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I'm sure they are.
That's right,
I'm sure that true.
It's a lot different than working in a kids preschool.
A lot different.
That's right.
Well, you all have a nice day there.
You too,
and thank you for calling.
Thank you very much.
Uh-huh.
Bye-bye.
Bye.
Do you have any?
Sure.
I have a Springer Spaniel,
and her name is Thumper.
She's about seven or eight years old.
I got her for Christmas from my family, and, uh, back when we lived in Nebraska.
I like to hunt,
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and, uh, so, I thought that if I had a good hunting dog like Thumper that, boy, I could just go out and get all kinds of game
Did it work?
Yeah,
except we live in Plano, Texas now
No,
right.
so
I, um, I had a, for many years I had a dog that was part Springer Spaniel.
I just love them.
Her name was Molly,
but she isn't alive any more
We had her for, um, fifteen years, I think, my family did, and just loved her.
She was the greatest, greatest, um, went through two generations of children in my family and was always very gentle.
Do you have a pet now?
Yeah,
I have a cat now.
He just turned seven, also,
and he's, I, um, got him in Arizona and, when I used to live there,
Oh.
and he is huge.
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He is eighteen pounds.
What kind of cat is it?
Just,
um, I got him,
he was, um, he was born in the wild, like in a, in a shed and had never been in a building when I got him.
Uh-huh.
So he,
and he's, he, he must be part, cross part with some kind of desert animal, because he's very long and lanky,
but he's a very tame spoiled house cat, you know, now that I've had him for seven years.
Being born outside, you didn't have any problems house training him?
No,
no
That's good.
he's,
yeah,
he's great,
and uh, he's, uh, he's really spoiled, though
So, but he's really big,
so, lots of times he, it, he seems to get in fights,
and when he was younger I think he started them,
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and now, I think he barely makes it.
I think he gets beat up even though he's big, because he's pretty much overweight, and comes home with a few scratches now and then,
Sure.
And older
yeah.
Well, we went to a cat show at the Plano Center here in town,
and, uh, we thought that, we have a cat now,
but we thought, Well, if we ever get another cat, you know, we'd want something kind of unique,
so, we kind of looked around,
and they had everything from hairless cats to Siamese cats and Persian cats
and we sort of fell in love with the, uh, Maine Coon cats.
Oh, I've seen them.
I
They're huge.
yeah,
I have seen them.
They, um, weren't they, they were
actually, I can't remember,
they were used to be used on ships and in, for, for mousers you know,
Oh.
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so they're very nautical, too
I'll be darned.
I didn't know that.
Yeah,
I just,
uh, I think I'm, I think I'm being accurate in the, in the area of folklore,
but I'm not sure.
Well that's interesting.
Yeah.
We kind of like,
well, my family didn't necessarily like, like them as much as I did,
but the Manx, is that the one that doesn't have a tail
Yeah.
it sort of has a bob tail.
I kind of like that, too,
but.
Yeah.
I'd love to go to a cat show.
I'm real, a real cat lover.
I'd have a lot more cats if my boyfriend would let let me
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He doesn't really like mine, let alone another one.
Well, I'll tell you an interesting story about how I got my dog,
and then I suppose our five minutes will be up.
Yeah.
Okay.
I work for a university,
and I went to, uh, Omaha, Nebraska to recruit students,
and I had some time off in the afternoon,
so I went to a, a pet shop,
and I saw these little Springer Spaniels
Um.
and so I decided, well, you know, this would really be a nice dog to have,
so, when I got back home to Carney, Nebraska, I told my wife about it,
and I said, You know, this is just a,
I, I, I can just hear the dog crying for me now
I know what you mean.
And Christmas is coming up, hint, hint,
and so, I had to go back the next week, as well as a bunch of other people from the university,
and one of the people, uh, that we went with, uh, they were friends of ours,
and so, we got to Omaha,
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and I decided I'd take my friend over and show him the dog,
and so I got over there,
and she said, Oh, that's too bad, the dog has already been sold.
