Today was the last day of May, so tomorrow I'll be hitting the coinstar machine with the "Hot Dog Truck Operator's Relief Fund" to get a count on the total change in the bucket!
I'll announce the total dollar amount and the winner sometime over the weekend, so stay tuned!
CASH MONEY CONTEST UPDATE
Chicken Dogs
1981 Oscar Mayer Weiner commercial starring Foghorn Leghorn. I just LOVE old commercials! And the kid is smart enough not to put ketchup on his hot dog!
Kids and Sports
I came accross this article while perusing the Sunday "paper" online. I couldn't have said it better myself!
By Meredith O'Brien
GateHouse News Service
Mon May 21, 2007, 09:07 AM EDT
It's hard to be a good sport.
A parental good sport, that is.
Especially when you're in the midst of youth sport insanity. Sure, you may sometimes have the urge to tell your son, "You could grow up to be Tiger Woods some day, rake in millions in endorsements and have your life chronicled on sports pages worldwide." Or to wax enthusiastic to your daughter, "You could be the next Mia Hamm, what with your drive, determination and talent. World Cup look out for you!"
But there's a fine line between being an optimistic parental cheerleader and someone who has lost one's grasp of reality, the person who reasons that because Tiger started playing golf before he could read, that if you push your kid to spend quality time at the links at age 2, he'll be set for life. There's a line between maintaining a reasonable limit on how much of a grade schooler's time should be devoted to organized sports, and pushing a youth athlete and her entire family to the brink with non-stop sports activities before said athlete has even entered puberty.
I'm of the mind that giving my kids breaks from sports serves an important purpose to give them a broader perspective. But I've found that the moderate approach of limiting grade school-aged child's sports activities to one a season, makes me look like an undedicated stick-in-the-mud in the youth sports world. You've given up. You look like a spoilsport because other parents are letting their kids play multiple sports, and play some of them year-round, despite the admonitions of pediatricians and youth sports experts that it's bad for young children to repeatedly play a single, organized sport.
Case in point: My 8-year-old son Jonah loves soccer. But, sadly, he's not likely to be the next David Beckham. And that's fine with me; I don't expect him to be a super-jock. He's simply playing the sport because he likes it and because teamwork and physical activity are good for him.
However, the second grader and I butted heads this past winter when he wanted to sign up for baseball AND soccer in the spring. I said no. After conferring with my husband, we told Jonah that he could play one spring sport. "You're going to take a break from soccer," I told him, noting that he'd played soccer throughout the fall, as well as for several sessions in an indoor league (that was my husband's idea).
However Jonah knew that many of his peers were going to be playing both sports and worried aloud that he'd fall behind his schoolmates skill-wise, and that, come September, Jonah would pay a price for not playing in the spring or in the summer, as I'm planning on putting the kibosh on summer soccer as well.
Did I mention that Jonah's in the second grade? And he's already fretting over his athletic future. Sadly, it's not unreasonable for Jonah to worry that some people might think he's not dedicated to soccer or think less of his skills if he, at his tender age, takes two seasons off. I've heard coaches and parents question the commitment and/or skill set of children who "skip" a season of a sport. I've heard parents whose own children are involved in sports, question why, for example, a 9-year-old would want to take up a new team
sport given that the other kids have been playing it since they were barely out of their Pull-Ups.
I feel as though I've fallen through the rabbit hole. Aren't these "athletes" still children? Shouldn't their parents strive to help them lead well-rounded lives, with time for school, sports, religious worship, recreational reading, pointless games, goofing around with friends and, oh yeah, maybe some unhurried moments for that oft-overlooked thing called family time? (Time spent in vehicles furiously dashing around - parents fueled by quadruple-espresso-shot lattes – while dropping off and picking kids up at various practices and games doesn't count.)
Why is there societal pressure to specialize in a sport at age 8? From where did this notion arise, a notion that would prompt a second grader to fear falling behind his peers if he doesn't play three consecutive seasons of soccer?
I know that the folks who enroll their kids in year-round sports, the ones who commit family time and money to trek to tournaments, sports camps and leagues galore, are well intentioned. They want their children to be happy, to thrive and succeed. And if there are all these opportunities and leagues out there designed to sharpen children's skills in a sport, well then, there must be a reason why they're available, I imagine them thinking.
