George Carlin did a great bit early on called "Wonderful WINO Radio". This entry isn't about that, but if you want a laugh, find the bit online. This story is about a time I backslid. As most of you know, I had a drinking problem. In fact, I am a recovering alcoholic. I cringe at those ads on TV that say that they can cure your alcoholism. They can't. I know that I am one drink away from going back to my heavy drinking, so I choose not to. However, there was one night that I let the temptation get the better of me.
I had not had any alcohol since 1984, but it was Christmas 1999. I had been invited to a Christmas party at a friend's house. They were serving wine. My thought was that it wasn't hard liquor, so I could handle it. One problem of an addict, no matter what the substance, is thinking they can handle it. I also wanted to be sociable and not make waves. I guess I could have asked for a Coke or a juice, but wine is a kind of juice, isn't it? Another problem with an addict is that you can't just have one and get away with it. One leads to several more. And on top of everything else, my resistance had been reduced in the 15 years since I had any alcohol. In the old days, I could drink several vodka shots with no trouble. Now, several glasses of wine later were affecting me in a whole different way.
It was time to leave the party after a few hours of drinking wine. I could barely get down the steps of the house. One person asked if I was okay to drive. Of course I was. I had a little issue unlocking my car door, as I couldn't line up the key to the lock, but I was okay to drive. There was a guy in another car that I decided to follow out onto the main road. He eventually turned off to the right to go to his home. I turned to the left to get to my home. I took the left turn too wide and ended up in somebody's yard, almost taking out their mailbox. I apologize for the tire marks in their front yard. I got back on the street and continued home. The most fortunate thing was that no police were out where I was. I got home after swerving off of the road a few more times. I didn't have to work the next day and slept it off.
I have been offered all kinds of alcohol since then, but that wakeup call in 1999 showed me that I could no longer drink anything stronger than soda. I am polite, because those inviters don't know my story. I would never tell them that I am an alcoholic. But, you know. So, I am almost 20 years sober now. Good for me.
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Monday, June 10, 2019
Daddy's Gone
My father had a lot of strong qualities. One of them was humility. I had very little idea about what he had done in life before our moving to South Carolina. He just never talked about it. On some visits to Martha Franks in Laurens, I would ask him about that time in his life. The early days. His work in churches around the country. He was reluctant to share these things, but he told me some stories. Like the time he was on a train to Ft. Worth in 1934 and happened to see the bodies of Bonnie and Clyde outside on a porch in Louisiana after they had been killed. That was interesting, but I wanted to know more about his church work. He told me that he thought he was the first full-time Minister of Education in a Southern Baptist church. That would have been in the early 1940's, I think. He told me about his designing church buildings with his Architecture degree from Clemson. He told me about working in some of the greatest churches in the country. I also realized that his stature in Baptist life was how I got into Anderson College, as well as not getting kicked out of seminary.
In late September 1999, I was working at Rich's. We were allowed to wear polo shirts and dress pants. It had gotten a little looser and more fun to work there. The musak played classic rock. One afternoon (September 28th) the phone rang. It was my brother telling me that our father was ill and in a coma at the Laurens County Hospital. The song playing in the store was "Turn Turn Turn" by The Byrds. He said we needed to get up to Laurens and make some plans. I told my supervisor that I had to leave, and she agreed.
We got up to Laurens and immediately went to the hospital. Daddy was lying in a coma. He had experienced several heart attacks over the years and was now in congestive heart failure. He had developed pneumonia and was on morphine. You could pinch his big toe but get no response. You could try to squeeze his hand but get nothing back. My brother was a big baseball fan. He asked the doctor that if it was the bottom of the ninth and two outs, and he had two strikes, would he get a hit and win the game? The doctor said he had 2 1/2 strikes against him, and he wouldn't get a hit. He said that even if Daddy woke up from his coma, he wouldn't know us. Just 10 days before all of this, I had visited my parents at Martha Franks. The last thing Daddy said to me as I was leaving was the same thing he said every time I left: "I love you, and I'm proud of you." Even though I had no idea what was to come 10 days later, those words were of special meaning to me.
The doctor said that Mother had to make the decision about turning off the machines that were keeping Daddy alive. We drove over to Martha Franks. Mother was pretty weak. John and I laid out the situation to her. In a very small voice, she said "Let him go." We went back over to the hospital and told the doctor what she had said. He told us that it would take a while for him to die, so we might as well go back home. By the time we got back to Columbia (a one hour drive), we got the call that Daddy had died.
