Elliot's Trackside Diner..DECEMBER, 2013!!!

[TMarsh]

Good Morning!!!

 

Coffee and a stack of buttermilk flap jacks with butter and real maple syrup please. Thank you.

 

Cold.

 

Well it’s the 11^th of December already and that’s about it for the year. Hard to believe.

 

Garry- I don’t like shopping. What I prefer is to figure what is wanted to buy, then go there and buy it. Not go somewhere then wander around looking for something to buy. Nothing here? Let’s go somewhere else. Hate it.

 

Bigtime prayers going out for Johnboy!

 

Galaxy- Yup. Life/Death Insurance is too complicated to buy over the phone with just a light explanation of the highlights. Now, here’s something to consider if it’s available. Some funeral homes here offer advance payment of services. What it is, is you plan your service and they figure it all up including the casket if you so choose that direction, and then they do a payment plan. The best part is, it is also like an insurance policy. Should you pass before the final payment, the balance is waved regardless of the cost. Kinda like paying for your funeral at todays prices. I know this works because Brenda’s Grandmother did this and she passed prior to being paid and they charged her no more. Also, she was no spring chicken and I thought, “gee whiz they gotta figure the chances of her passing before the thing being paid are pretty darn good considering she was already right at the average life span when they sold it to her. It does take a lot off the planning of others at that time too if all is planned and paid for. Then, any insurance policies you have are not affected by the costs, or rising costs of the funeral and less insurance is required.

 

I sit and listen to the phone ring at home too. The more you do that, the less it rings. Everyone who knows me or needs to get hold of me has my cell phone # so that means if they call the land line, they don’t know me. Brenda on the other hand just can’t seem to stand not knowing who’s calling and just has to answer it. Usually, it’s someone wanting my money for something I’m not interested in. She’s a phone person, I’m not. Never have been, never will be. I ask, what did you do before there were cellphones? Stay near payphones?

 

V8 Dennis- Nope, no company calls and asks for personal info or to take over anything.

 

If people would think of it this way we wouldn’t have that many problems with scams. Stranger walks up to you and you can’t even see his face. Says, “I’m from the bank and I want to help you, give me your wallet/purse.” Would you do it? Probably not.

 

 

Ya’ll have a good day, ya hear!!!!

[galaxy]

Ok, I just saw the thread on Rod Stewart visiting George Sellios.

So, which one of you lonelyhearts here is REALLY Rod Stewart???

Stand up and be counted!

I am positive he is a lurker here,  laughing at our petty pathetic  lives...

Who am I kidding, he'll never tell!

I'll bet Rod is on the "Downtown train...." working on a kit in the hotel, right now...

[galaxy]

morning coffee in the diner...

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING!

Today is Wednesday,

December 11th, 2013!

The prayer candles are lit for those in need of special thoughts and prayers with healing energy going their way...

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

Today's fun limerick:

There was a wee lad from a cold clime
who said "No worries,  my driving's sublime!"
But a dent he did make 
when he failed to brake
and now he insists on speaking in rhyme. 

 

dumose: abounding with bushes and briars; bushy

Ithand: to be busy, diligent, or uninterupted

Plonker: a foolish or inept person

Used in a sentence: it would be a plonker who is ithand in the dumose!!!

 

Make it a great day!

[galaxy]

howmus

Evenin' folks!

 

Yeah, but they only get it when the insured dies!    It's insurance for after you are dead!  Frankly, I am busy spending my kids inheritance at the moment.....

 

Oh, RAY! How COULD you!?!?

Spending their inheritance? Already!

Leave it all to the next generation!

Actually, since we have no kids, we will probably leave most anything we have to either a "nephew" {very close family friend's grandson} and/OR charity!

Of course we may spend it all too! Hawaii, here we come!

For us to retire, it will be necessary for us to have inheritances really! BUT We DON'T expect any inheritances...that is the difference!

ah well!

