Category: Life

Posted in Life

Together again

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Winter weather had delayed every flight. A young man with a bouquet of pink roses nervously wandered through the empty airport arrival area. A piano played classic jazz tunes as we relaxed in rocking chairs. Some folks read. Others dozed. A robot vacuumed the floors.

The large card in his hand read, “For the love of my life.” He stared down one hallway, and then the next. In between, he checked the arrivals board. Laying the roses down, he made a quick trip to the restroom. With an eye on his phone, he waited for a text.

Suddenly he stuffed his phone in to his pocket and stood next to a pillar. Rounding the corner, she stopped, their eyes met, and they embraced. Finally, they were together again. Or was this the first time they had met in person? No matter, it was a wonderful encounter.

Airports are filled with tearful goodbyes and passionate reunions. Excited travelers begin adventures. Weary travelers return home. It’s so interesting to be part of these moments.

Posted in Life

“Have you seen my suitcase?”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

There’s a lot to notice in this picture I took on an evening walk with the big dog. Besides the inside of a car door, a truck full of blue metal, and a vintage mail box, I spied a suitcase underneath the SUV.

So I have a question. Will they remember the suitcase when it’s time to go to work tomorrow morning? I’ll bet they don’t. I’ll bet they back out and wonder, “What’s the scraping noise?” as they drag it down the street.

Or even before that, someone rushing to the airport will ask, “Hey, have you seen my suitcase?”

Maybe it was a joke. “Let’s slide his suitcase under the car. He’ll never look for it there.”

It could have happened by accident. The bag may have rolled down the driveway, tipped over and slid under the car. Not likely.

Tried to pack too much stuff? That’s one way to flatten it out so you can zip it shut.

Perhaps they didn’t see it when they pulled in last night. Someone just drove right over the dark suitcase on a dark night.

If the authorities are searching your house, they won’t find anything if you slid your luggage under the SUV in the driveway. Although if noticed it, I’m sure law enforcement would, too.

Or maybe they were testing the sturdiness of this suitcase. Just like the ape that threw luggage around in the old American Tourister commercial.

Next time around the block, I’ll look to see if it’s still there, out in the yard, or even down the street.

Posted in Life, walking

Intense walking and talking

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Image by Susanne from Pixabay

Every morning as I’m walking my dog, I pass a woman walking her dog. She’s memorable because she zig-zags down the street. She walks from one side to the other, effectively doubling the distance they walk each day. She’s also talking to someone every morning through her AirPods.

It’s dark at this time of the year when we pass each other at 6:30 in the morning. My Great Dane shows no interest in her Schnauzer-ish dog, and he’s not interested in us, either. But she always says, “Good morning” to me. I always reply, but she doesn’t always hear me, because someone else’s voice is in her ear. So she’ll turn up the volume and repeat, “Good morning,” and I’ll repeat my reply.

Who does she talk to every morning? I picture someone else, a sister or child walking their dog at the same time, catching up on whatever happened since yesterday. I imagine it to be someone in Eastern Standard Time, since everyone else would still be asleep. But maybe it’s a friend in Europe, where it’s at least six hours later.

By the tone of her voice, it’s intense. A serious conversation. No nonsense. Almost aggressive.

I talk to God and the big dog when I walk. My words are upbeat, light-hearted, and at times, silly. (When you’re talking to a goofy Great Dane, it’s easy to be silly.) I have never had an early morning phone conversation. I don’t know who I’d call. All my friends are still sensibly sleeping at that time of the day.

Posted in helping, Life

Helping the helper

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I did a double take the other day. Who does the Road Ranger call when the Road Ranger truck breaks down? The Road Ranger? Uh, probably not. Thank goodness for John’s Towing.

So what happened? Dead battery? They would have jumped it or replaced it. Out of gas? Ouch. Embarrassing. It doesn’t look like there’s a flat. Overheated? Maybe. Blew the transmission? Who knows.

It like asking, “Who cuts the barber’s hair?” Or “Where does the doctor go when the flu hits?” How about the dentist with a toothache?

Sometimes the helpers need some help.

Posted in Life

Nice try, but I’ll stick with what I’ve got

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jaycee300s : https://www.pexels.com

When I pulled up to the house, I noticed a business card on the front door. Another salesperson working the neighborhood. I get about two a week. Probably a tree trimming service.

It was someone from the internet company we used to have. Once another outfit put in fiber, I went with them for better speed and lower price.

The old coax company lost a ton of business and were out to win back some customers. This guy came back to chat with my wife while she was in the garage. He came back a third time to talk to me.

He laid it on thick, complimenting me on being a “legacy” customer entitled to a special deal. He claimed that the company had upgraded their equipment, so he could offer me the same speed I had with fiber for half the price. Plus, the system could handle up to 240 devices simultaneously. He’d install it so I could try what I had next to his company and decide which one to keep. For free. “Sure, why not?”

Someone was out the next day. The old line had been severed during some hurricane cleanup a few years ago, so the tech laid out a temporary line, set up a modem and router, and I was ready to give it a try.

