ReneeFLL

13 hours ago, CallistaSkye said:

True. But we have building codes. and they don't suck up your whole house and destroy it! Tornadoes and sinkholes are two of my biggest fears. Earthquakes don't bother me for the most part. The part that is scary are the roads. My mom and Grandpa were truck drivers and were driving on the 880 during the Loma Prieta. It collapsed behind them and they had no idea until they got to where they were picking up a load to transport. But my Grandpas dog had been howling and was acting crazy the whole time they were driving that way. If they had been later they would have been on it when it pancaked.

 

5 hours ago, tsahall01 said:

I am also from California.  I've gone through the Loma Prieta and the Northridge earthquakes.  Both were scary!  Northridge almost threw me out of bed.  I was driving on 101 when Loma Prieta hit--was headed to a sports bar to watch the Bay World Series.  Thought I had run over some nails on the freeway as it felt like I had a flat tire on one side and then a flat tire on the other side.  Cars were pulling over--then I looked up and the overpass up ahead was swaying!  YIKES!  Earthquake!!  Very eerie to drive back to my home in Sunnyvale and see darkness everywhere!!  Funny, not funny, thing is that I was due to fly to St Thomas in two days  to see my then boyfriend (now husband)--they went thru hurricane Hugo the month before, which had devastated the islands (first major hurricane to hit St Thomas since the 1920s!).  The Bay Area was in much better shape than St Thomas was when I got there.  They ended up not having power for 9 months--much worse than the 6 months we had after IrmaMaria.  I would still take a hurricane over an earthquake anyday as you can prepare for a hurricane and do everything possible to protect yourself and your belongings.  Earthquakes have no warning--you never know when the "BIG ONE" will hit.

I was just leaving work right after 5:00 when the Loma Prieta hit. We had security doors we had to go thru with a key card. I was between the 2 sets of security doors and I couldn’t get out. I guess the movement of the building made the system think someone was trying to break in so it went into lockdown. It was my first big earthquake and I was panicking. I kept hitting the safety release button and it didn’t work. When I finally got out the new building nextdoor that we had just built looked like it was on rollers. It looked like it was in wave action with it rolling. It was all glass and I could just see (imagined) all the glass popping out. My car was right next to it. It was so scary, but no glass broke. I was amazed that it didn’t explode. I then had to get on the 101 to go home. Traffic was a nightmare.

18 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all for your kind words. I am not in a headspace still to spend much time here in the thread but I appreciate every reply and like on my posts. 
 

 

@sid_9169 I am proud of you for your efforts to go booze free and I cheer each day when you go 24 hours or longer. I believe those breaks are saving your life and preventing you from losing control of your health. I can hardly describe the H E double hockey sticks of watching someone pass that threshold, go out of their mind and utterly destroy their life in this way.

 

 

Tribe, my story is becoming like a TV movie with the addict moving out of the family home at a low point, and immediately taking in another addict they met during their last hospital detox (only a month ago, followed by severe relapse 2 days post release). Yes we have even had the cliche of the kindhearted cop in the campground “assisting” with removing the “guest” from the travel trailer. Followed by the camp host reminding us that police being called to the site is an automatic eviction. 
 

Yesterday his coworkers contacted me as they attempted an intervention to save his life and his (very good and lucrative) job. A member of the corporate leadership team, located at company headquarters in another midwest city, understanding that he’d reached a crisis level, took a personal vacation day to drive several hours to encourage him to immediately enter treatment. It was this individual who personally drove him to the facility later in the day.

 

My husband is blessed beyond all measure to have people making truly Herculean efforts to help him. I am amazed people refuse to give up on him as he’s not showing anyone his best side right now. The same executive who took an off-the-record action will be initiating HR support today including approval of FMLA for as long as necessary.
 

Before the day was over my addict was checked in for inpatient treatment. I can only hope he will stay for (at least) a 28 day program. It’s not a prison but I believe he’s run out of both time and options and this is really his last chance before he loses everything that matters to him.
 

