Supermarket phone calls

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The last year or so I noticed this strange phenomena in Whole Foods. People are on their phones, usually on Facetime, showing someone what they are buying and asking their advice.

I thought it might be the Amazon delivery service people, I know at times when I used Instacart they would text me, asking me questions about something I had ordered or telling me they needed to substitute something, but I don’t think this is that.

The people shopping for the service usually have carts with lots of brown bags on them and they are shopping for multiple people at once, it seems. They are easy to notice. These people I see on the facetime calls are usually without a shopping cart and usually at the hot bar. They are asking people on the phone what they want to eat or what they should buy to eat. And it’s usually Latin people, because the people talking are speaking in Spanish.

I’ve seen more than once a person go through all the items at the hot bar and salad bar, explaining to the person on the phone what’s what. It almost seems as if they are speaking to another country and showing off what an American supermarket looks like.

It’s annoying and rude and almost as annoying as those jerks with dogs on a leash in the store. Even though they have signs around that say, “No dogs allowed,” people have dogs in the supermarket, around the food.

Publix seems to be strict about the no dogs policy, I never see dogs there anymore and I also don’t see the Instacart people there anymore. They must pick up the food at a different location and not directly from the actual stores. Not too long ago, the aisles were crawling with these Instacart people who would push anyone out of their way to get to what they needed. They were crazy and pushy in their quest for the freshest loaf of bread or whatever.

Some aisles had quite a few at once and it was difficult to shop. I haven’t seen that in a long time, which is good.

I have a friend that says I’m always at the supermarkets, which I am. He says I like it. Which I don’t. I go because I need food and I prefer to go in person rather than use a service. I’m in and out, since I know where things are, so it’s not a chore. I just do my routine and I’m quick.

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Polite texting

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I live in a small condo, there are only 14 units. We have a building text string that has almost everyone on it, about 21 or 22 people. It’s annoying at times, but useful.

It gets annoying when someone asks something like, “Did anyone see my Amazon package? I can’t find it.” And you get 10 responses with, “Not me,” “not me,” not me,” and the beeping gets out of hand with every “not me” that comes in. I usually never respond, so of course they think it’s me, since I’m silent.

But the purpose of this post is to talk about one of our young neighbors. He’s 24-years-old or so and all the rest of us are so much older, yet he participates in the building and never shuns us as most people of his age would – they would just ignore the older folks, but he never has and never does. He’s always part of our little community.

His texts to the building always start politely. like last night he posted a text that started with, “Hi Friends,” and then he goes on with his text. He usually starts his texts with “Good morning,” Or “Good evening,” and then he goes on to say what he has to say. Whenever he says, “Good evening,” I always think of that old Alfred Hitchcock Presents tv show. I recently watched a few reruns so it was on my mind.

I find it charming. Especially since most people just start right in with the text. And his generation uses all sorts of abbreviations, like ty, u, lmk or tbh or brb. Yet he doesn’t. He is proper with his texts, almost as if he is writing a letter. I saw an article somewhere on the proper way to text, maybe its a thing and he learned it college or somewhere.

I like it. It has character. I started saying “Hi,” a lot of times before I text now. Maybe because of him, who knows, but many times I’ll text someone something like, “Hi, I’m on my way,” or “Hi, what time are we meeting?” Things like that. It seems a polite and nice way to do it.

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White space

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See the white space at the end of the article? Unsettling to me.

I read The Miami Herald every morning as I’ve always done, but I subscribe to the online edition, rather than have it delivered to the house. I read the e-edition daily.

I recently found out that since I subscribe to the online edition, I can read all of the McClatchy-owned newspapers that way – The State in Charleston, SC; The Olympian (Olympia, WA), The Modesto Bee (Modesto, CA), The Telegraph (Macon, GA) and so many others, which I like to do.

