I’m okay

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

Sorry. Was going to post, but woke up with a migraine-ish, then decided it was the excess cat hair causing it, so have been cleaning.

It’s that sort of day.

127 thoughts on “I’m okay”

  1. Hope you feel better soon.

    Remember, the best way to wash a cat is to squirt shampoo in the toilet. Add the cat, slam the lid, apply a heavy weight to the top of the lid. Flush once to wash, and once to rinse. Avoid being between the toilet and door when you lift the lid.
    (Looks helpfully innocent)

      1. (Smiles wolfishly)

        I’ve had to wash a half-feral cat before.
        0 of 10. Would not recommend.
        But somewhere in New York City there is a dominatrix ordering “Slave! Wash my pu***!” Followed by a crack of a whip, a cry of pain, and “The one under the couch.”

        1. By the way cool moment at work and why I am hopeful that we can win this thing from the bottom up.

          Was telling a story about the crazy turkeys on our land to a coworker (and my profession is still buggered) and mentioned I was planning on inviting some hunter friends to visit…

          ” Oooh!!! Turkey dinner!”

          I also got a great recipe for brined roast turkey.

          Never give up. America is worth saving, even if we have to rebuild her from scratch.

          2. Oregon. Not legal to hunt in our neighborhood (I guess we could take a baseball bat to one if we could get close enough). Even the ranches and farms can’t hunt them except in season.

            Yes. Turkeys are nasty and viscous.

            It was fun watching the feral cats stalk them. We were cheering for the cats. Not that they caught any. But we were cheering.

            1. Dude. Fedgov is what it is, but I did a bit of googling and Oregon has very generous turkey bag laws under the limits our conquerors (#resist) have imposed

              Get your license, and take a vacation with frens or fam on the western side of the state. Even on the eastern side you can do some serious culling.

              Turkey is delish.

              1. Oregon has very generous turkey bag laws
                …..

                True. Already in western Oregon. If one is is not in our neighborhood. While not city (yet; new neighborhoods are city) it isn’t rural either. Thus no firearm or bow discharge, or trapping, to take. Darn turkeys that hang out in the fields surround the outskirts (not that far), are taught this by prior generations. They move in every season and start roosting at night on home rooftops (where which it is technically not legal to shoo them from). The turkeys that hang out in the Willamette green belt, or county park, areas are just as safe for the same reason.

                This is similar to what used to happen hunting season when I worked a USFS presale crew. The local hunters would be out all weekend (people who if they didn’t get their in season game, did not eat meat the rest of the year. Which I sympathized with because it is how I grew up too.) Would see nothing. Come work day, we’d be in the same units that they’d been hunting. The deer would be visible throughout the units intermixing with the crew (not within touching distance but visible). The swearing was epic. Educational?

                  1. Shhhh. I throw rocks at them … They then go roost in the neighbors firs or Giant Sequoias and Redwoods … We don’t have any trees large enough for them (anymore).

            3. All dark meat. I think the one I was introduced to (it was a VERY traditional Thanksgiving dinner) was a tad stringy.
              Not fond of goose, either.
              Last close encounter with wild turkeys was at a church camp in Rhode Island. It was past breeding season but nobody told the Tom’s that. They make very effective alarm clocks. (Grin).

              2. Yeah, they take more work and attention to maintaining moisture than domesticated fowl, but I do like them! As for all the bone and tendon? Ah, turkey stock is delicious, and very rich. The last little bits of meat pulled off the carcass, cut into chunks, is not stringy and well balanced against the rest of the dish with tetrazzini, or when turned into a thick, rich soup that keeps winter cold at bay.

                1. Like any wild game turkeys can be “gamey” if not prepared correctly upon kill. (Whatever “gamey” means VS store purchased beef or turkey. I was raised on wild game, deer/elk/trout/salmon, but not turkey or duck. We only got beef or lamb if extended family butchered and the folks got some of that. I can’t tell the difference.)

      3. Imperius Prima, who identified as a Maine Coon, was very accepting of his people giving him a bath, sitting through it with great patience and not a little regret that his people thought it necessary.

        His first act once dry was to bounce out the door and find a proper dust puddle in which to wallow.
        ~

        1. My parent’s cat used to take dust baths all the time. Then lick himself clean.

          … which is one way to get your minerals, I guess?

