JUST WONDERING

I was watching an orchestra on TV last night and I was just wondering if any of those in the orchestra pay any attention to the conductor. I mean, I can see the need to get started on the same note but after that the tuxedo clad conductor was dramatically flailing his arms about as if, without him, there was no way they could get through a piece that I am sure they could all play with their eye’s closed. I was just wondering.

SMILE

I read an article in the health section of the paper today about the benefits of a big smile. The article pointed out that people who smile are usually happier, have more stable personalities and more stable marriages, according to research. It further states that science has just uncovered an added benefit, that people who have big smiles live longer, adding that smiles reflect positive emotion, a link to physical and mental well-being. None of this surprises me.

I have always had a soft spot for people with warm, sincere smiles. In the business world it says, “How can I help you?” A stranger becomes less so when greeted with a smile. Emotions such as warmth, kindness and concern come to mind. It is hard to fake and often takes an effort but the benefits are many.

This article caught my eye because I can personally attest to the good that comes with being the recipient of a warm, sincere smile. When God passed out the smiles he heaped an extra blessing on my wife Terry. It would seem impossible that so much can pass between two individuals from something as simple as a smile. No need for words. The best part is, she passed it on to our kids.

AUSTIN/FINAL CHAPTER

Early the next morning, we washed the big rig from stem to stern. With her chrome rims polished she was a show stopper. We moved her to her designated spot for the rodeo and spent the rest of the day relaying equipment and supplies from the support vehicle. That afternoon the operations crew arrived, Kim, the manager, and Ashley from California and Cynthia from Atlanta. All are very valuable, hard working, experienced food service people. Cynthia possesses the magic formula for the barbecue sauce that makes Joe’s Famous KC Barbecue so exceptional. It is all committed to memory. You might as well try to rob Fort Knox as to try and extract her secret recipe from her.

With the aroma of Cynthia’s smoked ribs and beef brisket filling the air we spent the next day putting the finishing touches on the rig. Kim lined up a restaurant supplier for local needs and interviewed temporary workers to assist the core group. Tommy arranged for propane service and did a variety of invaluable fix-it chores. We were ready. The fair and rodeo opened with gorgeous spring weather and temperature in the high 70’s.

For someone like me, from out of state, it was a showcase of all that is Texas. Pick up trucks were labeled Texas Edition. What other state has its own Edition. The two largest exhibits there were Dodge Truck and John Deere, with all their tractors and farm equipment. Cowboy boots were almost as common on women as they were on men. On women it did not seem to matter if they were wearing Levi’s or dresses of any length, they still wore boots.

Guys, of course, wear the Texas uniform. I love the look. It starts with the mandatory boots. There is the traditional cowboy boot heel worn by the hard core and younger Texans that seems to go to a more moderate or gentlemen’s heel as they get older. But make no mistake they are still boots. Next come the Levi’s. They appear to be starched but that does not seem possible. In some cases they are most certainly ironed to a sharp crease, almost like military dress pants. Half way up the body you have the belt and requisite belt buckle. These can range from something rather tasteful to something resembling a hub cap, often obscured completely by an overhanging gut. I love the shirts. They are always highly starched and most often brightly colored plaids and checks with the cowboy yoke in the back. Top all of this off with a cowboy hat the size of a man-hole cover and there you have it.

I did not get to see extreme bull riding. It was paired with whatever country and western act that was appearing. If you bought a combined ticket you could view the bull riding first and then the concert. Among the acts were Lady Antebellum, The Doobie Brothers and others. I watched some of the early round rodeo events such as calf roping and an event where a pair of riders tries to team up to separate a calf from a herd of 10, in sequence. Exciting stuff. One of the more moving events to watch was an equestrian event where handicapped children were led around different obstacles in the ring.

George and Bridget, two good friends who have lived in Austin for years, picked me up for dinner one night. Fulfilling my request for something with a local flavor we dined at a well known Austin steakhouse. After a meal to-die-for they drove me on a tour of the city. They showed me a tower where some 40 plus years ago the nation watched as a sniper terrorized the city of Austin and killed several innocent people. We saw Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, home of the Longhorn football team. Being an avid college football fan and having visited many of our countries famous college stadiums, I was happy to add this to my list. We drove by the State Capital building and then down 6th Street, the night life center of Austin. It was a nice finishing touch to my visit to this very special part of our country.

I flew home that Monday with the thought that I would return when the fair and rodeo were over to help pack up and return the 2 trucks to Kansas City. Unfortunately I will not be able to make the return trip. I had not been feeling well while in Austin and my wife Terry could sense that when I made my nightly calls home. She picked me up at the airport on my return and insisted I go to a walk-in medical clinic before going home. I was sent for x-rays that showed double pneumonia. A return to Austin is not in the cards.