And I didn't realize it,
but this guy had somehow worked it out so that he got there a little bit earlier, bought the dog,
and she was in the back room,
and so that night we had a reception for some of the, uh, potential high school students or college students,
and, and, uh, he had the dog the whole time in his room,
and, and I had no idea.
And so we headed back to Carney that night,
and the dog rode in the car
and we stopped along the way and had a bite to eat
and they left the dog in the car,
and I guess while we were inside eating, Thumper just tore the heck out of the inside of the car,
and, uh, finally we made it back to, uh, to Carney
and,
I guess we're recorded.
Okay.
What,
do you have any hobbies that you like to do?
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Oh, yes.
Cycling, computers, uh, backpacking, just about everything.
Oh
Oh, I generically have, you know, millions of hobbies.
All right,
that's an interesting assortment.
My husband is into cycling.
In fact, he's out there right now before it gets dark trying to get in his miles for the, the time.
Uh-huh.
I'm not quite that bad.
I'm just a weekend cyclist.
Uh, do you have any, do you do any handicraft type things, I think was the question.
Handicraft type things.
Yeah,
whittling or
Yeah,
just whittle away my life.
Uh, no,
no,
I
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Nothing like that.
Uh, uh,
I, I do some things.
I've gotten into,
uh, oh, I, I like to decorate things
and I do sweatshirts and T-shirts
and I've gotten to where I start, have started selling them at craft shows and things.
Oh, that's pretty good.
Uh, and I have, have done fairly well at them.
I've had
a, a few of my little hobby projects have totally bombed,
but most of them have worked out pretty good
Yeah,
they,
my only craft work is kind of like computers and, you know, go off to the little computer club meetings,
and, it's kind of nice because I've made money at it, too.
Considering I, I work for it a living,
but I, you know, I, I've got a couple of articles published.
Oh!
It's kind of, kind of neat.
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Yeah,
what, what does a computer club do.
I didn't know there were such things.
Oh, yeah,
just all over the place.
They just get around and, and talk techy or, or else, uh, uh, you know,
like half the members are really expert
and the other half are like really not.
Uh-huh.
And, uh, we kind of help out the people who are really not
You don't, uh, you're not into hacking or whatever
Oh, I, I think I'm, I think I'm a hacker,
but I'm not, not kind, not the, uh, the, you know, dial around randomly trying to break into computers type hackers,
Uh-huh.
no,
that's one of those sports I don't go for.
Well, that's kind of interesting hobby.
What else, did you,
you said you did cycling?
Yeah.
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What was the other thing?
Backpacking.
Backpacking.
We,
Yeah,
I belong to a, a Boy Scout troop.
It beats paying United Way.
I just, you know donate a whole bunch of my time to the Boy Scouts and have fun.
Uh-huh.
Well, that's, we have done that.
Uh, our two older boys were in Boy Scouts
and my daughter was in Girl Scouts until just about a year ago
Uh-huh.
so we've uh, done a fair amount of that in our spare time, also
But, it,
I,
that's a great thing to do, you know, really.
Have you been backpacking anyplace exciting?
Uh, well, just last weekend went to Davy Crockett forest which is kind of out in east Texas.
Oh.
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Uh-huh.
And we go to, uh, places out in,
uh, uh, let's see
what's that, what's that state north of us,
that state
Oh, that one.
yeah.
Yeah,
that one.
That one.
Okay
Yeah,
yeah.
And,
To the,
uh, oh, by Fort Sill there?
Uh, no,
to another a, uh, old Indian fort that's out there.
Trying to think of the name of it.
Durn.
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Well, yeah,
no,
sorry,
no memory.
Uh-huh.
Have you gone, like to Fillmont with the Boy Scouts?
No,
I missed out this last year.
I wasn't able to get the time off, but maybe next year.
It's a good possibility.
I've always thought that would be a real fun thing to do.
Oh, yeah,
yeah.
When I was a kid, uh, we'd do the equivalent thing in the High Sierras.
