Is back.
That is all.
That is all.
July 23, 2013
I Ran - A Flock of Seagulls
A "bump" from 11/22/08 because I just read this: Flock of Seagulls Robbed. Before I clicked on the link, I figured it was the band that got robbed, not literally a flock of seagulls. (or a truck full of seagulls heisted) The old video wasn't working, blocked "in your country". That always sucks.
July 22, 2013
Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be
Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
- Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 75–77
I really hate borrowing money; the hassle of going to a bank diminishes the excitement of buying a car and I never have liked borrowing money for other reasons, even a few dollars, from a friend. I've loaned money to people and found out they'd avoid me afterwards. There's something about being beholden to someone that makes for resentment from some folks. As evidenced by the above verse, Shakespeare realized it, too.
Flashback: It was a weekend during the school year; I was barely sixteen and hadn't had a car or my license for very long and had a date for that Saturday night. Since it wasn't the summer, I didn't have a job and consequently didn't have much money, only a couple of lonely dollar bills in my wallet. Even though gas was about .32 cents/gallon and the cost of admission to the movies was only a fraction of what it is today, I still didn't have enough money...oh, I could probably pay to get in the theater, but popcorn would have been beyond my budget, forget about a pizza or burger afterwards.
So, I swallowed my pride and asked my dad for a loan. "Sure, how much do you need, son?" he asked, getting out his wallet. I had in mind about five bucks, but thought I'd ask for more and would settle for five if I had to. "Uh...how about ten dollars?" I tentatively asked. "Sure." said my dad, pulling the bill out and holding it out towards me. I reached for it, then he pulled it back a little. "Of course, there's the interest."
Great, I thought. What the heck, I asked what the terms were. "100% interest." said pop. Sheesh, even though bank loans were fairly expensive, that seemed outrageous, more what a Mafia loan shark would charge. Still, I was in a bind and needed the money, maybe I could renegotiate the interest later or maybe he was just kidding. I nodded my head and reached for the ten-spot.
"Well..." said my father. "The interest is due right now." and he put the bill back in his wallet. "You can pay the principal back anytime."
My mother had been listening and after I had cleaned up and was changing clothes, resigned to the fact that I was going to have to tell my girlfriend that I couldn't afford to take her out when I saw a five dollar bill sticking out of my wallet. As I was leaving, my momma winked at me, so I knew she had given me the money behind dad's back...or at least talked him into giving me some.
Still, seven dollars total wasn't going to go all that far, but at least I could buy a couple of gallons of gasoline and get into the movie and afford some refreshments, although I would have to let her eat all the popcorn so she'd fill up on that and not want a candy bar, too. I'd also have to make sure she only got the medium size cup of the Dr Pepper she so loved. Before picking her up, I stopped at the family-owned service station I traded at. Waving off the old man coming out the door when I pulled into the drive, I pumped a dollar's worth of regular into my little Tempest.
As I got a one-dollar bill out to pay, he said "That all the gas ya gonna get? On a Saturday night?" I sheepishly admitted I couldn't afford any more and related the attempt at borrowing money from dad. The old man laughed and shuffled out to my vehicle and filled it up. "We'll just open you up a charge account." he declared. "You can pay it off when you work this summer." I was flabbergasted, but was nearly floored when his son opened up the cash register and handed me a five dollar bill. " Here's some money for your date." he said. "We'll just put that on your bill, too."
Now, what really surprised me about their generosity was that this family was known for their "frugal" ways. I once wrestled their huge Coke machine away from the wall because the old lady said she had dropped some money under it. It was a nickel. They were open on Sundays, even though I bet they didn't average a half-dozen customers during the day. I know they used a bank, but since the old man and his wife had lived through the Depression, they kept a goodly amount of money on hand. Later, when I started roughnecking, they often cashed my entire crew's paychecks for them if it looked like we weren't going to get back before the banks closed, several thousand dollars, without even blinking. (I always worried that some of the less reputable guys I worked with would come back and rob them, but it never happened)
That charge account really helped me out; from then on I didn't have to always use "drip gas" and especially burn it in my next car, a Ford Fairlane with a much bigger engine than the Tempest, one that didn't run too well on the unrefined fuel. They helped me out in other ways, letting me use their tire machine to fix flats w/out charging me for anything other than the materials I used. (a valve core was five cents, a patch was a dime and a valve stem was a whoppin' .25 cents!) I could also wash my car for free and in return, I would sweep their drive or clean out the wash bay sump pit and take their trash out to the dump for them. (In a sweet old '55 Chevy pickup which I'd LOVE to have now) I later helped out with the business when the son got cancer.
