I'm a believer!

1961 to 6119

Thoughts bouncing around my mind: ie, ramblings. Where did the past 50 years go? I felt so smart when in 1961 I saw that when this year was written out and then turned upside down it was still 1961. When is the next date/year this will happen again - 6119??

Twenty years can go by pretty fast; forty years goes by a little slower, but depending on one’s age it’s all relevant; my mom would ask, “How did the past sixty years go by so fast?” We’re all destined to see our own mortality sooner than we plan; it’s inevitable.

Holding one of my grandsons is different than holding one of my own kids when they were the same age. I’d like to hold them again but it would be an awkward moment…why is that? Oddly, I don’t have the same expectations or future plans of my grandsons as I did my four kids. I’ve seen firsthand that my plans and expectations didn’t matter; free agency being the proverbial two-sided sword. We make our own destiny.

My first house costs less than my most recent car did. My first car cost less than my current lap top computer. I delete all e-mails telling me someone from high-school is trying to “re-connect.” I can second-guess how I spent money over the years but none of it will reappear.

Grey hair is caused by children. I can’t imagine life without a microwave or my cell phone. I have no idea what technology will be in "everyday use" when my grandsons are my age; I went from turning a knob to manually change one of only three channels on a small black and white TV to watching videos on my cell phone. I look in the mirror and know I’ll never again see that once familiar young man without grey hair and wrinkles. I know what causes body aches – but I resist slowing down. I should have invested in real estate instead of the stock market but I’m glad I invested what little I was able to. (Hint to those under 30 reading this…don’t waste your money on any “CD” that won’t return $ in the future)

Life seemed better when we sat in our front yard in the evening talking and waving to neighbors. Sizzler isn’t nearly as good as it once was! Politicians are politicians; they’re in it for personal gain/status/egos. Pigs will never fly. Graffiti is not art. Family is more important than anything.

The good, the bad, the ego & satisfaction

Okay, so I don't do this anymore (referring to the picture above) also, I was never bald, heavy or wore a blue uniform, but I did put handcuffs on literally thousands of immoral folk over the years. There was a certain amount of satisfaction, sometimes more than others, when I'd actually put handcuffs on the bad guy, say "you're under arrest" and haul his/her sorry butt to jail. Truth is, some times I miss this. I wish I still had the ability of custodial arrest, but, since I don't, I've learned to be resourceful.
As you may or may not know, part of my job is to locate, identify and present cases to prosecute unlicensed "contractors". There's a fine line when I see a good person trying to make an honest living (I show leniency quite often.) as opposed to low-life, dishonest, fraudulent cheats, 'repeat offenders' or those who blatantly tout themselves a licensed contractor, knowing full well they should be licensed for a trade they advertise they can do. I play on the ego of these latter types. Such was the guy I filed case(s) on today. Last month while in a small town about an hour's drive north of Vegas, I found two business cards boldly pinned to a 'contractor' bulletin board in the local hardware store. I immediately recognized the business names as well as the 'construction superintendent' as who I'd dealt with before. His lack of respect of the laws kind of got my ire up. Both licenses have been revoked. The person named on the cards has never been a manager or qualified employee on either license.

*Long story short: I called him posing as homeowner interested in new pool installation. He had ample opportunity to tell me he can't do this anymore. He didn't. I made copious notes during our conversation, obtained his email address and verified who I was talking to. "Yep, them's my business cards." I gained his trust and through only two email conversations he acknowledged he can design and construct my pool and provided price quotes. *Oddly enough, a week long gap of no correspondence occurred, because he was "out of the country on a church mission assignment." (I didn't ask what church.) Today when I called him and let him in on my investigation he cried foul, using profanity not new to my ears, saying I'd used fraud to catch him. "Who's the fraud?" I asked him and told him the Supreme Court approves my methodology, the courts won't approve of his. He has three prior cases with plea bargained adjudications, one awaiting trial. I strongly recommended to the D/A no negotiations this time. . . (Note; the one outstanding case involves a homeowner who's out a lot of money, as this guy abandoned the job near the end when he had been paid in full. He's not very Christian.)