Dork Alert

I don't know why, but every time I see cows, I have the urge to go "mmmooooooooooo." This does not happen with horses, sheep, goats, pigs or any other animals. Only cows. Of course, those animals don't go "mmmooooooo," but you know what I mean. I don't say "oink oink" when I see a pig. I only try to imitate a cow.

Stop moooking fun of me!

"It's Time For Dodger Baseball"

These are the words uttered by the GREAT Vin Scully before each Dodger game that he announces.

Today was Opening Day for Baseball in Los Angeles. And due to great scheduling by MLB, the Dodgers were playing their Northern California rivals, the HATED SF Giants. I'm not even going to respect them enough to spell out the full name of the City.

My actual first Baseball game was with my Little League team, the Angels, to see the California Angels play. Now that I look back, my Coach was very good to take all of us 8 year olds to a Baseball game. Today it would have cost him his Mortgage payment, but back then, probably less than $50.

But, I grew up in Echo Park, which is within a long walking distance to Dodger Stadium. How could I NOT root for the Dodgers. Oh, yeah, I know about that other Blog Post I wrote, but that was highlighting Dodger Stadium Security, not the Baseball team.

Through those early years, the Dodgers seemed to always be in the playoffs, but never went the distance, always losing before getting a chance to play in the World Series. What a letdown every year. After the infamous "Ticket finding fiasco" I was no longer a Dodger Fanatic, but I was still a Dodger Fan.

I remember how the fan base changed with different players becoming Stars. With Fernando Valenzuela, more people of Mexican decent became Dodger fans. I was working at a Union 76 gas station during that time. Union 76 was a sponsor of the Dodgers, so we always had Dodger schedules and gave away some souvenirs. More and more Spanish speaking persons came in and asked for "Dyers" or Doughyers" schedules.

Then with Hideo Nomo, more Japanese fans. Chan Ho Park, more Korean fans.

Opening games are hard to go to. They are scheduled as a Day game, during the week. So unless you take the day off from work, you can't go. Lucky for me, I don't have a regular 9-5, M-F job. Lucky for my other non-conformist friends, I had 3 more tickets.

One was a long time friend and neighbor, David. David and I go way back to 7th Grade. We've gone to many Baseball games together, and one time, we took his Father. I wish he was alive today, I would have wanted him to go. David brought a friend. I took my other friend that I won't mention by name, because I will embarrass her. So, to identify her in this story, I will call her "La Cucaracha-elle."

Now, though it's a little un-PC, I hope I don't offend any of my Messican friends. Since I grew up in Echo Park, which was mostly Hispanic, I think I can say these things without being called any names.

La Cucaracha-elle picked me up in her new car. As we drove to the Stadium using my short cut, I knew right away that going there an hour early, even though the Stadium is 5 minutes away, was a good idea. The short cut was jammed with traffic. And just outside the Stadium, there were a lot of people tailgating in Elysian Park.

The Game was Sold Out, the roads were packed, the parking lots were full, and the lines getting into the Stadium and to the Consession stands were long. We got there just in time for the Dodgers to announce the players, and sat in our seats when her favorite player, Russell Martin was called.

Just like in High School, she likes him because "he's soooooo cuuuuuute." Oh brother!

Since it was a Day game, it was HOT! The people outside already had a head start and running the bases to drunkenness, and now inside, they were heading to home plate! Needless to say, it was a little rowdy, especially if you were wearing any other team's "Colors."

There were a few fights, but nothing really bad. The one I will talk about happened just after Russell Martin first time up to bat. Russell Martin flied out. The woman behind me and La Cucaracha-elle said, "That's okay Russell, I still LOVE YOU, you're still MY MAN!" Oh-oh, trouble!

La Cucaracha-elle - "He's NOT your man, he's MINE!"

Other Messican Woman - "Who ju tocking to, Huera?"

La Cucaracha-elle - "Ju, Sancha!"

Other Messican Woman - "Who ju callin' Sancha, ju pinche Huera!"

Now, I'm a smart man. I don't ever try to stop a Messican girl fight over a man. But I AM a smart man, and I know what to do. You need to know two things to keep an advantage. First, getting between two Messican girls about to fight means you can get some "Accidental" Boobie Grabbage. Second, you have to know what to say or do to distract them. I shouted, "Look! Andre Ethier is up!"

