name a few.
Here are some of my most interesting rides in July:
Jerry from West Virginia just started using the Uber app the day before after his kids set it up for his visit to Myrtle Beach. He prefers to drive the eight hours here, but he took a flight this time. When he explained his reasons for driving(not dealing with the airport getting there early, being dropped off and picked up) I started laughing, because he was saying exactly the same things I've said recently. We appeared to be around the same age and it was probably just a coincidence that I have referred to my myself as "Jerry" as recently as a couple months ago when I was going to use the name as an alias to print the book I wrote.
The woman from Iowa was fascinating to talk to. About half way through our 45 minute trip she told me she used to work on the Iowa caucus's and met many candidates over the years and heard their speeches. She's a registered Democrat who has a mentor who happens to be the Republican Governor of Iowa. When she said that it's too bad we couldn't talk further, I offered to drive her around more and we both got a good laugh out of that.
The nine year-old boy riding with his older sisters did not stop talking. However, he said the magic words when he blurted out that he "loved history." I told him that I did too and I suggested he give me a history question and I would give him one. He asked me the date of Pearl Harbor and of course I told him without a pause. I asked him, "who was President of the United States when Pearl Harbor happened?" He quickly said, "Roosevelt and not Theodore." I asked if he meant Eleanor, but he didn't fall for that trick. I did tell him it was FDR and I'm pretty sure if the ride was longer we could have talked about history for a lot longer.
My second female Yankee fan of the day was my last ride after also having two rides with Red Sox fans during the day. My ride with the lawyer in a big New York City law firm was over an hour and we spent a lot of time talking about baseball and the law. I was jealous of all the Yankee games she's been to and enjoyed hearing about how she got into law and how difficult passing the bar was. Although she was not wearing a Yankee hat as my other Yankee fan did earlier, she did have one packed in her suitcase.
Probably the most unusual ride was a girl in her 20's that I picked up near the beach traveling to the airport. I know she had just came from the beach since her big towel was wrapped around her bag and it was still full of sand. When she got in the car I also realized she had been drinking and was not feeling any pain, or maybe anything. The ride was only two miles long, but during that time she yelled out my name three times, said she wanted to go to McDonalds, touched my arm and then said, "it's probably a good idea not to touch the Uber driver," and all this time I was calm and acted like she was perfectly fine. When we got close to the airport she looked in the mirror to check her make-up and announced to me that she better "fluff her boobs."
I had to ask my wife what exactly she meant by that, but I can't tell you if she did it successfully or not. I just kept looking at the road straight ahead as I pulled up to the airport to let her off. She was catching a flight to Cleveland, but when I said goodbye to her I think she was already half way home.
July was my first month "Ubering" and I took around 90 rides mostly on the weekend. It was fun and it didn't feel like I was working. The hours were very flexible, the money was good, and there were plenty of people who generously tipped me for the ride. I met people from all over the country and a number of foreign students who were working here for the summer. They came from Taiwan, Russia, Lithuania, Albania, and Romania to name a few.
Here are some of my most interesting rides in July:
Jerry from West Virginia just started using the Uber app the day before after his kids set it up for his visit to Myrtle Beach. He prefers to drive the eight hours here, but he took a flight this time. When he explained his reasons for driving(not dealing with the airport getting there early, being dropped off and picked up) I started laughing, because he was saying exactly the same things I've said recently. We appeared to be around the same age and it was probably just a coincidence that I have referred to my myself as "Jerry" as recently as a couple months ago when I was going to use the name as an alias to print the book I wrote.
The woman from Iowa was fascinating to talk to. About half way through our 45 minute trip she told me she used to work on the Iowa caucus's and met many candidates over the years and heard their speeches. She's a registered Democrat who has a mentor who happens to be the Republican Governor of Iowa. When she said that it's too bad we couldn't talk further, I offered to drive her around more and we both got a good laugh out of that.
The nine year-old boy riding with his older sisters did not stop talking. However, he said the magic words when he blurted out that he "loved history." I told him that I did too and I suggested he give me a history question and I would give him one. He asked me the date of Pearl Harbor and of course I told him without a pause. I asked him, "who was President of the United States when Pearl Harbor happened?" He quickly said, "Roosevelt and not Theodore." I asked if he meant Eleanor, but he didn't fall for that trick. I did tell him it was FDR and I'm pretty sure if the ride was longer we could have talked about history for a lot longer.
My second female Yankee fan of the day was my last ride after also having two rides with Red Sox fans during the day. My ride with the lawyer in a big New York City law firm was over an hour and we spent a lot of time talking about baseball and the law. I was jealous of all the Yankee games she's been to and enjoyed hearing about how she got into law and how difficult passing the bar was. Although she was not wearing a Yankee hat as my other Yankee fan did earlier, she did have one packed in her suitcase.
Probably the most unusual ride was a girl in her 20's that I picked up near the beach traveling to the airport. I know she had just came from the beach since her big towel was wrapped around her bag and it was still full of sand. When she got in the car I also realized she had been drinking and was not feeling any pain, or maybe anything. The ride was only two miles long, but during that time she yelled out my name three times, said she wanted to go to McDonalds, touched my arm and then said, "it's probably a good idea not to touch the Uber driver," and all this time I was calm and acted like she was perfectly fine. When we got close to the airport she looked in the mirror to check her make-up and announced to me that she better "fluff her boobs."
I had to ask my wife what exactly she meant by that, but I can't tell you if she did it successfully or not. I just kept looking at the road straight ahead as I pulled up to the airport to let her off. She was catching a flight to Cleveland, but when I said goodbye to her I think she was already half way home.
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