Subj : I'm not back yet.. was: To : Nancy Backus From : Barry Martin Date : Tue Oct 29 2019 09:16:00 Hi Nancy! BM> Subject: I'm not back yet.. was: I'm back! NB> And, of course, now I AM back... and likely to stay so for a NB> while... but still working through the backlog caused by being NB> gone so much... ;) As long as you don't get to my comment in the previous message about it being the first snow of the year next Spring you'll be fine! NB>> Continuing from the Pond, now 13 October, at about 8:15pm... BM> So last Sunday evening; and Wednesday afternoon as I write this reply. NB> And now, somehow, already the 28th, Monday plus a week.... I saw a Robin this morning! NB>>> I try to at least notice as I'm setting up the reply.. especially NB>>> to make sure I shouldn't be changing it in some way to bring it NB>>> up to date... BM>> That seems like a good idea! I might have to try it some time!! NB>> You might have noticed that I did change it this time... Of NB>> course, by the time you get this, I will be back again, and will NB>> have uploaded the packet, but in the meantime, it's accurate... BM> LIS a little while ago (week or so) I tend not to pay attention to the BM> subjects in personal correspondence though do in 'business'. BM> Personal, being casual, can go in any directory while 'business' is BM> pretty much restricted to one topic. NB> Business being more likely to stay relatively formal, after NB> all... :) So not like: Dear Nancy: We are so sorry :( to lecha know .... Brief news-filler recently: Casual Fridays has expanded and sometimes take over the entire week. Beginning of the segment implied not a good idea to go too casual but then did the 'bigger picture' and in some businesses it doesn't matter, such as software development. BM>> I haven't seen any in ages, and yes, it appears the ISPs do a BM>> reasonably good job in filtering. Oddly the e-mail account I have via BM>> CenturyLink (telephone company) seems to get the least spam, then BM>> G-mail, then MSN, but also taking into consideration the amount and BM>> type of overall mail each account receives, so probably exposure of the BM>> address. NB>> Probably that does play into it, as does how well each monitors for NB>> spam... :) BM> I have two gmail accounts: one is several years old. Created that one BM> primarily because the MythTV posts site wouldn't accept my Q.COM BM> address -- used to! Still get the mail to both accounts, just only BM> send replies via the gmail one. Second gmail account was created about BM> a year ago because a friend was having sporadic problems sending to my BM> Q.com account. The original gmail account gets some spam, the latter I BM> don't recall any. NB> That makes some sense, the first one would have had more exposure NB> to spambots, I'd guess.... In my highly unscientific study that would be a probability. Would make sense as has the less exposure, just as the one I have the most spam is also the one with the most exposure. The two accounts are also the newest and oldest, respectively, so a huge variable right there. BM>> ...No idea if that double-lined address I have in my signature here BM>> makes any difference; seemed like a good idea: easy to understand by BM>> humans, not so easy by the bots. NB>> It probably does thwart the bot harvesters... BM> Hmm, based on the gmail accounts I should create others for testing, BM> putting my new address in various formats! NB> Could be interesting, I suppose... more effort than I'd likely NB> do... but then I don't tend to put my address out all that NB> visibly... :) There have been a few times when having my e-mail here was useful. As a general rule I would say not. ...Another part of my brain is interrupting: would be interesting (yawn!) to see if those anti-spam formatted addresss like "barry10. at q dot com" do any good. Seems like it would be easy enough to programme effectively change the 'at' to '@' if sees a 'com'. BM>> As for the pocket calendar I had one also. Now use the one in the BM>> cell phone as generally with me if I have to go some place. OTOH we BM>> still have the paper calendars: one at my computer desk and one hanging BM>> on the refrigerator. The paper version is still very useful! NB>> I've not transferred over to using the cell phone's calendar... for me NB>> it's easier to see the big picture and keep track of things with the NB>> pocket calendar... All the info is also on the paper calendar on the NB>> fridge, but the one at my computer isn't marked up, just for seeing NB>> what day something is... :) BM> "All depends!" What process works for one person doesn't for another. NB> Yup... And one develops one's own ways of dealing... Including calling back when one gets home and discovers got double- booked! ...I don't know if I could do without a paper calendar for reminders: use a month-at-a-glance here and to me handy to see a blob on a date to remind me of something in the future. ...Can do the same with the electronic calendar, would just have to get used to it. BM>>> Ah - somehow I had the idea he was working in England and this was BM>>> vacation/holiday. NB>>> No, he had been working in Turkey, and came back for a few months to NB>>> take care of some of the loose ends he'd left last time (thought he'd NB>>> be gone only a year or less, and it ended up being almost 4 years) NB>>> and to earn some money that would have value elsewhere in the world NB>>> (Turkish lira are only worth anything in Turkey)... Now he'll be NB>>> flying back to