AUSTIN/PART 2

The next morning we continued south on I-35. Sporadic heavy rains made driving difficult, particularly in the morning rush hour traffic in Fort Worth. People dart in and out amidst 18 wheelers as if they can stop on a dime. Fine, if everything goes right. If not, the potential is there for a major disaster. Two of these darters were pestering Tommy. They were identical white pick up trucks. Unfortunately, for them, they had the name of an electrical contractor on the side of their trucks. As I follow along behind Tommy I am watching as these 2 trucks seems to be intentionally antagonizing him. Despite the rain they would turn abruptly into his lane, slam on the brakes, speed up, slow down, generally harassing him. Knowing Tommy as having perhaps the shortest fuse on the planet I am waiting for something to happen.

My CB erupts with a chorus of expletives only a former Marine such as him could unleash. They speed off into the distance. Again, unfortunately for them, the electrical contractor’s phone number was also painted on the side of their trucks. Tommy calls, gets the owner of the company on the line and proceeds to lecture him about the two ass holes driving his trucks on I-35 in Fort Worth. A couple of miles farther down the road we passed the 2 trucks pulled over to the side of the road, the driver holding a cell phone to his ear. Tommy gives them a long blast from his air horn and a one finger salute as we pass. Nice.

After a fuel stop near Waco we arrive in Austin. There are some surface streets to navigate to get to the Travis County Expo Center, home of the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo. A trip is never over until it’s over. We coast to a stop at the bottom of the off ramp. Tommy makes a left turn and I follow him to the next signal. He brakes for a red light and I do too. But I can’t stop. The trailer brakes failed completely. Even though I was standing on the truck brakes the 24,000 pounds of the trailer were pushing me as if we were on ice. Despite the truck brakes being locked and the tires smoking, I was sliding at about 15-20 mph into the back of Tommy’s truck. Fortunately, there was a left turn lane next to my line and it was empty. I turned my truck into that lane, missing Tommy by inches, and slid half the length of his truck before I stopped. Tommy voice comes over the CB, “Hey Woody, were not turning left here”. I replied, in as calm a voice as I could muster, “I know we are not turning left here, my brakes failed and I almost wiped you out”.

We talk back and forth and I told him I would continue the last few miles at a snails pace. As we approach the next signal it is green. Tommy gets through then it turns red. Again I stand on the brakes and nothing. I lean on the horn as I slide right through the red light. Fortunately, cars on both sides of the intersection see what is happening and sit tight. After gathering myself again I inch my way the last mile or so and we park the rigs in Lot B at the Travis County Expo Center.

AUSTIN/PART 1

My good friend Tommy picked me up at the airport in Kansas City a couple of Saturdays ago. My late afternoon arrival left just enough daylight to see brooding, dark gray clouds and dirty, slushy snow. Tommy had arrived earlier to prepare a couple of truck and trailer rigs for a drive south to Austin, Texas for the 73rd Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo. He would be the lead dog driving an 18 wheel rig composed of a black Kenworth, with chrome every where, including two majestic smoke stacks on each side of the cab, pulling a trailer that is a self contained barbecue rig. The trailer was done in bright oranges and reds with ribs being slathered with barbecue sauce on the side, a real eye opener tooling down the highway. I was to follow in a black F-350 Ford dooly pulling a 33 foot trailer loaded with support goods for the big rig.

The next morning, Tommy, being the extra cautious sort, checked all fluid levels and every tire for air pressure and we were ready to roll. As we left Blue Springs, Missouri I noticed a sign proudly proclaiming this was the home of David Cook, a past American Idol winner. I had once passed a similar sign for Carrie Underwood somewhere in Oklahoma. Tommy set his cruise control for 70 mph as I drafted along close behind while we meandered through the KC area then settled down on the I-35 for the nearly 800 mile run to Austin.

Tommy had rigged up a CB in my truck so we could converse with each other, often times just to break the monotony but also to give notice of fuel or meal stops. The chatter on a big rig CB is a world all its own. Some lingo I understand, most I don’t. But it is fascinating. I felt like the movie “Smokey and the Bandit’ as I saw law enforcement vehicles that thought they were cleverly concealed only to have a trucker proclaim on the CB “Smokey bear at mile marker 139”. You could sense every trucker in that vicinity simultaneously backing off the throttle.

We left Missouri and crossed into Kansas. If this isn’t the flattest real estate on the face of the earth it has to be close. Being at the tail end of a long winter there is nothing but miles and miles of brown prairie. The prairie became gentle rolling hillside as we passed into Oklahoma. Somewhere south of Oklahoma City we stopped at the Sooner Café for a late lunch. A greasy spoon if there ever was one but a delightful greasy spoon. As is most often the case when you are away from the major metropolitan areas there is great pride in the universities that represent their states. In Kansas it was K State and Kansas. Here there was no mistaking we were in Oklahoma Sooner country. Pictures of autographed athletes from OU adorned the walls and all manner of gear was available in Sooner red and white. I love the pride these people have in their schools. We stretched our legs, had a great lunch, resisted a persistent waitresses efforts to order their “world famous lemon meringue pie” and returned to the road.

