Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[friendperidot]

In June 1974, I was quite young and living in DC, I got my first government job with the brand new "Office of the President, Federal Energy Administration" I typed those words so many times! At that time, parts of the Treasury Department were computerized, including the part that issued checks to vendors. My job was typing the check payment information on a form that went to the Treasury to issue the checks. Had to use a specialized Selectric ball. No mistakes were allowed in the name of the vendor or the dollar amount, had to put 3 x's by those if I made a mistake and start the line over. On the addresses, I could make typos, I had to back space, had a special "blot" key that put a big black blot over the mistake, then continued typing the addresses. I did that job for a couple of years and that messed up my typing skills for decades!

[Bastet]

13 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Next to bubble wrap, the next oh-so-satisfying thing was folding the edges and tearing the paper at the perforation.

Yes!  I had quite a bit of paper left over when I got rid of my dot matrix printer, and tore off the edges so I could use it for printing drafts.  That was fun.  Tearing the individual pages apart, not as much, although I got quite a system going and make quick work of it, but folding a big chunk of edges and pulling off the strip?  Therapeutic. 

[Brattinella]

Oh, carbon paper!  What a mess!  And multiple carbon copies on a dot matrix printer (light green) which I had to separate by hand!  Good times!

I did the keypunch thing too, 80 column punch cards.  Account numbers and totals of purchase; I was the one you could hear typing like a machine!

[Silver Raven]

40 minutes ago, Brattinella said:

Oh, carbon paper!  What a mess!  And multiple carbon copies on a dot matrix printer (light green) which I had to separate by hand!  Good times!

I did the keypunch thing too, 80 column punch cards.  Account numbers and totals of purchase; I was the one you could hear typing like a machine!

I was a computer operator, and every month we had to run a monthly personnel program which required inputting thousands of punch cards.  Invariably, one or more of the cards would reject and we had to stop the input until the person responsible for maintaining the cards could come and punch a new card.  Then the program put out punch card paychecks which had to be set EXACTLY into the punch card output device, or every single one of the hundreds of checks would be invalid.  And there was a very strict maintenance of the paycheck cards, so if we screwed up, the person who maintained the program had to deal with reporting bad cards and we would have to re-punch them.

[janie jones]

7 hours ago, mojoween said:

When I started working at a discount department store (Ames, which no longer exists), for our training we learned on registers that had the numbers capped and for the first few days of our training we did number typing exercises. 

Had the numbers capped?

 

5 hours ago, mojoween said:

Oh oh oh I forgot one more anecdote...I had left Ames and went to work at another discount store called Caldor’s and the number pad on their registers was upside down!  It was like a phone pad instead of a number pad.  Most frustrating job I’ve had.

Looking back on it, when we opened our bank account, I'm pretty sure the reason I messed up my PIN was that the keypad we put our PINs into was backwards and I wasn't looking at the numbers. 

[mojoween]

All of the numbers on the pad had opaque caps on them so you couldn’t see the numbers.  The five cap had a little dot on it (just like the f and k on a keyboard and the five on a number pad) so you knew where to place your finger at the start when you did the exercises.

It would be something like “enter in SKU 159159357 for 4.99”.  You would repeat that a bunch of times and then go to the next exercise.  

Much like in typing class when you typed “asdfjkl;” nine million times.

[xaxat]

13 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I loved the smell of mimeograph paper.  : )

[Ohwell]

That's hilarious!  I swear, it was like a drug.

[Ohwell]

12 hours ago, friendperidot said:

In June 1974, I was quite young and living in DC, I got my first government job with the brand new "Office of the President, Federal Energy Administration" I typed those words so many times! At that time, parts of the Treasury Department were computerized, including the part that issued checks to vendors. My job was typing the check payment information on a form that went to the Treasury to issue the checks.

Now I'm thinking about those wonderful blueish/greenish government paychecks in the brown envelopes that I got every other week. *sniff*

[Prevailing Wind]

Quote

Tearing the individual pages apart, not as much, although I got quite a system going and make quick work of it, but folding a big chunk of edges and pulling off the strip?  Therapeutic. 

