Yikes - I have been neglecting this big time!

February just kicked my rear end this year. It was just one of those months where it's one thing after another. It should be a law that there is a limit of one of those a year. If it was, I'd be set from here on out. ; ) A long time ago, I was told that old adage of "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade". I've been trying to stick to that, and I stay a little saner.

For starters, February is the month where we finalize all of our stuff for the major state and national high school and college tournaments that we sponsor and are suppliers for at work. I usually get stressed to the max. Every day brings the same things, and as you can imagine, it gets redundant. Requests for a count to see if we've met the needs of the individual tournaments yet in terms of units they will require. Each one has it's own requirements - not just with the number of units, but the style, size, color requirements, etc. Requests for an update on the readiness of items to be moved in to production. Other requests too numerous to mention right now. Thankfully, that is all over, as tournaments are going on right now, and will be for the next few weeks. While it's nice to return to the more leisurely pace this time of year brings at work, it's an even greater satisfaction to turn on the television, and see something you had a hand in creating go live coast-to-coast on a major network. My proudest moment was when something I had a hand in creating ended up in a centerfold style picture in Sports Illustrated (and not the swimsuit issue....).

Nelson got a promotion two weeks ago to Service Manager, and he's been a bit keyed up about it. He's nervous about how to handle things - he's never been in a position like this. Thankfully he's only got 2 guys working at the shop right now, and that will give him a chance to get used to it before they expand sometime later this year. When he first worked with his boss a number of years ago for a different company, he (his boss) said to me one day "He'll be running the shop someday. He's got the know-how". Little did I know then that day would eventually be here. I'm very proud of him. He goes to his first big meeting at corporate Monday and Tuesday. He's nervous and excited at the same time, and I'm happy for him. It's a nice recognition for all the hard work he's put in over the years, both for the previous years they worked together and the present.

And speaking of Nelson and the company he works for, we had a bit of a shocker this past month. We have two vehicles; a 1992 Mazda B2600i pick-up that Nelson uses to run back and forth to work, and a 1997 Dodge Peel-on, er, Neon, which is my car, and a long standing sore subject between me and the dealer who sold it to me. BTW, if you live in my area here in Central PA, do your research before you buy anything from a certain Dodge dealer who has 2 locations, one across the river from the other. They have their name on the dealership, and tell you that you'll drive away with a smile. Sure. At any rate, we've had that pick-up for about 10 years now, and because of a bad deal with the Neon, we ended up putting a large sum of money in to it to fix some mechanical problems because we couldn't afford another car payment. We made the decision to run it until it fell apart. We've been enjoying life without a car payment for the past year. Nelson called me at work about two weeks ago and said "Um, the truck is toast". Figuring that it blew up again or something, I said "What happened?". He said "Well, I'm away from the shop doing a fleet maintenance when I get a call from Rick (the boss). He said that they were inside, and heard a tremendous roar, and then a loud bang. They ran outside, and saw all the snow and ice (from a bad snow storm we got) fell off the roof and landed on not only my truck, but 3 other vehicles. I guess it's pretty bad". He was laughing, but I wasn't. He called me when he got back to the shop. The snow caved the roof in pretty good, and caused some minor damage to the hood, and totally smashed the windshield. They pounded up the roof so he could drive it, and replaced the windshield so he could at least get it back and forth to work.

They told us to get an estimate. It was $1300. Kelley Blue Book is $1270. The company decided to cut us a check as the truck would be considered a loss. I offered to sign it over to them, but they didn't want it. We decided to start looking around for a car, as we'd have a nice down payment to keep the financing affordable. We weren't in any hurry. Then the truck started running "funny". I don't know if it sustained some mechanical damage we didn't know about, or if it is just time for it to die, but it got a little more urgent. We had wanted a Dodge Stratus, and found one at a lot of a local non-Dodge dealer who is well established. As I learned with the Neon, however, that doesn't always mean anything. That Dodge dealer had come highly recommended to me.

When I called down to inquire about it, the gentleman who answered the phone gave his name, and it was a slightly unusual variation of a relatively common name. We talked, and when I hung up, I said to Nelson "I went to school with a guy who went by that name. It's a little unusual." and left it at that. When I stepped in to the showroom, I realized that it wasn't a coincidence. It was the guy I graduated with. Inside, I groaned a little. My high school was one large conglomerations of cliques, and I've spent the years since trying to get away from it. Many of the kids had very well-off parents, and used that influence for personal gain. Don't get me wrong - I had my fair share of friends, but there were a lot of jerks there as well who loved to remind you that they felt they were better than you. This guy wasn't one of them, but he also wasn't a friend either. We ran with different crowds.

I said right away "We graduated together." He kept looking at me, but said he couldn't place me - even after I gave him my name. We had a class of about 130 kids, and I was surprised, but not everyone has a knack for remembering mundane details like I do. While we were on a test drive, he said to me "Did you always have short hair?" I said "I did in middle school, but in high school I had long, very big and poofy hair." He immediately said "I remember you know - you were in the program for smart kids (gifted program), on the debate team, and in the band". I said "Yep, I was a geek." I used to hate that label, but I own it now. I'd rather be remembered as a geek than a jerk. Nelson and I left and discussed it. They were asking too much money for a 2002 car for the mileage it had. We decided to go back in and push for a lower price, or an extended warranty. They wouldn't budge - even after we got a mechanic friend to call in and tell them that it has the same engine as the Neon, and the same associated problems. The look on his face when we said "No deal" saddened me. I saw him in a different way.

We chatted while Nelson stepped outside to plot our next move. He told me about his life in the military after high school and his travels. About his little boy who lives about an hour away with his mother. He smiled when he said it was his weekend to have him. I saw the cute little guy's picture up in his cubicle. I took a quick mental stock of the situation. As I mentioned previously, while we weren't friends, I wouldn't lump him in to the group "enemies" either. I saw him as a guy trying to earn a decent living to provide not only for him, but his little boy. He was trying. Rather than walking away, which is what I thought Nelson would do next, I asked him if he could show me something else. I had really wanted to stay Dodge, but this was not a Dodge lot. It was a Kia lot. I thought maybe I could do better if I "went native". His eyes lit up when I said that.

He found us a nice 2004 Kia Spectra that had less mileage than the Stratus, and has the balance of it's factory warranty - 24 months. We decided to buy it. It'll be paid off in 3 years or less. I felt good. I needed a new vehicle that wouldn't break me, and I got him a nice sale. I told him when I left today with my car that part of my job is sales, and I understand. While I earn straight pay and don't work off commission (as I'm sure he does), I know how the game is played, and I'm glad I could help out. He thanked me, and said he was going to go spend time with his little boy. And now I have a nice new "toy". We're hoping to sell the truck privately for a few hundred - it's worth it in parts alone. If it doesn't go in the next 2 weeks, we're going to take it to auction. I know it'll sell there. It's still running, albeit a tad roughly from time to time. It'll make a nice vehicle for someone who can do their own mechanical work. We have a nice start for them in terms of new parts we put in to it.

To close out the month, I went back to the gym after being cleared and released by my surgeon. Instead of the YMCA (which charges outrageous rates), I joined a local community center. The rates are better, and the facilities are not only comparable, they're more modern. I am enjoying my return to aquacise. It's doing wonders for my arthritis, but I'm pooped and my muscles are sore (which is actually a good thing). I challenge anyone who thinks that aquacise is a waste of time to come on down and work out with me and the old ladies. The community center has lots of sessions, but I go Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30-8:30pm. Weights will be provided. Be prepared to not stop moving the entire time.