I've had others help me since then, friends have offered help w/out me asking (bless you!), my banker has approved loans without embarrassing me, even my dad grudgingly gave me money when I was in a bind, but what happened on that long-ago Saturday afternoon still warms my heart. I got to take my date to the "picture show", bought her the biggest bucket of popcorn, a big box of Junior Mints and one of those tanker-sized soda pops PLUS a pizza afterwards along with a pitcher of Dr Pepper! I even had more than enough money for the Elton John tunes on the pizza place jukebox. (I think my "big spending ways" were what made her so "grateful" later, if you get my drift. I got my first charge account that day and managed to lose *something* else later that night I really didn't want at all.)
But, since that time, I've over-extended myself with credit, especially with credit cards, particularly gas credit cards. It was too easy to be able to fill up without spending "real money" and then be overwhelmed when the monthly bill hit. Even though my pop could be a cruel jokester, he also passed along some nuggets of wisdom: "Don't ever charge gas, groceries or booze and you'll do all right in this world." he would tell me. I later understood exactly what he meant; borrowing money for a car or home was different because you still had the thing, even though it might not be paid off yet, but with gas, groceries and liquor, those things were gone fairly quickly and all you were left with was debt.
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
- Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 75–77
I really hate borrowing money; the hassle of going to a bank diminishes the excitement of buying a car and I never have liked borrowing money for other reasons, even a few dollars, from a friend. I've loaned money to people and found out they'd avoid me afterwards. There's something about being beholden to someone that makes for resentment from some folks. As evidenced by the above verse, Shakespeare realized it, too.
Flashback: It was a weekend during the school year; I was barely sixteen and hadn't had a car or my license for very long and had a date for that Saturday night. Since it wasn't the summer, I didn't have a job and consequently didn't have much money, only a couple of lonely dollar bills in my wallet. Even though gas was about .32 cents/gallon and the cost of admission to the movies was only a fraction of what it is today, I still didn't have enough money...oh, I could probably pay to get in the theater, but popcorn would have been beyond my budget, forget about a pizza or burger afterwards.
So, I swallowed my pride and asked my dad for a loan. "Sure, how much do you need, son?" he asked, getting out his wallet. I had in mind about five bucks, but thought I'd ask for more and would settle for five if I had to. "Uh...how about ten dollars?" I tentatively asked. "Sure." said my dad, pulling the bill out and holding it out towards me. I reached for it, then he pulled it back a little. "Of course, there's the interest."
Great, I thought. What the heck, I asked what the terms were. "100% interest." said pop. Sheesh, even though bank loans were fairly expensive, that seemed outrageous, more what a Mafia loan shark would charge. Still, I was in a bind and needed the money, maybe I could renegotiate the interest later or maybe he was just kidding. I nodded my head and reached for the ten-spot.
"Well..." said my father. "The interest is due right now." and he put the bill back in his wallet. "You can pay the principal back anytime."
My mother had been listening and after I had cleaned up and was changing clothes, resigned to the fact that I was going to have to tell my girlfriend that I couldn't afford to take her out when I saw a five dollar bill sticking out of my wallet. As I was leaving, my momma winked at me, so I knew she had given me the money behind dad's back...or at least talked him into giving me some.
Still, seven dollars total wasn't going to go all that far, but at least I could buy a couple of gallons of gasoline and get into the movie and afford some refreshments, although I would have to let her eat all the popcorn so she'd fill up on that and not want a candy bar, too. I'd also have to make sure she only got the medium size cup of the Dr Pepper she so loved. Before picking her up, I stopped at the family-owned service station I traded at. Waving off the old man coming out the door when I pulled into the drive, I pumped a dollar's worth of regular into my little Tempest.
As I got a one-dollar bill out to pay, he said "That all the gas ya gonna get? On a Saturday night?" I sheepishly admitted I couldn't afford any more and related the attempt at borrowing money from dad. The old man laughed and shuffled out to my vehicle and filled it up. "We'll just open you up a charge account." he declared. "You can pay it off when you work this summer." I was flabbergasted, but was nearly floored when his son opened up the cash register and handed me a five dollar bill. " Here's some money for your date." he said. "We'll just put that on your bill, too."
Now, what really surprised me about their generosity was that this family was known for their "frugal" ways. I once wrestled their huge Coke machine away from the wall because the old lady said she had dropped some money under it. It was a nickel. They were open on Sundays, even though I bet they didn't average a half-dozen customers during the day. I know they used a bank, but since the old man and his wife had lived through the Depression, they kept a goodly amount of money on hand. Later, when I started roughnecking, they often cashed my entire crew's paychecks for them if it looked like we weren't going to get back before the banks closed, several thousand dollars, without even blinking. (I always worried that some of the less reputable guys I worked with would come back and rob them, but it never happened)
That charge account really helped me out; from then on I didn't have to always use "drip gas" and especially burn it in my next car, a Ford Fairlane with a much bigger engine than the Tempest, one that didn't run too well on the unrefined fuel. They helped me out in other ways, letting me use their tire machine to fix flats w/out charging me for anything other than the materials I used. (a valve core was five cents, a patch was a dime and a valve stem was a whoppin' .25 cents!) I could also wash my car for free and in return, I would sweep their drive or clean out the wash bay sump pit and take their trash out to the dump for them. (In a sweet old '55 Chevy pickup which I'd LOVE to have now) I later helped out with the business when the son got cancer.
