Nefarious - Part 4

a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot

meet the family -
I mean "THE" family

[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, and June 7, 2009]
- - - - - - - - - -
NEFARIOUS

Pronunciation:

\ni-ˈfer-ē-əs\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Latin nefarius, from nefas crime, from ne- not + fas right

There were a lot of things that were not right in the unfolding of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually too late to change things.

- - - - - - - - - -

Time to back-up a little.

I had taken on my new side-kick at about the 2 month mark of the new regime's ownership of the company. During that time, they had been very actively meeting with all the constituents of the business: customers, unions, drivers, operations and sales people, office personnel, equipment suppliers, government agencies, freight brokerage agents, et al. The message was pretty much the same. "We're putting millions of dollars into this company to bring it back to life and grow it. We need your help." For many of us, we had no clue it was in deep financial distress.

Feedback scuttle-but from the drivers was that the company was asking for deep cuts and concessions from the Teamsters Union, which represented them. Translated, it probably meant they would be coming to the rest of us shortly. The difference being that they would have to negotiate with the union. With us, they would just tell us how it was going to be.

At about month 3, they backed-up our current pay date by one week. In the past, we were paid one week behind - the work week ended on Friday, and we were paid the following Friday. Now it was going to be 2 Fridays after the end of a work week. Multiply that by 400 employees, and that was a chunk of money not being paid out. They said it would be used to purchase some badly needed new 53' semi-trailers. Seemed reasonable to me. We were all going to have to sacrifice to make the company grow.

In the same general time period, I was a participant in a sales meeting in our Corporate Headquarters Conference Room. Other Sale Reps and Regional Managers were also present. One of the ideas that was seized upon by the new regime was that we needed to recapture some portion of Government Business which, for various reasons, we had lost in the past year.

Who here should be assigned that task? Government Agencies have all kinds of special requirements to meet re bidding and pricing and various other red-tape issues. Somehow, because of my very diverse experience in various aspects of our company, my name got offered for the sacrifice. Once others got someone other than themselves in the spot-light they were, symbolically at least, off the hook - for now.

I forgot to mention one special person who was also in the room. He was present in most of our meetings. He always sat back in a corner and observed. He never said anything. He always accompanied the CEO. He was younger ... had a muscular build ... his last name ended in a vowel ... and he had a noticeable bulge under the left arm-pit area his suit coat.

After I had been duly acknowledged for taking on this new task, I felt this very strong hand grasping me by the left shoulder from behind. I looked up and over my left shoulder. It was the mysterious and somewhat frightening stranger from the corner of the room. He bent over and whispered in my ear, "We're sure you'll do a good job ... won't you?" And he returned to his corner.

============
[to be continued as time is available]

Nefarious - Part 3

a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot

meet the family -
I mean "THE" family

[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, 2009]
- - - - - - - - - -
NEFARIOUS

Pronunciation:

\ni-ˈfer-ē-əs\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Latin nefarius, from nefas crime, from ne- not + fas right

There were a lot of things that were not right in the unfolding of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually too late to change things.

- - - - - - - - - -

My new friend, side-kick, and boss [the new Vice President of Sales for the Western Region] was gone about 20 minutes. I waited and had another drink. I didn't know, or suspect, that this would be only the first of many similar meal interruptions. I had the opportunity to eat at many fine establishments over the course of the next 6 months.

"Just had a little business to tend to." That was pretty much the normal reply when he returned to the table. I use the term "reply" although that suggests there was a question; I never asked any questions. I suspected his "reply" was all I needed to know.

Not all these places had curtains to pass through. Sometimes it was just a table or booth back in a corner someplace out of sight and hearing. Although, I do admit there were a few occasions when loud, agitated voices could be heard ... and while the conversation itself was not understood, the heat of the discussions could be sensed.

There were some occasional meetings where he had "...a little business to tend to" at someplace other than a nice restaurant or bar. Those gave me the opportunity to set and wait in the reception area of several businesses in the Chicago area. I would wait while he met with someone in an office elsewhere on the premise.

