Law of the Garbage Truck

This is snippit from an article by J. Dick Martinez. He is Grand Master of the Florida Masons.

"..people are like garbage trucks. They drive around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile and wave, wish them well and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it, and ninety percent how you take it."

This might be a good time for a New Years resolution. If you don't have one, or have failed at others, this might be one you could try. It will not take much effort. It will take lots of will power and self control. But here's a new twist. This year, write down your resolution, and send it to anyone who rides with you in the car. Now you have to actually try to follow it, or you will hear about it.

If you think about it, what do you actually benefit, when you blow your horn or gesture at another driver. It might feel good, but it is short lived, and most of them will gesture right back and you never know what might come next. and even if they ignor you,  you will never change them by getting upset.

Smile, wave and wish them well. You will feel much better, I promise. Plus you may have actually been successful in your New Years resolution. Happy 2011.

Small World

It never ceases to amaze me how small our world seems sometimes. It is that 'six  degrees of separation" thing. The Human Connection. The Theory is that we are all so closely related, that any two individuals could be connected through at most five acquaintances, or the six degrees. Some believe it to be an Urban Myth.

I like the theory myself, I am amazed at who I meet sometimes, who know people, who know people, I know. My dad died in the military over fifty years ago. He was kiiled in a fire, on the USS Bennington, in the Atlantic along with a hundred other men. My family went to the 50th reunion of that tradegy a few years ago in Newport Rhode Island. Before I went, I sent a note to the organizer and asked if he knew anyone who actually knew my father. He said he would send a note to the crew members. I was only four years old when my dad died, so I did not have a lot of memories, of him.

I met a lot of people at the reunion, but none who actually knew my father. When I returned to Naples, I got a letter from a man who actually lived in Naples. He knew my father, in fact he worked for my father on the ship. I went all the way to Rhode Island, and the one person I was looking for was right here in Naples. We met, and he was a delightful man with lots of stories and anedotes about my father. I enjoyed the meeting. One email to Bennington Crew members, thousands and thousands of  people, and from that email, three people have now contacted me, who knew my father. Wow!

One more story, and you will believe we really live in a small world. Recently I went to a highschool reunion. I met someone I went through twelve years of school with. I had not seen her in over forty years. The reunion was on Friday night. On Saturday morning, I was running some errands which took me a few hours. On my way back home, I randomly stopped at a flea market. I parked my car walked into the market, turned right and stopped at the first booth. someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was my highschool friend. I had not seen her in forty years, and the day after the reunion, I ran into her again. It is a small world. I bet some of you have better stories than these. Let me know.

Football Trifecta

We have three NFL (National Football League) teams in Florida. Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins. My son and I finished our trifecta by going to see the Dolphins last night. We have now been to a game at all three Florida stadiums, and I am here to tell you, from a pure entertainment view, they are all worth the trip. It does not matter where you sit, or whether you are a football fan, fanatic, or tag along friend or spouse. All the teams work hard to make sure that you get your money's worth. Just being part of the spectacle and interacting with the other people there is an experience.

I say it does not matter where you sit, because we sat high and low, in these stadiums, 7th row, 60th row and nose bleed seats. The game is viewable from all seats, and so is the extra entertainment. Fireworks, stadium video, celebrities, fan participation, sideline antics and choreographed beautiful cheerleader movements. Pregame, halftime and post-game programs. A mega-merchandise store and a Gallery of Legend Players, It is non-stop sensual stimulation. Forget the old single scoreboard, the entire stadium's flat surfaces light up with information, sights, sounds, and the contagious thunder of the excited crowd.

Forget about the old days of just hotdogs and peanuts, there are so many choices for food, Cuban sandwiches, wraps, pints of ice cream, nuts, smoothies, even a booth with Boar's Head products sandwiches. Nothing is cheap, but, it is worth what you have to spend.

If you are a tailgater, these stadiums cater to your needs. The parking is laid out for tailgating with plenty of space, and portable toilets. The smell of food cooking is everywhere. If you need something, just ask your parking lot neighbor. We forgot a spatula to flip our burgers on the hibachi grill, and it only took a minute to find one. You could make an evening of just sitting in the parking lot, and watching the fanatics, and I believe some people do. There were several tents with big screen TV's. There is so much to see, there was even a pole, with ladies dancing around it and a crowd cheering them on and taking pictures.

If you live in or just visit Florida, I suggest a drive and visit to any of these football stadiums.  Buy your tickets on line, EBay or scalp them at the game. I promise, you will enjoy yourself and come away with a unique experience and lots of memories. Don't forget the spatula.

Smooth Ride?

Have you noticed the condition of the roads and streets in SW Florida? More specifically, Naples, FL? Unless you are a part timer here, you don't know how good you have it. You need to spend a spring experiencing the patchwork roads in snow towns up north.

A visit to any town, and I could pick on lots of them, but my recent experience with Cedar Rapids, Iowa, makes me wonder what the cost is to the drivers and their cars.

I realize that poor CR, has just had the flood of the century, but lots of my experiences there, were well before the flood. The roads are worse than a patchwork quilt, with each patch, of varying sizes, at different levels. Obviously the road crews work very hard to fill in the holes made by the seemingly never ending winter, with its freeze/thaw cycle, and the rains of spring. But filling in a hole, so that it makes a speed bump seems like they are not accomplishing much.

When you have aluminum rims and you hit a pothole filled with rain water. and your tire goes flat because it bent your rim, you are happy to have them filled, no matter how bumpy.

The temperature in this area is very hot in the summertime. If you have ever noticed the effect that the heat has on things you leave outdoors, for an extended period, then you have an idea of why I am surprised that the roads are not in the same shape as Cedar Rapids. But apparently the heat is no match for the effect that freezing and thawing has on asphalt and concrete. So count your blessings.

You will certainly see a pothole covered here, and occasionally some cracks in the pavement, but the repair seems to be made by a former Zamboni driver, rather than a moto-cross track designer. It is actually flat to the road, and hardly noticeable.

I am certain we have some road issues in Naples, but not like the rest of the country. Type the following phrase into your 'web browser' "Fix our roads, " and you will find over 50,000 sites with that phrase. Reading the first few pages assures me that poor Cedar Rapids is not the only city with a pothole problem. While visiting CR recently, I noticed they were working on the roads, but they will never be what we have in Naples. We are lucky, compared to 50,000 other locations in the world. Maybe we should find something else that does need fixing.  I am sure I will hear something from you!

Go Fish!

I met with a new client today in the Southwest Florida fishing business.  He said that the fishing is so good now that everyone in the 'business' will look forward to a wonderful 'season' in SW Florida. That's good news for the people who visit us in the winter.   For those fishing enthusiasts, the mix of weather, currents, wind, Mother Nature and perhaps oil in the deep water west of us, has filled our waters with fish. Bottom fishing in the Gulf has seen people catching their limit of Grouper and Red Snapper.

We have so many varieties of fish in the Gulf, Lakes and Bays surrounding us, that there is literally every type of fishing you could want. I like Gulf fishing as it requires less skill, which describes my fishing prowness. Lack of talent. If you go out on a Gulf charter, they provide everything for your day or half day. When you go, make sure you select a boat that does the kind of fishing you want. Call and ask, and if they don't have what you want, I am sure they will refer you to another who does.

The cost of a commercial fishing trip is determined by how many people are on your boat.  There are 'party' boats which are larger and carry lots of people.  These cost less and the assistance is not as personal but it is still good fishing.  These are a favorite of some friends of mine,  but they fish a lot,  and know how. It is not my type of fishing.  A Charter boat will cost you a hundred dollars per person, more or less depending if there are others sharing the day with you.  But the fishing is personalized and the assistance is very good and personal to your style.  If you think of the cost as a per hour fee,  and you end up with dinner at the end of the day,   then it is well worth it.  Don't forget to tip your captain if he finds fish for you.

On a Charter boat, always tell your boat captain what you want to accomplish. It will determine where they take you and the type of tackle needed. On a party boat, you will fish, when and where they stop.

The first time I went out on a charter boat, I did not know what to tell him. I was totally unfamiliar with the protocol. Luckily my son caught a good sized Red Snapper and whatever it was I caught, the captain had not seen before. We did not keep anything that day, We were merely out to enjoy the Gulf, and inadvertinly feed the Dolphins with most everything we caught and threw back.


The next time we went out, I told the captain we just wanted to catch fish and keep a few larger ones for dinner. He put out some trolling lines and before long we had as much as we wanted. Lots of Mackeral & Bonita. It was a good day on the water, and a good evening of fish fried and broiled for friends. The next time out, I told the captain I wanted to catch a Snapper or a Grouper, if time permitting I wanted to try for a Goliath Grouper. We caught some small Snapper and Grouper that day, but never got a bite from a Goliath.

I have also been backwater fishing in the rivers and canals upon which our area is surrounded. This is totally different fishing, but for some who might have a fear of deep water, this might be a way to still enjoy the sport. The back waters are teaming with all varieties of fish, and it is not necessary to go very far to find them.

We have sun, sand and surf in SW Florida, but we also have fish, and lots of people who make their living helping you catch them. Spend a day with them on the water, and you will be hooked, along with your dinner.

Good Luck.

Fifty Percent Discount

I went to a sale the other day at a golf store, that was going out of business. I had seen the signs advertising it for a few weeks. But I waited until the sale percentage discount on their signs showed 50% - 70% off. I hoped I would get lucky with a size that might save me some money. Waiting was a mistake.

In the words of Abraham Lincoln, " “Things may come to those who wait...but only the things left by those who hustle.” The leftover, picked over, lucky sizes were those that I could not use. Plenty of size 32 pants and XXL & XXXL shirts. I was greedy, rather than satisfied to get a reasonable sale price, I wanted a steal. I did not consider that there would be others who were satisfied to get a small bargain, and the good merchandise.

It seems to me that some of us might approach other things in our lives the same way. We wait for the big profit, the larger discount, the lower purchase price, or the higher sale price, and as a result, we lose out. I suggest that you be satisfied with a good deal, and stop waiting on the 'best.' You may not get anything like me!

Prepare to lose your valuables

Sounds like a dumb thing to do, but how many of us really know what's in our wallet (or purse.) ? I had a box of keepsakes that I had been throwing things into for many years. It had a small coin collection that my mother had given to my son, when he was too young, and not ready to maintain it, so I kept it for him and planned to give it to him as a long lost gift. I also had a wind-up collectible car that my dad had given to me in 1952. The items were not that valuable to anyone but me. They certainly had more value to me, than the person who broke into the garage and stole them. Once they were gone, they again had value to me, but I could not remember all of the things in the box. That bothered me the most.

This feeling is described in a poem by William Shakespeare,

" For it so falls out
That what we have we prize not to the worth
Whiles we enjoy it, but being lack'd and lost,
Why, then we rack the value; then we find
The virtue that possession would not show us
Whiles it was ours. "

You may have such a treasure box, or not. But whatever you have of any value to you or your insurance company, I suggest you start treating it that way now, instead of longing for its return or guessing at its contents after you lose it.

With this same thought, I suggest that while sitting on the couch, listening to music or the news or weather on television, that you dump the contents of your wallet or purse in your lap, and make a list or copy of its contents. The first thing is to place the your license, credit/debit cards, gas cards, and all those other things which you haven't looked at in years on a photocopier, or a scanner. Make sure to copy both sides as you need the customer service number on the back of the cards to report them stolen. When we lose our wallet, our first thought should be to cancel the cards right away. The easiest and quickest way is to call the service number and give them the stolen card number. If the only place to find that is on the card.....well now you have it. By the way, don't keep the list in your wallet. Store it in a safe place at home.

Remember to file a police report. It's unlikely you will get your stuff back, but it is important to the credit card and insurance people.

While sorting through your valuables, try to simplify your life by eliminating some of the stuff you do not need to carry around on a daily basis. Never keep things that cannot be replaced. That is what safes and safe deposit boxes are for.

I think this is part of my boy scout training. "Be prepared.!" Are you?