On the average, I spend about 15 to 30 minutes on NN Monday through Friday. I work afternoons and my time is limited online during the work week. My time here is spent reading a few blogs, writing mine and looking at some naked ladies.

I try to leave nice, friendly compliments - because of time restrictions, about five a day (on the average).

Let's do some math:

5 compliments a day, times 7 days a week = 35 per week, or

(on average) roughly 150 per month and

1,825 a year. This being a Leap Year, 1,830.

How many take the time to thank me for these little compliments?

So far his year? in two and one half months so far: 1.

Generally, about 5 a year.

I'm not complaining. I know there are restrictions of time and allotted messages people have to give. I just like to 'pay it forward' with happiness that I am given every day.

And really now. For the amount of smiles I'm given on a daily basis, I think that's fair.

~

I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the Coronavirus has everyone (except baby boomers) buying up all of the supply of toilet paper.

WHY?

It seems to me that a rational person would be buying food, since workplaces and schools are closing and travel restrictions are being set.

SMH

~

For the first time since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, there are no sporting events.

Sports junkies have to be in shock (think cold turkey) and networks are scrambling to find replacement programming.

As I watched the local Indianapolis news at noon today, another staggering fact was presented:

Not only are gate receipts gone, but the effect in loss of revenue for hotels and restaurants is in the millions. And that's just in Indianapolis alone. Nationwide, it will be in the billions.

This pandemic is not only wrecking our health, but our economy and, with schools closing nationwide, our educational system.

Folks, this is getting scary, but, with everyone starting to take this seriously, perhaps we can get a grip on the situation.

Stay healthy, everyone!

~

... even without an audience.

Dedicated to the NCAA:


~

How did the penguin build his home?

Igloo it.

How do you protect yourself when attacked by clowns?

Go for the juggler.

I have been reading up on the Corona virus.

Most of the deaths have occurred in people over the age of 65.

Is God mad at senior citizens?

OR

Is it possible that the press is maybe creating a panic?

There is no cure yet, but all experts seem to agree that common sense (i.e. washing your hands frequently and sneezing into your elbow) goes a long way to prevent exposure to others... like with the flu.

Only time will tell.

For the Trump haters, this little tidbit:

The President has been exposed to the virus.

Take all of that as you will.

~

The love of my life loved the Bee Gees. This song is from their last album before they went full bore disco.


I have a bittersweet memory of her, in her panties and one of my shirts, dancing in the kitchen, singing along to this song and smiling.

(sighs)

~

Okay, yesterday I lamented my time trying to buy something from AT&T and the frustrations of a web site that was operating poorly.

Today being another day, I thought I'd give it a another shot.

I couldn't find the page I'd originally ordered from. Some pages ended in an eternal loop that went nowhere. Being the type of guy who won't take no for an answer from a computer, I spent the better part of an hour trying every link I could think of, to no avail.

Finally, I caved in to what they made fun of on The Big Bang Theory: I started a chat with the dreaded customer service. 35 minutes later, after talking to two different associates, I was no better off than I had been on my own.

They couldn't find what service I was trying to order.

They kept trying to tell me my only options were about $35 to $40 higher than what I had seen with my own two eyes.

One of them (wrongly) told me I had to pay off my phone brand new before I could order any other services, making me demand to speak to his supervisor.

Finally, I thanked the supervisor (who was also trying to get me to pay for a higher amount for services I didn't need... and added phone lines, when there is only one of me), told them I'd look into it on my own and closed the chat area before logging off their sight.

I had thought of something that just might work.

I opened up my Bookmarks. I searched through where I'd been on the internet for the past week and finally found the page I'd started from 4 days ago. I clicked on the link and there it was, just like I'd remembered. Just waiting for me to place my order... $35 to $40 dollars cheaper than what was being pushed on me.

So I bought the upgrade I need, then drove by where I work and field tested the upgrade. Everything worked perfect and I am ready to go for Monday, when I return to work.

As I wrote in my previous blog 'Two Tier', I needed an upgrade for data usage so that I could use the new company app to sign in/out of work and get around their restricted WiFi.

It was supposed to be a simple thing that wound up feeling like I had been pulling teeth without anesthetic.

The deed is now done. On to the next hurdle.

~

Extremely frustrating when you're actually trying to buy something from the phone company and every time the screen is supposed to switch to where you want to go, it gets stuck in a loop.

For... the... last... TWO... DAYS!!!

I rarely say this, because I try to use my language skills instead of getting gutteral,

BUT

AT&T, YOU SUCK!!!

I have, ever since I can remember, always been fascinated by clocks. I was told that as a baby, I would stare and reach out for my Grandparent's clock as it chimed the hours. In school, I became a clock watcher, not for wanting the classes to end so much as watching that second hand move, counting off the seconds of every minute. My late father received a medium-sized wind up clock for his first 25 years of service at his job and it was proudly displayed in the living room of my parents house. Whenever my parents went on vacation, I would drop by the house to see if any bills came in the mail that needed paying, or I would shovel snow in winter and mow the lawn in summers. And yes, I would make sure that clock was properly wound.

I find the tick-tick of a clock to be soothing and will sometimes turn of all music or television sound to just listen to the steady ticking as I sit in my recliner.

One of the joys I had as a young man was when I worked for about a year as a furniture deliverer. Not the sometimes physically challenging lifting of heavy furniture, but spending time transporting and setting up the grandfather clocks customers bought. The owner of the store loved clocks, too and had a rather large clock department. Seeing that I loved those clocks, I was eventually given the job of maintaining those clocks, making sure they were properly set and wound. The first and only real thing I missed about the job when I moved on to something else was the care of those magnificent clocks.

Everywhere I've lived, I've kept an old fashioned alarm clock with me, the type with the bells on top and the little hammer between them that travels back and forth if you set the alarm.Generally, it has always been displayed somewhere in the living room. If the power goes out, that's all you hear is the ticking. When the power comes back on, it has been sometimes used to tell me what time to to set my other clocks. It's a nice little wind up clock I received as a present and has outlasted relationships, automobiles, jobs and even the person who gave it to me. It is a small thing, but one of my prized possessions.

I now own two small smart clocks. One in the bedroom and one in the living room. They remove the hassle of resetting the clocks should there be a power outage, or if I should forget about the time changes twice a year. My favorite is still the little wind up job and it's usually my first look for the proper time.

Tomorrow I am buying a new wall clock. It has the proper clock face, with the numbers for the hour and a proper second hand that clicks off the seconds. The different feature it has will be a blue neon ring around the clock so that you can see it in the dark. I'm quite sure that it will become a conversation piece for friends and family when they visit. I can hardly wait to set it up.

It's about time.

~