A Ham By Any Other Name ~~

…is still a ham, a ham radio operator, that is.

Someone I didn’t even know did a “reply all” email in response to one I’d received from an old friend of mine.  Because of that, I received the response, too.  Now, his response was very serious and had to do with the Egyptian govt conflict that has been going on for 17 days.  But that wasn’t what caught me.  No, it was the signature.  The first part showed that he was a professor of English, but the second part showed that he was also a ham radio operator and gave his airwave call letters. That’s what got my mind running down the garden path, and to explain this, I’ll just paste my response and there won’t be any question as to why “a ham by any other name is still a ham”.

                                              

_________________

Howard, I was one of the recipients of your “reply all” email . I am writing only to thank you for the nudge into a great, great memory.  When I saw the call letters ky6la, my old self went roaring back to my childhood spent in my dad's "radio room".  If he were living today, he would be 100 yrs old.  Like you, he built his ham radios and actually anything else that was or could be, wired in any way.  We said goodbye to many pine trees in the yard after they were struck by lightening due to all the conglomerations of wires from tree to tree.  It wasn't too funny back then, but today I am getting a really good belly laugh with the memories.  He was W4CRG, and the best part was listening to him say, "This is W4CRG, W4- Charlie, Roger, "Joe-ige". Ha.  He was a good 'ol Richmond, Va., boy, born and raised. Where the "Joe-ige" came from is anybody's guess.

I'd sit in that room for hours and every once in a while be allowed to speak into the microphone. I tried very, very hard to learn Morse code but got nowhere. I could "say" my name with dits and dahs (still can), but could never tap it out. Ah well.  But, I digressed for a second there -- back to the Joe-ige.  The best response I ever heard came about like this:

Dad : "This is W4CRG, W4- Charlie, Roger, Joe-ige"

Someone-somewhere's response:  "What??" 

Dad:  “This is W4CRG, W4- Charlie, Roger, Joe-ige”

The someone's response: "What's Joe-ige?"

Never being one to mince words, Dad yelled into the mic: "What the hell’s the matter with you? JOE-IGE!  g-e-o-r-g-e, JOE-IGE!"

Well, I was old enough to get it and I swear my mother was still laughing a week later.

So Howard, without you even knowing it, you made my day :D

Jenny

                                                  

Only info, no need to reply...

Just a note to keep everyone up to date. If I'm not around for the next week or 2, it's because tax season is upon me. Much to do. Unfortunately it keeps me from blogging or visiting. Will be back soon, take care :)

Look Out, She’s Going to Blow!

I am blowing a gasket. REALLY blowing a gasket here. It takes a lot to make me blow but today is the day.  If I don't write about it, I'm afraid I'm going to make a call that I'll be sorry for later.  So....here's the story:

December, 2009 -- that's right 2009, I made a loan to a person that I'd known for years. They were in financial trouble like many in the country and he said that he'd repay the entire amount 2 weeks later with his tax refund. Now I should have realized that if he had a refund coming, he wouldn't have it in hand that fast. Still I made him the loan. Gee, I’m such an angel.

January, 2010, and no mention of the payment; February, no mention. In March, I asked him where my money was. He said he didn't have it. I said what about that tax refund and he said....oh, get this....the check was late and he's still waiting for it (In March? Remember this excuse for later).  I asked why he didn't even bother to mention that he might be late in repayment and he said he was "too embarrassed".  Soooo, he says give him another month.  The next month came and went, and the next and so on. In September, I asked for my money and this time he said he hasn't been working and so doesn't have it.  I reminded him of an email he sent in July patting himself on the back for the new job he got.  Ha. More excuses. He said he had "other" bills to pay. What am I? Chopped liver? OH, and there's more. Right after I made that loan to him, I also loaned him one of my cars, yes, my car, because the poor thing had his repossessed. THEN, I gave him and his wife the most gorgeous handmade complete dining room under the sun, table, chairs, huge china cabinet, console, mirrors, dishes, decorator items, you name it. Let's just say it took a truck to load it all up for them.

Then October rolled around and I got a ticket in the mail. What? A ticket? And from another state!  Ah ha! There is a photo enclosed because it's one of those traffic cameras. There he is, pretty as a picture, in MY car and speeding. Now the ticket was in MY name and I wasn't even there.  I got in touch with every law enforcement there was and the courts, too.  I got  notarized statements galore showing I hadn't even been in possession of my own car since Jan. 2010. I gave HIS name, address, phone, email, everything but his birth mother to the officials. Then I called him and let loose. He knew I meant business and swore he'd go to those officials and fess up and pay the ticket and have it on his name instead of mine.  Do you think he did it? Need I even answer that? So now I am doubly fuming. Here's what he did do:  he sent ME a money order for the amount of the ticket. Whoopdedoo. Then a month later he says he 'forgot' to go by the officials and straighten it all out.  I am fit to be tied.

          GUILTY!!

