It's Just So Different

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

I've been in San Antonio now for the second day.  My trip up was great and it only took me four hours from McAllen, thanks to the 75 mph speed limit.   It's a long drive.  I listened to talk radio, sang a little bit, stopped for a coffee and pretty much enjoyed the scenery.  I love driving in Texas.  

I've had difficulty with my U.S. cell phone.  It is so hard to speak to a live human being.   But I found a way.  I googled the question, "How can I speak to a live person at Net10?"  The web page I found showed me a menu work around and I got a live person.   The phone works now, but I can only send calls and not receive.  I have to have it for work, no other way around it.

Overall, the customer service here in stores, hotels, and restaurants is lousy.   I think with all the talk about minimum wage jobs, people have changed the way they work.  No doubt that minimum wage workers have low productivity.   So what is the answer?  Throw $15 an hour at all minimum wage jobs?   How do you determine what a wage should be for a job?  Used to be supply and demand.   We saw a guy holding a sign advertising for an insurance company.  I thought to myself, "Is that a $15 an hour job?"   Cost of living by area comes into play too!   

I've been talking with people about ObamaCare.   It's not cheap and they have a tiered system; bronze, silver and gold.   Hmm, now is that a level playing system?  It says to me that the more money you have the better care you will receive.  Isn't that counter-productive to what the plan is all about?

Tonight I had to gas up, buy back up batteries and my Nerds candy for the course tomorrow.  I drove up Broadway from the Riverwalk.  A wide avenue filled with small and large businesses.   Not a soul walking on the street and the sun was still up.  It's so weird to see streets with out pedestrians.  If you wanted to ask someone for directions or help you would die on the cross before it would happen.  I'm talking about a three mile stretch of avenue.  Sure there were cars, but where are all the people.   I now call them refrigerator people.  They live in their climate controlled boxes.  No kids playing in the street, throwing a ball, riding a bike.   

We had a bowl of soup at Jim's restaurant.  My friend Sam was hanging out with me today.  The kid in the booth next to us (about 8 years old), jumped up and said he was going to the bathroom.  It's a small restaurant and you can see everything.  The father hopped  out and said, "wait, you can't go by yourself".  Sad commentary.   I've been gone from Mexico for a little over four days and it's lonely here.    

Where do all of these people get all this money to buy all the junk they see in stores?  I'll stop there.