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The Trenches of Your Mind By Bob Cox Shortly after watching the conclusion of the third presidential debate, I was particularly struck by an impassioned exchange between two Trump surrogates and two Clinton surrogates. When one of Clinton’s supporters, Patty Solis Doyle said she felt offended when Donald Trump referred to the illegal aliens from Mexico that have committed crimes in our country as bad hombres, my eyes rolled right along with the Trump supporters. Why? Because our society has seemingly become so hypersensitive to anything that we say and that no matter how benign it may be, it has the potential to offend somebody somewhere. Just as I was about to dig that trench a little deeper in my mind, the voice of reason came to me like a message in a bottle that had been dropped from the sky when Van Jones stood up for Doyle by saying “You don’t get to determine what offends me..I don’t get to determine what offends you.” In other words, as long as the offending party fails to acknowledge that what they’ve said was offensive; then real understanding can never take place. Just like trench warfare during WWI, both sides dig in deep with no man’s land in the middle. A few weeks ago, my wife Diana and I invited my son Bobby out to dinner to celebrate his birthday but the evening quickly unraveled when the topic of an upcoming speech he was about to give in school came up and he told us that he really didn’t want to hear any feedback from either of us. Those words felt just like a dagger in a very lopsided gift exchange: A nice meal out and a bag of thoughtful gifts for a punch in the gut. Diana and I were deeply hurt,
offended and angry by his insensitive remark. As he went on to explain his reasons, the trench only got deeper as he said that we frequently injected our unsolicited and unwelcomed advice on other family members. After the initial impact of that unexpected message was delivered, I told him how offensive his remark was, especially in light of the fact that he knows how much Diana and I treasure the exchange of deep, meaningful and soul searching ideas. We were both looking forward to hearing what he had to say on the fresh topic of lucid dreaming, something he’s very passionate about, but once he made that comment, I told him I wasn’t open to hearing his speech under those conditions. During the uncomfortably quiet drive home, I had more time to process the dysfunctional exchange from the restaurant. I told him going forward, if he wanted to share something with us, he would need to be open to our feedback because we both have strong opinions on a number of subjects. If he didn’t want our opinions, he would be wise to not bring up the subject. I explained that whenever I feel inspired to share anything I’ve written with Diana, I have to be emotionally prepared to handle whatever comes out of her mouth. Sometimes I’m not and on those rare occasions, I resist the urge to share with her and everyone stays in their happy place. On the other hand, when I do have the courage to speak and the tolerance to listen, we usually have a powerful and dynamic exchange of thoughts, feelings and ideas and I am exponentially richer for it. As far as being the giver of unsolicited advice, I could double down by saying that’s his problem and then grab the nearest metaphorical shovel. Instead, I think I’ll work on that character flaw by asking for permission to provide feedback upfront so that I have the freedom to express my thoughts openly and honestly with the goal of having a truly authentic dialogue. Bob Cox is the founder and publisher of Go For It Magazine. He can be reached by phone at (916) 266-3115. His email address is coxrobert@comcast.net. Go For It Magazine is owned and operated in Rancho Cordova, CA. Copyright © 2016.
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Discovering the Lost Language of Flowers By Bob Cox Shortly after finishing a riveting novel about a little girl who practiced magic by using flowers that contained secret messages, Miquila Alejandre’s fascination evolved into an insatiable curiosity. She wanted to know if this was something that had actually occurred or if the author had just made it all up, so she did some research on the subject and was blown away when she discovered that the use of flowers to send specific messages was a hugely popular practice from the late 1700’s on into the early 1800’s here in the United States. The more research Miquila did, the more excited she became as she accumulated a vast understanding of the lost language of flowers and recorded these findings in a revolutionary new website. “Everybody back in those days knew that if you got a bouquet, it was a puzzle to decode and there was a special meaning behind it. I just loved that idea,” said Miquila. During this process, Miquila eagerly shared what she had discovered with family and friends, and they were genuinely intrigued. So much so, Miquila began to get more and more requests from friends and then referrals from friends who wanted her to create unique gifts for a variety of special occasions. That’s when the idea of parlaying her lifelong passion for flowers, mathematics and poetry blossomed into a business as naturally as a field of wildflowers. “At Bloom Equation, we use the lost language of flowers to send messages with flowers in the form of bouquets, necklaces, messages in bottles, cards and flower crowns. On our website, I recorded the meanings for each flower and numbered them, so that the sender and receiver would understand the exact meaning of their blooms. We attach a puzzle card to each gift so that recipients can decode the secret messages of their flowers. It’s a lot of fun,” explained Miquila. Editor’s notes: With the holidays just ahead, if you want to send a truly unique gift with a special message to someone you love, contact Bloom Equation today. Their website is bloomequation.com. and their phone number is (415) 484-9884.
