Yes it is! I was awaiting a contract from Colorado to Connecticut that was mailed Priority Mail six days ago, and it still hasn't arrived! How come? Where did it go? I don't have a tracking number. The sender does, but has not responded to me yet. Meantime, I wait and wait. Who knows how this will turn out?
The Pony Express during the 19th Century required eight days to make a delivery from Connecticut to Colorado. They delivered the mail accurately, i.e. to the rightful person. There were occasional robbers. But the Pony Express had very fast horses and there were Way Stations to mount a fresh horse. The rider could also rest and eat at the local saloon in a hotel or inn.
When I had my own independent record company in New York City many years ago, I had to send master tapes to Los Angeles for manufacturing a thousand 45 rpm copies. Federal Express was new and I didn't like them sending everything to Memphis for destinations elsewhere. Also, a film producer I knew had mailed some original color negatives to his studio via FedEx, and they got lost!
He had $500 insurance on the package, but FedEx required him to produce the original receipts for the negatives. It was an older movie, most of the actors were dead. I suggested he offer to exhume the bodies and take new photos, as proof for the insurance payment. His $500 check arrived the next day. I was rewarded with lunch at "21" in New York.
Rather than trust the USPO or FedEx for sending my master tapes coast to coast, I would drive out to Idlewild Airport (JFK) and look over the passengers traveling to Los Angeles. Then, I would approach a well dressed person in their 30's and ask him or her to deliver my package for $20. (That was about $200 in today's economy).
I did this a dozen times and nobody ever turned me down. Nor did they ever fail to deliver the very next day! All this was way before 9/ll, the Vietnam War and today's security scrutiny at airports.
In earlier days it was possible to drive to the airport, park in a nearby garage, walk up to the ticket counter and buy a cheap ticket anywhere in the country.
So, let's show a little more respect for our parents and grandparents. They had it better and they did it better.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Sunday, May 7, 2017
I'll Never Forget The Day Jennifer's Music Teacher Was Arrested!
It was a summer morning and teacher Dorothy was driving three of her middle school students to see the Barnum & Bailey Circus in New York City at Madison Square Garden. Along the way from Westport, CT there was a lot of verbal banter in the Volkswagen "bug." All four were having an enjoyable experience. As Jennifer said, "I don't like Dorothy. I love her!"
They lucked into a vacant parking space just next to Madison Square Garden and enjoyed two hours of exciting circus feats by clowns, jugglers and high wire antics. The band never stopped playing throughout the show and Dorothy, a viola teacher, hummed along with the Sousa marches.
Afterwards, with cotton candy and ice cream cones, they returned to the car and were schocked to see the red roof was dented down about six inches . A note on the windshield said: "Sorry about the accident. When we walked the elephants at intermission, one of them had his own red stool and thought your red car was his stool. We have notified our insurance company and they will pay for repairs." It was signed by the General Manager.
Fortunately, they could all fit inside the car without much difficulty, except for Dorothy who had to hunch her head down a few inches. Then it was off to the nearby Westside Highway, the Cross County Parkway and the Merritt Parkway to Westport. About an hour's drive normally.
But this was not going to be a normal day. As they approached Greenwhich,CT, there was an overturned car heavily damaged. Nearby were several Highway Patrol cars, a fire engine, an ambulance and a pickup truck involved in the accident. Dorothy slowed down, then speeded up to protect the children from seeing a tragedy.
A minute later they heard a siren and saw the Highway Patrol car along side theirs. The uniformed officer signaled them to pull over and park on the highway shoulder. Dorothy did and rolled down her window when the officer came over. He was at least six feet six tall, probably weighed 250 pounds and a handsome man in his thirties.
He asked Dorothy for her driver's licence, insurance and owner's certificate. She quickly complied and then he ordered her to step out of the car. Once out, he patted her down for weapons and then read her the Miranda Doctrine. She was under arrest for leaving the scene of an accident!
Dorothy protested vehmently to no avail. When Dorothy said, "an elephant sat on my car!"
That did it. The officer replied, "Tell that to the judge. You're going to court right now." And so they all went to Greenwhich Municipal Court and stood before the judge. This robed dictator set bail for Dorothy ($10,000), which she posted by check, and her car was impounded.
Jennifer called her dad in Westport to pick them up, which he did, and they all managed to laugh over the unexpected events of the day. Eventually, Dorothy's case was dismissed when the circus management vouched for the elephant's irresponsible sitdown on her car.
They lucked into a vacant parking space just next to Madison Square Garden and enjoyed two hours of exciting circus feats by clowns, jugglers and high wire antics. The band never stopped playing throughout the show and Dorothy, a viola teacher, hummed along with the Sousa marches.
Afterwards, with cotton candy and ice cream cones, they returned to the car and were schocked to see the red roof was dented down about six inches . A note on the windshield said: "Sorry about the accident. When we walked the elephants at intermission, one of them had his own red stool and thought your red car was his stool. We have notified our insurance company and they will pay for repairs." It was signed by the General Manager.
Fortunately, they could all fit inside the car without much difficulty, except for Dorothy who had to hunch her head down a few inches. Then it was off to the nearby Westside Highway, the Cross County Parkway and the Merritt Parkway to Westport. About an hour's drive normally.
But this was not going to be a normal day. As they approached Greenwhich,CT, there was an overturned car heavily damaged. Nearby were several Highway Patrol cars, a fire engine, an ambulance and a pickup truck involved in the accident. Dorothy slowed down, then speeded up to protect the children from seeing a tragedy.
A minute later they heard a siren and saw the Highway Patrol car along side theirs. The uniformed officer signaled them to pull over and park on the highway shoulder. Dorothy did and rolled down her window when the officer came over. He was at least six feet six tall, probably weighed 250 pounds and a handsome man in his thirties.
He asked Dorothy for her driver's licence, insurance and owner's certificate. She quickly complied and then he ordered her to step out of the car. Once out, he patted her down for weapons and then read her the Miranda Doctrine. She was under arrest for leaving the scene of an accident!
Dorothy protested vehmently to no avail. When Dorothy said, "an elephant sat on my car!"
That did it. The officer replied, "Tell that to the judge. You're going to court right now." And so they all went to Greenwhich Municipal Court and stood before the judge. This robed dictator set bail for Dorothy ($10,000), which she posted by check, and her car was impounded.
Jennifer called her dad in Westport to pick them up, which he did, and they all managed to laugh over the unexpected events of the day. Eventually, Dorothy's case was dismissed when the circus management vouched for the elephant's irresponsible sitdown on her car.
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