Msg: 6364 *Conference*

03-24-96 10:24:53

From: RICHARD HANSON

To : JEFF LABENZ

Subj: REPLY TO MSG #6361 (LIBRARY ACCESS)

Yes, library access is still a meesly $12 for the enture year or a little more
than $0.03 per day!

 > Becoming a Sysop sure sounds like fun, though I'll probably need to 
 > wait until more time comes my way.  I've got a 2 year baby at home 
 > who needs me too!  (Not to mention my wife.  She calls my computer 
 > "the mistress".)

Oh!  Yeah ... ahmm ... you need to keep your priorities together, that's for
sure.  Allow me to share a story with you about myself, my wife and my
computing interest.

Back in early 1976, 2 years after getting married to Paula, I purchased a
TRS-80 Model III computer with VisiCalc and Super Scriptsit.  We were living in
a rented duplex in Lafayette at that time and I was still going to college at
Hayward State.  I was 27 years old back in '76 ... wow, what a trip just
thinking about this, today.

Anyway, I placed the computer in the one of the two bed rooms; the one we used
for hobbies and storage.  One evening, while hacking away, like I did every
evening, Paula stomped in, very angry and yelled, "I know you're working on
school work but for heaven's sake, are you going spend the entire evening, yet
again, in here?  Can't you spend a little time with us?"  The "us" was her and
our pet bird, Little Ricky.  Well, needless to say, that got me thinking.  She
was right.  I needed to make some changes.

My solution was to set up the computer in the family room so I could both do my
work and be with my family.  Her comment was, "Good solution.  I just want you
around where I can see you."  I also made sure to stop and listen whenever she
spoke ... pay attention and listen.  Furthermore, I made sure that I did my
computing during off-peek hours when my attention was least needed.

Every sence, we've had a computer in our family room.  Today, there are 7
computers in this home (we bought a house late in '76 in Pleasant Hill) with
one in the family room (Paula's Computer) and 6 in the lab/office.  We both use
the one in the family room and in fact, it now has an ISDN line attached, as
well as a regular phone line.

Oh ... and I still "stop and listen" and coordinate my computing activities so
as to spend as much time as I can with my family: Paula, Curby (Boarder
Collie), and Suzzie (Australian Shepherd).  So there, let that be a lesson to
us all.

Just another geek ... -Rick-