Thank You, Mr. Ramsey...

I know, there will be a billion Blogs about Charles Ramsey and his heroic actions which freed 3 women after 10 years of captivity...

I am struck by the normalcy of our hero. How he recounts eating his Whopper when the scream came from the house next door and going into action so rapidly that the sandwich was still in his hand when he started to kicking at the door.

I am moved by his emotion that he had lived next door for a year and hadn't freed them, even though he didn't know.

I am stunned that he is already turning down a reward, wanting it to be given to the freed hostages.

I wasn't surprised to hear him say he was Christian... although hearing Wolf Blitzer site the Good Samaritan parable to typify him caused me to raise an eyebrow at Wolf.

Not that it doesn't fit.  I'm not here to deconstruct the parable and how this tale matches up.

I think Mr. Ramsey wouldn't agree that it fit.  He doesn't feel he went out of the way to run to the rescue.

I wonder what he would have said if someone had told him that by days end he would be a national hero.

I do want to call a note of caution.  Mr. Ramsey is a normal human being. 'Just like you.' as he said at one point.  Don't be disappointed if we find out how fallible and human he is.  Let's just remember that he did the right thing in an ordinary moment and is now an extrordinary individual.  And he still seems to be the man who jumped on his bike one day to get some Burger King for lunch just before his life changed, possibly forever.

Thank you, Mr Ramsey.  Heroes sometimes appear to be few and far between.  You do a good job reminding us that normal people can be heroic too...

God Bless you...

HAND!!

Parable time...

So, this guy starts eating at All You Can Eat Buffets every night.  In a couple months, he realizes that he is getting very overweight because he is getting a large belly.  Instead of looking at his lifestyle and realizing that maybe he shouldn't eat so much food and should exercise more and learn some self control, he decides to take a surgical option.  Maybe his belly being stapled or something.  Just something to get rid of the weight gain that his excesses and gluttony had led too.

Don't get me wrong, he has no medical condition that has led to the obesity.  That would be a different matter.  He just is leading a lifestyle that is adversely affecting his health.

But the surgery is expensive and it would cause some risk to his heath as well.  So he tries to find a way to get his insurance or public funding to pay for the medical option, possibly causing tax payers to pay for his healing.

And he doesn't plan on ceasing his frequent visits to buffets or learning how to control his urges or take precautions to keep himself from having a recurrence of the same problem...

He wants to take advantage of the same system that has been set up for those less fortunate than he is and continue to do whatever he wants...

And it is his body so he has a right to do with it as he pleases...

Sorry! This made me laugh...

Okay, so I was perusing old blogs after I finished the previous one about 2 seconds ago and I stopped at the one about wild things that happen at work and I remembered the one for last week...

So, of course, I was the only manager on.  And I get a call to the lot from a cart person...
Not a, hey can you get out here ASAP.  Just, Coach Tim to the parking lot.  It's usually and irate customer who doesn't like having their receipt checked on the way out, at least we don't make you walk through an impersonal scanner that 50 years from now we will find has given everyone who perused game stores too much a serious medical condition.  Or someone who has done something stupid in the lot, like the woman who ran into the handicapped parking pole because she had sped up to turn in around pedestrians.
I don't make this stuff up....
Or the person who recked there jeep trying to park in the cart corral.  Seriously.  and then he drove off and got upset when we called the police to complain about him destroying it.  He said it's our fault the corrals aren't wide enough...
I'll wait for you to stop chuckling...

Done?
So, I didn't rush to the lot but I did make my way directly there because, y'know, it could be important.
A car was leaking gas into the lot.  It was a couple gallons by the time I got there and every passerby had to comment about how we now have to call the EPA and get a full Hazmat team on site.
They train us for stuff like this.
Unfortunately, that was a couple years ago and I haven't had to use the Chemical Spill Emergency guidelines since.  Yes, there's a term for it but I'm not sure how sensitive it is but the cart person should have utilized it.  No biggie.  I got Dennis to grab some oil dry, which we sell.  And I had Chris get the plate # to the service desk to page the member.  And we blocked the area off with upturned carts and i went inside to call the fire dept...

Ok, it used to be that fire depts and police depts all had normal #s and I don't call them all the time.  So, yes, I admit I looked 911 up in the phone book.  Not that i couldn't remember it, I wasn't sure if this qualified as a 911 level emergency.

Done laughing yet?

Obviously it is because I'm pretty sure they were on site before I got back to the lot.  I think someone else called them first...

So this guy runs up, like literally 10 seconds after the page, and says
"Aw man! We just drove that car off the lot!"

The fireman says, "We have to tow it out sir, after we plug the leak."

"And we just filled the tank!"

Too which Chris says, bless his heart...

"Ain't full anymore!"

I know it's not funny but it is.  I have to not burst into laughter while I assure the man it's under control and it's in his best interest NOT to drive the car at this time.

The wife was furious because they had just bought $200 in groceries and didn't have a car to take them home in.  It was all my fault.  The fire man calmed her down.