That was loads of fun.
Uh-huh.
Does, does your whole family like to do it,
like you, you know, for a vacation you'd go backpacking?
Uh, no,
not quite because I'm not a whole family.
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I'm just me
Oh, okay.
You just, oh,
and, and you volunteer for the Boy Scouts, huh?
Oh, yeah,
I rent my kids
Uh-huh
Well, sometimes, uh,
It's better than, you know, owning on them and making payments on them, and, you know, things like that.
Sometimes I think that might not be a bad idea
Have,
uh, you said you did it in the High Sierras.
Uh, do you ever, you know, just vacation someplace where you strictly backpack?
Oh, yeah,
yeah.
Uh, not recently because, you know, like the Boy Scouts makes it so that I go like once a month, you know. Someplace.
Uh-huh.
But, uh, there's, uh, some, some stuff that I want to do with like Sierra Club and go down to Grand Canyon or something like that.
So, you know, they have lots of tours where they get a bunch of people together and off you go.
Uh-huh.
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Which seems kind of reasonable because that means you don't have to take twenty thirteen year olds with you, which seems a, a, just a tad more relaxing
Well, I,
probably,
probably.
That's,
uh, well, my, my other things that I like to do in my spare time, I'm, I like swimming.
Uh-huh.
Which is in now.
I've done that
and I, I also,
when I like something, I usually try to figure out how to make money off of it.
Okay,
is it Mike?
Yes.
Do you repair your own car?
I try to, whenever I can.
I've always been a, a I guess a product of a handyman father.
Well, I tell you what, that's, count your blessings because uh, it really is good when someone can do some things to a car themselves.
Yeah.
Yeah.
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There's,
although I'll tell you, you know, over the years the cars get more complicated.
Well, that's why I don't do as much as I'd like.
Right,
yeah.
Because they are, I mean they've got, they've gotten complicated haven't they?
Yes.
One of my first cars was a fifty-six Buick. Which, after awhile I could, you know, take it apart in my sleep if I needed to.
Uh-huh.
Is that right?
Yeah.
It, it got to be pretty straightforward to understand
and, now since then, you know, the closer a car is to a fifty-six Buick, the, the more I know about it.
And then start getting into these Nissans and the like
and I just can't keep up.
Yeah,
I, I agree.
About all I ever,
I never was too mechanically inclined,
but I used to always change my own oil and do the points and plugs and,
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Yeah.
Course, they don't use, uh, points anymore.
That's right
But, Uh, they do still use plugs.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, uh, now brakes, I've always done a lot of, you know, changing brakes.
Uh-huh.
And I used to do, I could always do the alternator, you know, and starter.
Yes.
I don't anymore,
but I have on a lot, a lot of times.
Yes,
I understand.
My last car repair actually had to do with brakes
and it's one I did not do myself.
I took the car, my,
I have a seventy-nine El Dorado, took it to be inspected
Uh-huh.
and the parking brake failed.
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So I got under there and messed with the, the that, uh, that adjustment to make, to tighten it up
Uh-huh.
and that didn't do the trick
Uh-huh.
and then I got there and tried to,
It probably slipped loose, didn't it?
Well, actually that wasn't even eventually the problem.
I, I did a lot of things that I, I did everything that I could think to do.
Uh-huh.
And, eventually I brought it up to a, a place called Just Brakes
Uh-huh.
and it turns out that there's a,
the parking brake in the rear,
there's a, there's disc brakes
and the parking brake is a piston deal.
Um.
And because the parking brake hadn't been used in so many years, the piston froze up.
Oh.
So they ended up having to pound it out.
And one of them, they, were able to get running, uh, kind of oiling it and playing with it
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and the other one they just, it was just frozen solid,
so I ended up having to buy one
and all total, it was just under two hundred dollars, believe it or not, to get all that done
well, it really wasn't quite, as bad as you thought, was it, was it?
yeah,
actually, I, I think it was a lot of money,
but I, I don't, like I
Well, it was a lot of money,
but,
Yeah,
but, I,
it got to the point where I didn't know what was going on
so,
You had to have the help, didn't you?
