TACO TUESDAY

Last Saturday I went to the Greater Kansas City Home Show. Everything that can be linked to home improvement was on display there. The set up in the Convention Center was the traditional, row after row of booths and displays with little gift packets for those who stop to talk, mostly ball point pens and miniature candies. I prefer the little Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I expected parking to be expensive but $20 seemed a little steep. If 6 blocks wasn’t too far to walk, you could find a lot that only charged $15. Then there was the price of admission. The last time I went it was $5 but now it’s $15. Not complaining; I know everything costs more, that’s a signal the economy is healthy, maybe even robust. But someone was thinking of me when they provided free parking in the West Bottoms, well over a mile away with shuttle service to and from. 

Once inside, I was reminded of Mexican street hustlers in border towns only with manners. They want all of your information so they can follow up with a phone call and an email. It may take 6 months to get back but they never forget. I had two projects in mind when I walked in. Everyone in my end of town with a basement gets water in the basement sooner or later. I replaced my sump pump last year but the routing of sump water outside and away from the house needs attention and I don’t do that kind of work anymore. Also, I want to get a battery powered backup system for the sump as well. So I was looking for those folks. But I stopped to visit with a guy who sells and installs awnings. Shade on the front patio would be great but think I’ll stay with the big umbrella. I visited with the roofing/siding/windows/gutters guy. My house needed siding when I bought it 16 years ago and prices follow the same trend as parking. The worth of my house is just about recovered from the Great Recession but the cost of new siding has tripled. I talked to a guy selling gel inserts and liners for your shoes. One lady was selling jewelry while the next booth was manned by people relocating Greyhounds, bred for racing but no longer running or breeding. The man at the TuffShed booth gave me some advice on how to repair soft floor boards in my shed and I got a hand full of M&M’s. 

Nearly 3 hours later I had trekked all the isles, some twice, talked to almost everyone, had a big sack full of smaller sacks full of brochures and samples. I stayed away from the concessionaires. The way prices had gone up with home improvements I’m guessing it would be cheaper to buy food at the air port. I was the only passenger on the shuttle going back down to the bottoms. The driver wanted to know my take on the exposition. His tone suggested others had not been impressed: it cost too much and the exhibiters were too few. I told him “I’m easy to please.” For my own sake I lower expectations when it comes to anything people can exploit; it was just about what I expected. 

Now, 5 days later, I’m getting phone calls all hours of the day. Last night it was after 8:00 p.m., wanting to know if I was ready to proceed with my new siding or or was it a redwood fence. I’m nice to telemarketers. It’s their job and they have bills to pay. I picture them either calling from a tiny cubicle with a computer screen, talking into one of those ear-mounted phones, typing as they go or maybe even from their own home, scribbling details on a yellow note pad. One good thing about my smart phone, I can tell when it’s a telemarketer before I hit the button. I’m working on my own telemarketing pitch. Instead of answering, “Hello” I will go through my own sales pitch: “Everyday is Taco Tuesday here at Dos Culos Tacoria; will this be carry out or are you eating in?” Maybe I’m not as nice as I said. If I talk only about tacos they will figure it out and hang up. I won’t really do this but it’s fun making believe.