After it was all done, I remembered to check the flipchart to see if I handled the incident properly...

Like, if the building is on fire, I'm going to run to the flipchart to see what I should do...

We got it right except the cart people decided to clean up the oil dry themselves instead of let the Fire dept do it...

HAND!

Driving Me Crazy, I Tell You!!

I've been keeping track of something when I'm filling the car with gas because it seems like it not only costs more for gas but it takes longer to fill the tank but I guess that's a product of the cost of gas because the pumps fill based on the price not on the amount you get.
Does that make sense?  I mean, if your getting 8 gallons, it should dispense at the same rate irregardless of how much you're paying for it, right?  Does it take McDonald's longer to make the same burger if they raise the price for it? A bottle of beer is a bottle of beer and the rate at which you can empty it isn't governed by the price of that bottle but by the activity...
And sometimes how many you have already emptied but that's not the point.
The length of time it takes to fill my tank, or your tank, isn't the point either.  I know we usually fill the tank to a monetary amount but I use approximately the same amount every time.
And what is it with the pump slowing down as if gets 50 cents away from the end anyway?  Is the gas pump afraid its going to dispense too much so it has to slow down?
Anyway, back to the point, so I'm spending what feel is like half an hour putting $30 in my tank, yes, I wait too long between fill ups but that's a blog for another day that will probably never get here, and since the process is almost completely automated, my mind notices things and, when given the opportunity, compares trends.
God given talent that, trend comparison and efficiency analysis.  I'm no expert but I notice things..
So why is the price of the medium grade gas more cheaper, I did that on purpose, when the lowest grade is cheaper than when it's considered high.  I consider it high all the time right now partially because I remember when it was less than a buck and people threw a fit then when it went up.  I think I dimly remember it being 25 cents a gallon but that doesn't seem possible anymore.  And I'm not complaining about the natural inflation of goods and services.  I mean, have you had your shoes polished lately?
Me neither,
Back to the point...
So sometimes, the medium grade is only 10 cents higher than the lower grade and sometimes, like now, its 25 to 30 cents more.  Is this to offset charging less for the lower grade than they should?  So why don't they do that all the time?
Is it because the medium grade goes up proportionally to the price of gas?  Doubling or tripling the gap over 50 cents is a huge ratio and, if you follow the progression down, there would come a  point where the medium grade would be like a penny more.
It's not making sense.  But I bet it makes cents.  Actually $'s.  The cost of gas is supposedly where it is by gas stations because they have to charge so much or a certain amount, right?  I find it eerie when all the gas stations in town have exactly the same price for gas.  So much for competition...
So why can the medium grade fluctuate so much in price comparatively?
As I said,  doesn't make sense to me.
Maybe it has to do with the amount of people who buy medium grade and making extra money off them.  Wouldn't that tick you off?  Being extra gouged for using a better product in your car than you are already being gouged for?
I'm not a gas expert, no matter what my kids say, but there's something not right there...

I'm just saying...

HAND!

To Improve Your Shopping Experience...

Please engage your brain...

Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking or how their houses look by what they do in stores...

I try to see things from their point of view but sometimes, it's so hard...

A woman came in and reported that she injured herself in our store the previous day.  She tripped over the cart her husband was pushing...

The inevitable people who back into our cart machines from a parking space and call the police.  Imagine their surprise when they get ticketted for unsafe backing...

The people who treat the clothing area like a yard sale.  Why can't you just refold the clothing instead of leaving an Autumnal pile?

There are people who are upset right now because we stopped carrying the pumpkin bread mix after Thanksgiving...
And the ones who are looking for that item that had a really good price on it.  How can we be sold out?  We had a pallet of them last week.  The item was low priced because it was on clearance to get rid of the rest of it.  The price drop did it's job.

Some people won't think this one is funny but this has to do with my sense of humor.  A gentleman wouldn't buy something the other day because it was made in Mexico.  He only buys American...

If you didn't get the joke, it's okay.

I informed him that it was made in America.  He said 'no, it was made in Mexico."

He paused and glared at me.  "You know what I mean.  Central America."

I apologized for the inconvenience and tried to end the conversation politely but quickly.  It's frowned upon to laugh at customers.

Yes, I get the idea.  I don't do it to be mean.  And there is really nothing I can do.  It's like the guy who tells me he's never going to shop in my store again...every week... for the past 3 years.

I knowit can be a frustrating time of the year and money is tight.  Our expectations have been set too high.  We seem to be like Dudley from Harry Potter, counting the number of gifts this year and comparing them to last year.

My family gets annoyed with me every year because I don't know what I want for Christmas.  I've already got all I want and none of it can be bought with money...

Ok, the roof over my head and the food and the car are nice but I don't really need a new game or some of the other stuff.  I haven't watched all the DVDs I got last year yet...

At least we're allowed to say Merry Christmas this year.  I said it last year too.  I call it freedom of speech...