I've had others help me since then, friends have offered help w/out me asking (bless you!), my banker has approved loans without embarrassing me, even my dad grudgingly gave me money when I was in a bind, but what happened on that long-ago Saturday afternoon still warms my heart. I got to take my date to the "picture show", bought her the biggest bucket of popcorn, a big box of Junior Mints and one of those tanker-sized soda pops PLUS a pizza afterwards along with a pitcher of Dr Pepper! I even had more than enough money for the Elton John tunes on the pizza place jukebox. (I think my "big spending ways" were what made her so "grateful" later, if you get my drift. I got my first charge account that day and managed to lose *something* else later that night I really didn't want at all.)
But, since that time, I've over-extended myself with credit, especially with credit cards, particularly gas credit cards. It was too easy to be able to fill up without spending "real money" and then be overwhelmed when the monthly bill hit. Even though my pop could be a cruel jokester, he also passed along some nuggets of wisdom: "Don't ever charge gas, groceries or booze and you'll do all right in this world." he would tell me. I later understood exactly what he meant; borrowing money for a car or home was different because you still had the thing, even though it might not be paid off yet, but with gas, groceries and liquor, those things were gone fairly quickly and all you were left with was debt.
July 21, 2013
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is the only 3-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the first as a member of The Yardbirds, the second as a member of Cream and the third time for his solo career.
I like Clapton and could post any of his solo videos I like or from his days with the band Cream, but I'll just link to one of my favorite all-time songs. (I like it so much, I've posted several versions of it!)
I like Clapton and could post any of his solo videos I like or from his days with the band Cream, but I'll just link to one of my favorite all-time songs. (I like it so much, I've posted several versions of it!)
July 20, 2013
Most Manly Movie
The highly regarded 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, winner of seven Oscars, has no female speaking parts.
Streetside Classics
I've found a new favorite website; it's Streetside Classics. According to the site, they're the "nation's top consignment dealer of classic and collectible cars" and they wouldn't get an argument from me. With dealers in Charlotte, Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth, they have a huge selection to peruse. They also have a YouTube channel, but most of their listing's videos can also be viewed on the site. Each listing also has a full set of detailed photos.
Navigation is fairly easy on the website; personally, I click on "New Arrivals" because I've pretty much explored every other listing. If you're wanting to see if there's a particular model, the Quick Search drop-down menu has plenty of options. If you're looking for - say - a '57 Chevy, that's easy enough to find. (and they're really expensive now- when I was a kid, you could buy one of those for a few hundred bucks. One fully restored now can set you back in the neighborhood of $80k+) You can also input any range of years, which showroom and price from high to low and vice versa.
While they have all types of cars for sale at their three locations, the videos are similar and all that I've seen have been in HD. The soundtracks differ, from an appropriate generic heavy metal tune for the muscle cars, to a jazz accompaniment for the really slick and sexy vehicles, to a more "bluesy" type sound for the classics. (although I have heard some mainstream tunes used in the videos, such as AC/DC for this older listing of a 1954 Chevrolet Pickup) The format for the videos is basically the same, with a pan and scan of all sides, the trunk, then shots of the interior from different angles and of the engine compartment. All the ones I've viewed end with the music stopping, someone starting the vehicle and revving the motor, then slowly driving by the camera and away to be parked with other great looking vehicles.
Here's a car I drooled over when I was in high school, a 1972 Dodge Challenger. (the closest thing to it I ever
Not every vehicle is of the high-dollar variety, witnessed by this 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 Mayberry Tribute Replica going for $12,995. I would love to have that car to tool around town in. (although I'm not sure who I would be when I drove it around - Sheriff Andy or Deputy Fife)
The other day I went through the newest listings picking out the cars/trucks I'd love to own. I kept a "running total" of the cost and then went out and bought a lottery ticket. I'll have to win the lotto in order to afford the vehicles I want...unless someone wants to
July 19, 2013
Not Just My Inner Fruit Flavor
But the shape of my body, too.
| Your Inner Fruit Flavor is Pear |
 You are an idealistic soul. You're the type of person who still believes in changing the world. You are compassionate and generous. You get joy from giving to others. You feel deeply and freely. You don't put bounds or limitations on your thoughts. You have a vivid imagination, and it's so deep that it's hard to express with words. |
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