The Old Wolf Express - Day 8

The weekend seminar was a huge boost for me. I have seen Personal Mastery seminars before, in addition to the one I did myself, but I had never seen Brian Miller lead one. He's both powerful and entertaining at the same time. As usual, came away from the experience with some wonderful new friends.

Monday morning I didn't get checked out of my motel until noon - I had stayed up until 2:30 talking with the friend who attended the seminar, and actually didn't get to bed until 5 - so I lay slugabed until 10:30.

Headed out at 12:30 and stopped at an IHOP for brunch. I remember eating at an International House of Pancakes right after the first ones opened in 1958, and recall thinking all the varieties of syrup were so cool... They've been able to stay consistently good for over 50 years.

I hought I would have clear sailing through the DC area since it was Columbus Day and the feds were off. Hah... what with construction and traffic from hell anyway, I didn't make it through Washington until about 5:30 - but I did stop for an hour's nap around 4 because I was getting dozy.

Continued North and parked Molly at the Lion's Den in Malaga, New Jersey around 8:20, and was hospitably received by lowen_kind, here seen with his good friend Shere Conrad.



Tuesday was absolutely spectacular - beautiful weather, a seafood feast and a trip to Cape May with much exploration of CMSL facilities. A further report with many pictures forthcoming.

Writer's Block: Happy go lucky

In Vegas everyone's odds are exactly the same, as long as the gaff is not in. My odds are exactly the same on every pull of the slot machine handle (lousy), every spin of the roulette wheel (almost as lousy) and every throw of the dice (only marginally better). The best odds in Vegas are the Pass line at craps - 2:1.

If I lose all the time and you win all the time, ceteris paribus, it's pure chance.

Some people do seem to live charmed lives, but I believe that in the arena of daily life, people tend to make their own fortunes by dint of hard work, or preparation, or attitude. And sometimes we get the breaks, and sometimes we don't.

Outside of this, there's the hand of Divinity working in our lives, and those who believe in miracles tend to see them everywhere. But that is the stuff of dissertations, bar-room brawls and flame wars.

Scam: A grandson I never knew I had

Cross-posted to Wordpress 5-8-2015

Yesterday while feasting on steamed clams at Cap'n Cat's Urp! Excuse me!, I got my first phone call ever from my grandson. He was in trouble, oh so much trouble. Car accident. Thank Mogg, he wasn't hurt badly. And I knew what was coming next: would I be able to wire him $3,000 via Western Union to help him with expenses?

Well, I shut this drone down in a hurry - although I was surprised that he called back right after I had told him to shove his scam where the sun don't shine. He probably wanted to return the favor, but I didn't bother to answer.

How this scam works is beyond me. They call elderly people, and open the call with "Hello, Grandpa"? (or Grandma). They never identify themselves by name. If the person responds, "Is this (Tommy)"? they immediately say yes, and they have a name to work with. They're invariably in trouble. Sometimes overseas. Accident, arrested, what have you. Just need a loan to help them get fixed, bailed out, pay doctor bills, etc. Just wire the funds via Western Union.

This guy didn't sound Nigerian. He was definitely North American. How he got my cell number is beyond me, because I'm not listed anywhere. And I only have two grandchildren, both girls, aged 3 and 6.

To all within the sound of my voice: If anyone wants money via Western Union or bank transfer, hang up. If you think a relative may truly be in trouble, verify who you're talking to with some questions that only the relative in question could answer. Better yet, get a number where you can call them back and then verify the matter with another relative. If a kid's in jail, a night in the pokey never hurt anyone... it will give you time to check the facts first.