With each relapse (at least 5 in the past 10 months) he’s actually gotten steadily worse rather than better. 
 

I doubt anyone is surprised that I have an appointment with an attorney next week before we leave for the cruise. 

Your husband is very lucky to have his company support him like that. Most others would have dumped him. I really hope he realizes what he has and is able to pull himself together. You are stronger than you think. Take care of yourself and especially your son. Have a great cruise.

15 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I had indeed heard of Chips and Technologies.  You guys were a fabless graphics chip company, right?  At the time, I was working for Xerox (job I had coming straight out of college).  I commuted to their Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), obviously in Palo Alto.  

They were working on the graphics chip which would eventually be used for the MacOS (a whole other story). Knew a lot of the tech companies out in the Valley back then.  Brings back some memories.

 

I was recruited pretty heavily by some of them.  Back then it was a "big deal" to work for Xerox.  Today, they are just a sad shell of what they used to be.  Story has been told over and over.  See Kodak, Wang, Data General, Control Data...all either out of business or an anemic form of what they once were.  They stubbornly held on to the past without moving forward.

 

I was recruited pretty heavily back then.  Ended up going the "start up" route in the early '90s (a small Milpitas firm, also in the GPU space when only big room filled computers ruled the day and we were doing the same thing with our chips).  Right place, right time!  We went public during the boom.  Then, the bust hit.  We still had long term contracts with the likes of HP, DEC (long gone), Gateway (gone), Compaq (long gone), etc.  But, as those customers began falling, we had to reinvent ourselves and became a complete GPU (integrated CPU and Graphics chip on a PCB).  

 

My company bounced around from one owner to the next.  At one time, we were actually bought by the tractor company, Kubota (whose U.S. HQ was in San Jose at the time), because they wanted into the computer business.  Talk about mismanaged and a company who had no idea about how to run a tech business....LOL! It was interesting, if not entertaining.

 

Anyway, Kubota realized they didn't know what they were doing and divested our division (High Performance Computing Division).  We ended up being bought by a large computer graphics company based out of Mississauga, Ontario (Advanced Technology Inc).  Then, about 10 years ago, we were bought by the "other" big chip manufacturer, and were based in Fremont.  I retired from them right after COVID.  Seemed like the right time for me.

 

As I look back, I can't tell you how many firings and RIFs I went through, even at some stops, I wondered whether my paycheck would clear.  But, somehow they viewed many of us a bridge between the original company and the new companies we were bought by.  So, we rode the wave and held on...sometimes way past the time others thought were prudent.  I doubted my own career path many of those times.  Silicon Valley and the world of funding by Venture Capitalists is not for the faint of heart.

 

As luck would have it, eventually I was again, at the right place at the right time, as I still had founders stock in the original start up that was bounced around. That stock converted every step I took.

 

I was more lucky than good.

 

LOL!  Just laid out my resume for you guys.  

Yes, we were a fabless company. So many great memories there. The company was so employee oriented I could tell stories for days about how well we were treated. Money flowed like water. I was so sad when I had to quit because I loved it there, but the Navy was moving us to Key West.

16 hours ago, firstimecruiseronncl said:

And she kept harping on it. I thought the crying and begging was over the top too.

I’m so over her crying about how little she’s had to eat and Q didn’t pick her. She’s not special and she needs to get over herself. She knew she couldn’t eat most things on the show so I don’t understand all her whining. Ugh!

3 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Who needs a little Lucy fix. This was her acting up about 30 minutes ago. Thankfully I still have all my fingers. 
 

 

 

So cute, she needs to use the slide. 😸

6 hours ago, h20skibum said:

So we did get a Ricky update yesterday from his blood test.  Numbers were up over 30, so that was good.  
 

Now he gets his steroid dose cut in half, and he just has to finish antibiotics.  Then, another blood test next week to monitor how things are going.  
 

