He's cutting grass

I know people have been wondering, what has happened to Hiyah since he moved from across the street? Well, wonder no more. Here is the man himself. He has expanded his evil empire. Now he not only picks up trash and sweeps in front of the stores, he cleans windows and cuts grass. Amazing!

Hiyah's shirt reads "My feet hurt."

Rachel's newest Car

2007 VW EOS

Well, it hasn't been a great year for Rachel for cars. The 2003 Accord was stolen while she was asleep. then it was totaled. And, it was taken by a friend. I know he didn't mean to wreck it, but that didn't make it any better.

So, we took the payout and went to the Honda dealer and got the Volvo. Cash deal. $5000. All the payoff plus $1000+ from our tax refunds. She went to school and the beast didn't even make it back home 5 days later.

Back to the dealer. They took the Volvo back, gave us full credit and she got the 2011 Mazda 3. Sweet. Just 2 weeks after making the first payment, she wrecks it. Seriously? I still don't see it. The insurance company screwed us over on that one. As soon as they heard that the air bag went off, they totaled it. I'm still pissed about it.

Now, we have spent weeks looking for another car. Finally she settled on this. it is a 2007 VW EOS. It is a hard top convertible. I'm crossing my fingers on this one. It is cute. But, black with black leather interior? In Savannah? Oh boy. I told her to be sure to keep a towel on the seats or she will burn her butt on that one.

Shrubbery and flowers MIA in the 'hood

Saturday morning, Bill saw that our neighbor had her flowers stolen. Damn. What the hell? She called the police and even showed where the dirt was leading up the street, but the cops "don't investigate." WTF? More people need to set up video cameras like ours. The ones we have record pretty good, although Rachel did sneak in this morning around 5 am and didn't show up on the camera. Did get pictures of her parking the car, though. I think it needs just a bit more tweaking. That's Tweaking nor Twerking...
Yesterday morning on our way to grocery shopping, we did drive around a couple of streets to see if we could locate the purloined blooms, but had no luck.

Red flowers missing from one pot

Savannah Police- the jokes almost write themselves.

One of our tenants next door is in the Army. He had a friend visit last week- also in the Army and they were both in their uniforms. A black man in an old Toyota pickup truck stopped and asked them for money. When the soldiers said NO, the man in the truck picked up rocks (that he had in his truck) and threw them at the soldiers. Seriously.
The guys called the police............an hour later, police still hadn't shown up........they should have said the dude showed them a gun..
Yesterday, neighbor called the police. His shrubs that he had just planted had been pulled up and taken away. Several people in the neighborhood have had this happen. Someone over by Brady Street is the culprit. One neighbor actually went to the house with his wheel barrel and took his plants back! Anyways, this neighbor waited for Savannah's finest to finally show. When the officer got there, the neighbor showed the cop the trail of dirt going to Brady Street. Cop said he couldn't do anything but take a report. REALLY...

been busy

Rachel and friends on St. Pat's Day

Been busy working for the biggest jerk in the world. I have been so sick the last month. 2 weeks ago, I was running a fever and having cold chills. I also had a migraine. After working for 4 hours like that, I left and went to the VA clinic. They gave me a note to stay out of work for the rest of that day (a Wednesday) and all the next. I immediately called the boss.
When I went into work on Friday, I promptly gave him the note. An hour later, he called me into the office and wrote me up. Said it was MY JOB to stay well. RU SERIOUS?
I so HATE the job and the boss.
I have been there almost 10 months and have never stopped looking for another job. I'll kick the next SOB that tells me "the economy is improving." Bite me.

Rachel's Car- DOA

Stolen and left in a ditch

Well, this is what is left of Rachel's second Honda Accord. It was taken without her permission while she was at a party and asleep. 2 guys took it and went for a  joyride. One drove it into a ditch. All 6 airbags went off. The insurance company still hasn't declared it a total loss yet. Really? Yes, Really...

Still hating the old job

Well, I still hate the job and I haven't won the lottery, so I still go work. It isn't getting any better there at all. The plant manager demoted the sales manager, saying "the sales manager position is not being funded this year." Wow. And the plant manager put it out in an EMAIL... Should have had the sales manager talk to us first. That was low. One of the sales guys left last week. I ran into him today. He hates that place, too. Said the plant manager is an Asshole. I have to agree.

Dec 7 2013

People ask me how the job is going.. Well, I have to say the truth, it just sucks.
First, I'm selling used auto parts. Really? Been to college for the last 4 years and that's the best I can get. Whoever says the economy is improving is flat out of their frigging minds.
Second, the sales manager. When he first hired me, seemed like a pretty cool dude being a Patriots fan and all. Then, we had an office meeting and he started f-this and f-that. Not very professional. Then he started bitching about one of the salesmen (who wasn't there). Saying how this guy was a manager in a Florida store, did something wrong, and was removed. All the stores were asked by corporate if one would take the dude as a salesman- a demotion.. Well Savannah took him and he is on salary making more than sales manager. The sales guys are supposed to be on salary for a few months and then go on 100% commission. For some reason, he is still on the salary. Dude sits there all day doing, what? His sales are only about $1000 a day while the other guys are in the $9000-12,000 range. Really?
Third, the plant manager. Because the dipshit (above) is sitting there playing games on his cell phone instead of making sales and calling body and repair shops to try to drum up business, the plant manager now has made a new mandate:

"On Friday, please leave your cell phones at home, in your vehicle or if you have the need to be contacted in an emergency, you may sit your cell phone on the top of the wall dividers between you and your neighbor so that you may take an emergency phone call.    Should this continue to be an issue (personal texting, game playing, etc.) personal cell phones will be banned unless you have special circumstances and request special consideration.

 

Also, breaks are at 15 mins @ 10:15AM, your lunch break and again 15 mins @ 2:30 PM… You may log out for 15 minutes and smoke/make your personal calls at that time/or what have you."

Well, I'm 57 goddamn years old. I don't sit there and play games on company time. I, like some of the other working sales people, use the phone for work purposes. On Wednesday, I took a picture of a part and sent it to a customer. Good thing I did, it turned out to be the wrong part. Now, I won't be able to do that. 

So, yeah, I hate my frigging job. I took $20 last night and bought lottery tickets. Won $31. Taking that and buying more tonight. Pray for me to win big so I never have to go back!

 

This ad is in a clothing magazine called Duluth Trading that caters to men. Hmmm, Ballroom Jeans... Insert your own jokes...
Gotta admit, the marketing people had a ball with this... Yes, I went there...

September 30 Been busy

Since I started work, I've been a bit  too busy to do much blogging. The newspaper yesterday had an interesting story. First some background.
 A few years ago, a guy that was fixing up a house down the street told me an interesting story. He had been witnessing drug dealing in front of the house and decided to video tape it. Then he called the police to report it. When the cop arrived, he offered the cop the videotape. The cop told him, "I don't arrest family." Wow! he was pissed and so was I. That statement really floored me. It started to make sense. When Bill or I would call the police on the drug dealing across the street, the dealers would quickly disappear just before the patrol cars arrived. They would smirk at us as they left.
Now, in the Sunday paper, it comes out. A cop on the Narco squad (CNT) would call a certain cop to tell him that a relative of his was being investigated. The certain cop, would ESCORT his drug dealing relative with a police car. Also this same cop was in trouble for intimidating an official with the Section 8 housing. He was taking money but did not have an actual tenant. When the official sent him a letter telling him to repay, he took his police car and charged at her while she was at the post office, then put his hand on his gun. He now is permanently off the list of people that are allowed to receive money for renting to Sect 8 people. That was all the punishment he got. And, yes it gets better... These 2 cops are not allowed to testify in FEDERAL court on ANY cases anymore.. Because the federal prosecutors believe they committed perjury.
So, what has become of these 2 fine officers? Well the one that was on the Narco squad, he was kicked off the squad and has been promoted. The other fine individual, he is the Crime Prevention Office of ...my precinct!

There is so much corruption here. It sucks.

Rachel's Friends got Robbed

21 year old FELON Antwon Housey

 Rachel's boyfriend (Christian) was helping some friends move early in the morning on Thursday, when a man came up to him and asked him if he knew where a particular street was. He did not but took out his I-phone to look up the address. It did not exist. (Clue #1, man walking up to you at 2 am. Clue #2, asking for an address that does not exist). Being someone who needs a lot of beauty sleep, Christian got a ride back to his apartment and went to bed. The others continued working loading the U-haul.
The guy came back at 4 am, with a few ...friends(felons)... Held them up at gunpoint, took all their phones, forced them into the back of the U-haul and locked them in.
It took them a while to use a hammer and trash the roof and they finally got out and called the police.
The detectives knew who the thieves were.. Amazing... You think? And then the felons, being all that, left the SMART phone on... you guessed it. Police were able to track the phone and the arrests were made.
Most of the stolen items were recovered, but I guess not the money..
So the charges are Armed Robbery and Kidnapping, except for Antwon- he get Felon with a gun... What do you think they will get? 1 or 2 years? Savannah Courts lets people get away with murder and out in 5.

I'm betting the VICTIM in Chief (Obama) isn't going to be saying "Oh, these boys could be my sons, if I had one." And what is up with these 2 not wearing shirts?

29 year old Adam Brantly

Corey Baker will be 18 in about a week

the job

I started work on Monday. Working at a junk yard- LKQ in Savannah. Not hard, but a lot to learn about mechanical parts and what is and is not included when you buy used parts.

Today we had a massive rain storm. The thunder and lightning were incredible. We lost phones and electricity for a short time then it kept flickering. The rain was coming down so hard it was going sideways. Then we had a break and I took off for lunch. But just before I got back, the sky opened up AGAIN. Damn. I had my raincoat and umbrella but my feet and legs got drenched.

Then when I was ready to leave, there was a massive puddle to deal with. Not happy....

Big puddle

As for Rachel, she left for college at Georgia Southern University last Monday. I helped her move in. Over the weekend, her boyfriend stayed with her for a few days. Guess the roommates were OK with that. The knucklehead held Rachel's car key for her... At some point the metal part separated from the plastic fob... He lost the metal part. The car wouldn't start. I had a metal key made and drove it to Statesboro on Saturday night. She drove to Savannah yesterday with the fob taped to the key. It was Christian's birthday and she wanted to surprise him.  Well, this morning she tried to leave to go back to school, and the stupid car would not start. WTF?
Had to have it towed to the Honda dealer and it took more than an hour to re-key (program)the computerized key. Damn HONDA.

Interesting week

Louise and her swollen leg

A lot of stuff happened this week. On Monday, I took my 2 finals. Did very well.
Tuesday night there was 3 shootings in Savannah. One is not far from where Rachel's boyfriend lives. That happened at 9:30 and one guy was injured. Then 5 minutes later, another shooting happened about 5 minutes away from the other shooting. 2 were killed in that one. Then another 10 minutes later, a shooting 2 blocks from our house, at 34th and MLK, another guy was injured. Police still aren't saying if they are all related but it is kinda coincidental that they all happened so close together.

We thought we were going to lose Louise. She couldn't walk and she was crying. It was very nerve wracking.  Bill and I took turns staying up all night with her. In the morning, we could see her right rear leg was swollen more than twice its normal size. It actually looks more like a normal dog leg! Greyhounds legs are usually so skinny. So, we took her to the vet. He thinks she got bit by something since it is only one leg. She is on 4x her pain meds that she takes for arthritis. Plus, she had a fever so she is on antibiotics. She is doing better now but the leg is still swollen.

Rachel's boyfriend. What can I say there... Hmm. Dumb ass. Thursday it rained like hell- 3 inches in about 30 minutes. He sees a puddle. What does he do? You guessed it. He drives through it. Or almost... See him standing on the trunk of his car!

Help Me

Sunday July 21 what happened?

Found out what happened from the guy (Neil) that lives in the brick house at the intersection where that accident occurred. A cop ran the red light- NO lights, NO siren. Forced a civilian who had the right-of-way into the pole. THAT didn't make the news!

A little this and that

New shower curtain

Went to BBB this morning to pick up a couple of things. Bill and I went there on Sunday so he could buy a new pillow for himself. While there, he saw something called a BackJoy Relief seat. He said it would be great for the kayak. I told him, hold off and I'll pick it up later for his birthday next month. So I went this morning without him to pick it up and STICKER shock! It was $39.99!
I picked up a couple of bath towels, face cloths and hand towels for Rachel for school in a nice teal blue. I happened to see a Tervis tumbler with Georgia Southern Eagles emblazoned on the side and just HAD to get it, too. Then, I figured it was time to update the downstairs bathroom shower curtain. It still has a Paris feel, but no more of the frilly stuff. Bill will be thrilled, I'm sure. Finally to wrap it all up, a coupon came in the mail for 20% of entire purchase at BBB so, while I saved $25, I will NOT say how much I spent;-)

Go Georgia Southern Eagles

Another day

Notice something about the pole

Over the weekend, we had some horrendous rain storms. I'm not sure if that is what lead up to this, but if it didn't then it was likely some fool running a red light. Anyway, that pole was hit HARD and the lines were hanging low. Also, the hydrant was knocked a-kilter. I asked the lady that runs the convenience store at that intersection if she knew what had happened but she didn't. She hadn't even noticed the leaning pole, the orange flags or even the crews out there...
Met a nice couple and their dog from Michigan this morning at Starbucks. They were thinking about moving here. I told them, it may be a nice place to visit, but there are NO jobs. The husband noticed my Patriot's coffee mug. Said he was a fan of Tom Brady (Brady attended college in Michigan). Funny how little things can start a conversation.

The truck is NOT touching the pole. It is close to it.

Fireworks

Well, I hope everyone has an uneventful Fourth of July.  As for us, we stayed home.  The fools at the BP station, were blowing off fireworks. Yes, that is correct. At the GAS station, the knuckleheads light off fireworks. We keep an eye on things, like our roof, Bill's truck in the back yard. 
Then, there was the gunfire... Yup, they are crazy out there. You could hear pistols and what sounded like automatic weapons, too. Amazingly we did not hear about anyone being injured. Sometimes God protects fools.
Tonight, just before Bill walked out for the 8 pm walk with Chip, we heard gunfire real close to our house. A few minutes later as Bill and Chip were walking across Barnard, a policewoman stopped and asked Bill if he had heard gunfire. He said, yup, over by Dirty South Records. You would think the police could pull this stuff up on the video camera at the intersection. This just shows that no one really looks at those cameras. Why spend our tax dollars on cameras if they aren't even going to use them?

Starbucks Dude Part II

OK, so I'll finish the story about the dude I was talking to uptown. Anyone who knows me, knows I can't remember names. So the guy tells me his name, but it goes whoosh, right through my brain. Then, he points to his arms. He has tattoos that look like Tony the Tiger stripes on them. That's when he tells me "Everyone calls me Tiger." Really?! Says he is from Maryland, his father is a Native American medicine man and his mother is a white woman that is a witch. Interesting.
Then he drops a bomb. Says he is a necromancer. For the uninitiated:
1. a method of divination through alleged communication with the dead; black art . 2. magic in general, especially that practiced by a witch or sorcerer; sorcery.
I told him be careful about talking about like that in the bible belt!

Starbucks uptown

People often ask me, why do I go to the Starbucks up town when parking is so much easier elsewhere? Well, I'll tell you. It's because you never know who you will end up seeing or talking to. There's the local "crazies" (yeah, I know, it isn't politically correct to say it, but what the hell?, Crazy is Crazy!). Then, we get the tourists that I enjoy talking to. Then, you meet someone like I met on Tuesday. Not local,  not totally tilting at windmills. I'll let the reader decide.
This young man, I'd say in his twenties, was wearing a backpack and what, at first glance I thought was a piece of rebar, and holding a Styrofoam box, when he asked me for money. I asked him instead, what was the story with the rebar. He said it was an antenna- like the kind a trucker uses for a CB radio. He uses it for street fighting demonstrations for martial arts. Okayyyy... Next, I asked what was the deal with the box. Well, he opened it up and shows me a BAT! Says he found this vampire bat and he needs to go to the library to find out what to feed it. Okayyyyy... Gets better. Then I asked where is he from. Stop me if you heard this one before... He is from Maryland. On probation from ....SAVANNAH.... Brought down from MD to GA in a white van in handcuffs... After going to court, was released to the wilds of Savannah with no money, no ride home... Ha Ha Ha! I gave him a buck and told him where to get a free meal from the mission. I'll tell you more of his story later...

Steal a flag

Former Old Glory

Who would stoop so low as to steal an American flag? I don't know but I'm hoping the neighbor's video camera will show it. I am angry that someone would walk up on my porch and take my flag. I know it only cost $30 at WalMart plus another $10 for the pole, but it isn't the money. It's MY FLAG. So, I made a police report, again, it isn't about the money. Not like I can make an insurance claim... I'm just pissed.

Mostly Quiet here

WTF? SNAKE!

Been a little quiet here. I've been spending my days studying and job hunting.
Lila sent me this photo of a LARGE snake on the rafters of the garage at work. It was eating birds. The garage is about a mile as the crow flies (or the snake crawls) from her house. Mr/Ms Snake came from somewhere. He/She has parents, siblings, babies... get my point. I'm staying far far away!

Knucklehead move here

Rachel paid some dudes 2 blocks from our house, to wash the outside and detail the inside of her car. Well, Miss knucklehead was watching when it started raining so she decided to sit in the car. The keys were on the console. Can you guess what happened next? OK, I'll just say it. She got out of the car, closed the doors.... The doors locked. Where are the keys? Did I mention they are on the console? Damn Honda. You can Never lock the keys in the Subaru. It just won't let you. One of the guys told Rachel it would cost $60 for "Pop A Lock" to open the door. She said that was too much. So the guy took a screwdriver and tried to pry open the window to get a coat hanger in the window. Well, POP when the side glass. Nice. Cost for replacement? about $135 from the cheapest place! Expensive car wash. And let's not forget, she called me, and I said, well that is what Roadside Assistance is for. Really! It could have cost her NOTHING if she just waited for me (I was, after all, only 2 blocks away). Knucklehead.

Rachel's Big Day

On Friday @ 5, Rachel's car was finally ready. I am so glad I don't have to keep shuttling her around any more.
The big thing today of course, is Rachel graduated! But we had a little fun at her expense. I sent Rachel a text while she was at practice, saying that it was too hot and Bill decided to wear his kilt. She was appalled to say the least! I said the kilt is "dressy" and told her Bill even had a matching hat, how cool! This went on and on, building up to me sending her a picture of Bill in his kilt to her phone just as we were leaving. She was frantic. I didn't say anything more. Then, when it was over and she saw that Bill was wearing a suit, she was so relieved. It was the best April Fools joke in June EVER!