          I really think those dust baths were what kept him free of fleas and ticks.
          Of course the dust as my parent’s place is super-fine silt that puff clouds of it into the air when it’s dry, so it probably works better for dust baths than, say, loam.

      2. Just take a shower, and leave the bathroom door open. Ours keeps trying to get in the shower all the time. Perhaps a little TOO social? Not recommended for guys, since we have dangling appendages that cats may view as toys.

      3. I notice you didn’t say anything about Valeria.

        Come, Sarah, give in to the dark side…

        1. But if you drug them they might not thrash around enough for the cleaning process!

          …And now we’re randomly discussing the flushing of cats for sanitation purposes as an engineering problem. God, I love this place. 😛

          1. You might enjoy Digger. There’s a point at which something is treated as an engineering problem.

  3. I’m a lutker, Sarah, forgive me, & look forward to your next surprise post: it’s neither good nor bad. Let it roll!+

  7. Glad to know you’re still with us. I had one of those days too… my 75 year old brother bashing into the house with the new 20 foot trailer he doesn’t know how to park or drive and that he will take with him to ‘boondock’ in the Southwest. He’s scheduled to launch in a couple of days so after that I’ll have a reduced work load, just praying for him instead of cleaning up his eff ups. Best!

    1. Ouch.

      RV Trailer VS house — um. The trailer usually loses. Do not want to boondock in bad weather with dented trailer. And do not want water to leak in behind the trailer skin. (Ask how I know … We were once novice RV’ers … We were lucky and noticed problem before more problems occured.)

    2. Has he ever boondocked before? I would seriously not want to be camped on somebody’s desert property and discover I had a leak in my water tank. (We haven’t tried it, to be fair. We like having enough electricity to keep the fridge going).

      1. We like having enough electricity to keep the fridge going
        ….

        Our fridge was electric or propane. Just needed enough power to auto-start it (could manually start, but a PIA). Hot water tank was propane with an auto start ability, but could start it manually. The power problem was with the water pumps, lights, and the furnace fan (microwave didn’t count, that was just storage). Worse the furnace fan sucked down power, which was worse when it was cold (since that is when the furnace was used it was a no win situation). We learned to have alternatives for lights (easy), and heat (easy, but took serious precautions), because there was no alternative if the batteries drained with the water pump, without hooking into either the pickup (serious precautions unless actually driving to prevent drawing down the battery), generator (not really powerful enough, but worked, for definitions or worked), or electric connection.

        1. We have a solar panel on the roof for backup, but it’s not as useful as we hoped with the 5th wheel (got to check/replace the batteries). On the trailer we took to Alaska, my beloved forgot to give them water and we discovered this dry camping in Jasper National Park ($10 for an overnight parking slot). Forty-some degrees weather and no lights or heat. At least we could cook on the gas burner…

    1. I recall at least one thing that was ‘I’m Okay, You’re [A REDACTED].’ And, well, with various experiences, I can’t say I truly disagree. And I think I did, once upon a time lost, read the damned thing. I could have spent that time better. There were many other, BETTER, mistakes to make.

  10. As your little-brother-via-duct-tape, I have to tell you… if you’re ever “okay”, I’m a gonna start worrying. Like you saying you’re “normal”, it would be a sign to start looking for seed pods under your bed or something.

      1. I thought it was shorthand for, “I am sending this message under duress, please rescue me before I give in to the urge to slaughter these schmucks.”

        Imagining a rewrite of “The Ransom of Red Chief” with an Italian mobster princess …
        ~

        1. > ““I am sending this message under duress, please rescue me before I give in to the urge to slaughter these schmucks.””

          Sarah has been kidnapped by ninjas!

          Are you a bad enough dude to save the ninjas? 😛

          1. Are you a bad enough dude to save the ninjas?

            Heh – he don’t know me very well, do he?

            WizardGuy, I’m bad enough to contemplate rhyming “schmucks” and “num-chuks.”