They turned their attention, and leering eyes back to the game and the fight was over before it even started. Whew! Remind me not to take La Cucaracha-elle to another Day game....


Highlights of the Game:

To start the game, the Dodgers asked the crowd to observe a moment of silence for Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and his two friends, who were killed in a car crash, and for Philadelphia Phillies announcer Harry Kalas, who died Monday at the age of 73.

Vin Scully was honored for 60 years of announcing, and he threw out the First Pitch.

Charise, a 16 year old Filipina girl made famous by Oprah, sang the Star Spangled Banner.

Various Armed Forces Personnel unrolled a GIGANTIC Flag of the United States that covered most of the outfield.

A B-2 Stealth Bomber flew overhead before the game.

N'Kenge sang God Bless America before the 7th Inning Stretch.

The game had 3 home runs, two by Andre Ethier, and one by Orlando Hudson, who also hit for the cycle for the first time since Wes Parker did it on May 7, 1970. It was the first time anyone has done it inside Dodger Stadium.

All in all, a great game and a good time was had by all. Who won the game? The Dodgers! The score? How would I know? Let me look it up.......


11-1 Dodgers beat the Giants!

Perspectives

I've been preoccupied lately, and really don't feel like writing anything. I know some of your favorite blogs of mine are the humorous ones. The "Political" ones are boring, or may even be against how you feel, but you're too polite to call me on them. The rest are all nonsense.

Some things have been popping up lately, that I can only describe as a difference in perspectives. Things that seem okay to one person, but not okay to another.

The other day, they were interviewing people who got a chance to go and see the President. One teenager said, "I've been waiting all my life for a President I can believe in." I could only think of the pains that she has gone through "all her life."

I overheard a guy talking about buying his home and being qualified for a First-time Home Buyers credit. I believe it was $8,000. But his Mortgage Broker was mistaken, and he was not qualified for it because he made more than the minimum of $75,000 per year. Then he quipped, "There goes the lift kit I was going to put on my truck." Gee, people being laid-off work, homes being foreclosed on, families living in cheap motels or their cars, and people not sure about their own future, and you're complaining about not being able to lift your truck in Los Angeles, the Moab of California. This also makes me think of Politicians who want to spend too much and cut too much, and see nothing wrong with their own Great pay, free health insurance, and pension plan.

In another sense, I once told someone that if you read the Bible, you must try to have the perspective of someone from 2,000 years ago. It would be very difficult to do so, because who would know how a person from 2,000 years ago thinks? This was in reference to a certain Religious group not allowing blood transfusions because of what is written in the Bible. Since I don't believe people did blood transfusions back then, I seriously doubt that anyone would have a perspective on it, and could not even fathom being for or against it.

In a much larger sense, I remembered how my own Mother reacted to the attacks on the World Trade Center. I turned the channel on her TV set and said "Look at what's happening!" She was not as shocked as I was, and having almost no reaction. Then I thought about it. My Mother was born in Hiroshima, Japan. During the War, her Father moved their family to the countryside. My Mother was witness to the aftermath of an Nuclear Bomb wiping out a whole City. I bet nothing compares to that.

When you look at things from only one perspective, you blind yourself and become judgmental, and may even come to the wrong conclusion at times. What do they say about walking in another man's shoes?

Having a Clean Colon

Disclaimer: The story you are about to read is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Parental discretion is advised. Yeah, this is where I talk shit, be forewarned. Don't read it and complain to me later.... BTW, if I use "I," "Me," or "My," in this story, I really mean "My friend."

You've heard the commercials on the radio or TV. You've heard the hype. You even admit that it all makes sense. After all, food is processed in your colon, and anything that prevents, aggravates, or delays that process, can affect you in many ways. Everyone should clean their colons!

So here's the premise. Some people have died, and during an autopsy, undigested foods of upwards of 40 pounds were found inside their colon. Heck, I heard that a loooooooong time ago when John Wayne died. It was rumored that he had over 40 pounds of undigested meat still in his colon. Wow! That could feed me for 2 months.

They say that food can also harden like plaque on artery walls and cause problems too. The food you eat is digested and broken down in your stomach, then sent through your colon, where all of the nutrients are absorbed by the body. If there's "plaque" on the walls of your colon, the nutrients will not be absorbed. And it will will not be turned into "waste" properly.

