Chapter One nearing an end - hitching a ride

WEATHER - looking ahead still nothing to  talk about except the coming WARM weather. Columbus is looking at 65 on Friday as the peak of this stretch with the high finally slipping before 50 NEXT Wednesday. Cooling down the end of next week to only a few degrees above average (which is 40). The first HINT of rain is Friday the 20th.
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So the first chapter of my book, Fear and Loathing of an Aldermen in a Small Town is nearing an end and it's been a learning experience to say the least.

Last week was yet another experience. When you are told that the current interest rates for bonding is 1% BUT it might tick up a little . . . well . . . . . . a little??  Seriously? 1.8% is a "tick?"  

I'm looking to refinance my house and have been watching interest rates and when I see something "tick" it goes from 3.65% to 3.78%.  THAT is a tick in my book. We were told bond yields were about 1%. maybe they said 1.5%?? and all I heard was 1% but then in reality it was 1.9% which even if it ticked UP from 1.5% . . . that is .4%  which is more then one tick in my book.  Still a good rate for sure, just a little surprise. I should have actually done some research and looked to see what the REAL rates were instead of some vague answer.  Lesson Learned  . . again. 

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Gonna say it one more time  "Last Man on Earth" is hilarious.  DJ was in tears laughing in the last episode and that rarely happens to anybody.  Of the three episodes the 1st has been the worst of the bunch and I don't know how long they can keep it up but January Jones joins the caste of Kristen Schaal, who is a riot and I believe she will be a breakout star, and Will Forte from SNL.

 

 "There's no wrong way to use a Margarita pool."





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Good news for the Columbus deer park - it's getting upgraded with more pine trees and a new shelter and so forth. YEA!!!

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10 things you wish you would have done in your 30s according to Smart Living 

1. Get rid of the "shoulds"  I should get married, I should own a home, I should have kids, I should have a steady career. STOP!!  Enjoy your life with what you are doing and just let it flow!! 

2. Not spending enough time with your parents!  YUP.  Been there! My dad died of lung cancer from smoking and I wish I had spent more time with him. Seriously!

3. Putting work or other obligations first.  Well, that has never been a problem for me!  But if you put work first you will regret the time you are missing with sharing with your family.  Family first!    

4. GET AWAY FROM NEGATIVE PEOPLE.  There is absolutely zero time if you short life to ever be around negative people.  People that when you get done talking to them you feel angry or stressed.  Same with negative thoughts and issues you really have no control over.  A waste of energy.  Your life can be snapped out in a second and do you want to spend the time you have angry?

5. Thinking 30's are old.  Like I'm to old for this!! No you are not! Trust me. 

6. Not taking better care of your body! Actually I was pretty good - gotta get back to that.  I signed up as a member of Anytime Fitness! I suppose my time of atrophy is about to end.  I will have double up my atrophy-ness.  I'm going to buy a Sitbit tracker to make sure I don't use too many calories before they open. 

7. Not taking a chance.  The biggest problem my Badger Care buddy has is he is afraid to take a chance.  If you don't take a chance you will never succeed! 

8. Not saving enough.  I did pretty well. Not a problem but many people forget that they WILL get to be retirement age at some point and you really want to have money when you are not having to go to work every day. 

9. Not traveling enough.  I wish I would have traveled more but I did hitch hike to California a few times.  Never made it as I always stopped in the mountains.  It's also when I first started writing.  If you want adventures, hitchhike a few thousand miles. In fact #7 (Not taking a chance) comes into play because I had never ever hitch hiked in my life until the first time I put my thumb out on I94 that first day (a state trooper picked me up and gave me a lift to the next exit). Some awesome stories on that trip. 

10. Caring too much what others think. Obviously I don't have this problem as I seem to piss off the entire population but not all at the same time.  I think the jist of this one is that you need to be yourself. If people don't like you well . . . it sucks to be you but at least you are living YOUR life.  

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#7 - taking a chance - hitch hiking

I decided I needed an adventure and thought hitch hiking to California was a smart idea since I had never hitched in my life - what could possibly go wrong.  I got let off in Janesvill next to the interstate and for 12 hours did not get picked up. Was I doing it wrong?  I camped out where I was let off and the next day walked up to I90 and started walking to California! 

A State Trooper picked me up and I explained my problem and he drove me to the next exit.  A family coming from church picked me up and took me a ways and then a few hours later two dudes going to California picked me up and their plan was go to CA, sell drugs and live the high life.  But they had no money OR drugs.  BUT, they did have these HUGE incense sticks that they would light and inhale.  Yea - what could possibly go wrong.

Well, they were driving to I80 and stopped and I decided that perhaps we should part ways.  I gave them $10 for gas so they would not end up hitching with me.  

I was then picked up by an AWL Air Force guy that was literally racing across the country and we were picked up for speeding and he was taken to jail but he gave me a crap load of K-Rations.  And that was only 3 days into the 3 week adventure which includes woman, friends, bears, creepy guys where my hand was on my big ass knife (yea - I was packing a awesome blade), hippies, sleeping on cactus and hiding in a trunk at a Yogi Bear Campground.  And that is day 4.  (not really).

Have a great Wednesday.