Everything must change ...

Well, the end of an era ... but a new beginning all the same ...

This blog is moving to a new home so ... you if you are one of the three faithful readers, you will need to redirect yourself to the new site .... http://www.carboblog.com/ .

I am excited to have a new design, a new look and some additional features too. I enjoyed the ease of the blogger but it was missing some things I wanted ... so ... I am moving! Don't worry, Clyde is coming too!

Follow up on Facebook.com - www.facebook.com/carbofw or Twitter at: twitter.com/carbocooks

Flying the friendly skies

For the past six years I have been collecting points on Northwest Airlines ... soon to be pillaged by Delta ... and I have airline miles I need to use up ... so I am ....

In a fit of spontaneity I asked a friend to plan to pack for a weekend adventure to the twin cities. There is something fun and exciting about going to Minneapolis. What is cool, is that I can pick up the plane in my own backyard and within a few short hours I am there. Gotta love Fort Wayne International!

So in a couple weeks, I am off to experience the culture, the food, the gorgeous skies and who knows perhaps a spotting of Prince! The city is loaded with museums, and sweet architecture. I am hoping to snap a gazillion pictures too.

I asked the airline lady if my points can be used for anything but airline flights and she blurted no, as if I stepped on her cat. Oh well, at least I asked.

It is a 7am flight on Saturday with a 11pm return on Sunday.

Also - in other Carbo news --- the new blog is almost done and I have officially dropped 15 in 9 days!

Lead us not into temptation ...

Well, today is day 8 of my lose the weight to help feed the starving kids in ... (fill in the blank) ... total drop has been 13 pounds.

I have been told, oh you don't have that much to loose ... those are my senile encounters.

I have been told, oh you look fine just the way you are ... those are my encounters that need that one chubby friend to gorge out with in trying times.

I have been told, accept yourself as you are ... those people have more issues than I do haha.

I have been told, starvation is not the way to go about it ... those people are correct.

What I have begun to do is eat one meal .. that is filling enough to call a meal but not high in calories, fat etc. So yesterday I ate a taco salad, without the sour cream, guacamole, and taco part. Umm, anyone else would have called it a salad. A breakfast bar and then a shake with some berries for supper.

So my calorie intake yesterday was about a thousand. I was happy to pass up this amazing chocolate-chocolate cake at the office yesterday too. I should get kudos for that act!

Diet is simply phase one ... working out is phase two and keeping it off - other than being impossible, is step three.

My mood is not as somber as yesterday - so that is a good sign - for everyone who comes in contact with me haha. The funny thing is, that I could easily shed a 100 pounds and still not be anorexic - so for those who fear I am going to kick the bucket like Karen Carpenter, hold that thought, I have some time left - perhaps.

Goals

Sunday was more productive than I anticipated.

I had hoped to do laundry, but lost the motivation... so I needed to pick up a birthday gift that I had in hiding so I can give it to my friend who is cracking 40 this week. While I was out and about, I stopped to pick up a birthday cake for another friend who is having a birthday, and we will celebrate that today. I celebrated a birthday this weekend with a dear friend over dinner and had a splendid time. I have another friend who has a birthday, too, this week but have not set any plans for that one.

One would think with all that partying going down that I would be on the top of the world. But for some reason Sunday and even today I am quite melancholy. I did spend three hours last evening going through my closet and color coding the shirts, and folding and organizing stuff. Found 25 bucks in the process. Now my closet is clean of clothing matter, just had to jostle stuff around all those skeletons haha.

Speaking of skeletons, I aspire to drop weight ... this past week I began the process of consuming better foods and a better quantity as step one. Step two will be going back to the gym - that has not seen me since the Regan administration (well, not exactly but it will feel that way when I start back up). In seven days I have lost 10 pounds. So, just by simply not eating like the last supper three times a day I did that ...

I hope to then set some goals - being 40, single, living alone and ... just living sounds wonderful ... or not ... haha...

Unorganized

This summer has just flown by ... I can't believe we are tip toeing around August already.

I still have things I need to accomplish ... but I know my hours and days are limited. I gotta get up to Frankenmuth Michigan for the annual shopping excursion at Bronners.

I still need to cut down the eight foot tall weeds in my planting beds - you think I joke - but I am serious. With the house under construction, it has not been possible to get to the garage and get out the necessary tools - so I am awaiting the bean stalks to yield some wild cartoonish story.

