Ϋίίά άίίά ΫίίΫ Ϋίίά άίίά ΫίΫίΫ ίΫί Ϋ Ϋ άίίά Ϋ Ϋ άίίά Ϋ Ϋ ίΫί ΫίίΫtm Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋίίά ΫίίΫ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ ΫίίΫ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ ίΫ ΫίίΫ Ϋ ίίίΫ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋάάί ίάάί Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ ίάάί ίάάί ίάάί Ϋ Ϋ Ϋ άάάΫ ΙΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ» Ί RANDOM THOUGHTS MAGAZINE (C) 1994 D.P. McIntire Ί ΜΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΉ Ί Issue XIV - April, 1994 by D.P. McIntire Ί ΜΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΉ Ί RANDOM THOUGHTS MAGAZINE may be distributed freely via CBBS, the Internet, Ί Ί or other networks such as FidoNet. It may be used by System Operators of Ί Ί CBBS' as a door, bulletin, or by any other means at their disposal. It Ί Ί may also be distributed via CD ROM diskette without copyright violation. Ί Ί ANY OTHER DISTRIBUTION OF THIS PUBLICATION IS PROHIBITED AND WILL BE Ί Ί CONSIDERED AND PROSECUTED AS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS. Ί ΘΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΌ ΙΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ» Ί IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE OF RANDOM THOUGHTS... Ί Ί (1) The true costs of transportation. Ί Ί (2) The power of persuasion: a small tale. Ί Ί (3) I'm gaining hair, and losing my mind. Ί Ί (4) Baseball in North Carolina. Ί Ί (5) Parting Thoughts. Ί ΘΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΌ ΙΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ» Ί THE TRUE COSTS OF TRANSPORTATION. Ί ΘΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΌ Driving normally is an expensive proposition to begin with... living in Pennsylvania, I was used to paying a certain amount each year to keep my car legal and registered and so forth. My move to North Carolina has proven to be expensive in terms of automotive spending. My experiences with the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles have thus far been few, but have been expensive. A week or so ago, I opted to get myself a North Carolina driver's license - a small feat in some areas, a hard one in others. I stood in line at the DMV for oh, about an hour or so (no exaggeration, folks) before being seated before a DMV official, handed a test and told to walk "over there and take it." The test was 25 questions, all of which were in the handbook I picked up as I was standing in line. Fortunately I memorized enough questions to pass, missing 6 of the 25 (7 would have failed me). Most of the ones I missed were questions pertaining to underage drinking and motorcycle operations, neither of which pertain to me personally - why they're on the test I don't know. Anyway, after passing the written portion of the test I was given a brief eye exam, and then I got the snapshot of my mug to put on the license. I've learned not to smile for DMV photos, as the result usually makes others want to chuckle upon seeing my license. Instead this time, I look like a felon, and felt as if I should have had one of those plates under my chin with "Raleigh Police Department - Inmate 00481985" or something on it. The DL itself wasn't expensive at all ($ 10.00 for four years, a bargain by my standards - Pennsylvania's is $ 24 annually), but transferring my car to North Carolina was a little high - and a new experience indeed. It took two trips to the "tag center" to get the job done. The first was a brief appearance. Upon presenting my title to the friendly, craggy old lady behind the counter, she quickly told me "get your bank to date this thing", and refused to process it. Apparently my bank had failed to enter the date in which the final payment was made, and they didn't care too much about the fact that I had the title in my possession, proving that it had been paid for. Anyway, I had to send the title back to my bank in Pennsylvania, wait for it to return (it took about a week), then return to the DMV tag center and get my plates, title transferred, etc. The second trip went without a flaw, except for one thing: the cost. When I titled my car in Pennsylvania it was included in the purchase price, so I didn't know (nor care) what I was being charged. In North Carolina, it was a whopping $ 242.00. Add to this the fact that there is a personal property tax in the state (my car, I'm told, will get hit for about $ 165) makes it $ 400.00 or so spent. Ouch! So, in the overall picture of things I guess I shouldn't be complaining too much... but hey, I have to write something here each month... ΙΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ» Ί THE POWER OF PERSUASION: A SMALL TALE. Ί ΘΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΌ I'm visiting friends in Pennsylvania over the Easter weekend, which is one of the reasons that this issue of RT is late - I'm typing it on April 2nd at around 10 p.m., scrambling to put it all together as soon as I can for its release. I moved to North Carolina in January, having abandoned my BBS here upon moving (I haven't opened a new system yet, but I probably will before the close of 1994). While "up here" for the weekend, two of my former users contacted my BBS successors (three people I recommended to my users upon my departure as good system operators) and requested my permission to open up new systems in my old home area. Keep in mind that I moved away over three months ago, to a location over 500 miles away, and they're still asking my permission... much in the way that Tessio and Clemenza asked the Godfather for permission to open up their own families. Nuts, ain't it? Anyway, at this point I'm debating my "permission", but I'll probably let my "successors" decide this issue. I'm laughing as I write this just thinking about it. I must have sure had some oomph around here, huh? ΙΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ» Ί I'M GAINING HAIR, AND LOSING MY MIND. Ί ΘΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΌ When I moved to North Carolina, I decided that to celebrate my liberation from Pennsylvania, the Pothole state, that I would "go hippie", growing my hair as long as I could possibly stand it. As I continue to do this however, I'm noticing a startling coincidence... as my hair gets longer and longer (it's just now at the bottom of my collar, after 3 months or so), I'm losing my memory more and more. I find it rather strange. I can't remember what I had for dinner last evening anymore. Has anyone had a similar experience? ΙΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ» Ί BASEBALL IN NORTH CAROLINA. Ί ΘΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΌ North Carolina is a hotbed for minor league baseball. I'm happy to say that I'll be supporting the minor leagues in my own way, attending games of my local teams (I'm fortunate that two live in my area), and partaking in all the things that make up the minors - 50› hot dogs, idiot drunks running around the bases to win a dinner for two, and watching (and this tells the serious baseball and movie fan one of the teams I'll be watching this year) the bull and the sign saying "Hit Bull... Win Steak". Within an hour's drive of my new home, I can go see four different teams in the minors (3 of them AA). I fully intend to go see them all at least once, which will drive my significant other nuts. So, to the owners of the Durham Bulls, Carolina Mudcats, Winston-Salem Thunder (I think that's the name) and the Norfolk Tides, be assured that this individual will be plunking down bucks at your stadiums very soon. ΙΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ» Ί PARTING THOUGHTS. Ί ΘΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΌ This issue stunk. I know it. I'm sorry, I lost track of time due to the Easter Holiday and actually forgot that the issue was due. I promise that the May issue will be better... I'll train harder, I'll study up better, and I promise, absolutely promise, that it will be a better issue next month. - end -