On one such occasion, the office in which he was meeting was very nearby the reception area. The loud voices could be heard by everyone. Suddenly the door to the office in which he was meeting flew open. He was exiting, with an older, very irate man close behind him shouting obscenities and calling him names. As he passed me, on his way out, he motioned for me to follow. The older guy continued his tirade, adding, "Don't you and your goon ever step foot in MY business again."

First time I'd ever been called a 'goon'.

Then there was another time I remember with almost a sense of awe. It was middle afternoon - between the regular lunch hour and dinner-service time. We went to a very modest, but nice, restaurant. It was bright and cheery and well lit - many places we went were dimly lit. I always found those places to be a little difficult to see people clearly, unless you were relatively close to them. I now suspect that was more by design - for reasons that were for other than ambiance only.

He said he had someone to meet and had me set at a table fairly near the entrance. He then went to another vacant table across the room. Apparently his 'client' had not yet arrived. I ordered a drink, and told the waitress I needed to get something from my car, but I'd be right back. I figured that if I was going to be waiting a while, I may as well go through some paper-work in my briefcase.

I left the establishment and headed down a sloped sidewalk to the parking area. Coming from the other direction I encountered a very attractive woman. She was a little taller than average; slender; light-brown hair; lightly tanned; red lipstick which complemented her bright red form fitting knee-length dress; medium height high-heeled shoes; shapely - by almost anyone's standards: very attractive.

We nodded a quaint 'hello' to each other as we passed.

I retrieved a couple of folders from my briefcase and returned to my table in the restaurant. I looked over at my friend's table to see if his 'client' had yet arrived.

There she was - the lady of my sidewalk encounter - at his table. I almost choked in disbelief.

This gal had people turning heads, and she was seated with my boss, the Vice President of Sales for the Western Region of the company.

I ordered another drink.

I never knew how long these meetings of his were going to last - 20 minutes, an hour? This one was not too long - less than half an hour. I noticed him stand and she rose right after he. They started coming across the room. I was near the entrance, and they'd have to come past me on the way out. I was riding with him, so I was fairly confident that he wasn't leaving without me - at least not for any length of time.

They were along side my table very quickly. They stopped. I stood. He spoke.

"Jimmy, I'd like you to meet my wife."

You just had to be there to appreciate this moment - I was in a state of shock and awe. I have no recollection of what I might have said - although I probably slobbered as I spoke. He said he'd walk her to her car and then be back in.

I look back at that event and the word that comes to mind is something like:

moll
n. Slang.

1. A woman companion of a gunman or gangster [usually very attractive].

=============
[to be continued as I make the time - stay tuned]

Nefarious - Part 2

a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot

meet the family -
I mean "THE" family

[continued from post of Sunday May 3, 2009]
- - - - - - - - - -
NEFARIOUS

Pronunciation:

\ni-ˈfer-ē-əs\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Latin nefarius, from nefas crime, from ne- not + fas right

There were a lot of things that were not right in the unfolding of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually too late to change things.

- - - - - - - - - -

Cancelling my lunch appointment with my new business prospect was not difficult. He almost seemed glad to hear from me. It probably saved him the task of calling me at the last minute and canceling for some obscure reason of his own - that would not have been uncommon for a first meeting. Statistics indicate that it takes 7 contacts with a new prospect before your trucking company starts handling any of their freight. After-all, they already have their freight being handled by somebody and, barring some major failure, they don't really relish changing things.

The trip from Milwaukee took me a little over 3 hours. Traffic through Chicago was especially bottle-necked in several places. When I arrived at the company's terminal office in northwest IN I found everyone hard at work - or trying to get their work done. There was a 'stranger' in their midst asking questions and watching everything they were doing - our new Vice President of Sales for the Western Region.

He immediately noticed me when I came in the door to the dispatch office. He seemed relieved and happy to see me - almost genuinely so. He had been hanging around almost four hours [I did learn he went out for lunch for almost two of those hours]. We introduced ourselves, exchanged a few pleasantries, and went into an office adjacent to the dispatch room. This was the 'Sales' office for this terminal.

