Hi Sandy
Place holder!

Is that similar to a phrase I heard the other day which I had not heard before, 'Marking my spot'.

If so is new sort of computer language?

Kelly

Hi Johann Mc
Not sure I add a lot to the discussions, though I try to show interest in as many discussions as I can.

Thank you for telling me about your Mothers Fathers family name and the link to England.  And it is good through Facebook that you received information on the family.

Regarding where I live on the Isle of Man, many people I meet think that I or Manx people are related to families in Ireland or that we are Irish.

But most Manx people are Manx and we have own our heritage and cultures. 

Kelly

Thank you Johann. I've never forgotten that visit and how sweet your smile!

Now for those still thinking about a trip....or perhaps more.....

http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/alaska/reasons-to-marry-ak/

Hi angel
Have you changed your name again!

Kelly

Hi Everyone
Time to retire as 2.0am.

Goodnight

Kelly

ANGELFACE, how scary to read about your finding the needle between two items on the shelf.  Goodness, why would anyone be so rude to put it there, unless they hoped someone would stick themselves with it.  I am certainly glad you washed your hands good... Sorry the employees made you feel badly, but I suppose it was important to make you realize you should not have handled it. 

JOHANN, what a moving experience you had seeing the light beaming don on the boat that appeared to make a cross.  That is a wonderful story and it is something you will never forget seeing.  It gives me a very nice picture in my mind.

Pleasant dreams to all.

Jenny

Johann, first save your Facebook picture on the desktop of your computer and from there it will be easy to transfer to  S&F in your profile.

Hi Bubble
I have not got Facebook.  Not sure I want it either!

Kelly

 Hi everyone.  It is another bright, sunny and calm morning and it should be a great day for the beginning activities at the Master's Golf Tourney. We had a much smaller number at both Sunday School and church yesterday as a lot of folks leave this area on Master's week.  The only time I plan on going over to Augusta is a little before noon today to attend a meeting.  At that time of day most folks will probably be at the golf course and off the roads.  I look forward to watching the NCAA Men's Finals in Basketball tonight.  Our stair lift signaled us that all is not well so will have to get hold of the company to get someone here to fix it.  This is the second time in just over a year and each service call is at least $200.  Needless to say we are not very happy with what was suppose to be the best stair lift made.

Gloriade, there certainly was no minimum wage when you started working but a dollar bought a lot more than it does today.  I remember when I started to work in 1962 I made $5,700 a year and thought I was rich.  My goal was someday to make $10,000 per year and now that is in the poverty level.  The first new car I ever bought was $2,700 and that was a lot of money. 

deedee, finding that needle among the grocery items certainly would be distressing.  However, if you didn't touch the actual part of the syringe with the actual needle I wouldn't think there would be any danger.  I think the store personnel were out of line to be upset with you. Glad the manager came and apologized to you. 

JeanneP, glad it was just branches and not the whole tree coming down on your house and yard.  Those must have been some strong winds. I sure wish we had a grocery store here that featured curb side service.  However, our new Aldi's appears to be open and it is a much smaller store and we will likely do most of our grocery shopping there as it will be handy to us. 

Kelly, if you use the Quick Reply message box at the bottom of the postings to write your message you just need to click on "Preview" rather than "Post" and you will see the Emoticons, which are those funny little figures.  That is also where you will find the editing tools.  You will see how your message would look and then the box to edit your posting will appear below that and you can put the cursor where you want the Emoticon and click on the Emoticon you want to use.  If you want to highlight or change color or font on something but highlight the material first and then click on the appropriate editing command and the coding needed is automatically added.  You can preview again to see the results of your coding and when you are satisfied just click on the regular "Post" button and you will have submitted the posting.   

 

Good Morning Everyone,
from the breezy and cold,  Rocky
Coast of Maine. 
Warmer weather is on the way for the
rest of the week. 

Someone mentioned that the emoticons are
much smaller then before.....     
I agree and hope that they can be made
larger,  because I can hardly see people
features ...   

I sure hope that they can be made bigger.

Have a good week,  Everyone!
Sandy

Thanks.  I had never looked into quick reply before/

Larry, my first job in 1942 paid $75 a month, payable twice a month and I think I had to wait for that first payment.  I think we were paid the 15th and last day of the month.  I took the bus to work (tokens 12 for $1).  Eventually things were changed to being paid once a week, but that first paycheck and half of what we had been getting was hard to digest.  Yes, we got used to it!  I worked for the company two months short of 44 years.