He does seem to be acting almost normal.  (Well, normal for him)

That’s great to hear.

5 hours ago, Luckynana said:

 

Today marks 43 years since my Dad died at the age of 61.  He was a Foreman working on the 2nd Avenue Subway project when he fell down 25 feet, head first.  He was a very healthy, strong man who never smoked in his life.  He remained in a coma for a week before finally passing, which was a Blessing, due to his extensive injuries.  

That’s terrible, sorry for your loss.

3 hours ago, George C said:

My wife found her dad dead in there living room when she was 13 years old , very sorry about your dad . I was extremely lucky both my parents lived to there 90’s .

That must have been awful for your wife as a child.

9 hours ago, h20skibum said:

After I got ducked yesterday, we made a trip through the mall near @LionesssSue’s house.  

 

Now, I have never been a fan of those generic mannequins with half a head missing.  Express seems to use them for all their displays. When I looked in their storefront window at the men’s shirts, I saw this. 

 

Now, something just seemed off.  Maybe if someone can figure it out, they could Point out what it is.  

Are those supposed to be pecks? 🤷🏼‍♀️

6 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Forget the nails. How about a 3 carrot diamond for the light house lamp. 😂

I’ll supply the polish, but someone else will have to supply the purse and diamond. I like your idea of bling much better than what I had in mind.

10 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I retired from a large computer chip manufacturer.  They had camps in both Intel and our own chips with the different tech and gaming hardware companies.  We had just overtaken Intel within several measurements and markets when I retired (you're welcome...LOL!) after competing (and losing) with them for a long time.  We were (and are) still going head-to-head with NVIDIA in the AI space, which is HUGE and tied to the future of just about any chip company in the world.

 

Anyway, all of our corporate laptops were Windows based.....EXCEPT for marketing (which I was a part of).  We had a choice of Windows or MacOS machines....as long as they ran Office.  I got one of the first Apple Laptops that were non-Intel chip based.  Learning curve was short and the MacOS is just so much more stable compared to Windows, I became a fan quickly.

 

We had choices of mobile phones, too.  But, I stuck mainly with Android since most of the company was using them and they seemed easier to use with Outlook (which is not iPhone's strong suit).

 

Since retirement a few years ago, and based on my limited experiences with the MacBook, I dove deeper and deeper into the Apple eco-system.....M2 MacBook Air, a Mac Mini as a media server that I'm in the process of loading ALL of my Music and trying to get a hard drive big enough to transfer all my physical media movies loaded.  Of course, an iPhone (13).  I just completed the ecosystem after I found out my health plan supplements a smart watch.

 

They'll totally cover the cost of a Fitbit or Garmin.  But, having an iPhone, the logical choice would be to get an Apple Watch.  But, they're pricey.

 

Asked the insurance company if I could just have a credit for the Fitbit type of watch to get something else.  They said no, then maybe, then mentioned open enrollment is coming up in a few months where I'll be doing compare and contrast.  That seems to have hit a nerve.

 

Anyway, they acquiesced (along with my insurance broker's nagging).  Not a lot, but $100 credit.  Sold some no longer used ear buds, mobile batteries, bluetooth speakers, etc. and scraped enough together for the creme de la creme....

 

I get excited about the little things in life......LOL!

 

 

Not sure if you ever heard of them, but I worked for a company called Chips & Technologies in the late 80’s. They were in Milpitas which is in the San Jose area.

8 hours ago, HxFx said:

Has she seen any dates/ships? I am not seeing anything for Alaska at that time except for Viking. Was planning to do NCL Alaska in August of next year but probably pushing to the following May/June.

I just looked and I see some for this June when she is going. I didn’t realize Megan said she is going in 2026. My mistake.

19 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

I’ve made an executive decision… June 2026, I’ll finally do Alaska. 

My physical therapist is also doing Alaska in June, but on Norwegian. Excited to see her pictures when she gets back. Have fun and I'll be looking for your review.

47 minutes ago, Prometheus1 said:

Stay safe Megan, scary stuff those tornados, actually i find them terrifying since you have so little time to get to a safe place!

 

I'll take the hurricanes- at least you know they are coming well in advance!

That's my thought as well. Hurricanes you can watch and run if necessary. When we moved from Texas (hurricanes) to California my co-workers were surprised I was more afraid of earthquakes than hurricanes. Earthquakes come out of nowhere with no warning. 

11 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

@Ocean Boy I was on Louis Vuitton looking for something for Mother’s Day.  I came across their Light House purse, from the Nautical Collection. I cut out the price to avoid bringing on any heart palpitations.

 

 

It needs some bling at the top for the light, other than that I agree that OB needs one. 😁

4 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Following

At the top where the title of this thread is there is a little blue box on the right that allows you to follow the thread.

11 hours ago, Coralc said:

That sounds like what I have heard about foot surgery. It would be pretty awful. When my close co-worker had bunion surgery, they actually told her to bring headphones. and music. 

 

We were in a hot tub at a conference several years later. I held up my foot and asked if hers had looked like mine. She also said O-M-G. No. Hers weren't nearly that bad. The podiatrist also said mine were really bad. But my toes don't overlap, and wide shoes seem to be fine. I was actually scheduled for surgery, but I chickened out. 

It was nice of them to tell her to bring headphones. The least the hospital could’ve done was to supply some cheap earplugs for me.

6 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Interesting that you mention ear plugs. This past Christmas I got a new set of noise cancelling ear buds that connect by blue tooth to my phone. When I activate the noise cancelling it is a bit eerie how it blocks out the surrounding world. It actually bothers me to be so disconnected from my surroundings. I get concerned during flights that I'll miss an anouncement about something. I guess I have way too much FOMO. However, they would probably be great in the OR during surgery IF I were ever to be on the wrong side of the table rail.

 

I definitely understand about not wanting to miss out on some important announcement. When out and about or especially when walking I will only wear one ear bud. I want to hear what’s going on around me. I used to be able to hear cars coming up behind me, but now with electric cars it’s a little unnerving.

7 hours ago, jmh2006 said:

Hi CC friends!  It has been a rough 10 days.  As some already know from that other site that shall remain nameless, I lost my dear father very unexpectedly on April 18th.  He was in good health up to the very end and would have been 88 this August.  I returned home today after a week down in North Carolina, where he lived, to help my sister take care of all the "things".  My sister moved down there from NJ last summer.  While I am still a little bit in shock that he is gone (my mother died in 2014), I am so thankful he was living life to the fullest up to the very end and we were all together the first weekend of April for a fun filled time.  My father had moved into a lovely independent living community in the fall of 2022 so he had downsized quite a bit which was very helpful this past week as were emptying his apartment.  I also urge everyone to have all their important papers organized in a file for your loved ones, should anything happen unexpectedly as did for us.  Even though we knew where all the "stuff" was he still had little post it notes all over his desk of passwords for his computer.  😃  We will be having a Celebration of Life in the summer down in NC for him.  

Jennifer, so sorry for your loss.

13 minutes ago, Coralc said:

It sounds like bunion surgery. 😀

My little toe on each foot needed to be corrected. The dr didn’t mention anything about having a choice of local or general anesthesia when I had my first foot done and he did it under general. Ended up with a different dr due to a change in insurance for my second foot. He gave me the option of either one. He said he preferred the local and it sounded fine to me. I don’t remember him mentioning I would be awake. He probably did, but I probably didn’t want to think about it. He also explained what he would be doing. Part of it was that he would be using a saw like a hacksaw (his words), but a medical one. I didn’t really think much about it.
 