            Fortunately for all here, I’m trying to give up my evil ways and am clinging to that o-pun wagon with both hands.
            ~

            1. I know you better than you think. I used to post here as DGM.

              And yes, I remember your (mis)treatment of the English language all too well. I’m the guy who said it would get a restraining order on you if you kept abusing it. 😛

              1. Well, I had put that up before you informed me of the revised nom du blog, but that was essentially a product of my inability to refrain from quoting a certain wascally wabbit.

                From “Rebel Rabbit”:

                [Bugs casually strolls into the Game Commissioner’s office, and grabs him by the throat]

                Bugs Bunny: Eh, WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA OF RABBITS BEING ONLY WORTH 2 CENTS?

                Game Commissioner: STOP STEAMING UP MY GLASSES!

                Bugs Bunny: Never mind that. How come rabbits are only two cents? Huh?

                Game Commissioner: Well, other animals are destructive, harmful, obnoxious to people. They do damage.

                Bugs Bunny: Nyeh, tell me more, Doc.

                Game Commissioner: Rabbits are sweet, furry little creatures. They wouldn’t harm a hair on your head.

                Bugs Bunny: Eh, get him. Hee hee. He don’t know me very well, do he?

                Game Commissioner: Rabbits are perfectly harmless, and the bounty stands at two cents!

                Bugs Bunny: Oh yeah?
                [Bugs grabs a pen, and sprays the Commissioner with ink. He then proceeds to repeatedly slash the pen across his face]

                Bugs Bunny: Well, I’ll show you a rabbit can be more obnoxious than anybody!
                [Smashes the pen into the desk]

                Bugs Bunny: You can’t get away with it! You’ll be hearing from me!

                Tip oh the Wallaby hat to WikiQuotes for the dialogue.
                ~

              1. Yes – it has the benefit of acknowledging the one area in which women can match male muscles is in the legs.

                A 110-lb woman throwing a punch at a 240-lb man will probably hurt her more than him, but a leg sweep, head butt or choke hold is a different kettle of fish.
                ~

        3. Possible, I have so much trouble keeping up with the current code words. Mostly because the mini-griffin uses them as chew toys. Great for secrecy. Bad for memory. (Welcome back, btw, and we will take you Eeyore or Wallaby.)

    2. She could be normal, i.e. perpendicular to the surface. Alternately Our Hostess is normal for our hostess, we just need to check the control charts…

  11. @ D Jason Fleming > “Like you saying you’re “normal”, —
    Ah yes, the Odds are “not normal” by definition.

    Our youngest (of five) used to get mad at me for introducing him in his school days as “the normal one,” but I heard not too long ago from one of the other boys (they are all between 35 and 40 now!) that he eventually conceded that he was “the only neurotypical member of a very neuro-diverse family.”

    We like him anyway.

          1. There was a good meme about that that I saw once, though it did focus more on just how good Gomez has it: independently wealthy, indulging in all sorts of eccentric hobbies without caring what anyone thinks, and has great rapport with his beautiful wife! He really is one of the luckiest men in fiction, huh?

  12. Decided to play hookey last weekend and made jewelry and go thrifting with the daughter product.

    Paying for it this week.

    In other adventures, there’s a local election coming up. If you are inclined to do so, pray that those who are inspired to serve His kingdom do well

    Yes. I know that mean we might get Pharaoh 😏

    3. Or moisten the fur after washing and combing, lump into large mound, knead until it begins to felt, and create a spare cat.

      Why yes, when I emptied the vac canister yesterday, MomRed peered at the results and said in a disappointed tone, “Only one cat-worth this week?”

      DadRed [behind book]: She vacuumed on Wednesday too, remember dear?

  15. Yeah, I was asking about a Monday in January that was marked vacation on my timesheet. It was supposed to be sick, my supervisor said. The lightbulb didn’t go on until later; that was morning I wake up with the headache I’d gone to bed with the night before, and unless I want the same this Monday, I’d better finish up what I’m doing.

    Good night, y’all.

  16. Being okay is quite okay.

    You’re okay, I’m okay, Beloved Spouse is okay (for certain values of okay), even the orchestra is okay!
    ~

      1. Sigh. I am not doing a good job of keeping up with coms. Computer is getting increasingly persnickety and prone to the O/S throwing tantrum if left unattended for varying but not particularly lengthy intervals. So when it is running adequately I tend to focus o essential activities, such as updating the Spouse’s ever-changing med lists (the Thyroid med is being upped from 50mcg to 75, so out with the old and print up the revised.)