Patricia, those were great pictures of what's available in Alaska.  I think I would have been able to make it, however, with help.  I know my nephew, Tom, would have loved to live there; he would love to move to Michigan's UP, not as rugged as Alaska, but more rugged than the lower peninsula where we live.

Rick Rammel has been working to get my Grand Haven link back and I think it is added already.  It may not be identified as Grand Haven, but if you want to see Lake Michigan, click on the link.

Mary Ann

When I went to bed Saturday night, my wifi was all working just fine.  When I got up Sunday morning, I could not get my email or go on line with either my PC or my iPad.  Suffered all day and into the night.  Chip, of course, was away for the weekend.  So he got home in the wee hours, and woke this morning to find he did not have wifi, either.  Guess what?  The modem died.  How it managed to do that in the middle of the night on a weekend with Chip not here, I have no idea.  Sometimes I really believe in Gremlins!

So Chip took the old modem to Comcast this morning and got a new one and all is fixed and here I am.  Fortunately, the local Comcast office is about 5 minutes from us.

The weather cannot quite make up its mind.  Nevertheless, coolish though it is at the moment, we have one of the most gorgeous and long lasting springs I have ever enjoyed going on outside.  We have a large cherry blossom tree (no cherries) just outside our front door, and it fills me with so much Joy.

Maryde, it is such a pleasure to hear from you.  I am so sorry you are going through this with John.  One of my daughters has a husband with Parkinson's, and my heart bleeds for what she is going through, not to mention his torments.  Well, I will remember Mary & John from New Zealand just as you were when I met you in 2001.  That was almost 15 years ago, now, and before you took in your grandchildren.

We used to have a Dairy Queen in my small hometown in Virginia, and Mama and I loved to walk the block or so down the street to get a vanilla cone.  Nothing better in this world!  Especially on a hot summer's day.

My very first job paid $30 a week.  My first car, a brand new 1950 Plymouth, cost $1,600.  My first house cost $12,500.  When we bought it, in 1953, my husband was making $2,600 a year, and I was not working, albeit as soon as I got oriented in my new situation I took on a newspaper column until I went back to work, for a newspaper, 2 years later.  I remember being jealous that my next door neighbor's husband was making $2,700 a year!  That extra $100 really made them rich, in my eyes.  Every penny counted in those days.  I wound up marrying the guy who made that extra hundred 50 years later, and after my first two husbands and his wife were all dead and gone.  Best decision I ever made!  That was Himself!

Patricia, I will never make another trip in this lifetime, but OH, how I would love to visit you.  Bob and I had planned one of those Inside Passage trips up there by sea, but then he got sick and that scotched those dreams.

I am sorry the manager of that store got upset, but really, I can partially understand.  All the mystery and crime stories both in books and on the telly emphasize how important it is not to touch evidence.  He must have been quite frustrated, but he certainly should not have taken it out on an already traumatized customer!

Sounds like one of the night shift shelfers was taking drugs on the job, and something came up that they had to hide the needle, and then they forgot about it!  Well, let us just HOPE that was the scenario.  One hates to think the needle might have been injecting a poisonous substance in a can or box of something.  With such sick minded people mingled in every ebb and flow of our society these days, anything is possible!  I shudder at it all, but am helpless to assist in the job of trying to fix it.

Mary Page that is just what happened to my modem today. When I called the service they said they closed the branch in my town and the nearest is two towns away. I told them I cannot possibly go there, so they are sending a new one - for a fee of course but only on Wednesday.

An hour ago I  tried it again and... it works! Now I keep my fingers crossed that it keeps working until Wednesday when I have to wait patiently for the delivery "sometime in the day".

Quote from: larryhanna on April 04, 2016, 08:44:40 AM
Hi everyone. 

deedee, finding that needle among the grocery items certainly would be distressing.  However, if you didn't touch the actual part of the syringe with the actual needle I wouldn't think there would be any danger.  I think the store personnel were out of line to be upset with you. Glad the manager came and apologized to you. 

Larry, it was actually angelface, in Alaska can you believe it, who came across the needle. I am in NY, and am a dyed in the wool New Yawker, so were it me, I would be writing this from the lock up. IOW, I would have gone berserk on one and all, and have been thrown in the pokey.