They say how your "waste" comes out of you is also telling of how well your colon is working. To put it simply, in "Caddyshack" terms, you should have Snickers bars, not M&M's with peanuts, or chocolate milk coming out of you.

I'll buy that. It makes sense.

There's even have a website where a particular product has pictures of "What the hell is that, and how did it come out of my butt!" testimonials. Yes, things that look like the seaweed you find floating at the ocean by the beach, all lined up and looking like, "Hey, you don't want THIS inside you, do you?"

All of these manufacturers, promise you many things if you use their product. "Get a flatter stomach." "Lose weight." "Have more energy." "Feel less bloated." "Be healthier."

Well DAMN! Those are all the things "I" NEED! So my first thought was, what kind of brush do you use? Oh, um, er, .................... pills or a powder? That's MUCH better. But now what? There are so many products............. which one is the best? The ones where you fast too? Oh, HELL NO! I ain't gonna fast! Do I look like Ghandi to you?

I chose "Bowtrol." Why? It's free. Well, for $6.95 for shipping charges, and you're put on an automatic delivery system that if you don't cancel in time, you will be charged for your next bottle automatically. Damn, not only am I all of those things, I'm cheap too. My colon seems to be controlling my wallet.

For $6.95, you get one bottle of Bowtrol Colon Cleaner, which is full of natural herbs and who knows what else, that helps you get rid of anything in your colon that shouldn't be there, even parasites. What kind of parasites? Tapeworms, I guess. Three pills are recommended to be taken before you go to bed for no more than 14 days. Then you wait 14 days and do another 14 days. Easy enough. And you get 100 pills, so you can do those 4 weeks total. I believe it recommends that you do this on again off again treatment for as long as you live. I don't think I'll do that.

You also get one bottle of Bowtrol Probiotics. Probiotics are these biotics that are good for you. Yeah, see how smart that sounded? Well, it's basically stuff that lives in your colon that helps you absorb all of the nutrients. These biotics can be killed by Anti-biotics that you take to fight infections when you are sick. All of that penecyllin you've taken has probably killed of all of your natural biotics. Don't worry too much, those "Active Yogurt Cultures" in Yogurt is the same thing. You only have to take one pill every morning on an empty stomach. Still easy.

Well, I will update this later when I'm completely finished with my "Cleanse." So check in one week from now to hear about how I feel after 14 days. So far, not much has changed. Wait a minute..............

Ticketmaster

Gosh, I can remember when you had to buy tickets to any event at the place the event was being held. Going to the Dodger game? You had to go to Dodger Stadium to get tickets. Now that wasn't too bad, you could buy tickets in advance to any game.

But Concerts were another story. When your favorite Musical act announced that they were going to have a Concert Tour, you'd check and see when tickets would go on sale in your area. The tickets would normally go on sale on a weekend, and you'd drive to the Venue and line up with everyone else who wanted to see the same concert. Some would get there early and sleep overnight on the sidewalk, much like people who wait in line for after Christmas sales.

Oh the good old days when Frank Sinatra...... I mean, Elvis Presley........... um, the Beatles........ er, the Eagles............ MC Hammer, B-52's, hmmmmmmm Coldplay! Yeah, um that's it...... I remember how long the lines were, and finally getting to the front of the line, only to get seats waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay in the back row.

Then, with the invention of the computer and Al Gore's invention of the Internet, you were able to buy tickets from Ticketmaster at multiple locations across any City/State, usually inside May Company or Wherehouse stores. Um, May Company was a Department store, in it's own separate building, malls were not invented. The Wherehouse was a record store. Um, a record was like a CD, but........... oh, never mind.

This was a great idea! So convenient! And your chances of getting decent seats was much better, even though I still ended up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay in the back.

Then BAM! You didn't have to go anywhere! You could buy tickets online! Wow! All you had to do was sit at home in your underwear and buy tickets. And if you had Internet service with fast speeds, whoa, now you were more likely to get good seats! Finally, now that I'm old enough to hate LOUD music, I can be right there, next to the speakers! WHAT?

But as almost everything, good things don't last forever. Ticketmaster started adding surcharges. There's a "Convenience" charge, and a "Building Facility" charge. What's that? Who knows. Some charges are for shipping the tickets to you, which I can understand. I mean, if you're desperate enough to want the tickets sent to you in 2 days, you can pay $19.50 for UPS 2 Business morning shipping. At least Standard shipping is free.

But there's "Retail Location" pick-up for $1.00. Wait, I drive to your store, spend money on gas, and wear and tear on my car, and pay for parking to pick up my tickets, and I have to pay you $1.00 for, for........... for what?

And the even more ridiculous, "TicketFast Now" for $2.50. "TicketFast Now," is when they e-mail you a printable ticket that you use to gain entrance into the venue. That's right, you heard me right. You use your own printer, paper, and ink, and pay THEM $2.50!

So there I was, trying to buy concert tickets to see Bruce Springsteen. I have gone to just about every concert he's held since the early 80's, when I was a........... a........... an infant. I had 2 tickets and then the "Sorry, We were unable to process your order" page came up. Huh? I did everything right. I've been signed up with Ticketmaster for years, and had an account with them, so I didn't have to input any information. But it canceled my order. Then the concert sold out. I was unable to buy tickets. Nooooooooooooooooo!

Something was odd though. The tickets that were available to me were in the Upper deck, Concourse level. I was on it right away, I should have gotten better seats.

Then I saw it. Something called "Tickets Now." It is a separate website by Tcketmaster that allows people who bought tickets to any event, to re-sell their tickets, just like Stub Hub. AND tickets for Springsteen's concert was available immediately. Can you say "Scalper?" Was my eyes seeing it right? It looked to me like Ticketmaster was Scalping tickets that they were selling for regular price, just a few seconds ago.

Can you say, "WTF?"

There was only one date for the concert, and I felt out of luck. Then came the announcement that a second concert would be scheduled. Okay, I get a second chance. This time, it was going to be different. WHAT! Almost the same thing. But I didn't get bounced. The tickets available to me were once again, in the Upper Concourse level. I was on it right away, was it sold out again? No, not as fast. No matter how many times I tried, I got offered only Concourse level seats. Whether I chose 1, 2, 4, or 6 tickets, I got only Concourse level. I didn't buy any.

I talked to another friend who also bought tickets. Although she got decent seats, she too was offered tickets to the same area over and over, Second level, behind the stage. How could we have the same experience? Getting offered seats ONLY in one general area? Something is fishy! I guess somehow it can be programed into the system, that you can get certain seats and not others, but why would they do that? And is it worth it to them? Maybe so that they could get the good seats for themselves so that they could Scalp them on their other site?

The last few concerts I went to, people were scalping tickets at face value to seats that were better than the ones I had in my hand. I'm pretty sure I will get to see my favorite Artist scream sing his songs, so I'm okay with not having the tickets right now.

But this worries me for the next time I buy tickets to other things. Will I get a fair chance to buy decent seats? Will I get bounced again?

Live Nation, a Concert promoter, was starting their own ticket selling service, and it was great news to me. Finally, Ticketmaster would have competition. Competition usually means prices go down, and service gets better.

Just this past week, it was announced that Ticketmaster was trying to buy Live Nation. Damn! What's next?

Just Another Friday Night

The initials "DD" can stand for anything. But in certain situations, it can mean the difference between life and death. Yes, two letters, each initial for two different words, can have a direct impact on your life.

Let's say that it's a Friday night, or any night for that matter. You are out with your friends, maybe a double date, 2 guys and 2 girls. Where do you go? Movie? Dinner? Clubbing? Maybe all?

Let's say you go clubbing, and you have a good time. You leave after Midnight to go home. All 4 of you get in the car and while driving home, you re-live your night, talking about what fun you had. Sound familiar? We've ALL been there.

But then, those initials come to play. In a split second, things have changed. Now, you're upside down, surrounded by Police/CHP, the Fire Dept and Paramedics. All 4 of you end up in the hospital, with "21" stamped on your hands from clubbing. One or more of you will never get "22" stamped on your hand.

Yes, that happened last night. One girl, young enough to get carded and stamped "21"will never be heard from again. And all because she didn't recognize what "DD" stood for.

There is a big difference. If it ever happens to you, will you recognize it? Before you get in a car, look to see if you have a "Designated Driver" or a "Drunk Driver."

We've all heard the term, maybe even made fun of it. But I bet those 3 people are now thinking about what "Designated Driver" means to them now.

It means 4 people would be waking up in their own beds this morning. It means that one person will not be waking up in the Hospital ward of LA County Jail. It means that one family will not be devastated after waking up at 2 in the morning to the worst news they ever heard.

Do you ever want to hear, "This is the Hospital, your son/daughter/brother/sister has been in an accident, you need to come here right away." Or, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but............."

Remember, don't drink and drive, be the Designated Driver. But also remember, don't ride with a drunk driver. You have a choice, we all do. Sometimes they don't make any difference at all. It's the one time it does that's a killer.

BTW, the 3 who were alive and speaking, were not "wasted." All 3 spoke without slurring their words. And all 3 were wearing their seatbelts.

Health Care, Health Cure?

Many people have their opinion about Health care. I have seen too much to know that the answers are not easy. But doing nothing is worse. We are closer to a collapse than you may think. There are two factors involved in causing our Health Care crisis. Overcrowded Emergency Rooms, and the costs associated with Health care. You have no idea how this has affected Emergency care in Los Angeles. But you could find out when you have a Medical Emergency. Wouldn't that be the worst time to find out?

Why are these Emergency Rooms overcrowded? Two reasons. First, consider what has been happening in Los Angeles for the last 20 years. The population has grown exponentially, and yet Emergency rooms have closed down. The biggest blow recently, was the closing of MLK Hospital in Watts, and secondary to that, Daniel Freeman in Inglewood. Second, people without the ability to pay for Doctor visits, wait too long for Medical care, and end up in Emergency Rooms for their treatment. What was a simple case of the flu that could have been taken care of by a Doctor in a Clinic, has now turned into something more serious, and needs a visit to the Emergency Room.

Why does Health Care cost so much? Well, you pay higher costs in Health Care to make up for people who can't pay. How? To simplify things, lets say a Hospital buys a bottle of 100 Asprins for $100. That comes out to $1 per Asprin pill. Just to break even, if 100 patients need 1 Asprin, they will charge you $1. But that's not the way it is. 50 people may pay and 50 people may not. So the Hospital, just to break even, has to charge $2 for a $1 Asprin pill to paying customers. Add trying to make a profit, needing to pay Employees, expensive diagnostic equipment, and other overhead, and you may end up being charged $100 for that $1 Asprin.

What is NOT an option, is to provide Health Care only to people who can pay. No matter how cynical you are, no matter how much you can hate another person, you can not let them suffer and/or die from lack of Medical care. Not in America.

So what is the cure? Some say Universal Health CARE. I don't think that's the answer here. Socializing the Health care system in a Capitalist system may not work. We need to somehow create Universal Health INSURANCE for everyone. It makes sense.

Think of how Auto Insurance works, you pay into a pool of money created to help an individual who needs to pay for damages due to an accident. The individual can not assume the payment of the damages and the liabilities because it costs too much. He ends up paying a reasonable deductable, and his car is repaired and his liabilities are taken care of. How? Everyone pays into the system, whether you get into an accident or not, and more money ends up coming in than going out.

How about Flood Insurance. What if everyone in the Country had to pay Flood Insurance, even if the area you live in will never flood? The answer is, flood insurance will be cheap.

That's what we need for Health care. People pay thousands of dollars in Health Insurance premiums AND in Taxes to support Medicare and State sponsored systems, and pay extra in fees to Hospitals to make up for non-paying patients.

Take all of that money, and funnel it into a Universal Health Insurance system, and you could provide Health Insurnance for all. With everyone having Health Insurance, Hospitals will be paid, and costs will go down. Emergency Rooms may re-open, and Health Clinics may sprout up to take care of non-emergent problems. Believe me, Doctors want to work, but they have to make money, not lose it. Hospitals want to stay open and make money, not lose it. Payment of medical costs is the answer. How we go about it, is the question.

Yes, we will have to make adjustments on how we pay for this insurance. A combination of premiums and taxes, handled by private insurance companies and regulated by the Government. Also getting rid of all the different layers of health care. Payments into the Worker's Comp system can be included as well. Will it work? The current way, whether you think it is or not, is not working. And when the status quo does not work, we need to find another way.