Because I was the company's Regional Manager for this area, I was also the current Sales Rep - the previous occupant of that position had recently moved on to a competitor. It appeared the newly appointed Vice President of Sales for the Western Region had already made himself at home. Sales Reports and other materials were scattered about the desk; the local terminal manager, who had also just met our newly appointed Vice President earlier in the day, had been providing him with records as requested.

From appearances, I guessed we were about the same age. It also seemed to me that he liked to eat more than adequately - his girth was substantial. I was not in especially great physical shape myself, but I was in an acceptable weight range for height and age. I did also note that although he lived in the Chicago area instead of NJ, his last name also ended in a vowel ... like those new guys in our headquarters in Detroit. I wondered if they were all related somehow.

It was now approaching mid-afternoon. He explained that he had been hired by the new owners to help us increase our sales revenues in the 'Western Region'. He asked a lot of questions about my background and experiences with the company. What positions had I held, and where had I worked, and how long I had been with the company, etc., etc.? It seemed to me that he would have already known most of this information. It seemed reasonable to me that he should have been adequately prepped before our meeting.

He also told me that the company wanted to expand into some different types of businesses. He felt his strengths were with the 'connections' he had all around the Chicago area. He stated he believed we would work well together, as I had been highly commended by our new owners in Detroit - pure schmooze.

Small talk only goes so far. There were more significant matters to start discussing. He suggested that, if I was available, we should continue our discussions over a nice dinner somewhere. I soon learned that was his M.O. [modus operandi]: let's talk about it over food [and drink]. His preference that day was in a south-side of Chicago suburb. We ended up at a very nice, but noticeably plain-looking [on the outside] restaurant in Cicero. This was closer to the southwestern suburb in which he lived - I was the one who would have to travel back to where I was staying in Merrillville IN.

This is where it started getting to be a little bit like being in 'a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot'. The decor was classical Mediterranean - pillars and vineyard type decorations. We were seated in the main dining area. There was also a very nice bar off to one side, separated from the dining room by a half-wall partition. At the far end was an arched doorway going into another area. The archway was adorned with a curtain hanging from it. On both sides of the archway were dining booths - both were occupied.

We both ordered a drink and studied the menu. He stated, very matter-of-factly, that in many of the circles in which he had contacts, things were done or accomplished as favors or as repayment of favors. He helps me - I owe him. I help him - he owes me. We both know people we've helped and now they owe us. We remind them that they owe us, and together we get our goals met and the company gets the increase in sales revenues for which it is looking.

I think I was starting to understand his take on this ... and merely accepted it as a view of a way in which business can be conducted. He was my new 'boss' and I really did want to accomplish 'growing' the company - our new mantra.

It was during this part of our conversation that he revealed he had never worked in the trucking industry before, and knew very little about it. I was to be his connection - his 'joined-at-the-hip' companion - his right-hand-man. I would help him, and he would help me. Such an offer.

I started having flash-backs to another person I knew. He operated a vending machine business - his name was Tony.

After a couple of drinks and between the main course and desert, he excused himself. He walked towards the archway at the far end of the room - the one with the curtain hanging from it. As he neared the archway, an occupant from each of the booths on either side stood and 'challenged' his approach. There were some quiet words exchanged. One of the 'gatekeepers' disappeared behind the curtain. In a brief moment he returned. The 'gatekeepers' sat down. My new friend passed through the curtain.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[to be continued as I make the time - stay tuned]

Nefarious - Part 1

a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot

meet the family -
I mean "THE" family

It played like a poorly written script for the Pilot of a TV series. If it had been promoted as "based on real events", I doubt anyone would have bought it. Although, I've learned that reality sometimes resembles and often times out-surprises fiction.

NEFARIOUS

Pronunciation:

\ni-ˈfer-ē-əs\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Latin nefarius, from nefas crime, from ne- not + fas right

There were a lot of things that were not right in the unfolding of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually too late to change things.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

In January of that year I had passed my 19th year of service with the company, a mid-sized interstate trucking company headquartered in Detroit. It was now June, and I was facing yet another Company announcement - THE COMPANY HAD BEEN SOLD...again.

