Tag Archives: car

08

Aug. ’15

Double Parking

I have decided to forgo my usual Faith In God Ministries article this week and do another Retirement article instead. The reason being, one of my favorite people have left Imperial Plaza, the Activities Director. From what myself and others have seen, she has a good head on her shoulders and she ran a smooth operation. I don’t know of anyone that does not like her but, on the other side of the coin, there is many more than a few that are sad for her leaving. Like I said in last week’s article, there is no replacing her because she is a one of a kind, a super hard worker.

We had a party in her honor last month and another this past Friday. At work or out in the public, she never changed. I just hope and pray that we at Imperial Plaza do not lose anymore of our longtime beloved people, full time or part time. This is our home and our house can not withstand anymore departures and remain the same. Long term experience is more than hard to replace nor our love for them. They do not get the thanks nor appreciation that they should but the majority of us do care and we are watching.

That remind me of another incident that has happened here. A woman said some derogatory things to our female bus driver that was totally uncalled for and she was also assaulted. The punishment was and is unacceptable. There are people that have done less and received more punishment than that. On the street, that could result in jail time. First charge, curse and abuse. Second charge, assault. When I was a cop, I have arrested people on those charges and age, mental state and health condition did not matter.

As the photo show below, double parking needs a little work (smile). No laughing matter because, as I said in a previous article, driving here leaves a lot to be desired. My wife and I look for dents and scratches on our two cars all the time and there are some. Her passenger side got all scratched up a couple of weeks ago and there were scratches on the rear. The side view mirror doesn’t count because that is also a normal thing around here. People park on the line, take two parking spaces, park at an angle and use the center of the roadway. Don’t let your auto insurance expire. I still remember when my wife and I had lived here only a month or two and a woman rounded the corner at the end of the building and kept straight to take out two or three cars. I used to park in that area but I don’t anymore. I acquiesces because there is not a parking lot that is safe. By law, private property is private property and outside traffic laws do not exist. If it did, there are more than a few cars that would either be ticketed or towed. And, I haven’t even gotten into expired tags and/or inspection stickers.

One last thing that I want to mention, which I alluded to in my article last week, are things to do in the area. I just attended the Filipino Fest and there are at least two other events in the area. There is the Watermelon Fest and there is the Jazz Festival. There are probably more smaller festivals and parties going on that I don’t know about but they are listed in the paper every week. Go out, have fun and don’t just sit around and mope. There is plenty to do, at Imperial Plaza and outside, have at it.IMG_20150805_141430458

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19

Jul. ’15

A Little Of This, A Little Of That

When I was on the radio I had a closing saying at the end of each and every program. “Be kind to your neighbors because you will never know when you will need them. Also, ensure your words are soft and sweet because you will never know when you will have to eat them”. Since I have been at Imperial Plaza I have met many people that have had interesting lives and people that have been or still are of importance. The other day I met a gentleman that was a squadron commander for an aircraft maintenance unit in the air force. We had an interesting conversation and not once did we speak badly about anyone or even turn our nose up at anyone. It was as if we have known each other for years. Yes, I was in the air force but not as a commander or anything like that. That is why a person should not assume anything of anybody until you get to know the real inner person.

There are many people at Imperial Plaza that assume things without getting to really know what is going on or the person that they are talking to. False assumptions cause many, many problems that could have been avoided if a softer approach was acquired and an unassuming mind was vacated. Living here are people from many walks of live and may know many people that are more powerful than you, me or they are. Speak kinder and be unassuming. That way you will have a better life because there are no repercussions from something you have said or have assumed.

The singing and dancing at the White Squirrel last Tuesday was fantastic. The party was on! A bug with a rumor have whispered in my ear that the party may move. Wherever it moves to, I hope there is quick access to the same food and drink as there is now. That is a large part of the party because, like me, people eat their supper during the party. I have been told that the White Squirrel make more money on Tuesday than it does all week, that is why. I know the place is small and can’t hold everyone that come but I hope long, hard thought was in play before there was a decision to move. I will bring this up at the Activity Committee meeting tomorrow for opinions. I may be missing something and I am not always right, far from it (my wife tells me, LOL), but, in this case, I think I am right.

