Subj : I'm not back yet.. was: To : Nancy Backus From : Barry Martin Date : Mon Nov 11 2019 09:54:00 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 we're NB> possibly getting our first snow of the year later this week... BM> And if one is smart get the shovels, ice chipper and salt out. Might BM> be a good idea to get the snow equipment for the car ready too. And BM> last Sunday while it was warm checked the air pressure in the car tires BM> and filled. NB> That was wise... ;) Looks like we'll be getting some up and down NB> weather for a while.... after the winter storm, things are NB> supposed to warm up, so the snow probably won't stay.... we shall NB> see.... the weather forecast keeps changing... :) LIS in the previous message, snowing currently, plus colder. Supposed to be another snow storm later this week. Will be using the snow stuff later this morning -- neither one of us has to go any place so will just wait until the snow has stopped before cleaning off the cars and shovelling. 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... ;) BM> I did see some small birds hopping around on the neighbour's roof the BM> other day -- guess they were eating bugs and whatever fell off his BM> tree. NB> Finding something, anyway... ;) There still are some birds NB> around... some stay the winter anyway... not sure about the geese NB> if they are in mid-migration, or come down from Canada to stay NB> the winter here... ;) The geese do stop in the area here. Remember seeing two or three on the roof; don't recall them on the ground. At the store for years had a next in the shrubs not too far from one of the entrances (!). A couple of years the next was a little too close ot the entrance so we blocked that side off ==> customers could stil get in and out on that side. The vestibule was sort of a flattended diamond with doors at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock. We closed off the 7 o'clock portion. 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... :) BM> It would tend to send up a red flag. And the degree of formality BM> depends on the source/reason. Thinking along the lines of a credit BM> card offer would want to be relatively upbeat to give the impression BM> they are the fun company to do business with. ...Then there could be BM> the other end when the credited money is past due and things aren't so BM> fun. NB> Most credit card offers I've been sent have been quite formal, NB> though friendly... Haven't had experience with the latter (and NB> hope never to have to!).... :) I'll admit to not reading them: don't need another credit card --> shred. Free/low interest advances from the credit cards we already have get kept so if we need some money we can consider the offer. As for the pay-up-or-else, haven't had to deal with those either, and don't want to. 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.... :) BM> The store where I worked originally did the Casual Friday as a reward: BM> sales, customer reviews and other metrics all up and we'd get to wear BM> jeans, etc. Went fine until some people took the casual too far: tee BM> shirt vs. polo shirt for example. NB> Of course, in some settings, even the tee shirt wouldn't be NB> considered too casual... :) True. The 'Dock Dudes' at the store would be an example. They did have to wear something a hare dressier than a tee shirt, but nowhere near the dress code for the salesfloor. Mack when ties were mandatory for the men those could have been dangerous for the Dock Dudes! 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 out NB>> of the blue from someone that was reading but not replying in the NB>> echo... Generally now, I'll only put my email out when someone asks NB>> for it, and then generally in a somewhat disguised format.... BM> Yes, it would seem logical to have an address or some sort of BM> additional method of contact in a Genealogy conference where one BM> expects to share family information. I've stumbled on old information BM> while Googling and wished there was a way to contact the person to BM> possibly get an update, or in the instance of one I'm thinking of BM> currently to give information. NB> That would be a place where having had other contact info would NB> have been helpful, too... Of course, even that might be NB> outdated... :) Though, I've had the same email address for NB> decades now, and have had the same snail address for over 40 NB> years.... ;) Yes, I don't move around much so my physical address is pretty much a constant. The Q.com address at the signature I've had for a long time. 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 dot NB>> to a period.... At the least, a lot of IF-THEN statements.... and NB>> certain assumptions would have to be made as well.... :) BM> Yes; quite sure could be done, More or less one of those quirky BM> little mental exercises I tend to do occasionally. NB> Could be done, but maybe not worth the effort to really do it... NB> :) I agree with the not worth the effort. Plus a lot of variables including the anti-spam options done by the ISPs. 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 make sure everything gets entered into the electronic NB>> one, along with the paper ones.... ;) I still find it easier to have NB>> the pocket calendar with me when I'm out, along with the phone, and NB>> just use the former for entering in new appointments.... BM> Yes; it seems the busier a person is the easier it is to have a paper BM> calendar, though that seems to work only for one or two person BM> operations. Start getting in to small businesses and the electronic BM> calendar is more convenient as multiple people need access to the one BM> schedule. NB> Which is somewhat a different situation than we've been NB> discussing... Here, to keep things simpler, Richard's designated NB> me the keeper of the schedules, so everything goes into my pocket NB> calendar, and then onto the one on the fridge (by the downstairs NB> phone extension).... And I'm the one to make sure that we don't NB> have conflicts in schedulings... :) Right, nuances as to how the calendering is done. (Yes, I just made up a word!) Here we have a 'common calendar' on the refrigerator where we (both) post appointments, etc. BM>> And the $200 rental isn't bad; as you said, peace of mind, when you BM>> knew there was a problem. NB>> Along the lines of my mother-in-law getting me AAA coverage... for NB>> HER peace of mind... ;) I've continued that for myself now that NB>> she's gone.... BM> My Mother continued the AAA coverage Dad had; not used all that often BM> but very handy when needed. I used to have coverage by AAA, also BM> didn't use it all that often (which was another reason why I was BM> annoyed with them during that period when I had a series of issues with BM> my car at the time and they threatened to cancel). My current car BM> insurance offers similar rescue coverage so cancelled the AAA as BM> duplication. NB> I get most of my money back just from the maps and triptiks... NB> and if we'd put the kid on the membership a little sooner, it NB> would have saved LOTS of money when his Jeep went into the drink NB> (drainage pond)... ;) Dunno how much rescue coverage I have with NB> my car insurance, but they did pay for most of the rental when I NB> had the car in the collision shop.... Yes, hindsight being 20/20. ...A friend called for his car to be towed from his house to the repair shop; found out he wasn't covered for towing but they could add that to his policy and if he waited a couple of days they could tow him for free. Work schedules were such this few day delay wasn't going to cause a problem so was done that way. Probably would not have been a good thing to leave your son's Jeep in the water that long! 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.... ;) BM> I do doze off: multiple short naps. My Mother claims she doesn't BM> sleep at all though I know she does. NB> Maybe she's just resting her eyes....? Or is there snoring NB> accompanying.... ;) AFAICT she's sleeping and not just sitting with her eyes closed as she tends to fidget: blanket has a crease, straighten that out. ...That moved the strap on her purse, so fix that, ...Now something else doesn't look right. 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.... ;) BM> And with a long-term relationship multiple ups and downs?! NB> But of course... :) At least not all one-way like with an escalator operator. NB> ... "At last I'm organized." he sighed and died I don't know why but that one's funny! Not ROTFL funny; more humourous funny. ¯ ® ¯ Barry_Martin_3@ ® ¯ @Q.COM ® ¯ ® .... 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