Category: Uncategorized

When I travel for work, most of the time I rent a car. There are pluses and minuses to renting cars. One positive thing for me is I get to drive a newer car. I currently drive a 2008 Pontiac G8. My car doesn’t have bluetooth or auto unlock doors or other newer features. Most rental cars have these features. I always like new gadgets and features so it’s a treat to have some in my car for a week. When I do get a new car someday, I’ll know which features I will look for in a car.

My friend had a no bluetooth in is car as well. He showed me a little attachment he had that plugged into his auxiliary jack. The gadget connected to his phone through bluetooth and then played music through the car speakers. It was a great little gadget. So, I bought one on amazon. It works great and isn’t expensive at all. Together with my phone, I can name a song and google plays it through my car speakers. I included a link to it below.

So, one of the bad parts about renting cars is you don’t get much of a choice. I usually have a nice new small car. The last car had bluetooth but didn’t have automatic lights. A couple times I forgot to turn my lights on. I can’t believe they make cars without this feature. It’s like a new car without keyless entry or air conditioning. Anyway, that’s all for this blog. Have a great day!

Here is the link to the bluetooth thing…https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07437K9ZY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07437K9ZY&linkCode=as2&tag=dunkdave-20&linkId=8b2970dec6c88b6fe5157f4bf313fa7a

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07437K9ZY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07437K9ZY&linkCode=as2&tag=dunkdave-20&linkId=8b2970dec6c88b6fe5157f4bf313fa7a

Here’s blog number 3. One of the things I do a lot is walk. I don’t usually go for walks around the block or walk on a treadmill. I try to walk more in my every day life. You have so much more to gain by walking. For example:

I pull into the walmart parking lot and instead of driving to a spot closest to the front door, I park in a spot much farther away. It’s not worth the time and effort fighting for a closer spot. Sure, sometimes there is a spot right up front you can pull right in, but it’s not always that hassle-free. I’m convinced that many times if you park right away and walk, you will get to the front door just as fast, if not faster than driving around looking for a “premium” spot. Also, walking is good for you and can relieve stress. Trying to get a closer spot can be stressful since many other people are trying to do the same thing. Another good reason to park farther away is the fact that you are less likely to get your car dented or dinged by another car. Usually, there aren’t many cars around and the only thing to look out for is a runaway cart.

It seems people are afraid to walk any distance. At an airport, sometimes there is a line at the restroom. You can either wait in line and get frustrated or walk a little bit farther and find one with no line. Who knows, during that extra walk you might come across a favorite sandwich shop or a coffee shop you didn’t know was there.

I have lots of examples of times where I walked when most people wouldn’t. I do have one story where I shouldn’t have walked.

I went to San Francisco for business four years ago. The day I arrived I developed a little cold. The location where I was working was 1.5 miles away from my hotel. I didn’t have a rental car and I planned on walking since it was right in the city. Well, I threw my backpack on and walked in the 85 degree weather up and down the streets to my work location. At lunch, I walked around for 45 minutes and ate for 15 minutes. After work, I walked back to my hotel, changed my clothes, and walked around for most of the evening. I did this every day, despite having a cold. As the week went on, I felt worse and worse. I had cold sweats, my back hurt, and felt horrible. Yada yada yada… the following Monday I was in intensive care with pneumonia, sepsis, and other issues. The moral of that story is… walk it unless you aren’t feeling well. I might have been fine walking a little bit each day but I walked several miles in the heat every day with a heavy backpack. You can over do it just like anything else. This incident didn’t keep me from walking, it just taught me to pay more attention to my health when walking long distances.

That story is an extreme case and shouldn’t keep people from walking. So, if you’re able, I suggest you walk more. You will see more things, be even healthier, less stressed, and be happier.

Next topic… random discussions. Some of my favorite discussions are about random things. I have found some people are a lot like me and find these discussions entertaining. These discussions are better than talking about politics, weather, or work.

Even as a child, I spent hours talking to my cousin during sleepovers. We started just talking about a topic and before you know it, we were on a different topic. From there we would talk about something else. The conversation never ended, it just smoothly transitioned from topic to topic. Hours later we wondered how we ended up talking about something so unrelated to the first topic. We would retrace the conversation and see if we could figure out how we got from the first topic to the last. We both found it interesting why we thought the way we did.

Almost on a daily basis, this still happens with me. I think this is normal and healthy. One topic to another topic to another. It keeps it interesting and you learn things about each other. For example, in one conversation you could learn someone’s middle name, their dog’s birthday, how their 7th grade English teacher smelled, and why their uncle wears two watches. This stuff is more interesting than what someone thinks about the president’s comments or the temperature tomorrow night.

Some people don’t seem to be as open as others when it comes to these discussions. More people should try to be open to talking about nothing. Just like this blog.

No idea what my first topic should be… how about the teams in the NFL? I’m going to discuss favorite teams.

As long as I can remember I have been a Denver Broncos fan. I liked how John Elway played, I liked how tough their defense played, I liked their uniforms, and liked that they weren’t the Bills. Most people were Bills fans that I knew. Broncos games weren’t on tv every week. So, when they were on tv, I was excited to watch the game.

When I was a kid, I ranked my favorite teams. I remember my top 4… Denver, Dallas, Detroit, and Atlanta.

About 5 years ago, I made some updated rankings. I had lengthy discussions at work with a coworker about my rankings. I think he was amused by them and the fact that they appeared random. I told him it was a very complex ranking system and it was all done in my head. Do I really do some complex equation taking into many factors in my head? No, I have a general feeling about every team and if needed, I could explain why I feel that way.

So, why does this all matter to me? Well, if I am watching a football game, I’m always “cheering” for one team to win. There is never a game I don’t care who wins. I have found it to happen watching hockey too. In my head, I start following one team during the game more than the other and hoping they score.

Why do you like a football team or why are you afraid of dogs or why do you like the color blue? I believe there are answers to these types of questions and many people don’t think about it. They will say, “I just do” or “I always have.” I think it’s important to think about why we do things or don’t do things, why we like or dislike things, and why we overanalyze things. 😀

Many people question everything in the news or in politics or things their friends do. Maybe more people should question why they do the things they do and why they think and feel the way they do. Questioning it doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it’s a way to learn about yourself and maybe open yourself up to new things.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton