Have you ever had one of those days when you just need a pick me up? The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotations can get me laughing every time. It is hilarious. The concept is simple…the author posts pictures and funny commentary of signs with misplaced quotation marks. Whenever I look at it I end up with tears in my eyes because I’m laughing so hard. My hubby laughs about how funny I think it is, but I can’t help it. I think you’ll like it, too.
Author Archives: Mindy Long / @mindywrites
Book Club: Half Broke Horses
What can I say? I loved this book. I hadn’t read it before selecting it for book club, which can sometimes be a risky maneuver. Luckily, it worked out.
Walls calls the book a true-life novel that tells the story of her grandmother. It recounts Lily’s experiences growing up on a cattle ranch where she is tasked with breaking horses. Then it follows Lily as she goes away to boarding school, takes a teaching job and then moves to the big city of Chicago. She moves around a few more times before starting her family and each segment of her life is filled with adventure and challenges Lily overcomes.
I love reading about innovative women and Lily was one of a kind. She was a hard worker and pretty crafty. She bootlegged liquor to help keep the family’s garage afloat during rough times and she ran a taxi service while teaching school—where she also worked as the bus driver and janitor. One of my friends in my real-life reading group (i.e. a group that meets face-to-face and not via the internet) commented that reading about Lily made her feel lazy. I agree. Sometimes packing up my son for a trip to Target wears me out. Lily took two small kids on a multi-day expedition via horseback just to survey the property lines of the ranch she and her husband were managing. I can’t imagine how you pack for that.
The dust jacket of the book calls it Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, which may explain why I liked it so much. It also made me think of my own grandmother who oversaw the family ranch (although, I don’t think my grandma ever broke any horses). She sure looked good on one though, didn’t she? Forgive the large picture–I’ve been trying to reduce the size, but it has taken up too much time and now I’ve decided I will just have to live with it.
I’m sure she had to learn how to manage her fair share of cowboys and ranch hands. Here she is whistling to try and keep someone in line, I’m sure.
I haven’t read Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle, but after reading this one, I definitely plan to pick it up. And, I want to know, if you’ve read Half Broke Horses, what were your favorite parts? Can you relate to Lily?
Back from Sunny California
I was lucky enough to spend the past week basking in the California sunshine. The flowers, palm trees and sun were all gorgeous. I even enjoyed a few guilty pleasures while I was there. I think my favorites were dining out every day (and not ordering off the low-cal portion of the menu) and sipping a pina colada (virgin–of course) by the pool. I’m paying the price for both of those this week. I think the warm weather has made me a little less tolerant of the snow that was blanketing the ground when we landed. At least I have lots of pictures to remind me that warm weather will be right around the corner–even if the groundhog predicted otherwise.
Ten Commandments for a Happy Writing Life
I always have fun flipping through The Pocket Muse by Monica Wood. It is a little book full of big inspiration and writing advice. My favorite entry is the Ten Commandments for a Happy Writing Life. Here they are:
1. Don’t wait for inspiration; establish a writing habit.
2. Take time off.
3. Read voraciously.
4. Shut out the inner critic.
5. Claim a space.
6. Claim some time.
7. Accept rejection.
8. Expect success.
9. Live fully.
10. Wish others well.
Creating: A Happy Life
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Ah happiness. It is something we all want and we all have different ideas of what makes us happy (or what would make us happier). Sometimes it feels like we’re chasing it. Other times we realize we can reach out and grab it.
Catch me on any given day and I’d probably tell you that hugs from my boys, Diet Coke and a call from my mom make me smile. In the “I would be happier if I had…” category, I tend to list a bigger house and more money (who wouldn’t be happier with more money?).
I’ll admit that I usually spend more time thinking about all the other things I need to make me happy and less time focused on what already does (come on…everyone does it now and then). Until now.