That's right,
that's right.
Yeah.
Well, do you still do much work on them, then?
I do.
actually that was just a, at, at the beginning of September
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and, whenever I can, I do try.
I
actually, I'd say this.
I, I've gotten to the point where I don't change the oil anymore. Only because,
Disposal is a problem.
Well, that is one problem,
but also these, uh, these fast oil change places, you just can't beat them.
That's true.
For sixteen bucks they'll not only will they change the oil in ten minutes, and do a you know, as good a job as I can do, but they'll, uh, lube, too
That's true.
Right,
that, that,
I've, I've quit doing that myself.
Yeah.
And, but one of the main reasons was the disposal of the oil, you know.
Yep,
that's right.
And, uh, but, it,
but, no,
I guess,
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that,
and the main reason that it's, it's quick.
Well, have you seen a new movie lately?
Well, uh, I am a student
and I have, uh, been actually watching more movies on video, than being able to go out to see, uh, movies at the store, or at the theater.
Uh-huh.
Uh, I I want to see the FISHER KING and, and, uh, catch ROBIN HOOD.
Okay.
I, uh, I haven't seen either one of those.
Uh, what, what are some of the shows that you have been able to rent though?
Uh, let's see.
Uh, I'm trying to just think of the ones that have come on.
Uh, WHITE PALACE which I thought was over rated, over hyped, um, recently.
Well, you're catching me at, it, uh, uh, at mind's end here.
What have you seen recently?
Well, maybe you, uh, you have seen DANCES WITH WOLVES.
Yes.
Okay.
Yes.
What did you think of that one?
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Enjoyed that quite a bit.
Um, I thought the, uh, the the cinematography was excellent.
Uh-huh.
Uh, the story was,
uh, though it tended to be a little one sided uh, it was good.
Yeah.
Uh, it was, it was believable.
I, uh, I just moved down, in fact, from South Dakota in, in June,
and that's when the movie was filmed,
Uh-huh.
and, uh, we, when, when the movie came out, we went,
uh, my dad lives in the state capital, which is Pierre
Uh-huh.
and it was filmed right outside of Pierre.
In fact, the buffalo, the scene, the big buffalo herd scene, that was, that was a live scene.
Wow.
Uh, there's a guy that has got a, a buffalo farm,
and he has got over ten thousand head of buffalo and, and, uh, we, my dad has got a little plane, we flew over it all looked at the buffalo,
it was really neat.
But, uh, so we are watching the, the movie in the movie theater in Pierre
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Uh-huh.
and, uh, just every time I would start to get into the movie, and it was getting good someone in the crowd would yell, hey, there's John Red Eagle, you know
Uh-huh.
or, you know, they'd start recognizing people.
They knew, they knew the extras or the,
Yeah.
So, I kind of, I think I enjoyed it more when I, when I watched it on video cassette than I did, uh, in the movie theater because my attention would get diverted every time they'd say that.
I'd go now, now which one could that be you know,
Uh-huh.
and I'd, I'd start trying to focus in on people instead of, of picking up the overall,
Scope.
Right.
Exactly.
Uh-huh.
So, but I, I thought it was a good film.
But you are right,
I think, I think it was very one sided.
It, it was,
but it's a side that hasn't been told. Uh, as far as, you know, telling it from, you know, the Indians as the good guys and the, the white men as the bad guys.
I, I really thought about, uh, all the, the westerns that we have seen for years and years,
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Sure.
and it's just, shoot the Indians,
and they are always the savages.
Right.
So,
In fact, I was watching WILD WILD WEST last night
and, it was a similar, uh, situation with the Iroquois Indians attacking a, an army fort.
Uh-huh.
Um, but it was an interesting movie.
Uh, have you seen PRETTY WOMAN?
Yes.
Now I thought that was a good show.
Yeah.
That was, that was a good movie.
Um, it was just kind of a get away movie.