One last thing before I close. At the last Town Hall Meeting, last month, we were told the tree trimmers were working and to not enter the taped off areas. I walk the area and never saw the areas but I have seen a lot of dead tree limbs in the trees. In fact, where my wife and I park our cars is where a lot of work need to be done. There is one tree that is half dead and, when I leave my car, I duck my head. If tree work is being done, it’s sparse or invisible. I choose invisible because, after two years, it is still the same. I can tell you when the work will get done. When this place is sued because of tree damage. It’s coming.

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05

Jul. ’15

Driving And Parking

There are times, when you are retired, that you will just sit in the shade, watch the things around you and think. The other day, while doing this, I was thinking about what I wanted to write about when I noticed the traffic and a lady trying to park her car. I then recalled the article I wrote for an on-line publication last year dealing with inattentive drivers and another on seniors and driving. I don’t want to rehash those articles so I will write about the traffic around Imperial Plaza, a gated senior community.

One would think the traffic would not be really bad here because, although the place have a little size to it, a caring person would naturally drive slowly. Wrong….speed is the name of the game and speed and/or stop signs go unseen, mostly. It is getting to be worst and worst with an accident expected any day now. I have sat and watched vehicles go through stop signs as if it wasn’t there and other traffic, not at that moment, coming from the other direction and never slowing down or come to a stop in order to see if the intersection is clear. I have watched vehicles coming from the front gate toward the Dogwood building and never slowing down before going around vehicles doubled parked before entering the blind curve to go to the rear of Dogwood. There will be an accident and it’s coming soon.

I sometimes sit on the benches at the rear of Dogwood and it’s rather funny how people park. There are more than a few vehicles with the sides scared with another vehicle’s color embedded within the long scraping dent(s). I don’t know if these dents come from happenings here at Imperial Plaza or elsewhere but, from the closeness of the parking of some vehicles, I can see how it may have happened here.

Thinking about the parking, I have seen people pull in and out of a slot three or four times and still the vehicle is not in straight or even in the center. Some of these people could not park correctly if their lives depended on it. I have seen where they would pull in correctly and redo it with an ending being positively wrong. I watched one lady, driving a new Cadillac, try to park on the end where there was a side curb. It wasn’t pretty and she never got it in straight, like the other vehicles. When she took out her walker and hobbled up the walkway, I understood why she was driving the way she did.

I can’t think of a solution to this problem although I have sat and sat thinking about it. I remember a gentleman telling me how mad he was that the doctor insisted he stop driving. There should be more of that or a lot of people are going to injure themselves, someone else or worst. As far as the speeding is concerned, all I can think of are many speed bumps, especially at the stop signs. This is private property and anything can be done, within reason, and should before someone gets hurt.

Getting off the topic, here is something that have come to my attention a few days ago. Remember when I first started writing about the troubles we are having here at Imperial plaza? When I wrote about the turnover of a lot of loved and experienced personnel? Well, it’s still going on, full steam ahead. Our head of Activities have resigned and we will miss her. I wish her well and hope to see her again. I do not know the reason she resigned but when frustration sets in, there is no recourse but to go elsewhere. I’m afraid we have not seen the end of this yet because I know of a couple more people that are thinking of doing the same thing.

Well, I guess I will sit and think and, maybe, I will come up with solutions to the many problems around here. Anything can be fixed with clear, thoughtful thinking, instead of jumping before you think about it. That is done far too often and that is why things are the way they are. With that I will stop and remind you to read my spiritual blog also ( faithingodministries.net ) every other week and comment/follow them. Both blogs appear on my Facebook page (in part) and all you have to do is click “read more”, which will take you to the blog’s site automatically.

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