TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: NYC 1975 CO Fire -- Supposed it Happened Today?

Re: NYC 1975 CO Fire -- Supposed it Happened Today?

DLR (news23@raleighthings.com)
Thu, 27 Jul 2006 01:36:45 -0400

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I guess I am from a different time
> ... seriously. :( When I worked at U of Chicago, I started when I
> was in high school at age 16, and I worked around my school hours,
> mostly on weekends and after school hours. During the summer they
> gave me more hours but it was still weekends and some weekdays, but
> early hours. I was always out by 9 PM or so. But once I graduated
> from high school in 1960 at the age of 17, Mrs. Parsons asked me if
> I would take the overnight shift 'with a raise in pay' which I was
> glad to do for the money involved. I think I was paid $2.00 per hour
> when I started working nights. That was to be a regular 48 hour
> shift for me; my first full time job. Yes, times have certainly
> changed. PAT]

So apparently are many of us here. From a different time that is. I
still have my ingrained habits and thoughts that are hard to
abandon.

I earned my spending money from the age of 14 through 18 or 19 by mowing
fields. We owned a small Ford farm tractor to deal with some land we
subdivided and built houses on one at a time. I hired out at $7 an hour
to mow for folks with a 6' bush hog. No roll cage. My clothing would
typically be low cut sneakers, shorts, MAYBE a T shirt and a hat. Gloves
also. I wonder if this would even be legal these days. And for those not
in the know, in most states back then anyone of any age could drive
"farm" equipment on the roads as long as you obeyed the driving laws.
About 71 or 72 we had to start using those red/orange triangle signs.

In another vein, when we replaced our water heater last year, my wife of
nearly 20 years asked why I NEVER called a plumber or other repair
person. I thought about it for a minute and realized in my family we had
never hired anyone to fix anything. We just did it. Of course our
extended family of the time and my dad's circle of friends was very
different than now. And now I take my cars to a good repair shop. Shade
tree skills are no longer valid.

Getting back to the point of this group, attendance at the national
parks is not growing even as the population grows. The speculation is
that XBox, 24/7 cartoons on TV, etc ... are reducing the trips to the
parks. And I'm firmly convinced that the way sports is covered on TV
is killing off participation of all but basketball by most
kids. Soccer is big K-6 but falls off fast after that. Baseball is
almost a wasteland as far as kids participation and I blame most of
that on the way TV covers it these days.

An old fart signing off for now. ;)

David Ross

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