For No REal Reason

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Not everyone thinks the same way.  I know what you’re thinking, STOP IT.

In my pursuit of life observations I had one thrust upon me this past week.  Ok, it wasn’t so much thrust as it was observed by me as a witness to a teller at McDonald’s struggling with a hole punch.

My first thought was “Bad coupon Design”  who thought this thing up that put the location for the whole punches where a hole punch couldn’t reach it.

It wasn’t until a couple of days later while thinking about this post in the shower, Yeah, I think in the shower, it has caused many a nick of the razor and I have to make a note not to think so much and pay attention to the sharp object in my hand.  Geez, yes I shave in the shower, no I don’t use shaving cream, it is for economy.  I’ll explain later.

It was during that moment of pain it struck me, this wasn’t so much a case of bad design as a designer making an assumption about those using the coupons.

The designer assumed consumers would use the free one at the top first.  This would expose the punches for the coupon above and below.

But what if the consumer (this would be me) started at the bottom and got the first card punched all the way and used it for the free one.  This now removed left the top one and the one in the middle.  This caused the issue with the hole punch.

It was my intention to use the last two coupons are “Free” coffee.  This way I paid for 4 drank the 5th free, paid for 4 more and drank 5th and 6th free.

If the designer had put the coffee cups at the bottom making the middle coupon identical to the middle coupon it wouldn’t matter how the consumer used the coupons.  The hole punch could reach all locations.  The way it is if the consumer doesn’t tear off and use the top coupon there is no way for a standard hole punch to be able to reach all locations on the middle card.

And the Point ?

Think about it!

I’ve never shopped on Craigslist.  I’ve only even been to the site a couple of times.  Recently I decided to do a little “de-stuffing” and get rid of some “stuff”.  Craigslist came to mind because when I was looking for a new table saw a few years back my son found the one I now own on Craigslist.  It is one of the things I’ll be listing in the de-stuffing process.

Yesterday I was looking at the tool ads for Tucson when I ran across this one.  It will disappear when the “stuff” is sold.  It shouldn’t, it should be memorialized as a great ad.  So it won’t pass out of existence when the “stuff” is sold here is the ad which I’m sure will disappear soon.  Such “stuff” won’t last long.

Man Stuff For Sale

$416 worth of man stuff!
Treat your man or yourself because life’s no fun

BONUS!
I’ll throw in this new, never used Colibri pocket watch that was $115
but you’ll have to pay my full asking price, $99 for everything
I know, I drive a hard bargain

You’ll get:
Black Marble desk set ($95)
2 small, working tape recorders ($45)
Brown worn out Brighton belt sz 36 ($55)
12″ Stanley tape measure ($8)
BMW silver keychain
new snooz alarm ($15)
2 padlocks w/keys
cell phone case
2 small black leather notebooks
“Fight Club” lighter ($15)

and what man doesn’t want to impress his friends
with his own remote control fart machine with over 15 different farts?
Control farts remotely up to 100 feet away!
I’ll even give you batteries! ($20 value!)
What a great icebreaker at parties to get the mood going!

1 lg pewter “Key to Success” ($15)
a black velvet bag with (3) nice Tungsten tournament darts ($45)
plus a new pkg of Harrows radical flights system ($15)

**New Nite Note ($20) with 2 extra nite note paper pks ($14)
Nite Note has a built in light with a
built in pen that writes upside down
You can:
* Write a vivid description of your dreams to bore your friends with
*4 a.m. and can’t sleep? Keep a record of your hopes and goals, even your “to do” list
* Tell that special someone how you feel
*jot down something important in your sleep!
*Keep track of late night harassing phone calls

Some tasty booze recipes on a silver ring
Duracell battery charger for 4-AA’s ($15)
Tasco binoculars, 7×35 wide angle model 318 (LOL) (an unbelievable $25 value!)
Autopoint silver pen ($14)
1 leather ashtray

Act today! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

I will delete this when it’s gone

I might have to check on Craigslist more often. There is some pretty cool stuff on this list. I can see now why so many people shop on craigslist. Where have I been? Don’t Answer That!

