Firestone and the Indy 500

As a boy growing up, every year I would sit with my Dad and we would watch the Indy 500.  When I was a boy it used to take all day to run 500 miles.  The Indy 500 is about to be run for the 100th time.  I read a great article in the April Edition of Tire Business about Firestone and the Indy 500 and thought I would share some tidbits in today's post.  The Article "Brickyard's signature race marks its 100th", was written by Kathy McCarron of the Tire Business Staff. Firestone tires debuted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909 on a car racing in the Indianapolis 300, the precursor to the Indy 500.In 1909, 3.2 million paving bricks were laid on top of the original crushed rock and tar surface of the speedway – hence the track's nickname, "The Brickyard."Today, there...

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Posted in: Indy 500 Firestone Bridgestone

Results of Search Engine Test

On Feb. 21st of 2011 I conducted experiment by creating a post Titled "FREE NUDE PICTURES." When you have a Blog such as this you have a DASHBOARD where there are tabs at the top Posting   Comments   Settings    Design   Monetize    Stats Under the Stats Tab there are further options which allow you to see where searches came from, how many people from different countries viewed your blog, which posts they viewed, and how many hits came in at different times through out the day. It has become apparent that after a certain hour which is very late in some overseas countries that this experimental post is attracting repeated attention.  With doing some math at the number of posts being looked at compared to the number of hits...

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Old School Customer Service

I work for Community Wholesale Tire of Kansas City.  We are located in Kansas City, Missouri, not Kansas.  I have worked for this great company for almost twenty years now and it has always been company policy that if a customer orders something we will deliver it.  I know that sounds simple and silly but I still have to argue with some of my younger drivers about the logic and reasoning behind this seemingly bazaar policy.They argue that we are losing money by driving 30, 40, or 50 miles out of the way to deliver a single tube that maybe only costs a few dollars and that we only make maybe a few cents on delivering it.  Yes they are correct in the assumption that with the high price of gas, the cost of running a delivery truck, and paying that driver by the hour I am losing...

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Posted in: Customer Service Tires Old School

Traveling with an Orchestra

Life would be so much more dramatic if you traveled around with an Orchestra playing music to go with what ever you are doing at the moment.  Of course this would never really work and would be quite embarrassing after two and half hours of working in your office you jump to your feet and the Orchestra cranks up with the Indiana Jones Theme song as you emerge from your office.  Your making cut motions with your hands as you try to explain you just have to run to the restroom! Of course the main reason it wouldn't work is because it should be illegal to listen to certain pieces of music while driving, like the William Tell Overture would be at the top of the list.  Peter Gunn Theme would be up there also (for all the Spy Hunter Game fans, that's the theme song for the game.) ...

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Posted in: Orchestra John Williams Music Warning

Some Funny Truths

Once again my friend sent this to me, I edited it, there was one about, is learning cursive writing really necessary, and I am a huge proponent of people learning the very basics of communication, which includes writing legibly.  I deleted that one.  Sorry for nothing original I have been swamped with family obligations and rewriting my second book and editing my second book to get it ready for publication. 1.  I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die. 2.  Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. 3.  I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger. 4.  There is great need for a sarcasm font. 5.  How in the world are you supposed...

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Posted in: Truths Funny

Congress, Monkeys and a Banana

I was e-mailed this from a friend.  I didn't come up with it but thought it was terrific and that I would post this.  I don't know who did come up with it, but HOOOORAAAHH for whomever did!!! If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and inside the cage,hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairsunder the banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climbtoward the banana.As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys withcold water.  After a while another monkey makes an attempt with sameresult ... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water.Pretty soon when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the othermonkeys will try to prevent it.Now, put the cold water away.  Remove one monkey from the cage...

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Posted in: Congress Monkeys Banana

Looking for a Good Book

Book Reviews is something I think every author should want.  Good or Bad. I ran across a story where a gentleman was a political journalist associated with a magazine or something, and he decided to write a book about the Lincoln assassination, nothing to do with his day job what so ever.  The day he published on Amazon the people who where familiar with his name from his journalistic political arena started a trashing campaign on his book.  Horrible reviews written the say day everybody bought the book.  First mistake was none of the trashers actually read the book.  It got such attention from so many people trashing it that others bought it to see for themselves and then the true readers started reviewing the book and trashing the trashers.  Amazon took notice...

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Bonding with the Boys

I have not posted for a bit because I have been on full time domestic duties.  My wife went to a woman's conference in Illinois with a bunch of ladies from our church.  I got to stay home and take care of the boys.  It was a learning experience, bonding experience, wonderful and exhausting all in one.  We took the kitchen chairs and brought them into the living room and covered them with about every blanket in the house.  It was a fort in the living room that both boys could get inside and stand up and walk around in.  They could sneak out in through numerous tunnels leading to the outside.   Daddy climbed into the fort and joined the fight against an army of pirates and a bunch of fire breathing dragons.  We fought long and hard and after a lunch...

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Posted in: Boys diapers daddy fort

Unconditional Love

Until you get the privilege of being a parent and realize the unconditional love a parent has for their children you will never begin to understand the love our heavenly father has for us, his childr...

