I SAW That! Quarters Quarters Everywhere ~~~

I have to laugh.  Today, I saw a headline that said, "A win for people who park too long: Tire marking thrown out".
  
Ohhh, I remember the days so well.  In my city, where a major university resides and more than one building used to be downtown and covered any number of blocks, there were signs posted all over saying, 2 Hr parking or be towed.  Hey, it was college, and so we all came up with smart ways to work it...not saying the occasional ticket wasn't had. But here's what we did:  So there we were, parked in every square inch of the street surrounding the university.  We'd be so careful to note the time we dropped our quarters into the parking meter and we knew our tires would be marked by the ever-vigilant police in the area. It was almost like a club inside the buildings and we coordinated so fast it was amazing. At an appointed time, a group with a handful of keys would run out the door and move each car to the space in front of where they'd been.  Yes, every car moved up one space and then safe again for another 2 hours.  Great idea and it worked for years, but holy smoke, it wasn't easy to run out every 2 hours to make the change for probably 100 cars.  Money saved? Yes.  Tickets saved?  Yes.  Legs crumbling under the strain?  A double yes.  We often wondered why this 'no parking' applied to our school, I mean, for heaven's sake!  But the law was the law and it never, ever changed.  A decade later, that group of buildings left the area and moved back to the suburbs and so the locals of the area had to deal with the problem from then on.  Can you even imagine living on those blocks and running outside in all weather, all seasons, and having to move your car? Insane. 

And so today, I saw that headline and I couldn't help but remember the old days and got a good laugh. Funny thing was, the 3 states that dropped the 'tire marking' did not include mine. Ahh, the good old South, always a couple of steps behind in changes.  Keep your quarters ready and a good pair of running shoes.

                             

I Wonder ~~

We talk about the opioid addiction in this country and yes, painkillers are prescribed for every little thing and that's dead wrong (do not pardon the pun), but I can't help but wonder about another addiction and it's world-wide: The Creeping Facebook Addiction. It gets you before you even realize it. I don't go there anymore but I still get notifications and it amazes me how absolutely everyone posts every few minutes of every single day. They are SO comfortable and so blinded by it all that they even post where they are, where they're going, how long they'll be gone and everything else pertinent for any robber. What's the matter with these FB folks? Do you really think that anyone cares what TV show you're watching or what you're having for lunch and where? Crossing the line has become a 'so what'. Cursing out others' beliefs are commonplace and photos to show every little thing about families are rampant on the world-wide-web, always to be available to anyone and some of those 'anyones' could be up to no good. If you must post these personal photos or information about where you are, etc, then make your page completely private EXCEPT to your own family --- not friends or others you don't even know, just immediate family.  As for the rest, if you want to keep in contact, then call them with your own voice. And if you want to have an open forum on your thoughts, such as this, then start a blog. At least it's a true form or conveying feelings and ideas and not just a place to post a cartoon or yell at your neighbor. A blog; wow, what a novel idea!
                             
                           (I am on such a rant right now and happy to let it all out)

I miss the days of true human contact. NO texts, just pick up the darn phone and call or answer yours. Here's an example from just a few days ago: I PHONED my neighbor to ask how her husband was as he'd been in ICU for 2 weeks. I also was going to ask if she'd like to share my dinner with me so she'd have a break from all the stress. I got her voice mail. I left the message and asked for her to call me back or meet me at our adjoining fence. I got a TEXT. A longgggggggg text. Must have taken her 5 min to type it all. No phone call. She never even acknowledged the dinner invitation. Craziest of all is her ending of the text: "You are such a loving and caring, helpful neighbor. I am so lucky." Ask me if I was overjoyed to see the typing instead of hearing it in person. For God's sake, put down the smartphone, go offline, go outside. We all talk about how great the 'good old days' were, so what's holding anyone back from RE-doing them?  I'll tell you what it is. It's smartphones and FB.  You know it's true, it's just a hard habit to break. Make the move. Carry that phone in the car for emergencies, not to chit chat. Do that in person.  Sit down together, have coffee, have tea, have wine, have anything, just make sure you have each other and not empty typed words.  Do it.

So now you answer the question:  What's more addictive, Opioids or FaceBook?  They sure seem to be running neck and neck. Do you agree?  Then click "Like".

                                               NOOOOOOOO!!!