Today isn’t bad, but tomorrow is even better.  Why?  because tomorrow, thanks to an economy that sucks, “Guys Named Dave Eat FREE at Famous Dave’s”

That’s right, tomorrow I eat free.  I don’t know what I get to eat at Famous Dave’s but whatever it is I don’t have to pay for it.

I have eaten at Famous Dave’s before, not because I was famous, or because it was my place.  No I ate there because the people I was with didn’t want to eat at McDonald’s.  Go Figure.  Famous Dave’s it was.

I found something I could eat, that wasn’t too spicy, or hot.  I like the water there and the lemon they put in it isn’t bad either.

Not a fan of the little bitty ears of corn which are actual ears of corn chopped up into four small ears of corn and sold as an “ear of corn” when anyone who ever raised corn knows an ear of corn isn’t 4 inches long and blunt on each end.

But I’m not going to complain about it.  Tomorrow I eat free at Famous Dave’s.  I won’t get famous for it.  I won’t be famous because I wrote this either.

I was actually going to write this post on another blog, but was warned that if I did and too many Dave’s showed up at Famous Dave’s it might be crowded.  Yeah, like there are a lot of guys named Dave in Tucson, LOL, what a thought.

Therefore, I’m putting this post here, where no one reads it that lives in Tucson (or probably on this continent) and most certainly not anyone named Dave.  I also know if you are thinking about changing your name to Dave so you can eat free tomorrow, forget it, it takes at least a week to get it change to Dave, I know.

Anybody remember “Fred, eats FREE day”.  Be patient someday your name will come up and when it does hope you are living close enough to the place to be able to eat FREE.

What a day  it will be, Transformers in the morning and FREE Lunch.  Hey, who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?  Bet he wasn’t named Dave!

I’ve got two chapters left to read in “Rules of Thumb” by Alan Webber.  It has 52 chapters, one for each week.  They aren’t long, about 4 pages each.  Mr. Webber (not as in the grill)  used to be with the Harvard Business Review and he started some business magazine I had never heard of called “Fast Company“  “Fast Money” or something like that.

His life has been reduced to a bunch of 3 X 5 cards of which he picked 52 as the basis for this book.

I’ll read it again after I finish it for the first time through tomorrow.  The second reading will get annotated and I’ll even make note of the couple typos I found.

No 3 X 5 Cards but Some Thumbs

I have Rules of Thumb myself.  I never wrote them down, and there aren’t 52 of them.  I usually don’t even remember them till I have broken one of them and paid the consequence.  Once such recent violation involves the “the chair” which is not the centerpiece for the For No REal Reason Badge.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what to do with the next decade coming up.  I’ve decided the best course of preparation involves being ready to go and do when the time and opportunity presents itself.  This translates into a forth simplification.

If you want a good thought provoking read I would suggest “Rules of Thumb” and when you get the book be sure to buy a pack of 3 x 5 index cards.  You’re going to need them.

Postscript

I’ve finished the book.  Now on chapter 2 on the second read.  Chapter 1 should be read again every 5 chapters.  We need to be reminded often to drive out fear and enjoy the journey.

I know this could get to be very confusing.  First I post about a Badge for No REal Reason and now I have a follow up post of A Badge of Its Own For No REal Reason.  What’s the difference?

Upon request, don’t ask why, I have created the For No REal Reason Badge.  You can proudly display this badge on your blog for no real reason.  This means you don’t need a reason to put this badge on your blog or website for that matter.

There are no black hat SEO features in the badge.

If you look at the badge backwards or upside down there are no hidden messages.

If you display it upside down, change will not fall out of the chair.

On a happier note, lint, cracker crumbs and toenail fragments also will not fall out of the chair.

There is a story behind the chair in the badge.  Since you can’t look behind the chair you won’t know what that story is.

Maybe someday I’ll turn the chair around and let you see the story.  NAH!

In need of a badge? Any old badge will do?  Then we have an any old badge for you.