 

 

[kbkchooch]

Hiya gang,

Somethin cold please Flo? Maybe some popcicles? 

After shoveling another wintry mess, I now have a stuffy nose and a sore throat, and cant sleep to boot! 

It was pretty, pretty much a pain in the butt!! 

And now I hear they are possible thinking of another batch for the weekend!!   Oh bother!

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Did more work on Oliver's adventure today. All seven standard compartments and all four deluxe compartments of the old passenger car have been programmed in. The seven regular ones already have their variables and dialog as does one of the deluxe compartments. I used the variables program lines from it as a template for the other three. So all four deluxe compartments have the same exact setup with the exception of line numbers. All I have to do is put in the dialog for each compartment to make each one unique. for example, in D4 Oliver could find something important. Then in D3 he could get robbed or get the tar beat out of him or get thrown out of the compartment, or all three or he could get killed. Don't forget there's a T1000 type terminator running around on the train and there's still a lot of train to go through. You think you have problems. Anybody wanna trade places with Oliver?

I also did some work on my mothers old IIe. Mostly pulling chips to clean and polish the legs on them and clean the sockets the chips fit into. There's a whole bunch of chips in there. Close to sixty of them. That's not counting the ones on the bottom-side of the keyboard. I'm not concerned with those because the keyboard will be replaced as soon as I can get a suitable replacement.

Time to call it a night. See y'all tomorrow.

[howmus]

Evenin' folks!

Janie. just a refill for my decaf please.

jeffrey-wimberly

They call it Life Insiurance because it insures the expenses will be paid and your loved ones can get on with their lives and have money to make things easier until they can get their financial situation together.

Yeah, but they only get it when the insured dies!    It's insurance for after you are dead!  Frankly, I am busy spending my kids inheritance at the moment.....

OK, just jerking peoples chains...

Currently 20°F outside, the low for tonight.  Had some sn*w out there earlier while I was playing with the Blacksmityh's shop down in the train room.  I found I had cut one of the small dorrs wrong.  Was not happy until I found I hyad cut it wrong in the right direction.  In other words, it was a quick fix which doews not involve pouring another wall!  Added window glass to several of the windows, and started the window and small door in another wall.  I should have some quality time tomorrow to get more done on it, I hope.

Spent part of the day watching granddaughter #2.  She was a sweetheart all the time I was at her house.  I had to pick her up at school first, meaning I had to get a car seat from my son and the permission to pick up card to show the teacher, and all that stuff.  She saw me, yelled "Papa!" at the top of her lungs and ran over to give me a hug.  I don't think there was any doubt I was OK to get her....  Turns out her teacher is the wife of an old colleague of mine (fellow music teacher) and she knew who I was right off.  Her Grandmother (Son's MIL) showed up around 2:30 to watch her and the other one for the rest of the afternoon, so I headed home.

Rob, good to see you sir!  Stay warm...

I'm going to load the wood stove and head to bed.  Later!

73

[Cederstrand]

Apple cobbler ala mode, please.

***Jeremy, a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Going to be in the low 20's here. Wood stove is stoked and burning hot. Have a good night all.

Cheers!  Rob

[jeffrey-wimberly]

galaxy

Oh, RAY- They call it LIFE insurance because calling it DEATH insurance demotes bad vibes!

They call it Life Insiurance because it insures the expenses will be paid and your loved ones can get on with their lives and have money to make things easier until they can get their financial situation together. There should be enough coverage to give them enough money to live on for at least three years. Leave it to a former insurance agent to know that.

[galaxy]

Jeremy B- I have lighted a prayer candle for the grandfather!

I still have one lit for Johnboy-out!

Oh, RAY- They call it LIFE insurance because calling it DEATH insurance demotes bad vibes!

Gotta call another agency I saw online and talk to them. They say "couldn't get ahold of you"? I have been home all day adn no such call came in?!!?

Have a great nights sleep! See you in the morning!

