Subj : I'm not back yet.. was: To : Nancy Backus From : Barry Martin Date : Wed Nov 06 2019 08:52:00 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 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! NB> I'm a little less than a week behind at the moment... ;) And NB> we're possibly getting our first snow of the year later this NB> week... And if one is smart get the shovels, ice chipper and salt out. Might be a good idea to get the snow equipment for the car ready too. And last Sunday while it was warm checked the air pressure in the car tires and filled. 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! NB> Poor, poor robin.... Today's only the 4th of November... ok, NB> another week later from my message above... but I'm making some NB> progress... ;) I did see some small birds hopping around on the neighbour's roof the other day -- guess they were eating bugs and whatever fell off his tree. 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 .... NB> One would hope to not find that in business correspondance... :) It would tend to send up a red flag. And the degree of formality depends on the source/reason. Thinking along the lines of a credit card offer would want to be relatively upbeat to give the impression they are the fun company to do business with. ...Then there could be the other end when the credited money is past due and things aren't so fun. 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. NB> Exactly.... it really mostly depends on the specific workplace... NB> and how much exposure to (and expectations from) the public one NB> would be dealing with.... :) The store where I worked originally did the Casual Friday as a reward: sales, customer reviews and other metrics all up and we'd get to wear jeans, etc. Went fine until some people took the casual too far: tee shirt vs. polo shirt for example. 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. NB> When I was posting in the now-defunct Genealogy echo in Fido, I NB> regularly included my snail-mail address... one never knew what NB> cousin(s) might be lurking.... occasionally, I did get a package NB> out of the blue from someone that was reading but not replying in NB> the echo... Generally now, I'll only put my email out when NB> someone asks for it, and then generally in a somewhat disguised NB> format.... Yes, it would seem logical to have an address or some sort of additional method of contact in a Genealogy conference where one expects to share familiy information. I've stumbled on old information while Googling and wished there was a way to contact the person to possibly get an update, or in the instance of one I'm thinking of currently to give information. 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'. NB> One would also have to program in removing spaces, and changing NB> dot to a period.... At the least, a lot of IF-THEN NB> statements.... and certain assumptions would have to be made as NB> well.... :) Yes; quite sure could be done, More or less one of those quirky little mental exercises I tend to do occasionally. 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. NB> And need to mnake sure everything gets entered into the NB> electronic one, along with the paper ones.... ;) I still find it NB> easier to have the pocket calendar with me when I'm out, along NB> with the phone, and just use the former for entering in new NB> appointments.... Yes; it seems the busier a person is the easier it is to have a paper calendar, though that seems to work only for one or two person operations. Start getting in to small businesses and the electronic calendar is more convenient as multiple people need access to the one schedule. 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. NB> Along the lines of my mother-in-law getting me AAA coverage... NB> for HER peace of mind... ;) I've continued that for myself now NB> that she's gone.... My Mother continued the AAA coverage Dad had; not used all that often but very handy when needed. I used to have coverage by AAA, also didn't use it all that often (which was another reason why I was annoyed with them during that period when I had a series of issues with my car at the time and they threatened to cancel). My current car insurance offers similar rescue coverage so cancelled the AAA as duplication. 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! NB> Unless you are one that can sleep on the plane.... ;) I do doze off: multiple short naps. My Mother claims she doesn't sleep at all though I know she does. 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. NB> There are plenty of idiot drivers out there... That's true! 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. NB> We had one day recently where the low of the night before was NB> actually a little higher than the high of the following day.... NB> not quite sure how that worked.... ;0 We've also had "the high for today was at midnight": cold front comes through and the temperatures drop. Does seem odd. And earlier this week we had the day's high at 11 a.m.: cold front came through and didn't allow the temperature to continue to warm for the normal mid- afternoon high point. (And "cold front" may not be the correct term.) 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. NB> I suppose.... ;) And with along-term relationship multiple ups and downs?! ¯ ® ¯ Barry_Martin_3@ ® ¯ @Q.COM ® ¯ ® .... "I'm tired of working in a dynamite factory!" Tom exploded. --- 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) .