FREE OR NOT SO FREE

Nothing is free anymore it seems.

I remember years ago banks gave customers one of those leather/imitation leather type bank bags just for the asking.  In fact I recall one bank had smaller type bags that could be used for coins.  When I lived in Pennsylvania, I had bags from different financial institutes.  I now wish I brought them with me to Florida when I moved.

Places at one time had give-a ways: pens, note pads, key rings, refrigerator magnets and other what-nots.

A few months ago I opened an account with a local credit union.  I asked the person who waited on me if they had any of those bank bags.  She looked in the back and said no but next time I come in just ask the teller for one.  Well over the course of the next few months I had done so with no prevail.  They had no bags in stock.  The other day I again done business at the credit union and asked about a bank bag.  I had been informed that I needed to give them my business account number; if I had no business account I could not get a bag as they only provide them to businesses.  Of course the teller went on to say I could purchase a bag for $5.00.  I pulled a five spot from my pocket and purchased the bag.  I felt as if I got ripped off for some reason.

There use to be a time when you could also get a free calendar from your bank but seems they are gone by way of the dinosaur also.  Last year I picked up a nice one from the bank I have accounts with; this year when I asked, I had been told I could get a free calendar if I make an appointment to speak to one of the bank managers about my accounts.  I know what that meant; I would be sitting there while someone tried to talk me into a consolidation loan, new type credit card or some other bank offer.  I did not make the appointment or get a calendar.  The dollar store had them for a buck; okay so I paid for one but I did not have to sit listening to someone trying to give me a bill of goods about banking options.

The last promo item I got for free was a pen from a disc jockey that runs a karaoke.  I only hope when he runs out of pens he orders more and does not make me sing a song to get a new one. 

Yes I know with the economy being the way it is, companies are not providing those promotional items like they use to. It is such a shame as I do miss my free what-nots.

Now I am not one-hundred percent sure of this, but bartenders have told me they do not get free coasters from the beer distributors as in days gone by.  Recently at a local club I saw coasters provided by some business other than a beer company. 

My favorite saying goes something like this: “if it’s free, then it is for me.”

I am still fortunate to get via my email address, BOGO coupons for meals at restaurants or coupons for a percent off my food bill.  I am a frequent customer at these establishments.

So till next time…..if you see a free pen, key ring or a what-not make sure you take it.  I’ll continue my quest for the free stuff whether I need it or not…after all it is for free.

  

FULL MOON AND DRIVING

Wednesday evening I happened to be in a quandary about my blog for this week.  I somehow mentioned this on my Facebook status.  I also mentioned about the crazy drivers out on the roads the past few days.  A Facebook friend suggested I blog about that.

This weekend will be a full moon….actually it is being called a ‘super moon’.  It seems anytime a full moon is near, some drivers get crazy.  Since Monday, I have encountered my fair share (today is only Thursday). 

DAY ONE:

I am at a red light in the left turn only lane.  My car is the second one in line.  The light turns green and the car in front of me takes their sweet time making the turn.  The driver goes so slow that only the two of us got through the light before it turned red again.  With the luck I have, well the driver made a right turn where I had planned to do so.  He was so slow that it tied up traffic while he made the turn.  Thank goodness he had gone straight and I made a left turn at the next street I had come to.

Later after I did my errands, on my way home I am now behind a vehicle who wanted to make a right turn; the unfortunate part of this incident, he could not make the turn as the road to the right is closed due to construction.  He should have followed the detour.  Instead of following the detour to the left, he sat there staring towards the closed road as if any moment it would open up just for him.  I honked my horn for him to get moving but he sat there staring right.  The car behind me also began to honk and finally after a few moments the man drove straight which would not help him.  He would come to a dead end eventually. 

DAY TWO:

My husband and I are out at the grocery store.  We parked between the lines in the parking spot but when we returned to our vehicle, someone parked in two spots.  I could not open the passenger side door and had to wait till my husband pulled the car out of the parking space for me to get inside.  No idea what that driver was thinking when they parked since there were quite a few open spots they could have used.  As we drove down US 17, heading home, a person kept passing cars on the right side, then the left and again on the right.  This person did not get very far ahead of us; we ended up sitting next to them at the red light.  What the hurry could have been anyone’s guess.

DAY THREE:

We were making our way on M Street North in our town and planned to turn onto US 17; a tanker truck had left a gas station.  The driver planned to make a right turn onto US 17 but the light was red; so this tanker truck somehow ended up blocking the road.  Cars who wanted to make a right hand turn from US 17 onto M Street but could not do so.  Traffic got backed up for about a half-block until the light turned green and the tanker got underway.  The funniest part of the story, some person in his big high off the ground pick-up truck gets right up near the tanker and almost caused an accident.  What was this person thinking I wondered?

Each day I could not wait to get home and park my car in the carport. I am not saying all the bad drivers live in my town; I remember this also happening to me when I lived in Pennsylvania.  I hated driving anyplace days prior to a full moon.

Why does the full moon bring out the crazy drivers?  Or do they just happen around me?  Am I the only one who seems to think this way?  Does anyone else come across oddness before a full moon? 