Yeah.
Kind of,
It didn't, uh, it didn't have any real social bearing
or, uh, and it wasn't really a comedy,
but it was an enjoyable movie.
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It was, it was kind of like the STAR WARS series, you know, just something a little different, yet believable.
Uh-huh.
Right.
Yes.
You're bringing it,
I don't know,
I had a, I sure did have a mind lock about the movies I've seen.
But, yeah,
I've seen PRETTY WOMAN and DANCES WITH WOLVES,
and, uh,
Uh, now are you, are you going to see, or do you, are you much of a STAR TREK fan,
are you going to see this next one that's coming out?
Oh, definitely.
Have you seen the rest?
Yes.
I think I've missed one.
I'm not sure,
but I think I've missed one.
I actually went to the STAR TREK twenty fifth anniversary marathon that happened about a month ago,
and they showed all five in a row.
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Was that here in Dallas?
Oh, they had it everywhere,
uh, every major city had one theater that did it
and,
Okay.
Because we had one here in Dallas.
Right,
and they did it in Houston,
they did it, well, they did it everywhere.
And it was, it was really good to see all the movies and how the story developed,
and the thing that I didn't realize is that if you watch the movies in a row, uh, time wise they happen one after another and just no, no time between them,
Uh-huh.
but you can watch the characters develop,
I said Arlington, Texas because the other day, I was talking with somebody
and he was in Arlington, Virginia
Oh, no.
Yeah,
that's the only one I've got now for this area.
Oh, gosh, oh, gosh.
Well, anyway, we've got a easy subject.
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Yes,
we do.
You go ahead first, if you'd like.
Okay,
let me think here.
Favorite,
I haven't been watching much T V lately
Yeah,
you know you get so busy.
I used to.
Yeah,
I have, uh, I have one favorite soap opera.
I still watch
and I tape because I'm not home
Oh,
And, uh, let's see,
that's GENERAL HOSPITAL,
and then, uh, at night, uh, I don't, uh, when I sit down, I don't usually sit down till almost nine o'clock when my kids get in bed
I know.
and, and, uh, then I watch,
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uh, what do I watch at nine o'clock.
Let's see,
oh, well, Tuesday nights I guess, we try to catch a couple of the shows that the kids like.
Right.
And, uh,
Are they little?
I have a seven year old and a ten year old.
Yeah,
they're pretty young.
And, uh, so we usually catch, uh, FULL HOUSE,
and, uh, what's the one comes on after that.
It's a new one, uh,
I don't know,
my kids are older
Uh-huh.
so I don't, I don't know some of those shows now, like I used to
Yeah,
yeah.
Uh, other than that, uh, oh, gosh. I watch KNOTS LANDING on Thursday nights, for pure entertainment, nothing else.
Right.
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Yeah.
Well I, I like the comedies.
They're just light, too.
I have to watch MURPHY BROWN
I really like,
Oh, now that is a good one.
I make a point of that.
That is.
Yeah,
if I'm home on Mondays, then I, I definitely watch her.
I love that
and I really like COACH.
I think it's, when it's good, it's just a scream.
Yeah,
yeah,
well, he's a good actor.
He really is good.
Well, he's probably playing himself.
Half the time you see these people on an interview show, they're, they act just like they do in their parts
Yeah,
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yeah
He,
I saw him on JOHNNY CARSON once
and he acted about the same
Oh, God.
Well, he could very well be
Yeah,
and, uh,
So, do you watch much T V,
or,
Well, I watch more now because, well I, I had been going to school for years and have really been too busy
Uh-huh.
but this semester I'm only taking one course
and so I see MURPHY BROWN and COACH and THE WONDER YEARS.
I just make a point of seeing those.
Now, I never see that.
Well, I've got a friend that says that is just wonderful show.
Oh, it's fabulous.
Really, you should never miss that.
It, they are just gems of shows. I mean, they really, fabulous in every way
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Oh, nice.
What, now what night is that on now?
Oh, that's Wednesday at, uh, seven thirty.