Rachel and Grandpa Foster

The Grad

Grrr. Not a Happy Day

Rachel is PISSED as her car is still not done. It has been in the shop since last week. My mechanic changed the auto transmission fluid then used a hand held device that said the car needed a module for the transmission. Once that was done, it still wouldn't shift properly. Said it would need a transmission. Well, the damn Honda turns out that it needs some RARE transmission. A v-6, auto, coupe, made in USA, 2003 tranny. It turns out this tranny is a piece of crap so there aren't many used ones out there. For about $1400 we could pick up a used one here in Sav. But, a shop here will rebuild it for $2000 and give a 3 year warranty. Sounds good, but the car has been in the tranny shop since Monday. Dude said it would be done late Wednesday or early Thursday. Here it is Thursday afternoon, no car. Said due to the tropical storm, parts did not get here. DAMN, Rachel is flipping out.
Then some dude on Craigslist offered her $60 for her subwoofer and amp. Wow. Christian paid $250 for it and she paid him $100 for it. So, she isn't selling. No offers on any of the gowns or jewelry we put on Craigslist or EBay either. Double Damn. Can't get any money in.

Rachel's 18th Birthday Today!

Today is the big one! 18 years old today. Now she can buy cigarettes without using someone else's ID.

Rachel's car. What can I say? That thing. I hate it. She had to buy another Honda Accord. Last week, it was intermittently not starting. Finally on Tuesday night, it wouldn't start at all. She left it on the islands. I went there in the morning and had it towed to Dave's garage. After installing the neutral safety switch, it was not that. So, he took it out and replaced the starter. Voila!It starts! Then as she drives away, she calls me. The radio is not working. Damn. Go back. The battery had died and the radio needs to have a code entered. OK, where is the owner's manual, Rachel? Oh, she left it at someone's house. Really? Mechanic said she would need to remove radio to get serial number and take it and VIN # to Honda to get them to look up code in the computer. She was pissed.
She drove to Honda. Turns out, the original owner had pasted the code into the glove box. They entered the 4 digit # and it worked. Happy Day Thursday.

Then, Thursday night, Rachel goes out drinking with her boyfriend. She gets drunk. He can't find the car. After wandering around up town, he LOSES Rachel. She fell down and hit her temple. Blacked out! He finds her, calls a cab and takes her to his apartment. In the morning she calls me crying. Can't remember anything and her head hurts. I pick her up, see the bruise on her temple, and rush her to the emergency room.

She had a CAT scan and is OK, but keep an eye on her.

Sunday, Rachel is driving the car to work, when the RPM's keep going up, but the speed is going down... That's ugly. She calls me crying. She did make it to work. I tell her leave the car and I'll pick you up after work.
9 pm. She calls. She has a ride. 9:40. Ride is still working. Damn it, she is going to drive home. Please no, I said. Well, you can guess... She gets as far as the frigging Wilmington Bridge. The car won't go up hill. Second tow in 5 days.
We were thinking it was the transmission. Dave looked at it this morning. Checked the engine codes. Thank God, it just needs a sensor. So, another $150 day but she will have it back tomorrow.

Pray that the drama is over...

Rachel

Wise Woman

 “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

― Helen Keller

I must have a lot of character... 

Look what happened just before I came home!

Dude - Shawn Blige
 Dude- James Baggs III
Dude- Michael Gibbs, Jr.

Prostitution bust

Eight people are arrested May 14 in connection with a prostitution bust in the Jefferson Street area. 

Alleged prostitutes, some men dressed as women, were arrested after a sting operation in one of Savannah's prostitution hot beds. Neighbors and businesses say it's about time.

They also were a little surprised to find out some of the "ladies" weren't really ladies. 

The arrests came after an investigation into prostitution in the Jefferson and Bull Street areas from 36th Street up to 42nd Street. Neighbors had complained to city leaders, who notified Chief Willie Lovett. 

The police say it's not exactly a growing problem, but a quality of life problem which is not going away. Most neighbors WTOC spoke to were not surprised by the arrests and crackdown, as they were familiar with the faces who had been put behind bars.

You have three men, posing as women. Some of these residents said they thought the men were women until certain mannerisms gave them away. Shawn Blige, 31, Michael Gibbs, 29, and James Baggs, 48, were arrested for prostitution. Also arrested was the only actual female of the group, according to police reports, Ruth Ann Robinson, 48.