Another one of my father's traits was organization. He had planned his funeral to the letter. He had also written his own obituary. So, my brother filled in the date of his passing and sent it to the newspaper. He also went to Greenwood to talk with the funeral home there about the arrangements. I got on the phone and called all those he had wanted to perform the funeral service. They all knew what they were to do, as he had talked with them years before.
The service was held at Martha Franks on October 1st so that many of the residents could go. Mother was too frail to go to Greenwood, so she sat in a wheelchair between my brother and me. She had wanted Daddy to be buried with his glasses and Bible. The funeral home said that was not something they liked to do. I explained to them that he would often fall asleep with his glasses on, so they reluctantly agreed to that, and his Bible was placed on his chest, with his hands on top of it. That Bible was the one he used to do funerals and weddings. It only seemed fitting.
When we got to Greenwood for the burial, I wanted to say a few words from the family, but my brother said no. It wasn't in the prepared plan that Daddy had drawn up. I don't remember a lot about the burial. It was chilly. My cousins from Charleston came, and my aunt from Atlanta was there. My friends from St. Matthews (the Stone family) came. The woman staying with my Mother in Laurens told us later that Mother slept for the time we left Laurens and got to Greenwood. When the graveside service started, she woke up and raised up in the bed. About 20 minutes later, she laid back down in bed and went back to sleep. They had been married 62 years. She had been his partner is so many things in churches. That was the only way to describe her reaction. It amazed the woman with her.
On our way back to Columbia, my brother and I were sharing stories about our time growing up in our family. He is almost 8 years older than me, so we grew up separately for much of our lives. We were both interested and surprised that much of our life was so similar. It was obvious we were brothers. There were people who wrote letters to us from around the world about what Daddy meant to them. We got a picture of his impact on the work in churches, on the mission field, and in everyday life. The letters were made into a book.
I was having a hard time grieving. I wanted to get back to work. They gave me a week off, but I was just sitting at home watching TV. I told our HR person about my trouble, and she said that I would be driving down the road and a song would come on the radio that would remind me of my father, and I would start to cry. Every time I hear "Turn Turn Turn", I think of Daddy. I was having dreams about him at night. Some were nightmares. I would wake up screaming "No Daddy No!!". I thought I was going crazy. I was afraid to go to sleep for fear I would have another dream.A friend, who had lost his father earlier, told me to think of those dreams as "visits". I did, and the dreams started to subside. I still have them occasionally, but they are more comforting. I also had people coming by the store to express their sympathies. Even a few years later, a prominent pastor in SC came by. He told me how much my father meant to him and his ministry. I had to go into the stockroom and cry.
We always thought that Mother would die first. God had a different plan. My father was not perfect. We fought a lot. I embarrassed him a lot. He was hard to figure out. But, I am also proud to call him my father. I have one of his ties, which I wear on occasions like Father's Day, their anniversary, his birthday, and other meaningful events. Most people don't know what I am doing with it. They just see it as a tie. I know differently. And somehow through osmosis, I inherited Daddy's humility. Before then, my ego was as big as all outdoors. After he died, I became more humble. Go figure.
In late September 1999, I was working at Rich's. We were allowed to wear polo shirts and dress pants. It had gotten a little looser and more fun to work there. The musak played classic rock. One afternoon (September 28th) the phone rang. It was my brother telling me that our father was ill and in a coma at the Laurens County Hospital. The song playing in the store was "Turn Turn Turn" by The Byrds. He said we needed to get up to Laurens and make some plans. I told my supervisor that I had to leave, and she agreed.
We got up to Laurens and immediately went to the hospital. Daddy was lying in a coma. He had experienced several heart attacks over the years and was now in congestive heart failure. He had developed pneumonia and was on morphine. You could pinch his big toe but get no response. You could try to squeeze his hand but get nothing back. My brother was a big baseball fan. He asked the doctor that if it was the bottom of the ninth and two outs, and he had two strikes, would he get a hit and win the game? The doctor said he had 2 1/2 strikes against him, and he wouldn't get a hit. He said that even if Daddy woke up from his coma, he wouldn't know us. Just 10 days before all of this, I had visited my parents at Martha Franks. The last thing Daddy said to me as I was leaving was the same thing he said every time I left: "I love you, and I'm proud of you." Even though I had no idea what was to come 10 days later, those words were of special meaning to me.