        Beloved Spouse had chemotherapy last Tuesday, has hospital follow-up visit with primary care physician this Monday, cardiac-oncologist appointment on Wednesday and in between I am on schedule to give the Red Cross a unit of RH- on Tuesday. Somewhere i there I have to call dentist and re-schedule Beloved Spouse semi-annual visit for after cancer treatments are concluded.

        On top of that are all of the normal activities of life in America as we know it. I don’t want to complain so mostly I don’t say nothin’ to nobody.

        Thanks for asking.
        ~

        1. Hey, RES. It’s DGM (I changed my ‘nym since you were a regular).

          Sounds like you need a new computer before your current one craps out, but I remember you saying money was tight. Are you okay with Linux? As the computer guy in the family I believe I have a Raspberry Pi 4 lying around. I can dig it up and see if it still works. I haven’t been using it so I’d be happy to mail it to you if it helps. I also have spare keyboards and mice if you need those.

          If that doesn’t work for you, make a donation account and ask Sarah to put up a “buy RES a decent laptop” post. I’m sure I’m not the only one willing to kick in a few bucks.

          1. Oh! Hey, DGM, nice to see you again and thanks for the offer. The Daughter swears by Linux while I swear at Windows, but I reached the stage of life where the adoption of stray Operating Systems just leaves me … bleh. I’m sure I could adapt if necessary, but I just haven’t wanted to. In me youth I thought nothing of rewriting the boot files but that was long ago. I expect Linux wouldn’t be any challenge to adapt but I’d rather a miracle heal my recalcitrant laptop.

            But you’re right, the effort to remain on the current device (laptop’s built-in keyboard is dying, the ethernet link apparently sulks several times a day and the browsers get to fighting one the other and freezing up, so I may have to give up the fight for one I could potentially win. I’ve a wireless keyboard and mouse but the desk simply isn’t configured (nor configurable) to make the outboard keyboard convenient to use.

            I’ll commune with my pride and my daughter and consider options. All offers of generosity are gratefully appreciated, for the thought if naught else, and I’ll keep any in mind.

            Hell, last prescriptions had a >$600 deductible (start of the year and should be lower until we enter the doughnut’s hole) so I’m not really in position to stand on pride where something as minor as a used computer is concerned. But NO Go-Fund-Me’s – I don’t want to write and nobody wants to receive any thank-you notes composed in my inimitable style.
            ~

            1. > “while I swear at Windows”

              Don’t we all? [rolls eyes]

              > “I expect Linux wouldn’t be any challenge to adapt but I’d rather a miracle heal my recalcitrant laptop.”

              Yeah, I don’t really care for it myself. I keep it as a fairly cheap backup for getting online in case I need it, but I haven’t yet.

              > “but the desk simply isn’t configured (nor configurable) to make the outboard keyboard convenient to use.”

              Fair enough. I’m sure Sarah wouldn’t mind putting up a laptop fundraiser post for you if you want to go that route.

              > “But NO Go-Fund-Me’s ”

              [shrug]

              Whatever works best for you. As long as it takes my bank card it doesn’t much matter to me. Although… to be safe you probably want to use a service that doesn’t screw with right-wing people and causes. Go-Fund-Me, Patreon and Paypal are all known to be trouble.

              And speaking of PayPal, are you aware of the $2,500 fine thing? If you have an account with them I suggest you close it quickly.

              1. “But NO Go-Fund-Me’s ”

                Clarification: it isn’t that I dislike the specific but rather resistance to the generic idea: I am not deserving of the largesse of friends and strangers, although I am grateful for the impulse underlying such generosity.

                Good manners forbids my expressing of views regarding PayPal’s rules. Go-Fund-Me and Patreon are welcome to take that same short walk off a high cliff.

                So make that “NO go-fund-me-type drives. I couldn’t accept, I am not worthy and would be deeply embarrassed that anyone thought I was. We’ve got belts with tightening still possible and indulgences to be quashed.

