A Wee Bit of Luck – Stream of Consciousness Saturday Twofer

Weeeeeeee, away we go, and you’re in “luck” with this double-down Stream of Consciousness Saturday two-for-the-price of one deluxe, uh, special. So belly up to the bar and suck down the sweet nectar of SoCS.

Whoa, my inner marketer got loose there for a moment. Let’s shove that guy back in the box.

Here are the two prompts I’m combining today: Luck (today) and Wee (last week). As the rules from Linda G. Hill go:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “luck” (and “wee” for me). Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
OK.

[Ed note: Just noticed a rant about The Judds, Grandpa Tell me About the Good Ol’ Days got deleted — I think I accidentally pasted over it with the quote above. Anyway, songs like that annoy me, given that Your Cheatin’ Heart was written in 1952 by Hank Williams, Sr. and “did lovers really fall in love to stay” is a lyric in the Judds song, which would’ve been the good ol’ days of your cheating heart. Nostolgic bullshit like that really pisses me off. People were as shitty 50, 100, 1000, and 4000 years ago as they are now. Also noble, loyal, and good. WHY DO PEOPLE HAVE TO THINK LIFE WAS BETTER WHENEVER IT WAS THAT THEY WERE 15 TO 25 YEARS OLD. It’s fucking pathetic. So, now, back the original post.]

Breath.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

So, weeeeeeeee, I was off to Carmax last week after my usual workout at 10:30 (overslept, which is why this didn’t happen last week) because my 12 year old Mazda engine light kept coming on and, after shoveling money into a 12 year old Saturn to no avail 12 years ago, decided to look for something new. Huh, guess 12 years from now I’ll be looking for another vehicle.

I am now the owner of a 2017 Subaru Outback. It has a lot more Zoom, Zoom than the Mazda did (even when it was new).

During the test drive — which, they just give you the keys and turn you loose, what’s up with that? — I literally said weeeee while cornering onto 95. While not an abnormal thing for me to say, it’s not something I usually do while driving. It’s more car than I need, which waaaaaaay more bells and whistles than I thought I’d end up with. The upgraded sound system and the sun roof sealed the deal for me. That, and I hate car shopping.

I haven’t driven it much — and Oscar and Knox are still awaiting they’re inaugural ride — but I’m seeing why people love their Subarus (my first wife has a Forester with nearly 200k miles that she still occassionally drove even after she bought a new . . . something a few years back). It rides mighty fine. Laughs at bumps. Feels like it’s hugging the road.

I’m not a car guy. At all. They get me from point A to point B. However, this one gets me from A to B in comfort. Also with the heated seats and steering wheel, leather memory seats, room for the dogs, sirius radio — I’m just gonna have to admit that I got spoiled by the upgraded bells and whistles in the Ford Explorer George and I had bought together and that we sold after we split.

The downside of wee is that I had the image of that stupid pig with the pinwheel from the Geico commercial in my head for a while. You’re welcome.

Bring back the Gecko! Actually have a photo somewhere with Lauren and Casey with the Gecko at some random town in Virginia from like 2002. One of those random things that happens when you drive around. Had gone to Dinosaur Land (TACKY AWESOMENESS!) and then rode the tiny train at a nearby cavern. I love a tiny train dating back to riding the one that’s near the Houston Zoo everytime we’d go. Stopped for a bite somewhere and the end of a leg of one of those antique car road race things was in the town. So the Gecko was taking pics with people. All these old cars were toodling down the street. Had some live music going. Was a pretty damn good day, even though I was rocking a minivan at the time. Definitely not weeeeeeeeee.

The other wee thing, and I don’t mean tiny, is taking a wee. Which is the English way of saying having a piss. Wait. Both of those are English. Crikey, my sayings are all dicked up from growing up in Louisiana, 4 years of college in Mississippi, living in Maryland since 94, and then with an English chick for 12 years.

Anyway, wee = pee. And if you’ve never said wee when having a pee, you’ve never had too much to drink, not been able to find a bathroom, and then finally found one to your great relief (these are for situations where there are no bushes/out of the way places to be had — don’t judge me).

Where’s luck enter into all of this? Not sure. I guess I’ve always been fairly lucky. After 18 months in the employment wilderness, I’ve been lucky enough to have fallen ass-backwards into a great professional situation working with a former competitor (Document Imaging Report, which I’ve been editing/writing since April last year) and folks I used to use to make me look smarter than I am (Doculabs, who I used for articles when I was editor and were the reason AIIM has a webinar program. Rick Tucker asked if I wanted to do one. I said yes and Theresa Resek and I put it together — she still runs it).

I’m still a little bit in awe at how Ralph Gammon, the editor of DIR for 20 odd years, remembers all the details about vendors in the capture space. And James Watson and Richard Medina with Doculabs are as wicked smart on the inside as I always thought they were from the outside looking in. Even Tucker knows what he’s doing.

I’m a lucky guy that as the pandemic hit and people struggled to pay their bills that my fortunes took an upswing. To the point that I was able to buy a house, join a great gym, add a few lovely pieces of furniture, and, just last week, weeee, buy a car.

I am good at what I do — sometimes even very good. Most days. But I also know that I’ve been lucky to have been in the right place at the right time to take advantage of both of these opportunities.

Time to hit the gym. For the record, photos have been added post-SoC, but I won’t edit anything 🙂

Awwwww, yeah, Country Boy Can Survive. Always have loved this song, Hank Williams, Jr.

Oh, and as a rejoinder to the above-mentioned “Good Old Days” and the line about something “did lovers really fall in love to stay”. Hank Williams had hits like “There’s a Tear in My Beer” and “Your Cheating Heart” was writtne in 1952, smack dab in the middle of the Judds good old days. GRRRRRR, man that just pisses me off. Ok. Gym.

No time to add images, so, published without. I know. Weird.