$250 American Airlines Voucher

We have an American Airlines travel voucher that must be used by November 11, 2012. It is worth $250 off any regular ticket - it cannot be used for upgrades - etc. We received it from a flight and forgot about it until now. It is transferable to anyone. You can use it for booking online - we can give you the serial number and secret code. Asking $200.

Note added - October 11, 2012 - I put the coupon on craigslist - and a Emily from San Diego bought it for $175.

Harry and the Driving Simulator at the FSU Psychology Department

This is my driving simulator.

This is the headgear that tracked my eye movement.

The Psychology Department at FSU needs guinea pigs for their many studies. They often call me because I am retired and have free time - and also you know what a sucker I am for cash.

Yesterday - I was called to see if I wanted to do a driver simulation study. I had my pick of dates and I chose this morning at 9 AM. As I arrived - there was a student at the front of the building with a VIP parking spot for me. We went upstairs - I signed a few papers - then we went to the lab.

Back in 1974 - Lulu and I went to summer school to become Driver Education teachers. It was held at East Stroudsburg State College - we stayed on campus - knocked of 12 credits together - and became certified Driver and Safety Education teachers. Lulu took the courses at the undergrad level - I at the grad level - the difference was writing a paper. During that time driving simulators were in their infancy - and frankly a big joke. Schools were trying to get out of the "driving requirement" by sitting students at these simulators for a few hours.

Today - driving simulators are all computer driven. I was sitting at a steering wheel with a gas and brake pedal. In front of me were 4 computer screens - the road was projected on the center one - the mirrors were project on the side screens. A complete dashboard was shown on the 4th.

Simply - I was driving down the road for 10 minutes. There was plenty of traffic including a lot of bikers. My job was to obey the law and drive. If I decided to go over 50 MPH - a policeman would pull me over.

Florida has more bikers killed or maimed than any other state. In 2009 - 51,000 were injured and 630 were killed. Simply - the psychologists are trying to find ways to make bikers and motorist share the highway more safely.

After 10 minutes - the test was over - I had to fill out a questionnaire - then they paid me with 3 - five dollar bills. Do I have to claim this on my tax forms?

The student took me back to my car - and quickly claimed my "super duper" parking pass. I was home by 10 AM.

Another Day - Another Van

This van is 15 inches longer than ours.

When Lulu's brother Jack saw our new old Dodge van - he told me to find him one. A really nice one came up on craigslist - a little more expensive and a little more luxurious than ours. The seller wanted $3700 for his 1995 Dodge Conversion Van with 111,000 miles on it. 

We did a carfax to make sure it was a Florida car - indeed - all 4 owners lived in Florida. the report also showed that it was not wrecked and that it had regular service done on it. After bringing it to our house - I took it for a drive - and the owner and I agreed on $2600. I wrote him a check - he took off his license plate - and his daughter drove him home in her BMW. 

Jack and Tami have booked plane tickets to come visit for the Duke game - then drive the van home to Virginia.

The van is remarkable - no dents - no rust. Sure the paint has nicks and scratches - so would you have 17 years and 111,000 miles.

It has the following equipment - 360 V8 engine - automatic transmission - power steering - power disk brakes - power windows - power locks - power mirrors - tilt steering wheel - cruise control - nice tires - chrome wheels - engine AC - roof 110 volt AC and heat - dual radios - individual AC outlets and lights - leather captain's chairs - leather electric bed - tinted windows - shades on all windows.

The carpet is like new after a good shampooing. 

This van has chrome wheels - ours doesn't.

FSU Jimbo Fisher's Blames the Kids - Not His Play Calling

First Time Coach - Jimbo Fisher

On Saturday night, after his offense was shut out in the second half and his team had blown a 16-point halftime lead, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher openly questioned some of his decisions and play-calls in the Seminoles 17-16 loss to unranked N.C. State.

During his Monday press conference however, Fisher’s mood and words were noticeably different. After watching the film he said the play-calling wasn’t the problem against the Wolfpack. It was the execution by his players. “I don’t regret any of the calls,” Fisher said. “I mean I regret we didn’t execute some things we did. And we’ve got to play better.”

The Seminoles amassed 221 yards of offense and 16 points in the first half against N.C. State, which had allowed a conference-record 566 yards passing and 41 points to Miami the week before. In the second half though, FSU managed just six first downs. And zero points. And Fisher said afterwards that maybe he got too conservative in his play-calling. On Monday he said that wasn’t the case. “Anytime you’re a leader you always question,” Fisher said. “You have to look at yourself first. And you say, ‘Did I make the right call?’ And you always say, ‘Well, maybe I didn’t.’ That’s why I say a lot of times I have to wait to see the video. 

After seeing the video they were in what we thought they were in. They were doing exactly what we thought they were doing. It’s not blame. We just didn’t execute. “And it’s not the same guy. A guy can grade 88 percent in a game and have two bad plays and they happen to be at the wrong time. You take two here, you take one and you take one and that’s what it was an accumulation of as you looked at the second half. In the first half we didn’t have it that way. That’s why we controlled the ball and controlled field position.” From the Tallahassee Democrat.

This Van is in Moultrie Georgia - $2500

Che Guevara Killed on This Day in 1967 by the CIA

Che Guevera - 39 - killed by the CIA

He graduated from Med School

With a Cuban cigar

Communist Icon

On this day in 1967, socialist revolutionary and guerilla leader Che Guevara, age 39, is killed by the Bolivian army and the CIA. The U.S.-military-backed Bolivian forces captured Guevara on October 8 while battling his band of guerillas in Bolivia and assassinated him the following day. His hands were cut off as proof of death and his body was buried in an unmarked grave. In 1997, Guevara's remains were found and sent back to Cuba, where they were reburied in a ceremony attended by President Fidel Castro and thousands of Cubans.Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna was born to a well-off family in Argentina in 1928. While studying medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, he took time off to travel around South America on a motorcycle; during this time, he witnessed the poverty and oppression of the lower classes. He received a medical degree in 1953 and continued his travels around Latin America, becoming involved with left-wing organizations. In the mid 1950s, Guevara met up with Fidel Castro and his group of exiled revolutionaries in Mexico. Guevara played a key role in Castro's seizure of power from Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and later served as Castro's right-hand man and minister of industry. Guevara strongly opposed U.S. domination in Latin America and advocated peasant-based revolutions to combat social injustice in Third World countries. Castro later described him as "an artist of revolutionary warfare."Guevara resigned—some say he was dismissed—from his Cuban government post in April 1965, possibly over differences with Castro about the nation’s economic and foreign policies. Guevara then disappeared from Cuba, traveled to Africa and eventually resurfaced in Bolivia, where he was killed. Following his death, Guevara achieved hero status among people around the world as a symbol of anti-imperialism and revolution. A 1960 photo taken by Alberto Korda of Guevara in a beret became iconic and has since appeared on countless posters and T-shirts. However, not everyone considers Guevara a hero: He is accused, among other things, of ordering the deaths of hundreds of people in Cuban prisons during the revolution. From This Day in History