When I'm in the middle of all of this, it's sometimes hard for me not to recognize that I'm developing tunnel vision and that I need to see the larger picture. It's alarmingly easy to get sucked into the vortex of youth sports.
I have three children, all of whom currently play a sport. Between having three kids playing one sport per season (the exception being my daughter who also takes gymnastics classes which run the length of the school year, in addition to soccer), coaching, volunteering to teach at our church's Sunday school and work, my husband and I find that our free time is very limited.
Even with the one-sport-per-season-per-kid restriction, I'm frequently overwhelmed with trying to manage three sets of practices and games. But, because my husband and I haven't allowed our kids to play a single sport year-round, we're the odd parents out.
So imagine my delight (and smug sense of satisfaction) when I happened upon
Brooke de Lench's book, “Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in
Youth Sports” and read her admonitions that "early specialization reflects an
adult-, not a child-centered youth sports system."
"The enthusiasm and passion a child may show for a particular sport is not enough to justify excessive training or participation on a select team," de Lench, the founder of MomsTeam.com, wrote. "After all, you don't hesitate to limit the amount of time your children spend on other activities they enjoy, e.g. television and video games. Why shouldn't you also place appropriate limits on the amount of time they spend playing ultra competitive, super organized sports? Such excessive parental control promotes a youth sports structure reflective of the values and expectations of adults, not of
children."
So I'll clutch my copy of Home Team Advantage and let my son blame me for thwarting his budding soccer career by saying, "No" to spring soccer. I'll take my lumps. And try to be a good sport about it. And I'll tell him, "There's always next year."
The original article appears HERE.
Blog Your Blessings Sunday VII
On this Memorial Day Weekend, please remember those who have fought and died for their country.
Corinthians 9:7
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?
The Hot Dog Man's Online Money Making Mission: Introduction
There are a lot of money making blogs out there. This blog is not about making money, but I do things on this blog to make myself a few bucks. I initially started this to get some publicity and to have an online "home" for my Hot Dog Truck. I enjoyed creating all the silliness and sought to find ways to earn some extra money from growing readership.
The only money I spent setting up this blog was for the purchase of a domain name. When I found out "thehotdogtruck.com" was available, I dropped the 9 bucks for the domain. It was money well spent.
So I thought I'd outline, in a series of posts, my experiences with creating a blog and making money with it.
The first part will be a collection of the resources I used to learn about blogging, site design and how to make money blogging.
The second part will highlight some of the programs I have been involved with.
The third part will highlight the programs that have had success earning money.
Stay tuned for the series of articles!
The Police are back!
THIS POST IS SPONSORED
If you grew up in the 80's, you listened to the Police. They were everywhere on the airwaves and they were a truly global act. I happened to like the Police quite a bit in those days, particularly the earlier stuff.
The tracks on the new double police cd are listed below, I am a "disc one" type of Police fan. I saw them three times live back in the day. Once was in a smallish club venue before their first album (remember "albums?") really took off. Another time was in the Cape Cod Colesium- a general admission venue that seated about 12,000. The last time was in old Foxboro Stadium with 65,000 other Police Fans. The first two concerts were pretty cool, the stadium one sucked, I was at the opposite end of the stadium from the stage and it just wasn't intimate enough for my tastes.
I had all the Police albums but my album collection has been gone for a long time. So I have no Police music in my collection anymore. It would be cool if the PayPerPost folks could send me a free police cd for writing this post! If they did, they'd be hooking up a Policeless hotdogman.
The Police are an act I'd go see on a reuinion tour if I could get good seats. My days of sitting in the cheap seats are over-its good seats or "see the movie" for me!
If you like the Police, get the police cd
or put it on your wish list.
The Police
Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. Fallout
2. Can't Stand Losing You
3. Next to You
4. Roxanne
5. Truth Hits Everybody
6. Hole in My Life
7. So Lonely
8. Message in a Bottle
9. Reggatta de Blanc
10. Bring on the Night
11. Walking on the Moon
12. Don't Stand So Close to Me
13. Driven to Tears
14. Canary in a Coalmine
Disc: 2
1. Do Do Do de da da Da
2. Voices Inside My Head
3. Invisible Sun
4. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
5. Spirits in the Material World
6. Demolition Man
7. Every Breath You Take
8. Synchronicity I
9. Wrapped Around Your Finger
10. Walking in Your Footsteps
11. Synchronicity II
12. King of Pain
13. Murder by Numbers
14. Tea in the Sahara
Choo Choo Charlie
OK, so this isn't a Hot Dog related video. So sue me.