At first, it seemed to work just fine. I was very tempted to save money each month. Then I ran an internet speed app. The download speed was a little faster. The upload speed was much slower. Hmm. That’s not what he promised. He didn’t exactly lie. He just didn’t tell me the whole story.

The next day, another tech was out to bury the new cable in the yard. These folks were serious. However, later that after noon, the system was down for a few hours. I haven’t lost internet service for years, not even during severe storms.

This wasn’t going to work.

Now I had the pleasant task of calling to cancel. I wasn’t on hold very long before a customer rep from Kansas City, Missouri, was on the line to help me.

I know he was just doing his job. I know he was following the script they gave him. “We don’t want to lose you as a customer. What if we took ten dollars off your monthly bill? Do you know we can give you free mobile phone service?”

I said, “I want to cancel my service” nine times before he conceded and closed my account.

The next day, I took back the modem and router to a local office. An emotionless young man took the equipment and said I was all set. I did not get any follow-up phone calls or correspondence from the company.

I guess that’s it. Until the next time they work my neighborhood.

Posted in lessons, Life

It sounded like a pretty good deal

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sollange Brenis on Unsplash

It sounded like a pretty good deal. We were sitting across the desk from the finance guy at the dealer where we’ve bought most of our cars. We got a good deal, knew we wanted an extended warranty, and were lured into adding on a maintenance contract.

It sounded like a pretty good deal. The friendly young man explained it would cover all our maintenance except for tires, brakes, and wiper blades. It was less than twenty bucks per month. It would quickly pay for itself.

It sounded like a pretty good deal. Until I took the vehicle in for a second maintenance. Oil change and tire rotation. Paid for. Fuel system cleaning and wheel alignment? Here’s an estimate. I asked, “What about the maintenance agreement?”

“Oh, that’s not covered.”

When I explained the purchase I had purchased, he admitted, “I hear that a lot. That only covers oil changes and tire rotation. You’ll get a small discount on the other services, but they aren’t covered.”

When I got home, I read all the fine print. There was a lot of fine print. And he was right. The nice young man had lied to me. I willingly and naively took his word for it and signed the contract. I’m not out any money. It would pay for itself. But the whole agreement was really just a way to make sure I bring my car to the dealer for maintenance.

Since I can’t prove that the nice young man lied, I’m not sure I have any recourse. I will write to the dealer and express my displeasure. I will go to the trouble of reading these agreements more carefully in the future. I will challenge those who offer me those really good sounding deals.

Posted in Life

Disposable

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Anastasiia T. on Unsplash

I asked my barber, “How often do you have someone sharpen your scissors?”

He replied, “I don’t do that anymore. The last pair came back ruined. So I just buy a box of a dozen and use a new pair when the old ones start to pull.”

I remember a friend of mine who had owned several restaurants telling me someone came to sharpen her kitchen knives every two weeks. I assumed that barbers and stylists did the same. Your favorite pair of scissors is worth maintaining, right?

Not any more. Scissors have become disposable, just like shoes and televisions. I’m old enough to remember when we had a shoe repair shop in our community. A new set of heels added life to my favorite comfortable, broken-in, leather shoes. Now it’s cheaper to buy new shoes than find a shoemaker.

I remember my dad taking the back off our TV to fix whatever wasn’t working. He was an electrical engineer, so he knew exactly what he was doing. He would take some of the vacuum tubes to the hardware store to test them. Sometimes he would replace one. Other times he would solder something. With a multimeter in hand, he could figure out which resistor or capacitor to replace.

I doubt anyone repairs TVs any more. A new one is inexpensive and probably better than the one you bought a year ago. Just put it out with all the others on trash day.

Posted in Life, security

Tied with a tie

Posted on by William Douthwaite

So if you’re going to take you bicycle along with you, get a good rack. This Bell trailer-hitch rack looks awesome.

Next, be sure to fasten it securely to the rack. Bungee cords are great. This cyclist used them effectively with one unconventional adaptation: a neck tie.

I had never seen that adaptation, so I snapped a quick picture before the light turned green and we were on our way.

I like imagining the driver in a very nice suit and open neck shirt, without the formality of a neatly tied tie around the bike rack.

Or a student heading back to the campus of the University of Florida, grabbing one of dad’s ties for the bike. Dad has lots of them hanging in the closet. He won’t miss one.

Maybe the tie already had a spot on it. They’re expensive to clean, so why not just use it for the bike?

When I had a couple of bikes on the back of a car, I used the fabric-covered chain with combination lock. Too much stuff disappears from cars when you’re inside the convenience store for some coffee and a snack.

Posted in humor, Life

Rescuing the Rescue Ranger

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I caught this ironic picture the other day. I always wondered who rescued the guy who usually rescues guys broken down by the side of the road?

Even though the Road Ranger’s services are free, I’ll bet John’s Towing charged a few bucks.

I wonder what the problem was. Oil light come on? Blown transmission? Check engine light? Who knows.