Pat Pend.
     In the year of 1997, there was a legend in the, "Windy City" located within the, North American Continent about a bicycle, a special bicycle which was used for situations that an auto could perform. It was described as a large, heavy duty grade bike. It was called, "The Thombogo Sky Rider" Bicycle. This type of bike had industrial and luxury features which were appreciated. 
     It had all begin on the day, June of 1995 after high school graduation when the one who thought up of, Thombogo had received his diploma that evening. The one who would be called as the, "Creator" of Thombogo. The creator and his parents including his oldest brother had pulled into the driveway in front of their home. As the creator had thought just like his pears from school would had thought, was there a car waiting in the driveway for the creator? The creator has heard of rumors in high school of friends of his getting cars for graduation from their parents. At this point, the creator never had or co-owned a car in his life unlike his siblings had before they had graduated from high school ten years previous.
     Assuming that he would be entitled to having his own auto, he would then plan to assemble his life and go from there. The creator had panned into the driveway where the garage door is. The creator's oldest brother had stopped his mother's car with them in it. The creator had a question mark on top of his head and decided to ask his father a question regarding his car for graduation. The creator thought that maybe his own car was parked somewhere else on the property or in the garage.
     Before asking his father the question, the creator decided to look closer into the driveway. Perhaps is eyes where fooling him. All the creator could see was his father's truck parked off to the side next to the house. Where was the car the creator's father had promised? At this point, the creator didn't care if his both parents had surprised him with a second-hand used car. He loved his parents anyway. Perhaps, the creator's car was at some friend's house or waiting at a deal ship where cars are naturally sold. The creator didn't know what to think at this point.
     If there was a car for the creator, it would been placed on the other side near the left side of the driveway. The creator wanted to ask his father about his future car. His father's related words were something like this, "Son, you have a vehicle, you can use my truck for now on." The creator's mother had looked at her husband after hearing of what he had said to his son. She was thinking on how her son, the creator was going to drive that red truck when it was on its last leg. The Econoline style cargo van was made in the mid-1980's. The creator had remembered looking at the dash board which was located above the steering wheel in his father's van.
     The next day, the creator had looked at the indicators after starting his father's truck. Due to a politically involved situation during his sophomore days in high school, the creator was unable to receive his driver's license from driver's ED however, he needed to get some training in how to drive his father's van on the property since it was legal to do so. Starting the van was a touching situation since a house brick was used to lay in the gas peddle after the engine was started each time. The van had some carburetor problems until the engine would warm up. Another issue the creator had noticed was the amount of mileage used in the truck. Eighty-one thousand two hundred sixty three (81,263) miles were put on the van so far.   
     There were other issues about the van which the creator had examined. Once the van was warmed up, the creator wanted to test the air-conditioner. The air-conditioner was not operating correctly. The creator had popped opened the hood. The van's engine system appeared to be a horrible mess. There was oil oozing from the both valve spring compartment covers located on both sides of the round carburetor filter. The gaskets appeared to be worn out. Two blades from the main fan belt were missing. The battery appeared to be good. The creator had found the problem with the air-conditioner. There was a small rusty hole which had developed from the tank due to natural engine wear and tear. The breaks seemed to be ok. The van had a double tank however, the rear gas tank had a broken gas pump. That rear gas tank was completely useless. One head light was working. Both rear lights and breaks were ok. All blinker lights were fine. All tires appeared to have about ten-thousand miles (10,000) or less to go before getting completely bald. The transmission fluid would leak once the engine was warmed up. All door locks in the truck were ok. The steering wheel had some play while making turns. Time to test the wheel control.
     The creator wanted to perform a test of his own. With no auto insurance due to no employment, the creator was unable to drive the van out in the street. The creator decided to drive the van in his mom and dad's back yard. With allot of room on a half-acre lot of grass, there wouldn't be any constricting like issues with the size and proportions of the van itself while navigating it through the backyard. The creator had felt some fish tailing beginning to develop from the rear of the van. There were times when the creator had sat in the passenger seat when his father would do the driving and had never paid that much attention when van would be fish tailing. He did remember his mother complaining a little about the problem to his father while being on the road together but, he didn't pay that much attention since he was in a world of his own. His father got into the van and asked his son, the creator to continue driving the van on the grass. The creator had asked his father about the fish-tailing problem. His father's words were something like this, "Son, don't worry, that's normal for the truck to do that. It is just old. The rear axel might be going on it." The picture up above would indicate the blue truck's wheel system being handled properly on the top while the red truck on the bottom has rear axel problems causing some fish tailing. The creator needed some financial resources to fix up his father's van if he had the money to use. 

A theoretical map of actual job places which the creator had applied during his job search.
    The creator knew himself that, if he was going to fix up his father's van and then drive it, he would need a job in order to save up some money for repairs. A week had gone by after his eighteenth (18th) birthday. His older brother helped him to get his driver's license after their father was proud for his youngest son's pre-driving results. The creator had received his driver's license and his family was proud of him. Still, there was no job and no income for the creator to buy gasoline and insurance to drive the van around. As the creator's both parents had felt, it wasn't fair for his former high school's work program to attempt to place him at a job through their private job agency as where, a certain percentage of his money would be taken out of his check every week after that. The creator was asking about working at a computer repair job while he was attending high school at the time but, no one had paid that much attention to him. Supposedly, nothing was available as the creator had thought. Later that day in his room, the creator sat in his thinking chair while he was looking at his driver's license and thought to himself that, is it true that high schools these days, graduate their students, turn them out and those former students have to take to their lives at their own risk with nothing prepared for them? The creator had set forth on his own to search for his own job knowing that, his former high school hadn't given him that much reasonable support to take on life after graduation. Above is a map, a map similar to the neighborhood he lives in and related to job places which the creator had gone to. Because the creator was broke, he had no change in his pocket to take public transportation to get around. His job hunt began.

     Located way in the top of the map towards to the left corner of the map is a street running up and down. It is a four lane street made up to appear as a busy street. On the left side of that street is a solid light-blue circle.* This would the path which the creator had began his job search journey from the light-blue dotted path. He had come across different places of all types. Fast-food places, strips malls, schools, village halls, parks, factories and more. First, he started down the road and made his right-hand turn. He walked until he came across a school yard. The positions which the creator had applied was either be a crossing guard for the school children or be a janitor. The both job applications were filled and the creator had continued on. After leaving the school yard, the creator had made some turns. The creator had gone across the street to a car sales lot. This was an auto sales lot where new and used cars are sold. There seemed to be two main categories of workers. One are the sale representatives for selling new and used cars and the second category are the auto or service mechanics who make repairs on the general vehicles. No openings for the creator at all except to apply to be a janitor. A two year degree in business was required to be a sales representative. Four years of collage in automotive were required to be an auto mechanic. 

     Next to the auto sale lot was a mini mall or strip mall. There was a quit a few of stores to apply at. One store is a well known electronics store with the big, "R" which the creator had applied as a general store worker and he knew about computers. Another store was a bicycle shop. The creator applied as a bicycle repair worker. He knew how to repair bikes. Next store was a hair salon for women which the creator found out that, a beautician's license is required to cut hair. The creator needed to move on. The next store was a pizza place with-in the mall. This pizza place had the name relating to the phrase, "The chain reaction effect". He applied to be a pizza maker. Another place which he applied was an insurance agency. Even though, the creator had a great deal of knowledge when working with mathematics, the agency were looking for people with some collage experience relating to office work and other work credentials. The creator had walk out and then continued to the next three address. There were two addresses which, were spaces for rent except for that last store.

     The creator had one more store to go to at the mall. This store which, was on the other side of the mall from the electronics store was hardware store. The creator had an interest of selling tools and other stuff for a house. Further down the street is a fire and police station with their village hall with-in the building. There was no openings for a desk clerk. Schooling is required in order to be a firefighter. It had seemed that, the firemen have their assignments and didn't need an extra hand on their staff. This issue was the same in the police department and at the town village hall. There was no job position for any buddy to be a janitor. This was a major bummer for the creator. Police academy with some armed service experience if any but, preferred was required to become a police officer. A certain system of politics is required to become a trustee at the village hall. The creator had pondered out of the parking lot and then decided to leave the premises. Time to go and move on.

     The creator headed in his direction of job searching. Next door to his previous visit is a bank. The creator had asked for the human resource office. A representative had approached him from the bank's main office. The created headed up the stairs with the representative to the second floor HR room. There were three openings for bank teller positions as the representative have stated the information to the creator. The creator had found out that, those positions require some passed experience which deals with using a cash register. There creator had worked at a restaurant in the kitchen department but, never had worked with handling of money at the front table. The creator was disqualified to be a bank teller. Other positions at the bank require at least one year of bank teller experience anyway before moving up in the bank regardless the amount of mathematics which the creator had known. The creator had filled out the application anyway and left for his job hunt.

     The creator had gone across the street to the airport. The only positions open were, for jet pilots, one luggage / baggage driver and some desk clerks. The creator had found out that, previous experience from being in the air force is required to fly jets. The creator thought that even math would be a useful tool for flying but, more is required to be pilot. To drive a luggage cart or to be a desk clerk, being twenty-one (21) years or older is required. The creator had just received his driver's license. He thought that would be enough to drive a luggage car. The creator didn't know were to turn to. He noticed a pier behind the air port. He walked out on the public sidewalk and headed up on the street towards the driveway which lead to the river docks. There was no position for a janitor work but, a crane operator was needed on the spot however, an operating license is required to work the crane along with past experience using demolition equipment.

     The company that is used to transport the cargo on the barges was over a hundred (100) miles away and the creator didn't feel like walking all that way to apply for a job there. It would taken a whole week or more, on foot to get there. Well, once again, the creator had left and gone next door to a hotel. A bell boy and two janitors were needed but, the creator was not at the age of twenty-one (21) or over. The creator did asked the hotel owner if he could take care of the ingrown pool in the back. The manager did say that he already has a worker who attends to that. The creator had put his head down and left.

     Knowing that his father had lost his job over two (2) years ago from working over thirty (30) at the same factory, the creator was worried that his father wouldn't be able to adapt to different jobs at his age. Because of this, the creator wanted to go to work to help out his both parents. There was a person who was eating their food at a bench so, the creator had taken upon himself to ask for some food to eat. The creator was hungry from all the walking and job searching. This person who was sitting at the bench, waiting for the bus is a lawyer who deals with criminal and civil rights cases. He stated that his car was in the auto shop being repaired. The creator had explained to this lawyer about his job searching situation. This lawyer had explained to the creator that he would be better off going into the armed services. He also said to the creator that, due to the change of ethnic groups of people in the country, job employment in time, would start paying them a cheaper salary causing other people like the creator to be out a job. The creator couldn't understands his message regarding diversity and civil rights. The creator was fresh from high school. What did he know about that part of life in the country? Knowing that his one older brother who helped him get his driver's license was in a sandy war during the early 90's, it had given him some psychological memory war trauma after he came home which was causing him trouble of holding a job for himself. At this time, in the mid 1990's, his oldest brother, who was also in the armed service,  is too used being in the armed service. Could he handle the civilian world if he got out? This lawyer had looked at the creator with his large nose after he heard everything, then he give the creator a six-sided star like gold pendent which he claimed it is part of his religion and handed it the creator for good luck. The bus came. He placed his large black hat on his head, ruffled his grayish beard and walked into the bus. 