Turkey for a couple of months and then off to South NB>>> Africa for a certification course for his boating career.... BM>> He's busy! NB>> Yup. And you thought I was busy.... BM> Must run in the family! NB> He certainly contributed to my being busy this year.... But a fun busy! BM>>> And if a car isn't working right not a good idea to take it on a BM>>> longer trip - mom knows that! NB>>> Very much so... which is why she ended up renting a car for this NB>>> last trip.... ;) My clutch is getting iffy, and I decided that NB>>> putting 1300+ miles on it wouldn't be that good an idea... nor did NB>>> I relish possibly being stranded 600 miles or so from home... ;) BM>> Nope: not a good way to spend time! At least if something happens BM>> close to home can call and get a ride. Plus can get home - at least BM>> not stuck watching a black and white TV in a dust-bunnied hotel room! NB>> I do try my best to avoid that sort of thing... ;) BM> As I said, smart move! May have cost a bit extra, plus the rental BM> money could have gone towards the transmission repair costs. Or could BM> have gone towards that dust-bunnied hotel room! NB> I'd probably have looked for a nearby friend or family to crash NB> with, if at all possible....the rental for about a week was under NB> $200, so not exorbitant... and also paid for some peace of NB> mind... :) Yes, if able to crash with someone would remove the hotel costs, even though probably compensated some with taking them out to eat and/or some groceries. And the $200 rental isn't bad; as you said, peace of mind, when you knew there was a problem. BM>> ...That was one good thing about the older/slower computers: could BM>> read the messages as they scrolled on the screen! NB>> I had trouble with that even back then... the offline reader has NB>> always been a lifesaver for me... :) BM> I've generally learned writing a reply off-line is best for me, BBS BM> and business forms. Have been timed-out, and/or found needed BM> additional information while composing the reply, etc. Will copy and BM> paste. NB> Same for me... even to the occasional copy and paste (although NB> mine is more of a find and insert file).... Find and insert is just a bigger copy and paste job! BM>> Know Swiss (airline) flies to Chicago: my in-brain joke would be to BM>> tell my Mother I'll meet her at Zurich. (One flight is ORD-ZUR, a BM>> different flight is BOS-ZUR. (I did check: I just sort of assumed BM>> it was CHI-BOS-ZUR - nope!) NB>> A travel agent could probably figure out all sorts of combinations NB>> for you... ;) BM> True. At this point not necessary as stay with my Mother for a week BM> before we zoom off. Would be kind of funny if was the common plane BM> flight: I go from Chicago to Boston and meet my Mother on the plane BM> there! NB> If you weren't planning on the stopover, that could be NB> convenient... :) Yes! If had to go to Vienna due to an emergency would make sense to meet my Mother in Boston. Flight route doesn't make that work out so back to Moline to Detroit to Manchester to Boston to Zurich to Vienna. Could be done all in one day, though I think I'd definitely be sleep-deprived! BM>> Those were the days! Now just about need official identification to BM>> walk down the street. NB>> Not quite that bad yet, but it's getting there... BM> Seems to be. I haven't been involved in any instances of 'random need BM> for identification' but rather find it probably better to carry ID as BM> well as the various insurance cards should something happen. Talking BM> more accident than identification. NB> Yup, I've long made that a practice, to carry ID just in case.... To me also seems a good practice. Have seen a few too many accidents "for no reason". OK, so rarely on purpose, but I'm talking "perfect driving conditions" and something happens. NB>>> Things were pretty warm there for a while, all over... ;) Was in NB>>> the 90s in North Carolina when I was there... the forecast had NB>>> been to be in the high 80s... Now it's pretty chilly here....and NB>>> up at the Pond where I head next... BM>> The highs have been in the low 60's the last week or so and pretty BM>> much continuing for the up-coming week. TV news forecast this morning BM>> indicated midweek in low 70's but ansiweather saying upper 60's. BM>> We'll see. NB>> And which was it...? As I was telling Daryl, it's mostly been rather NB>> cool here at the Pond... but I guess it's pretty much seasonal for NB>> here.... I am glad for heat in the camp and good blankets... :) BM> As I recall was in the 70's; need the heat now as only 50ø! NB> A quick decline into fall.... Today the high was into the 60s... NB> tomorrow pretty close to 70 again... and then plummeting back to NB> the 50s, with that white stuff a possibility by the weekend.... LIS at the top of my first message in this packet there's snow outside! Yesterday's temperature graph from the Norwegian service was essentially a flat line dropping off at the end: temperatures did stay in the low 40's all day and then cooled into the 30'd at night. BM> ... What happens when fall in love w/ elevator operator? He lets you BM> down. NB> He could also bring you up, though... ;) That was at the beginning of things. NB> ... The Borg assimilated me & all I got was this stupid T-Shirt! It'll help keep you warm! ¯ ® ¯ Barry_Martin_3@ ® ¯ @Q.COM ® ¯ ® .... October 30: anniversary of the radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds". --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .