February 2008

The Daily Grind

A few days ago I posted at Daily Grind about my traveling experience. I think its time to bring it to the Wire. Hope you enjoy!  We’re traveling this weekend, so I’ll see you all on Monday.

A Southern Travel Guide 

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of traveling in connection with my writing. The past three weekends alone I’ve driven to Eufaula, Alabama; Camden, Tennessee; Macon, Georgia; Valdosta, Georgia; Orange, Texas and Panama City Beach, Florida. Overall, I’m holding up reasonably well, except for the fact that my rear end is starting to closely resemble the upholstery pattern of my car seats. I’ve also learned that you don’t want to drink a Big Gulp Diet Mountain Dew  just before you drive into Houston. Doing that can give the term, “the Texas Two Step,” a whole new meaning.
When you travel a lot it gives you the opportunity to stay in motels. Lots of motels. And I’m learning very quickly which ones are the good ones and which ones are the ones you need to avoid like a possum avoids being seen in the daylight. Believe me, even in this day in time there are as many fleabag motels as there are fire ants, and if you’re not careful you can easily find yourself in one. Like the one I found myself in recently where the showerhead was level with my chest. I honestly had to bend over so far to wash my hair that I felt like a human comma. Or the one that I stayed in a couple of months back that had a TV with maybe four viewable channels, and the remote had no batteries in it. Oddly enough, right there on the nightstand was a little sign telling you that they had batteries for sale in the lobby for only three dollars apiece. Ain’t that cool?
Because of experiences like that, I’m going to do a little public service column for y’all this week, and point out just what to do look for so that everyone can avoid all the fleabag and clip joint motels that are out there in travel land. Just consider the following:
1. If it costs less than thirty dollars a night for a room, avoid it like a wool sweater on Sunday Morning. Think about it - going to a movie nowadays costs maybe fifteen or twenty dollars for two people. Snacks like popcorn and cokes can easily double that cost. Altogether, a couple could very easily spend fifty dollars or so for a movie. Common sense tells me that any place that will let you stay overnight for less than it costs for two people to attend a movie has got to have something wrong with it. Maybe something major wrong with it, like a door that won’t lock, or towels that smell like a bass. Just a hunch, mind you, but less than thirty, it’s gotta be dirty. Find another one. Don’t bring the blacklight in to check for DNA here!
2. If a motel deliberately misspells its name, avoid it like a cash strapped relative. Y’all know the types I’m talkin’ about - motels that have names like, “Thriftee Inn, “Sleepee Inn” or something else disgustingly similar. The folks running those joints want you to think they’re one thing, but, when you lay down and find that Mr. Bedbug and his family are in bed with you, it’s too late. Hard to sleep when you’re perched up on top of a dresser for the rest of the night.
3. A “pay per the hour” option is offered. No need to say a whole lot more about this, but if you are desperate and go ahead and book one of these joints you’ll find that the bed in the room is in real bad shape, but the furniture is in near perfect condition. Imagine that.
4. If the place offers adult movies on their TVs, and you decide to watch one and it seems like the action is occurring in a room that looks a whole lot like yours, consider writing off the rest of the evening, packing up, and quickly riding on down the road.  Just my opinion, though.
And there you have it. Practical guidelines for keeping a fleabag joint out of your traveling future. I’d write more, but I’m doing this on a laptop computer out on the road, and this motel I’m staying in is charging me a three dollars a minute for electricity, and don’t even ask me about the eight dollar rolls of toilet paper…..

I Got A Code In My Doze

I have an awful cold. Could be the flu, I ache, I’m running a fever and I’m generally miserable.  I’ve blown my nose a kajillion times and I still have a head full. Looking at my raw, red, nose in the mirror, its really a sight! After yesterday’s post, Loving What I Got ,  and all the e-mail I received. I’m thinking. Maybe, I’m not so happy with what I got.

My nose has always been an issue with me. Its little and Daddy used to say it was a “pug” nose. That conjures a picture in my mind that I’ve never been happy with.  I can’t find a picture of me in profile in any of our family albums. HMM, maybe I do need to think about this nose thing. Maybe I need to consider a nose job. Of course if I did, I would want to have facial surgery done by an expert. Maybe I could have this done while I’m on the West Coast, visiting my friends in San Diego. (Mythoughts run rampant with the idea)

Now finding a surgeon who specializes in nose surgery could be a task. Not knowing anything about the doc but what his website says could pose a bit of a problem.  But they say that the west coast docs, do the best work. Though, I’m more prone to think the bigger clinics are in LA. I wonder if my insurance would cover that surgery. Probably not. So, the issue becomes, can I afford a nose job ?  Probably not.

One more look at my face, red nose, road map bloodshot eyes, and general look of I feel like crap and I come back to earth. I look at the night stand by my bed and there on my hubby’s side, is a beautiful picture of me in my 30’s. In profile. And I have a nose! Quite a nice nose at that. (I’m modest if nothing). So, I got what I got, and I’m happy with it. If this darned code in my doze would just go away!

Sam I AM

My comments are moderated. Period. No, ifs, ands or buts about it. I won’t change that. I use Askimet to control spam, I will NOT remove it. Nor, will I approve the spammy gross comments of those who have captured all the do-follow sites and hit them systematically with their autospam. With credit to Dr. Seuss the master at writing children’s books (this one contained only 50 words,  and apologies for this rant. I’ll tell you how I feel.

I am Sam
I am Sam
Sam I amThat Sam-I-am!
Than Sam-I-am!
I do not like
that Sam-I-am!Do you like
green eggs and spam?

I do not like them,
Sam-I-am.
I do not like
green eggs and spam.

Would byou like them
here or there?

I would not like them
here or there.
I would not like them
anywhere.
I do not like
green eggs and spam.
I do not like them,
 Sam-I-am.

Would you like them
in a house?
Would you like them
with a mouse?

I do not like them
in a house.
I do not like them
with a mouse.
I do not like them
here or there.
I do not like them
anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and spam.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you eat them
in a box?
Would you eat them
with a fox?

Not in a box.
Not with a fox.
Not in a house.
Not with a mouse.
I would not eat them here or there.
I would not eat them anywhere.
I would not eat green eggs and spam.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you? Could you?
In a car?
Eat them! Eat them!
Here they are.

I would not,
could not,
in a car.

You may like them.
You will see.
You may like them
in a tree!

I would not, could not in a tree.
Not in a car! You let me be.

I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I do not like them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and spam.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

A train! A train!
A train! A train!
Could you, would you,
on a train?

Not on a train! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! Sam! Let me be!

I would not, could not, in a box.
I could not, would not, with a fox.
I will not eat them with a mouse.
I will not eat them in a house.
I will not eat them here or there.
I will not eat them anywhere.
I do not eat green eggs and spam.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Say!
In the dark?
Here in the dark!
Would you, could you, in the dark?

I would not, could not,
in the dark.

Would you, could you, in the rain?

I would not, could not,
in the rain.
Not in the dark. Not on a train.
Not in a car. Not in a tree.
I do not like them, Sam, you see.
Not in a house. Not in a box.
Not with a mouse. Not with a fox.
I will not eat them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere!You do not like
green eggs and ham?I do not
like them,
 Sam-I-am.

Could you, would you,
with a goat?

I would not,
could not,
with a goat!

Would you, could you,
on a boat?

I could not, would not, on a boat.
I will not, will not, with a goat.
I will not eat them in the rain.
I will not eat them on a train.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I will not eat them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them ANYWHERE!

I do not like
green eggs
and spam!

I do not like them,
Sam-I-am.

Sorry folks…just had to get it off my chest!

Cover Your Own Bare One

If you’re a small business owner, like me. Chances are, you deal with contract issues on a daily basis. In one form or another, contracts bombard us. Most of them are easy enough to understand, basic quid pro quo. But what you need to know about contracts and what legal remedies each party might have for each one entered into, might just be more than you have the time and the inclination to deal with.

Don’t enter into a legally binding contract of any type without knowing exactly what you’re getting into and exactly what your duties and rights are. I’m going to say it, cringe. Get a lawyer.

A contract can be defined as a promise or set of promises for which the law gives a remedy, or the performance of which the law, in some way, recognizes as a duty. Therefore, by establishing a mutual agreement, the parties to a contract create enforceable duties or obligations that are legally binding. Obviously, in most instances, it is preferable to establish written contractual relationships. However, written contractual instruments that are ambiguous or poorly drafted, can create more problems than they solve. Written contracts should always be drafted in a clear, concise and understandable fashion.

Notice the words clear and concise. I haven’t seen one of those recently. How about you? Obviouly there are lots of law firms, many of them don’t even touch contract law. So, do your due diligence and find one that does. These guys are like pediatricians, they specialize. The key, for me anyway, is finding a firm that excels in dealing in not only contract law, but mergers and acquisitions and living trusts as well. And one, who has license to practice (is admitted to the bar or has reciprocity) in Mississippi.

Loving What I Got

There’s been a lot of talk lately about  women of all ages, opting for cosmetic or surgical enhancement. I used to live in an area where a woman’s body was overly important. That would be the Redneck Riviera, for those of you who are wondering. Quite often,  women would come to Gulf Shores, to visit one of the prominent cosmetic surgeons who had made the area home base. (smart guy) After being botoxed, micro dermabraded, and lazered, along with a tummy tuck and a brief stay, they’d happily make the trip home as though they’d been a feature on the TV show The Swan (you remember that one don’t you).

I grew up in a world where you learned to love what God gave you.  If your butt was too big, you exercised. If you didn’t like the way your face looked, learn to apply your make up. Got hairy legs, shave em. So, the concept of some of the services that are available in a Cosmetic Surgeon’s office are a bit foreign to me. (yeah I’m from the country. and I like it that way)

I do have a friend who has opted for surgical enhancement. Sweet as she is, she’s only 5’ tall and wore a FF cup bra. Yep. Go figure that. At any rate, it wasn’t a blessing for her, but a real problem. So after years of suffering with back pain and other assorted health issues, she opted for breast reduction, a surgical procedure designed to reduce sagging and heaviness of large breasts by reducing them in size and lifting them to a higher position on the chest. The end item is that the procedure produces excellent aesthetic results as well as immediate relief from neck, back, and shoulder strain.  I watched her struggle with the decision to change her body, but ultimately she’s happy with the results and with no more back pain, is a happier person in total.

I imagine that more women than not are unhappy with their body in one way or another. And suprisingly more and more men are owning up to the same. There are Cosmetic Surgeons who dedicate their entire practice to nothing but the male physique. Procedures women opt for, such as breast augmentation, which is enlargment of the breast using implants (saline or other) have topped the list of cosmetic procedures done in the US.

I got what I got. I’m not into the pain of a surgical procedure. Though, there are times when I’d like to rid myself of the wrinkles that age has given me and maybe find a cure for the gravity issue. All in all, I’m pretty happy with what I got.

Are you happy with what God gave you ? Or is there a trip to the beach in your future ?

Next Page »