I haven’t posted a blog in a while.. I have been thinking about so many different topics… but didn’t get time to sit down and do it. In the last 2 months lots of things happening…

Now, I am part of a new company Attune Digital – with couple of other great partners Chris Tivey and Steve Wilen. The new company doesn’t have a website yet, but we will have one soon. We will be focusing on Digital Marketing and Technical services with new user engagement tools.. already off to a great start. We now have a new office in Scottsdale and I didn’t travel as much in the last month as I usually do. Nice change of pace. I will be mixing some of digital trends into my upcoming blogs.

So for today, I would share something that has been on my mind for a long time…

I have been going to Atlanta often for almost 6 years now.. There is a toll booth on GA-400 highway and depending on where I stayed, had to cross it at least few times every time I go. So… I have quite a few interesting stories about the toll booth.

It is 50 cents – takes change – about 7 lanes I think with 3 with cashiers and the others that take change only – they have huge baskets where you through coins and the lift gate opens when you throw 50 cents… the basket is huge and how difficult it could be??? Well… obviously it is not that easy. You drive up to the basket you will see a lot of coins on the pavement. And of course there is always one that gets to the exact change lane with not enough change… The drivers are very impatient – 50 cents in one hand and the other hand on the horn. If you take more than 10 seconds they don’t feel shy to honk the heck out of you 🙂

I was a victim once… I threw my two quarters with high precision right in the middle of the basket… it accepted it, but the lift gate won’t open… I started to sweat… 5… 10 seconds… and there they go… honking as if I messed up their day… I had to yell out to the cashier in the next lane and finally after 30 seconds someone comes and tries the lift gate and it won’t open… they finally bypass and lift it manually… 60 seconds into the ordeal… I felt the heat… from people behind me… some probably cursing me that I broke it by putting wrong coins or what not.. so it was a lot of “pressure”.

One time, I was in the “Cashier” lane, since I didn’t have enough coins… it was late evening not much traffic… then of course, the lady in front of me “in the cashier lane” is STUCK!! She was in a nice Lexus.. didn’t have any cash on her and tried to give her credit card to cashier… of course they don’t accept credit card… so here she was… going through purse, center console… after 1 minute, I gestured to the cashier that I will take care of her.. when I finally got to the the booth, I was told that she was able to muster about 30 cents from loose change 🙂 Gosh.. talk about not having enough change on you…

So over years.. I made sure I plan my toll passing… rush hour opt for Cashier lane… other time try to have enough quarters… It is amazing something as small as 50 cents can have such an impact on you….

I recently heard that by end of this year, the toll booth will be removed finally.. what a relief… 🙂

Here is the link to GA 400 Toll Site

Have a great Labor Day weekend folks!!!