I'd always flip the stack over and start tearing from the last page forward to the first. That way, you didn't have to turn each page over for the stack to remain in the proper order; you'd just rip & stack, rip & stack. Folks I worked with thought I was nuts until they saw how damn efficient it was and non-injurious to one's wrist.  Gee, those were crazy days.

[friendperidot]

Peachesatour, I've bought mostly slides, so easy when you take your shoes off all the time so you can sit on the bed, and since I'm pretty much stuck in the bedroom, I sit on the bed, I have a couple other styles, I like the Mary Janes, but they're not the ones I wear all the time. Anyway, I buy most of them on Amazon, I have Prime, and use it a lot, since I am also without a car, it allows me to shop. Search Amazon for canvas, embroidered shoes and it will open a whole new, wonderful world. So many styles, colors, bright colors. I bought a pair for my sister, she wears size 13, I was limited to 2 styles of slides. I wear size 6, they're all available in my size. They don't come in half sizes, and they tend to run small, so if you wear a half size, go up. And they are listed in Asian sizing, so look at the size chart. It usually takes 2-3 weeks for them to arrive, be patient. But they are so very cute. Wore a pair to pick up prescription, coming out, a woman noticed and we had a 5 minute talk about what they were and how to get them. Mostly they run $20-$30. Oh, and they're not good for walking distance, when I have to walk to the store, I wear the lace up sneakers. But they sure are cute. There's a couple other websites I've seen them on, but since all my computer problems this week, I've not been seeing all the ads as usual, they'll be back, I'm sure.

[peacheslatour]

Thanks friendperidot! I wear a size five in US sizes so if they run small, all the better. You can't believe how hard it is to find size five shoes. 

[mojoween]

I wear about a womans 6 to 6.5 and find for sneakers boys size 4-5 are perfect and girls 5 are usually too except that most girls shoes look like they’re for...girls.  And I buy kids gloves too because the fingers are always too long in ladies small.

The rest of me, unfortunately, is not that small.  Well sometimes I can get away with boys 14-16 at Old Navy because their clothes run big.  

@friendperidot size 13?  In ladies?!?

Edited January 8, 2018 by mojoween

[friendperidot]

yes, she's always had big feet, my parents had problems keeping up with her growing feet when she was a kid, her feet would hurt, she'd take off the shoes, threw one out of the car window one time when we were on a family trip. Those were the days when we got 2 pair of shoes a year. My parents were beyond pissed! My aunt and uncle were teasing her, hid one of her shoes and told her they threw it out the window, so she threw the other one out the window, logic from a 4 yr old. But to this day, she doesn't like wearing shoes, it's hard for her to find ones that fit. Doesn't help that she weighs nearly 300 lbs, all that weight makes your feet bigger. She's about 5'2". Anyway, she wears these slides I got her more than any other shoes. I got them because I hate those orange crocs she favors, these are a denim blue, have an embroidered elk in gold, not really obnoxiously noticeable. 

For me, I have blue, black, tan, I have peacocks, all kinds of floral themes, the brighter and more obnoxious and noticeable, the better I like them. Once upon a time, when I was young and weighed under 100 lbs, I wore a size 5, but alas, I got old, gained weight and my feet got larger. Also, we have a family trait of the second toe being longer than the big toe and when we get shoes long enough to accept that second toe, we are happier. And I had gone up to a 6 1/2, but after losing nearly 35 lbs now, I'm back to a 6. Don't think I'll be getting any smaller feet at this point in my life.

There are limited in the colors, blue, red, black, tan, sometimes green and a few in pink for the base colors, but the embroidery is bright and colorful. And being canvas, there's some give in the fabric.

Editing to show link for my favorite pair. These were my first, I got them in blue, then in tan, I want a black pair. I recently bought a second blue pair because the first pair is filthy. I like how they come up a little higher on the foot. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XDQLM3S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edited January 8, 2018 by friendperidot

[Bastet]

28 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

threw one out of the car window one time when we were on a family trip. Those were the days when we got 2 pair of shoes a year. My parents were beyond pissed! My aunt and uncle were teasing her, hid one of her shoes and told her they threw it out the window, so she threw the other one out the window, logic from a 4 yr old.

