Tuesday, June 17, 2014

affairs of state



24 comments:

ndspinelli said...

LOL! John Kerry telling someone to "man up" is like a narcissist telling someone to "get over themselves."

Aridog said...

Dang you Chip...now I have to admit to being a nature dork!

Some friends in Montana started this project a couple years ago and I joined in as a backer. They are among the original sponsors of protection of the McNeil River Bears in Alaska when they lived there. They also taught me something about wolves, and referred me to Prof L David Mech on that subject, and their own interaction with them in Denali. So when the butterfly thing came along, simply stepped up because I like them.

Kerry's ugly mug is an insult to Monarchs everywhere, of course :-P

Chip Ahoy said...

I'm pleased as punch )))POW(((
That kind of punch.

I took my truck for maintenance, this and that, and kept thinking of new little things when they called back. My bill went from $430 to $650 before I added recharging the air conditioner.

I kept thinking, this is going to put it over $1000, I just know it. It's how they do.

Then the guy said, "Chip, we recharged your conditioner for free." And I'm all \o/ "yay for freefreon !"

So I had delivered to them a pizza from a nearby specialty shop, for paybacks. Because who doesn't like pizza? And I said, "put on lots of EXTRA CHEESE."

Chip Ahoy said...

Aridog, that is the point. Those are things citizens do on their own without government edict.

In Pennsylvania there was milkweed lining the creek in Dushore (that kills me every time I say it. It is like Mayberry in every sense, except northern and not southern. Check it out in Google Earth if you like. It's where I won first prize for painting gas station windows for halloween when I was in the first grade. Mum told me the lady kept making suggestions, and I kept going, hmm, hmm, hmm, that's very interesting, then ignoring her suggestions and filled her window panes with a glorious Halloween vignettes) leading to a small lake. The seed pods look exactly like fish. When you break one off it bleeds white sticky goo. That you get all over your hands, wipe on your shirt, pants, socks. We tossed milkweed seed pods to the swans swimming around and faked them out and made them choke and cough it back up. Fun, but a bit mean. And that taught those swans a worthwhile lesson: never trust little boys in the first grade with free fish. They're mischievous in nature, unthinking, and unkind.

ndspinelli said...

Your mechanic won't shit for a week w/ all that cheese.

ndspinelli said...
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XRay said...
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Chip Ahoy said...

ndspinelli, there are four of them, I think. I saw three and heard another.

They fix a lot of cars in a day.

I've talked to three people around here who do not like them one single bit, all women, but I used their services three times and they do perfectly well by me.

I need a repair place that I can walk to. I don't have another person to drive me home, or coordinate with.

They're kind of posh for a garage. I said that and they cracked up laughing. I told them I washed my truck before bringing it in to such a posh garage. I'm just glad they're all friendly.

Chip Ahoy said...

I just now cleaned my carpet using Awesome brand you get at Family Dollar store for a few bucks, instead of the 7in1 recommended you get for thirty some bucks, and man oh man, the bucket of water it pulled up is so dirty it's totally ember assing. I sure am glad nobody saw it or knows about it.

Unknown said...

Giddy Hillary today doing what this administration does best- taking credit for the work of others.
Rest assured - this new guy they have in custody (do not question the timing) is going to admit to all that he killed the 4 people in Benghazi because he was upset over THE VIEDO.

ndspinelli said...

As long as a mechanic is honest, they can be slobs to posh, makes no difference. I had a major trauma when I got back to Wi. from San Diego in April. My mechanic of almost 30 years retired. He sold his biz to a Meineke franchisee. I was very direct, telling the new guy he had big shoes to fill. So far, he's been good, but I just had the car in for oil changes. My old man had the same mechanic for close to 50 years. Thankfully, Dad died before the mechanic. It would have been too much for him to lose "Bob the mechanic" as he called him.

People who take their cars to dealerships might as well just give their money to Benny Hinn and have him lay hands on their car. It will be cheaper and maybe better results.

ndspinelli said...

I do like showing appreciation w/ food, as you did Chip. Maybe drop by some prune Danish tomorrow.

ndspinelli said...

I LOVE prunes. I don't know why they get a bad rap?

KCFleming said...

"I LOVE prunes. I don't know why they get a bad rap?"

Nancy Pelosi.

Chip S. said...

Cheese doesn't affect everyone the way it affects you, spinelli.

ndspinelli said...

Really? If you eat a lot of cheese it doesn't back you up?

Chip S. said...

nick, maybe you 'sconnies have a different concept of "a lot of cheese" from the rest of us.

Chip Ahoy said...

The thing is, they never have a customer do that. It was a complete surprise to them. I learned something too. I give food related things to women all the time, but never to a group of guys. Seeing my ninja ways work as well on guys as it does chicks was new to me. There are some beautiful cars out in front of that place too. Today some kind of sports car. I bet those sports car guys just come and go without a second thought about doing something personable and relatable. I don't really know. The mechanics did seem genuinely surprised. And I sure appreciate them refilling my freon for free.

ndspinelli said...

Now see, ChipA, that must be a cultural thing. My family was in the restaurant biz and I knew as a PI, when I was going to have to interview a group of witnesses to a construction accident to bring food to the site for the guys to munch on. Firefighters @ a firehouse who worked on an arson case I was working, many scenarios like that. The attorneys who hired me always remarked @ how much cooperation I got w/ these interviews. I would point out the food expense and tell them that was the secret. I have sent Chines food to my aforementioned recently retired mechanic. My daughter was friend's w/ his daughter growing up. She told me Mike LOVED Chinese food so I would send some to he and his asst. on occasion. But, if you don't have an inside source, pizza is the way to go. If I was doing a group interview in the afternoon, pizza or popcorn, depending on the time. Morning, donuts or bagels.

Aridog said...

Chip Ahoy .... I am delighted to find out that other people do what Judi and I do whenever we're particularly pleased with service. I assumed we were not unique, but never heard or read evidence of that fact.

We even do it with our doctors, surgeons, hospital staffs, etc. It is just a nice, and fairly easy, way to say thanks with substance when you know that a lot of the contact they have post service is negative.

When Judi lay near death in a neuro-surgical ICU for 3 weeks, I cannot say enough positive about the staff there. We went a bit overboard for that crew...with Judi walking and talking re-visiting them at the hospital a month after discharge. That she was a "walkie-talkie" in the ICU parlance was a miracle. Ever see grown men an women literally jump for joy upon seeing a patient of theirs recovered? Not dead.

We gave every single person in that ICU tickets to a Tigers' Baseball game, actually two different ones so that all could attend one or the other. We arranged for the large digital sign in the outfield of Comerica Park to present our thanks to the entire unit plus the surgeons and trauma specialists (who also had tickets) in lights during the 7th inning stretch.

When some one saves your life, or some you hold dear, you can find a memorable way to say "thank you....we love you." Usually we send cookies, flowers, or pizza from a gourmet(?) pizza place...annually on the anniversary of whatever occurred...even, like Chip, when it is simply good vehicle service and being treated with respect.

Meade said...

"an arson case I was working"

Is arson civil or criminal?

Lipperman said...

If you're home alone Meade, please get back into your crate.

ndspinelli said...

Ari, Whenever I have a loved one in the hospital I don't bring them a present. I drop a nice, LARGE food item[s] @ the nurse's station. I put the name of the patient in a couple conspicuous places and I do it the first day. Dukin' up front is often the key.

ndspinelli said...

Ari, I LOVE the baseball tix gift. I've been to Comerica, do you also give them a firearm to get to the ballpark?