So Much Sensitivity Nowadays

I feel about cars how I feel about computers: They’re great when they work, they suck when they don’t. Before we moved to Mississippi I leased a Nissan Rogue, which I loved. My lease was up right about the time we sold our house, so everything worked out almost perfect in that regard. For about the first year of our innkeeping experience, we only had one car. It’s all we needed. But then my husband took a job outside the home and it wasn’t convenient for me to drive him to work every morning and pick him up every evening. Neither was it convenient for me to be stuck at home without a vehicle.

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I Wait All Year For This Post

It’s official. 2019 is going, going gone! What a year it has been. I’m looking forward to 2020. Nothing significant happening, just another chance to have the best year of my life. For those of you who do not follow me on Facebook, or who do, but did not see my post from last week, I’m making some changes in 2020. Here’s what I posted:

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Not Just A Tune-Up — A Complete Overhaul

Well folks, it’s that time of year for me – time for all of my annual check-ups. When I was younger, this was something old people did, not me. I guess that makes me officially – old. But, it’s important to get tune-ups as we age. Stuff starts to break down and degenerate from all the wear and tear of life. Preventative medicine goes a long way in this day and age.

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Horn Blowing 101

I don’t know about you, but I rarely use my car horn. I mean, seriously, hardly ever. And usually when I do, I have to press around on the steering wheel a bit to get the exact spot for sound to come out. I just don’t have an up-close and personal relationship with my car horn.

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The Misadventures of Johnny One Shoe

Photo courtesy Google Images.

I drive a lot. Every day I have a 45 minute commute to work and every day I have a 45 minute, or longer, commute back home. It feels like I’m on the road all the time. I try different routes to prevent boredom and I make up songs and silly games while I’m driving to keep myself entertained. One of my favorite ways to liven up the drive is to think up clever stories for items I see abandoned along the road.

Photo courtesy Google Images

Here in California, litter is quite prevalent and if something falls off the turnip truck, the turnip truck driver just keeps driving as though he meant for the item to slide off his vehicle and crash into the road. Other crazy screw balls deliberately stop along the side of lesser used roads to dispose of unwanted items. I see a wide variety of things along just about every road I traverse to and from work. Everything from throw pillows to refrigerators, ladders, mattresses, and so on.

But, the one item that always puzzles me is that one shoe. You never see a pair of shoes, just one all by its lonesome. Why only one? I have multiple theories, but this week, I’m curious to hear your thoughts about the lone shoe lying along the side (or in the middle) of the road. Tell me readers, how do you think that shoe got there?

I’m going to award a prize to the person with the most creative and/or humorous one shoe story. So put those creative thinking caps on and leave me your one shoe theory in a comment below. I’ll choose my favorite and announce it at the end of the week.

Photo courtesy Google Images

Have fun. I’m looking forward to your ideas!

Word of the Day:  Hustings

Fun Fact About Me: One of my favorite college classes was a mining history class where we got to go exploring in old mines.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, April 2015. Photos courtesy Google Images.

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The Race Car Driver Within

Nascar race at the Las Vegas Speedway. Photo by P. Rickrode

Have you ever wanted to be a race car driver? Come on, show of hands, who’s wanted to be a race car driver? I think I’m a race car driver every day. Even in my little cross-over Nissan Rogue, I’m secretly a race car driver. Maybe it’s because I’m a little speed demon, or maybe I like how a powerful car engine feels and sounds when you rev it up. In any event, I think you should all know that I have this compelling urge to drive a race car. It’s on my bucket list.

I’ve included a video at the end of this link that I shot while “racing” on the Radiator Springs Racers at Disney’s California Adventure Park a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I was assigned the back seat, so I didn’t have best filming advantage, but I think it turned out pretty good. You can enjoy that after this month’s edition of Take It Or Leave It – Race Car Style.

Here’s a reminder of the rules: Post your guesses (would I take it, or leave it) in the comments section below. I will post my responses Thursday. The person with the most correct guesses is my winner, but you must re-post in the comments section in order to claim your prize. It’s that simple. Unclaimed prizes will be forfeited after one week from posting the answers.

Nascar race at Las Vegas Speedway. Photo by C. Rickrode

Would I, or wouldn’t I:

1) Park in a handicapped spot;

2) Run a stop sign;

3) Tailgate (like a good race car driver would);

4) Text while driving;

5) Talk on the phone while driving (w/o blue tooth);

6) Deliberately drive slow in the fast lane to slow traffic for a known speed trap area;

7) Tap my brakes for a tailgater;

8) Drive without my seatbelt fastened;

9) Double park;

10) Use the carpool lane to pass a slower driver.

Good luck. Now here’s the video I told you about:

Word of the Day:  Intumesce

Fun fact about me: I have a clean driving record (knocks on wood)

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, April 2014. Original video by P. Rickrode via YouTube.  Original photos by Patricia Rickrode

 

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Sometimes Words Can Win you Stuff

I love words.

Photo courtesy Google Images

My very first blog post was about the Wacky World of Words, wherein I went on and on about the craziness of the English language. You can read all about it here: https://jansenschmidt.wordpress.com/2011/11/.

As most of you know, I end each new post with a word of the day. It’s something fun I like to do because I like to discover new words. Some of you pay attention to that little detail at the end of my posts. So much so, that I have been awarded because of it. CJ Burright bestowed upon me the Sisterhood of the Word Bloggers Award, for which I am honored. See CJ’s post here: http://cjburright.com/?p=439. Thank you CJ!

Because Colleen Patrick always tries to incorporate my word of the day into her comments, I am passing this award on to her. According to the “rules,” if you receive this award you are to: post the logo on your blog, thank the nominator (that would be me), choose some nominees of your own, and post their blog links.

I choose Colleen specifialy because of her obvious curiousity and subsequent research about my word of the day. Although Colleen’s a pretty smart cookie so perhaps she didn’t need to do research at all. Perhaps she’s just got a head full of crazy words and their definitions. Anyone else who wants to pass along this award on to someone you know who inspires you with fun new words, feel free to do so. Just be sure to include the “rules.”

Image courtesy Google

And now on to the next portion of todays’ post, the August installment of What Haven’t I. I know you’ve all been waiting breathlessly so wait no longer. But first, a reminder of how the game works:  You don’t need to know a single thing about me to play. All you have to do is record your guesses in the comments section below.

Three of the answers are things that I have actually done. Only one is something I have not. It’s your job to guess which thing I haven’t done. Simple? Easy peasy. You can’t win if you don’t play. Have fun and good luck!

My responses will be posted on August 26th. The person with the most correct guesses will win a prize (if they check back and acknowledge that they have won by leaving another comment) AND the first person who responds back on the 26th, regardless of how many responses they got right, will also receive a prize if they leave a second comment.

So, without further ado:

Photo courtesy Google Images

1. (Speaking of awards) For which sport have I not received an award? a) bowling; b) volleyball; c) baseball; or d) basketball.

2. What haven’t I had in my yard? a) a skunk; b) a bear; c) a porcupine: or d) a mountain lion.

3. What haven’t I carried around in my car? a) a toothbrush; b) a stuffed animal; c) a blanket; or d) a knife.

4. What haven’t I crashed? a) a snowmobile; b) a car; c) a motorcycle; or d) a party.

5.  What haven’t I crossed? a) the Atlantic Ocean; b) the Pacific Ocean; c) the Caribbean Sea; or d) the Mediterrean Sea.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing you all back on the 26th.

Word of the Day: Hoi Polloi

Fun fact about me: I am an amateur ventriloquist.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, August 2013. Most photos courtesy Google Images.

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