That made me laugh; I hope they were pissed at your aunt and uncle rather than her.

I wear a size 10 and never have trouble finding shoes (it was a little hard for my mom when I graduated to adult sizes before I was ready for adult styles), but that seems to be the cut-off line; my best friend wears an 11, and she's sometimes limited in options.  I imagine at size 13, your sister doesn't have a ton of cute styles available to her, although online ordering probably helps.

[bilgistic]

I'm reminded of Peggy Hill on King of the Hill. I had to look it up: she wears a 16 on one foot and a 16.5 on the other. There are a couple of episodes that focus on the topic, which is a sore spot for her, but doesn't bother her husband or family, who love her just as she is. She finally finds a shoe store that can accommodate her. I won't spoil it, because it's such a fun, clever and good-hearted show. I recommend it to everyone.

[friendperidot]

for reference, my sister was 3 or 4 when that happened, I'm 6 yrs older and my aunt was about 7 or 8 yrs older than me and my uncle was less than 2 yrs older than her so I guess it would have Alice about 17 and Everette about 19 when that happened, teenagers, lol. I don't remember specifically who my folks were angry with, probably the whole bunch of us! But my Aunt Alice and my Uncle Everette joined my parents in that great unknown, where ever it is, this past year. Alice and I had been estranged since my Dad died in 2000, I hadn't seen Everette since my Dad's funeral. But I will miss them both. Alice and I did talk a little after my Mom died and we somewhat made amends. Families are such a damn big mess, sometimes.

Yeah, my sister doesn't have a lot of cute shoe choices, but I wish she'd ask my help before she tries to buy them, I have much better taste! lol

Edited January 9, 2018 by friendperidot
I am 6 years older, not 6 years old!

[mojoween]

As I finished last weeks issue of Entertainment Weekly I noticed an ad for “The Resident” on the back and although I’ve seen nine million ads for it (I watch a lot of garbage on FOX), I have no interest in actually watching the show.

And it occurred to me it’s because I have no idea who the main actor is; I’ve never seen him in anything that I can recall.  Yet when I saw ads for “9-1-1,” and saw Connie Britton, I was in.  Also, I like procedurals, so I probably would have anyways, but Connie sold it.

Conversely, “SEAL Team” isn’t a show that’s really my bag, but put David Boreanaz in anything and I am more than there.  I never watched Buffy or Angel, but I was a devoted “Bones” viewer from day 1 and it is one of my favorite TV series OF ALL TIME.  SEAL isn’t bad, but I’ll stick with it because again, David.

I watched “SWAT” in the Stone Age of the 70’s, but not the movie, but I would watch the new show even without hot as hell Shemar Moore but he helps.  

It’s just funny to me how hard commercials have to work to get you interested in what they are selling, no matter what it is.  

My husband watches “The Good Doctor” and I have no idea how he even heard of it because the only other thing we watch on ABC is “The Goldbergs” and my husband only watches that if he’s in the room when I’m watching it.  It’s not like he watches enough TV to know who Freddie Highmore is, but he does know who the older guy is, he was on “The West Wing”, I think? which the hubby streamed on Netflix.

[AuntiePam]

4 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Conversely, “SEAL Team” isn’t a show that’s really my bag, but put David Boreanaz in anything and I am more than there.  I never watched Buffy or Angel, but I was a devoted “Bones” viewer from day 1 and it is one of my favorite TV series OF ALL TIME.  SEAL isn’t bad, but I’ll stick with it because again, David.

Buffy and Angel are very much worth watching.  I like Boreanaz too, but none of the network shows that focus on the military or law enforcement interest me.  Actually, I'm biased against network dramas in general.  Part of it is because the writers are writing for TV, so they write with commercial time in mind -- they want to make sure we don't change channels during the break, so there'll be artificial drama or a mini-cliffhanger.  Bugs me.

The cable shows don't seem to do that so much.  They have more "limited commercial interruptions" or they'll have 10-15 minutes of action before a break. 

