Student Loans Are Legal Theft

When I was in college all those years ago, my student loan was about $10,000 which I had to pay off in 10 years, and the interest rate wasn't crazy high. I made that monthly payment and did the dance of joy when it was finally over.

These days, the interest rates are crazy, and I call it legal theft because of that. The students that are in debt over $100,000 because they went to medical or law school are working their butts off just to survive, and that debt will follow them for many, many years.

There's a very simple solution to this, and it isn't debt forgiveness by the government.

How about instead of having interest rates that are over 8% and compounding daily, make them low interest loans at around 2% that doesn't compound daily?

That makes paying off the loans much easier, and can end the predatory lending in that section of the banking industry.

My older daughter didn't take out a large loan, but the interest rate is making it seem like she did. 

This is the spot where the government should make changes. Forget about loan forgiveness that will never happen, just pass a law that has a ceiling for interest rates on student loans. 

A simple solution to a ridiculous problem.

 

Going To The Gym

 When I went on Medicare in 2023, (yeah, I'm that old) one of the benefits was a free gym membership through Silver & Fit, so I chose a gym local to me, that my daughter worked at the time.

She put my membership under my non de plume, and instructed me not to tell anyone there that I was her dad. Okay, fine. The only one that knew was the trainer she set me up with for a free introductory session.

When she left a couple of months after that, I let the cat out of the bag and told a couple of other people.

I am a person of habit, and if I keep doing something, I'll stick with it. A former manager once told me that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and in this case it is true.

My days off for many years were Tuesday and Friday, so I made it a point to go to the gym on those days, and after a while, I started to go on Sunday as well. I like to get there around 11 AM, and work out for at least an hour. I'll get on the stationary bike for 20-30 minutes, and then go over to the weight machines.

I am not 25 anymore, (though my mind thinks I am) so I don't go crazy with the weights. Most machines I'll set to 45-60 pounds, and do 3 sets of 20 reps. There are a couple of machines I can't use, because of what is called "frozen shoulder." Both were affected years ago after my back surgery when I used a walker, then a cane. While I didn't have pain when I was using them, it was soon after that I gave them up that the pain happened.

Physical therapy helped, but I never fully recovered, and my right shoulder will never be at full strength.

About 2 years ago, I got my second shingles shot in my left shoulder, and boy did it hurt! That caused frozen shoulder, and yet more PT. 

So I have to stay away from several machines simply because they hurt to much. There are plenty of machines that I can use and an hour is enough time to get a full workout in.

One thing I have noticed at the gym is that people really don't talk to each other. There are friends working out together, but there's no conversations going on between strangers.

I was hoping to make a friend or two, and find a work out buddy. Unfortunately that hasn't happened, and I don't see it happening anytime soon.

No matter what, I've enjoyed my time there, and hope to keep it going.

The Drivers Wave

 How many times when we're driving do we see someone trying to make a turn into your lane from a street, a gas station, bank, whatever, and you are stopped and wave to them to go in front of you.

Do you expect a thank you wave in return? I certainly do, and when I get it, I wave back. When I don't get it, I say the word "dumbass" out loud in their direction. These days, giving someone the finger or yelling out the window is not the smart thing to do. You never know if that other driver is going to get mad at you and try to do something really stupid.

The wave is a show of courtesy, acknowledging that you did something nice. You also home that since you did something nice, the same thing will happen to you.

You want to get out of the gas station, and the light ahead is red. Don't you want someone to be nice to you and let you in? Do you silently curse the "idiot" that looked right at you and didn't let you go? I'll say "dumbass" again. 

My favorite is when you're trying to get on the highway, and those entrance lanes are fairly short. Your signal is on, and you're running out of roadway, hoping that someone will slow down enough to let you in, or move into the other lane so you can safely enter.

I'll try to move over as opposed to slowing down so another car can get in front of me. That's because the entering car is going slower than me, and then traffic behind me is going to have to slow down as well. With these moves, there's no wave involved.

A while back, as I was in the right lane of a three lane main road, I heard a honk to my left. If was a guy about my age, motioning for me to lower my window. As I did, he leaned over and said, "Have a blessed and wonderful day." I said thank you, and have a great day yourself. Why did he choose me? Was it because it because I was bopping my head to music in the car, or he felt I needed to hear it. Either way, I appreciated it. I don't think I would that, simply because you never know what kind of reaction you're going to get. 

In closing, it doesn't cost anything to give the wave and to be courteous. Try it sometime, you'll be happier for it.

Wither Customer Service?

 What the heck is going on with customer service these days? Is that companies are just hiring bad people, or good people are being little to no training in dealing with customers?

How about good training, but bad attitudes from burnout? Or bad training to good people that also get burnt out?

I just had an experience with a car dealers service center that left a bad taste in my mouth. Everything was good the first time around, almost. I had left a voice mail for the service manager, who never called me back. I finally got a hold of the assistant service manager who apologized, and said his boss was in the garage all day working on cars. Really? He doesn't make time to talk to customers?

So the assistant talked to me, and we made an appointment to bring in the car. The reason I was bringing it in to this dealership was because our regular car dealership claimed they wouldn't be able to diagnose the problem as their technicians were not as experienced. Okay, I can deal with that.

The new service center said the "after market" remote start was causing the problem of the alarm going off at random times, mostly at night. I told them it was installed by the dealer, so why was it considered after market?

Either way, they took it out, and installed some other parts. $757 later, the problem was solved, almost. Why almost do you say? Because sometimes the car wouldn't start. Ugh.

I made yet another appointment, and needed a loaner car. My daughter figured out what was wrong, and how to get around it. As it turns out, the button on the drivers side door handle wasn't working, and either were the buttons on the inside. I left a message for the assistant service manager, and he never called me back, so I didn't bring the car in. 

Hopefully our original dealer can fix it, and if not, I'll ask our regular mechanic.

The point here is why can't businesses deal with their customers in a respectful manner? If you get a voice mail, it should be returned as soon as possible. It's a turn off to NEVER return the phone call, and a great way to lose customers.

In my sales and management career over the years, I always endeavored to give the best service I possibly could each and every time, no matter how nice or annoying the customer may be. 

So I am very sensitive to the type of service I get, be it in a retail store, restaurant, doctors office or a service establishment. It can range from the absolutely fabulous to the downright awful, and I am not afraid to leave true reviews on Google Maps. The good ones usually get a nice reply, while the bad ones don't get a reply at all. Those are the ones that should be addressed first, addressing the problem and asking what could be done to make it right.

Okay, I'm off the soapbox now.