      The bus had left and the creator kept on walking. The creator came upon a floral shop. It was back in the creator's memory of what that lawyer had said to him but, the creator needed to continue his journey. He could apply to be freight worker, a store clerk / cashier or someone who can work in garden, propane or do yard landscaping. Two of the rest of those applications were filled. The rest of the positions had already been filled by others. The was nothing more for the creator to do at this point. Across the both railroad tracks was a factory of some kind. Perhaps the creator could get a job there knowing that, this was what his father had done in the past before his previous job place had closed down. The creator headed towards the rail road tracks. The both rail road gates were down however, the train appeared to be just sitting on the tracks as the creator had looked to his right. There were a couple of rail road workers who were escorting the creator along with other people to walk across the tracks while the cars and trucks had to sit on the street. The creator came across the first guard gate and kept on heading straight to the next guard gate. At the next guard gate, it didn't seem to be anyone home. The creator had gazed into the parking lot and had noticed three (3) or four (4) cars sitting on the parking lot. Someone was in the factory. The creator had noticed an oil refinery across the parking lot and decided to head there first.

     There was a parked semi-truck in the way so, the creator decided to walk around the parked truck. There was an open gate which lead into the train yard between the factory and the oil refinery. There was rail road cop who was near by to escort the creator. From what the rail road cop was able the gather from his walky-talky, it was safe to either walk around the cars or to go under the train cars knowing that all of them were parked and secured on the level train track. Nothing was moving at all. The one train engine in the train yard was parked with no engineer on board. The creator made his way to the oil refinery with the rail road cop. The creator had knocked on the door. No buddy was around as it seemed. The door was locked. The rail road cop had approached the creator and told him that he once had heard the oil refinery is fully automated. How could the creator apply for a job here? The creator had asked the rail road cop to accompany him back through the train yard until he was on the factory's parking lot. A place that is fully automated? How do workers make a living when replaced by machines?

     The creator had walked on the factory's employee parking lot. He headed to the main door. Inside the lobby was a bulletin board of papers displaying what job positions are available. Some machinists were needed. Couple janitors were needed. Manufacturing specialists were needed and so on. No one had explained to the creator what if any credentials were required for any of those job positions. A lady behind the desk with-in the lobby handed a clip board of papers over the desk for the creator to fill out. There were several applications for the creator to fill out. An hour had gone by. He handed in the clip board and he was asked by the lady to wait for them to call him at his house. The creator had left. The creator had continued his trip.

     There is a park across the street. The creator wanted to go there to sign up for a job. The creator walked into the building. Were they looking for a lifeguard? Did they need a care taker? Did they need a pool cleaner or did they need a janitor? The creator had found out that all those positions were reserved for certain unregistered people who were from the far south-west next to the country. After that statement was explained, the creator was unable to understand what this young park manager was saying while he using inadequate pronunciation in his speech. The creator had noticed an odor of intoxication coming out of the manager's mouth after he had belched in the creator's face.  The creator give up and walked out. Unregistered people? Was that lawyer trying to say something to the creator about certain workers including job diversity issues?

     All the creator was looking at this point was some work to do. Talking about gases being releasing in the air beside the oil refinery, the creator had walked to the gas station located next to the park. There was no position for the creator's current age at the time. Being twenty-one (21) years old or older to sell alcohol and tobacco was required. There was one more place for the creator to try. It was a supermarket and a department store in one. This was one more place for the creator to go before going back home for the day. With a new built store this big, there have be a bound of job positions waiting to be filled. The creator had walked through the parking lot while noticing the fresh new tar odor emerging from the black top. The creator head that, this building was built a few weeks back waiting for other people to come and work. The creator had walked in. There were long lines of people waiting to be signed up. The creator was standing in line. The creator had noticed quite a few of people in the lines who were talking together in small groups. They were talking together in their own language while some of them were wearing straw like hats. They didn't appear to be around from the country where the creator was born however, due the creator's inexperience of life, he was unable to figure out the pattern of the job market.
* = Colors may appear slightly different depending on the model of computer monitor.
For a larger map size:

By clicking on any of the two circular links below will open a separate browser window (Depending what magnification factor is chosen) to view the map in more detail.
     Job positions such as, customer service clerks, cashier clerks, stock boys, freight associates, store manager, assistant store manager, a department head, produce, baker, pharmacy head and associates, parking lot attendant on so on were available to be filled at this new place. The creator made as much time as he could before leaving. At this time, it was the late evening hours and the creator had set forth, to leave the new supermarket / department store and head on home.