I have candy sometimes at the truck. And this little commercial is a true classic! If you find yourself humming or singing this to yourself, don't blame me!
I am getting a new car!
Well not "new" new, but new to me.
My brother is getting a new car and asked me if I wanted his old Ford Escort. I know the Escort is kind of a wimpy ride, but the gas for my Suburban is just killing me. The Escort will get twice the gas mileage and with gas at $3.00 plus per gallon, I'll save $50 a week! Plus the price on the Escort is right: FREE!
The Suburban will be "mothballed" or sold-I haven't decided yet. If you want a gas guzzling beast of a vehicle, email me.
It could also double as a storage shed!
Punny but True
There is a lot of construction going on to the roads in my community as a result of a new mall development. One of the "concessions" the town got the developers to agree to was to pay for granite curbing and expanded sidewalk construction for the streets in neighborhoods in the "entry zones" of the new mall. The concept is that granite curbing and wider sidewalks provide a more residential feel and subconsciously cause drivers to drive slower.
Sounds good to me and it will make those neighborhoods more safe and attractive.
Other neighborhoods in town are also eligible for granite curbing and wider sidewalks on a "first come, first served" basis until the funds for construction provided by the developers runs out. Neighborhoods must organize and present proposals to the planning board according to a predetermined set of criteria. There is a deadline on presenting proposals and the sooner a proposal is submitted, the sooner that neighborhood will receive the funding and approval for the construction. Once the budget is exhausted, there will be no more sidewalk widening or curbing installation under the auspices of this particular program.
It just goes to show you, the early word catches the berm!
The Silence is Deafening
Tonight we have the Red Sox vs. Yankees in New York. This is normally a big rivalry, but the shine is off it just a bit this week. My Boston Red Sox have the best record in baseball. They have combined good starting pitching and timely hitting with a bit of luck and appear to be running away with the A.L. East.
Toronto was done the minute B.J. Ryan went in for surgery.
Baltimore is Baltimore.
The Devil Rays are the Devil Rays.
That leaves us with the Yankees, ten and a half games out. Their "best line-up in baseball" (I said that) has gone silent. Their starting pitching staff is snake bit with bad luck, nagging injuries, lack of intestinal fortitude (Pavano) and age. Their bullpen is overused, mishandled and ineffective. Their closer looks toasted. Their manager is on the chopping block. Their G.M. should be arrested for fraud. Their fans, normally boastful and vocal, are SILENT.
Actually, its kind of nice.
Weekend Washout
What had promised to be a hectic weekend was made far less hectic by rain. Two soccer games, two baseball games (the same game actually-Saturday's rainout became Sunday's rainout), and a school picnic were cancelled. What had promised to be a weekend of running around ended up being more of a sitting around weekend.
My wife still had to coach, but someone had the forsight to build indoor swimming pools, so she was at her meet all weekend.
I ended up watching The Sixth Sense with my oldest and she was surprised by the ending. Remember all the "hush hush" about the ending when that movie came out? It was fun to watch her figure it out. The Red Sox had a good weekend, taking 2 out of 3 from the Braves-I wouldn't have seen any of the games had it not been for the rain.
So now we'll have a "scrambling weekend" some other time.
At least I saved about $50 in gas!
Blog Your Blessings Sunday VI
Today is the last day of Church Choir for my kids until the fall:
Exodus 32:18
"It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear."
Disclosure Policy
This policy is valid from 19 May 2007
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact hotdogman@thehotdogtruck.com.
This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.
The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org
All that being said, its MY BLOG and I'll write what I damn well please!
Parenting Teens
THIS IS A SPONSORED POST
As you know I have five kids. I have one teenager now and will eventually have FOUR at the same time!
I am studying for my Master's Degree in Education and I will eventually be teaching teens, so I try to figure out as much about them as possible. I am fortunate to have experience coaching (younger)teens and I have a good rapport with them.
It is not always so easy with your own. The natural rebelliousness of teenagers can often times turn the parent/child relationship into an adversarial one. It is important for parents to be aware of what your kids are involved in, who their friends are and where they are at all times. Too many tragedies occur to teens who don't have the proper guidance, discipline and adult role models.
