This & That or Who Really Wants To Know

Just returned from lunch with my daughter, Jenny the elder and my current wife.  Thursday lunches together have been ongoing since 1993 when Jenny got a job at my company after she graduated college.  Her and I made it a habit to have lunch together every Thursday.  Pretty neat.  After a while, several of the people that worked for me joined us for lunch.  Pretty soon we had a gaggle of eaters on Thursday.  One by one people would opt out of lunch for one reason or another but Jenny and I continued on.  Around 2000, I had started another business but Jenny and I continued our Thursday Lunch date.  Now that I have retired, we still do lunch but have allowed my current wife to join us.  Occasionally Debby, the younger elder, will join us as her schedule permits which is not very often.

Why Thursday Lunch, you ask?  We have a restaurant in Cedar Rapids named "The Spring House".  It is an old long running well established restaurant.  They, like most eateries, have a noon lunch special.  The Thursday lunch special was French Dip sandwiches.  These were to die for.  Yum!!!! Hence the Thursday lunch date.  Over the years our respective work locations have moved away from the Spring House unfortunately.  We don't really have a favorite gathering place any longer so our luncheon location moves around town.  The cool tradition endures.

Anyway, today was Thursday.  We discussed many topics of the day, solved a few of the worlds problems and identified a few more that most people are not aware of.  For instance - Have you ever wondered why garbage trucks are ALWAYS dirty and stinking?  A dirty truck automatically gives trash a bad image. When I say "garbage" what image comes to mind?  In my mind I see an old decrepit filth encrusted rust bucket garbage truck spewing and spitting black smoke and smelling like a garbage dump.  Can't our garbage service people wash these trucks once a week or so?  If I owned such a business I would be very concerned about the image of the business.

We also explored the phenomenon of license plate sticker hoarders.  Iowa uses a sticker stuck to the back license plate showing the month of registration.  These are color coded so that law enforcement can insure a vehicle is current with its registration at a glance.  This procedure is a huge cost savings to the state because they don't have to manufacture new license plates very often.  Years ago we got a new license plate every year.  You kind of looked forward to see what the new plates looked like and to see whether or not you got an easily remembered number.  Usually you didn't.  The state has developed very specific instructions on how and where this sticker is to be affixed. It really is not too complicated,  1. clean the dirt and grime from the license plate.  2. remove the protective paper from the back of the sticker.  3. place the sticker in the LOWER RIGHT CORNER of the license plate over the previous one.  I have noticed a lot of automobile owners evidently don't know how to read, can't understand the instructions or forget what the instructions are between the time they read them and placing the sticker on the plate.  We see these stickers everywhere on the license plate.  A lot of drivers have exercised their artistic talents and have formed a sticker border around the plate.  Who knows which one is the current one?  You don't without some study.

It infuriates me so much that I am contemplating becoming proactive on this topic.  Don't be surprised or offended if someday you find a piece of paper on your windshield reminding you of the correct procedure.  If you are one who already follows the rules - never mind!

Our streets department has had 2 men and a truck parked on our street for 2 days now.  They have this annoying jackhammer device poking holes into a perfectly good street.  When they first arrived, I thought oh boy, they are fixing cracked cement in the street.  Wrongo my friend.  From what I have observed, they are punching a series of holes through the concrete in areas that are perfectly fine.  You have heard the expression "Stick a sock in it"?  Well that is what they do after punching the hole.  Sure I understand you have to keep people busy but really - punching holes in the street and putting a sock in the hole.  I should also mention, and this goes without saying, that their truck managed to block several driveways so the homeowner could not leave, me included for anywhere from 5 minutes to half an hour.  All that I can think of to be accomplished by this process is to inevitably leave bumps in a perfectly good street.

I see that my blog has caused it to cloud over outside.  Hmmmm, I better quit before I cause a tornado or something.  It is great to have the shorts on for the first time this year though.  I live in them pretty much all of the time in the summer.  The trees are beginning to bud, flowers are sprouting, neighborhood is becoming alive  with outdoor activity.  Such a great time of the year.  Thank you for your smiles!  Have a great day. TA!