The doctor said that Mother had to make the decision about turning off the machines that were keeping Daddy alive. We drove over to Martha Franks. Mother was pretty weak. John and I laid out the situation to her. In a very small voice, she said "Let him go." We went back over to the hospital and told the doctor what she had said. He told us that it would take a while for him to die, so we might as well go back home. By the time we got back to Columbia (a one hour drive), we got the call that Daddy had died.
Another one of my father's traits was organization. He had planned his funeral to the letter. He had also written his own obituary. So, my brother filled in the date of his passing and sent it to the newspaper. He also went to Greenwood to talk with the funeral home there about the arrangements. I got on the phone and called all those he had wanted to perform the funeral service. They all knew what they were to do, as he had talked with them years before.
The service was held at Martha Franks on October 1st so that many of the residents could go. Mother was too frail to go to Greenwood, so she sat in a wheelchair between my brother and me. She had wanted Daddy to be buried with his glasses and Bible. The funeral home said that was not something they liked to do. I explained to them that he would often fall asleep with his glasses on, so they reluctantly agreed to that, and his Bible was placed on his chest, with his hands on top of it. That Bible was the one he used to do funerals and weddings. It only seemed fitting.
When we got to Greenwood for the burial, I wanted to say a few words from the family, but my brother said no. It wasn't in the prepared plan that Daddy had drawn up. I don't remember a lot about the burial. It was chilly. My cousins from Charleston came, and my aunt from Atlanta was there. My friends from St. Matthews (the Stone family) came. The woman staying with my Mother in Laurens told us later that Mother slept for the time we left Laurens and got to Greenwood. When the graveside service started, she woke up and raised up in the bed. About 20 minutes later, she laid back down in bed and went back to sleep. They had been married 62 years. She had been his partner is so many things in churches. That was the only way to describe her reaction. It amazed the woman with her.
On our way back to Columbia, my brother and I were sharing stories about our time growing up in our family. He is almost 8 years older than me, so we grew up separately for much of our lives. We were both interested and surprised that much of our life was so similar. It was obvious we were brothers. There were people who wrote letters to us from around the world about what Daddy meant to them. We got a picture of his impact on the work in churches, on the mission field, and in everyday life. The letters were made into a book.
I was having a hard time grieving. I wanted to get back to work. They gave me a week off, but I was just sitting at home watching TV. I told our HR person about my trouble, and she said that I would be driving down the road and a song would come on the radio that would remind me of my father, and I would start to cry. Every time I hear "Turn Turn Turn", I think of Daddy. I was having dreams about him at night. Some were nightmares. I would wake up screaming "No Daddy No!!". I thought I was going crazy. I was afraid to go to sleep for fear I would have another dream.A friend, who had lost his father earlier, told me to think of those dreams as "visits". I did, and the dreams started to subside. I still have them occasionally, but they are more comforting. I also had people coming by the store to express their sympathies. Even a few years later, a prominent pastor in SC came by. He told me how much my father meant to him and his ministry. I had to go into the stockroom and cry.
We always thought that Mother would die first. God had a different plan. My father was not perfect. We fought a lot. I embarrassed him a lot. He was hard to figure out. But, I am also proud to call him my father. I have one of his ties, which I wear on occasions like Father's Day, their anniversary, his birthday, and other meaningful events. Most people don't know what I am doing with it. They just see it as a tie. I know differently. And somehow through osmosis, I inherited Daddy's humility. Before then, my ego was as big as all outdoors. After he died, I became more humble. Go figure.
Friday, May 31, 2019
Leper
In 1998, a friend of mine named Stuart was the Minister of Music at Park Street Baptist Church in Columbia. He called me one day and asked if I would act in an Easter Musical with Drama that he was directing at his church. I agreed and asked him when they would be presenting it. He told me it would be put on the following week. He said the part I would play was the leper who was healed by Jesus. I went by the church and picked up a tape of my part, as well as a script. The part was about a page long and easy to memorize. I listened to the tape in my car as I went from Columbia to Laurens to visit my parents and then back home. The production was called "The Christ, The Cross, The Crown."
I had two rehearsals with the cast and choir before the presentation. I realized, after the first rehearsal, that I was far better as an actor than anyone else in it. I seemed even better than the actor they had playing Jesus, which made me very uncomfortable. I went to Stuart and asked him if I should tone down my part to meet the level of the other actors. He said no. I should raise them up to my level. So, I did what he asked. I met with some of the actors and gave them pointers how to do better. The guy playing Jesus said he didn't need help. I left him alone.