Unfortunately, even the most well intentioned parents can lose control. Teens can suffer from a variety of problems regardless of the quality of the parents. Finding good resources to help you in dealing with your teen is important, especially if you are the parent of a troubled teen. Parenting Teens is a great website with all sorts of resources for parents of troubled teens. Even if your teenager is well adjusted and "normal" its a good idea to flip through this site so you can recognize warning signs of trouble.
For parents who are losing control of their teen, there is a pretty extensive behavior modification program for troubled teens.
While no one source can offer all the answers for raising teens, a site like Parenting Teens is a good resource to have in your "library."
If you are the parent of a troubled teen, check the site out or give them a call.
Why I don't work Weekends
People always ask me at the Hot Dog Truck if I am open on weekends. I am not.
The reason: 5 kids aged 14, 12, 10, 10 & 2.
Today (Saturday) we had a 9AM away soccer game, an 11:45 AM away soccer game, a 2PM baseball game and a 2PM dance recital practice! All this while toting around a 2 year old and my wife is away coaching a swim meet all weekend! AAAAARRRGH!
Thank goodness the games were rained out!
Which leaves tomorrow: 9AM church choir for the 12 and one of the ten year olds, 11AM church choir for the 14 year old, a 2PM dance recital for the 14 year old, a 2PM School picnic for one of the ten year olds and a 4PM baseball game for dad and the 12 year old; and my wife is gone all day coaching a swim meet! AAAAARGH!
Thank goodness "Snapperhead" can watch the 2 year old for a few hours! Everyone will be where they need to be on time.
They say it takes a village to raise a child. In our case it takes a village just to drive everyone around!
Sometimes I can't wait for Monday mornings!
Going to Amsterdam, again!
The first time I went to Amsterdam, I was 16 years old and I went with my parents. We were visiting friends who lived in the Hague and we travelled all over Europe by car with them. Amsterdam was a cool place and my friend and I discovered a few "coffee shops" that served more than coffee (if you know what I mean). We went to many of the art museums and cultural attractions in Amsterdam then, but we did not get to see some of the more "grown-up attractions."
Amsterdam is a city that leaves you wanting more, so I went back twice since that first trip. The last time I went to Amsterdam I stayed here. I have yet to got to Amsterdam with my lovely bride, but we're looking to go next year sometime sans children.
One of the good things about Amsterdam is its people. There are folks from all over the world there and the natives are very friendly. They are also eager to speak English-unlike some other European countries- so communicating is relatively easy. There are a lot of art museums in Amsterdam worth seeing and its a fun party city.
Amsterdam has a wide variety of places to stay and its not too expensive. Can't wait to go back!
Brothers in Law
I have two brother-in-laws, known affectionately as "Snapperhead" and "Zipperhead." They are twins.
"Snapperhead" lives locally and is constantly at our house doing his laundry, drinking MY beer and generally just hanging out. He's between girlfriends now so we are seeing more of him. When he has a girlfriend we don't see him for months at a time-any ladies out there take note HE'S AVAILABLE. I kid him a lot but he does help with babysitting so we try to appease him without letting him get too comfortable.
"Zipperhead" is another story. He's the bohemian of the family. I've never known him to hold a steady job (until now-more on that in a bit). He basically travels the world, working a bit here and there to earn enough to get to his next stop. Every time I see him, he's got a new beauty on his arm and a ton of interesting stories. He'll magically appear at a summer barbecue then disappear for months on end. The occasional postcard is the only clue to his whereabouts. He's either the most worldly hippy on the planet or a CIA spy. All the men in our family pretty much hate him because we want to live his lifestyle!
Along the line over the past few years "Zipperhead" became a gourmet chef. He's currently working at a swanky restaurant in Hawaii, dating a gorgeous woman who breeds and brokers racehorses internationally and hitting the beautiful beaches of Hawaii every day. Now everyone in the family hates him!
This situation does have positive implications for the Hot Dog Man and his lovely bride. We now have an extra excuse to go to Hawaii and, according to my wife, free lodging and free gourmet meals. Having seen some of "Zipperhead's" past abodes, I think I might opt for something a little more luxurious, like these big island hawaii luxury homes. If I drop the dime to go to Hawaii, I want to go to Hawaii in STYLE!
Whether or not we make it to Hawaii while "Zipperhead" lives there or not, its definitely on our vacation list.