What an horrific occurrence, and most of all, imo, was the fact that it occurred in Alaska.

MaryPage, how do you like Comcast? Verizon suddenly decided to drop us on Frontier's lap and I am looking at Comcast instead. This is at our FL condo. Comcast informed me that they would be happy (of course they would) to take me on as a customer but they, unlike Verizon, charge for a modem for the internet. Verizon does not. With Verizon in NY, I have a modem/router (no, I don't know the difference) and get my TV and internet from the same.

I have read some really ugly comments on Comcast, but don't know Frontier from Adam.

Thanks for any feedback.

It must be the season for modems dying!  We have AT&T U-verse and it expired in the middle of the night also a couple of weeks ago.  The service tech that came said "Boy, that is an old one.  Never seen one like it before"   It was about seven years old.

Deedee, we had nothing with problems with Comcast at our previous home and this one until U-verse came into the area.  I can't remember who we had but Comcast bought them out and we were stuck with them.  We had TV and internet and both went out constantly.  My sister has Comcast also and she said she is having problems also. 

I remember the satellite dish we had when we lived in the country.  We loved having more than two local stations, but when it rained or the wind blew or whatever, the dish went out .

Mary[\b]

When we first moved into this condo, we had Verizon.  I came to hate them with a passion, and so switched to Comcast.  Well, I'll tell you:  Comcast is NOT perfect.  By no means.  But they are MUCH easier to talk to and deal with than Verizon ever was.  Basically, the attitude at Verizon was that they were doing me a big fat favor, and everything they did was justified and right.  The attitude at Comcast seems to be to want to bend over backwards to help us out.  Yes, the service goes down sometimes.  Storms, particularly.  We have land line, wifi and TV with them.  But on the whole, our attitude now is, they are all with faults, as are we, but Comcast HAS been an improvement.  I have had them for about twelve (12) years now.

Well Deedee. I was going to post a line to Larry stating, "I'm not Deedee but...And now I can't. 

Yes we do have drugs in Alaska and it is awful just like anywhere else. Actually we have more of an alcohol problem due to many Native folks and their physical inability to digest and breakdown the alcohol in their systems. Then when you mix that with the drugs that have become so prevalent, you have a worst case  scenario. Sometimes I'm surprised they don't rise up and kick all the whites out of the state for what we've brought to them!

Anchorage and some of the Southeastern communities are basically just like any other in the US, other than scenery. The Interior is more Native and large. It also has a higher rating of Europeans because of the mountains that are higher than any others outside of Everest and the many hills and valleys that are as yet unknown to us. And because the polar route, leading from Europe allows access cheaper to Europeans than to other US citizens. Anchorage's airport ranks fifth in the world for cargo and business.

Altho I do find it ironic that we lost a longstanding agreement with Germany and Sweden to test their cold weather gear and cars here each winter, in 2010. We lost some cash with that decision. Now they use Minnesota because they are so much colder now than we are.   

I changed my modem out last fall when it was no longer supported by the people who bought out Motorola. Unlike many, I buy my modem outright (but not from Comcast). I just make sure that when I buy one it is supported by Comcast. It's a lot less expensive than renting from them each month.

What went out on me a few months back was the cable box for the TV. That I can't buy, but must use the one Comcast supplies. They must all be closing stores. The one I have used for years closed, the one just across the river serves other types/areas that do not use the same kind of cable box I need, and the closest open store to me is over in Hershey. A bit far. However, Comcast sent one of their techies out with a replacement, no charge. What he replaces was the power cord rather than the whole box. The tech has had enough experience to notice that many of the cable boxes that he gets calls to replace end up being just a bad cord. He keeps extra power cords just in case.

DeeDee,.

I am not MaryPage, but I have had Comcast for a very long time.  It does cost me a lot with my Internet Service and my TV.   I have Verizon for my phone.,  I would like to change everything to Comcast,  but I would have to change my phone number, and since I have had this same number for close to 40 years, I just don't want to make that change.  I could get everything through Verizon, but then would have to change my  e-mail address. 

BUT, I did want to let you know that I had to get a new modem from Comcast about a month ago, and they wanted to charge me almost $400.  That is what it would have cost me to rent it from Comcast.  I told my son and he said he would just go buy one so that I didn't have to rent from Comcast.  The exact  modem that they were going to charge me $400 cost me $75 from Best Buy. 