[JeremyB]

Evening guys,

Thanks yesterday for the birthday wishes. Was able to get some train time today. Just have some calls to make tomorrow then will work some more on the layout. There calling for a storm here on Saturday and the temps the last couple days have been around -14c. Had the phone ring here today at 4am???? thats scary getting a call in the night because it could be bad news, and the wifes grandfater is in hospital and doesnt look too good at the moment so when we sprang up from bed we thought it was that. I answered and they hung up. Call display said Private name Private number.

Talk to you guys sometime tomorrow

[galaxy]

RAY, MR. B-

There are exactly 6 people who have my cell phone: 2 are mechanics, the CU, and MOH, FIL, My Father. That is IT. I never give it out. Nor does MOH on that celll line either. I only turn it on when I go OUT. The CU needs it in case I am vacationing and the card appears compromised to get ahold of me to see if it is me using it elsewhere and I neglected to tell them about it. The Mechanics need it as we are usually out when the vehicle is in the shop they need to reach me as to cast/needed repairs. If it rings and MOH is with me, the car is NOT in the shop and I am at the CU, it had better be My fathter or the FIL! If NOT I don't answer!

As far as the land line, we usually do NOT answer any "unavailables' or out of state calls {or if we do we act dumb till we find out why they called} {like: Is so-and-so there? answer: who are you?}

The computer phone we only use to call a few friends who are long distant. It USED to ring for the previous owner of the #, but we stopped that quickly enough! We never give it out either. I shoud give IT out instead of our land line but to be honest, I have to look up the #!!!

But when requesting genral infor like for insurances, I kind a have to give them a phone #.

That DO NOT CALL REGISTRY does NOT work! They still call. WHne it starts of with "YOu HAVE WON", its like "NO, I HAVEn'T!"

ah like I siad I wonder if Mr. Bell really knew what he foisted upon the world? and its ramifications?

PS- I don't like the quotes the guy gave me in wirtting and i don't like the prices! SO much for the best prices around"? Why would I pay $38K for a $25k policy{for 20 years}  UNLESs it lasted for life and was guaranted to pay out when one of us dies{AKA for LIFE}? Insurance MAY be a losing proposition, but I thinkI will still shop.

Ah well, got the laundry done and washed the washer with teh tide washer cleaner. The musty smell will be gone for a bout a week then. I do it once a month at teh begining. I am late this month.

Well, time for a nap.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Richard: Glad to hear you son is OK.

*

Did more work on Oliver's adventure. When I last left him he was up to compartment 4 of the old stall seat coach. Today I added compartments 3,2 and 1. All that remains are the four deluxe compartments D4, D3, D2, D1. From there I'll go back and flesh out Oliver's actions and the games dialog (what it tells you along the way. So far it's pretty general.

[RideOnRoad]

A quick shout out to you northerners to be safe and warm.  My son in Idaho called yesterday to tell me he had hit a patch of ice on the bridge over the Snake River and spun out.  He hit the guardrail three times, totaling his Trooper, before coming to a stop.  Thank goodness the guardrail did its job, or the news would have been much worse.

[MisterBeasley]

Good morning!

Spitting snow here in New England, with the temperature right about the freezing mark.  I had hoped it would all melt off, but it looks like it will barely nudge over 32 for the next week.  Our plow guy moved on to better things, I suppose, so we have to find someone else to do that.  I'm hoping the snow will bring out the little "Snow Plowing" signs so we can find someone easily.

Ray, I'm with you on the dang phones.  I never answer the land line.  Mostly, it's just junk calls and mostly they're for my wife.  It's amazing how often it's nothing more than my answering machine listening to someone else's talking machine.  A few friends have my cell number, but I don't hand it out to insurance people or anyone who calls just to chat.