HAND!

Oops! Been a While...

Almost a month has gone by since i last blogged. Weird word that.  Imagine saying that to someone 50 years ago and they would probably have thought you had gotten sick, or drunk.

Life is busy. Stuff to do.  I try to reshuffle things so I am doing more of the stuff that I want to or should do.  Re-prioritizing, I geuss.

So, I'm the cub scout pack leader for my son's pack of wolf scouts.  Most of my Monday nights are taken up with meetings and Saturday Mornings are taken up by special events.  Jake loves it and I enjoy spending the time with him.

Now I have to find a way to spend regular time with Emily.  First i need to hide her phone, computer, and tv.  Then keep her away from her friends.  That doesn't seem right.

Working on the walls of the bathroom. All of the old wall paper and glue is gone but the Dif we used to take it off has left a residue like a blue Slimer has gone beserk in there.

Slimer.  The green globby ghost from Ghostbusters.  The first one...

I have almost all the baseboards in place in the kitchen.  It may not be the most professional looking job in the world but I did it myself and it was the first time I have done something like that. It looks pretty good to me.  And I enjoy playing with Great Stuff and Liquid Nails...

Now if I could only pry this scraper out of my hands.

The trampoline is down for the winter.  That was kinda like my brother shutting down his pool except I don't use it myself, I don't sit near it sipping Reisling, and it was far easier to take it apart than put it together.  I've always had a knack for breaking stuff down.  Ask anyone.  The only mishap was I pulled off one of the aglets on the rope that goes around the outside.

If you don't know what an aglet is look it up.

That actually was one of those mixed blessing things.  It was taking the longest to 'unweave' the rope from all the loops and such because the aglet would catch on the edges and have to be guided through every single one.  These loops exist on the enclosure, the base covering, and the frame; all around the perimeter.  Therer are alot of them.

When the aglet popped off, and I couldn't slip it back on.  Silly thought, I know.  I realized that now I could pull the rope through three loops at a time!  And next year, I will ue the end with the aglet to thread the rope through.

The deck is cleared off for winter.  It is still full of happy memories of making kabobs for visiting family or just sitting around the porch fireplace as the night sky deepened to just stars and planes.

I'm glad i took the trampoline down before I accidentally glued the paint scrapper in my hand with Great Stuff!

HAND!

I tried not too... Belling the Cat...

Y'know that guy at work who does stuff he shouldn't or does, basically, nothing but escapes notice by pointing out the flaws of his co-workers?

Would you vote him in as President?

Or the person who uses the work of others as their own accomplishments?

Or just points out what a bad job someone else is doing and says that if they had that job, they could do better?

I don't know when the last time I went to a job interview and tried to get the job by making the other applicants look like they aren't a good choice so hire me...

Name calling? Funny quips?  Fact distortion?

Is this a presidential election or the 5th grade?

A few  thoughts, correct me if I'm wrong with constructive criticism...

One of Barak O'bama's running points before was ending the war by bringing our boys home.  The hint was that the mission would not be completed and I thought thats what people voted for. 

Now the mission is complete and our President is taking the credit.  yes, he has to ok the operation but aren't we glossing over the fact of all those soldiers and intelligence workers putting the thing together until it was handed to the President, whoever it was?  What would be the response if such had happened and the go ahead had not been given?  After all this time and energy and lives spent?

Point of order; it has been hinted that there were times in the past that the problem may have been handled pre 911 but the President at the time did not give the go ahead.

So, unless there had been a total withdrawal, wouldn't the mission have happened no matter who was President?

The war had started before he took office so he can't be blamed/ hailed for that.  This was the culmination of the work begun then...right or wrong. 

But I'm not sure what the other guy will do and the waffling and softening of position has begun to please the... contributers?

A sociology professor of mine once said that maybe there should be a 'None of the Above' button in the toll booth so that people wouldn't have to split along party lines or try to vote in a 3rd party canidate who, frankly, doesn't stand a chance in our media driven culture.

And maybe if None of the Above got the most votes then the 2 VP canidates would have to lead the country together until more suitable canidates could be found instead of the two guys with the deepest pockets and the most friends. 

We're not voting for the Prom Queen here, people.

I'm finding it easier and more satisfying to be non-partisan now than ever before.  Unfortunately, the way things are, this is a two person race.  the guy who's been doing the job and the guy who wants to do the job.

And, in my mind, they are spending tons of money calling each other names when we have an economy that is hindered partially by our countries ever increasing debt.  There's something to spend the money on.

Can someone give me a percentage of the debt that could have been paid off by the amount of money spent on the election include dinners and fundraisers?

I'm an assistant manager and I have closed and re-opened a position because no one who has applied was qualified.

I have also hired the wrong person before.

So, in conclusion,

Go out and vote, it's our right and duty.  Just, please, vote with your head and not with what others tell you to do or what you've always done in the past.

And don't get your hair stuck in the polling levers...

H.A.N.D.