                Not a negotiable. I can still put on a suit and go sit at the interstate access ramp with a sign reading “Will account for ca$h.”
                ~

                1. FWIW, the last new computer I bought is sitting in the barn waiting for me to see if it’s willing to turn on. The active computers in the household (two desktop, one laptop) are mostly used “refurbished” Dells that I bought from the ‘zon. All currently run Linux, though they were shipped to me with valid MS Windows installs. Some are old enough to have come with Win 7, but as business machines, they are pretty reliable, and for the one desktop unit that lost a power supply, cheap and easy to replace the supply, for values of “cheap” and “easy”. (It might have been under warranty, but I’m a stubborn DIY guy.

                  The official Dell refurbished site is https://www.dellrefurbished.com/ but for reasons lost to my memory, I found what I wanted from third party vendors on Amazon. A serious geek I know deals strictly with the Dell site. Their costs for low(?) end but capable laptops seem to start around $250 right now. Cavaet Emptor, and YMMV.

                  1. I usually order the best Dell laptop I can afford every 10 years and keep them forever. Each one is running Linux, currently Fedora on the newest and Parrot on the oldest. Dell actually certifies various systems to run Linux, either RHEL or Ubuntu.

                    Also got a small off-lease Dell desktop from a refurber then loaded OpenBSD as a backup, more paranoid backup OS than Linux. Cost was low and it came with 32GB of DRAM and and SSD drive. Also has a old school serial port which is great for interfacing to older radios.

                2. As for not being worthy, etc: Do you know how much it would be worth it for this comment section to get its Wallaby-darned back?
                  You have no idea how much we miss you, do you?

                  1. I have no idea how any of the rest of you keep up with this place. The posts are daily works of insight and wisdom, to say nothing about the wide-ranging expansive comments. The double-vision which caused me to drop out (double-vision which has since corrected without surgery or special lenses, thank-you Lord) opened my eyes to how much time and energy I was investing here and how exhausted I’d become cosplaying the Wallaby instead of my customary diffident, taciturn self. Seriously, it was like Eeyore playing as Tigger!

                    I can handle stopping in for a brief visit every now and again but no way I can wallaby wegulawly.
                    ~

                    2. > “I have no idea how any of the rest of you keep up with this place.”

                      We don’t always. I’ll drop out for a week or two a few times a year when I need time off. And ladyeleanorceltic* recently vanished for an entire month without explanation. You’re allowed to take a break whenever you need it and no one will give you any grief beyond “We’ve missed you.”

                      In case you don’t know who that is, ladyeleanorceltic is a new semi-regular who showed up around the middle of last year. And she wasn’t even here a week before I noted that she was weird enough to be one of us (she wanted to turn Orvan into some kind of minotaur-dragon hybrid). So, yeah, she fits right in. 😛

                    3. What the hell? There was supposed to be an asterisk before “In case you don’t know who that is.” WP won’t let me have a lone asterisk?

                    4. WP won’t let me have a lone asterisk?

                      I dunno … test hrase:
                      WP is a dangerous place, your *
                      ~

                    5. It helps to be retired. But even I’m getting where I have to limit the time spent … Does keep me off the worthless TV. Keeps me from spending money on books … (Sacrilege! I know.)

                    8. Oh, riiiight!

                      I think that may have been before I figured out the ‘Notify me of comments’ button, since I seem to have rather dropped the conversation.

                      Thanks for the reminder!

                    9. > “since I seem to have rather dropped the conversation.”

                      Yeah, I told you about the subscription feature later on BECAUSE I noticed you kept dropping conversations (including that one). But you got a warm reception in that thread, even if you didn’t see it all.

                      > “Thanks for the reminder!”

                      No problem.

                    10. I’m also retired, and frequently catch up in the early morning. If a project consumes a lot of my time, I’ll skip the commenting. Might or might not read the comments, but I try and usually succeed in reading the main essay.

                      FWIW, WP does odd things with asterisks. If I surround a word like this with asterisks, it’ll render it funny. OTOH, if I have it after a word, like this*, it seems to be OK.

                      (*) I surround lone asterisks (not going full Vonnegut, Sparky) with parentheses. Seems to work.

                    11. WP(DE) has decided to email replies to comments without any intervention by the user, whether or not there’s a WP account involved. My email can get quite interesting if I make a comment that sparks a long exchange (some of which might have something to do with my comment. [Big Grin]).

                    12. OK, WP changed again. Unsolicited email replies are no longer in effect. Wish they’d make up their minds (assuming they have any…).

              2. GiveSendGo was originally created to help Christians who want to fund Christian charitable work in foreign countries, then expanded to include other giving targets as well. As you’d expect from a site with that history, they have so far been quite conservative-friendly; I’ve heard of several funding projects that were kicked off other sites for being conservative, which ultimately found a successful home at GiveSendGo. So far they look like the best option.

            2. We normally keep laptops around as we out grow them. Then hand them off to mom until they die. Now we use them until they die. Good enough to part out, so wipe them out, or pull hard drives (if can’t wipe), and give to Goodwill. Right now mom is computer-less. Her friends are saying “It isn’t that expensive!” (They aren’t cheap!) But all she really needs is someway to access the internet that isn’t her phone (used Fire Tablet is the current vehicle). Anything else I have to be on beck and call to do it for her anyway. It isn’t that she can’t learn, or can’t remember; she won’t. Even with written instructions. So if her setup = can’t, it is the same result.

              I sympathize with balky computers. Sorry you have to deal with that along with the health challenges of your spouse. I hope the treatments are working.

              1. Quick tech tip in Amazon Fire tablets. It is possible to sideload the Google Play Store and get access to all of the Google Apps on a Fire tablet. Easy search for how to.

                1. Might.

                  Currently she just needs Kindle Reading, and internet access, and only because the screen is bigger.

              2. I hope the treatments are working.

                They seem to be, after putting Spouse in hospital for Christmas with congestive heart failure and pneumonia as a consequence of chemo-fueled fluid retention (legs were at least twice-customary girth, requiring assistance in and out of bed. Every hour-and-a-half to pass some into the toilet.)

                MUCH better now!

                As for the grousing about computer and demands: if it really mattered I’d take steps to address but sometimes a body’s just got to vent, amIright? I am still teetering on the hinge-point of whether it is more trouble to set-up and transfer to new computer or endure the quirks of current junker.

                I should have been clearer that’s all it was, knowing this venue is laden with engineering mentalities.
                ~

                1. AtH? Engineers and problem solvers? No, surely you jest!

                  Glad to see you back behind the keyboard. You’ve been missed, and have been on my prayer list. Thank you for the update.

              3. I bought a low end Dell Laptop in 2015 or so, and switched it to Linux shortly afterward. The WiFi connection went wonky, so I turned it off, and my wife is using it for a game machine. Nothing of import is stored on the beastie, and it get software updates on a Round Tuit basis.

                (This is one of the laptops where a right-click on the touchpad needed some Windows magic. It wears a mouse, since Slackware doesn’t do Windows-type magic.)

            1. Been there. There was time, long ago, I set to organizing the ‘machine room’… and found enough odds & ends & spare parts to build a(nother) computer. So of course that happened.

              1. I’ve had that same phenomenon happen with ARs and 10/22s. It’s dangerously close to happening with the M1s. It’s happened multiple times with the rocket parts, and a couple of radios popped up too. I’m loathe to leave too many spare parts in close proximity any more…and I’m truly apprehensive about what sort of weird hybridizations might be possible when I add the optics and the farm equipment…

              2. I’m trying to decide what to do with the Y2K vintage Sony P4 desktop. It was a good Win XP machine, and did 32 bit Linux well enough, but the rest of the systems at CasaRC are 64 bit machines. Memory is lacking for serious work, though disk space is “enough”.

                The power supply fan is deafening until the fan controller program starts up, and it’s not needed in the house. The disk drives are pre-SATA, so there’s not much to salvage.

        2. Ugh, I know all about computers causing problems.

          I had to break down and spend money fixing mine.

          More than I wanted to pay but it didn’t “break the bank”.

        3. Ouch.
          I missed all that going on.
          I’m so sorry.
          Take care, and stop by when you can.

          The interface for modern versions of linux are very user friendly. I was worried about it when I made the switch about two years back, but graphical UI makes OS nearly interchangeable.

          1. Thanks, and thanks for the Linux report. I’m so old I remember programming on punched paper tape and at some point I simply stepped aside from keeping up. Too much investment learning a new system to have it obsoleted every third year.
            ~

            1. “punched paper tape”?