Inside The State newspaper

One thing I noticed, with just The State newspaper so far, there might be more, is that they just end a story on the page and leave white space. Now maybe since I’m reading it from another state, ads are there and they just don’t show where I am reading from, but I don’t think so. I saw on the front page of the Sun-Herald, the Biloxi, MS newspaper, this big gap next to the masthead, but inside the paper, there is none of this white space stuff.

Lots of white space on page 1 of the Sun-Herald in Biloxi, MS

I’ve been in and around the newspaper industry for so many years, and I’ve never seen this. I used to like this tv show called 800 Words. This guy wrote a column for the newspaper and it had to be exactly 800 words, he would add or subtract words to make it 800 in the column he wrote. The show really has nothing to do with his newspaper column and it’s a dumb name for such a great, but the 800 words concept in a way, it sort of reminds me of this – just end it wherever you want.

At left is a large white space at the end of a story and at right, is another large white area in The State.

It’s sort of interesting to see in the paper, where it just goes blank, but it messes with my sensibilities. It’s such valuable space to be wasted, a little panel cartoon could fit there (Tomversation perhaps?). And speaking of the comics, it’s one of those things were every McClatchy newspaper has the same comics page – same comics, same layout, etc. No individuality.

More white space in The State newspaper.

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I felt naked; without my phone

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I left the house without my phone the other day. Before I left I kept thinking I was forgetting something. I kept feeling my pockets. I had my car keys and fob, I had my money and credit cards. Why was I feeling like something wasn’t there?

Halfway to the store, I realized I didn’t have my phone. That’s a very weird and helpless feeling. To tell you the truth I hardly every answer the phone, so it wasn’t like I was expecting any phone calls. But still. My whole life is on that phone. I felt naked.

Makes you wonder how we did things in the past.

Before cell phones, I ran a whole business by hardly ever being there. I was a printing broker and I worked maybe an hour or two a day. I picked up jobs early and then ran to the office in the morning, then for a bit after that I went to printers to bring the jobs over and was done by 11:00 am or noon. After that I was out all day – mostly at the beach.

People couldn’t reach me. They had to leave a message on my answering machine. And they did. I literally printed school newspapers, all sorts of things for local hospitals, clubs, the American Cancer Society, books for many organizations, etc., all doing it within an hour or two a day.

Years later I had a couple of neighbors who were attorneys. They lived between Miami and New Hampshire. I asked her how they did it, you know, handling clients, going back and forth, which was a silly question coming from me, who worked an hour a day for so many years.

She told me, “Tom, as long as you answer your phone, they don’t care where you are.” This of course, was after we all had cell phones.

And I did that for years, but now, I don’t answer the phone. With my business account, I have a message that tells people to email me if they need something, and that’s been working out fine. As for personal calls, no one really leaves a message. When I see a missed call, I return the call or text them back when I have a chance.

When I got home from the store and checked my phone, there were no calls or emails or texts. The way I like it to be. Silence.

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Wrong place at the right time

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I missed the eclipse! In person, that is, I watched it on tv.

I didn’t get any glasses and I asked around and no one I knew had any or any extras, so I just stayed in and didn’t attempt to look at the partial eclipse we had here in Miami. It was 45% here.

The neighborhood was quiet, I didn’t see or hear any neighbors out, so I guess it wasn’t a big thing here like it was in the total eclipse areas.

One thing I liked was seeing all the people watching the eclipse together, shouting and enjoying the moment together. It reminded me of July 4th, when I’m usually in NYC watching the fireworks over the river on July 4th. I’m with friends and/or family and surrounded by thousands of people in the city enjoying the same thing – cheering and oohing and ahhing while watching the fireworks, almost like the eclipse experience.

But I seem to be getting lazy as I get older. In the past I would have made an effort to get to one of the prime areas in the country. And I definitely would have had glasses to see the local version if I couldn’t make it to one of the prime areas.

Since the pandemic, I’ve been complacent. I’m not out and about doing things like I always did. There was a time in my life where I was at the beach almost daily; sometimes for an hour, other times all day. It was a thing I did. Now I don’t. And so many other things I used to do, I don’t do anymore. And it’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I am a creature of habit. I easily get into habits and stick with them. The pandemic put me in a sedentary state and I’m still there.