[Jaded]

3 minutes ago, mojoween said:

As I finished last weeks issue of Entertainment Weekly I noticed an ad for “The Resident” on the back and although I’ve seen nine million ads for it (I watch a lot of garbage on FOX), I have no interest in actually watching the show.

And it occurred to me it’s because I have no idea who the main actor is; I’ve never seen him in anything that I can recall.  

The main actor's name is Matt Czuchry. I first came to know him as Logan Huntzberger on Gilmore Girls where he played one of Rory's long term boyfriends. He then went on to The Goof Wife for that show's run as Cary Agos. Those have been his two longest TV roles. 

I might try and watch "The Resident" since he's in it. I haven't really watched many medical shows since my Mom died. I think going through so much real life medical stuff wore me out when it came to watching it on TV. 

I've been enjoying S.W.A.T so far too. I first saw Shemar Moore as Malcom Winters on The Young & The Restless years ago. 

[mojoween]

6 minutes ago, Jaded said:

I've been enjoying S.W.A.T so far too. I first saw Shemar Moore as Malcom Winters on The Young & The Restless years ago. 

Me too!  I was at my mom’s house recently and was looking through a soap magazine she had and it was so funny because  some of the people from Y&R I recognized (like Nikki, Victor, Nick, Ashley, Jack) and most of the rest I was like “who ARE these people?”  ‘Course, I haven’t watched Y&R since I was on maternity leave twenty years ago.  

[peacheslatour]

Shemar Moore was great in Criminal Minds. I gave 9-1-1 a try but it just made me want to watch Emergency! which was worlds better. YMMV

[Ohwell]

42 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Shemar Moore was great in Criminal Minds. I gave 9-1-1 a try but it just made me want to watch Emergency! which was worlds better. YMMV

Yeah, I watched 9-1-1 for the first time last night and I was underwhelmed.  I won't be watching anymore.

[Brattinella]

I watched every episode of "Bones" until they made the same mistake as "SVU". Babies.  Ruined them for me.

[peacheslatour]

7 minutes ago, Brattinella said:

I watched every episode of "Bones" until they made the same mistake as "SVU". Babies.  Ruined them for me.

Yup.

[Annber03]

Yeah, Shemar was the main draw for me to watch "S.W.A.T.". I probably wouldn't have checked that show out otherwise. But it's not been too bad thus far, actually.

And Highmore was the main reason I checked out "The Good Doctor", but I've come to love the rest of the cast just as much as I do Highmore on there. I'm really enjoying that show in general :). For the most part, having somebody I know and like in a show is definitely the best way to get me to watch it. But there's been a few shows here and there I've checked out either because family or friends happened to be watching them, and I'd catch a few episodes as well and wind up getting hooked myself (that's how I got into "Criminal Minds"), or because the ads for the show made it sound really interesting, too. 

Edited January 13, 2018 by Annber03

[peacheslatour]

Quote

or because the ads for the show made it sound really interesting, too. 

Lol, that's what got me to watch 9-1-1. They used Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus in the promos.

[Annber03]

Nice :D. Yes, a good song choice certainly doesn't hurt matters, either!

[Cobalt Stargazer]

4 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Yeah, I watched 9-1-1 for the first time last night and I was underwhelmed.  I won't be watching anymore.

Crap, I missed the pilot episode.

[Brattinella]

2 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Crap, I missed the pilot episode.

Very sad shows thus far.  Tragedy everywhere.

[Prevailing Wind]

17 hours ago, Brattinella said:

I watched every episode of "Bones" until they made the same mistake as "SVU". Babies.  Ruined them for me.

It's not like Brennan was all gooey-eyed at the thought of kids beforehand. It was just a stupid thing stuck in there to appease some of the fans.  You know who else got ruined by a baby? Mad About You. Paul and Jamie had to hire a DOG WALKER because they had no time to walk Murray. How the hell were they gonna take care of a baby?