              I remember punched paper cards and the “fun” if you dropped a stack of them. [Crazy Grin]

              1. Punched paper tape was a thing on certain minicomputers; I encountered it in 8th grade in 1975.

                I took COBOL 1 and 2 on punched cards; my folks claim they still have a deck of them that got squirrelled away in the garage.

                1. 12th grade in 1970/1.

                  ONE [blanking] mistake and you get to start all over again. Programmer Jenga!
                  ~

                  1. Bah, when I was your age we didn’t have all these fancy “floppy disks!” We had to code on paper! Uphill, both ways, in the snow!

                    AND WE LIKED IT! [shakes cane]

                  2. Teletypes were just as bad. Write out the program. Then had to type it in exactly correct. Then if you made an error on the typing, or the mainframe (or workstation) went down (which was regular), had to properly end the input and start over. I hated that class. A lot better when input became keyboard to what there is now.

                2. Kids today have to make do with trading card games, instead of punch-card programming.

            2. so old I remember programming on punched paper tape and at some point I simply stepped aside from keeping up
              ….

              Not quite that old. Did have a required computer class that used the paper teletype to mainframes. But that was years (8) before I actually got into computers. Which was then Apple IIe and the IBM PC’s were just hitting the market. (Apple IIe, at $2.5k were a bargain compared to the new IBM’s at $6 – $8k.)

              1. Oops. Forgot to add.

                so old I remember programming on punched paper tape and at some point I simply stepped aside from keeping up
                ….

                I can still relate. (After ~35 years of coding.)

              2. [T]hat was years (8) before I actually got into computers.

                That was one way of separating the nerd from the herd. It took more than a casual interest in computers to be involved in them back then.

                I’ve still nightmares of the walk from the computer lab to the printer office to find out whether my program ran as desired. Beloved Spouse learned to expect me to be away until late on programming days, no matter that I avowed, “I’ll be back in no time, I just need to do this little tweak.”
                ~

                1. @ RES > “I’ll be back in no time, I just need to do this little tweak.”

                  I resemble that remark.
                  Turnaround time is one of those lost concepts of the cultural zeitgeist, but I did get a lot of other homework done while waiting.

                  Punched paper tape, punch cards, reels of magnetic tape (including the data-recording computer in the college’s nuclear lab one summer), tower-tall cannisters of the “new” magnetic platters; then transiting through mini-computers & floppy disks to personal computers & diskettes to laptops and flashdrives to iPads and The Cloud.

                  My keepsakes used to include a block of magnetic core from the de-commissioned lab computer circa 1974.

                  Sometimes I think I understand how my grandparents must have felt: traveling to Texas in horse-drawn wagons, and living to see men land on the moon.

                2. “I’ll be back in no time, I just need to do this little tweak.”
                  ….

                  Getting floppies and hard disks didn’t change that, at all, when one had to still go into the lab or work. Got better when floppy could go home with you and could work on it at home; or more recent, call in to work station via VPN. But at least one is home.

                  With the dang class in ’76, I’d be in the lab at 2 AM, not getting anywhere. Plus programming then (do not know why because completely opposite in ’83) none of it made any, none, zip, sense (how I got a *C out of the class, I have no idea). Might be why by winter ’84 I was successfully tutoring. I knew what it was like to be Lost when it came to intro to programming.

                  It took more than a casual interest in computers to be involved in them back then.
                  ….

                  I didn’t take the class in ’76 because I wanted to, it was required. Heck I hadn’t planned to take it in ’83. Career change was suppose to be to accounting. If I couldn’t do what I had wanted, I’d do what was easy. Computer Intro was required then too, regardless. But then it took. Not only easy, but fun. Forget accounting (ironic because my last programming job was dealing with accountants).

                  (*) Actually I think I got a C out of the class because I could regurgitate back onto tests. But didn’t understand it to actually use any of it. Also why anyone we knew from back then we’ve lost touch with, then subsequently run into, when told I was career programming, the result was visible shock.

    2. We have a little Weber smoker which makes great barbecue. I would love to paint it up as a Minion. Just don’t know how to go,about it.

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