The sale of trucking companies is fairly common. Many are privately held businesses with aging owners who are ready to sell them and 'go fishing'. Another reason to buy a trucking company is to get access to the customer base and grow your existing enterprise. These are common and legitimate reasons. The company I worked for was bought and sold seven times while I worked for them. Counting the original owner and founder, I worked under a total of eight owners.

As with most acquisitions, the new owners come in with their own agenda and their own way of doing things. Change is inevitable. Much of that change is in terms of which of the acquired employees will be kept. Through all of those changes in ownership, I survived. I don't know if it was because I was very good at what I did, or because I was grossly underpaid.

None-the-less, through all those gyrations of change, I never got used to it. The first couple of months seemed to be directionless. Keep doing what you're doing, just do more of it. The new owners and their crew seemed to be throwing around a lot of money - big dinners with major customers - luncheons and conferences with union leaders - they even had food delivered to the drivers' break room regularly. They were trying to win everyone over with a message of, "growth is good for all of us, and we're going to grow."

Some items of note: the holding company which the new owners operated was based in NJ. The new leased company cars we were assigned were from a leasing company in NJ. The last names of these new people that came in to run 'our' company all ended in vowels. Some of the people that were now walking the hallways of our Corporate Headquarters had an noticeable 'bulge' under the left arm-pit of their suit coat. Some of them had a very distinctive and blended NJ / Italian accent.

But, hey! I'm not prejudiced or nuttin - my wife's mother was first-generation Sicilian; my wife's maternal grand parents were from Palermo, Sicily; my mother-in-law's brothers and my wife's cousins looked like and sounded like these guys. It was like meetin' wit more of 'THE' Family ... only my wife's relatives were all from Chicago, not NJ.

I digressed. Sorry.

At about the two month anniversary of the 'take-over', things started jumpin'. I was in Milwaukee, WI. I had several appointments scheduled that day. Two were with existing customers, and one was with a potential new customer. I met with the first mid-morning, a brewery of some size and reputation. It was a routine generic 'keep in touch' kind of meeting.

I had an hour to kill before my next appointment. This was in the days before we all carried pagers or cell-phones. The routine was that you called your office 3 or 4 times a day to get messages and field questions from whomever. That meant finding a pay-phone somewhere and making the call. I found a phone and made my call.

- - - - - - - - - -
Her: "Where are you?"

Me: "Milwaukee."

Her: "Call Detroit headquarters and talk to Mr. Bxxxxxxxx."

Me: "Mr. Bxxxxxxxx?!?!"

Her: "Yes, Mr. Bxxxxxxxxxx!"

Me: "What's up?"

Her: "I don't know. They just want you to call him right away. They're waiting for your call. In fact, I'm supposed to call them and let them know that I've heard from you...so don't blow it off. OK?"

Me: "Okay!"
- - - - - - - - - -

Mr. Bxxxxxxxxxx was the new CEO - the big cheese - the big kahuna - the top dog. In two months time he had proven that he had a silvery tongue ... he could talk almost anyone into or out of almost anything [including Teamster Union Officials - but, I'll save that for later]. Then he could turn around and cuss you and demean you and question your manhood and make you feel like a worthless piece of xxxx - without ever taking a breath or blinking an eye. A real expert in the use of words. That day he was fairly calm ... but emphatic.
- - - - - - - - - -

He: "Where are you?"

Me: "Milwaukee."

He: "How far are you from our terminal in northwest IN?"

Me: "In driving time, probably about 3 hours...gotta go right through the heart of Chicago."

He: "You need to get down there right away. Your new boss is there waiting for you."

Me: "My new boss?"

He: "Our new Vice President of Sales for the Western Region."

Me: "I've got a lunch appointment scheduled with a potential new customer."

He: "Cancel it!"

- - - - - - - - - -

I didn't even know we had a Western Region ... but hey, it's their company.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[to be continued as I make the time - stay tuned]

Memorial Day 2009

another day, another hero

...in the valley of the
shadow of death...

- - - - - - - - - -

Government cover-up

first Georgetown - then:

TOUCHDOWN !

- - - - - - - - - -


- - - - - - - - - -

How to negotiate with God

inch by inch by inch

and then God said...

- - - - - - - - - -

A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer. All of a sudden he said aloud, "Lord grant me one wish". The sky clouded and a booming voice said, "Because you have tried to be faithful I will grant you one wish." The man said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over anytime I want to." The Lord answered, "Your request is very materialistic. Think of the logistics of that kind of undertaking: the supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific; the concrete and steel it would take. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time to think of another wish. Think of a wish that would honor and glorify me".

The man thought for a long time. Finally he said, "Lord, I wish that I could understand women. I want to know what they feel inside. I want to know what they are thinking when they give me the silent treatment. I want to know why they cry. I want to know what they mean when they say 'nothing'. I want to know how I can make a woman truly happy?"

After a few minutes God said, "How many lanes do you want on that bridge?"

- - - - - - - - - -

the e-mail is in the mail

latest poll numbers show...

how bad is it?

- - - - - - - - - -

One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. So he called one of His angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time.

When the angel returned, he told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth; 95% are misbehaving and only 5% are not. "

God thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion."

So God sent another angel to Earth for a time.

Upon returning from earth, the angel went to God and said, "Yes, it's true. The Earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving, but 5% are being good.'"

God was not pleased.

So He decided to e-mail the 5% that were good, because he wanted to encourage them, and give them a little something to help them keep going.

Do you know what the e-mail said?

Oh, you don't?

That's OK. I was just wondering,

because I didn't get one either.

- - - - - - - - - -

[thanks to Billie Sheppard for this one]

Wall Street vs street smarts

Hedge fund managers, derivatives traders, mortgage loan officers can learn something.

when do I run out of money?

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, 'This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.'

The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, 'Which do you want, son?'

The boy takes the quarters and leaves the dollar.

'What did I tell you?' said the barber. 'That kid never learns!'

Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store & says, 'Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?'

The boy licked his cone and replied, 'Because the day I take the dollar, the game's over!'
- - - - - - - - - -
the lesson to be learned:
Greed & quick big profit = nothing left for later.


[thanks to friend Ken M]

Pro-Life Commencements

Will others speak up for the unborn?

Here's to you,
NOTRE DAME

a tip of the ole chapeau to Ebeth Weidner

the Ballad of Timothy Geithner

my taxes are filed
and ON TIME

Thanks to Adrienne and Jennifer over at the Morning Buzz.

As she says in this parody, "Only in America".
----

Can you say "OUTRAGE!"

Let the government do it -
they can do it better than we can!

Newspaper Column
dated 4/14/09

Living with Children

Copyright 2009, John K. Rosemond

[Abridged version - complete text follows down farther]

- - - - - - - - - -
Forget nationalizing the banks. Certain influential Democrats in the US Senate are thinking seriously of nationalizing parenting.

In February of 1995, President Bill Clinton signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Early opposition in the Senate persuaded Clinton not to risk submitting it for ratification.

The Convention...obligates signatory nations to conform their laws to its articles; ...articles extend...such rights as...to include the “freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or in any other media of the child’s choice.”

The Convention allows for children to protest, through legal channels, parental limit-setting of almost every sort, ...even to protest parental discipline. The language...clearly establishes the state as the final authority where the raising of children is concerned.

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is one of the champions of ratification.

For more information on the UNCRC and to sign an online petition calling for a much-needed Parental Rights Amendment to the Constitution, go to www.parentalrights.org . In the meantime, call and/or write your two US Senators and let them know how you’d like them to vote should ratification come to the Senate floor.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Complete version of article is below]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Forget nationalizing the banks, certain influential Democrats in the US Senate are thinking seriously of nationalizing parenting, transforming it into “governmenting.”

In February of 1995, at the urging of his wife (now Secretary of State), who just happens to be one of the world’s most ardent children’s rights advocates, President Bill Clinton signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The major media paid almost no attention to this momentous event, giving Clinton a free pass. Thankfully, early opposition in the Senate persuaded Clinton not to risk submitting it for ratification. The UNCRC has been in legislative limbo ever since…until now.

The Convention is an international treaty that obligates signatory nations to conform their laws to its articles, certain of which extend needed protections to children, including protection from sexual exploitation. No sensible, moral person would argue with that. Other articles, however, extend to children such rights as “freedom of association” (Article 15) and “freedom of expression (Article 13).” The latter is written to include the “freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or in any other media of the child’s choice.” It is pertinent to note that “child” is defined as anyone under age eighteen. One can assume, therefore, that these rights activate at birth.

Yes, the freedoms in question are subject to limitation, but not at the discretion of parents. Nuances of that sort can only be exercised by the state. Parents are permitted to provide “direction” to the child in keeping with the child’s “evolving capacities,” but nowhere in the document is their authority recognized.

Government intrusion into child-rearing matters is already a reality and has been for some time. But this is not mere intrusion; this is the replacement of parental prerogative by the state. The Convention allows for children to protest, through legal channels, parental limit-setting of almost every sort (Article 16: No child shall be subject to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy….), even to protest parental discipline. The language, often recklessly vague, clearly establishes the state as the final authority where the raising of children is concerned. As such, the document could more accurately be called the United Nations Convention on the Abolition of Parents’ Rights.

This time around, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is one of the champions of ratification. She gave the Obama administration a March 23 deadline, already expired, for moving toward ratification. I think it’s safe to say that she (and many of her same-side-of-the-aisle colleagues) wants this over and done with before the American public is fully informed. During her confirmation hearings, UN Ambassador Susan Rice expressed support for the treaty, but did not agree to Boxer’s desire for hasty ratification.

For more information on the UNCRC and to sign an online petition calling for a much-needed Parental Rights Amendment to the Constitution, go to www.parentalrights.org . In the meantime, call and/or write your two US Senators and let them know how you’d like them to vote should ratification come to the Senate floor. Given that ours is still a government of, for, and by the people, let us pray that the people make themselves heard!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Family psychologist John Rosemond answers parents' questions on his website at www.rosemond.com.

Our Lady...Notre Dame - - - Obama...our bane

web-site log of media coverage

University of Notre Dame
provides 'sanctuary'

for President Obama

This site is now up and running.

http://www.catholicity.com/notredame.html

Get out your reading glasses - lots here to digest.

"Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage"

Men's Brain vs Women's Brain

Mark Gungor

...EXTENDED

This has been around for a year or so, but maybe you've never seen it. Share it with your spouse...maybe even view it together.

So set back, put up your feet, and relax.
Learn why you are different from your spouse.
[10:38]

love him or hate him

that's how people respond to

- Glenn Beck -
"don't give up"
he says

On today's broadcast he got personal.

Click 'here' and watch.

i think i'm going to have

a short series of short stories about - Ch 2

vacation week - 2009

[spring break]

Day 3

While Rozann finished repacking for our journey to Lake Havasu City, I went and picked up our rental car. This was accomplished by taking the Hotel shuttle to the airport, then catching the car rental shuttle to the rental facility.

The airport uses one fleet of Airport Car Rental Facility buses and transports all car renters to the same centralized facility. Each of the Major car rental companies is located together at this one same facility. It makes it really convenient. Renters just go to the individual counter for the rental car company they have chosen, and complete their transaction. It is a lot like a food court in a mall or airport, only this is a car rental court.

Back to the hotel, pick up Rozann and our luggage and begin our 4-1/2 hour trek to Lake Havasu City. Actual driving time was probably under 4 hours - the rest of the time was bathroom and scenic view stops.

Lake Havasu City is in the extreme western side of Arizona. It is on a man-made lake formed on the Colorado River by a dam at Parker AZ [the Parker Dam] about 25 miles south of Lake Havasu City. On the other side of the lake / river is California. To the North about 60 miles is the southern tip of the state of Nevada.