The production also had an orchestra which sat just below the stage. There was one place in my monologue where I would spit. I told the woman below me in the orchestra that it was going to happen, and that she needed to prepare for it. She told me she would be fine with it, but when I did during the rehearsal, she wasn't prepared for it. When we ran through it again, she started to crouch down right before I did it. Stuart told her not to do that, so she moved her chair slightly to the right and missed my spew. Problem solved.
Another issue was backstage. One part of my training as an actor has been to do exercises before coming on stage. One reason for this is to get my voice ready. Another is to get my muscles limber. And a third reason is to get my energy level up. So, I was in a hallway behind the sanctuary doing my exercises. One elderly choir member saw me doing this stuff, and she went horrified to Stuart. She asked him if I was a Pentecostal person, because I was making weird noises and jumping around. He had to explain to her that I was just getting ready to go on, and that I was a good Baptist. Not to put down Pentecostal folks, but she was worried that I was going to speak in tongues during the program. I didn't.
The program went well. Many people came, including my friends The Stones from St. Matthews. I got a lot of praise for my role. I was glad to do it for my friend.
I had two rehearsals with the cast and choir before the presentation. I realized, after the first rehearsal, that I was far better as an actor than anyone else in it. I seemed even better than the actor they had playing Jesus, which made me very uncomfortable. I went to Stuart and asked him if I should tone down my part to meet the level of the other actors. He said no. I should raise them up to my level. So, I did what he asked. I met with some of the actors and gave them pointers how to do better. The guy playing Jesus said he didn't need help. I left him alone.
The production also had an orchestra which sat just below the stage. There was one place in my monologue where I would spit. I told the woman below me in the orchestra that it was going to happen, and that she needed to prepare for it. She told me she would be fine with it, but when I did during the rehearsal, she wasn't prepared for it. When we ran through it again, she started to crouch down right before I did it. Stuart told her not to do that, so she moved her chair slightly to the right and missed my spew. Problem solved.
Another issue was backstage. One part of my training as an actor has been to do exercises before coming on stage. One reason for this is to get my voice ready. Another is to get my muscles limber. And a third reason is to get my energy level up. So, I was in a hallway behind the sanctuary doing my exercises. One elderly choir member saw me doing this stuff, and she went horrified to Stuart. She asked him if I was a Pentecostal person, because I was making weird noises and jumping around. He had to explain to her that I was just getting ready to go on, and that I was a good Baptist. Not to put down Pentecostal folks, but she was worried that I was going to speak in tongues during the program. I didn't.
The program went well. Many people came, including my friends The Stones from St. Matthews. I got a lot of praise for my role. I was glad to do it for my friend.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Lamps
After the TV Department at Rich's closed up, I was moved to a full-time sales position in the Lamp Department. We sold table and floor lamps, as well as mirrors. I knew nothing about lamps, except how to turn them on and off and how to change a bulb. There was a guy working part-time there named John, and he helped me out a lot. I learned about finials and harps. I learned about wattage and shades. I also learned about resin and brass. Just about everything in the world of Lamps.
We did special orders for the wall mirrors, because they were way to big to store in our stock room, and very heavy. I had been used to just picking up the phone and calling a corporate honcho to get things on special order. It stemmed from my days as a buyer at Belk. It carried over to my time in TV's. I had a supervisor in Lamps who didn't like me going over her head to order mirrors. In fact, she made it perfectly clear that there was a chain of command in that store. I would sell the mirrors, but she would have to be the one making the call to the honchos. I knew all the honchos, and I also knew that doing it myself would mean the customer getting their order quicker. After all, my supervisor was over several departments, and her time was at a premium. Our store manager joked that my supervisor had my footprint on her head. I finally had to relent and do what she said. She also wore shoes that clomped when she walked, so you could hear her coming a mile away. She was always impressed that her associates were always working when she saw us. We goofed off when we didn't hear the clomping heels.
One day, I was going to move some floor lamps from one display fixture to another. We used power strips to plug in the lamps. One plug would not come out of the strip. So, I turned off the lamp and turned off the strip. I got a pair of scissors to dig the plug out of the strip. I thought the electricity had been cut off from the strip, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!. There was a boom, and I was blown across the aisle. My hair stood up, and my heart was fluttering. I blew a fuse out. I still have the scissors. There is a burned notch out of one side of the steel. I never did that again.
One thing I had learned in retail was to develop friendships with other stores that sold your product. That way, if I didn't have something that a customer was looking for then I would refer them to another store. And, those stores would do the same for me. Along about six months into my working in our Lamp Department, I was told that I had received a sales award. My department was the number one Lamp Department in the entire Rich's organization of 70 stores in sales. I got $100 and my choice of a free lamp. I chose a Dale Tiffany lamp that had flowers and butterflies on it. It was a big deal for me and the store.
I was riding high, when I got a new supervisor. When I met her, she was looking at my department and said, "This place looks like S**T! I was shocked that she would say that. Surely, she had heard about my success. Apparently not. During this time, our store formed a bowling league. I signed up. I wasn't very good, until I started imagining my new supervisor's face on the bowling pins. I started rolling strikes. She helped my game and our team immensely.
Another six months passed, and it was announced that I once again had the best Lamp Department in the entire Rich's company. I got another $100 and my choice of another lamp. I chose a basic table lamp this time. I ended up giving it away to my neighbor. My success in selling really impressed my bosses. So much that they moved me to another department. The Lamp business died.
We did special orders for the wall mirrors, because they were way to big to store in our stock room, and very heavy. I had been used to just picking up the phone and calling a corporate honcho to get things on special order. It stemmed from my days as a buyer at Belk. It carried over to my time in TV's. I had a supervisor in Lamps who didn't like me going over her head to order mirrors. In fact, she made it perfectly clear that there was a chain of command in that store. I would sell the mirrors, but she would have to be the one making the call to the honchos. I knew all the honchos, and I also knew that doing it myself would mean the customer getting their order quicker. After all, my supervisor was over several departments, and her time was at a premium. Our store manager joked that my supervisor had my footprint on her head. I finally had to relent and do what she said. She also wore shoes that clomped when she walked, so you could hear her coming a mile away. She was always impressed that her associates were always working when she saw us. We goofed off when we didn't hear the clomping heels.
One day, I was going to move some floor lamps from one display fixture to another. We used power strips to plug in the lamps. One plug would not come out of the strip. So, I turned off the lamp and turned off the strip. I got a pair of scissors to dig the plug out of the strip. I thought the electricity had been cut off from the strip, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!. There was a boom, and I was blown across the aisle. My hair stood up, and my heart was fluttering. I blew a fuse out. I still have the scissors. There is a burned notch out of one side of the steel. I never did that again.
One thing I had learned in retail was to develop friendships with other stores that sold your product. That way, if I didn't have something that a customer was looking for then I would refer them to another store. And, those stores would do the same for me. Along about six months into my working in our Lamp Department, I was told that I had received a sales award. My department was the number one Lamp Department in the entire Rich's organization of 70 stores in sales. I got $100 and my choice of a free lamp. I chose a Dale Tiffany lamp that had flowers and butterflies on it. It was a big deal for me and the store.
I was riding high, when I got a new supervisor. When I met her, she was looking at my department and said, "This place looks like S**T! I was shocked that she would say that. Surely, she had heard about my success. Apparently not. During this time, our store formed a bowling league. I signed up. I wasn't very good, until I started imagining my new supervisor's face on the bowling pins. I started rolling strikes. She helped my game and our team immensely.
Another six months passed, and it was announced that I once again had the best Lamp Department in the entire Rich's company. I got another $100 and my choice of another lamp. I chose a basic table lamp this time. I ended up giving it away to my neighbor. My success in selling really impressed my bosses. So much that they moved me to another department. The Lamp business died.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Slim Fast
A friend of mine at work had a husband who was dying. When he passed on, she gave me a case of Ensure that the hospital had given him, which he never used. I had not had any Ensure before, but I started in on the case drinking one just before bed. I started feeling better. After all, I was the king of junk food and fast food. Neither of which was very nutritious, so the Ensure helped with counterbalancing my choices in food.
So to this day, I drink an Ensure or an equivalent product before bedtime. I let the vitamins and minerals swim around my body, while I sleep. I drank Boost for a while, but I found it hard to get into the drink because of that foil at the top. The downside to doing this is the cost. Ensure generally costs around $8 for a six-pack. The generic form is usually $2 cheaper.
