Tom's Diary

Dear   [Lynn],

Yep, will talk with you tonight.

Joann’s kids are here right now. Mom is babysitting. They’re watching Ghost Busters. Katie just came into the office, wanting me to open this big jug of popcorn Mom bought around Christmas time, for movie times such as this. Pop. There. It’s open.

Gray, rainy day today. Mid 40s.

Lobo just came on the radio. 1972 song. I think it’s called, “Baby, I’d Love You to Want Me” Lots of memories of 6th grade, the school playground, Etc. The boys used to impress the girls by pushing the merry-go-round. Whoever made it spin the fastest made the best impression.

Well, gotta go for now. Talk to you tonight.

Tom Hesley

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[Lynn],

I switched from KYW to NPR this morning, to hear an in-depth discussion of the Microsoft issue. Bodaciously informative it was. I learned more today about it than I’ve been able to gather in all the previous days since this court case started, about whether MS is a monopoly. Thanks for locating the information about where to find them for me.

I guess I did wake you up. Sorry. Hope you’re not dragging too much today. We should start our conversations earlier I guess. These talks are so energizing, especially when you do your contented mmmmmmm noise. Is that how you would write it? You make cute M noises. I always loved listening to humming. Sounds like you’d be a good hummer. Can you carry a tune?

Well, the cold is a bit better today. But this is really a nasty one. It’s so frustrating because I went for almost two years without any colds, then, this year, I get two, in a single month!

—

Apparently, the Microsoft issue is very big news today. It was all over CNN and the business channels. No, I didn’t know the story with the depth that it was reported with today on NPR, until, of course, AFTER I listened to the NPR piece. What did you think of the piece? My thoughts are that Gates is too rich and needs to be reined in. I remember dealing with MS customer service numerous times regarding technical issues surrounding their operating systems. Some of these dealings were personal and some were work-related. They wanted me on several of these calls, to pay them $150 per hour, even though the difficulty I was having turned out to be a bug in their code. Fortunately, I was always able to dodge these charges but one could not help being impressed by the level of greed that the company seems to encourage among his employees. But enough of that. I’m off my soap box now.

—

Yes, I’m tuned into your frequency now. You’ll have NO secrets from me now. *snide smile*

—

You know, that is certainly one weakness in the English language. It’s quite difficult to convey tone in writing. That is, you can write mmmmmmm. But it really depends on the mood / interpretation / time of day / Etc of the person reading it as to how it will come out. Like, just seeing mmmmmmm on a page could mean any number of things from puzzlement to excitement to ‘What did you say?’ Perhaps you would know this better than I. But certain languages do represent the pitch quality of the voice in their words and letters. Chinese maybe? Language has always been fascinating for me. But like so many other interests, it is one I’ve never really had the time to explore. Aaah well, perhaps when I retire.

—

Cool. Looking forward to hearing you sing sometime.

—

Yes, I love cats. I don’t mind doing most of the calling. But I must admit, it would be nice now and then, to hear the phone ring, pick it up, and discover YOU on the other end.

And speaking of phone rates: Heard of a new web site today that offers free long distance over the internet. Looking into it now. Do you have a sound card, speakers, and microphone on your computer?

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Yum. Sounds like a banner meal you’re having for your supper. Talk to you tonight.

—

Sounds like a glorious trip. By the way, I don’t get jealous. How much does it cost to fly between the mainland and your island? Sometime when you fly, you’ll have to get some pics of those gorgeous views.

—

Tom Hesley

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Okay,   [Lynn].

Why would you ever want to double park? Unless of course, you were in a hurry and had to get in and right back out.

But, please do not feel that you have to walk on eggshells. There are really only a small few areas that I definitely will avoid discussing. One is past relationships. I’ve been in some really stupid romances as well, but generally do not talk about ex significant others (SOs) or the surrounding circumstances with my current SO, out of courtesy to the ex SOs.

I have weaknesses. I love sweet foods but fortunately, have been able to get away from the really high fat stuff and soda over the past 10 years.

I hate cleaning too. So much in fact, that I have a cleaning service come here and do all that. Now it might be more enjoyable doing with an SO. But as long as I’m living alone, I’ll keep the cleaning lady.

Well, have to go read for an hour before bed. Talk to you tomorrow, before you go hopefully.

…

Well, nowadays, I listen to pop (top 40) music on FM radio. But still enjoy news and weather on AM, from KYW News Radio 1060 here in Philly. I bet you could pick them up in Maine, at night. When it’s dark out, their signal can be heard over most of the country. When I was a kid, I would have enjoyed FM also. But then, in the area I grew up (Altoona, PA), there were no good FM stations in “earshot”. And the ones that came in clearly, played that sleep-inducing elevator music or tear-inducing Country and Western — Yuck. Weakness: I hate Country and Western music. So, AM was really the only choice, until the local cable company began offering FM service from Pittsburgh, which made me into an FM convert.

You listen to NPR? Hmmm. That explains your “precociousness.”  I don’t listen to them much, although the times I have tuned in were very educational.

How come your notes rarely display a subject? Just curious.

Okay. Sweet dreams. Talk to you in the morning.

Tom Hesley

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