I'm A Two-Timer!

Yep! The time has come for me to admit it. It happened this past weekend in Clearwater, FL. I was there for a work related convention called The Mobile Tech Expo. What a place for a winter convention. Sunny skies, warm weather and healthy attractive looking people running and cycling all over the place.

My trip to Clearwater was not quite as planned. I spent the first night on the road and arrived in town at 8:16 am after driving all night from Macon, GA. I did stop at a Pilot truck stop somewhere in GA for a two hour nap and a refueling of high octane Columbian coffee. Nonetheless, I was tired. Not wanting to miss anymore of the show...I showered, changed clothes, scarrfed down some hotel lobby breakfast and headed towards the convention center, which by the way sits on the bluest water I've seen in a while.

As I walked through the doors, I could see the place was already buzzing. Vendors pushing theirs goods and services. Attendees grabbing any free goodies they could get while trying to look interested in the products being pitched. Oh, an old friend there. Hey, an old fiend there. People I've known and/or worked with over the years were everywhere. The Carolina guys, which were mostly old DW techs, the 'Bama loner with quick wit but rough edges, the California boys with their permanent sun tans, the 13 Russians that now run Chicago (i think they're "connected") and the Canadians that speak fluent Greek (it's French, but Greek to everyone else). I spent the first few hours catching up, listening to stories, meeting new people and talking smack. NAPDRT.org (National Alliance of Paintless Dent Repair Techinicians) was there and had a very informative meeting that coincided with them signing up new and obviously intelligent techs.

It was interesting to see how DW and Dent Zone were being treated. They both have some decent people that work for them, but unfortunately the agenda of the corporations supersedes the very few good guys that work for them. Years of abusing opportunities, technicians and body shops along with driving prices down in the name of making a big profit "this time", has come back to haunt them. (Does anyone have a tissue?) sniff sniff

Oh, back to the Title. (Pun Intended) Like so many conventions, most of your time is spent socializing. I'm no different. But, given the opportunity to break up that monotny, I took it. So out of the crowd I stepped. In the back corner of the ballroom we were in, I stepped behind some ropes and then behind a car. Not too many people if any were watching. That's when I got a little nervous though. I knew someone was coming up behind me. All I heard was, "Let's get it going!" Damn, this was it. I hadn't come completely prepared, but was going to make do. Hell, this kind of opportuntiy doesn't present itself all the time. So, I reached down and took my tool by hand. It was hard and suprisingly warm. Perhaps from the Florida heat. I noticed the slight curve it had and I was pleased. I knew it would go in nice and without any struggle. I made a couple of quick adjustments in order to see as much as I could in every position I was about to put my body in. Then, I thought about Amy. What was she doing? What would she think about what I was about to do? Would she be emotional? Aughhh! I had to concentrate, I couldn't think about her, not now. So, I slid my left hand gently up until I found the groove I was looking for. It felt a little tight. Nice. The more fulcrum the better. With a little caressing, I was able to gently widen the slit enough to get my hard rod in a couple of inches. Two inches would never get the job done though. I needed to get inside a little more. At least another 8 inches. The spot I was shooting for was within my reach and I was determined to make it happen. Pressure and all. It was a weird and surreal experience. Knowing people were nearby, just out of earshot, possibly watching. Freaky. The moment was intense and I was in the zone. I was using my body and my hands to manipulate my shaft to hit the target and within a few minutes I was there. Oh, it was beautiful. I used gentle but firm pressure and with rythmic movement pushed over and over and over. Push, release. Push, relax. Push harder, hold, hold, ease up. As I worked it and worked it, I felt I was coming closer and closer to a succesful completion. It's always a bummer to start so strong only to have the little thing go south and blow a chance of a lifetime. I wasn't blowing anything on this day. Other people were, but not me. I'll admit, I stopped for a bit. I was nevous and tired. Perhaps from the effort I was exherting or perhaps from the lack of sleep, but I could tell I only needed a few more minutes. A little more body thrusts, some light tapping here and there and some moving in and out. Closer. Further. Closer closer. Further. Here it was. The end was coming. Push a little more....a little more. Move back. Take a final look. Stare. Another one. NO, two pusheszzzzz. DONE!

I had just started and finished my award winning dent repair. See, as part of The Mobile Tech Expo, we PDR technichians from around the world come to compete in the International Dent Olympics. Every year, from many different countries, PDR techs throw their hat in the ring (for a nominal fee) to see who might walk away with the first place trophy for the best dent repair of all.

As I stated in the title, I am now a two-timer. That's right. I came in first place at the 2005 Dent Olympics and now tied for first place at the 2007 Dent Olympics. Ironically, the guy I tied with is also a two-timer now. He won in 2006 too. So, as nervous as I was and with all the excitement and considering the outcome, it would have been nice to have Amy there to help celebrate.

By the way, the description of the above dent repair is just about as honest as I could be. Normally, I'd leave out most of the little details and it would sound something like this....
I walked up to the car, pulled out my tool, slid it down inside the door and with gentle pushes, gently massaged the dent back to it's original position. So, I hope you enjoyed reliving a very proud moment in my life. If you'd like to see me in action, be prepared to pay... and please have a dent in your car.

Now I know how Lance Armstrong must have felt after his second Tour de France win. (i say with a smirk)

Capitalism Restrictions and Ignorant Crybabies

(the following is in response to a Letter to the Editor from Mr. Williams published in The Macon Telegraph on 01-11-07.)
the link: http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/editorial/letters/16430138.htm

If not for time constraints or restrictions on letter length, I could argue several points in Lee Williams’ letter of response about “Liberal pollution”. I have chosen to touch on one.

Mr. Williams said near the end of his letter, ”…we have given our jobs to overseas investors…”. This is the type of statement that leads a reader to assume the writer lacks knowledge of economics, is immature or genuinely stuck on playing partisan games.

First, “we” have not given “our” jobs to overseas investors. The jobs belong to the owners of the company. The job skills belong to the employee. You can own your own job skills, but unless you are self-employed, you do not own your job. That job belongs to your employer and your employer has the right to give that job to someone else.

Second, since the employer owns “the job”, it would be another employee that you would expect them to give “the job” to, not an investor. I know it could be said that if you are an employee that accepts a job, you are investing in yourself or investing yourself in the company you are working for. In reading Mr. William’s letter however, it is obvious from the context that is not what he was referring to.

For a company to give an investor the jobs the company owns, the company would have to sell the jobs to the investor. In this case, the jobs would not be considered “given”, they would be considered “sold”. This is a remedial explanation, so I apologize for boring many of you, however it seems necessary to ‘break it down’ in this manner for some readers.

If people that think like Mr. Williams had their way and the United States restricted private companies from moving operations outside the states or overseas, imagine the negative impact it would have on the US. The backlash on America from other countries would be unimaginable. Toyota, a huge Japanese company could close down all it’s operations in the US. Manufacturing plants, dealerships, parts distributors, etc. Nestle, a Swiss company could close all of its plants, thereby affecting thousands too. If the US was arrogant enough to mandate American companies only have operations in America, our economy would suffer immensely.

We live in a global economy now thanks advancements in technology, transportation, communication and much more. To think in such a small manner shows ignorance. A favorite saying of mine is, “Change is not mandatory, because survival is not required.” To survive, you must accept and adapt to change just like the typewriter repairmen and the ice delivery men that used to supply ice for your icebox. There were not hundreds of homeless typewriter repairmen homeless when people stopped using typewriters. Neither were there homeless ice delivery men on the streets once the refrigerator was invented. You must take responsibility for yourself and not look to the government to force someone else, like a company, to do it for you.

Happy Anniversary To You

(sing the below to the tune of Happy Birthday to You.)

Happy anniversary to you. Happy anniversary to you. Happy anniversary to (anyone celebrating an anniversary). Happy anniversary to you.