Wednesday at seven thirty,
oh, okay.
Yeah,
Wednesdays I, I go to church choir,
so That's my one night out and about,
Oh, yeah.
so,
Sure,
yeah,
well, maybe, maybe your husband could tape it for you sometime.
Yeah,
I should get him to do that. Because I know,
Just so you get the idea.
It wouldn't take, Wouldn't take much to get hooked on those
Yeah,
yeah,
uh-huh.
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So, so, I watch those.
Are there any new ones this year that came out that you like
or,
Well, you know, I haven't, oh,
yeah,
we started watching NORTHERN EXPOSURE.
Well, it's not really new,
but it's still kind of new.
Uh-huh,
uh-huh.
How's that?
I haven't seen that.
I like it a lot.
It's real different.
In fact, they never thought it would be a hit.
Huh.
I mean, they'll have some things in there that almost, almost, you know, like supernatural, or something,
you know, I mean, somebody will see a figure from the past that nobody else does
or, I mean, it sounds weird,
but, it's very, uh, unique show and very well done.
|
Huh.
Excellent actors.
I'll have to watch for that.
I, I guess we just,
it came on after something we used to watch
Uh-huh,
uh-huh.
and I guess we just kept sitting there
and then now we make a point of watching
I can't take all these shows on because next semester I'm not going to be able to watch hardly any television.
Uh-huh
Well then, it will be mostly reruns, I guess
Yeah,
yeah.
And by the end of February, the way they do it nowadays.
Gosh. Well, we used to watch a lot of DESIGNING WOMEN,
But, uh,
but, uh I haven't seen that much lately. Since they got rid of, uh, Delta Burke and, uh brought on the new ones.
Yeah.
Yeah,
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I've seen that.
Was she the, was she the best one? Was she the best one on that old show?
Oh, she was just funny.
Really?
She was really funny.
And her character was good.
I don't know that it was her in particular but just the character.
Right,
right.
So, uh,
Yeah,
they had a big fight on that show, didn't they?
Yeah,
yeah.
They were all accusing each other of everything in the world
Oh, that was awful
and who knows still, what really happened, you know.
Well, I know,
gosh, you never will, probably.
Yeah,
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yeah,
so,
Well, I think the latest soap opera for people is the Kennedy trial for those who have cable.
Oh, I know.
I don't have cable.
Now I told ,
no,
we don't have that station either,
so, uh, I haven't been able to catch any of that,
but just what little we caught on the news.
It's just as wild as any soap opera, from what I hear on the news.
Oh, I know it.
And I think he's guilty as the devil.
Well, I don't see how he couldn't be, you know.
I know,
what's in it for her.
There's never anything for you to go to trial as a witness in a case like that. Because you know they tear you to shreds, especially those rich high powered lawyers.
Yeah,
that's right.
Oh, and they said this lawyer is unbelievable.
|
Um.
But, they said she held up so well yesterday.
I know,
everybody was saying that
and then, in the paper said it
so, It should be interesting.
Yeah.
Oh, God.
Well, the NATIONAL ENQUIRER says
I was reading that in the supermarket line.
I never have the nerve to buy the thing.
Uh,
Oh, shoot,
well, do you watch any, uh any sports or anything like that
Says he,
or,
No,
I don't care anything about that.
Because I don't either.
I can't, I can't watch it on T V,
|
so
I like the ice skating,
you know, occasionally, some ice skating will come on, on a Sunday or during the Olympics
Uh-huh.
I always watch that.
I think it's so beautiful.
Yeah,
I like to catch the gymnastics sometimes, too.
Oh, yeah,
that's good.
Well, I suppose we both have credit cards.
Uh-huh,
yeah,
they seem to be a part of life
Yeah.
Yeah,
how do you use them?
Well, I do use them.
Uh-huh.
Uh, I have a few favorites that I use more than others
|
and, uh, I try to keep my balances fairly reasonable.
I, I could probably pay them off any month if I wanted to.