I was talking one day to a friend at work about Ensure, and he told me that he did the same thing, except he used Slim Fast. He said it had all of the vitamins and minerals as Ensure, but it was cheaper. So, I went into Food Lion one night after I got off work and bought a case of Slim Fast. As I took it up to the register to pay, the cashier looked at me and then at the Slim Fast. Again, she looked at me and then at the Slim Fast. I realized she was wondering why a thin person was buying Slim Fast, so in a straight face I told her, "This stuff really works!". I paid for it and started out the door. I turned around to see the cashier pointing at me and talking to her fellow employees. They had their mouths open.
Maybe I encouraged some of them to try Slim Fast. I would like to think so, because some of them needed to. At least, I would like to think that the cashier has told that story to her friends and relatives for the last 20 years. I took it home, but I really didn't care for the taste, so I went back to Ensure.
So to this day, I drink an Ensure or an equivalent product before bedtime. I let the vitamins and minerals swim around my body, while I sleep. I drank Boost for a while, but I found it hard to get into the drink because of that foil at the top. The downside to doing this is the cost. Ensure generally costs around $8 for a six-pack. The generic form is usually $2 cheaper.
I was talking one day to a friend at work about Ensure, and he told me that he did the same thing, except he used Slim Fast. He said it had all of the vitamins and minerals as Ensure, but it was cheaper. So, I went into Food Lion one night after I got off work and bought a case of Slim Fast. As I took it up to the register to pay, the cashier looked at me and then at the Slim Fast. Again, she looked at me and then at the Slim Fast. I realized she was wondering why a thin person was buying Slim Fast, so in a straight face I told her, "This stuff really works!". I paid for it and started out the door. I turned around to see the cashier pointing at me and talking to her fellow employees. They had their mouths open.
Maybe I encouraged some of them to try Slim Fast. I would like to think so, because some of them needed to. At least, I would like to think that the cashier has told that story to her friends and relatives for the last 20 years. I took it home, but I really didn't care for the taste, so I went back to Ensure.
Saturday, May 4, 2019
WebTV
When I worked in the TV Department at Rich's, they wanted us to sell a new item called WebTV. It was an internet device that would attach to your TV, and you could surf the web. It used a wireless keyboard, so you could sit in your recliner and check out the internet without any wires. Today, we have broadband, and we use a wireless mouse from a USB port, but back then it was a dial-up device. Consequently, it could be a bit slow at times. And, it had no hard drive, so there was no downloading. You could attach a printer, if you wanted to save anything. You couldn't upload anything either.
They gave us a sample device to show in the store. It had been modified with parental controls, so we could not show any adult content. One thing that I liked to do was to find live webcams from around the world. One site in particular was on the border between Finland and Russia. We watched trucks cross that border in the snow in real time. That was cool. We also found webcams on college campuses and could see students walk around. There were customers who tried to find adult material, but that was blocked. However, we found a way around the blocking. Typing in "Pamela Anderson" into the search line brought up some stuff that the parental controls did not block. It was not something we shared with the customers.
WebTV also had email capability, so we could email friends from work. Not that we did (in case any of my former supervisors are reading this). I fell in love with WebTV, so I bought one and took it home. It became my internet surfer of choice. I already had a Compaq dial-up computer, which I mainly used to play games and use AOL to chat with folks, but WebTV worked for all of tasks I would do on the internet. I would sell stuff on eBay, but since you couldn't upload pictures, I would have to leave that blank on my listings. I would try to describe my items in great detail, so the buyer wouldn't be disappointed when they bought something. That worked well.
I used WebTV for about 10 years, until I broke down and bought a laptop. Cable internet and wi-fi became the norm. Dial-up became out of date. Now, many TV's have streaming services on them. WebTV was the father of all the stuff we have now. 20 years ago seems a lifetime ago in the tech world. It is.
They gave us a sample device to show in the store. It had been modified with parental controls, so we could not show any adult content. One thing that I liked to do was to find live webcams from around the world. One site in particular was on the border between Finland and Russia. We watched trucks cross that border in the snow in real time. That was cool. We also found webcams on college campuses and could see students walk around. There were customers who tried to find adult material, but that was blocked. However, we found a way around the blocking. Typing in "Pamela Anderson" into the search line brought up some stuff that the parental controls did not block. It was not something we shared with the customers.