Today I read that in 1926 British psychoanalyst Marion Milner set out to discover what made her truly happy in her day-to-day life. She kept and published a journal, A Life of One’s Own, under the pen name Joanna Field in 1934. I love the idea of taking time each day to relive the happiest moments and jot them down.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I’m going to steal Ms. Milner’s idea and keep my own happiness journal this year. I hope to focus on all the things that make me smile—even on a bad day.
My top picks from today–dancing in my kitchen with my boys and spreading butter on a hot roll I’d made from my mom’s recipe. Every time I make my mom’s bread I remember what it was like to be seven years old and waiting for the timer to go off on the oven. My mom would cut me a slice of bread and I’d slather it with so much butter even the bottom of the bread turned yellow. That also makes me grateful that there was a time in my life when I didn’t know about calories or fat grams—much less worry about them.
From time to time I’ll share my top happiness journal picks here and I’d love to hear about yours, too. So, tell me, what makes you the happiest?
Writing: Quote of the Day
“When you first start writing, you never fail. You think it’s wonderful and you have a fine time. You think it’s easy to write and you enjoy it very much, but you are thinking of yourself, not the reader. He does not enjoy it very much. Later, when you have learned to write for the reader, it is no longer easy to write. In fact, what you ultimately remember about anything you’ve written is how difficult it was to write it." — Ernest Hemingway
Writing: Now on Newsstands
The sidebar to a feature story I wrote on warehousing technology is up online. You can read it on Transport Topics’ Web site here.
Auto Techs May Fit the Bill
By Mindy Long
Published in Light & Medium Truck. View the story at www.lmtruck.com here.
As car dealerships across the country close, automotive technicians who become casualties of consolidation may provide a solution for light- and medium-duty fleets and repair shops facing a shortage of commercial techs.
“There is always a commercial truck technician shortage,” said Mark Oliver, senior vice president of maintenance for Penske Truck Leasing, Reading, Pa., “but the degree of it varies and it varies by geography.”
Bob Brauer, vice president of sales and operations for Kelley Fleet Services, Mission Viejo, Calif., said he has had an easier time hiring technicians during the past six months, unlike the past eight years. “We hear that they are getting laid off or leaving dealerships because they were concerned about their jobs. Also, people who left the field for other jobs have lost those jobs and are coming back into the workforce.
Neither Chrysler nor General Motors could provide figures on the number of auto techs who have been laid off as a result of closures. Kathy Graham, spokeswoman for Chrysler, estimated that at least half of the almost 800 dealerships that were losing their Chrysler franchise would stay open. “Forty-four percent of our dealerships were dualed with another manufacturer and 88% sold used cars,” she said.
Frank Larkin, communications director for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said layoffs are inevitable when consolidations occur. “It is the equivalent of a merger in a large corporation.
There are going to be redundancies and they are going to look to reduce head count,” he said.
Fortunately for technicians, their services are in demand.
“We’ve been able to keep most of the folks who have lost their jobs employed by moving them to where the work moves after the dealership closes,” Larkin said.
That movement also provides a labor pool for fleets and medium- and heavy-duty repair facilities.
Tony Molla, vice president of communications for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, said a lot of auto technicians are going to have to find different career paths. “We’ve suggested to these technicians that they consider working in the light- and heavy-duty segments,” he said.
He also recommends that truck fleets recruit heavily among the auto technicians.
“If I were the truck guys, I would absolutely be advertising to these folks and advertising in areas where franchises are closing. Good, quality certified auto technicians could easily be retrained if a business is looking for someone,” Molla said.
Solid Tech Skills
One of the strongest skills automotive technicians could bring with them to the commercial truck sector would be an understanding of basic electronic theories and computer skills.
“If someone has good analytical skills and diagnostic skills, those skills are going to transfer over fairly rapidly,” said Carl Kirk, vice president of maintenance, information technology and logistics for the Technology and Maintenance Council of American Trucking Associations.
Chris Crowel, director of service training, information and channel readiness for Cummins, agreed. “It isn’t about turning wrenches; it is about using software and personal computers,” he said.
Nevertheless, Crowel said there would be different service information systems auto techs would have to learn how to navigate.
Penske’s Oliver said “without a doubt” he would hire auto techs. “We would want to develop them further, but we are very skilled in training technicians. Automotive technicians have a lot of PC diagnostics, but they’d have to expand their electrical diagnostics for the light and medium truck segment,” he said.
Christopher Tate, a technician at Mohawk Truck, a heavy- and medium-duty truck service and Thermo King dealer in West Seneca, N.Y., started as an auto technician before moving to the commercial sector. He said he was exposed to both systems during tech school, so the transition was easy. He keeps his skills current by participating in the TMC SuperTech competition and training.
Dick Fazzio, service manager for Mountain West Truck Center, a Class 4-8 truck dealership in Salt Lake City, said he continues to have a hard time finding qualified technicians and would consider hiring auto techs. “Even though everybody in town has been laying off, I’m still looking for certified journeyman and engine technicians,” he said.
Fazzio is hesitant to train new hires and instead invests in long-time employees. “It is extremely expensive. In addition to paying his wages and losing the revenue for the week, you have classes that range from $150 to $300 a day,” he said. He would be more likely to hire an auto tech who completed additional education prior to applying.
The Changes They Face
Automotive techs would be moving from spark ignition engines to compressionignition engines, which Kirk said could be easier. However, auto techs would need to become more familiar with high-pressure fuel systems in diesel engines and more complex emissions systems.
Fazzio said that for years the computer technology in trucks lagged behind that in cars. “Then [the] trucking industry caught up and has actually surpassed them. The technicians that are extremely strong in that area have less of an issue adapting,” he said.
Auto techs with strong computer diagnostic skills may still need to expand their electrical diagnostics skills, Oliver said, particularly as they relate to detecting antilock brake system fault codes, identifying the root cause of a failure and diagnosing the proper repair.
“I don’t think any of those things are insurmountable,” Oliver said, noting that technicians typically undergo regular training to keep up with changing technology.
Auto technicians also would have to adjust to a different pay scale when moving to a fleet. “In an auto dealership, it was a piecemeal type of structure and the more vehicles they worked on or the higher the bill, the more money they made,” Brauer said.
In a dealership, techs who work quickly can earn more, but slower techs may end up making more at a fleet than they were before, Molla said.
“In our industry, technicians are typically paid in a 40-hour work week that is more of a team atmosphere,” Oliver said. He noted that Penske typically operates two shifts a day Monday through Friday and often on the weekends. “We have to make sure our techs are available when our clients aren’t using the trucks.”
Fazzio said the pay would be similar for auto techs moving to Mountain West Truck Center. “They would be coming in as entry-level and make a certain percentage of the door rate — the standard repair rate and time needed to complete a job,” he said.
Molla said most technicians earn more for each hour of ASE training they have, which he expects would be the same for auto techs and commercial techs. However, he said a tighter economy means fewer companies are sending techs for additional training.
Kirk predicts that good automotive technicians won’t have a hard time finding work, either within the private automotive repair facilities or in the commercial sector. “There isn’t going to be a declining volume of service work required,” Kirk said. “If anything, people aren’t going to be buying new equipment, so they will have to maintain their equipment longer.”
Ironically, Tate said he is seeing the amount of routine maintenance on vehicles decrease. “You used to have scheduled maintenance. Now people come in with a broken down, big job and want it right away,” he said.
While opportunities for auto techs exist in the truck segment, technicians will have to be willing to chase them. “In a lot of cases it may require relocation,” Molla said. “Like any other occupation, you have to be open to opportunities as they arise, and if a good opportunity requires you move, you’re going to have to be willing to.”
Book Club with Belle
I love my virtual book club, but every once in a while even I miss talking in real time about the books I love. So tonight I hosted an in-person book club, pulled out some serving platters and dusted off the carafe.
