Random Thoughts for Monday, February 24th, 2020

I’m back! It’s time for “Random Thoughts”. What did I do last week during my absence? Read on…

UNPLUGGED

So last week I was “unplugged” for most of the week!

It was a social experiment for me basically.

If I had any addiction, it would probably be that I feel I need to keep up with what is going on in the world of social media. I have become one of those people that has to check in to see if I have missed anything after an hour or so.

Last week I decided that I wanted to see if I could just “stay away” from social media for the better part of a week.

Was I successful?! Kind of!

I still checked in to Facebook and Twitter once or twice a day to see if there was anything newsworthy that I just had to know about. That was much better than feeling the need to check in one or twice AN HOUR!

Did I miss it? You bet! I missed all the interaction with all of you! But it definitely gave me a new perspective on the amount of time I actually spend online each day.

By being offline and “off the air” for the week, I was able to just disconnect from work to some extent. I have to admit, it felt nice knowing that I didn’t have to monitor social media to see if I had missed anything.

I’m back now though. Full steam ahead. I will probably still try to limit my social media time, but I’ll still be there reading and posting!

TRAVELING WITH A MOOSE

What did I do in my time off? I traveled with a Moose!

Not a moose as in a big, deer like animal, but “Moose” my little (b)rat terrier!

In the past whenever I left town, I had someone come house sit and watch the dogs. This time I decided to try something different.

As many of you know, Moose has a heart condition that requires several medicines a day. As long as he gets his meds, he remains healthy. But, it’s tough to find someone who will watch him because they are fearful of his health while I am gone. The other problem I have with finding a house sitter in the winter is my driveway is 1/4 mile long. If it snows, people worry about how they are going to get in and out of my driveway. Also, living 25 minutes from Grand Rapids makes it tough too, because most of my friends live in the city and don’t like the idea of a 25 minute or more drive to work and back.

So I decided to just take Moose with me this time!

He’s traveled with me before. It’s been a few years, but him and my other dog, Scooby, (who passed away a year ago) would go with me to St. Louis for long weekends to visit friends. It had been awhile since he had been on a long trip, but I was going to give it a try.

So my friend Rich, Moose and I hopped in the car and headed south to a little sunnier and warmer weather and to visit some mutual friends along the way.

It was unbelievable how much I had to pack in the car for the little guy (Moose, not Rich)! We had to take his dog bed, his crate, another dog bed for the crate, his favorite blanket to sleep on, an old comforter to put down in the back of the car for his comfort, portable steps to get up and down on the bed in the hotel room, all his pills, a cooler for his food and water, his dog bowls, and not one — but two grocery bags of treats and chew toys to keep him occupied.

I packed a small bag for myself: a change of clothes, fresh socks and underwear, a toothbrush and deodorant!

Surprisingly Moose did REALLY well! I had a cam set up in the hotel room so I could keep an eye on him while I was gone for short periods of time. Usually he used that time to just sleep.

We also stopped off a few dog parks and had to hit a few “Welcome Centers” along the way too. Overall, I think he had a good time — mostly not because of the travel — but just that he was able to spend so much time with me everyday. He doesn’t get all that attention on an average day.

My friend Rich wasn’t too tough to travel with either. And I’m happy to report… neither of them pissed on the floor in the hotel rooms!

POOP SHOES

Do you have a pair of “Poop Shoes” for work?

What are “Poop Shoes” you ask? Well on Reddit, people are confessing that they have an extra pair of shoes they keep at the office that they only wear into the bathroom. People feel embarrassed sitting in a stall and doing their “duty” with their regular shoes on. They feel that those regular shoes are recognizable by their co-workers. Anyone can look under the stall and see who’s in there doing their business.

So many people are bringing a second pair of shoes to remain anonymous while sitting on the throne.

I have never heard of such a thing!

I used to work with a guy many years ago that would actually take his lunch break and drive home if he had to use the bathroom for a “sit down”.

IF I HAD NOT SEEN IT WITH MY OWN EYES…

Every once in a while on Facebook you will see pictures of people doing stupid things.

If I had not driven by this car and seen in for myself, I would not have believed it.

For most of us, if we buy something of length at the hardware store, we will fasten it to our cars from front to back.

Apparently that’s not the case if you live in Indiana — at least for this person.

They had two long pieces of what looked like PVC piping. Instead of fastening them to the roof of their car…they just put them through their back windows — sideways — and drove down the road!

Now I have seen it all!

It’s good to be back! I have plenty of things to write about for “Random Thoughts” this week. I will be back on the air this afternoon from 3-7 pm, local and live, on 98.7 WFGR. A big THANK YOU to Jay Michaels for filling in for me last week while I was gone.

If you have any comments on the above stories, please leave your remarks below…