Thursday, May 30, 2013

Colorado Weather




Just another spring day in Colorado. The Interstate is closed due to multiple accidents around the tunnels. Traffic is being rerouted over two lane 11,990' ASL Loveland Pass. Oh joy!




Not to worry. Tomorrow is the last day truckers MUST carry tire chains. 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Lottery



Coffeypot recently blogged about NOT winning the huge Powerball.


Once hit 5 of 6 numbers on the Washington State Lottery. The big prize was $3,000,000,  which had two winners. Oh well, while $1,500,000 would have been great,  I was happy with my $560 or so.  Then I learned one of the two big winners was Louise F., a woman who was a thorn in my side. We mutually detested each other.

She did the payroll at the car dealership where I worked. Every month my “washout” (end of the month settlement) check would be wrong, often by several hundred dollars. Strangely, I was never overpaid. I would go over my records, give the correct amounts per deal to my boss (we mere salespeople couldn’t talk directly to her) and have him get it fixed. Her usually response was, “I’ll put it on his next month’s check”. Bullshit! So, four or five days later I would get a supplemental check. She would have my boss pass onto to me her displeasure.

I did begrudge the miserable bitch her winnings, but consoled myself that she would now quit her job. Oh hell no! She put it all in the Credit Union and kept on working (and messing up my pay).

Guess it was all my fault for not responding favorably to her flirtatious behavior at a party. Alcohol was involved, on her part. On my part, there wasn’t enough alcohol ever distilled to ……. Ah well, enough said.

Once worked with a man who learned his ex wife won an Indiana lottery prize. He called her and said, “Darling, great news! I’m taking you back”! Her response, “Oh, you’re funny”. 

Monday, May 27, 2013

What Is Memorial Day?



Memorial Day means something more to me than camping and barbeques. It is a day I reflect on my heritage and  why I can live the life I have.

I have fifty eight first cousins. Many have passed. Many have married into other families, have had children of their own, and now grandchildren. The number of Veterans is large; more than I know. More than a few have been wounded, or died, in the service of their country.

Name a war, Revolution, Civil, Spanish American, Indian, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and our linage has been there. Many more, including myself, served between these conflicts. None of us makes a big deal about our service; it is part of who we are. We damn well remember, however, and always honor flag and country.

I always honor our woman folk, who kept the homes going, worried and prayed for their men folk (and now daughters and nieces) who were away in harms way. When the men came home, they were there to deal with the mental and physical problems the men brought home. Strong women!

What, and who, I am wouldn’t exist without them and what they accomplished. Old, but very true cliché; All gave some, some gave all.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

That Time Of Year

Hoping winter is over, installed the swamp cooler today. Snow next week?

Given our near desert climate, an evaporative cooler works well. Mine will bring down the interior temperature to around 72-75 most days.

They are simple enough mechanical devices.  I've always been able to do my own maintenance and repairs.

The vocabulary usually gets a good workout, what with dropped and/or forgotten tools. No, person helping me last year, a "good tight cross thread" is not acceptable.

Note to the Water Department. Your bragging about our water quality, and the ultra expensive reverse osmosis plant built and operated at great expense, would seem to be fiction. This, based on the hour of cleaning out caked scale on the inside of the swamper. Yes, I did a "proper" job of cleaning it last fall.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Paranoid or Inept? Or Both?





For Internet use, I mainly use Google and MSN + Explorer. At several “conservative”, “right wing rabble rousers”, “anti government” sites I encounter slow page loads, sometimes to the point of not loading at all. Same thing happens with anything dealing with firearms. Not all the time, but often, at these sites but while going “left”,  I seldom notice any problems.

Assuming most of the worker bees and managers at Google and MSN are “Progressives”, I wonder if some sabotage isn’t in play. Nah, we have “Net Neutrality”, don’t we? Must be some other reason Outlook “Smart Screen” always flags the GunAuction.com newsletter but never CommonDreams.com.