I was just thinking about birthdays and the fact that if your not dead, you get to celebrate one each year you continue living. I guess that really is something good to celebrate, but is it really something everyone should celebrate? Let me ask it this way. Should it be celebrated by others to the extent that we normally celebrate birthdays considering you, I or anyone else really does nothing of accomplishment or deserving of a celebration, other than eat, sleep and breath, when it comes to birthdays?

Birthdays are something everyone has. Young and old, black and white, men and women. To have one, you just need to make sure you don't die. That's it! Don't die. Keep breathing. It's really not that hard. Provinding your parents did a half-way decent job of raising you, you should make it to your sex and race's average life expectancy. Don't play in traffic. Don't play with loaded guns. Respect the laws of gravity and don't jump off buildings. It's not really very hard to stay alive.

On the other hand, a wedding anniversary is something to celebrate for sure. A wedding anniversary is something everyone should recognize and celebrate. From what I hear and based on the divorce rate in America, staying married is not nearly as easy as living. It takes lots of things. I'm not married, but know it takes patience, commitment, equal goals and the desire to make your spouse happy amongst many many other things.

My point is....every year we make such a big deal over birthdays. To remember a childs birthday and celebrate it is fun makes sense to me. Hell, it makes sense to me to celebrate the birthday of someone that makes it to the ripe old age of 90. I don't think we should not celebrate birthdays for everyone, I just think we should celebrate wedding anniversaries more and recognize the efforts that go into keeping a marriage together.

I'd like to write more, but an annoying person that wants to give me money for my service keeps calling me. Probably because I told them I'd be there 45 minutes ago. Anyway, I've got to go for now, but will probably come back to this post later.

In the meantime, think about it.

Be Prepared. It's Gonna' Rain.

Folks, it’s gonna’ rain! It’s a fact and you need to be prepared. We all live in a world where people get laid off, people get cancer, transmissions go out or insurance companies mess up paperwork. I’ve heard that the average person will encounter some major financial crisis every ten years. It could be something I just mentioned or countless other emergencies, but the fact remains….you need an emergency fund.

When my financial counselor, Dave Ramsey, is discussing this important issue, he’s often told that he is being negative. People will tell him to “be positive”. His response is, “I am positive! I’m positive life is going to smack you in the face and you won’t be prepared without an EMERGENCY FUND.”

He also says that women have this little place in their abdomen that relaxes when they know they’ve got a little money saved for emergencies. Most men don’t have this because we’re often times more risky (or stupid). However, when women know they don’t have an emergency fund, this “little place” tightens and causes them lots of discomfort. It makes their brow wrinkle, lips tighten and their overall attitude less than pleasant. It would be in your families overall best interest to get an emergency fund. Considering most divorces today are a result of problems involving money, I think this is good advice.

Don’t misunderstand me. This is not a new widescreen TV fund or a neeeeed to go to the Bahamas fund. This is a fund for emergencies (unexpected events) only. New tires, a new roof, even a new car are not emergencies. They wear out or break eventually and we know we’ll need to replace them. This is predictable so save up.

Ideally, we should all have three to six months worth of personal expenses saved in a good money market account as our emergency fund. But, start with $1000 baby emergency fund. Have a yard sale, take some overtime, do whatever, but get that emergency fund started. Cut up the credit cards and tighten your belt. It’s not easy…but it’s worth it!

One of my favorite sayings is, “There’s not room for everyone at the top, but there is room for anyone.” I get out of this, that anyone can succeed IF they choose to make the right decisions, work hard and never give up. One of the right decisions is to have an emergency fund. Regardless of your income, your circumstances, etc….you can do it if you make it a priority. It’s not easy….but it’s worth it.

Listen to Dave live every weekday on nearly 300 stations around the country, XM or Sirius satellite radio or for free on the internet at www.DaveRamsey.com.

(All of the above information and advice has been stolen from Dave Ramsey, whom admittedly stole it from your and my grandparents and God.)