When Sunny Gets Blue... or Gray

Johnny Mathis recorded a melancholy ballad back in the '50s titled, "When Sunny Gets Blue". Its been so foggy around here for the last five days that we have been singing, "When Sunny Gets Gray!" The forecast keeps calling for clear skies but all we've seen is fog! I'll concede that fog is better than snow, but c'mon!
Ah, it's great living in the Pacific Northwest, where the sun always shines - above the clouds.
The air at the surface is still mighty cold and the air aloft must be just warm enough to trap all that cold air and moisture down here. The fog wouldn't be worth mentioning except that I was really looking forward to a week or more of sunshine. Dang it.

Lock and Load

I decided that enough is enough when it came to the neighbor kid's noise. Even though the kid has kept the windows closed while practicing, the volume on the amplifiers and from the drums is cranked up high enough to make the windows "buzz".
Last night they were going at it hot and heavy at about 7:00 PM so I called the police. Two officers responded who had both been down this road with me before. After hearing the noise for a few minutes, they concluded that it violated the city's noise ordinance and went next door to issue a citation.
After about 30 minutes, one officer returned to our house. He said, "Well, that sure went downhill in a hurry! I issued two minor-in-possession citations and got in a fight with one of the kids - the kid lost. Then, the neighbor kid ran back into the house, locked the door and turned off all the lights." Wha?!! The officer asked me to write a statement and I agreed. He said he would come back later to pick up the statement.
I looked outside about an our later. Both police cars were gone. About an hour after that, the officer called to say that he was still at the station. The parents had just picked up their minor children. He said I could give my statement to an officer on the day shift, today, if I wanted to. I said that I would prefer to do that so I'd have time to type it up.
I spent the next 90 minutes or so typing and retyping my statement making sure I included dates and names where possible. After a few corrections and change suggestions offered by wifey, I finally got the statement prepared.
Today, at noon, I met with one of the police Sergeants and showed him my statement. He said, "This is great! If more people kept records like this, we would get a lot more convictions." I asked what would be done about the neighbor kid for locking himself in the house. The Sergeant said that they were going to issue a summons for him to appear in court on disorderly conduct charges. He said they couldn't break down the door and go in after him on such minor charges. That's too bad. Obviously, the mother is out of town again and knows nothing about what happened. The Sergeant said they are still considering whether to file charges against her for permitting the disorderly conduct on her property. I asked if I would be called to appear. he said that I would be called only if they try to fight it in court. Then he added, "Most people aren't smart enough to do that." Well, someone was apparently smart enough to tell the neighbor kid to lock himself in the house to avoid arrest. So we'll see what we shall see!

When Your Number is Called up Yonder..

I came across the following article in the Rochester, NY newspaper today:

January 27, 2007 3:34 pm — A Wolcott man died Friday after exiting his car after a head-on collision and collapsing on East Port Bay Road, in Wolcott.John C. Betts, 64, was struck as he laid in the southbound lane, at about 9:24 p.m. Friday, by a car driven by Dylan T. Schute, 18 of North Rose, authorities said.
Moments earlier Betts, traveling northbound, had crashed head-on with Kevin S. Laparta, 44, of Savannah, who was traveling in the southbound lane.Schute, traveling northbound towards the accident scene, veered left into the southbound lane to avoid the Betts' car. In doing so, he struck Betts, state police report.
Laparta was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital where he underwent surgery for a fractured leg sustained in the accident.State police Investigator Andrew Jasic today said police are still investigating which accident most likely caused Betts' death. They are also reconstructing the scene to determine which driver veered into the opposite lane causing the initial head-on collision. Charges have not been ruled out.
Jasic said police are also awaiting the completion of an autopsy, which is scheduled for early next week.

Man oh man, that's a tough way to go!

Almost There...

My interview with the chef at Semiahmoo Resort last Tuesday morning went something like this: "Hi, my name's Brian. I'm the day SuChef." (I learned later that SuChef means Supervisor Chef) "Hi Brian, my name's John." "So, you're interested in kitchen work I see. Let me show you around."
For the next 45 minutes, he led me through a maze of the three main kitchens, umpty walk-in coolers and freezers, stacks of glasses and dishes, storage rooms, break rooms, banquet rooms, offices, etc. When we were finished, we ended up back at the HR specialist's office. He asked, "Do you have any questions?" "No. Not yet, anyway" I said. He said that he needed to confer with the head chef and get back to me. I thanked him and said goodbye.
Next, I turned to the HR specialist with a "what should I do now?" look on my face. She said that they would be calling me within a couple of days. I thanked her and left.
Yesterday, she called to say that they were offering me a job so I needed to come in to give them a hair sample for drug testing. I went in at 9:30 this morning to do that.
The job offer is for a full-time kitchen helper/dishwasher at $9.00/hour for a 33-hour week. I don't know how 33 hours equals full-time, but it's no biggie. She said that the drug test results should be back by next Tuesday so I should be hearing from one of the chefs either Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning to arrange a start date. I said that I would be ready to go when called. She liked that.
So far, I like what I've seen and the people I've met. The HR specialist is very attentive, interested, patient and easy-going. Brian, the SuChef, was laid back as well. He said that their kitchens get busy, and there are a lot of "F-Bombs" going off sometimes, but everyone gets along well and usually they all have a good time.
I'm hoping for something close to a 2:00PM -10:00PM shift but they may start me out on days until I get familiar with everything. We'll see. One thing's for sure, after 34 years of working for the government, it's going to be an eye-opening experience!