Trickle Up

I am a strong supporter of the Trickle DOWN theory. What is the best thing for all? For everyone to have a job, pay taxes, buy things, and keep the economy rolling along. By allowing Businesses to keep their money by giving them tax breaks, it would allow them to trickle it down to workers, hiring more, giving raises.

Back then it was better than what was going on, people getting lazy and living off Welfare checks.

But what happened was not true Trickle Down. Businesses were given breaks, but there were no contingencies to make sure that they trickled any money down. Most of the time, they kept if for themselves. Giving the CEOs more pay and outrageous bonuses.

But that wasn't enough. Businesses cut costs from payroll to help pay even more money to the CEOs. And instead of doing what was best for Employees, who actually run the businesses, the emphasis went to rewarding the Stockholders. How does cutting health care costs to Employees help anyone? It doesn't. But the company made more profits and distributed more funds to it's Stockholders, and CEOs and that's what was important.

But it's not good for any Economy for a select few to have money. It is better for many people to have some money. And it's better for the Economy for a business to build and sell 100 $25,000 cars than 25 $100,00 cars.

So here we are now. Years of greediness have caused our current Economic crisis, not anything else. Instead of making sure that the "workers" were taken care of, only the select few were rewarded. Now the select few will be called upon to pay more taxes to pay for Welfare to the very Employees that they short-changed.

What we need now is to reverse what has happened. The Economic Stimulus plans are not working. Why? They are doing the same thing, rewarding the select few. Take ALL of that money, and fund Home Loans. Have all people who have had their homes foreclosed on, and anyone who is threatened to lose their homes to be able to refinance at a FIXED rate, for what ever amount of time it takes. 4.0 rate for 60 years instead of insanely adjustable rates for 30 years? Might be doable.

You think I'm crazy? No, think about it. What drove our Economy for the last few years? The housing market. It helped provide the most important thing in our lives, and the Government's. A home for us, and Taxes for the Government.

Still think I'm crazy? Let's see what might happen.

Government uses Bailout money to buy bad home loans and allows homeowners to refinance at more favorable rates.

1. Government has steady income from repayment of loans AND from payment of Property taxes. And if anyone can't make the payments, the Government owns the land. They can eventually sell it for profit. It wouldn't hurt so much to hold onto.

2. People will pay less money for their mortgage and they will have money freed up to buy things, thus stimulating the Economy. Give more money to more people, and more people will buy things.

3. With people in homes and paying less, they are more self sufficient, and they will not end up homeless or in need of Government assistance, which would cost those not in dire straights more in taxes and in other financial ways. People will turn to crime, costing more in insurance.

4. Removing bad loans from the Banks will free up Credit, and in turn they will start lending money again. Businesses will be able to get back in business and give people jobs.

This would be the "Trickle UP" theory.

Some of you may think I'm a Liberal, or a Democrat for thinking this way. Everyone needs to work and pay taxes. That is more Conservative and Republican. But I'm neither. I'm a realist. People out of work and in the streets and on Welfare is NOT good for me, good for you, good for the Economy or good for the Country.

In the 1990's the same thing happened to Japan. Japanese Banks and Businesses invested a lot of money in Real Estate, in Japan, and abroad. When the Real Estate market went down, so did the Japanese Economy. Japanese banks were burdened with bad loans. The Japanese Government spent their money on a Economic Stimulus plans by giving money to Banks and Businesses, instead of relieving the banks of their bad loans. The Japanese Economy never recovered. Lesson heard, but so far, not learned.

Imagine that. We've come full circle. We're almost back to where we were when the "Trickle Down" theory was poorly implemented. People that work will start paying a lot in taxes for people out of work and needing Government assistance, or Welfare.

Customer Dis-Service

I'm not rich, but I can afford a nice car. But I'm not the type to need a nice car. Oh, if I could afford to own 4 or more cars, at least one of them would be a very nice car. But I am a truck person. I feel at home driving a pick-up. If there are Red-neck Asians, I guess I'm one of them. Yee-haw, where dem doggies at?

I do like fast and/or sporty cars. I have experience working on cars too. I'd like to think that if I had the time and money, I would have several old cars and trucks in my backyard, in various stages of repair, or dis-repair. Probably dis-repair.

For 6 years, I had a GMC Sierra, Full size pickup, extra cab with 4 wheel drive. It did everything I wanted and needed it to do, except for one thing. It got 13 miles per gallon. 16 mpg if I went on a long trip and only drove at highway speeds. Not enough when gas prices were headed towards and eventually over, $4.00 per gallon, and I rarely used the 4 wheel drive.

So, before gas went over $4.00 a gallon, I traded my faithful truck in for a 2008 Mazda 3, 5 door hatchback. I should have kept my truck, because I have had a need for it since then, and I got hosed on the trade-in value. But that's a whole nudder story.

My Mazda is fun to drive, holds most everything I want to haul, and gets a minimum 25 mpg. I just about doubled my mpg! When I went to Big Bear for a day trip, I got just under 30 mpg. Overall I like my car. But I don't love it.

The competitors of the Mazda 3 are the Toyota Corolla, and the Honda Civic. Both get at least 30 mpg, with 35 hwy mpg. And though I haven't compared the standard equipment lists, I bet they both have automatic headlights when it gets dark, and automatic door locks when you put the car in gear. Heck, my truck had those as standard equipment. My Mazda doesn't do those things. AND I bet they both are made with higher quality assurance than Mazda.

I have some complaints about quality issues. And this is where the point of my story starts. Today, I took my car in for it's first scheduled maintenance. As a gift for purchasing the car from CLIPPINGER Mazda, a relatively new Mazda dealership in West Covina, I was told my first maintenance service would be free.

Though they did hose me on the trade-in value of my truck, the salesman and the experience I had was not that bad. I would have given them at least 4-5 stars if I was still on Yelp. Maybe they're lucky that I'm not on Yelp anymore, for I would give them the minimum for what happened today.

I drove to CLIPPINGER Mazda, and pulled into their Service Dept. I told them I purchased my car there and it was due for it's first service, and reminded them that it should be free. Then I told them about the 3 things that I wanted them to address.

1. A lighter was not given to me before I left with my new car, and I did inform them of this as soon as I noticed it. I don't smoke, but come on, there's a hole there. I might put my finger in it and get an unpleasant surprise.

2. There is a mark on the windshield. Every windshield is actually two pieces of glass and somewhere in between these two pieces, is a half inch mark, probably made with a grease pen.

3. The front passenger window seems a little "loose" and does not track right when closing. It is minor but has become much more visible after I had the windows tinted. Now you can plainly see how it "tilts" forward before closing.

On the first issue, they told me they couldn't do anything about it, and it would be up to the Sales Department to give a lighter to me. Okay, I guess that's how things work within the system, but wouldn't it have been much better Customer Service if the Service Department did that for me? Answer: YES.

On the second issue, the service writer seemed apathetic. He acted as if there was nothing that anyone would do about it. Sure, it is minor, but a windshield is supposed to be 100% clear, not 99.5%. I would have been open to negotiate some kind of compromise instead of a replacement of my windshield, but now, I may just ask for it. Conclusion: Act as if you care, and that you are there for the customer.

The above had me thinking that they were not going to be sympathetic to my issues. I started thinking that they would start giving me the run-around, give me some excuses, then send me on my way with nothing fixed.

On the third issue, the service writer got in my car and worked the windshield. Up, down, up, down. He saw exactly what I was talking about. But he was unsure of what to do. He called over another older service writer, or mechanic. This guy told me that it could be due to my windows being tinted.

Already thinking that they were going to give me the run-around, I called bullshit on that right away. I said that there was no way that the tint could cause that, and that I wasn't dumb enough to go for that. He immediately became angry with me and told me not to have a bad attitude and gave me some excuses as to how a tint job could affect my window.

Excuse 1. Some shops remove the window from the door and tint it.
Excuse 2. Water could have leaked into the door and affected the window motor.
Excuse 3. The door panel could have been removed and the Tinters did something to the track.

Anyone who has ever had their windows tinted knows how it's done. A little of it is placed under the INSIDE lip of the weather stripping, then laid onto the INSIDE part of the window, and then trimmed to fit the INSIDE measurements of the window.

Tell me how that process can cause excuse # 1 & 2, and even if they did # 3, and removed my door panel, how that affected the window track.