I still need to put away the winter clothes in my closet and take out the summer - but why? I have somehow become an organized fool in my own home since the construction began two months ago. My hangered shirts are no longer color coded, my t shirts are not structured by label size - oh and trust me they cover all possible sizes. My shoes have learned to walk to a place where they want to rest. Finally my colognes are not in order - I have about 25 that I used and there was a system that I used but alas, I am not.

Uncertain if any of the tasks will be done any time soon ... but at least I have goals, they are written down, and they are obtainable - I just have to do it.

Not even Sunday ...

I have a quiet weekend on tap, going to catch up on some magazine reading, have dinner with a friend that kind of thing ... when the doorbell rings.

Mind you, no one comes to my home without there being a party ... and it is the Haunted Hamlets, so it is either a ghost or it is Melanie. (For anyone who does not recall, Melanie is the phone stalker).

So I open the door to find some young dude in a tie, holding a bible. I thought my gosh, was it not enough that I ran into the Bishop and blessed my elevator dissension! Good gracious, I am not a religious man, but this must be a sign.

I am dress pretty darn casual, but I had taken a shower - so I had my normal gear on - my dog tag, shorts and t shirt.

The dude says that he likes dogs (well, he better or I will have my dog attack him or just lick him to death) and some other dribble small talk. Followed by ....."that I was probably wondering why Jesus would allow a war to break out" - I said I really did not think Jesus was behind it and he then stopped, paused and looked at my chest (I felt violated) and said, oh, sorry sir, you are one with the military.

Yeah, that is right ... me and my Tiffany brand dog tag - whatever ....

Night on the town ...

Last night was Dinner 4 Five @ 6 - the monthly gathering of friends over dinner to network and share life stories.

The evening concluded with our elevator ride being blessed by Bishop John Darcy. Imagine the fear that went through my mind when a catholic priest does the four corner heart cross as the doors close and we descend down 25 floors. I thought, oh I DID NOT drink enough for this moment.

Anyway, let me start at the beginning. Our group for dinner enjoyed a round of appetizers - deep fried mozzarella balls and Venetian spring rolls. We followed appetizers with salads - most of us selected the signature Summit Club salad - nuts and berries in a carved out orange. However, we did have a beets and carrot salad at our table and it looked mighty fine too.

The food was simply the backdrop as we shared wonderful stories about our lives, our love and passion for Fort Wayne, our only debate was the role of My space and Facebook in our daily life.

It is funny, most of us had a strong belief of why each social networking site worked best for us.

Our meals were diverse and taste tempting. Varieties of steak, seafood and pasta.

We wrapped up our foodfest with an amazing dessert platter - that should have started as our appetizer. We enjoyed tiramasu, chocolate cheese cake, key lime pie, molten chocolate tarte and a creme brule.

I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about my friends, share a delightful dinner and look forward to another round next month.

Under Construction

So much of my life is under construction - the house and the new web-blog! Not to mention my office now.

I have a few too many irons in the fire this week and am ready for a calm, quiet weekend.

Kitchen - well, the walls have been primed, painted and the floor is in and setting up. Cabinets come next week. All and all, it is progressing well.

Blog - worked through a brief training yesterday and it is going back to the developer to make some tweaks for what I want to make it user friendly for me since I am not the most talented twig on the tree.

Office - today we are adding two offices to the layout of the office. This will be helpful for all the work that goes on under the roof of Tri State!

Coming up - tonight is my monthly dinner - Dinner 4 five @ 6 ... stay tuned for a wrap up of the event that has a waiting list to attend.

Passing out ...

So, I am at the Art Fair in Ann Arbor and it is a gazillion degrees and people continue to faint all day long, so you can imagine the exhaustion one feels after being in the heat all day.

When it is time to call it a night, and I am tucked away in my hotel room, I quickly feel into a deep coma sleep. That was until the phone rang --- no, it was not crazy Melanie, she did not know my hotel room number --- it was a hotel guest who needed emergency help.

Seems that a member in her party has passed out - right outside my door - and they could not move her. Well, I get out of bed, open my door, and correctly as stated there lies a woman passed out with two other ladies standing around her.

I got the comforter off the hotel bed and positioned it on the ground next to the lady and rolled her onto it. We proceeded to slide it (the blanket and her) into her room, so she could safely awake in her own room. Oh, wait, she was not passed out from heat --- this was from a massive consumption of alcohol.

The on going commotion in the hotel, at 1 am, summoned the hotel management staff which intern brought out the EMT. After I did my part, I slipped back into my room and called it a night --- however my comforter remained behind as a souvenir.

Art show!