So, just be careful if you change over to Comcast that you go and buy your own modem and don't let them talk you into getting it through them.  I do know that Verizon does not charge for theirs.

Hope this helps you make a decision.

Joy

Angel, that is interesting about the temperatures in Minnesota being colder than Alaska. Seems so strange, but weather patterns seem to change back and forth over long cycles. Are you just talking about lower Alaska or Alaska overall?

MaryPage, I generally have noting but praises for Comcast's Customer Service Reps. It is worth mentioning, since Joy said she bought her own cable modem too, that Comcast lists all the compatible modems on their website.

Joy

Have you asked Comcast if you can have the same number??   

If  you haven't asked,  check with them.   Many times you can take your number with you when changing providers.   

I hate all cable companies as they are ripping us off...
Often there is only one cable provider that  I  can get...

Here it is Time Warner   (which had rumored to have been
bought out by Comcast....  but perhaps that "DEAL" did not go through (hopefully)   ... 

They seem to all have us by the   .........   well,  you
know! 

Gotta go  We are having snow flurries here on the
rocky coast of Maine right now.    Only flurries,  which
melt fast.

Sandy

Recap:

Kelly I have always been Angelface555. Its because I have been on the internet for so long and in some different sites that the long name has been shortened to just Angel. Altho one of my fondest memories of Norm was that he always called me Angleface and then would always swear to correct it when pointed out. That and his wonderful bird photography.

I think what upset me about the needle incident was not the initial dressing down done by the manager and clerk. It was the fact that I had apologized twice and they still went on as if I was a not too bright child. Looking back, I think they were frightened as to insurance lawsuits and also for me as a person.

My first job other than babysitting and yard work was when I and four girlfriends formed a business and one of their fathers set us up with a business model and license. We offered babysitting, house cleaning for move ins and outs and shut ins. We also offered grocery and other pick ups. I think we charged fifty cents an hour and one dollar for each store trip. We were all shocked at how much time, money and effort we put in with the amount of cash we actually took in. We were sure that we would be rich after forming our own official business. 

My first apartment was 89.00 a month and then it went on in time to be about 100.00 per bedroom with those having cash, paying 300. to rent a house. Now it is on average 1246. per month. Alaskan utilities are twice the national average. However, the per capital income tops 50,000 so it is relative and it varies around the state and in villages. I think the rest of the US averages 44,165. But that is from 2013. You have to average out the cost of living with the per capital income.

We have two Alaskan and one Canadian internet companies here but Verizon entered the market last summer. Alaska Communications network is the one I use and they supply all equipment and service for one monthly price. I pay 77.13 for high speed wireless and I don't know how that ranks with other states. Apple has the largest percentage of phone use and GCI and ACS about even in internet usage. I have no idea what inroads Verizon may have made.

Mary, or am using the wrong name? If so I apologize. Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota are listed as the coldest states because of their severe winter weather, wind chills  and blizzards that Alaska doesn't have. In fact our championship races have suffered in recent years as we have had to bring in snow from the north slope and Canada, by rail for the race courses.

Alaska was listed as the coldest state in some past years which is why we had the cold weather European car and clothing business. I believe that Fall River, Minnesota is listed as the coldest spot but I may be wrong. Ketchican Alaska is listed as the rainiest state in the US.

I would have to say Alaska overall...but, we have four large geographical and climate areas in this state and the one I live in is, if you were to compare, from Savannah, GA. to San Jose, CA. The other three go from rain forest, think Oregon and Washington, to windswept plains on the western coast, to mountains. Each is almost like another country.

Surprisingly, we receive our warmest weather from Siberia and our coldest from Canada. Alaska has such a reputation that I often feel guilty challenging.

Quote from: MaryPage on April 04, 2016, 12:43:17 PM
When we first moved into this condo, we had Verizon.  I came to hate them with a passion, and so switched to Comcast.  Well, I'll tell you:  Comcast is NOT perfect.  By no means.  But they are MUCH easier to talk to and deal with than Verizon ever was.  Basically, the attitude at Verizon was that they were doing me a big fat favor, and everything they did was justified and right.  The attitude at Comcast seems to be to want to bend over backwards to help us out.  Yes, the service goes down sometimes.  Storms, particularly.  We have land line, wifi and TV with them.  But on the whole, our attitude now is, they are all with faults, as are we, but Comcast HAS been an improvement.  I have had them for about twelve (12) years now.

