It’s all my fault, blame it all on me. I just read the following in a local blog:

The latest round of Starbucks store closings hits East County, with close-by locations soon to shut down among 300 worldwide.

[Photo from the ‘net; I’m not in it.] Both of the soon-to-close Starsucks locations are close to where I live. Okay, I’m not a wuss, I can take it: blame me! I really don’t like the urban guppie/yuppie-ism to which Starsucks appeals, and the almost zombie-like drones who fall for it and spent $5 on a cup of coffee! Are they nuts or just made of money? (probably both. Just check their cell phone bills.)

Did I have something to do with the closing of these two stores because I never patronized them?

… I doubt it. But will I miss them?

Nope.

Life is more simple and cost-effective when we do things like prepare our own meals and brew our own coffee at home. In a month, you can save the world by donating the money you save to a good cause (or two, or three.) Donating to “good causes” is a great appeal to the save-the-planet guppies.

Today, April 28, is the date when my father died so many years ago. I remember that day clearly, though I’d rather not. And it was a Tuesday… just like today. My sister woke me up, told me the news about how he had died a few hours earlier at the hospital, and took me and my siblings who were at home to her house.

Rather than be morose, I decided that today of all days, I would remember my Dad and the things he liked to do and share with us kids.

I made arrangements a few weeks ago to eat lunch at his old office, though I don’t know anyone there now. I will go visit the reservoir where we used to go fishing, and skip a rock. I will sit in our garden and admire God’s handiwork. My Dad didn’t have much of a green thumb, but he loved to spend time in the garden. He would love what my partner has done with ours.

I will communicate with my family, and share our love. I’ll drop by the cemetery, and bring some flowers that he and Mom liked. I’ll sit cross-legged and have a chat with him about life.

I have benefited a great deal from my Dad, in learning, loving, caring, thinking, and yeah: smiling. Thanks Dad for everything — especially for sharing your smile and encouraging us to do so, too.

Life is short: if your Dad is alive, give him a call, pay him a visit and give him a hug, let him know you’re thinking of him. Don’t wait for just Father’s Day: your Dad is your father every day. Say those magic words: “I love you.” It really means a lot.

Good news! The house I bought a few weeks ago is now all completely renovated. I installed new electrical wiring (upped to 200 amp service), some new plumbing, and put in a more fuel-efficient burner and fan in the furnace. Through contractors, there is newly installed central cooling and new Corian countertops in the kitchen. That old horrid baby-blue tile on the floor and walls of the kitchen is gone, gone, gone … replaced with neutral-colored resilient flooring that was a snap to install and is easy maintain, and new drywall where that stuff was on the wall.

I did most of the renovation work myself with my partner handing me tools and helping as best he could. I found it was actually cheaper to have a company provide and install the countertops than for me just to buy the countertops myself. Plus, I had painters do the painting (I really dislike painting) and carpet-layers install new carpeting (doing that makes me sneeze like crazy). Anyway, it’s all done! Yippie! Now I can concentrate on the work on my partner’s list of “Spring gotta dos” in our yard and gardens.

Knowing that the house would soon be ready, I listed its rental availability on an on-line bulletin board used by teachers in our school district last Friday. Within an hour of listing it, I had over 50 email messages. By Saturday morning, I literally had people lining up to see it. I was astounded. I think the demand and the interest — which is dramatically higher than when I have listed any other property — is a function of the current bad economy and the reasonable monthly rent I will charge.

Rather than struggle to learn which potential tenant had the most heart-compelling story (they all did), I decided to interview the first five serious applicants who inquired, and pick one of them. I ran a background check (I can’t be too careful as a landlord), and it came back squeaky clean within hours. The lease is all signed and sealed. She and her family will move in next week. I’m still a bit dumb-founded. Less than a month ago I had no idea this was going to happen!

Life is short: wear your work boots and productively assist your community heroes!

My partner is a serious grocery shopper. He religiously cuts coupons. When the food section arrives in the paper on Wednesday, he reviews the ads closely.

Then we have this long session where he goes through the ad to identify which items are on sale that we ordinarily buy. He matches the sales with coupons.

Then on top of that, the store where we regularly shop matches competitor’s store coupons. Lately, one major chain has been offering $10 off a $50 grocery order, and another offers $5 off a $25 order. Then they run coupons of their own … which our regular store will match.

Friday is the regular shopping day in our household. I had a long list. We usually go shopping together, but my partner is visiting his mother so I had to do the shopping alone.

I found every item, used every coupon, and had the store clerk give the discounts for the competitor’s coupons. I must have had 30 coupons…

but you know what? It made a huge difference. I rang up $166.57 in groceries, and by using the store’s loyalty card (which gives the discounts for the sale prices, and brought the total to $115.42), then all those manufacturer’s coupons, and the competitor coupon “match” that my partner diligently finds, I brought the total down to $79.81.

I am ordinarily not one to go to all this trouble, but it was well worth it. My partner is very diligent, and his attention to detail and coupon-snipping saves us a ton of money each week. I love my man for many reasons, and this is one of them. We can put the money we might spend on groceries to good use on the house. Lots of maintenance to do this Spring.

Which reminds me… that’s where I have been and where I will be this weekend: fixing up that old house I bought. I have made a huge amount of progress, and if everything gets done this weekend as I plan, then it will be ready to be painted and have carpeting installed by the third week of April — a week earlier than expected. But… I am going on a motorcycle ride on Sunday. Gotta work in some fun among all the renovation stuff.

Life is short: clip your coupons!

Yesterday was a big day. I was officially presented the award that I blogged about in January. I’m on such a high that my silly grin still won’t be wiped off my face, and I am still floating on air, boots and all.