Well, I am home in my bed and for that I am thankful.

Had a super time in Ann Arbor, as to be expected. I secured another original painting by Michelle Hinz. Quite a talent and I really loved the work I got last year. It became the inspiration for the stained glass entrance to the house - located in the Haunted Hamlets.

Last year I also bought a print by an African artist that depicted life and music through women and dance. I was captured by it last years and this year I purchased a compliment of it. It is a bit larger than the last one, but I think it will look great on the larger wall next to the smaller wall where it landed last year

I found a funny print that I kept gravitating to ... though the colors don't match anything in my house, I have always loved turtles, but perhaps not as much the print depicts.

The other investment piece is a copper wall sculpture, 3D - it is called the "mask" and I really liked the way it looked, the uniqueness of it and the fact that the colors go excellent in the house.

So the trip was exciting ... coming up ... tomorrow hear all about "the rescue" I helped make in the wee hours of the morning!

90+ degrees and dripping

I have been on Festival tour for quite some time now ... Three Rivers Festival - the parade, the junk food alley and now Ann Arbor Art Fair.

This art fair has been plastered by amazing heat! It was so warm I think my shoes melted to the lava like pavement. People were passing out like an Obama gathering. Anyways, it was hot, steamy and heavy thick air ...

The annual excursion to the Maize and Blue land was a fruitful adventure - I secured a print, a painting, a metal design and a Christmas ornament (but not one that says my name or anything like that...)

Anyway, the fun of going to Ann Arbor, Michigan is the diversity in restaurant choices. Mexican, Japenese, Chineese, Indian - sure we all have some touch of those - but the Ethiopian and nearly every culture has a restaurant. Well, to my surprise, I have found the greasiest spooon in town!

It is Blimpie Burger!

A small shack on the corner of Division and Packard host a dozen tables with a keen approach to making sure you are part of what you order. As you stand in line you must order what you want and say it loud and clear - exactly as the menu states it. You tell one person your condiments and garnishes while the other person handles "only the cheese".

The onion rings are drippy good and the fried mushrooms were juicy and devine. It was a fun way to pause during the festival for a bite to eat at lunchtime.

Not a place for a vegeterain, a steadfast dieter or someone who wants to be treated like a King (that is Burger King not Blimpie Burger!)

Anyway, I am headed back today and I will post my findings soon.

Enjoying the festival...

So tonight I took in Junk Food Alley, or whatever the fancy name is for deep fried food. As I scanned the continuous line of people marching in to the venue I seldom noticed a familiar face.

The entire time I ate my $6 corn dog I kept thinking of the recent report that consumer spending is down, prices are up, and confidence well it does not even exist.

Imagine my surprise when I counted my money at the end of the evening that I had spent $4 to park the car (cheaper than a gallon of gas) $2 for a water and $2.25 for a soda $6 for a corn dog and $6 for a heath bar blizzard called something like blizzard but not because of copy write laws.

One vendor, I do believe it was Nelson's, was passing out free samples - first clue that something is wrong! Well they were passing out free samples of pit-atoes ... so this is what it is ... a red potato that was rolled around the bottom of the charcoal bin and then served with a toothpick. Imagine not just licking an ash tray but rolling your potato in it.

I was with a posse of friends plus a new friend that joined us for frivolity. I ate and sweat it all out so it was a negative carbon moment I am sure!

Anyway, I am glad I went down to see it, enjoy it and I have to say that once a year is plenty soon enough to do this outing.

Paper, plastic or a box?

Growing up Carbo, my first gig was a bagger at White Swan Supermarket on Lima Road. I worked the summer of my freshman year and was there until I started (my first round of ) college.

Over time, I would move from bagger to stocker, to deli clerk, to baker, to produce manager to assistant to the store manager. It was a fun environment. Made many friends and knew many of the frequent shoppers - and they knew me as well. What I made best friends with was the overhead speaker system.... I would give announcements, talk about specials, ask for a clean up in the aisles when something went wrong, and would be the count down for when the store would close for Christmas... I work every Christmas Eve so I could be the person to say the store was closing in five ... four ... three ...

As with most things I do, I try to make it fun or funny. Well, I started a group call the "Selects" and it was a group of people who would go out after work. We did everything together ... we stood in that parking lot for hours until someone made a decision (and it was normally me who would break the stares and say Chi Chi's). We even had a newsletter. We hasd stickers on our name tags that said we were select... and nearly everyone no matter their age was part of the group ... even if they thought we were childish haha.