WebTV also had email capability, so we could email friends from work. Not that we did (in case any of my former supervisors are reading this). I fell in love with WebTV, so I bought one and took it home. It became my internet surfer of choice. I already had a Compaq dial-up computer, which I mainly used to play games and use AOL to chat with folks, but WebTV worked for all of tasks I would do on the internet. I would sell stuff on eBay, but since you couldn't upload pictures, I would have to leave that blank on my listings. I would try to describe my items in great detail, so the buyer wouldn't be disappointed when they bought something. That worked well.
I used WebTV for about 10 years, until I broke down and bought a laptop. Cable internet and wi-fi became the norm. Dial-up became out of date. Now, many TV's have streaming services on them. WebTV was the father of all the stuff we have now. 20 years ago seems a lifetime ago in the tech world. It is.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
DVT
As you probably know, I have spent most of my adult life in retail. I have made many friends along the way. After Belk closed officially in 1996 in Columbia, almost everyone went to other places. Some stayed with the Belk organization in other towns and cities. Others took jobs where they could find them.
My friend Ginger from those days went to work at USC. I had a day off from Rich's and thought I would pay her a visit. As I was walking toward her work, I had a sharp pain in my right leg. It made it very difficult to walk. The pain was intense. I made it to her job and told her that I was in a lot of pain. She urged me to go to the doctor. I had noticed some pain while at Rich's, but had just ignored it. I have had lower back pain almost my entire life, so I just thought they were related. But, this seemed worse.
I went to see the doctor that day. They did some tests and suggested I get an ultrasound on my leg. They were worried that I had a clot in my leg that could move to my heart, lungs or brain. They made an appointment for me to go to an ultrasound lab near USC. When I got there, the nurse said that the jelly they were to put on my leg would feel funny. It started out cold and quickly turned hot. They ran the detector over my leg and found I didn't have a clot. That was the good news. The bad news was that I had Deep Vein Thrombosis which was causing the pain. The veins in my right leg were swollen. I was given a prescription for some support hose.
When I got to Hawthorne Pharmacy, I was fitted for the hose. I had worn tights before in plays, but this was way more substantial. The hose was designed to support my leg and allow the blood to flow smoothly through my veins. I could tell an immediate difference. No more pain. The hose went all the way up to my hip. The nurse said I could wear a garter belt to keep them up, or I could use a rubber band. I opted for the rubber band. I asked her how long I would need to wear them. She said for as long as I lived.
I put it on my right leg and went to work. The rubber band was tight, so I took it off and just held it up by tugging from my pants pocket. That seemed to work okay. I wore it pretty much every day at work for several years. Gradually, I started feeling I didn't need them every day, so I started wearing them when I felt the need. I started walking more and getting some exercise, which helped my leg. I now wear them when I know I am going to be standing up for a long period of time, or when I become inactive and need the support. A result of 30 years of retail.
My friend Ginger from those days went to work at USC. I had a day off from Rich's and thought I would pay her a visit. As I was walking toward her work, I had a sharp pain in my right leg. It made it very difficult to walk. The pain was intense. I made it to her job and told her that I was in a lot of pain. She urged me to go to the doctor. I had noticed some pain while at Rich's, but had just ignored it. I have had lower back pain almost my entire life, so I just thought they were related. But, this seemed worse.
I went to see the doctor that day. They did some tests and suggested I get an ultrasound on my leg. They were worried that I had a clot in my leg that could move to my heart, lungs or brain. They made an appointment for me to go to an ultrasound lab near USC. When I got there, the nurse said that the jelly they were to put on my leg would feel funny. It started out cold and quickly turned hot. They ran the detector over my leg and found I didn't have a clot. That was the good news. The bad news was that I had Deep Vein Thrombosis which was causing the pain. The veins in my right leg were swollen. I was given a prescription for some support hose.
When I got to Hawthorne Pharmacy, I was fitted for the hose. I had worn tights before in plays, but this was way more substantial. The hose was designed to support my leg and allow the blood to flow smoothly through my veins. I could tell an immediate difference. No more pain. The hose went all the way up to my hip. The nurse said I could wear a garter belt to keep them up, or I could use a rubber band. I opted for the rubber band. I asked her how long I would need to wear them. She said for as long as I lived.
I put it on my right leg and went to work. The rubber band was tight, so I took it off and just held it up by tugging from my pants pocket. That seemed to work okay. I wore it pretty much every day at work for several years. Gradually, I started feeling I didn't need them every day, so I started wearing them when I felt the need. I started walking more and getting some exercise, which helped my leg. I now wear them when I know I am going to be standing up for a long period of time, or when I become inactive and need the support. A result of 30 years of retail.
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