My goal for the rest of 2024, and I guess forever, is to get out there and live, like I did most of my life.

I was always at the right place at the right time. One time in New Orleans I was walking down the street and there was the Olympic torch running by (with a person actually carrying it – there’s a cartoon in there somewhere), another time in traffic, I looked to my left, and there was Madonna driving next to me. Another time, I was an “accidental extra” in a tv show, just because I was standing at a filming location and they thought I was part of the paid background. I was always “there,” at the right place, at the right moment.

I’m going to strive for that again. I guess these days we would call it, “Instagrammable moments.”

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He wanted to read the NY Times

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Yesterday I was walking into Publix and there was this guy sitting on the ground. He asked me for $5.00 to buy The New York Times of all things. He waved a couple of dollars, but he said he needed more. This was a new one – the NY Times – which intrigued me. I had a $10 and $20 bill, so I gave him the $10 bill.

I asked him how much the New York Times is, out of curiosity. I hadn’t bought it for years, and I’ve only purchased it in New York, never out of town. He said it was $6.00 for the daily. We started discussing the price of newspapers, and which ones we read. I found it interesting. He said he used to buy the Times for 50 cents and has read it since he’s been a boy.

I heard a priest one time say, “If you are going to give someone money with conditions attached, then don’t.” And I always remembered that. So I didn’t care what he used the money for, but I know it was the Times because when I left Publix a bit later, he was reading the paper.

When I mentioned this to friends, they had all sorts of shit to say, like, “He saw you coming,” or “You can get the paper free in the library,” which I had to remind him does not help the media company if we don’t support them.

I saw an image or story last week where a guy living on the street was seen reading the same book over and over. A passerby saw this and gave him his Kindle filled with books. One time in New York, I kept passing this girl sitting on the floor in Grand Central reading a book. Day after day, there she was reading a book, after awhile, she had another book. I felt sorry for her, but she seemed to give dirty/angry looks at people who looked at her, so I was hesitant to approach her.

The Powerball is up past $1 billion, it would be ironic if the Publix guy bought a ticket or two with the remaining money I gave him, and won!

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The rooster

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The rooster who is waking me up every morning.

Earlier this month I wrote about the rooster that crows very early in the morning. Well, I located it. Sort of.

I was driving out of the neighborhood yesterday and there, right at the entrance to our neighborhood was a rooster and a couple of chickens. The problem with this is that they were not on anyone’s property, they were in a neutral area, so I don’t know who they belong to.

I got out of the car and took this picture. I sent the picture to “311,” it’s a city service where you report infractions and things like potholes and illegal tree cuttings, and things like that. There is a section for “animals” and there is a sub section for chickens and roosters believe it or not.

I had asked some neighbors about it and no one has heard the rooster crowing, at about 4 am. It was almost as if I was hearing things. I’m not sure why the rooster crows before the sun comes up, but he does. So now I have proof.

Miami has a lot of roosters and chickens and Key West is known for them; they just wander around wild. We have a lot of peacocks, too. They make a loud screeching sound, but usually when it’s light out, not in the middle of the night. It’s funny, but it seems to make more sense hearing peacocks around here than roosters.

I have a friend in New York who calls Miami the land of palm trees and peacocks, and apparently roosters now, too.

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How comics were made

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I donated to the Kickstarter for “How Comics Were Made: A Visual History from the Drawing Board to the Printed Page,” by Glenn Fleishman.

Glenn has put together his research and collections of comics and cartoon artifacts, along with interviews he’s done with cartoonists and other to put this book in print.

There are many examples of what’s to come at the Kickstarter page here: kickstarter.com/projects/glennf/how-comics-were-made along with photos and videos of interviews along the way.

It’s more than just a reprint of comics, although there should be that, but it explains everything about the history of comics and comic strips from 1890 to present and explains how certain techniques were done and includes info on newspaper comics along with webcomics.