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Can You Possibly Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays? By Chris Barr So, it’s your turn to have Thanksgiving, Christmas and/or New Years celebrated at your home this year. This should be a joyous opportunity to celebrate a special time of year with family and friends, but every time you look at your kitchen, you can only cringe while having another 80’s flashback of big hair, parachute pants, new wave music and tile grout with 50 shades of dingy gray. If you’re ready to replace those old kitchen counters and add a beautiful backsplash, is there really enough time to go through such a major kitchen remodel? Probably not, especially if you’re planning to do it the conventional way by tearing out your old countertops and starting over. That old fashioned method would likely push you past the New Year in a noisy and chaotic cloud of filthy debris, which is probably not the way you would like to ring in the holidays. Fortunately, there is another way to tackle a major kitchen reno-
vation with minimal noise, mess and downtime. We at Granite Transformations can completely enhance the look and function of your kitchen in just one day! Your beautiful new countertop and backsplash, made of quartz and recycled glass will be manufactured here in the USA and fabricated in our facility in Rancho Cordova. That means that we limit the noise, mess and downtime in your home to just one day instead of several weeks. The engineered surfaces of Granite Transformations are completely non-porous, which means there aren’t any creepy crevices to collect bacteria or mold like that terrible old grout that you wanted out 30 years ago. The beautifully engineered surfaces from Granite Transformations are state-of-the-art, which means they are functional, zero maintenance and gorgeous. When you add in a beautiful backsplash, you will have taken your kitchen boldly into the 21st century! If you’re thinking about transforming the look and function of your kitchen in time for the holidays, call us at (916) 851-9745 for a free no obligation design consultation.
Showroom: 11367 Trade Center Dr., Rancho Cordova
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The Gift of a Clean Car By Bob Cox much cleaner until I looked down Before bringing my car to Carand to the left. That’s when I first michael Car Wash, I had been exrealized that all my doors panels tremely satisfied with the folks that had been thoroughly wiped clean. washed my car back in the stone When I mentioned this to General ages we’ll call BCC (Before CarmiManager Claudia Lopez and Detail chael Car Wash). I had never been Manager Gama Pedroza, they both to a car wash that exceeded their nodded and smiled because that’s high quality work, speed and affordthe way they roll out every car at able prices. However, the only negaCarmichael Car Wash. tive thing that caught my eye was Dirt doesn’t stand a chance at a growing number of hitch-hikers Carmichael Car Wash as not one; better known as grimy smudges Claudia Lopez is the General Manager and Gama not two but several friendly and dethat had grown in numbers on my Pedroza is the Detail Manager of Carmichael Car Wash. tail oriented workers attack each car door panels since I first purchased with mass quantities of towels, cleanmy car two years ago. I guess that’s bound to happen when ing solutions and elbow grease. I sat down with Claudia and you deliver 10,000 magazines covered in ink every month! Gama to find out why they love cleaning cars cleaner so much. I had thought about breaking out the simple green for the past few months and eliminate those pesky little critters Q: Do you think it’s worth sacrificing some speed to that I could’ve given names to, like Greasy Rider, Marky Mark spend more time on delivering a higher quality service? and Dirty Harry, but staying seated in my recliner seemed A: Yes, we take a few extra minutes and clean areas of like a much better idea. Then, after I entered the modern era the car that other car washes ignore. We offer four differof civilization and brought my car to Carmichael Car Wash, ent full service car wash packages, but with every full service we’ll call this period ACC (After Carmichael Car Wash), I was package, we vacuum out the interior, wipe down the dash, completely awestruck by how clean my car looked; both inconsole and door panels and clean the windows, inside and side and out after I got my first full service wash. out. We go around each car, inside and out, several times to My car hadn’t been that clean since I drove it off the make sure it’s thoroughly clean and dry. lot, but I couldn’t exactly put my finger on why it felt so Q: What have been the biggest changes since Carmichael Car Wash took over this location this past summer? A: The previous owners only offered drive through express washes and self service interior cleaning options. We have continued to offer that service but are now offering full service car washes and a variety of detail services as well. Q: What else makes Carmichael Car Wash different and unique? A: We love exceeding our customer’s expectations and watching them drive away happy. We’re very friendly and we try to remember all of our customers by name. Q: Can you tell us about your detailing services here at Carmichael Car Wash? A: We offer a variety of detailing packages, including interior and exterior detailing, headlight restoration and hard
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water spot removal. We work on all cars, SUV’s, trucks, RV’s and boats. Q: You’re now offering gift certificates at discounted rates. Can you tell us what options you have available? A: Yes, we now have three different car wash The people at Carmichael Car Wash gift card packages. You love cleaning cars cleaner! can purchase a $50 gift card for just $40, a $100 gift card for just $75 and a $200 gift card for just $150! These gift cards will make great Christmas gifts, especially during the wet and dirty winter months with all the rain, mud, leaves, wind and even snow for those travelling down from the mountains. Q: Do you wash cars covered in snow any differently than other car washes? A: Yes, because when snow dries, it becomes very abrasive like sandpaper and it can scratch the paint if you try to wipe it off by hand. At other washes, many employees will send their cars through the wash without spraying them down first, and we’ve heard from several of our customers about the terrible damage this has caused to their paint. When a car comes here covered in snow, we always spray the car down first to make sure all the dried up snow has been removed. This not only protects the vehicle with the snow, but also the cars that go into the wash after the snow covered car, as the snow tends to get stuck in the automated wash and transferred to the next vehicles. Q: Can you give us an update on your waiting area? A: Yes, we’re in the process of remodeling our waiting area. We currently have lots of comfortable seating, a big screen TV and massage chairs. Hopefully in the near future we will have a wide variety of merchandise and refreshments available for sale. Editor’s notes: For more information about Carmichael Car Wash, visit their facility at 6505 Fair Oaks Bl. in Carmichael, CA (Just north of Marconi Ave.). Their phone number is (916) 488-3274 and their website is www.yourcleanride.com.
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By Bob Cox Tony Shannon was waiting in traffic in his car on another hot summer day in Sacramento this past August when out of nowhere, a car from behind slammed violently into his at about 40 miles per hour. The sudden and unexpected impact caused his head to violently lunge forward and then back while the rest of his torso remained protected by the seat belt he was wearing. According to Tony, it was a young kid who was texting while he was driving. It didn’t take long for him to suffer the excruciatingly painful symptoms of severe whiplash, so he followed up on a referral from a friend, who recommended that he visit Dr. Beth Blakely in Carmichael. From the moment he met Dr. Blakely, Tony knew he was in excellent hands. “She’s the most competent chiropractor that I’ve ever experienced. She educates you as she practices on you. She teaches you about everything she is doing as she works on you and that’s what makes her incredible. I’ve learned so much about my cervical and lumbar vertebrae and I’ve also learned a lot about my atlas, so I’ll always go back to her”, explained Tony.
Tony has also experienced all the special devices Dr. Blakely uses to help her patients get better, which includes an inclining table, a hand held vibrating massager and special tools that help realign the spine and atlas, as well as an amazing hot waterbed massage table that sends me into dreamland just thinking about it. It is truly that relaxing! “After I leave her office, I always walk away feeling 100 times better than when I walked in. So, I’m really grateful for that. I now only have some discomfort in my neck of course, but it’s not nearly as bad as when I first walked into her office”, said Tony. When I asked Tony if he had anything else he wanted to add, he exclaimed: “Anyone who wants to be practiced on by a knowledgeable and competent chiropractor that educates you as she practices on you, Dr. Beth Blakely is the one to go to, she’s incredible”! Editor’s notes: Dr. Beth Blakely is a chiropractor that specializes in holistic health care practices. She can be reached at (916) 944-1444.
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Car Tech Talk Sugarplums & Brake Lights By Dave Trux On the one hand, the holidays are a time of great joy as we celebrate the season with close friends and family. On the other hand, there’s that other thing called shopping that not everyone was born to do. So, what do far too many of our fellow American’s do, especially the ones that prefer to not shop until they drop? We procrastinate by putting off this unsavory task until the final days before Christmas. Once the fateful day arrives and we’ve run out of excuses and time, we enter our cars like they’re chariots of battle. From there, we hit the wet and wild roads heading towards the nearest coliseum, I mean shopping mall. Our hearts race and our blood pressure rises from the relentless gridlock of other impatient drivers that swerve, merge and brake suddenly though a sea of aggravating obstacles. And that’s the moment it hits you, or more specifically you hit it. You know, that car that just slammed on their brakes without any warning
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as you were looking over your shoulder to get in the other lane! You had planned to have your brake system and tires thoroughly inspected before going out on that wet and rainy December night, but one thing after another prevented you from getting it done, so here we are on the side of the road getting drenched and waiting for AAA to arrive. Ugh, another lovely Griswold Christmas! But wait a second, that nightmare didn’t really occur and there is still time to replace it with something a little more jovial like say…sugarplums. Terrific! So, instead of waiting until it’s too late, you decide to take your car in well ahead of the holiday madness to your trusted service center to make sure it is thoroughly inspected, winter ready and prepared to do battle, I mean arrive safely at the mall for your favorite pastime…shopping! Editor’s notes: Dave Trux is the owner of Valley Motorwerks. He can be reached at his shop, which is located at 11403 White Rock Road in Rancho Cordova, CA. His phone number is (916) 6369526 and his website is www. vmwerks.com.
ELVES make MAGIC HAPPEN! Now, elves come in various guises and have different specialties. I wanted to point out some evidence of their presence so you can keep your eyes out for them at these events in November. Leadership: When you have great leaders, MAGIC happens! Learn what’s happening in Rancho Cordova at the State of the City event on Nov. 10. at 7 pm at Rancho Cordova City Hall. (evidence of MAGIC: there will be a PICNIC!) Community: When you have great community support: MAGIC happens! Come to the Christmas Tree Lighting on Nov. 27 from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm at Village Green Park. The event is FREE with lots of family-friendly activities. (evidence of MAGIC: there will be SNOW!) Arts: When you have creative talent: MAGIC happens! Rancho Cordova artists offer special and unique holiday gifts at the Pop-Up Art Gallery in the Lowe’s Shopping Center in Rancho Cordova. (evidence of MAGIC: there will be PIZAZZ!) Get details on these events and more on BobsPocket.com. So as you visit these events, just who are the “elves”? (I think you’ll know!) Heads up: Next month we ask the question “Are you an ELF (or wanna be)?”
Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for three weeks November 25-27, December 2-4 & December 9-11 Hours are 11 am to 7 pm Lowe’s shopping center: 3161 Zinfandel, Suite 4, Rancho Cordova
* Visit BobsPocket.com for Bob’s bio, past blogs, and to learn more about events & organizations. November 2016
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Bring Your Gaming System Back to Life! By Alika Salazar Has your gaming system suffered a sudden and unexpected demise? If you’ve thought about burying it in the backyard or throwing it in the trash and starting over with a brand new system, think twice about that option because the odds are very good that you can fix what you have, save several hundred dollars and help reduce our landfills! At all three of our stores, we repair all types of gaming systems. Many of our customers have said they prefer to fix what they have because they want to continue to enjoy their favorite games. They also enjoy the familiarity of their current system over the complexities of learning how a new system will function. The most common systems we’ve worked on include the Xbox 360’s, the Xbox Ones, PlayStation 3’s, PlayStation 4’s and Wii’s. Surprisingly, a lot of people are still fixing those systems. The most common problem with the Wii’s involve disk drives that stop reading. Sadly, many people have told me how they bought another used unit only to have the exact same problem!
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For the other popular systems, the most common problem involves HDMI cords. If a gaming system falls off a shelf, the cord will often remain attached and cause damage to the port. This is a problem that’s a lot more common than you might think and we see this all the time. With the holidays around the corner, give yourself the gift of avoiding the crowds and chaos of the malls and let us repair that gaming system for that special gamer in your life. The retail cost of a new gaming system like the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 ranges from $300-$500. Our average repair cost out the door is usually around $100-$150, so the savings on a new system is likely to be significant. Just imagine how you can use the money you’ve saved on repairs: Perhaps several cool new games or something else your heart desires! Editor’s notes: Alika Salazar is the owner of iParts Phone Repairs. He can be reached at (916) 936-9316.
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