In December, I had him come over on some pretext or another when in reality I had a promissory note waiting for him and a set date and amount for him to pay each month. Signed, sealed and delivered, or so I thought.  We are now a year and 2 months later and I have received ONE payment covering 2 months.  The most recent fiasco was the date due of Dec' 15th.  No payment. I email. He says that he hasn’t had any pay check because….yes, refer to the beginning of this insanity…of the snow and the holidays! That all the companies were behind in making out checks, but he makes a counter-offer and says he can pay Dec and Jan.'s payments on Jan. 26th, 2011.  On the 26th I get an email saying he's walking out to his mailbox to drop it in for the mailman to pick up. Are you kidding me.  I emailed immediately and told him that he needs to drop that into MY mailbox instead.  We are now 1 week and 2 days after that and no payment has arrived. Am I surprised? Not in the least.  I have sent an email saying that I know he lied and that that is what he has continuously done for over a year. I said that 'should' the payment show up tomorrow by some miracle, I will see the post mark and that will show beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has once again lied. You see, this man is a minister. Yes, a minister;  and he signs all of his emails, Minister "so and so". My last words to him were that I couldn't believe he had the nerve to sign anything with that title, that it was an affront to the position.

I will be so glad when ("if") this loan is finished. He will never be welcome in my home again and better not even think of contacting me for anything. That old saying about loaning money to friends is RIGHT. Do not do it.  Either GIFT the money or walk away FAST.
Ok, end of my rant.  I feel better.  Thanks for listening.

                                          

Some People Should Just Apologize To The Sanity God ~~

Obviously I haven’t made a post in a while but I have been around to see all of you and enjoyed every word you wrote. I really don’t have any valid excuses as Lee is home and not needing as much right now. She was in chemo all of this past week and when that happens, we load her up with goodies and then leave her alone to sleep for the week. Her chemo is 6 straight days at 6 hrs each and you can imagine how that would wear a body out.  Well, I just talked to her because I didn’t hear from her yesterday. She’s back in the hospital. Her counts were wayyyyy down and she’s having blood pumped into her.  This is not the first time and I’m sure not the last, but it does take an entire night to complete. Tomorrow she’ll go back home and sleep for the rest of the day and then I’ll go over the day after that.

I am SO glad she didn’t need me today as the county trucks were in the road in front of my house again and digging to China. There was no way to get out of my house until later in the afternoon and even then I had to back over part of my own yard to make it around one of the trucks.  No matter, I did it. I headed out to find pet-steps for Sam. Three stores later I had them and also a turbo track toy and a new feather wand for the 2 of them. As I was driving down my own street, in front of me was one of the “cut through” drivers that we have complained about so many times. This gal is about 35 and drives a late model Lexus SUV and man, she thinks this neighborhood road is hers alone. Every day like clockwork, she comes flying down and only slowing for the speed bumps that were put into place because of people like her. Now the thing is, it was very plain that 4 very large trucks were taking up the entire street right in front of my house. There was NO way around them. What does she do?  She pulls up very close to the trucks, sits and waits as if they are going to change their entire day and move their trucks for her to cut through. She keeps on waiting, and THEN…blows the friggin’ horn at them!  I couldn’t believe my eyes. She actually thought they were going to do her biding. Well, the guy on one of the trucks jumps down and goes barreling up to her car.  My window was down and I could see and hear them.  He’s telling her to back up and go back where she came from. She’s saying for him to move the GD trucks so she can get through. He asks if she lives on the street and she says it’s none of his business and to move the trucks.  He repeats to her to back up or sit there forever.  She starts backing up and I’m almost in tears from laughing and also so grateful to the trucker.  As she eases past me, I looked at her and said, “Are you completely insane? Did you really expect the world to come to a standstill for you? It’s not even YOUR street!” One dirty look from her and she hit the accelerator and barreled up the street. I hoped she’d hit the speed bumps and  tear out the bottom of her car.  Anyway, the trucker remembered me and waved me into my own driveway and then said to me, “Can you even believe that idiot woman? I know you heard it all.”  I said I was glad he was here and applauded what he did.  I said maybe he could come back every day and just wait for her.  He grinned and went back to work happy.

I wish I had more to say but I don’t. I think of all sorts of things to talk about in the middle of the night and really should jot them down.  Some of them are super ideas but I forget all about them the next day. Plus, and I have to be honest and admit to this, the cat-blog has suckered me in until I’m not even sure if the litter box is Sam and Lucy’s or mine. Caught up? Oh yeah. In fact, Sam & Lucy have declared our Beth as their Aunt Beth! It’s just getting deeper and deeper, I know. At one point, there was even a semi-love affair in the works between Lucy and a Mr Puddy.  I have lost it entirely.  Do you know what’s said instead of “Omg”?  It’s “Omc”….that’s “oh my cod” for the uninitiated.  I think I’m on the verge of needing real help.

Ok, humans, that’s it’s for now.  Dinnertime.  Oh, before I forget. Sam turned up his nose at the pet-steps, loved the turbo track for 20 minutes, and has hidden the new feather wand. As to the title of this post, did you really think I was speaking of myself?

XOXOXO