On The Road with Dave

"Sunday Thoughts"

2009-11-08T15:48:00.000-06:00

"Name the season's first hurricane Zelda and fool Mother Nature into calling it a year."

--Robert Brault

Hang Up And Have A Nice Day

2009-11-06T23:20:00.002-06:00

If this isn't real, then it should have been. I would have voted for it to be added to any school answering machine.

FaceSpace

2009-11-05T10:21:00.004-06:00

The folks at The Oatmeal have a hilarious page up about the worst scenario known to humanity. A merger between MySpace and Facebook. It's not a holocaust type horror, but it'd be pretty bad for Social Media addicts. Well, maybe Social Media addicts would really think it was a good idea.

Thanks go to Dino Baskovic for alerting me to the link.

Oh yeah, make sure you click on some links while at the site. If you are a Facebook or MySpace user; you'll quickly understand after clicking the page.

I am not an addict. I am not addict. I am not addict. I just have to keep reminding myself.

TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

2009-11-04T14:27:00.004-06:00

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY
TO
ALL
THE
GANG
ON
SESAME STREET!

And if you've ever wondered where Kermit The Frog lived before he lived on Sesame Street; c'mon down to the Mississippi Delta and Leland, Mississippi and visit the Jim Henson Museum Exhibit and the real birthplace of that green frog who sings, dances, tells jokes and is stalked by a female pig.

To all those people and puppets that I grew up knowing "in the neighborhood", Happy 40th Anniversary and thanks.

"Sunday Thoughts"

2009-11-01T05:43:00.002-06:00

"Charlie Brown is the one person I identify with. C.B. is such a loser. He wasn't even the star of his own Halloween special. "

--Chris Rock

Things That Go Bump In The Night

2009-10-31T02:55:00.005-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM "ON THE ROAD WITH DAVE"!

Go out. Go to you costume parties. Grab you treats. Play some tricks.
I'll be waiting when you return

"From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!"

--Scottish Saying

Death Photo by TouTouke
Original Banner Photo by Piet Bong
EDITOR'S NOTE: Halloween Banner used as blog banner on Halloween Day. Added to entry following Halloween.

Dave Needs Photos

2009-10-29T23:55:00.004-05:00

Hello Readers,

I got a special request for you amateur photographers out there.

I need a few panoramic photos of--you guessed it--roads.

Deserted roads, freeways, country roads, gravel roads; if it would make a good photo for my title banner and I can place my "On The Road" chevron on top of it, then I'd like to have it to use occasionally to change up the look of "On The Road With Dave".

I can't pay you for it, but if you send me a copy and permission to use it, I'll certainly give you credit in a blog entry and your contact info for others.

Over the past several months, I've had these photos as a change of pace.

And so far, this is my feeble attempt at a Halloween-related banner. You still have about 24 hours to send me something better.

Thanks

Dave

"Sunday Thoughts"

2009-10-25T09:09:00.001-05:00

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."

--Judy Garland

The Ugly Men List --I Must Be On It

2009-10-24T22:27:00.003-05:00

Last week the website, Total Beauty came out with a list of the 8 cities in America with the Ugliest Men. It just so happens, I live in one of the cities and like all the other men in the cities on the list, I took a little bit of offense.

I decided to take a look at the website that condemned me to a life of "uglytude" and I'm not impressed with them either. Total Beauty says it has an audience of 12 million women and apparently the website thinks all of its readers need vast amounts of improvements. The site is not much more than pages of beauty cream ads, shampoo ads, and age defying cream ads interspersed with videos with titles like "How To Properly Pop A Pimple".

But before you think I'm just filled with sour grapes, the Ugly Men List was supposedly compiled using criteria that included more than superficial looks. The Ugly Men were ranked using obesity statistics, education levels, smoking, and dental statistics(bad teeth are ugly) as well as gym memberships. (Ugly men rarely work out)

If I had stayed in my original hometown in Mississippi, I would not have made the list, but I just had to up and move to the Number 5 Ugliest Man City in the Nation. I think that's unfair to my new hometown, they might not have made the list, except that they must have "bussed" in some ugly men along with me.

In case, you didn't see the article, here's Total Beauty's List and what they said about my city of Mobile, Alabama. I also included a few other quotes about two other cities on the list.

8. Houston Texas
7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6. Detroit, Michigan
5. Mobile, Alabama and Huntington, West Virginia (tie)

The men of Mobile and Huntington have it all -- terrible teeth, according to (a) worst-teeth cities list, a high rate of unhealthy, inactive and obese men and a paltry number of gyms.