Being a lazy, set in my ways, senior citizen and Latter Day Luddite, I don’t care to use (learn) another browser. In addition, if the well hidden little assholes force me to go this route, they have won a very minor victory. Censor me? Fuck you!

Anyone else have this happen to them? 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Think I Will Pass



Portion of a recent comment on my blog caught by the spam filter.

Starting an Adult/Porn 3D Virtual Reality company, need donations

I am trying to start a small software company that will develop adult/porn 3D interactive virtual reality programs for the new Oculus Rift VR headset.

Right now the Oculus Rift is in development stage, but I need to raise 300 dollars which is the cost of the developers kit, which includes the VR headset.

I'll be very thankful for your donations and will keep you up to date on the progress of our development. Hopefully we will have rendered porn into 3D and have it ready by the 2014 release date.

Give them credit for chutzpah. Other than “porn”, I haven’t a clue as to what Oculus etc. is. Nor do I want to know. Sorry Charley, I’m more of the participant than spectator type.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Rule of Law? Why is There A Question?






Where rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rule making or legislation which would abrogate them.
-- Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 US 436 p. 491





Thursday, May 16, 2013

Serendipity, Wyoming Addition



Researchers looking for a way to bury carbon dioxide in deep underground sites find an underground brine lake. Pump out the brine, insert the carbon dioxide, and part of the problem is solved. Of course, you have to do something with the brine. The brine is analyzed and found to contain lithium, like $500 billion worth of lithium. Wyoming now has  another major mineral strike to offset coal. The stars must be aligned. You need soda ash to extract the lithium. Next door is one of the largest known deposits of soda ash.  In addition, the area has highly developed mining and transportation infrastructure and a skilled work force;  operating in a business friendly state. Read about it here.



Sometimes it is better to lucky than good. Like the gold placer miners in 1874 complaining about the heavy sand impeding their operation. The heavy sand was cerussite,  which has a high silver and lead content. Traced to the source, the lead and silver lodes were amazingly rich. If interested, look up the history of Leadville, CO.

(Just for certain family members, the best part is this  discovery isn’t around Wamsutter.) 

Good news long term for our country. Good news for "green industry". Not so good news for countries exporting lithium. What would be even better news would be rare earths in the brine.

Show me doing a happy dance. This is great news for my extended clan who make their livelihood from mining and mining support.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

DAYMN!

Guess winter is over. Very close lightning strike; flash+BOOM. Lights went out, car alarms went off and surge protectors tripped. I'm not going out in the rain to see where it hit. Very close! Four years ago lightning hit a tree in front of my house and took off big branches. Two doors down a tree came down on a parked car crushing it.

Think it is global warming? Should I sue Al Gore? Or, have an adult beverage?

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Control Freaks, Auto Sales Sub Species



Something for the few auto retailers out there that occasionally drop by. For those with no interest in the subject, you may want to stop here.

First, a short back story. The dealer principal who was able to tolerate me for many years, and his family, have become  both a business and personal relationship. Recently, one of his sons has started selling cars. He is also the one this Latter Day Luddite calls for computer tech help. I sometimes mentor him in his sales efforts. This was written with him in mind.

Too many people retailing automobiles are, at their core, weak, insecure, anxious and fearful. They appear to be Type A confident and forceful; it is an act. They are control freaks, and, far to often, bullies. Then they get promoted to management and inflict their insecurities on their staff.

There is a whole sub industry of sales trainers who convince dealers, or manufacturers, to pay them to train the sales forces. Some are excellent (Grant Cardone), and many just tell the trainees what the dealer principals want to hears (as opposed to what they need to hear). What the dealers want to hear is CONTROL! To get one customer (up) on the lot, dealers will  spend hundreds of dollars in advertising and promotions. When that “up” comes on the lot, the dealer considers them an asset and wants to maximize their return. Hence, sales people are trained to “get and keep control”. Sales people know they will be severely berated is they don’t “control” the customer. All this is bullshit. That “up” is a human being, and that is what you need to deal with.