Darkness fell as we approached the Texas border and a light rain began to fall. After we crossed into Texas the light rain became torrential. The Ford F-350 I was driving had about 10 different windshield wiper settings. Earlier I had thought that was a little overkill. Not now. I used every one in an attempt to keep water off the windshield. Following closely behind an 18 wheeler in heavy rain is sort of like driving through a car wash. You can’t see anything. You completely rely on the truck in front of you. If he were to drive off a cliff you would more than likely follow him. I trusted Tommy and stayed close as he reduced speed. All the while Tommy is talking with other truck drivers on the CB to find a motel with truck parking. There are not many that do. Not only do they not have the space they do not have ingress and egress for an 18 wheeler.

We passed town after town until we took a chance and pulled off the highway in Denton, Texas. After passing up several motels Tommy found one which did not have truck parking but out of frustration he made truck parking. We walked next door for a bowl of tortilla soup then settled in for the night.

NOT COMPLAINING, BUT

The American Disabilities Act was signed into law in July, 1990. There are 5 titles covered, Employment, Public Service, Public Communications, Telecommunications and Misc. It was enacted to help people who have a physical or mental impairment that
substantially limits one or more of his or her major-life activities.

Every day we see many wonderful examples of work done as a result of the Act that greatly benefit those with disabilities. For those wheel chair bound or who need assistive devices there are ramps to facilitate building access, extra large rest rooms with accessible fixtures and curb ramps. Not near enough but a show of awareness and an effort to do the right thing. There are very limited things that can be done for the blind but there are many Braille requirements in place that did not previously exist.

I have not read all the fine print of the Act but I have seen very little to assist those with profound hearing loss. In the Telecommunications category there is the requirement for telecommunication devices (TTY’S) for the deaf. There may be more that but that is the only obvious evidence I see of an effort to assist these people. Think about it. Have you ever missed a flight because you did not hear your name called or they changed the gate number? Once on the flight did you hear the safety instructions? How enjoyable is a movie or speech, if you miss a great deal of what is said? Ever miss your stop on a subway or train? Imagine being disciplined or worse because you could not hear what a person in authority was saying to you. Maybe their voice was muffled by a radio or speaker or their mouth was covered making it impossible to read their lips. Learning in the class room can be a real bear if your teacher turns her back to write on the black board while talking.

Obviously, there can never be enough done for any group with disabilities. But in the case of the hearing impaired their frustration level could be dramatically reduced with the implementation of a simple principle. That of closed captioning similar to that on the bottom of your TV screen. With the voice recognition software available today and a screen adaptable to the location, you would do wonders for those who have trouble hearing.

Imagine a screen relaying what the flight attendants are saying in the terminal as well as on board the plane. There could be a screen on subways, trains or busses, relaying information important to the passengers. Law enforcement vehicles could be equipped with a portable screen. It would be simple to add screens at speeches or in class rooms. This would not solve all their problems but it would go a long way.

Granted this would be expensive. But the key would be to make it law just as they have done with other ADA requirements, such as requiring builders and land lords, at their expense, to build wheel chair ramps, special rest rooms, etc. Those are expensive as well yet we have managed to make those a part of our lives.

I’m not complaining, I’m just sayin”.

DENISE

I met Denise through my daughter Molly. Like any friend of one of my kids, that gives them a head start in the respect department. Still, there is an initial assessment period during which my instincts take over as to what kind of friend they are. It took me about 2 seconds with Denise.

Once in a while, if we are lucky, we meet someone with which there is an instant comfort level. There was that with Denise, at least from my side. Many times, the people I admire the most are those that manage to emanate a warmth and kindness about them with very few words being spoken. As i found out over a casual lunch, she has that way.

Today is Denise's birthday. She is fresh back from a vacation on the beaches of Mexico and in the attack mode a work. I wish her the happiest of birthdays.

CANADA

How can one entire country be so nice? I watched every minute of live Olympic Games television coverage I could and what I couldn’t, I taped for later viewing. I did my morning stretching exercises while watching Matt, Meredith and others do the Today show from Vancouver. I read numerous writers accounts of various events and athletes as well as restaurant and pub reviews. I did not see, hear or read one negative comment about the people of the host country. Not one!

They publicly announced their intention to dominate the podium. Nothing wrong with that. Nice people can be competitive. Let’s get it on during the competition but shake hands afterwards. I love that attitude. It’s almost as if at some time prior to the opening of the Games, someone got everyone in the entire country of Canada into a huge gymnasium and said “OK, listen up guys. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to smother with kindness everything that breathes. If it has two arms and two legs ask them if you can help them, can I give your directions, how is your day going or anything that will make them feel welcome in our country. When they depart we want them to have a warm feeling about us and our great land. Now get out there with a smile on your face and go get ‘em.”

How else can you explain such an across the board sense of gratitude toward the people of Canada? Could it possibly be that they simply are that nice? If so, what a lesson for all of us. What a noble goal to strive for, whether it is our personal lives, our business or our country.