Little League update
My "Little" Red Sox are 5 games into the season and we stand at 2 wins, 3 losses.
We have a good team, but they sometimes get jumpy and throw the ball all over the place which was the cause of 2 out of our 3 losses.
The one thing we haven't found yet is the "shut down" pitcher. On my past squads, I have always had one or two kids who can just shut down the other team without question. That kid has not showed himself yet this season. On the plus side for the pitching, we have many talented pitchers who can do enough to keep us in games and let our offense take the game into our hands.
We have a good hitting squad and we run the bases well. We can put the pressure on offensively and score at will. I predict a successful season!
Just Goofin'
I don't know if anyone has seen this:
in my sidebar, that's why I'm doing a post about it. Its a new blog called "Just Goofin'" that goofs on other blogs. You can even submit a "goof" of your own. Click the button to check it out.
John Chow and Dosh Dosh have been goofed on so far, will your blog be next?
Stuck for Recipe ideas?
If you are stuck for a unique idea for whipping up a nice meal or dessert, there are thousands of free recipes on Cookingspot.com. You can search for recipes by ingredients, recipe name and a variety of categories.
It's nice to be able to go online, enter the items in the pantry and have a few options given to you.
Now if I could only get my wife to cook.....
Canadian Pepsi Commercial, eh.
Pepsi would be easy to keep cold in a hockey rink!
Get a load of the players: no helmets, no goalie masks and look at the hitting!
Hockey has sure changed since the 60's.
Pepsi, thankfully, has not.
Another Snack Bar Ad
As frequent readers know, I love these old drive-in-movie intermission ads.
I wish there were more drive-in movies theatres around these days. Back in the late 70's - early 80's we had 4 or 5 local choices for drive-in movies. Those sites are now shopping malls or office buildings these days.
I guess that's the price of progress.
vandalism
I was vandalized last winter (2006). Apparently my truck was one of 20-25 businesses, homes and vehicles hit in a late night spree.
I received a call from the Southborough police on a Saturday alerting me to the vandalism; at the time I didn't know about the spree.
I was quite surprised when a news truck pulled up during lunch the following Monday! Talk about a slow news day. While it was upsetting to be vandalized, the incident's exposure on the news led to a jump in business.
Anyhoo, you can view the news clip HERE.
Just not on a hot dog...
Here's a classic Ketchup Commercial. Campy, just like I like em-but please don't put ketchup on a hot dog!
If anyone knows what show this ad was from, I'd love to know.
Isn't the actor Buster Crabb?
Blog Your Blessing Sunday V
Happy Mother's Day
Unlike any other Sunday, today is a day to be thankful for the biggest blessing of all: your own birth. Remember all you have to feel thankful for today. More importantly, remember the mother who gave you life!
Proverbs 23:25
May your father and mother be glad;
may she who gave you birth rejoice!
The Mortgage Man
THIS IS A SPONSORED POST
Everyone wants to know more about mortgages. I was a Mortgage Broker before becoming a Hot Dog Man, so I know a little bit about the subject!
It is a wacky business with a great many "shady operators." Many of the loose lending practices of the previous five years or so are creating ugly situations for many homeowners who cannot afford the payments on their mortgages. There were a great many companies who offered and wrote mortgages to people who merely needed to prove they had a pulse to get a loan. The result is a lot of bad loans, foreclosures and heightened regulations for the lending industry.
When I started in the business home values were increasing and interest rates were falling and they eventually hit all-time lows. Many people were looking to remortgage their home to take advantage of lower rates and to pull cash out of their homes. I was making money just by sitting around the office. Walk-ins were common and just about anyone who owned a home refinanced their home.
While this boom in refinancing was going on, I managed to carve out a comfortable niche in the "Jumbo Loan" market- mortgages for people who needed to borrow over $300,000 (the limit kept rising with rising home prices). I dealt primarily with refinancing existing mortgages and providing mortgages to people buying million dollar homes (a market which is very thin right now.
Some of my collegues devoted their energies to bad credit risk customers who needed secured loans to get out of mounting credit card and other consumer debt. That was never a market that interested me personally, but many of the lenders payed good commissions and were fast and loose with their underwriting policies. There were even wholesale reps from lenders who "encouraged" fraud to get deals approved! Like I said before, it was a shady business.