Hear it comes. YEAH, BUT! Look dummy, you always have control because you have the car, not them. At some point, they will cede control to you to get what they want. Your job is to make them feel comfortable, and to build value and desire in the car.

So how do you, neophyte salesperson, sell a car? First, a proper greeting. Welcome them,  introduce yourself, and thank them for coming in. Then SHUT UP. I guarantee that any question you ask at this point will get, “We’re just looking”.  If you keep your pie hole closed, they will tell you what they want. Not always, not immediately, but they will tell you. Have patience, but don’t let them walk the lot alone. It is your house, not theirs. Then find them a car THEY like. At this point it doesn’t matter what it is, only that they like it. Don’t ask them any personal questions. Once they are somewhat comfortable with you, they will start giving you information. If they are worried about their credit, about their trade, etc., they will bring it up,  if you give them the chance.

Once you “land” them on a car, build value. Always, ABC (advantage, benefit, commitment). “This model has a xxx,xxx mile warranty. You won’t have to pay for any repairs for a long time. Is that something important to you?” (If you are going to be successful, you better learn your product. Back in the day, I could come up with thirty or more ABCs on any vehicle on the lot. Rarely lost a walk around contest). You have “landed” them on a car. Now comes the most important step, the test drive. Get them to drive the car. On the test drive, keep you mouth shut unless they ask you a question or you need to keep them on the route you have already established.

Towards the end of the drive, you go for the “baby” commitment.

“Folks, do you like the car? If they answer yes, then you say, “If we make you a great deal, will you drive it home today”? Expect some resistance but, in a polite manner, persist. Once you have a “yes”, take them inside and put it on paper (the write up). At this point, you have done all the heavy lifting. Now, your managers will do their part.

During the write up, the problems come out. Credit, trade, down payment, whatever. They may not be able to buy the car they drove. At this point, the customer has a lot of time and emotion invested. They do not want to go somewhere else and start over. Now, you can direct them to the car they can buy. Now, who has control? Remember, they came to your lot because you have something they want, and you have always been in control. Repeat, they came to the lot to buy a car; let them buy. Don’t fight them.

"But WSF, I don't want to waste my time." Really, what else do you have? Retailing automobiles and efficiency aren't even in the same time zone. Want efficiency? Go to work for UPS.

During my decades retailing vehicles, I kept score. How many ups, how many test drives, how many write ups, how many sales? While not a superstar, I would sell one out of 4.3 ups. The best I personally worked with was Dirty Al, who sold one out of three. The national average, as I recall per NADA, was North of one out of six.

Your biggest obstacle towards success is your manager. Don’t stay in a store with bad managers. That dinosaur brain in the tower is your worse obstacle. If the Finance office is stealing your gross, get out! I was fortunate to have four great managers, including my friend's father.  I stayed with them until they left. Quite possible my worst manager was myself.

Like many people, I got into car sales because I needed a job, and that was all I could find. To my surprise, it allowed me to  earn what I needed to make the other parts of my life (like feeding my kids) work. Prestige? From an early age, I’ve not given a rat’s ass what the world, outside of the family,  thought of me. Your mileage may differ.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Hillary and Benghazi


Bloviating Zeppelin has been putting up some excellent posts on this subject. Thoughtful, well researched, and well documented posts. Please go read them.

http://bloviatingzeppelin.net/archives/8235
http://bloviatingzeppelin.net/archives/8229
http://bloviatingzeppelin.net/archives/8211
http://bloviatingzeppelin.net/archives/8143

Sorry BZ, Hillary will skate. Why? Because her supporters don't care. Please read the blog picture. This is what a whole lot of liberals, especially liberal women, think. In their mind, she is fighting the good fight against male oppression. Facts don't matter. Same mentality holds that criticizing the Lightbringer is racist, because he is black. Winning is the only thing that matters.

The hypocrisy galls me. As long as the "narrative" falls into accepted wants, there is no other standard. If not, look out. Sarah Palin is a strong, accomplished woman. Where is the sisterhood with her? I'm not a big Palin fan, but I do admire what she has accomplished.