Cars Part 2

Wifey reminded me of two more cars that I forgot to list in yesterday's post.
1980? Volvo
1986? Pontiac
Both of those were cars purchased for our sons to drive to school/work. "Cars for sons" also accounts for two others on the list: the RX-7 and VW Fox.
I also forgot to include a red '87 Subaru station wagon we owned for a few months in 1990. We bought it from our neighbor because it was in excellent shape. What I didn't realize until later was how ridiculously underpowered it was. It was embarrassing!
You may be wondering, "I wonder which car(s) was/were his favorite(s)?" Well, wonder no more!
There were several favorites: I had the '50 Merc when I was a senior in high school. I liked it because it looked like a hunched rat. It was raked, had all the chrome taken off and was painted flat black. The interior was red/cream and the rims were painted red which showed as a red ring between the spinner hubcaps and white-wall tires. The white-wall tires were actually black-wall tires with Port-A-Wall white-walls. Does anyone remember those?!! It had a 3-speed on the floor and a 51 Merc flathead under the hood. Exhaust cut-outs were welded just behind the manifold and capped near the back of the front wheel wells. When I took the caps off, the ol' Merc sounded like a semi! The only time I took the caps off however was when the car was sitting in some one's driveway because it was illegal to actually drive around making that much noise. The purpose of cut-outs was to improve performance on the drag strip but the Merc was no competitor. Nonetheless, the caps were visible from the street and they looked cool.
The Merc was great for cruising up and down 8th Street on Saturday nights. In those days, it was popular to paint names on hot rods. The name was usually painted somewhere on the rear quarter panel. I didn't have a name on the Merc. but two of my favorites were: "Night Crawler", a '32-ish black Ford pickup with a 57 Merc Turnpike Cruiser engine and "Li'l Miss Carriage", a candy-apple red street rod.
The car that everyone yearned for back then - but no one could afford - was the '57 Chevy 2-door hardtop or convertible. I guess I never got over it. So when I had an opportunity to buy one in 1984, I did so. Even then, driving down the highway brought stares, "thumbs up" signs and smiles from other drivers. Every time I stopped for gas or groceries, someone would inevitably come up and ask if it was for sale or just to share some story they had involving a '57 Chevy. I decided to sell it in 1991 because it needed up-grading and I couldn't afford to do it right. I hope it's starring in lots of "show and shine" events to this day.
The '65 Olds Cutlass was my first and last convertible. It convinced me that convertibles don't make sense. When it's warm enough to drive around with the top down, you get baked. When it's cold enough to have the top up, you hear lots of wind noise. Regardless, it was a beautiful car. It was teal green with a white top and gray leather interior. I don't remember what engine it had, but it could get up and go. I wish I still had it.
All the other cars served their purposes to one degree or another. The conversion van was great for long distance travel. The Scout was unstoppable in snow. The Newport was a great ride and excellent family car. The Horizon took me back and forth to work reliably for over a decade.
These days, when I see a rusted hulk abandoned in a vacant lot or behind some farmer's barn, I often wonder what it looked like when it sat in a showroom and how excited somebody was to buy it new. And I wonder how it got from the showroom to its final rusting place.

Cars

This entry will be of interest to no one but myself but it's my blog... so there.
I think I can name every car my parents ever owned. There weren't that many. Let's see:
1938 Plymouth 2D
1952 Ford 4D
1958 Chevy Impala (lemon)
1959 Chevy Impala
1965 Plymouth Fury
1970 Plymouth Fury
1978 Chevy Nova
1984 Buick
1998 Pontiac Bonneville
I, on the other hand, currently at the age they were when they owned the '70 Plymouth, have owned the following:
1952 Ford 4D
1945 Jeep
1950 Mercury 2D
1965 Olds Cutlass
1970 Olds Cutlass
1969 Ford Falcon
1976 Datsun B210
1979 Chrysler Newport
1980 Plymouth Horizon
1969 International Scout
19-something International Pickup
1978 Olds 98
1948 Plymouth 4D
1957 Chevy 2D Hardtrop
1986 Ford Conversion van
1993 Ford Explorer
1989 Nissan Sentra
1992 Nissan Sentra
19-something Mazda RX-7
1988 VW Fox
1996 Chevy Suburban
2003 Ford Explorer
1999 Buick La Sabre
Not necessarily in that order, and maybe one or two more. It's been a long ride. I figure I'm good for maybe three or four more before I get too old to drive. If our next house is on an acreage, I want to get a pickup so I can haul stuff.
I was prompted to recall all these vehicles because we bought the 1999 Buick just yesterday so I will have transportation to work (assuming I'm going to get a job!) It's fun to drive. It's a big, comfortable, quiet land-yacht. If it holds together, I think it will become one of my favorites. I know what you're thinking... GEEZER CAR!. But I don't care. Comfort counts.