The holidays and the dreary weather here resulted in a small turnout, but we delved into The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell by Loraine Despres and had a great conversation. In addition to writing Belle, Despres wrote The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc in which Belle appears as Sissy’s grandmother. Despres was generous enough to call in and take part in the discussion and we peppered her with our questions.
Belle is full of details from the 1920s—details that could only be captured by meticulous research. Despres said she spent a year researching the time period. “Thank God for the Web,” she laughed. She read books, visited the library and studied magazines from the period.
To capture the details of one particular scene, Despres reached out to the Stutz Barecat Club and found someone who shared the particulars of how to shift.
Despres even committed to only reading literature written before 1920 during the three years it took her to write Belle.
I fell in love with Sissy, and the entire time I was reading Belle I couldn’t help but think about how Despres weaved the two stories together even though they were very different stories. I was also left wondering how much the author knew about Belle when writing Sissy.
“I knew I wanted a lady like some of the ladies I knew in New Orleans—very imperious, very sure of themselves. Belle really came to me,” she said.
Of course we asked Despres her favorite rule. Without hesitating she said, "It’s okay for a woman to know her place. She just shouldn’t stay there." She also told us she doesn’t usually come up with a rule cold. “If something tickles me, I write it down,” she said.
Several parts of the book were inspired by Despres’s own experiences. She told us she grew up in a house like the Rubinstein’s—a house complete with bullet holes in her bedroom wall. “A vigilante group tried to drive my family out of town. It probably happened in the 1890s, but I knew I wanted to tell that story,” she said.
She also shared that she some of her favorite traits of Belle’s were her courage and her cynicism. “She was pretty much based on my mother,” she said.
SPOILER ALERTS—IF YOU HAVEN’T READ BELLE, STOP READING NOW. COME BACK AFTER YOU FINISH THE BOOK.
Based on the letter Belle found in Claude’s jacked, I assumed he was having an affair, but since I’m ever the optimist, I held out hope that Belle just misunderstood parts of the letter. I asked Despres flat out if Claude was having an affair. She confirmed my fear—he was unfaithful. Oh Claude—how could you? I will cut him a little slack since he was at war.
Throughout the novel I went back and forth on whether Belle was ignorant of the dangers she faced or if she was brave. I felt that she became more aware of her danger she faced as the novel went on and clearly was courageous when defending the Rubinsteins against the Ku Klux Klan.
Despres said she envisioned Belle as being brave when writing her. She added, “As a middle-class southern lady, she thought [the KKK] wouldn’t hurt her. Her family was important in the town and she thought they wouldn’t go after her.”
There were so many great story lines in the book. After we hung up the phone with Despres, we kept chatting about the book. I definitely recommend it as a book club pick and, you never know, Despres might call into your group, too. You can visit her blog at http://www.lorainedespres.blogspot.com/ and her Web site at www.lorainedespres.com. Also, check out my earlier Q&A with Loraine here, my post about Sissy here and my virtual book club post about Belle here.
By the way–my local library system had a a good number of copies of Belle available, but there was a wait list! So, you may want to check your local library or order from Amazon.
GIVEAWAY!!! What could be better than adding an autographed book plate courtesy of Loraine Despres to your copy of Belle or Sissy? Leave a comment by midnight Dec. 4 and I will pick a lucky winner on Dec. 5.
Book Club is Coming…
I had planned to post my book club post on Friday. Yes, I know, today is Sunday. Never fear–the post is coming! Soon. Trust me. A sick toddler, editorial deadlines and a few other little things here and there kept me from writing the post when I wanted to. It will be up Tuesday, I promise! And, the good news is that if you haven’t read The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell by Loraine Despres yet, you still have a few more days! So, go buy it or check it out from the library, lock yourself in your room and devour every word. Then stop by and leave a comment.