4. Greensboro, North Carolina
3. Miami, Florida

You're thinking, 'Seriously? Miami?' And we're saying: yup. If for no other reason than a whopping 21 percent of men 25 and up didn't make it past 9th grade, the highest rate in the cities we studied. Oh, and did we mention gnarly teeth? And believe it or not, more than 27 percent of Miamians don't exercise regularly. Sure, they're not the fattest or unhealthiest in the country, but given the year-round gorgeous weather and huge number of gyms, you'd think these guys would be a little less-lazy.

2. Hagerstown, Md.

Less than 10 percent of the men in Hub City hold a bachelor's degree. They're not spending their spare time in gyms, either -- nearly 30 percent don't exercise regularly, 30 percent are obese, and an off-the-charts number of Hagerstownians smoke, compared to the rest of the country.

(Sorry Hagerstown...I once visited your city, too. I was smoking a cigarette when I visited. I guess my "ugly" got all over you, too.)

1. El Paso, Texas

We're not looking for Stephen Hawking level brain-age -- just a good, solid education. But nearly 15 percent of the dudes in this Lone Star city have less than a 9th grade education. The city also suffers from a notably high rate of obesity, 32 percent are in below average health and 30 percent do not exercise regularly, which is probably why there are so few gyms in town. There is such a thing as too much Tex-Mex.

But, I won't despair much about the Ugly Men List, because just last week I was complimented by a much younger woman who told me, "You are a pretty man". I was at first concerned by the word, "pretty", but she assured me she was definitely complimenting me. Another woman also told me that I had "beautiful eyes". So, my ego is not too shattered by living in a city labeled for having ugly male residents. On the other hand; I smoke, I don't have dental insurance and my teeth are not in great shape these days and I don't have a gym membership. Maybe, I deservedly need to be on the list

Bragging Rights

2009-10-23T23:51:00.002-05:00

Friday night one week ago, my training class and I celebrated the end of training at Ryla. Our instructor, Kate West, and a few of the management on hand on a Friday Night allowed us an unofficial graduation ceremony. (We're told that the President of the company will come on site the end of October for a more official ceremony with all the different classes involved)

The class Valedictorian and Salutatorian gave short speeches, Kate spoke(and cried) and the Director of the Training Department, Omar Hawk, gave a little pep talk. The class bought a vase for Kate and we formed a line and each of us presented her with a rose for the vase. (She cried some more) After the speeches we received our key card lanyards with the Ryla logo from Omar.

Kate also presented small individual ribbons for categories like "Most Professional Voice", "Most Improved" and "Most Spirited". I received the ribbon below.

Don't be too impressed. I was only 4th in the class; so I'm guessing it just means I was pretty good at a lot of stuff but not great in any particular thing.

Tonight finished up one whole week of taking calls on the production floor. It's been pretty good; but I arrived at work with "nerves" everyday. It's worse than stage fright before I perform stand-up comedy. I'm never sure if I'm doing everything correctly; but since Monday, I find myself asking fewer and fewer questions or seeking supervisor help for certain calls. I suppose I'm getting the hang of it.

The first night, a customer asked to speak to my supervisor and I received, "KUDOS". That means the customer was pleased with my help and told the supervisor. A broadcast email is sent through the corporate email system to alert the other employees I received customer praise. It's one way the company tries to motivate employees.

Wednesday, my supervisor sat at my cubicle and "plugged in" to my calls and eavesdropped on how I handled my calls and treated my customers. We then discussed the calls and she graded me based on a company scoring system. In "school terms" I made a B+ to A-. Not bad for my third full day out of training.

At ten o'clock tonight, I clocked out for the weekend and it seems like it has been more than just 5 days long. I will enjoy this weekend, but I know those two days will go by at a much more rapid rate than a "work" day and in an instant, I'll be back to work come Monday.

But until then, I deserved to brag just a little bit, and you had to listen to it.

"SuperDu" Becomes Luymes Dot Com

2009-10-20T21:38:00.002-05:00

Some of my readers may know that I first began "On The Road With Dave" with frequent commentary about Multi-level Marketing and in particular the Amway Corporation and it's then spin-off company, Quixtar. I was a frequent reader and commenter and later contributor to the website, Quixtar Blog. Quixtar Blog was sometimes a site where critics of MLM would gather to vent and rant about their experiences with Amway and Quixtar and other MLM companies. I provided "pro" arguments about the business and debated quite a few critics.

Shortly after Quixtar's launch back in 1999, (and I will always believe in part due to The Quixtar Blog) Amway Corporation began a concerted effort to build a web presence and began producing blogs of its own authored by various Amway/Quixtar staff.