Anyway, day of surgery they get me ready and drape a sheet over my stomach so I couldn’t see my feet. Needless to say, being awake I could hear the saw going to work. 🫨 I started to freak out (inwardly) and was telling them I could hear it. Dr asked if I could feel any pain. No, but I could feel him touching me. No pain, but just a light touching on my foot. Ok, no problem he says and he continues. I continue to tell him I can hear it. I guess he wasn’t that concerned since I told him I still felt no pain.
 

It was probably after my third complaint about hearing the noise that the nurse tells the anesthesiologist that she had brought her Walkman (this was about 37 years ago) in to work. He tells her to go get it. They put that on me and I was happy I couldn’t hear the sawing, but my mind was having all kinds of visions about what was going on with my foot. If I’m ever in that position again, I’ll definitely be bringing ear plugs.

14 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

You don't want to hear a saw cutting through your bone?

O M G! I think I told you about my story with that one. I’ll never forget that noise.

1 hour ago, LatinaInTexas said:

The 3 times I sailed RC hardly saw any kids and the ones I did see were very polite and well behaved. Granted it was years ago but maybe it's the norm on RC😁

Unfortunately that’s not always the case.

13 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Happy Monday Tribe! 3 weeks from today, I’ll be embarking on the Allure of the Seas. I just scheduled the mail hold. I’m still looking for parking, but the Spot seems to think they are the only parking lot in all of north Texas. I’m not paying $11/day there when I can pay $10/day onsite at the actual airport. After getting some work done today, I’m going to assess the kids packing. A Target run is definitely on the agenda this week. They haven’t been on a cruise since the Carnival Dream in Oct. 2022. With the weekends filled with softball and soccer, I gotta get this show on the road. 

Allure is our favorite ship. Sailed her 12 times before she left for Galveston.

15 minutes ago, derorim said:

Marcel enjoying a good ear rub.

 

Marcel is definitely loving that. We have a cat that loves to have the insides of her ears rubbed. I’ve never had a cat that liked that so I thought maybe she had ear mites. Nope, she just likes her ears rubbed. In fact, she will start to drool when Mike gets a little inside her ear. Eew!

9 minutes ago, brillohead said:

 

Don't get me started..... *sigh*

I was "too young" to get a knee replacement because "they only last twenty years".  So what?  I could just get it done again in twenty years, when the procedure and implant have both been greatly improved from what we had at the time!

And they wanted me to lose weight first.... well, how do you lose weight when you can't walk without pain????  Such a bunch of baloney!!!
 

Sorry to hear you are in so much pain. Losing weight is such a struggle.

11 hours ago, brillohead said:

 

…My left hip has gone bad because of how long I've been walking around on my wonky left knee... if they'd replaced the knee when I asked them to, I wouldn't also need the hip replaced.
 

If you don’t mind me asking, but why wouldn’t you have knee surgery especially since it’s affecting your hip? That’s got to be a double whammy in pain.

Delete double post.

13 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

I’ve been avidly reading all the comments about knee and hip replacements. Andy’s had problems with his right knee and hip for a few years, to the point that he walks with a noticeable gimp and has great difficulty putting on a sock and tying a shoe on the right foot. His primary told him it’s likely arthritis and referred him to ortho, which of course he’s ignored.  He finally went Thursday (nagging works!) and was told he has severe arthritis in his hip and mild arthritis in the knee. His knee pain is most likely a result of the hip issues. So hip replacement scheduled for Nov 5th. He was given a shot of cortisone with the disclaimer he might only see 10-30% improvement, he says the 10% is about right.  I think he put it off out of fear of the surgery, but so many people have told him hip replacement isn’t bad these days, much easier than the knee. 
Anyone here had this done? 

I had my hip done in 2017 and don’t regret it at all. I was walking later that day. If my other hip were to start hurting, I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute to have the surgery again.

14 hours ago, ggooglyboogly said:

That's awesome!  LBI is a wonderful place....rough retirement plans w/ the wife now are to have two smaller places and snowbird....LBI for summers, Orlando for proximity to family / disney / cruises in the winter! 

Sounds like a great plan.