One of the best things about White Swan was the signature raisin bread... well it was I who made it a signature bread. Every employee would have to take their picture with a loaf of raisin bread. I have photo album after photo album of the people who worked there and even those who shopped there holding the loaf of bread. Over a period of a couple days, the icing would turn greenish from the fluorescent lights ... and this made it even more fun!

My dearly departed friend, Shirley Wyss, was one of the two raisin bread icers and she was the neatest lady. Even when I was away at college I would write back to let her know what I was doing. I had blown up a photo of she and Irene, the other icer, as a farewell gift that hung in the baker for years.

Well, you are wondering where the hell is the point to this entry ... well ... this Friday the White Swan Supermarket will close. It is very sad because this was probably where I developed my flair to celebrate ... to plan events ... because every weekend I had something planned for those who were not working.

It is bittersweet that I recall the fond memories, the good people and the way the store really was just a slice of hometown novelty.

I tip my hat to the select people who made this there one stop for shopping.

Cut above the rest...

As everyone who reads this blog, my three fans, know that I just love to curl up with a good book. Okay, that is false, I hate to read and the last book I read from cover to cover was Corduroy - the bear who loses his button off his suspenders.

However, today I did flip through the Sunday paper, and a few magazines. I was surprised to read a new trend in men under the age of 30 and that is the vasectomy. Even typing it hurts! Ouch.

The logic behind this elective surgery is the ability to have the ability to not reproduce like Angelina Jolie - seven kids in 24 hours or something. No crazy ladies entrapping them with child support when the first or last name of the other party was never caught at any point in the limited deep conversation time.

Those young people sure have a way of getting around obstacles. Hmm!

Literally a float with all the water ...

Well, mark Saturday down in the record books ... it rained on the parade - the two hours before the parade ... let up for the actual parade and then let loose at the conclusion of the parade.

It was a fun parade to be in (as Grand Marshal) and a quick parade but can't say it was spectacular. It was wonderful to have the bands back in action thanks to underwriters. It was wonderful to see the only balloon - Vera Bradley. However there are only so many variations of a cake one wants to see - without eating some. Thus the expression ... have your cake and eat it too...

I saw many people that I knew, and that is always great. Three Rivers Festival was to have the G.M in a special shirt. It was to be mailed to us, but that did not happen. They were to give us the shirt when we got there so we could change into it. Alas, that did not happen either. So we all just rode the parade looking distinctively undistinguished. The Parade float we sat on just had a cake so I think many people thought who are these people and why are they riding on a cake.

I had wore my Michigan t shirt down to the rain fest thinking I was changing before I went down the route ... nope ... but my shirt did seem to engage the public with "Go Blue", or "Boo, Ohio State" so I guess they thought I was a very old, out of shape Michigan cheerleader haha.

Speaking of cheering ... It took a half hour and the help of a friend to find my car at the end of the parade. I thought I parked my car on Runion and Van Buren - well that is impossible since the roads don't ever come together ... so while it rained I toured West Central until my car reappeared on Wayne and Folton ... so similar to where I thought I put it. Oh well, I am 40 ... these senior moments can happen at any time....

whhhhhheeeeezzzziiiiieeee!

I have some exciting news ... well I think I always say that ... so maybe I am the kid who called wolf once too many times, but this is pretty awesome.

This blog is turning two years this month ... there have been almost 600 posts of nonsense, facts, food updates, music reviews and even rants! Well ... I am announcing that over the next week the Creative Mind of Carbo will be closing down.

Before my three readers write hate mail, here is what is happening ... we're movin' on up! A new designed web page is being developed and a new web address is being created.

More bells and whistles ... more ability to have control of the look and the content. So ... soon a new landing pad will be announced.

Until then, a simple reminder ---- Three River's Festival begins tomorrow and I will be on the Grand Marshal Float waving or smiling or perhaps passed out (from joy or heat) but do watch for me. If you want to join the fan club ... they are meeting on Berry and Fairfield.

More updates about the web page to follow next week.

Pummel the Hummel

Growing up Carbo, I loved decorating for Christmas, but loved to eat at Thanksgiving. So the holiday of choice has always been Thanksgiving ... the way to a guys heart is through his stomach I think is the saying ...

Anyway, I still enjoy shopping for Christmas ornaments and the like ... my annual hang out is Bronner's in Frankenmuth Michigan. Well, today I received an email from Bronners to let me know that Hummel will cease production of those tiny midget porcelain babies. I have never bought a Hummel and I did receive a snowbaby as a gift from someone who obviously did not know me well enough to know that scary baby chatkies are just not my cup of tea.

