My Life With Walter Cronkite

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In my life there was no other man more trusted than Walter Cronkite. I grew up with him. To me he was a “grandfather type” that wouldn’t lie to you! You liked him and he would tell you what you needed to know. We would watch old film clips in school about history and Walter was in them I believed they were called “And You Are There” or something close to that.

Not many news anchors even come close to him since he retired. Maybe Peter Jennings was liked a lot but I don’t think it was half as much as Walter. He retired quite a few years ago and he has been missed. Will some one please replace Katie Couric with an older friendly grandfather type!

Customer Service Where Has it Gone?

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Where I live small independent hardware stores are disappearing. When I was in high school I worked in a store called Tovi’s “True Value Hardware” The store was just a few blocks from my parents house and I would work after school and on weekends. You could walk in and ask the toughest questions and we would help you. We would go out of our way to make sure you knew how to handle your problem. If we didn’t know we would find out for you or we knew where to send you. I use to remember shopping with my parents at other stores and I remember the good service they got and they knew their product.

Things are becoming to automated. I ran accross a website recently that told you how to get to a live person at some of the more well known companies that have “800 numbers” automated and put you through phone loop hell. Many times, you can’t even understand the people because of their accents. Your talking to “Bob Smith” and he has a Philippine accent.

I find it fun sometimes to go to Home Depot and walk down my favorite isle. (I use to be a plumber in another life) I love to hear how the clerk who doesn’t know a p trap from a mouse trap try and tell someone how to fix their problem. Usually, they tell a guy “to take this putty and pack it around the leak and that should do it.” I wait a while after the clerk leaves to take care of another poor soul and tell the guy what to do. The problem with that is everyone is listening and then they come like kids to ice cream. Why don’t these retailers wise up and get the big picture. A few years back a bunch of executives from Sears were meeting in my hotel and I guess they were trying to figure out how to improve their hardware sales. I happened to walk by when they were at the bar and heard them discussing their tales of woes. I volunteered the same information that I just mentioned above about un-knowledgeable staff and they end up coming out with their separate “Mini Hardware Stores” I think they still missed the boat and those stores are struggling just as much as before. The Baby Boomers again I think… We wanted things fast, convenient, and we wanted mass quantities. If it isn’t broke don’t fix it! Damn we have broken a lot a good stuff.

My Life My Opinion My Anti – Social Behavior

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My friend Hillary has inspired me with her blog http://baddatesandgooddogs.blogspot.com/

A hot summer event with a crowd is just not my cup of tea either. In fact anywhere people gather you probably won’t find me. Lately I’ve noticed that crowds do bring out the worst in people. The hot sun doesn’t help either. This has been one of the best summers of my life because its been so cool. Someone must have turned off the global warming switch! They might want to check it.

I’m not a drinker either. So get a bunch of guys together with all the beer they can drink is an accident waiting to happen. I think people in general have lost their social skills. Kids growing up today are so into their “video games” they grew up in their little world on their computers so they didn’t socialize much, hence the lack of social skills. We as adults, to some degree, let this happen as our careers became more important than our families. Our tv’s, computers, playstation, and other games became our babysitters.

Could you or your family go without being “connected” for a day? How about being dis-connected for two days or even a week? When we grew up we were told “go out and play.” That meant we left the house and had to figure a way to entertain ourselves. That also meant we had to learn how to interact with other kids and people.

Maybe its happening to adults too. I’ve grown attached to my computer and I’m on it most of the day and a good part of the night. I don’t want to be around people as much so maybe I am becoming anti social. Its easier to become a hermit or a Ted Kaczynski. Maybe we do need tighter controls on society. If a kid thinks its ok to sit facing a computer all day shooting people then how easy is it to corelate that in your mind to real life after days of mindless killing onscreen.

Ok I’ve gone to the extreme here but we have to ask what kind of society is developing here? In Japan I hear its common place for women to be groped on commuter trains and no one does anything. What is our world shaping into? Maybe we don’t have to worry about it, since the Myan’s say things are ending in 2012 anyway.

My Life My Opinion on Holidays

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I do business with a company in Canada and it gets frustrating. They seem to have more holidays then we do here in the states. We have a good number of holidays here in the states but many employers do not recognize them or they are not recognized nationally. I’ve also heard that in Europe it’s the same as in Canada. In fact, employees supposedly get  a month off during the summer and even more vacation days throughout the year.

I’ve grown up here in the Midwest where we have a strong “work ethic”. I’m catholic and you throw in the “guilt thing” and our employers really make out here in the states compared to other countries. The internet has made our world quite a bit smaller. I correspond daily with people in Asia, Europe, South America etc. I think we need to standardize holidays worldwide. Why should Canadians get “Boxing Day” off when we still have to work! I’d like a good “Boxing Day” off. Don’t I deserve it? Hey, I’d gladly celebrate “Victoria Day” too.

Oh yeah there’s something else…. President Obama’s trying to get student loans either written off or discounted severely now.  Back to Europe and Canada again… If you live there besides all the great holidays you also get pretty much a free education! We’ve got alot of catching up to do here in the states.

My Life

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I decided to review all the jobs that I have had in my life. So far, in my life I have been the following…
Retail hardware clerk
Janitor
Short Order Cook
Driveway Sealer
Gardener
Retail Department Manager
Bus Boy

Laborer

Bellman
Hotel Driver
Banquet Manager
Car Salesman

Asbestos Removal
Insurance Salesman
Reflexologist
Plumber                                                                                                                                                                                                             Mortgage Salesman
College Professor

Ad Salesman

Business Journal Publisher
Director of Sales
Sales Manager
General Manager
Director of Marketing

That’s a lot of jobs in one mans life, even for my life.  As they say, I have just enough knowledge to make me dangerous in any of these positions.  I’ve developed many skills in my life because of these jobs.  In growing up I never expected this in my life.  When I was a senior in high school I went down to the Armed Forces Recruiting Center for a “Seniors Day” I took all their tests and I was hoping that they would tell me what I would be good at then I would go into that field!  They called me up and said out of 200 guys that were there, I was in the top ten and I could do what ever I wanted in the Army!  Not the answer I wanted for my life.  I did not enlist. Maybe I should have, it probably would have given me more discipline.  Some of us kidd around and say were still trying to figure what we want to do with our life! “Life is what happens when your busy making other plans”  My life has lead me down this path and as I wonder what my purpose in life is, it really gets down to be pretty simple.  I won’t be remembered for all those jobs.  I may only be remembered for carrying on our family name.  For alot of us that’s all we will be. I’m ok with just that, so I’m pretty much done with my main responsibilities.  Time for “Earl time,” yeah right that’s going to happen, I heard the wife calling again!