Today, I am not sure what I will encounter as I go out to run a few errands, but I am hoping not to come across any strange driving situations. Probably others think the same about me when I am behind the wheel.   

Until next time….happy driving and stay safe behind the wheel. 

Father's Day Ramblings

Father’s Day will be coming up this weekend.  Personally, I do not really have much to say on the subject.  The day did not have any special meaning to me as a child.

I have heard various takes on this saying:

It takes a REAL MAN to be a father to a child but anyone can provide sperm to create a child.  A real man will be there and step up to the plate when the child arrives in the world.

I agree with this on the most part. My reason being I never knew who fathered me.  The only thing I knew about the man who could have been my father was a name on a birth certificate. 

Having a child out of wedlock in the fifties quite a taboo for a woman.

I recall being told that my father had died.  But I wondered if that were the case why did my mother not use his last name? Why did she go by her maiden name?  It baffled me as a child.  It caused me a lot of grief growing up and even into my adult years; my first husband gave me grief I had been born out of wedlock.  He thought I should have told him in the beginning of our relationship.  Perhaps I should have, but I had been quite embarrassed about it.  I did not make the same mistake when I married again; in fact my current husband said “so what; no deal breaker.”  He did not care one way or the other.

Finally, I asked about who fathered me when I was in my twenties.  My mother told me “you don’t need to know this”.  I asked relatives and heard the same thing.  Well I wanted to know; after all isn’t that my right?

I am a fan of watching the Maury show where the women have DNA tests done on the child and the possible father.  Shame they did not have that back when I had been younger.  I would have contact the show to help me find out. 

A few years ago I thought about what constituted a father and wrote a poem for Father’s Day.  All the qualities I thought made up a good father were included in the piece.

At age seven my mother married the man who I ended up calling ‘dad’.  The man accepted her baggage which was me.  Unfortunately, I always felt like an outsider in the family as he never adopted me so I could have his last name.  It took years and years for me to finally come to terms with my situation; and just deal with it.

So with Father’s Day approaching I just wanted to ‘ramble’ about how I feel.  Perhaps my stigma has made me a better person.  I know there has to be a lot of individuals out there who also share what I call my stigma in life.  It took me until I turned forty to finally give up my quest to know the answer to the question about my father.  Life goes on and I realized I had other things to concentrate upon.

Till next time….to all you dads out there….Happy Father’s Day.

 DISECTION OF A FATHER

©Scottie-ann Murphy

A father is a special person….

One who wears many hats,

We do not really see.

TEACHER

  Someone who will explain

      What is

right and what is wrong

COMFORTER

   When hurt and tears begin to fall

      Gives a shoulder to lean upon

LISTENER

   Without critical comments, will listen

      To our dreams, hopes and goals

WISEMAN

   Gives wisdom, advice and guidance

      In any problem brought his way

CHEERLEADER

  Throughout our life, cheers us on

     Giving praise…when…praise is due

AUDIENCE

  Laughs at our jokes,

    Even those that….may not be funny

HELPER

   Lend a helping hand

     When needed, no matter….when we call

LOVING HEART

   The person who does love us

      Even though he may not always say

ENCOURAGER

  If we fail at our goals, stumble and fall

     Picks us up and encourages us to try again

PROTECTOR

  Keeps us safe from harm

    And stands by our side always

A father is someone special……

Someone….we at times….

Take for granted.

THE SUMMERTIME TELEVISION BLUES

All my favorite television shows are on a hiatus until the fall.  I guess that means I can watch re-runs of shows I’ve missed that televised at the same time as my favorites or watch summer replacement shows.  Of course I could utilize that time to concentrate on my writing projects or read.

I understand that there has to be filming of new episodes; but what I do not like is the season finales.  They leave it as a cliff hanger.  Now I will wonder what will happen in the upcoming season.  No doubt there will be speculations by fans of the same shows on what will possibly transpire.  The producers of these shows sure know what they are doing.  They leave us fans in suspense; knowing we will tune-in when they start the new season.  .

 There are five shows that have me on the edge of my seat.  My mind makes up scenarios of the outcome from the season finale.  Will there be a killing off of a main character?  Will there be a wedding in the future?  Will a character get a love life? 

Ponderings are fine as long as one does not get obsessed.  Last year at this time all I could think about was what the future held for my favorite shows.  This year, I decided not to think about the new season.  What happens, will happen.    

I am sure you all have your favorite shows you watch each week.  No doubt you too are waiting for the new season to begin to see what will happen next.  Of course I find that during the summer months, cable stations begin their new shows and I hope to find a few I enjoy; but if not I’ll be spending more time doing other things in the evenings like being on the computer or reading.  Of course computer time depends on the weather, if it is stormy (as it seems to be during the evenings here in the Sunshine State), then it will be a good book.  Just glad my local library allows me to request books on-line and have them waiting for me to check out.

Till next time……think about the shows you enjoy but don’t speculate on next season’s outcome; a good surprise is always exciting.   Hopefully too, the networks will keep my favorite shows in the same time slot and on the same day.