Adama - I have to agree with Piyush - you seem to have a knack for finding the most interesting emo's.

Piyush - I appreciate the Bear Blessings, as you remembered that Bears are very meaningful to me. Thanks for the new Dino. Many times, I think as I mention the old days, that my flukes are showing. Now I have a new pet.

My former co-workers treated me very well these last two days. It was almost like a big party although a little more reserved than this one. Going away reception yesterday, took me out to lunch today, and dinner at a good friends house tonight.

Everyone asks what I'm going to do with all my time (accusing me of going to sleep to noon). Well, I can spend more time on the community , but the idea I can sleep in is not possible. I have 5 four-legged alarm clocks who want out early in the morn, usually shortly after sun-up.

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How does Adama remember these things lol. Does she have everything marked on a calendar? Anyway happy retirement RGreen. Now you get to enjoy a paycheck without working.

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Hey rg, ON YOUR RETIREMENT!!!! Social Security starts sending those things out annually when you reach 50. Did the Company skip the Gold Watch and give you a MainFrame for a retirement gift ? Oh well, nice thought anyway. I am a little late checking in with my Best Wishes although I did think about it yesterday and mentioned it on a thread somewhere. coastie

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eMachines T5212.... Intel Pentium D 945 3.4Ghz..... evga 8600 GT 256 Mb PCI-E video card..... Realtec HD audio......2 Gb 533 Mhz DDR2 memory..... Lite on CD RW; DVD +R / RW DL optical drive...... Windows XP MCE 2005....... Antec Basiq 500w PSU......200 Gb PATA HDD

Coastie -

No, actually they gave me a very nice mantel clock. It's strange, but it seems that when you transfer, you get a clock. When you reach service milestones, you get a clock. When you retire, you get a clock. I also somewhere around here have an 8 day ship's bell clock that I bought in the NATO exchange in Naples in '67. Setting clocks is a pain around here!

Thanks all for the good words. If I had known you would make all this fuss, I might not have said anything. But, I really appreciate the sentiments. It is truly a strange thing this community, we have a core of very good friends, whom we have never seen. I have another e-mail friend who is also a graduate of my Alma Mater (Texas A&M), and was in the same Corps of Cadets outfit I was, he just graduated 7 years after I left. We go connected by some e-mails among the classes in between ours and ours and have started sharing stories. But, the PCW community seems closer to me and I guess it's because we share so much with everyone else.

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Well, the ships bell clock does chime 1 bell, 2 bells, etc.

When you order tenure gifts, you have no control over how they are delivered. I am surprised, however, that as big as UPS is they would have used a company that was not one of their clients. Reciprocity requirements, are however, illegal and have been against Federal Law for a long time. This is where you give a company a contract only if they also buy from you.

I have a friend who is a retired Postman and a Scouting friend. In fact, when I was here from 1978 to 1980, he delivered the mail to my house. When his daughter was in college, she had left something behind after going back to school after Christmas. His wife boxed it up and in order to make sure it got there in time, after his shift was over, took it to the UPS office. When he walked in they looked at him and asked him if he was lost.

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That's true. I know also that if it is coming from Newegg, then it is most likely coming from UPS. Many of the large shippers not only use a particular company, the company will leave trailers in their lot to be loaded and then picked up at specified times. This is more efficient than having a driver come and try to load a 40' trailer or even to wait while it is loaded. The bring in an empy, pull it up to the loading dock, unhook, hook up to one that is full and depart to their terminal. The information is sent electronically and then the origin scan is made when the 40' trailer is unloaded at the terminal and then sorted by destination.

I also know that HP has a contract with FedEx, so whatever you order from HP will come FedEx. If it is a printer or a computer, some one must be home to sign for it, and they will not accept a signature sheet and leave it on the porch, nor will they leave it with a neighbor. I went through this once on an order when I got the notice and their was no signature sheet. When I called FedEx, the customer service agent said, "You just want them to leave it on the porch?", to which I said, we do it all the time out here. I live in the country, and to find my house you have to know where your going. Didn't help, they said that I could arrange to pick it up in Albany, Ga, 90 miles away, they wouldn't even let me pick it up in Valdosta, 15 minutes from where I worked.

Wound up taking a day of vacation. Bad thing is FedEx hits about noon, UPS hits about 6PM. Oh, well, don't have to worry about that anymore.

But they both do a good job. I have never had anything lost or damaged. I guess I am fortunate in that area.

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