It began with a surprise upgrade to First Class on the flights to the city where a conference was being held and at which the award was presented. It continued with being picked up at the airport and escorted to the hotel in a huge Suburban with two bike cops clearing traffic. For lil’ ol’ me? Who woulda thunk?

It continued when I got to the hotel and was given a key to a suite, complete with a 5,000-pound fruit basket, compliments of the host committee.

Dinner with old friends — well, shall I say “really long-term but not-that-old”) — on Tuesday night was a hoot. If I weren’t such an early-bird, I could have stayed up all night. But I was a good boy, and got to bed by 9.

I tried to give away the fruit at a breakfast on Wednesday morning, but the hotel had provided more and more fruit. I had to bring the basket back to my room… unpartaken (except for a couple bananas that I ate).

I spent most of the morning attending the conference that brought me, and enjoyed listening to the presentations and thinking, “my, my, my, how things have not changed.”

Then the big event — the awards lunch. I can’t/won’t go into detail, but let me say that it was truly special and I am deeply grateful and honored. The standing ovation was more than I expected, and the acknowledgments for the contributions to my profession were beyond belief. I am just a man who was in the right place, at the right time, and who had the freedom to extend his passion across a broad spectrum. That couldn’t happen today as the organization where I did that work is a mere shell of itself now (and its decline is a main reason why I left), but was wonderful in the heyday of enabling such accomplishments.

The part of the event about which I was most anxious was a celebratory dinner last night. It was hosted by a well-regarded media outlet and one of its most well-known “gurus.” He razzed me, joked around, made up stories (no, I didn’t go bald before he did! I still have [some] hair!) The event was more of a roast, but all in good fun. I was able to relax, laugh, and have a great time.

My only regret if I have one is that my partner wasn’t with me. He joined me at the January presentation, but he said that this event was “your time with your people.” He knew that I would have to continue to introduce him, and he didn’t want any attention. He hates crowds. Funny, he likes to dress up, and I don’t. I like crowds, and he doesn’t. Oh well, we share many other things in common.

I’m winging my way back home as you read this, and will return to some semblance of “normal life.” My twin brother arrives late tonight to spend Easter with us. I love having him around. We have something special planned for the kiddos this weekend. Te he.

By the way, I found a good use for the fruit basket — there was a homeless shelter not that far from the hotel, and I donated it to them. They were very happy to get it.

Life is short: You gotta love it!

As I have blogged about before, I witnessed a great friend and fellow motorcycle rider get killed by a cell-phone-yapping yuppie. Six years ago today that horrible crash happened. Rick died on the scene. It was an awful sight, and I still have nightmares.

I haven’t stopped riding, but I am still quite nervous, especially when statistics continue to show that more and more people use cell phones all the time, and many continue to yap-and-talk while driving. Worse nowadays are those who text-and-talk.

The Commonwealth of Virginia finally had a little bit of courage to pass a bill that the Governor signed into law to make texting while driving a secondary offense. This watered-down bill is better than nothing at all.

My own state’s legislature (Maryland) has no guts, no courage, and no intelligence, particularly those who serve on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee before whom I testified, but who couldn’t pass the bill out of committee this year. SHAME ON THEM!

They all yap on their cell phones all the time. Even when the committee was presented with strong evidence compelling the reasons to pass a measure to make talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving or texting while driving a primary offense — and even with the support of the Maryland State Police (this year was the first time they got behind the legislation) — the darn fools once again won’t pass the bill. What a crying shame. And I am ashamed of each and every one of the committee members who voted against the bill. SHAME SHAME SHAME! BOO! HISSSS!

I commend my district’s state senator for drafting the bill and getting co-sponsors for it. He is, at least, trying to do the right thing, even if some of his colleagues won’t support him.

Meanwhile, I spoke with Cindy last night. Cindy was Rick’s wife. She is doing okay. Their children are growing, and doing okay. But she was melancholy, and I can understand why. She moved out-of-state about a year after Rick’s crash, but we have kept in touch. She misses Rick so much. The kids still ask about him from time to time, but their memories are short, and they don’t know who their Daddy really was: a man of integrity, intelligence, political savvy, and who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. In many ways, he was my political soulmate, whose absence continues to be felt deeply.

I’ll keep fighting for what’s right. You would think that legislating common sense is unnecessary. Unfortunately, there are so many people who have no common sense at all, and continue to yap-and-drive lethal weapons down the highway.

Hang up and drive. The life you save could be your own.

My partner seldom wants to go anywhere and it is even less often that he comes up with an idea of something he wants to do. Yesterday was an exception.

We joined a group that went to Philadelphia for a “rail fan” tour. In the morning, we toured the 30th Street Station in Philly and learned about its history. We then got to see Amtrak’s operations center which is also located there. It was an interesting behind-the-scenes insight into how Amtrak’s operations run.

We had lunch at the station, and boarded a bus which took us to a trolley car barn operated by SEPTA, the authority that runs public transit in Philly. We boarded a chartered PCC II trolley car for a delightful trip all over the city. We stopped several times for “photo ops,” which I did a few times, but honestly, to me, one picture of a trolley car looks pretty much the same as all others. We rode for hours and hours all over Philadelphia. The smile on my partner’s face was endless. He has always had a special fascination with trams, trolleys, and street cars since he remembers them from his days as a kid. We have spent days and days riding trams in Melbourne, Australia; Christchurch, New Zeland; Munich and Frankfort, Germany; Vienna, Austria; Toronto, Canada; and New Orleans and San Francisco, USA. In fact, back in the day when we traveled, half of our time playing tourist was just to ride the trams.

I enjoy it when my partner is happy. He works so hard and does so many things to help me that the rare times he wants to do something for his own happiness is only my pleasure to support.

Life is short: keep smiling! Show those you love that you love them.