Yes, we have a badge, Not like a sheriff has a badge, more like one of those vanity badges you see on website. You know the ones people put at the bottom of the home page about all the organization they belong to.

This is a weenie badge.  The Weenie and for No Real Reason are some what related.  They go together like a hotdog and bun.

So when the weenie made available a badge to be displayed (not expecting anyone to actually display it, as a matter of fact we this might be the only site besides the weenie itself with a weenie badge) Oh Boy I sure hope so.

The badge seemed perfect.  I like the colors, the old red and yellow ketchup and mustard bottles are exactly like the ones we had when I was a kid growing up.  The weenies were boiled and the buns were always soft and fresh.

We didn’t care about mystery meat back then.  A weenie was a weenie.  You could put anything on it you wanted.  I preferred ketchup, which was allowed in Ohio where I grew up.  Sweet relish was my second choice and then a few onions for that oh so fresh breath feeling.

Add some chips and baked beans and we had ourselves a summer supper or a quick lunch.

So for me the weenie badge isn’t just a badge of honor.  No it is a nostalgic trip down memory lane and back to my childhood. : )

Even if you think you own it

Near the end of his short life, he died at age 29, the missionary Robert Murray McCheyne allegedly said, “God gave me a horse and a message. I have killed the horse and I can no longer deliver the message.”

There was no television or devices for recording this deathbed conversation.  But it has been reported and quoted through history since to help those that spend their lived providing for others that doing so the the detriment of their own physical and mental health is to cut short the valuable service they render to others.

We seem to be in such a time now.  For some it is the economy of commerce, for others the economy of relationships.  Yes, there is such an economy.  It exists and is marked by how we are viewed by others and how we view ourselves in relationship to them.

We all have an emotional bank account.  Did you know that?  We do.  And it is human nature, meaning the nature of being human, that we make deposits and withdrawals into our account.  This account has been referred by some as mental health, or emotional wealth, others refer to it as our “Love Tank” which can be running on fumes or empty.  All are referring to the emotional bank account.

Trying to run your life on empty is about the same as pushing a car down the road in the same situation.  You make little progress and the effort is overwhelming.

Getting The Fuel We Need

There are many sources of fuel.  Other people that make deposits in our bank account are one.  Things we enjoy doing is another source of fuel for our account.  We each run on different fuel, but we all need it to run.

Stopping the Leaks

It is unfortunate there are some people and events which drain our emotional bank accounts.  Sometimes we take out of our account and put into someone elses.  This is healthy and good.  However, some people are emotional bank account robbers.  They are making withdrawals from our accounts when they haven’t made deposits.  As with a bank, making a withdrawal where you havn’t made a deposit is robbery.

There are situations involving people as well that can be a steady drain on our emotional bank accounts.  This is where we have to take action to keep ourselves from being drained.

Killing the Horse

Killing ourselves in this process does no one any good.   Sometimes the toughest love we have to give is to ourselves.

Lot’s more could be said.  Be the kind of person that people want to see coming (they make deposits) and not the kind of person that always drains other.  And if you are running on empty, you can’t keep making withdrawals on your own account, if you try you will end up killing the horse.

I heard a screech coming from the living room the night we decorated the tree.  Our angel that had adorned the top of the tree for many past years suddenly became dizzy and lost her place on top of the tree.  World Traveler was the source of the sound.

Fallen Angel lie on the floor still lite but not herself.  I grabbed the camera to document her fall, but not her fall from grace.

She will be missed. But never forgotten.

Got a call from my sister the other day to say Dad had gone to the hospital.  He was having some tests done.  They found he had gallstones.  He (as he told me) was scheduled to have one removed through his mouth that had gotten into the duct and if they could would remove his gallbladder the same way at the time.  If not they would make the incision and remove it the “typical” way.

He called me right after the procedure was done and said he was back in his room and feeling okay.  I decided to let him rest and would head down to see him in the afternoon.  St Mary’s Hospital on St Marys street, how hard could this be. Right?  (You sense a story coming on here don’t you)

I got to St Marys street and proceeded in the direction I was told to go.  It was there, I could see it way off in the horizon, it was on St Marys street just as I thought, but I couldn’t get to it from St Marys street, instead I had to turn on Silverbell to get to the main entrance to the hospital.