Personally, I think Boreanaz is a terrible actor, but I'll give you he's nice eye candy...but that's not really why I watch a show.  I'm not sure why I ever watched Bones (in syndication) because I rolled my eyes through almost all the episodes I saw. (It was before I got a Roku Stick and could stream stuff *I* wanted to watch.) I do still pine for L&O (Mothership) though.  But I have other things to do on my day off of Wednesday, so I can't sit there & watch ION's L&O marathons each week.

[mojoween]

The only reason Brennan had a baby was because Emily Deschanel was pregnant in real life (both times, actually). I still have no idea why they couldn’t have just hid her pregnancy; Booth and Brennan could have gotten together the same way without throwing a kid in there.  Besides, Christine was annoying.

Other than that, while the eye roll factor is high I can admit, I just adore that show so much.  

[ABay]

I've watched a lot of dreck because I liked an actor who was in it. Currently, I'm watching Blindspot, a show I ditched back in season 1, and Arrow, a show I never watched. And judging by what I've seen, was wise not to. I'm glad when actors I liked get paying gigs but wish the roles were on shows I'd watch even if they weren't in them. But that's the lot of a fan. Sometimes I think I should start a podcast called "When bad roles happen to good actors." 

[mojoween]

My husband watched the first season of “Blindspot” and when I mentioned to him there was a conflict with another show on the DVR he told me to cancel “Blindspot”.  He said it started out ok but then got ridiculous.

He’s still hanging in on “Scorpion” even though I grumbled that he was forcing me to watch an hour of Monday Night Football on the iPad because “Scorpion” and “The Good Doctor” are on at the same time, but he’s almost ready to erase “Scorpion” too.

I have no idea how we watched TV when we were cavemen.  I mean, you could only set the VCR to record ONE show at a time, and if you missed it, well hope you catch the summer rerun!

Edited January 15, 2018 by mojoween

[Moose135]

24 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I have no idea how we watched TV when we were cavemen.  I mean, you could only set the DVR to record ONE show at a time, and if you missed it, well hope you catch the summer rerun!

I remember the Dark Ages, before VCRs and Internet forums to discuss and catch up on shows you missed.  And get off of my lawn, kid!

[smittykins]

Yeah, you had to have your butt in front of the TV to watch it in real time, and if you missed it, tough toenails, kiddos!

[bilgistic]

My mother HATES that when I visit, I evaluate things that happen in whatever we happen to be watching or the shows I know we both watch. She'll exasperatedly huff, "It's just TV! It's make-believe!" Not for some of us, Mom.

[xaxat]

9 hours ago, Moose135 said:

I remember the Dark Ages, before VCRs and Internet forums to discuss and catch up on shows you missed.  And get off of my lawn, kid!

I remember when I was the remote control that my parents used to switch between our three channels.

[mojoween]

Argh!  I’m innocently reading the paper today, and on the last page is an article about “Black Lighting”.  Now I’ve seen tons of press about this but somehow managed to not see the cast.

Imagine my dismay to read the caption and see the star is none other than Cress Williams.

So I angrily got up and grabbed the remote and set the DVR and not only am I irritated that I now want to watch this show SOLELY because of Cress, I had to change my recording of “The Challenge,” a show I adore, because “Black Lighting” and “This is Us” don’t repeat.

I need to stop being such a TV whore.  This shit is getting too complicated.

[LilWharveyGal]

15 minutes ago, mojoween said:

So I angrily got up and grabbed the remote and set the DVR and not only am I irritated that I now want to watch this show SOLELY because of Cress..., 

LOL, I'm in the exact same boat.  I have zero interest in the concept behind Black Lightning, but I want to watch because I liked Cress as Scooter in Living Single, lo these many years ago.

[friendperidot]

phew, what a relief, there's another show I don't have to watch! I haven't a clue who Cress Williams is, lol. Was Living Single the one about the locker room and the wait staff at an upscale restaurant? I think I saw that one 2 or 3 times. If it's not that, I'm done, obviously didn't watch it. I haven't watched This is Us, from the promos it reminds me entirely too much of Thirtysomething and the family show with Craig T. Nelson that I saw bits and pieces that was just about angst. I've never been interested in those kind of shows. I prefer a good procedural, a mystery or true crime, sometimes a not so good procedural, I still turn into NCIS for Mark Harmon and David McCallum once in a while. 