The area is mostly dry mountainess terrain - arid and desert-like conditions abound. Cactus of many varieties thrive here. They average just under 3-1/2 inches of rainfall per year. The average annual daytime high is 88 degrees farenheit. It has become a retirement and resort type community. The permanent population is around 55,000 - the winter snow-bird population adds another 20 - 25,000 from November to April. Friends of ours rented a house for 6 weeks and invited us to come visit [they are retired school teachers from Minnesota].

The drive from Phoenix provided a great deal of scenic opportunities. We arrived at their home around 3pm. After unpacking and getting settled, they took us on a short driving tour of the city. It included a walk along the touristy area of the Canal Bridge River District.

It is here that the world famous "London Bridge" is relocated. An American Industrialist had purchased the bridge in London, had it totally disassembled, shipped to the desert of AZ, reassembled, and used it to form the heart of what is now Lake Havasu City. An oasis in the desert is what was created, and people from around the world come to visit...even from Muncie, IN.

Back home for a leisurely dinner was next on the agenda...a game of cards, and then to bed for a full night's sleep.

[to be continued]

i think i'm going to have

a short series of short stories about

vacation week - 2009
[spring break]

The beginning is a good place to start.

Day 1

Sunday, March 22, we decided to take an extra day before actual plane departure. We booked a room at a north-side Indianapolis Hotel for Sunday night. For the main event we went to a movie and saw the Nicholas Cage thriller "Knowing". After shopping at a supermarket, we went to our room for dinner. Miscellaneous TV completed our Sunday adventure until we fell to sleep.

Day 2
Monday was a sleep in. When we finally went down for breakfast, they were almost done serving. After checking out, we went downtown. Lunch at the Indiana State Museum Cafe was followed by viewing a movie at the IMAX theatre. Then it was time to head to the airport. We booked long-term parking at the Adam's Mark Hotel. For $5 per day they not only allow you to park there, they shuttle you to your terminal and pick you up on return.

The new airport terminal is absolutely fantastic [my humble subjective opinion].
We had pre-checked in online and were also able to print our boarding passes in advance. This allowed us to go directly to the gate for boarding. So far so good.

Then it started getting interesting - and only a little stressful.

The previous incoming flight at our gate was to discharge, then reload and take off for another destination. While they were reloading, it was determined it had a mechanical problem, and could not pull away from the gate area. All those passengers then had to be placed on other planes and flights to get to where they were headed. That was very time consuming, to say the least.

It had our gate blocked up. The incoming flight that was to be our outbound flight now could not come in to the original gate. They had to find another gate for it...and all of us who were scheduled to go out on it had to change gates. Lost time was realtively not too bad...about 1/2 hour and we were ready to start boarding at the new gate.

As the first group of passengers to board were lining at the gate, one of them - an older gentlemen - seemed to pass out. As everyone in line moved out of the way, the ticket agents came over and tried to move him off the floor and into a chair. They realized he was more than passed out. Emergency crews were summoned from the Airport Fire & Rescue Station. While they were en-route a passenger who seemed to know what to do, began doing chest compressions. A fight attendant ran on board the plane and came back with a portable defibrillator. When the emergency people arrived they continued with occasional shocks and chest compressions. After about 30-minutes they had him revived and stabilized for transport to a local hospital, but had to wait for the ambulance to arrive.

Thank God he was talking and breathing as they left with him.

Forty minutes late already, they were able to resume the boarding process. We were then in the air to Dallas-Fort Worth airport where we had a connection to make going on to Phoenix. The pilot did a good job and was able to make up about half of the lost time.

For us, the saga was to continue.

We arrived at our connecting gate in time for our next leg of the journey. We then discovered that not only had the gate been changed, but it was in an entirely different terminal. But we weren't late because there was a delay involved on this flight, too. Once boarded and ready to depart, the plane pulled away from the gate and headed to the tarmac - where we sat for over an hour awaiting the delivery of commissary supplies. All of this happened because of the original gate change. We eventually left from Dallas for Phoenix, and arrived about 1-1/2 hour after the original planned arrival.

Then we caught a shuttle to our hotel for the night. The next morning, Tuesday, we would get our rental car and head to Lake Havasu City.

[to be continued]