It was obvious parking was a premium, thus the building of the new parking ram to the side of the main hospital.  They had blocked off the ends of the rows of cars to create a means of driving around the end of rows to the next available row.  However, someone had moved the cones at most of the rows creating “DEAD ENDS” at each row so everyone had to try and turn around and get out of the row to find a parking place.

I finally found a spot and was feeling pretty good that I could see the main entrance sign, (two of them)  Can you have two main entrances?  I went through the doors to the main desk.  I’ve always been told to stop and ask directions at the main desk.  In a really large hospital I understand how that could be important.  You might come in one entrance and still be a mile away from where you intend to go.

I didn’t see anyone at the front desk when I went by, no big deal how hard can it be, 3713 third floor.  I turned the corner and found room numbers starting at 4000.  This was on the first floor.  Hum!  There was an elevator so up to the third floor I went.

3900 – 39 something.  Headed around the large square for the floor, no 3700’s.  Asked a guy pushing a cart where 3713 was, he had no idea.  Passed a few other people finally the dazed lost and confused look won out.

Can I help you, I was told I was in the wrong building.  To go down the elevator take the hall to the chapel.  I knew where the chapel was didn’t I?  No.  Find the Christmas tree.  It is outside the chapel.  Turn left go down the hall turn right go up the elevator.

It took a few minutes to find the elevators again.  (Different elevators)  I popped out in a place that looked even less familiar than the one I came in.  Down a couple of halls turn left, turn right, turn back, then I saw it, The Christmas Tree, way down at the end of a hall.  I walked to the tree and it was right outside the chapel door where four hallways came together.  All hallways were at an angle on clear left in sight, wasn’t sure which one was the original left I was told to take since I had arrived there in a rather (I’m lost as hell in St Marys Hospital kind of way.

Took the left, went down the hall a long way into MRI ville and then to Radiology Land.  Nothing that looked like elevators or rooms.  Back up the hall, took another left.  Up to the third floor on elevators I eventually found.  Doors open to a hall and no one around anywhere.  I stood there for a few seconds when a door opened and a nice lady in a security uniform asked me if she could help.  Room 3713?  Oh, this is a private floor and you can’t get there from here.  Follow me.

Back on the elevator, back past the Christmas tree down past MRI ville and Radiology Land and beyond.  There after an atrium was a bank of elevators to the right.  Up to the third floor, when the doors opened I could see 3713.  It only took 30 minutes.

I was there about 20 minutes when my sister arrived.  I told her of the “adventure” finding dad and she wanted to know if I had asked for directions at the main desk?  Hum.  Didn’t see anyone there when I came in figured it was no big deal.  I said everyone kept telling me directions from the Christmas Tree.

I wondered what they did after they take it down.  Maybe they never take it down.  Maybe it is always there to give directions “from”.  Maybe they have maps that show where the Christmas tree is when it isn’t there and still give directions like “Go to where the Christmas tree stands when it is up”.

She was laughing, dad was laughing, the nurse was laughing, (maybe its true).

As I got ready to leave I took a picture of Dad’s IV tree.  He looked at me funny with a smile and asked “What is that for”  he reads my blogs.  I’m calling it an Arizona Drip System.  We all laughed again.

Today, as I write, he is in surgery again.  Yesterday was remove the sludge from the duct work.  Today it is remove the gallbladder and stones.

I think I can find my way back even if they have moved the Christmas Tree.

I’m all for saving money for diabetics. We spend plenty on drugs and supplies. If this will help someone save a few dollars treating their condition then I’m all for it. Happy New Year to all and if you have diabetes do your best to stay away from the sweets the rest of the holiday season.  I just got home from buying another SideKick and 50 more strips.

Did I mention it is fast.  I took about 5 seconds to get the results.  The Accu Check takes about 30 seconds.