I'm enjoying my first week of Paid Time Off, or PTO as we call it at work.  It's that annoying combination of vacation and sick time, with the fatal flaw that no one wants to take a sick day because it costs them a vacation day, so there's a lot of couging and sneezing in the cube farm.  One thing I've been able to do is watch night football games, even though they don't end until midnight, because I can sleep in every morning.  While I watch, I do small train tasks.  Last night, I put together some roof details for the tannery, and picked out a bunch of figures to paint to bring the place to life.

[howmus]

Mornin' everyone!

Zoe, just a refill for my cup of dark roast, thanks!

I'm just about out the door to go pick up granddaughter #2 from school and the city is right outside blocking my dribeway picking up the last of the Fall yard debris.... 

Galaxy, I have ticked more than one person off by telling them I don't answer phone calls unless I know who is calling and what they most likely want....  Otherwise leave me a message or get lost!  "Oh, then give me your cell phone#..."  I tell them I never call it myself and so have no idea what the number is and I wouldn't give even my own family that info.  Besides it is never on!  BTW, why do they call it "Life" insurance?  It is more "Death" insurance I think.

Later!

73

[crhostler61]

Good Morning and Good night.

No coffee for me this morn, heading off to bed shortly...just finished another 12 hour shift at 6am glad the holiday hours are soon done...on the 22nd. then back to regular hours and a five day holiday. It's -4 degrees in Silver Springs Nevada...just over the hill from me. Winnemucca is the temperature winner today at a whopping -19 degrees, was an awesome -26 yesterday. Inversion layer really bad...wood burning restrictions in Reno. Expecting a heat wave in Carson City this Saturday...forecast of 41 degrees.

Got some engines to paint and planning an engine terminal on my days off. Will be staying home and ordering some stout java.

Have a good one all

Mark H

[galaxy]

Well, 

i knew it would happen and probably keep happening. I go the first phone call for life insurance this morning already. I was hunting and poking around last night for the insurance, adn now we will be bombarded with calls "Sign up NOW, over the phone" I told the guy it's like buying a car, SEND me the info..USPS or Email. don't care which, but I am not going to buy RIGHT NOW, TODAY ONLY for this "once in a lifetime oportunity" type of deal!

I My final costs insurance will be only slightly higer  than MOH's, technically IF we get the two policies together. Odd that, as I am disabled and weigh a few pounds mor'an MOH does.

I want to SEE, READ what they are offering. SEND it to ME.

I expect calls all day long about it. We will also see our local insurance who handles car and house...Another thing is that I knew of only 2 kinds - term and whole life, but now they say there is Universal and other types too?!

Either way as my father says "insurance is generally a losing proposition, but can pay off IF the person dies a timely death". {?!} SO we expect it to be a problem.

How much is another criteria...he's started off offering whole life "final expenses" {covered to age 110} of only 15K or 25K benefit. Now lemme see, My mothers funeral was about  6K 10 years ago "full complete package" with all burial costs. MILs was about 8,000 for 'simple package" with no viewing or calling hours, and no grave expenses, 10 years later. So MIL would have been about $9,700-$10k with "all package". So nearly doubled in 10 years. SO 30 years from now, if we die, will $25K be enough??? 15K I do NOT think will be enough, but its a start. We opt for cremation any way and interment on a paid for plot unless we move somewhere else and decide to be buried there instead. 30 years form now we can expect it to cost around $50-60K MAYBE? Maybe need $100k policy to cover "final expenses"

We aslo don;t want one of these "phony plans" for "Just $1 a day" that goes UP exponentially as you go through each 5 year age bracket! One paymetn to stay the same is fine. ANd maybe one of theose policies taht "pays for itself" after 20-25 years?

There WILL be more calls as I put in for a couple of quotes. Grr.

So, now i will have to entertain other callers .

Also got yet another robocall from the cardiologists office, "time to schedule". Bosh! Pish Posh! Putooey! I HAVE an appt next May Already! I don't NEED one now. I JUST CALLED them yesterday to make sure! SO I had to call they to tell them "PULEEZE, make it stop!" I hate robocalls with no person to talk to! She said she'd turn it off.