Compared to being a mortgage broker, being a Hot Dog Man is much more fun and a lot less shady!
They haven't all been eaten!
Regular readers know about my daily stop at the ditch near my truck to check on the frogs. Today I got a pleasant surprise! No snakes and this little guy sunning himself!
click on picture to enlarge
All is right with the world!
The Office of the Jury Commissioner for the Commonwealth
Whew.
Just reading that title makes you shudder. Imagine how I felt when I got this letter:
They were threatening me with being a criminal jury duty evader for missed jury duty in 2002!?!?! Apparently evading jury duty is an arrestable offense. I did not evade jury duty though, I actually last served sometime in 2003. That jury duty in 2003 was a rescheduling of the one they were accusing me of evading. The reverse side of the letter had instructions on how to remedy the situation:
So The Office of the Jury Commissioner for the Commonwealth expected me to come to the courthouse within the next 30 days to serve jury duty. Now I am not in ANY way one to shirk my civic responsibilities. I have served jury duty 4 times and I actually sat on a jury and deliberated in a two day drunk driving trial back in the late 1980's. We acquitted the accused. The arresting officers found him asleep in the back seat of his car at the side of the road at 3:30 in the morning. The arresting officer booked him for drunk driving since he appeared "red eyed and disoriented" when they woke him for questioning. The defendant claimed he was homeless at the time and was living in his car. His defense was he was just sleeping and anyone woken from a deep sleep would be red eyed and disoriented. Seemed like a reasonable defense to me. The state offered no evidence of a field sobriety test or blood alcohol test. While there may or may not have been more to the story, based on the evidence, we acquitted the guy.
But I digress. In 2003 when I served, I read a novel and was never called for a trial. I went home knowing I had done my part to keep the wheels of justice turning.
The Office of the Jury Commissioner for the Commonwealth said I hadn't served. I needed to show up in 30 days or be arrested. I don't like closing my truck for ANYTHING in the good weather months because it costs me money. I read the letter and called the 800 number.
I sensed a bureaucratic, on hold music listening to morning waiting to speak to faceless drones in a largely patronage populated state agency clearing up their oversight. I was right.
I explained to the person at the other end of the line my predicament and in very typical state hack language he told me they had no record of my service in 2003 and I absolutely had to appear or face arrest. I kind of flipped out on the guy and said I was OFFENDED that they would brand me a criminal jury evader when I had actually served. I asked him how I could go about getting information from the court where I had served. He gave me another phone number to call. Total talk time (including "on hold" time) for this call: 27 minutes.
When I called the court, I explained my dilemma to the guy on the other end of the line. I told him I served sometime in the spring of 2003. I knew this because I remember having a Little League game that night and I remember what level my son was at the day I served on the jury. The guy informed me that they kept no records more than three years old an he had no way of producing any evidence of my jury service in 2003. Total talk time for this call (including "on hold" time): 19 minutes.
Pissa.
So now I called the first number again and asked them how they could cite me for evading jury duty 5 years ago when they don't keep records more than three years? The irony was lost on the voice at the other end of the line and we kept coming full circle to the fact that if I couldn't come up with evidence I had served in 2003, I'd have to come in in the next 30 days or face arrest. Total talk time for this call (including "on hold" time): 24 minutes.
At this point I figured I might as well go through "the files" at home and attempt to locate the now very important paper I received on the day I served jury duty in the spring of 2003. While going through "the files" I found many things, but nothing remotely resembling evidence of having served. I was resolved that I was probably going to have to sit jury duty for a day, I just needed to find a way to postpone it (like until wintertime) so I wouldn't lose a good volume day at the Hot Dog Truck.
The next morning I called the 800 number again, repeated my tale of woe to another bureaucratic drone. I asked him if I got any points for finding a cable TV bill from the last century and he replied that their computers had been reset on January 1, 2000 and they had no online data going back that far. Honestly, the whole concept of humor is completely lost on these people. Total talk time for this call (including "on hold" time): 12 minutes.
At this point I was transferred to "LEGAL" to plead my hardship case for extending the 30 day time frame for defaulting on a jury duty evasion charge that I was completely innocent of. I felt an overwhelming sense of dread as the hold music played.
Then a funny thing happened. After only 7 minutes on hold, a woman picked up the phone and said "June 5, 2003."
"What?" I said.
"June 5, 2003. That's when you served jury duty."
