Two New Things I Have Learned

For those of you who have read this blog in the past and scrolled down, you know our motorhome was burglarized. The miscreants did about $4700 damage to steal a $434 CD changer. Of course, they emptied all our cabinets and the contents strewn all over.

I will say this has been a learning experience. No, not with the insurance company and not with the repair place. I have dealt with such entities in the past.

One day the main office of the insurance corporation called and discussed the needed repairs and the submitted estimate. There was never any question by the insurance company about what needs to be done. However, the woman with whom I was speaking kept referring to the Estimatic Department.

At first, I thought I had misunderstood her. However, throughout the conversation she kept referring to the Estimatic Department. So, I knew had not misunderstood her.

My research show the word estimatic is nonexistent. I looked in my dictionaries. I searched on the Internet. I could not find estimatic. I did find where there is some kind of computer software called Estimatic, but that was all that I could find.

Then, I began to ponder Estimatic Department. Estimatic? Is that a group of people who sat gathered around a table and estimate the estimates? Is it some large computer-like device where you feed in the data? Then it tells you if the estimate is good or bad? Is it a little person in a large room surrounded by books that tells how to read an estimate?

Then, I started to playing with the word.

Friend: “Say, Larry, those are some neat looking shoes. What are they?”
Me: “Why they’re a band new pair of Estimatics, I suppose.”

Salesperson: “Yes, sir, we’ve got just what you’re looking for. A 2006 Estimatic full of features. Why, it will even estimate your miles per gallon.”

Why cannot the estimate department simply be called the Estimate Department?

The other thing I learned is that compact disc changers are now obsolete. I find that hard to grasp considering my motorhome is a 2004 model. Ann and I visited three stores and heard the same answer, “We can get them, but we have to special order them, if we can find one.”

Everything is now run off a thing called a USB thumb drive. A thumb drive is about the size of your thumb. You transfer your CD’s to the tumb drive and you simply plug it into the radio and you can listen to 100 of your favorite CDs.

If you wish, you can plug your iPod into the USB port and listen to it through your radio. In addition, as added feature, you can even have your cell phone wirelessly connected to the radio. If your phone rings, the radio quits playing and a microphone is activated. You can drive down the road and talk without removing your hands from the steering wheel.

The only thing I see bad about that is do I really want to hear my cholesterol results in surround sound, stereo?
Now, you have learned several new things. Have a good week.