Can't say I shed a tear ... those critters are frightening.

So for those collectors or those who think these things may have a greater value when they halt production, stock up ... end of year ... end of an era.

Despite marketing initiatives to increase sales, Goebel's spokesperson said demand for the famed figurines has dropped to one-third of expected sales and the company has sustained serious losses in recent months. Some 230 of the factory's 340 employees will lose their jobs ...

The latest...

The latest on the house ...

Well, the dry wall is completely up in the kitchen and it looks grand! The lights are in also, except for the ceiling chandalier (if people call it that anymore).

The flooring has been ordered and this will be one of the next visual changes to the white box room. The floor is that wood looking ceramic tile. It sounds bizare as I say it but when you see it, it really rocks.

The person who is doing the custom shutters came out also, took all the measurements and she is working toward matching the color to the cabinets. The wood shutters will be about 2 inches in depth. Whether they open out or just louver up and down is yet to be determined.

Yesterday, Terry Ratliff came out to the house to get inspired for the wall mural, or mural boxed canvas, for the dining portion of the kitchen. We are thinking warm color abstract that will pop against the cocoa walls.

The lower level, it is not as far along as I had hoped it to be. I was hoping in my mind that the lower level would have been finished first so I would have at least one kitchen operations and have back my washer and dryer. In time, it will all be complete.

So, this is the latest ... more to follow.

Song for everyone ... just a different song ...

I think everyone who has gone to a public or private school in the states in the last 60 years has learned the National Anthem. I remember very proudly, very clear. So yesterday as I was driving around town, almost being killed by crazy drivers (read post from yesterday) imagine my surprise to find out there is also a Black National Anthem.

Seriously? It was actually sung before a baseball game. Wow, then I thought, well there is the Gay Anthem ... I Will Survive ... but it is not really national, or is it?

The Black National Anthem was written by James Weldon Johnson.

I don't have a problem with an Anthem for every cause (oh NOW that is a way to raise money, bet someone has not thought of that) but it should not replace the current National Anthem.

Just my two cents but I still find it a tad odd ...

Driving me insane.

There are just somethings that just drive me insane and that is ... dumb drivers!

Okay, so I am going to check a friend's house who is out of town in an undisclosed neighborhood... and I am on a double lane road. I am in the right lane. There is a left lane with no one in it. There is a turn lane too, a median, another turn lane and two more lanes. Get the picture? Well, the driver in front of me determined to stop ... the speed limit is 40, we are going at least that ... Dead stop. So, I slam on my brakes, even swerve a bit left and they crawl left over the right lane, the left lane, the turn lane and the other turn lane and the rest of the lanes past the median.

Of course, they had no idea that they did anything wrong.

The other type of driver is the motorcycler ... the one who does not wear a helmet but wears $300 shades. Or drives under a viaduct and revs the engine. What does that do other than annoy me. I am also puzzled by the motorcycle riders that have to be riding two by two like Noah's ark!

Oh well, I am going to do some research on how to do a citizen's arrest.

Thoughts

As I think of things I just can't wrap my arms around ... it is food that crunches. Strange ... but the idea of toasted garlic bread just hurts my teeth ... or a big ole candy apple I see my teeth on the ground in slivers. Give me a bowl of pudding or jello and you just make a new friend.

As I think of things I just can't wrap my arms around ... is the low prices for stuff at overstock.com. I have been addicted to it ... I feel as if it is QVC for the tech savy person. I bought a leather bench, my new dining room chairs and a desk chair for the office. How fun is online shopping during the heart of a depression.

As I think of things I just can't wrap my arms around .... are crackers! Not the puffy things that float on my chili. Nor am I talking about Ritz that taste well with baked beans (I know this is Carbo character flaw). I am referring to men (and sometimes sleazy women) who show the crack of their ass because they can't find clothes that fit them or think this is going to land them a date.

As I think of things I just can't wrap my arms around ... is hugging people. I have gotten better with time, but that is one challenge I face in life ... just not a touchy feely kinda person. I normally put my hands in my pocket or clinch them in a prayer motion in front of my body. Prevents people from going in for the kill.

The other sides of Carbo

It is kinda funny, most people would probably coin me as a friendly person, nice guy even, and some may know me as a guy with a bit of an explosive temper too. All thoughts would be very correct.

Hmm, strange start to this posting, but as always there is a point even if it is a faint as a $4 firework cone in the daylight sky. However, yesterday, I finally installed my new photo scanner that I received for my birthday that was over a month and a half ago. As I was scrambling through photos I wanted to test it on just a couple.

What I decided to put in the scanner are two that always crack me up ... one is when I received my first ski mask. I realized that women dig a bad boy ... and I should have kept up with that image. I don't ski, but I could easily have knocked off a few convenient stores before they became foreign owned.

The second one was an early gig I had as the L.S. Ayres' Bear. I would be the mascot that would do public events. Well, once as the bear, I was seated during a Three Rivers Festival event at the zoo. Kids could come over and sit on my lap and have a one on one conversation with the bear. Well, low and behold, I was overtaken by a gang of five year olds until my seeing eyes came over to rescue me because I was eventually knocked from my chair.

I turned over the leaf of being a nice guy ever since - with a flair for furry when prompted - but all and all, what you see is what you get. Sarcastic, perhaps witty, funny, kind and nice. Jury is out if it is time to turn over a few convenient stores yet to perk up my approval rating.

Light up the night...

Growing up Carbo, I never really was hooked on the pyro tech holiday of Fourth of July. Yes, we had sparklers and cones and I am certain that as they exploded I thought they were neat.

I have a fear of fire ... I hate fire places. I have one but it has been converted into a bar. We had a fireplace at my childhood home, and we used it all the time. I did not like hauling logs from one part of the property to the other, stacking it for the snakes to live in it and then to bring them into the house ... sounds dramatic and somehow it was to me.

Ironically, the only firework I think is cool for some reason is the smoke snake. Perhaps it has to do with my log carrying days.

Perhaps you know, but I am not even fond of heat. My house is set at "ice box" on the thermostat. I have only lit the fireplace twice in the near ten years of living in the Haunted Hamlets. Once was for a intimate wine tasting the other was a failed romantic evening.

Anyway, as an adult I have not really made an effort to see the lights flash against the sky backdrop. I remember during my White Swan employment days, we all went on a day long picnic on the grounds of the American Red Cross. We ate and played Frisbee and listened to mix cassette tapes - (Wham was big at that point in my high hair, flipped up collar point of life). Since that point I experienced the fireworks during a Wizards game, for the All America Celebration, a Three Rivers Festival when I served on the board and at a wedding at the Fort Wayne Country Club.

It will be a fact that I will not be sitting on top of a car on North Anthony tonight watching the fireworks (or the drive by gun shots). So, play the holiday safe and enjoy the holiday the best way you know how.

... Love a Parade...

Well, it is no secret, though I wished it was ... I will be a Grand Marshal for the Three Rivers Festival Parade.

Next Saturday, the parade begins at 10am, I believe I will be riding on one or walking near, or somehow I will be near the front of the parade perhaps waving. I have been a frequent participant in the parade over the years.

I once was with the Bicentennial, once with the All American City, once with St Francis and the rest of the times I have been part of IPFW's action entry into the parade.

I have been told that there will be a "Carbo Glee Club" that will assemble in the Shrine parking lot to let me know (as I pass) that they are there to cheer me on. So, if you are wondering where to hang with the Carbo Glee Club, now you know.

In Carbo fashion, bring food to the 'ye ole picnic sight too - share and share alike! I hope to get through the parade and get back to the group to thank them for getting me, proposing me, as a Grand Marshal.

Oh yes, the Parade is also a magazine of the Fort Wayne Newspaper's Sunday Journal ... and actually it is my favorite part of the Sunday paper.

Zoning Improvement Plan

Today is the birthday of the zip code. It was 1963 when Zippy helped us get a mail from one place to another because without it ... well it would still be "I sent it in the mail"...

The first number (either 0 to 9 for those who ride the little yellow bus) indicates the side of the country ... 9 is west coast while 0 is east coast --- think 90210). This was followed by two digits that more closely pinpointed population concentrations and those sectional centers accessible to common transportation networks. The final two digits designated small post offices or postal zones in larger zoned cities. [The last section was lifted from the Post Office's data because I wanted to make sure I got it right.]

Four years would pass before the government would mandate that the citizens would actually use this system to send, sort and deliver mail. Like many things with the government, good to have the plan, but have someone else execute it.

Anyway, perhaps growing up Carbo I missed the entire social studies program that talked about how and when a zip code came about ... but I know it now, and perhaps you learned something new. But then, there is that one smart person who can correct some of my facts hahaha so just drop me a letter in the mail ... my zip code is 89002121. There ya have it.