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People in Europe

This is to the people in Europe who are reading this blog... Please if you have not done so already, goto http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/38922 Download the free portion of my first book or buy it and read the whole thing. I know you can read English or you wouldn't be reading my blog.  According to research I have read beside the United States, Europe is the second largest book market in the world. "Whisper" is an alright story, but it sucks as far as being a shining example of literary know how.  I would like as many people who have visited my blog and read and enjoyed any of the posts presented here to Read Whisper before they read my second book.  I mention this because all I am working on at this time is polishing my second book to get it ready to be e-published. ...

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Posted in: Whisper Second Book Europeans

Why my Son is named Garth.

When my wife was pregnant with Hayden my oldest boy, I wanted to name him Garth.  My wife doesn't like the name Garth, but she made a deal with me, that if we had another son, we could name him Garth.  So my first son is named Hayden after a Great Uncle on her side of the family who was a real cowboy, had a ranch, he used to break horses.  The deal my wife made with me was made after several years of infertility and what we both consider a miracle that we managed to get pregnant at all, but that will be a story for another time.  My point being she knew the chances of her getting pregnant a second time was astronomical, and so were the chances of her having a son named Garth.When she got pregnant again, I knew immediately it was going to be a boy.  For one it was the...

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Posted in: Garth Electric Fence Miracle

Neo the Retarded Cat

Did I mention I have a retarded cat?The movie "The Matrix" was real big at the time my wife and I acquired him and my daughter named him Neo, after the character in the movie.  Shortly after that we got an all black girl cat who named Trinity.  Neo thought he was a dog when he was a kitten.  He had a little stuffed mouse that he would play fetch with.  I would throw the mouse the cat would go get it and bring it back to the point it would be irritating, because you would be done playing and the cat would follow you around and keep dropping the mouse for you to throw it again.My bed room is at the end of the house and the door to the hallway is in the middle of the room.  The hallway runs right down the middle of the house.  At the other end of the house is the...

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Posted in: cat retarded fetch

Indie Author Lounge

A NEW Website to list books for Independent Authors or Indie Authors! I just listed Whisper!  It's was fun I haven't done anything promotional at all in over a week, and I re-submitted my book to a Website offering it for free until May 10th. http://ereadernewstoday.com/ and Listed Whisper at http://www.indiebooklounge.com/ Note to Self . . Make a list of all places where you have listing of your book or that does Reviews and Interviews of Indie Authors so you can utilize them again when you publish your second book. Which by the way is Re writing the same as Editing?  I dunno!  "No Rules Of Engagement" is getting re written and polished.  I like the newer version of it much better, it will be a faster read.  As if my stuff is ever going to be slow or tedious...

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Posted in: Free Listing Frustration Editing

About The Reposts

A Gentleman asked about my previous posts because I think he may be working to put something together to help artists, writers, editors, and trailer makers get hooked and matched together for collaborated efforts on Books, book covers, book trailers, where everybody could work on the parts they enjoy the most and want to do anyway.  If we could get these areas brought together for more professional self published books, or Indie Authors then we would have everything the big publishing houses offer, as a collaborative effort.  Everybody involved in the process helps promote the books because the more that sell the sooner everybody gets paid for their portion of the book.  When the editor, Artist, and trailer maker are paid for their portions then the rest of the royalties...

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Posted in: English Editors Collaboration Artists Trailers

Also a Repost From March 18th, 2011

Sharing Issues, Ideas and Thoughts I've spent the majority of the last two days sharing, reading, posting, with people on Linkedin and Writer's Digest Community.  It dawns on m there there are a lot of friendly, helpful an smart people out there.  It is funny how the same concerns, questions, and themes keep showing up.  I started a discussion on a collaborated effort of Artists, Movie Makers, and Authors.  I now want to add a fourth element to this which Professional Editing.  A gentleman by the name of Carter Harkins, says affiliated with both sides of the fence on this issue and he suggested a means by which Artists, Editors, and Movie Makers (for Trailers) could set a price for said work, contribute their portion to the work in question, then they would get...

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I HAVE AN IDEA

I Have An Idea Reposted From March 15, 2011I think Craig Thompson and the Artist's Internet Cafe may be trying to create a Cooperate Service For Writers, Artists, Fim Makers, Editors, and anybody else who wants to join in and help!!! I think somebody needs to create a group within Linkedin, Facebook, Writer's Digest, or one of these platforms, to bring together the following: New Beginning Self Published Authors – who need Art work (Book Covers), and short movie clips (Trailers) for their books. Artists wanting to get their name out and get requests for Artwork, doing cover art for books. Budding Film Makers to make short trailers for books. Each in their own right is a creative enterprise.  Everybody wants to make money.  Everybody needs to get established, get their name out into...

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National Atheist's Day!

Happy Atheist's Day!  Do not let it be said you do not have your own day to celebrate your beliefs! To Everybody else, no matter what your faith, Happy April's Fools Day! There has been humorous posts on this for a few years now.  This is the first time I have had a blog and got to join in the celebration.  This of course refers to Davids Psalm 14, "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God."  I'm don't believe in Atheists!  There are those that claim that they don't believe.  The Army has a saying, "There are no Atheist's in Fox Holes!"  A Fox Hole is a six to eight foot by 2 to 3 foot hole dug in the ground for cover while fighting.  During the mid 80's I know damn well the Army still taught soldiers how to dig them, and a folding shovel...

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Posted in: Atheist Fools Army Tanks