So after a little heated argument, that would have died had they learned anything from their Customer Service handbook, the last thing the older service person said to me was, "If you want me to work on your car, you need to have a better attitude."

"I" needed a better attitude? Obviously, I didn't know how privileged I was to have my car serviced by CLIPPINGER Mazda. I didn't know that there was a line of people there to have their car serviced, or that there were throngs of people in the dealership buying their cars. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with the economy, and CLIPPINGER Mazda does NOT need loyal customers.

That was it. I got back in my car and drove away. If I was in a restaurant, the waiter would have spit in my food. I wasn't going to get service here, I was going to GET serviced. But not in a good way.

Sometimes I wonder. I have had better service from service people, but mostly when I owned cars with a higher MSRP. When I owned a "cheaper" or more entry-level car, I didn't get treated as well. It must be the perceived wealth that a person has by the car they drive. And Automotive service people usually don't argue with people who buy cars with a higher MSRP. I guess if you buy a "cheap" car, and get treated that way.

If you own a Mazda and think that you might be lucky enough for them to want to work on your car, go to CLIPPINGER Mazda on Citrus Ave in West Covina just North of the San Bernadino (10) Freeway.

If you are a no good low-life with a bad attitude like me, go to Sierra Mazda in Monrovia. They won't argue with you, and they will say "Thank you." You don't need that.

Reboot!

Okay, so far the New Year has gotten off on the wrong foot with me. Due to my trying to be a good guy, and a mistake in the paperwork I filled out required to be this good guy, I ended up working 60 hours from 6:30 am January 1, to 6:30 pm January 3rd, 2009. And I missed out on 2 great dinners.

Let me try to explain this. It is very convoluted, so pay attention.

Here are some rules to help explain things.

1. You can trade work hours with another person on another shift, in increments of 12 hours.
2. You can be Forced to work at any time, so long as you don't end up working more than 48 hours straight. It is possible to turn down Forced overtime in certain situations.

My regular shifts were 12/30, 1/1, and 1/3. My friend on the other shift who's regular shift started on 1/2, wanted it off. He had worked 12/28-12/31, 4 days straight with a horrendous New Year's Eve, when the whole City was busy responding to the all the revelers bringing in the New Year. He asked if I would trade work days with him, his 1/2 for my 1/3.

After working the 4 days straight, he wanted 2 days off in a row to recover. But I had dinner plans for that night. Since he could not find anyone to work for him, I told him I would work half of his shift in the morning, so that he could get a good night's sleep. He would then come in and work the night shift and my morning shift, and I would come in for the night, 1/3.

That night, 1/3, was also the night one of my co-workers was having his 10-year anniversary dinner. It is a tradition in our Fire Dept that everyone pays for and cooks a dinner for the people he is working with on their 10 year increment Anniversaries. We do this also when you finish probation, get promoted, or retire.

So, I did the paperwork, but made a clerical error. I put down that I would work 12 hours for him in the morning, and instead of him working 12 hours for me in the morning, I put down 12 hours for the night half. This could have saved me, if I knew what I did.

My co-worker hurt his back while off. That put him off duty, so they had to find someone to replace him to work the night half on 1/2. No one was available or volunteered to work. The Dept had to go into the FORCED overtime mode. I was up for forced overtime. BUT, had I known I made that clerical error, and was scheduled to work the next morning, instead of the next night, I was eligible to decline being forced to work overtime. Make sense? See rule #2 above.

So there I was, thinking I was going to work 48 hour straight, get 12 hours off, and come in for 12 hours. But because of my clerical error, it turned out I had to work the morning of 1/3, turning that 48 hours to 60 hours straight. UGH!

I didn't have to work that night. They could have forced someone else to work. I could have gone home, had dinner as I planned, and come in the next day for my co-workers 10 year anniversary dinner.

The final tally in this SNAFU, was that I had to work 60 hours straight, missed my planned dinner, the 10-year dinner, got very little rest, and will be paid for only 12 hours of overtime. Yeah, I know, but if you;re going to work 60 hours, you'd hope more than 12 of that would be overtime pay.

This New Year hasn't started off for me very well. I need to pay more attention to what I do, so that I don't get put into situations that I don't want to be in.

Maybe I can have a do-over and start my New Year on Chinese New Year in February.