Several Progressive women crowed (or should that be cackled?) about how proud they were of Hillary putting the "bullies" in their place when she testified in front of the Senate committee.  Nothing said about her flat out lying.

I would have some respect for her if she had said something along these lines.

"Under my watch, mistakes were made. People died because of these mistakes. I am determined that these mistakes not be repeated."

No, she weaseled. Worse, there is a very good chance she will be out next president.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

One Person's Tragedy, Is Another's Job


Ah, Colorado weather. From winter, to the current "Right and Proper Thunderstorm", complete with hail and the NOAA radio alerts sounding. Funnel clouds soon to follow?

My sister, an independent insurance adjuster, will be shifting from ice storm truck wrecks on Interstate 80, to hail damage to roofs, crops, and vehicles in NE Colorado. She is completely  fair and compassionate. Best you don't try a phony claim; she won't be easily fooled.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Cinco de Mayo



Another Cinco de Mayo, and a fond, if not bittersweet memory.

My middle son is so not into cars. All he cares is to turn the key and go. When anything goes wrong, he calls me.  His life revolves around music; performing, jamming, listening, etc. You can find one of his many blog/zines on my sidebar. Warning! If you don’t like extreme black death metal, don’t go there.

In Denver on Cinco de Mayo, Federal Boulevard is blocked off for miles as the cars parade. Somehow, he managed to turn onto Federal one May 5th, and couldn’t get off. It was his normal route home from one of his hangouts (gigs, girlfriend, jam?). So, after five miles of stop and go, his clutch was fried in his Honda Civic.

He told me he tried several times to get off Federal, and the Denver Police wouldn’t let him. I can just visualize the scene. A 6’2”, bearded long hair, whiter than white berzerker,  wearing an inflammatory black T-shirt, in a dirty beat up Honda, in the middle of a Mexican parade! Glad he, and the parade participants,  escaped with just a bad clutch. Could have been a riot.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Another Progressive Wet Dream Rant



With Colorado’s current one party dominance in the State Assembly, and the leftist/Progressive dominance of that party,  the common citizens are getting to pay for more whack job social engineering.

First, we have the “Colorado Model” gun control recently passed. Now, we have Senate Bill 252 sitting on the Governor’s desk. This bill mandates electric co-ops source at least 25% of their power purchases from “renewable sources”. This, despite the “renewable energy” that doesn’t exist in sufficient quantities, doesn’t seem to matter. So we now have our own “Field of Dreams” except, instead of “build it and they will come”, it is “demand it and it will happen”.

About 70% of the state is served by co-ops. Most co-ops get their power from Tri-State Generation, mainly coal and natural gas power plants.

So rates will go up. How much is debatable, but it won’t be just a little. Now, if you live in Douglas County which has a median income of $100,000, a $30 to $50 a month increase might mean one less night out a month. If you live in Costillo County with a median income of $22,000, that increase may make the choice lights or food. It will be a big hit for the farmers, ranchers, and dairy industry. Food costs will go up.

Family obligations keep me tied to Colorado. When those change, I’m getting the hell out.

Found this little snippet which shows the arrogance, and the mentality, of the Progressive mind.

http://beforeitsnews.com/environment/2013/04/colorado-looks-to-raise-renewable-energy-standard-to-25-percent-for-rural-electric-co-ops-2466872.html

For those who might be interested, here are some intelligent back and forth views much better written than my scribbles.

http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2013/apr/23/chuck-mcconnell-costly-rural-colorado/

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Fickle Weather


Two days ago, 79 degrees. Today, snowing. Forecast low tonight, 22 degrees.

From my natural gas heating bill.

This year, 43 Therms Used, Average daily temperature 39 degrees.
Last year, 12 Therms Used, Average daily temperature 54 degrees.

Today, studded tires are prohibited. Yeah, bite me!

Seems the jet stream has drifted South.

The good news is the snow is very moist and will ease the drought, for now.