Some times I wonder if ALex Bell knew what he was doing could become a "dangerous thing".

So i shall bumble along today. I think I have something outside to do, but can't think of it now.

A reminder the prayer candles are lit, long ones, that burn for hours.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 33° with a wind chill of 27°. The humidity is 98%. High will be 45°, wind north 10-15, cloudy then clearing.


No plans set in stone today. I intend to get more work done on Oliver's adventure then maybe squeeze in a game of Starfleet1 this afternoon to relax.

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Good morning. .... I'll have 2 eggs (over medium) , toast, bacon, and grits please.

Galaxy .... Sounds like a busy day

Jeremy ... Glad you had a good birthday.

Jeff .... Good to hear the doctor appointment went well.

CDN Dennis ..... Glad the new snow blower is working well. .... Rant? What rant?

Karl .... The Weather Channel showed the winter weather in Maryland this morning. Messy stuff.

Todd .... 'tis the season for shopping. Do you love it.

Everybody .... Late yesterday, I heard from JohnBoy by email. . ... He certinly is going through a rough ordeal as he begins his fight to beat cancer. He had appointments late last week, was in the hopital over the weekend, and had a rough appointment yesterday. This morning he is at the hospital with a procedure that requires him to be sleeping with anesthetics. He appreciates support and prayers from the MR Forum.

Speaking of shopping. I can tell Shelley has been shopping. One clue was the UPS man delivering 39 packages yesterday. 

 

[TMarsh]

Good Morning!!!

 

Coffee and some oatmeal with bown sugar please, thanks.

 

It’s cold.

 

I see we have a page number today. That's comforting.

 

Finished my planned Christmas shopping yesterday.

 

Plan for today…pay a couple bills, shower, do a load of laundry, w*rk.

 

 

Ya’ll have a good day, ya hear!!!!

[kbkchooch]

Morning gang! 

Coffee please,,,it's cold out there!!

Glad to see I can at least make it here, snowing hard here. Got up, looked outside, nothing. Took a shower, got dressed, looked outside. Snowing so hard I could not see my mailbox, and the sidewalk & driveway all covered!

County schools, county offices and even the courts are all closed, were supposed to get 4 - 6 inches of the stuff before noon!  So I'm staying home, SWMBO too! I just hope she doesn't want to make any lists today. I'm cancelling them now. Not cuz of snow, but because of a lack of interest!!

[galaxy]

morning coffee in the diner...

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING!

Today is Tuesday,

December 10th, 2013!

* The prayer candles are lit, one for the diners, one for Johnboy-out, One for those who just passed and one for world peace. 

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

Today's limerick:

There once was a man who liked to bet 
He even did it on the net
Then one bad day 
The money went away
Now he's drowning in debt 

 

 

Today's weird words:

heteroclite: deviating from the ordinary rule; abnormal; irregular

scrippage: your baggage or personal belongings

brumous: foggy misty

USED IN A SENTENCE:

In the heteroclite brumous, David missed a piece of his scrippage!

 

EDIT: This is the fourth time this month I have tippy top, Harder to do these days as they have longer pages now!

Pack up your scrippage and come to the diner for some fixin's!!

{oh, no, my hillbilly roots are showing through}

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good evening. It's a cool 42° here. Looks like the low will be 36° with an 8 mph north wind and an 80% chance of rain. Chilly and wet!

Doc appointment went well. He's happy with the way my blood sugar numbers are dropping. He wants me to continue what I'm doing. I go back to see him again in a month. Went to Fox's pizza from there. No time for working on Oliver's adventure or playing any game. I did however make time to work on a copy of the Starfleet Officer's Manual that I have in a PDF file. I went through and highlighted all the code words I know of, about eighty in all. The game of Starfleet1 asks for a code word when you're starting the game. That, your identity and password will get you in. If anything is incorrect you get kicked out. I've also printed a list of the code words with word numbers, line numbers, page numbers and the corresponding words. For example if the game asks for word 3 on line 5 of page 5 I go to the word 3 section of my list, go down to line 5, page 5 and see the word is 'ENEMY'. On the list it looks like 3---5---5---ENEMY. It's a lot easier to use the list than flipping through a manual that's falling apart. Someday I'll print out the highlighted manual I have in PDF format. There was nothing else going on today.