[mojoween]

I love Cress from “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Hart of Dixie”.  

I only watched one episode of “Living Single” in my life and that’s because Grant Hill was a guest star.  I still have the VCR tape of that somewhere.  

I didn’t watch “Thirtysomething” or “Parenthood,” I started “This is Us” because of a write up in Entertainment Weekly.  The first episode hooked me in a big way.

Edited January 16, 2018 by mojoween

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, friendperidot said:

phew, what a relief, there's another show I don't have to watch! I haven't a clue who Cress Williams is, lol. Was Living Single the one about the locker room and the wait staff at an upscale restaurant? I think I saw that one 2 or 3 times. If it's not that, I'm done, obviously didn't watch it. I haven't watched This is Us, from the promos it reminds me entirely too much of Thirtysomething and the family show with Craig T. Nelson that I saw bits and pieces that was just about angst. I've never been interested in those kind of shows. I prefer a good procedural, a mystery or true crime, sometimes a not so good procedural, I still turn into NCIS for Mark Harmon and David McCallum once in a while. 

We love Living Single, it's still on in syndication. It's about six African American professionals living in New York in the nineties. It stars Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Kim Fields and Erika Alexander and it's really funny with a lot of heart.

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, friendperidot said:

I've never been interested in those kind of shows. I prefer a good procedural, a mystery or true crime, sometimes a not so good procedural, I still turn into NCIS for Mark Harmon and David McCallum once in a while. 

Me too!  I'm not into angst or children back-talking their parents (or worse, calling the shots).  Mark Harmon anytime!!

[Cobalt Stargazer]

6 hours ago, friendperidot said:

 I prefer a good procedural, a mystery or true crime, sometimes a not so good procedural

I watched Body of Proof just for Dana Delany.

[friendperidot]

whoa! I forgot I posted that, came back after a few hours and wow! Cobalt Stargazer, I think I watched that Dana Delany show too, was that the one she was a coroner or pathologist? I like her a lot, especially in China Beach. Bratinella, agree, Mark Harmon is always easy on the eyes. I even watched that made for tv movie about Ted Bundy because of him.

[Jaded]

20 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

 I even watched that made for tv movie about Ted Bundy because of him.

I saw that when it was on Lifetime at some point when they showed older TV movies. I remember they would play the same music every time he got into a vehicle.

[Prevailing Wind]

I gave up on NCIS because the stories were so preposterous. I hated the way they drove from DC to Norfolk in 10 minutes.  I started watching NCIS:NOLA for Scott Bakula, but even he can't save the stupidity of the plots. I pretty much don't watch any broadcast TV except Jeopardy! anymore. But I do watch a lot of streaming stuff on Amazon and, now, Acorn.tv - all Brit stuff.  I'm enjoying the hell out of Detectorists. It's Mackenzie Crook & Toby Jones with metal detectors looking for lost Saxon treasure. LOL.

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I gave up on NCIS because the stories were so preposterous. I hated the way they drove from DC to Norfolk in 10 minutes.  I started watching NCIS:NOLA for Scott Bakula, but even he can't save the stupidity of the plots. I pretty much don't watch any broadcast TV except Jeopardy! anymore. But I do watch a lot of streaming stuff on Amazon and, now, Acorn.tv - all Brit stuff.  I'm enjoying the hell out of Detectorists. It's Mackenzie Crook & Toby Jones with metal detectors looking for lost Saxon treasure. LOL.

Another Acorn fan!  I'm watching the crime shows on Acorn, "Second Sight", just finished up the Commander.  I'll have to check out the Detectorists, thanks!

[Prevailing Wind]

I'm also loving "Vera" (Brenda Blethyn as DCI for Northumberland) and "Agatha Raisin" (comical Murder She Wrote). A friend recommended "Pie in the Sky", but I just couldn't get into it - retired cop opens a restaurant, but still has to do occasional jobs for the police.  Acorn is great!