Goodbye Old Friend

This week I had to say goodbye to one of my oldest friends. Someone who I’ve known since I was 5 years old, 22 years of my life with her and now it’s time to move on. Something we both knew was going to happen sooner or later, for her sake, it should of have been sooner. We’ve done everything together, road trips, late night drives to Harbor House in High School, going out to Louisville for school, random trips to this part of Kentucky, that part of Ohio and who knows in Indiana, countless nights out at bars and friends’ houses and bringing me back home in 2012. We had the type of friendship that didn’t need many words, mainly I would talk to her and when she needed something taken care of, she would let me know and I would do my best to make things right. But last year it dawned on me, that the things my friend was asking me for were hindering my future, spending time, effort and money on her wasn’t gonna help me in the long run, on the contrary, it was like throwing money into a sinkhole. So I did the responsible thing and decided it was time to start looking for a new car, that search ended last Sunday. 

This friend of mine is my 1993 Toyota Camry, named “Putters”. A car my parents bought for my Mom in 1994, the first adult purchase they made together. From 94-2007 it was my Mom’s car, then Putters was given to me and I bought her a few years later for a steal of $1, thanks for the discount Dad! As a kid I saw almost my whole world through that back passenger side seat, any family event we went to, any time I went to work with my Mom, trips to L.A. for the day, if there was a place the 3 of us were going, Putters took us there. Then when she became my car, the world was my oyster and she was the ship that would take me to them. Even after driving all the way to Louisville, Putters was excited about our adventures together. The countless hours just driving around because I lived in a dorm and didn’t want to always be there, late night drive-thru pickups or Denny’s runs, Spring Break trips to a friend's river house, my first time driving after an ice storm! That was a fun experience for both of us; me not exactly sure how to drive and her not having tires made for such weather made that short 5-mile drive seem longer than it actually was.

 

It was in my last few years in Louisville that I started realizing Putters was getting older. In the span of two snow storms I lost my driver side and front passenger side door handles. Darn things just popped right off since they were frozen. The AC stopped working, could still blow hot air, could blow mild air, but if I wanted that crisp cooling AC, it wasn’t going to happen. Not the best thing when dealing with humid summers, but hey, she defrosted in the winter and that was way more important. And when I made the decision to move back to California I made a deal with Putters; “You get me home, and I’ll make sure you retire to a good place.” And she did her part, from Louisville, Kentucky to Huntington Beach, California in a 2-day span, like a champion my car delivered when she needed to and got the job done. Though I will admit, after crossing the Arizona-California border, she wasn’t too happy about still going. Then like Michael Jordan returning in number 45, we had to put the retirement talk to rest for a bit. Then there was the big transmission replacement 3 years ago, an investment that made me decide to stay with her for just a little longer. It was at the end of last year that Putters and I had a real nice conversation about our future together and things were made clear. She knew it was time for me to move on, she had known it for years, but it was I who had to be convinced and pushed away before I came to the realization that it was time for a new car. 

  

I love Putters, I will always love her. 22 years isn’t something you can just throw away, not something you can forget even if you wanted to, which I don’t. In my 27 years of life I have learned that while the feeling of love may not change, the expression of it can. Was me holding onto a car old enough to drink my way of not growing up? A way for me to keep the Member-Berries fresh in my mind? Me being cheap? Probably a combination of the 3, and probably some more stuff as well. But one thing I know for sure is that car was there for me every time I needed her. And as I hand my keys over to Kars-4-Kids, I may not know exactly what is going to happen to her, but I do know that she’ll continue helping people in one way or another. Let me raise a glass to you Putters, my first chariot, my first ticket to see the world, my first Family Car, while you have been replaced, you will never be forgotten.   

   

 

A rant from the Afro.

From time to time I may use my version of a soap box to just rant, and this is one of those times. And while this may seem like a “No Duh” statement to some of you, I wouldn’t have had the experiences I did if it was common knowledge. So, to all the Sales Representatives out there, whether you’re a 20+ year veteran or brand new to the job, remember one thing; your attitude reflects the people who gave you your business card. And this really goes for any line of work, but since it’s in the title for Sales Representatives, and that’s where my rant originates from, let’s focus on that.

Almost 4 years ago, I was at a trade event and walked up to the table/booth of one of the bigger Bourbon Distilleries out there. In fact, this was the first Bourbon Distillery I went to after I turned 21. Growing up in The Wine Country I had seen their bottles for years, and their entry level Bourbon was one of the first Bourbons I tried. So, when I turned 21 (2010) living just an hour outside of Bourbon County, touring that distillery was one of the things I wanted to do. My family came out to celebrate the event and we had a blast there. A great tour, funny stories, great pictures and very fond memories. Jump forward to 2013 and I’m in front of this booth talking to a very nice young woman, Halie, about the fact that I lived in Louisville for 5 years, how their Distillery was my first stop the day I turned 21 and how the whole experience was really nice. She in turn says “Let me introduce you to Mr. Smith”.

Mr. Smith wasn’t just a Sales Representative, he ran all the sales for this distillery, the guy who controlled the allocations of their rare and unique stuff. Mr. Smith was just wrapping up talking to another person at the event and Halie says “John, this is Jeremy, he works at The Wine Country, he’s actually been to the Distillery and just wanted to say ‘Hi’.” I reached out my hand, like polite people do when meeting someone for the first time, to which Mr. Smith just takes a quick look at me and says “Yea, if you want our specialty stuff make sure your carry Product X, Product Y and Product Z and I can get you a few bottles of A, B, or C.” then just turns around and stops talking to me. I had no intentions in talking shop with Mr. Smith, I just wanted to share my happy memories of the place he calls work, just wanted to thank him for what he does and just wanted to say hello. I wear my emotions on my face most the time and I could tell by the look Halie was giving me, slightly shocked, that I was wearing a stunned look. And it was in that 45 seconds I lost all favor for that Distillery. That awesome day spent at the Distillery, my enjoyment of their Bourbons, all disappeared with one guy being a tool. 

Just under 1 year and a half ago I was at another trade event, this time I was on the hunt for Agave Spirits. When I moved back to California in 2012, I really got into Agave; Tequilas, Mezcals, Bacanoras, Sotols, Raicillas, I love them all and still get super pumped when I find something new. And at this event I did, this newer Mezcal producer with some funny merchandise and a cool look. I walk up to the booth and start talking to their Sales Representative. I tell him about The Wine Country, I tell him how I’ve been looking for new Mezcals and was interest in what he was selling. The guy, we’ll call him Al, says “Oh cool” then pours me their Blanco and goes back to looking at his phone. Doesn’t tell me what type of Agave they use, how long they roast the Agave hearts for, dude doesn’t say anything to me besides “We like to let the drink speak for itself.” Well in this interaction the Mezcal did more talking than him for sure. I tried the Mezcal and it was pretty good, nice rounded flavors and good depth to it. After taking a few notes (yes, I’m the guy who takes notes at a trade event), I looked up and waited for Al to see if I wanted to try either of the Mezcals that had been aged for a little bit. Instead of that, Al was on his phone. 

Now I’m not trying to act like I’m some big deal in the booze industry because I’m not. But when it comes to retail stores in Southern California, my store is a big deal and somewhere a lot of people would like to see their stuff sold. And I wasn’t expecting Al to know that but seriously dude, Mezcal is still trying to get off the ground if you’re looking at it in a popularity sense. If someone is in front of you trying to geek out on something I’m sure he had to walk people through 100s of times that day, making your job easier because I know the basics of making the product, why not spend some time with the person and just talk to them? Since then I have had people try to sell me that product, and I have run into Al once or twice since that too. And to all of it I say the same thing every time, “Nah, I’m good.” 

When you are the representative for something or someone you must think about more than yourself. Because that company/person is counting on you to make them look good. And like I said, this can be related to any job really. You think people who leave bad Yelp reviews about restaurants are mad at the owners of the restaurant? No, they’re mad at the server who was rude, the chef who under cooked their steak then overcooked it, or the bartender who kept messing up their cocktails. But that's the first thing they'll think of when considering going back to that restaurant. Or since they’re on Yelp, they might just be a pain in the ass. But this is something I deal with at least 5 days a week. When someone comes into The Wine Country and needs my help, no matter how annoying they might get, how irritating their questions are, I treat them with the respect that everyone deserves. Why? Because when they leave there I want them to say “Man, that store was awesome, I want to come back here all the time!” Not, “Nah, I’m good.”