Infuriating, but not surprising

What has happened to the airline industry in this country?!! Don't bother to answer. I already know. They have become little better than flying cattle cars. Come to think of it, that comparison is an insult to cattle.
People my age are probably the last of a generation who remember when airline travel was actually pleasurable. Now, the big carriers are staffed with surly, indifferent people who don't know or care anything about customer service. The big airlines dole out their short routes to regional commuter airlines who operate on a shoe string.
According to one web site, 20% of all flights are late. I'm convinced that the figure should be reversed. It seems just too coincidental that I, and the people I know, should ALWAYS find ourselves among the 20%.
A Seattle radio personality devoted an hour of his program last Monday to taking complaints about airline service. He brought it up because of the lousy service and dirty, worn out equipment he had just experienced on a flight with United Airlines from Chicago to Seattle.
It's a sad and sorry commentary on an industry that has deteriorated from a class act to crap.

Just Say NO

Sadly, the Lexus was trash. The paint was chipped, the hood wouldn't stay open on its own, the antenna was held together with tape, the seats were torn, the floors and doors were dirty and the front disc brakes were deeply scored. I didn't even take it for a test drive. I'm beginning to question the Lexus mystique. I mean, even after 13 years, wouldn't you expect the leather seats to stay sewn together? Both front seats were split open at the the seams.
I asked the salesman if he had any other cars in that price range. He took us to a far corner of the lot where a 1990 Accord was sitting. The Accord, he explained, had just been traded in on -what else? A new accord. The 1990 Accord had only 133,000 miles on it. It was a one-owner, locally owned car. We took it for a test drive. The engine seemed a little underpowered and under-torqued. The interior was a bit dirty and some plastic trim was broken. When we got back from the test drive I opened the trunk and found water standing in the depressions. Hmmm. I asked the salesman what price was placed on the car. He said, "The asking price is $4995." He was quick to make sure I knew that the price was just the "asking" price. I took his name and number and said I'd get back to him. When we got home, I looked the car up on the NADA and Edmunds web sites. Both put its value at around $2350. That's a long way from the "asking price". I think I'll pass on the Honda as well.
After we finished looking at used cars, I asked him to show us a new Odyssey. He showed us a EX-L and a Touring. The EX-L is $9,000 less than the Touring and I didn't see enough difference to justify the extra bucks for the Touring. Both were verrrry nice vehicles with all kinds of bells and whistles. Before I get carried away with trading in the Explorer on a Honda, I need to go test drive a Grand Caravan. It is rated as high as the Odyssey but costs $10,000 less than the EX-L!
But, first things first. I need to find cheap, reliable transportation fast in case I get hired at the resort next week.

Some Things to Write About

Life is beginning to show some signs of.. of... LIFE around here!
I applied for a job at Semiahmoo Resort on Thursday. I said I was interested in something "behind the scenes" such as kitchen helper or grounds keeper. The HR specialist asked me to come back next Tuesday for an interview with one of the chefs. That's encouraging!
If I get a job however, we will need to get a second car. With that in mind, I started surfing the web for used cars. 'Guess what I found? Possibly the car of my dreams, that's what! It's a LEXUS ! It's not a new, or nearly new Lexus. In fact, it's a 1994 Lexus. I ran a CARFAX report on it which came up clean. Unfortunately, the dealer is asking about $1,300.00 more than what Edmund's rates its "True Market Value". The dealer is asking $5935. Edmunds says it's worth $4648. (NADA says average retail is $5100/ high retail is $6000) I'm going to go look at it this morning. if I like it, I'll offer $4650. If it is exceptionally clean, well appointed and well cared for, I may go as high as $5000. That's still a lot of dough for a 13 year-old car, but hey... IT'S A LEXUS!! They probably won't sell me the car for that price, but what the heck? Easy come, easy go.
I'll make another entry when I get back home.

Where Am I and How Did I Get Here?

Hello there.
I have been sitting here wondering why I haven't - and still don't - feel motivated to make a blog entry. After about 30 seconds of self-diagnosis, I have concluded that I am suffering from a bout of Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD). In other words, the gloom and cold and long hours of winter darkness have put my system in hibernation mode. I just want to stay on the couch beneath my blanky until spring. Then, I want to move away from here!
In case you're interested:
Jean didn't come back and isn't coming back. The movers loaded her stuff on Tuesday and it's headed for Georgia. Barry has been left to deal with the angry landlords and debt collectors.
The Christmas project of stuffing drain tile with pine boughs didn't work as hoped. There was a scent of pine but it wasn't strong enough to be noticed more than an inch away from the holes.
Our son's Christmas visit was wonderful but his trip to Italy has been a traveler's nightmare of delayed flights and lost luggage.
We got another 8-9 inches of snow here yesterday. Schools are closed.... again. (No wonder we're raising so many numb-skulls. They're seldom in school!)
See ya later.