Blood sugar tonight is 155. That'll drop after I take my insulin before bed.

Time to call it a night. See y'all tomorrow.

[kbkchooch]

chochowillie

More sn*w coming tonigh  Looks like one of THOSE winters. 

 

Us too Dennis, (3 to 5 inches)  but I don't have a heart attack preventer, except for my son who went back to his mothers house today (and promptly started a fight with her)  I do have a meeting to attend tomorrow a.m. but if it snows I'll have to postpone it. My car is like driving a banana peel on this stuff. 

Wound up working on the scenery on the layout today. I have a river scene. Originally poured with Envirotex. Over the years it go scratched, so I was told to coat it with Future floor polish. Eventually that got nasty so I decided to remove it. But how to get it off?? Ammonia! Gets it off, chases the cats away, and makes the whole basement smell funny! Tomorrow I'll get some clear polyurathane on it

L8ter gang!!

 

[JeremyB]

Hi Dennis, good to see from you.

Well I had a good birthday guys, docotrs out of the way and treated myself to a few treats at the hobby shop. Nothing real big just some detail items but Im happy. We had a cake and the best part for me is always my grandma calling to wish me happy birthday, make my day each time. Only thing was she was early this year at 11am she usually calls at 5pm or so. Alayws makes my day.

Tomorro I am expecting some calls and have a few loads of laundry to do. Then some train work for me.

[chochowillie]

Spent a hour or so blowing a ton of sn*w around with my new heart attack preventer. Works well and sure beats the shovel. Only problem is that with this 35 ft wide lot, it's hard to find a place to blow the white stuff. Stupid narrrow lots  All so the greedy developers get more homes to the section of land.

Ok rant off.

Went shopping this am and managed to part with $500 dollars for so called "necessery items" The good news is that we won't have to do it for another 2 months. Except for food.

No action on the railroad again..... Need to contine wireing the switch machines.

More sn*w coming tonigh  Looks like one of THOSE winters.

Cheers all

Dennis

[JeremyB]

Hi Guys

Back from doctors and hobby shop. At the hobby shop I purchased a couple boxes of atlas mill lumber a bottle of modelmaster green a container of MIG pigment ( industrial city dirt ). Also had a nice chat at the shop with a fella.

[galaxy]

Speaking of Dr's appts. I went to the dentist to see about a filling that came out. I got a new "temp" but have a feeling the tooth has to go. It has  HUGE chunk missing now. The "blessings" of bad teeth.

Went to the Drs. office to get a form for MOH.

Went to the Insurance man to drop off the safe driver courses certificates for me and MOH for this next 3 years. Asked about Life Insurance, Agent is supposed to call me this afternoon, see if that happens. Dunno if we can get in the budge but that is what i aim to find out.

Went to the pharmacy.

Went to the liqour store next to the pharmacy to get Mega Millions tickets, just for fun I got 2 of them! At $343 Million dollars or so, I figure I can spare $2 for 2 tickets, IF we win! What would I do with it if we won? give a large part to charities of my/our choosing, maybe START a charity of our own...and then officially "retire" to Hawaii, of course!

what else? Nutin' I guess. Now on to laundry and boring household duties!

Later gaters

[galaxy]

JeremyB

Thanks Karl, I appreciate it.Couldnt get in to the docs ealry so will have to wait until 1pm for my apointoment. Im the first or second after lunch so thats good. Talk to you guys tonight

 

I LOVE it when I have a Dr's appt on my B-day! and they ask "when is your birthday?"...I say "TODAY. 19mmmrff"

They all pause, look at my documents and then laugh and "drop a quarter".