One such blog, The Real Quixtar Blog was originally authored in pseudonym by a guy named "Kia". (Know it all) Later Kia, announced he was Robin Luymes, Manager of PR and Editorial at Quixtar. I liked Robin from the very beginning. He was making strides to write his blog with some authenticity and included personal stories, opinions, and events on his homefront as well as "corporate" PR writings and answering hundreds of questions in comments. When Amway Global decided to drop the Quixtar moniker and revert back to the Amway brand; Robin dropped The Real Quixtar Blog moniker and became "SuperDu".

SuperDu was an even more personal blog than corporate-ese and Robin excelled even more. I liked the slant of SuperDu even more. Then last year, I met Robin Luymes while on a trip to Prague to discuss blogging with some Amway PR folks. Robin was an excellent host, told some great stories, and I could see how he was genuine in his writings, because he was genuine in person. He was "real".

Last month, Robin left "SuperDu" and Amway Global. "SuperDu" is scheduled for what Amway Global calls a "sunset". You should pay it a visit, before it comes down.

But, the sun is not setting on Robin Luymes. Robin has launched a new website at Luymes Public Relations, LLC; complete with a new blog discussing Public Relations among other things.

Robin says,

"In this blog I expect to share about my views and experiences as a PR professional. That will include my opinions on best practices for the public relations profession, including use of social media by organizations. I likely will talk about my personal life as well, especially how that relates to my profession and my business. Many of my posts will draw upon past experiences, including those with Amway Corp., my employer for nearly 18 years, and as a reporter for the Grand Rapids Business Journal before that."

I want to wish Robin best of luck in his new endeavor and to let him know I'm rooting for him and, oh yeah; I'll be adding "Luymes Dot Com" to my "Links I Like"

Missed Blog Action Day '09

2009-10-19T23:02:00.003-05:00

On October 15, Bloggers from around the world participated in Blog Action Day 2009 in a unified effort to write and inform about Global Climate change. I participated in the event last year when the subject was Poverty.

This year due to job schedule constraints I was unable to put together an intelligent or thought provoking entry on the subject. I think of myself as an realistic environmentalist. Man does affect the environment and Man can determine the fate of a species, energy consumption, and how clean we are in manufacturing and production. I also believe that "going green" can be profitable for businesses if done correctly and with forethought.

With that in mind click on the above banner and you can read a "wrap up" of the day's entries by minds better suited to the task than mine.

And in the interest of balance and dissent, pay a visit to radio talk show host Todd Schnitt's page on Global Warming. It provides just as many views by other learned minds that feel climate change may not be the biggest threat we face in the world.

"For" or "Against" is up to you. Different opinions do not make either side wrong, but realistically, we still all live on this tiny blue marble and it is our responsibility to be good stewards of this planet.

Waiting In The Wings and a "Sunday Thought"

2009-10-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

Friday night was my last night of training at my new job. Starting Monday, I show up at my own little station and start answering phones for 8 hours a day. My new schedule is from 1 in the afternoon until 10 at night and should provide me with enough decompression time after work to start contributing to this blog in a more consistent manner as in the not so distant past.

I have an "Amway-related" entry I want to talk about and some bragging to do regarding my new job and a few other things I wanna talk about this week so those are waiting in the wings ready for me to write.

I also plan to talk more about Social Media in the upcoming weeks. That's going to require some actual research on my part, but I'm looking forward to it.

But it's Sunday and that means I can't leave you without a "Sunday Thoughts" entry. As I said, Friday night was the last night of classroom instruction and afterward, a few classmates and myself went out to celebrate. So this quote is more than appropriate.

"I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle, so he won't let himself get snotty about it."

--Raymond Chandler

"Sunday Thoughts"

2009-10-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

--Marcel Proust

That Dancing Baby Cory

2009-10-11T18:08:00.003-05:00

If you haven't seen New Zealand's Cory The Dancing Baby doing his signature move, "the stanky leg" to Beyonce's, "Single Ladies"; then you just haven't had a good laugh in a while. It's a good video diversion to the day.

Cory has his own website at SingleBabies.

Lately, I have watched this video several times a week, just for quick pick-me-up.

"Sunday Thoughts"

2009-10-04T09:52:00.001-05:00

"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems."

"We do not need to proselytise either by our speech or by our writing. We can only do so really with our lives. Let our lives be open books for all to study."

--Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi

"Sunday Thoughts"

2009-09-27T14:16:00.000-05:00

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go."

--Dr. Seuss

"And Now, Back To Our Show..."