"How did you figure that out?"
"I got your information from the other gentleman and punched it in on my computer. Its right here. June 5, 2003."
"So am I clear on this evasion violation?"
"Absolutely sir. I honestly don't even know why we generated that letter. Its quite clear you aren't in default. I'm going to disqualify your default right now."
"Will you confirm that in writing?"
"Yes sir. Our office will generate a letter to disqualify your default, you should receive it in the mail in 10 business days."
After getting her name and extension number, I thanked her and said goodbye. I will be laminating this letter and keeping it with the old cable TV bills for safe keeping. Total talk time for this call (including "on hold" time): 13 minutes. Total talk time for all these calls (including "on hold" time): 98 minutes.
Winner: Verizon.
Interview with the Hot Dog Man
I read a LOT. Books, magazines, websites and blogs. When I'm blog surfing I leave comments and I get responses to comments I forget even making!
This post is a result of one of those comments. Her Highness Queen E. Carlie had this interview game going on her blog. I come across her blog a lot in Battle of the Blogs and I usually give it a read 'cuz she's a good writer (I skip the "girly" stuff). So she sends me these questions that I am supposed to answer. Here they are, with the answers:
1. (I've been wondering this for a while, actually.) Where I come from, no hot dog man would ever get away with not serving veggie hot dogs. While I haven't scoured your menu, I've never noticed them listed there. Is there just no demand in your parts?
I have had 2 people ask for veggie dogs in 2 1/2 years! My personal thoughts are that if you are going to have a hot dog , HAVE A HOT DOG. Every veggie dog I have ever tried has sucked BIG TIME. I suppose if a lot of people were asking for them all the time, I'd have some in the fridge, but just about everyone I know thinks they suck too-even my vegetarian daughter. Besides, I have a sign at my truck that says "we have no rabbit food here" and veggie dogs border on rabbit food, so as a matter of policy I wouldn't have them. I do have a veggie wrap however:
2. Tell me one invention you wish you could have been credited with.
My best friend's grandfather invented the machine that makes Thomas' English Muffins have that "fork split" slice when you cut them in half. I like Thomas' English Muffins, always have since as far back as I can remember. I always thought it was cool to have invented something like that. They called my friend's grandfather (appropriately) "the Muffin Man." He had a great beach house and a place in Florida and he always drove a new car with vanity plates that read "MUFFIN" (he was partial to the Oldsmobile Cutlass-a dream car for my generation when we were young-that made him an extra cool grandpa). The summer before my senior year of high school, he gave us the keys to his white Cutlass and asked my friend and me to drive it to Florida to switch it with his Black Cutlass. He gave us the keys to both cars, a Mobil Credit Card and a few bucks and off we went. It was a fantastic trip punctuated by my first para-sailing experience, my first trip to a bar (in Daytona Beach), a trip to Disney World (so cool being there with NO PARENTS) and a rather unpleasant experiment with "Sun In" hair lightener that left my hair orange and my friend's hair a yellowish green. When we got home, I had another friend's mom dye my hair back to black!
Now I'm not sure if I'd want to steal my friend's grandfather's invention. He was a very nice man and I wouldn't want to take his livelihood from him. I'd also be concerned about upsetting the space/time continuum and having that very amazing road trip erased from my memory. My answer to this one would be something similar to the Thomas' English Muffin fork slicing machine: obscure enough that I could maintain a "normal" life, cool enough to make people say "wow, that's pretty cool" when I tell them what I invented, useful (what would my life have been like without those "nooks and crannies"), and profitable so I could afford to hand the keys to two new cars and a credit card to a couple of knucklehead teenagers and not lose sleep over it while I sail around in my luxury yatch.
Anything I may invent will probably be hot dog related. If someone walks up to my truck and wants to license one of my toppings, I am all over it!
3. What is one thing you wish you could change about the blogging community?
Two things:
The first thing I would do is ban anonymous comments. It really frosts me when someone has a strong opinion and they are being critical about something yet they don't have the GUTS to attach their name to their comment. I refuse to publish anonymous comments for certain posts. If you don't want anyone to know what you say, then don't say it!
The second thing I'd change is I'd make The Hot Dog Truck mandatory reading for anyone with a blog (that would undoubtedly boost my readership).
4. Which comic book character (hero or villain) do you most identify with? Why?
I'd say Superman for some obvious reasons: he can fly, he is super strong, he's got x-ray vision and he's chummy with Wonder Woman who is a total babe. The early Superman of my youth didn't have all the angst displayed by more contemporary superheroes. If I was a super hero, I wouldn't want any hang-ups.
My other choice would be Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. His youthful persona and playboy life style coupled with the ability to burst into flames and fly appeal to me.
5. List a couple of things that you are stubborn about no matter how hard you try not to be.
I am stubborn about a great many things and I enjoy being stubborn about the things I deem important enough to be stubborn about. So I guess I don't try too hard to not be stubborn about certain stuff. Therefore, I am not doing anything to be less stubborn-not even contemplating about it. Period. End of discussion.
Whew. That was a fun interview!
Now it’s YOUR turn to play:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your weblog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Blog Your Blessing Sunday IV
Lamentations 3: 21-23
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Update on the ditch on a sunny day
I haven't seen a frog in the ditch all week. I've seen plenty of snakes though. Check out this guy IN THE WATER (click picture to enlarge)!!!
Snakes in the water and no frog sightings; I fear the worst.
A guy on a cool bike came by today.
He was hungry!
Have a good weekend-OPENING DAY for Little League Saturday!
New Layout
New stuff at the Hot Dog Truck!
I just finished switching up my template. This layout is easier to organize and I like the look of it better. Plus there's more dancing hot dogs!
I have also joined ReviewMe! so you'll be seeing some more paid reviews on this site. If that offends you, sorry. I try to make my reviews "story-like" so they aren't like the vanilla reviews you read on other sites. (See yesterday's post)
I figure if I can get paid to write some of this silliness, WHAT THE HECK?
Let me know what you think of the new layout.
Never Play Poker with a guy who brings his own table!
The following is a true story AND a paid review.
I recently got together with my old college roomate who I hadn't seen in about 10 years. His brother lives nearby and my wife and my roomate's brother's wife are chummy. I found out Sam (that's my old roomate) was coming for a visit and my wife and I made plans to get together at his brother's house. It was good to see him after such a long time and I had never met his wife so it was looking like a fun evening.
Now Dani (that's the roomie's brother's wife) is big into playing Texas Hold Em online and she's trying to get to the World Series of Poker. She eventually started talking poker and someone said "hey, why don't we play tonight?"
No sooner had we all agreed to play some Texas Hold Em, Sam runs out to his car and comes back into the house with one of these portable Poker Tables and a big "briefcase" full of Poker Chips.
I'm thinking "Oh boy, here we go, Sammy the Shark and Dani are going to clean us out!" We each threw $20 into the pot and proceeded to play Texas Hold Em. I had the kiss of death-I won the first hand! We played for a few hours, and surprise surprise, the guy who brought the table and chips ended up with all the money!
Playing cards on one of these real Poker Tables is a heck of a lot better than playing at the kitchen table. The "real" Poker Tables have the nice felt surface, little drink holders and this particular one went right on top of the kitchen table. It is also portable which is great for blindsiding unsuspecting former roomates who don't play a lot of poker! I teased him mercifully about lugging a poker table around in his trunk, but he had the last laugh as he took my $20!!!
We're planning a visit to his place in Vermont this summer and he vows to sit us down for some more poker, this time at the "fancy" poker table he has set up in his game room.
I asked him where he got his Poker Tables
since we thought we'd get a table top style one for our house. He said he got them at Cardroom Supply, a nifty online, one stop shopping spot for Poker Tables, chips and any other poker supplies I might want.
I don't know if having my own poker table will help my game, but it'll sure give me an excuse to practice!
Dog Days Update
Well the weather is mighty fine and I am slinging dogs like they're going out of style. I am literally turning people away the minute I arrive to set up. This time of year sees the mass return of the "seasonal worker:" Landscapers, pool guys, painters-anyone who works outside.
Landscapers are the best customers because they are almost always STARVING, they buy a bunch of water and gaterade and there's usually 3 or more guys in a truck. I see many of the same faces from last year and they are a welcome site!
I will be repairing my doors this weekend. One of my flip up doors broke off and I have decided to build a new pair of doors so I can open both up for the warm weather. I'll have some snappy new pics next week.
We had our first scrimmage tonight for our Little League Team and we croaked the opponents 17-5! The boys look good!
Ciao for now.
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