The project is almost funded but of course you may still want to order now. Publication is planned for October 2024.

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Wendy’s

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Yesterday I went to Wendy’s about 4 pm. I went to the drive thru and I got ready to place my order. The girl says her spiel through the speaker, which I never understand, and I say, “I just want a taco salad, please.” No reply.

I call out, “Hello?” No answer. The speaker went dead.

So I drive up to the second window, the first one was closed, and I wait a couple of minutes for the car in front of me to leave. I get to the window and I say to the lady, “I’m not sure if my order went through.” And she says, “Yes, sorry about that, we had a shift change.”

So in the middle of me placing my order, it just all stops and goes dead? Not even a, “One moment please.” Nothing. They just cut me off in mid-sentence for a shift change?

I was going to say something, but I want to go back, so I kept my mouth shut, because no matter what I said, even in a joking manner, I would look like a complaining Karen. And it would be them against me, and as my mother always told me, “You don’t argue with people who are handling your food.”

At this same Wendy’s a few years back, this lazy girl at the window hands me my change, but it blows away. I think it was $5.oo. I couldn’t open the car door because it was against the wall so I said to the girl, “My change blew away, it’s under the car, can you give me another $5.00 and then come out and get the one that was under the car?” She tells me no.

I guess I said, “Stupid bitch,” it was one of those things where I thought I was thinking it, but I said it out loud, or at least under my breath. So she heard it. When I got to the second window to pick up my food, there she was going crazy, literally trying to jump out of the window to grab me! She was halfway out of the window! A couple of her co-workers had to hold her back. They threw the bag of food at me so I could make a speedy getaway. I didn’t go back for a a long time after that, hoping that when I did finally return, she would be gone, which ended up being the case.

I like the taco salad, so I keep going back.

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Spring time is Mister Softee time

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This Ollie And Jacomo cartoon which was published this week shows my love of Mister Softee, the ice cream truck which is all over the Northeast. It’s a sure sign of spring when they start showing up around town. They are usually all tucked away for the fall and winter seasons.

I believe there are over 2000 franchises/trucks up north, so they are quite ubiquitous.

My first stop when I get to NYC in the summer is Union Square where I can always find Mister Softee. I’ve seen as many as seven of them at one time! Union Square runs from 14th Street up to 17th Street and crosses a couple of Avenues, so there can be one on each corner at times.

Here are a couple images of me in a couple of summers in NYC. Notice how fast the ice cream is melting. it’s quite hot in NYC these days.

A few years back, I was at Governors Island with one of my cousins and it was boiling out. It was so hot. We turned a corner and there was Mister Softee, on the island! I ran over to get an ice cream cone. I usually get a plain chocolate cone, but the guy in front of me got a big chocolate shake and that looked so good. The last time I had one of those I was probably a kid, maybe 12-years-old. So I got one.

Since it was extremely hot out that day, it just hit the spot. I got a few more chocolate shakes that summer, even in the Hamptons, where there were a few Mister Softees to be found.

When I went back to the city in October, I was hoping to see a Mister Softee. Depending on the climate/weather there might be a few still out in the fall. I was thinking of those chocolate shakes from the summer, as I flew down.

As soon as I arrived in New York, I went right down to Union Square, and there was a Mister Softee truck. I went right over and ordered a shake. I told the guy manning the truck that I had been thinking of this the whole time on the plane on my flight down. He just looked at me like I was crazy. I guess when you’re surrounded by Mister Softee all day, every day, it isn’t that special to you.

Some years back, there were many imitations around the city. One had the same exact markings on the truck but it was called “Master Softee.” The ice cream was not the creamy stuff we are used to. It was very icy and crystalized. My aunt mentioned that the Mister Softee she went to in Queens had changed the recipe or something, she didn’t like it. I told her that was “Master Softee,” not Mister Softee. The change in taste is very noticeable.

Master Softee was sued and they were soon banned from the city and only the real thing exists now.

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