2009-09-26T23:18:00.000-05:00

I bet you are surprised to show up here and find a new blog entry after over a week had passed with no updates. I confess I have not been diligent with updates but I have lots of excuses that will amount to this newest entry and update.

As some readers might know, I started a new job seven weeks ago, at Ryla, Inc in Saraland, Alabama. Ryla is a national call center operation. During these past seven weeks, I have been working a brutal nightshift from 4:30 in the afternoon until 1:15AM.

After working those hours, winding down after work and falling to sleep at 3 or 4 in the morning and then getting up at 7AM to drive my wife to work and coming home to sleep a little more before going back to my work...the blogging muse has not been a frequent guest in my head.

But, I'm happy to report that the end is near for that schedule. Friday night was my last night of classroom instruction and I did pretty good. I finished 4th in my class, and I'm pretty proud of that. Apparently, an old dog can learn new tricks. I begin a "nesting" process of supervised and monitored calls next Monday for two more weeks before I officially "graduate" and move into my actual job position with a better schedule for work, sleep AND blogging.

But, the ultimate reason for the lack of this week's blog posting has been...wait for it...computer problems! That's right, another computer died. This time, we think it's a video card and a hard drive that has gone kaput. We did some scrambling and have an old Windows2000 system that I'm running now. It only has IE6 on it and can't be updated, but it accepted a Firefox download and so I have a decent browser to send out Twitter updates on, but I can't download my TweetDeck interface; so even though I can blog, update MySpace and Facebook, it makes it difficult to keep up with a full-fledged Twitter session. But still; I can update "On The Road With Dave", which is the important thing.

Speaking of that, look for tomorrow's edition of "Sunday Thoughts" late Sunday afternoon to give readers a chance to read this update first. (I wrote it late, late, Saturday night) With any luck, you can count on even more entries next week.

And so, we now continue on with our regularly scheduled show, once again in progress.

"Sunday Thoughts"

2009-09-13T15:04:00.002-05:00

"The follies which a man regrets most in his life are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity."

--Helen Rowland

In That Moment...

2009-09-11T07:46:00.002-05:00

"There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go."

--Author Unknown

photo by Wilco Schoneveld

Labor Day 2009

2009-09-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a safe, relaxing and happy Labor Day!

"Sunday Thoughts"

2009-09-06T07:15:00.001-05:00

"All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."

--Samuel Gompers

Three Things You Didn't Know About Dave Robison

2009-09-02T03:10:00.007-05:00

Did you know that Dave Robison 's...

Personal power animal is the Amazonian Manatee (Who'd a thought?)
'Numerology' number is 7. If it wasn't bulls**t, it would mean that you are spiritual, eccentric, and a bit of a loner. Introspective and analytical, you think deeply and prefer seclusion.
According to the US Census Bureau, 0.053% of US residents have the first name 'Dave' and 0.0098% have the surname 'Robison'. The US has around 300 million residents, so we guesstimate there are 16 Americans who go by the name 'Dave Robison'.

See more at http://www.isthisyour.name/

Posted using ShareThis

Googled And Blogged

2009-08-31T08:29:00.000-05:00

In recent weeks, I've added a new widget and a new button in my "Links I Like" section.

The widget is the Google FriendConnect box. According to Google, "Google Friend Connect instantly awakens and strengthens the community that visits your site by enriching it with social features. Anyone can join your site and discover other members by using information from a variety of services, including Google, Yahoo, Twitter, AOL, orkut, and Plaxo, strengthening your community as visitors become members."

Although I know I have many followers/readers of "On The Road With Dave"; it'd be nice to see the box fill up with some faces, or avatars. If you got a minute, register at the widget and let me know you are out there.

The next link is a button that takes you to Blogged. Blogged is a site that lists current members' blog articles and other links that followers can comment on. It has a site feed similar to FriendFeed or Facebook.

I discovered Blogged via Chip Martin's Blog.

Blogged says, "Blogged is a place where you can get reactions to major news events. No more tired old newspapers! With Blogged, you can interact with news like never before. Start sharing interesting news clippings and events with your trusted network of friends and like-minded individuals."

You can also rate the blogs. Currently I'm awaiting a rating from the site's editors. Being needy and constantly seeking approval--I'm hoping for a good rating.

Chip Martin has an envious 7.3 rating.

If you currently are a blogger, these two sites seem to offer some additional networking opportunities. We'll see if they help me.

"Sunday Thoughts"

2009-08-30T07:38:00.000-05:00

"Walking isn't a lost art - one must, by some means, get to the garage."

--Evan Esar