Subj : Re: I'm not back yet.. was: To : Barry Martin From : Nancy Backus Date : Mon Nov 04 2019 20:44:34 -=> Quoting Barry Martin to Nancy Backus on 29-Oct-2019 09:16 <=- 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 while... NB>> but still working through the backlog caused by being gone so much... BM> As long as you don't get to my comment in the previous message about BM> it being the first snow of the year next Spring you'll be fine! I'm a little less than a week behind at the moment... ;) And we're possibly getting our first snow of the year later this week... 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.... BM> I saw a Robin this morning! Poor, poor robin.... Today's only the 4th of November... ok, another week later from my message above... but I'm making some progress... ;) 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 all... :) BM> So not like: BM> Dear Nancy: BM> We are so sorry :( to lecha know .... One would hope to not find that in business correspondance... :) BM> Brief news-filler recently: Casual Fridays has expanded and sometimes BM> take over the entire week. Beginning of the segment implied not a BM> good idea to go too casual but then did the 'bigger picture' and in BM> some businesses it doesn't matter, such as software development. Exactly.... it really mostly depends on the specific workplace... and how much exposure to (and expectations from) the public one would be dealing with.... :) 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 to NB>> spambots, I'd guess.... BM> In my highly unscientific study that would be a probability. Would BM> make sense as has the less exposure, just as the one I have the most BM> spam is also the one with the most exposure. The two accounts are also BM> the newest and oldest, respectively, so a huge variable right there. True, the oldest would have given more time for being collected, so potentially also increased exposure... 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 do... NB>> but then I don't tend to put my address out all that visibly... :) BM> There have been a few times when having my e-mail here was useful. As BM> a general rule I would say not. When I was posting in the now-defunct Genealogy echo in Fido, I regularly included my snail-mail address... one never knew what cousin(s) might be lurking.... occasionally, I did get a package out of the blue from someone that was reading but not replying in the echo... Generally now, I'll only put my email out when someone asks for it, and then generally in a somewhat disguised format.... BM> ...Another part of my brain is interrupting: would be interesting BM> (yawn!) to see if those anti-spam formatted addresss like BM> "barry10. at q dot com" do any good. Seems like it BM> would be easy enough to programme effectively change the 'at' to BM> '@' if sees a 'com'. One would also have to program in removing spaces, and changing dot to a period.... At the least, a lot of IF-THEN statements.... and certain assumptions would have to be made as well.... :) 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... BM> Including calling back when one gets home and discovers got double- BM> booked! ...I don't know if I could do without a paper calendar for BM> reminders: use a month-at-a-glance here and to me handy to see a blob BM> on a date to remind me of something in the future. ...Can do the same BM> with the electronic calendar, would just have to get used to it. And need to mnake sure everything gets entered into the electronic one, along with the paper ones.... ;) I still find it easier to have the pocket calendar with me when I'm out, along with the phone, and just use the former for entering in new appointments.... 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 with, NB>> if at all possible....the rental for about a week was under $200, so NB>> not exorbitant... and also paid for some peace of mind... :) BM> Yes, if able to crash with someone would remove the hotel costs, even BM> though probably compensated some with taking them out to eat and/or BM> some groceries. And the $200 rental isn't bad; as you said, peace of BM> mind, when you knew there was a problem. Along the lines of my mother-in-law getting me AAA coverage... for HER peace of mind... ;) I've continued that for myself now that she's gone.... 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 mine NB>> is more of a find and insert file).... BM> Find and insert is just a bigger copy and paste job! True. :) 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 convenient... :) BM> Yes! If had to go to Vienna due to an emergency would make sense to BM> meet my Mother in Boston. Flight route doesn't make that work out so BM> back to Moline to Detroit to Manchester to Boston to Zurich to Vienna. BM> Could be done all in one day, though I think I'd definitely be BM> sleep-deprived! Unless you are one that can sleep on the plane.... ;) 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.... BM> To me also seems a good practice. Have seen a few too many accidents BM> "for no reason". OK, so rarely on purpose, but I'm talking "perfect BM> driving conditions" and something happens. There are plenty of idiot drivers out there... 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.... BM> LIS at the top of my first message in this packet there's snow BM> outside! Yesterday's temperature graph from the Norwegian service was BM> essentially a flat line dropping off at the end: temperatures did stay BM> in the low 40's all day and then cooled into the 30'd at night. We had one day recently where the low of the night before was actually a little higher than the high of the following day.... not quite sure how that worked.... ;0 BM>> ... What happens when fall in love w/ elevator operator? He lets you BM>> down. NB>> He could also bring you up, though... ;) BM> That was at the beginning of things. I suppose.... ;) ttyl neb .... Just when you think it's hopelessly broken, it works. --- EzyBlueWave V3.00 01FB001F * Origin: Tiny's BBS - http://www.tinysbbs.com (454:1/452) .