Over the last few years Bonney Eagle's Car Show has gone to shit and the hogs ate it. In its glory days it was something to look forward to. Not for me, not today. Today was the possibly worst day to have it, thanks to Mother Nature.
So thank you mom for what you did today by not letting me worry about being parked some 3/4 of a mile from the nearest hint of the Show or being stuck in the Afternoon traffic jam that occurs in about 3 places on the way home.
Thank you dearest Mother in your attempt to make me smile at the fact that I wouldn't have to be wet from the rain all day, that some pubescent teen with more acne than a Clearasil ad would want to sell me a T-shirt and fail in their attempt.
Oh Mother of Nature I thank you for helping me to conserve on my budget and not allow me to pay a $5.00 entry fee or 3 bucks for a bad burger. Ma you saved me from standing in line for the honor of using a porta-potty that needed to be emptied or at least deodorized.
As you can tell I didn't attend the Great Bonney Eagle Car Show and for that matter I had no intention of attending it at all.
But I had to say something.
5/12/09
Another Tourist Camp Pain
This isn't to far off subject because it does affect the way we drive and do things here in the State of Maine during the tourist season. Traffic Patterns change, speeds slow or get exponentially faster depending on the state that particular tourist is from. We even play into it by cranking up the Downeast'ah accent about 5 notches just to get a reaction from the person. Some of our coastal communities depend on the tourist for income and livelihood, as well as entertainment. I myself have been known to give them the wrong directions ,when asked " How do you get to...". Hey like I said its entertainment.
Then the Tourist Bureau steps in to help out in these tough times, by coming up with some type of little campaign with a catch phrase that really is laughable. It would be better to take our little phrases and put them all together in a sentence, than look at them separately.
As you all know the sign reads as you enter our State , "Maine, The Way Life Should Be". Now don't get me wrong, I like the idea that life is good and all, but it should not be the way it is here. With rules and regulations and frigging taxes on everything including the damn taxes, life should not be this way at all.
Enter into our lives the stick boy we call our Governor with his touristy little quaint campaign "There's More To Maine". First Question, Where? There is no more to Maine today than there was yesterday or the day before. We have not annexed parts of Canada or New Hampshire to create "More".
What we do have more of is, more laws, regulations, rules, ordinances for the citizens of our state that somehow don't seem to apply to those from "away". We also have more bad roads, more budget cuts, more taxes, fees, highway tolls and Government interference in our everyday lives than should be. The list could be a full volume in the annals of history of all the "More" we have.
The need of combining these to little catch phrases is overwhelming in my eyes. Coming up with a statement that is closer in truth may deter tourists from acting the way they normally do and be tad more respectful of the true Mainer.
After much thought and some planning I would like to launch a new campaign. The sign would read, "There's More To Maine Than The Way Life Should Be". This would be accompanied by a construction project that would include, a 15 mile stretch of highway with toll booths every 3 miles and fees of $2.00 per car/truck at each booth. The road itself would be constructed in a Loop so that after the 15 miles they would be back in New Hampshire. Oh I forgot to mention that another sign would be viewed on the way out.
Now the revenue generated by this system should be able to pay for better roads and less taxes, it would employ many for a period of time, maybe even have enough to hire a lobbyist to stem the tide of rule making concerning the Citizen. Then maybe after a few years we can have, "The Way Life Should Be". Do the math, it could work.
So you enter the state to a $2.00 toll and a sign that reads, "There's More To Maine Than The Way Life Should Be", you pay your tolls for a total of $12.00 in 15 miles only to see a sign that says, "A'Yuh, And You Don't Get To See It".
Then the Tourist Bureau steps in to help out in these tough times, by coming up with some type of little campaign with a catch phrase that really is laughable. It would be better to take our little phrases and put them all together in a sentence, than look at them separately.
As you all know the sign reads as you enter our State , "Maine, The Way Life Should Be". Now don't get me wrong, I like the idea that life is good and all, but it should not be the way it is here. With rules and regulations and frigging taxes on everything including the damn taxes, life should not be this way at all.
Enter into our lives the stick boy we call our Governor with his touristy little quaint campaign "There's More To Maine". First Question, Where? There is no more to Maine today than there was yesterday or the day before. We have not annexed parts of Canada or New Hampshire to create "More".
What we do have more of is, more laws, regulations, rules, ordinances for the citizens of our state that somehow don't seem to apply to those from "away". We also have more bad roads, more budget cuts, more taxes, fees, highway tolls and Government interference in our everyday lives than should be. The list could be a full volume in the annals of history of all the "More" we have.
The need of combining these to little catch phrases is overwhelming in my eyes. Coming up with a statement that is closer in truth may deter tourists from acting the way they normally do and be tad more respectful of the true Mainer.
After much thought and some planning I would like to launch a new campaign. The sign would read, "There's More To Maine Than The Way Life Should Be". This would be accompanied by a construction project that would include, a 15 mile stretch of highway with toll booths every 3 miles and fees of $2.00 per car/truck at each booth. The road itself would be constructed in a Loop so that after the 15 miles they would be back in New Hampshire. Oh I forgot to mention that another sign would be viewed on the way out.
Now the revenue generated by this system should be able to pay for better roads and less taxes, it would employ many for a period of time, maybe even have enough to hire a lobbyist to stem the tide of rule making concerning the Citizen. Then maybe after a few years we can have, "The Way Life Should Be". Do the math, it could work.
So you enter the state to a $2.00 toll and a sign that reads, "There's More To Maine Than The Way Life Should Be", you pay your tolls for a total of $12.00 in 15 miles only to see a sign that says, "A'Yuh, And You Don't Get To See It".
5/8/09
A Tale of Two Books
As the amount of different car clubs and vehicle enthusiasts has increased so has the number of car shows and events geared toward that end. Getting these different and diverse organizations on the same page is a task that only P. T. Barnum would attempt. Somehow the Rusty Nuts has achieved that with the "All Clubs Meeting" held in the spring of the past few years, to accolades from around the state. Now we have less overlap and repetition of dates and events.
Now that the organizations seem to be on the same page, getting this information to the masses has always been word of mouth and those damn fliers or as my grand dad would have said "handbills". You know the stuff that clutters up your car, falls into every nook and cranny , fly around as you drive down the road and are just a general pain in the ass. Then you get home write down all the dates and have this stack of colored paper that is totally useless. You can't even use it for emergency ass wipe, it's usually colored and who wants a green or orange neon skid mark in their shorts.
Enter the Motor Menders. These guys & gals came up with a way to get the information to the masses and raise money for their charity of choice, a book. They sat down and did some major leg work and came up with enough advertisers to cover most of the cost of the book. Using past contact information they contacted a lot of show organizers and got the info needed early enough to put out a comprehensive publication of events. Given free to the public with donations taken but not demanded. All done for their charity.
Now into the room enters a 400lb. gorilla. There is a private company that will be renamed Slick Paper Products for the sake of this Blog. After seeing the success gained by the Motor Menders in their endeavor, the owners of Slick Paper Products saw an opportunity to profit from an others idea. They used every ploy known and came up with the glossy papered book full of flashy ass ads and look what we did attitude.
The only problem was the content. It was a mess to put it kindly. If you needed to find an event you would still need a map and compass to be able to find the correct page you were on. Dates for events were so screwed up you wondered if a Chinese calendar was used.
After allegedly fixing the publication for the next years run the content hasn't really become better, but at least you can put away the compass (keep the map out) and a Julian Date system has been used on some events. Given free to the public. All done for profit.
Its sad when a volunteer organization gets overrun with glitz, glamour, flash and frills. But rumor has it the Motor Menders no longer will be publishing their book after this year due to the competition for advertisers and time involved.
Next time you see a Motor Mender thank them, that's all they asked for.
Now that the organizations seem to be on the same page, getting this information to the masses has always been word of mouth and those damn fliers or as my grand dad would have said "handbills". You know the stuff that clutters up your car, falls into every nook and cranny , fly around as you drive down the road and are just a general pain in the ass. Then you get home write down all the dates and have this stack of colored paper that is totally useless. You can't even use it for emergency ass wipe, it's usually colored and who wants a green or orange neon skid mark in their shorts.
Enter the Motor Menders. These guys & gals came up with a way to get the information to the masses and raise money for their charity of choice, a book. They sat down and did some major leg work and came up with enough advertisers to cover most of the cost of the book. Using past contact information they contacted a lot of show organizers and got the info needed early enough to put out a comprehensive publication of events. Given free to the public with donations taken but not demanded. All done for their charity.
Now into the room enters a 400lb. gorilla. There is a private company that will be renamed Slick Paper Products for the sake of this Blog. After seeing the success gained by the Motor Menders in their endeavor, the owners of Slick Paper Products saw an opportunity to profit from an others idea. They used every ploy known and came up with the glossy papered book full of flashy ass ads and look what we did attitude.
The only problem was the content. It was a mess to put it kindly. If you needed to find an event you would still need a map and compass to be able to find the correct page you were on. Dates for events were so screwed up you wondered if a Chinese calendar was used.
After allegedly fixing the publication for the next years run the content hasn't really become better, but at least you can put away the compass (keep the map out) and a Julian Date system has been used on some events. Given free to the public. All done for profit.
Its sad when a volunteer organization gets overrun with glitz, glamour, flash and frills. But rumor has it the Motor Menders no longer will be publishing their book after this year due to the competition for advertisers and time involved.
Next time you see a Motor Mender thank them, that's all they asked for.
5/7/09
Captain Nut Sack and The Search For The Lost Mind
When last we saw our intrepid hero, he was covering his ass with whatever he could reach. In this case size does matter, due to the fact he couldn't reach enough to cover the large estate he had left exposed.
The Bluff was called at the last meeting and now he has tried to spread out his campaign of misinformation and deceit to another club by trying (in vain) to join their membership. The other club knowing him better than he thought, refused by vote to let him become a member. Either the other club saw through his side show of smoke and mirrors or they may have a rule that, as in most golf games, you can't use two clubs at a time.
Now here's a plot twist. Members of this other club, are former members of his club, who broke away and formed the other club to get what they wanted in a club. Feeling wounded at the time of the break, it has taken many years to heal the wound that has existed between the two clubs.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, his existing members are leaving in droves. Not just because of him, but also his little set of matching minions, that scurry around feeling important helping to spread more lies and tall tales of misinformation pointing in the direction of the former members. Some of the remaining members are valiantly fighting a never ending battle to keep the club alive and well.
Captain Nut Sack has since taken it upon himself to cut all ties with the other club in the name of his club without his club voting or having any type of opportunity to discuss the matter let alone vote on it. Thus the old wound has been reopened and probably never to heal again, without the removal of a Nut Sack.
The Bluff was called at the last meeting and now he has tried to spread out his campaign of misinformation and deceit to another club by trying (in vain) to join their membership. The other club knowing him better than he thought, refused by vote to let him become a member. Either the other club saw through his side show of smoke and mirrors or they may have a rule that, as in most golf games, you can't use two clubs at a time.
Now here's a plot twist. Members of this other club, are former members of his club, who broke away and formed the other club to get what they wanted in a club. Feeling wounded at the time of the break, it has taken many years to heal the wound that has existed between the two clubs.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, his existing members are leaving in droves. Not just because of him, but also his little set of matching minions, that scurry around feeling important helping to spread more lies and tall tales of misinformation pointing in the direction of the former members. Some of the remaining members are valiantly fighting a never ending battle to keep the club alive and well.
Captain Nut Sack has since taken it upon himself to cut all ties with the other club in the name of his club without his club voting or having any type of opportunity to discuss the matter let alone vote on it. Thus the old wound has been reopened and probably never to heal again, without the removal of a Nut Sack.
5/4/09
Filling An Ear
Yesterday the Car Show Season opened with a whimper, Medomak Cruising to Graduation. The Show was Super but the participants were cautious. The only complaint as far as a second hand source heard was about Mustangs. I personally saw trophy poachers moving around but they were almost legit changes. Nobody complained about so and so being in the wrong class. The usual screw up with the wrong numbers happened. No screaming during the awards ceremonies. I almost had to pinch myself to make sure I was awake.
Seeing old friends that you haven't seen in a while, is always a good time. Talking to old friends is even better. Letting people know what your up to face to face is always so much better than phones or e-mail. Seeing the changes in people is a little more difficult. Oh sure we packed on a few pounds, but the attitudes have changed in a lot of people. Some are not as happy with the political climate as they all hoped they would be. Some think the economy is going to kill the show season. Some are less aggressive and others were actually quieter than they have been in years.
I think a few could use a swift and painful kick in the ass because they are still the arrogant pricks they were and think they are the rulers of the universe. These are the ones who were laying low yesterday, murmuring amongst themselves from the far corners of the sight and giving me dirty looks at every glance. Don't worry I'm not scared of them or what they want to do to the show scene by calling for cookie cutter car show recipes pulled from a book of magic potions and spells sprinkled with a dose of look at me and what we've done.
What I said at the beginning about the participants being cautious is probably due to this group of Car Show Alchemists and their Grand Oompah Loompah watching everything that goes on, only later to let rip on the blog of opinions that everyone reads with glee, because lets face it, we all have a masochistic side.
Oh and before I forget, Hotkarz is doing their Best Of The Best Award thing on this, so make sure all you guys get your friends to vote for your car so you can get your $15.00 cheap ass trophy.
Seeing old friends that you haven't seen in a while, is always a good time. Talking to old friends is even better. Letting people know what your up to face to face is always so much better than phones or e-mail. Seeing the changes in people is a little more difficult. Oh sure we packed on a few pounds, but the attitudes have changed in a lot of people. Some are not as happy with the political climate as they all hoped they would be. Some think the economy is going to kill the show season. Some are less aggressive and others were actually quieter than they have been in years.
I think a few could use a swift and painful kick in the ass because they are still the arrogant pricks they were and think they are the rulers of the universe. These are the ones who were laying low yesterday, murmuring amongst themselves from the far corners of the sight and giving me dirty looks at every glance. Don't worry I'm not scared of them or what they want to do to the show scene by calling for cookie cutter car show recipes pulled from a book of magic potions and spells sprinkled with a dose of look at me and what we've done.
What I said at the beginning about the participants being cautious is probably due to this group of Car Show Alchemists and their Grand Oompah Loompah watching everything that goes on, only later to let rip on the blog of opinions that everyone reads with glee, because lets face it, we all have a masochistic side.
Oh and before I forget, Hotkarz is doing their Best Of The Best Award thing on this, so make sure all you guys get your friends to vote for your car so you can get your $15.00 cheap ass trophy.
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