WOW. Thank you, MaryPage, MaryTX, MarsGal, Sandy and Joy. Love that about this place, the responses one gets!

I completely agree, ALL cable companies are alike, they are all price fixed, and some are worse than others. Here in Westchester, my choices are Verizon FIOS and Optimum. I recently tried to switch to Optimum, since as you say Sandy they are the epitome of arrogance, but in the end, the price would be the same and I would lose a few channels I like. Never mind that I have tons of channels in which I have zero interest. As noted, satellite is not an option, due to weather concerns.

Verizon recently threw me off of paperless billing when they 'converted' my account number, without a by your leave to me (oh but we sent you an email, no they did not) and it took me - no joke - THREE months to sort it out, including an escalation to the VP's office. Did they throw me a credit as a bone? Nope, and yes, I asked.

Therefore, when Verizon recently dumped me on Frontier - nonresponsive on Twitter, where I usually get an answer from Verizon - I decided to go with Comcast. None too stellar so far, they can't help me online, but thanks to you all, I won't be falling for their $10. a month extra charge for a modem. Brilliant, thank you.

Isn't it amazing how much better our communications got in this country after everything was deregulated? 

angelface, it was absolutely for litigious reasons that the manager freaked out. Were it NY, you would have had one of the media lawyers on your elbow before you left the store. Thankfully, you were not harmed.

Hi angel
I was getting your name mixed up I think!

Kelly

MaryPage, during the Depression, because my dad had a job (teaching), some of the neighbors thought we were rich.  I don't know if they knew he was paid part scrip and part money, but that's the way it was then.  The neighbor did not have a job and I know when my folks won some groceries, they gave them to that neighbor - they had four children, where there were only two children at our house.

We have our main Internet and phone service with AT&T but we also have U-verse and Xfinity and I pay for Xfinity to Comcast.  I think that's the way it is!  Recently I had a message from Comcast that they had added HBO to my account per my request.  I had not ordered it so called and had a long conversation with a woman who did remove it from my account.  When the bill came there was a 52c charge for removal.  I did not want to go through another long conversation and I was not going to pay 49c to mail them a letter because my net with that would be 3c.  I paid the amount.  Comcast is the provider for our condo complex TV service and I can't do a thing about it.  Actually, I have had no trouble.  I have to pay for my modem too.

Norm had Vonage here and in Florida so all he had to do was call them to tell them when to shut down one end and start up the other.  It never worked out that way, but took two or three days for things to take effect.  I forget why, but Dot has changed to Comcast and is happy so far.

Patricia, I find it ironic too that Minnesota is colder than Alaska.  My Danish ancestors settled in Wisconsin because it is much like their Danish homeland, but my grandfather went to Minnesota where he met my grandmother's family who had done the same thing, only earlier.  I think I have seen where others have called you "Angle" as well as "Angleface".  I think I like names better.  I've been in this condo over 34 years.  We have a monthly fee for lawn care, snow removal, building insurance, street lights and such.  When I moved here, it was $57 and now is $250.  When I moved here, there were 12 units and now there are 66 with a storage building.  That will not increase - no more room.

Well, I've written another book.  I think I'll look for some lunch now.

Mary Ann

good afternoon, cold and raining, but no wind.  Lot of damage all over the island yesterday, and some still without power.

Larry and MaryAnn, in 1947 my husband started working for the power co. and made 95cents and hour. the first time he went for his interview he was offord $1.25, he refused it as he was working a defence plant, and  was making fairly good amount, but they would lay off, when no contracts. Dennis was just a week old, and my mother was there and she told him go back and take the job.  You will have ins., retirement plan etc., so he listen to his MIL and went back, that job was gone, but they had grass cutter left. He took it and he worked a happy 44 years with the co. Ended up as Sub station inspector for all of Easter Long Island. Our firsthouse was new and had 3 bedrooms, cost $8500.

DeeDee, I have cablevision, we have no other choise, but so far, when i have to call them everyone has been nice to talk too.  They do keep going up Of course I have to go on another tier to have the golf channel also.

Gloria de - Our cable is Basic Plus and I do get the golf channel.  Like you, there are many channels for which I have no interest.  With U-verse, I get High Definition so I get some good pictures on the HD channels, otherwise, the people look misshapen. 

Mary Ann

   There is a quiz posted in Trivia for those who enjoy those games.

http://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?topic=95.msg2471#msg2471