Uh-huh.
Uh, but occasionally they can get out of hand and get higher when, when you start using more than a few
Uh-huh.
and, uh, they all can build up.
Uh-huh.
Uh, I think they're handy.
I just get, uh,
I don't carry a lot of cash with me
Uh-huh.
and, uh, I hate writing checks when you go shopping.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
Well, do you use credit cards?
Yeah,
I use a few.
I, uh, I watched my grandmother go into debt on them
Uh-huh.
and so I've,
|
and then I guess my mother,
Grandmother
huh?
Yeah,
so my mother learned from that
and I guess she taught me to be very, very careful with them.
So basically, uh, I just keep them,
I use them so that I build up a credit rating, you know.
Uh-huh.
But, otherwise, uh, I generally,
and my husband, it turns out,
I've just been married seven months,
but he has the same habit
and we just keep a few you know, few of the major ones, and then use them once in a while for something,
That's good.
but we always pay it off right that month so that we don't pay any service charge.
Oh that's, That's wonderful.
So that way we keep out of debt
and we keep on top of what we're spending.
Well, the interest rates in credit cards is so high now compared to what your savings is bringing.
|
Yeah.
It's really, I guess ridiculous to let them keep building.
Yeah,
yeah,
that's what I feel.
So,
But I know some people can get, get, you know, carried away with them and let them get out of hand.
Uh-huh.
It's really easy, just to forget, you know, that you, you charged that or charged that.
I try to keep all my receipts and keep them in someplace where I know that the bill's going to come,
but sometimes I forget
and so, you know, a bill will come in
and I'll think, oh, no I didn't know it was going to be that high.
Uh-huh.
yeah.
But so far, I've been able to, we've been able to pay it off every time
so,
Well, that's good.
I'm looking, right now I'm kind of looking for a Visa that has a lower interest rate.
It seems that some of them have gotten higher
|
Uh-huh.
and, uh, I saw on T V, they had a program on, uh, credit cards
and they're supposed to,
I don't know if it was Tennessee or Arkansas or some, some other state had a Visa card that was the lowest one in the country.
And I didn't write it down at the time
Uh-huh.
and then I went and looked and, to see what my visa was
and I think it's eighteen percent or something
Um.
so, think I want to find something that has a lower rate.
Yeah.
Have you ever used Discover card?
No,
I haven't.
Yeah,
I'm not even sure what their interest rate is since I pay it off
but you know,
Is that the one from Sears?
Uh, I think Sears originally put it out,
Okay.
|
but it's, uh, it's pretty well taken all over the U S now.
I mean, uh, I've haven't found many places that don't take Discover.
And there's no annual service fee, which is good.
Okay .
You know, and then, uh, they also give you, they say cash back, uh, like at the end of the year.
For the amount that I charge, I get two dollars back or something
Uh-huh.
but if you use credit cards a lot you probably get more back.
Oh, they give you money back for using your credit card.
Yeah,
basically.
Oh
That's it.
I didn't know that.
And I think the service charge is pretty low, too,
but, I'm not sure.
Um. Well, you know, Sears was one of the few department stores that never would take any other credit cards.
Uh-huh.
I worked at Sears for over ten years
and, uh, it was only a Sears card that they would take until I guess they decided to join the club and come up with their own credit card, another credit card that was accepted,
|
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
so, you know, now they'll take the Discover,
but I still don't know if Sears will take Visa or Mastercard.
Uh-huh.
But, uh I never did apply for a Discover card.
Yeah.
I just figure with the Visa and American Express, I probably have an,
Uh-huh.
I can do enough damage with those two.
Yeah,
I think it's best to keep the number down that you have.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
So,
I've got some that I, you know, I haven't even used at all, uh, past few years
I probably wouldn't be able to use them.
Uh-huh.
But, uh, I, I do like my Dillard's,
I have to admit that's one of my favorite places to shop.
|
Uh-huh.
And I do use Dillard's probably as, more than any of the other department stores.
Uh-huh.
But,
Yeah.
Well, Do you have anything else to say?
Well,
No,
not too much more about credit cards
Okay
I don't think I do either
so,
Okay
well,
Well, it was good talking to you.
Good talking to you Beth.
Okay.
Good luck.
Have a good evening.
You, too.
|
Bye-bye.
Bye.
Well, got any problems on Mockingbird with crime
or is that a crime free zone there?
No,
I don't think there is any such thing, as a crime free zone any longer.
I'm afraid you're right.
Uh, one evening I decided to retire early and heard sirens and noises and thought, oh, well, something's happens on Mockingbird and then heard yells and screams
and the next thing I know there are policemen all around my house.
Oh, my.
And they had stopped a, uh, a stolen car and caught one of the men in the hedge
Oh, boy.
and then the other one was on the roof in the back.
By your house?
on my house
Oh, my goodness.
Aye, aye, aye Oh, my.
So I'm very much aware of, uh, crime in the cities and the, and the concern about it.
That's, that's got to be a frightening way to spend an evening.
It was.
|
I, uh, I kept hearing noises
and so I, I knew that I was not going to sleep until I got up and went out and checked the garage,
so I got a my gun and walked to the, you know, through the house into the garage.
There was no one there,
but I wanted to be sure.
Oh, boy.
Is Plano beginning to experience the, the kinds of things that are more common in the metropolitan, you know, in the urban area?
Unfortunately yes.
That's too bad.
Yes.
I think, uh, you know, as any city grows up, uh, you get the hoods and the riffraff and everybody else in there,
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
and I think,
uh, you know, fortunately the sirens and everything we hear are over on Spring Creek,
but, uh, we've been, we've lived here sixteen years
and now you, you know, you can tell the change, for sure.
Uh-huh.
Well, I was thinking, if you've been there that long, you've seen Plano grow from what was really a, a small town to a city.
Yes.
|
Well, with all the, uh, Central Expressway, uh, with all the stores and the, uh, restaurants and the uh, convenience stores and all that kind of stuff, it's just prime pickings for people driving by.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
You know and,
Well, I was appalled to read the other day about the, uh, uh, shooting on the tollway.
That's, that couldn't be too far from you, neither.
Uh, well, it's farther west of me.
Okay.
I live over near White Rock Lake.
Oh, yes,
okay.
But, uh,
uh, it was really frightening to, think that, uh, it's not even safe to drive onto the tollway, or for those people in the tollbooth.
Uh, I never thought about someone robbing those,
but, apparently, they do.
I don't know, uh, how a few bucks can be worth shooting somebody
but,
Yeah,
it just doesn't seem possible, does it.
It's kind of, kind of stupid, isn't it.
|
Uh-huh.
But I guess when people do those things, they don't really give a thought of the consequences at the time.
It's, looks like easy pickings
No.
and away you go, right.
Yeah,
and I think the drugs play a tremendous part in, uh, the theft and the, the violence that we see.
I think you're right, uh, although I think that may be an excuse for people, too.
It, it is convenient, isn't it?
Right.
I didn't know what I was doing.
Right.
That kind.
Right,
just like the old alcohol idea
and I think people, uh, I think when you have haves and have nots, you're always going to find people that are too lazy to figure a way to earn money and find it's easier if you can get a gun to go out and hold something up than it is to figure out a way to legitimately earn the money.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Well, yes,
and I work in South Dallas for the Dallas School System.
|
Oh, boy.
And, uh, uh,
Where do you work?
Uh, do you know where Oakland and Hatcher are?
Uh, yes,
I think I do.
That, uh, is that Amelia Earhart, School there?
Uh, no
this is over near Lincoln High School. Uh, just, not far off South Central Expressway.
Okay.
That's a pretty rough area there, isn't it?
It is a pretty rough area.
We're over by Fair Park.
Oh, my goodness.
And, uh, you know, you watch the people.
There are marvelous B M W and Mercedes and Cadillacs and everything parked all up and down the street outside these awful taverns.
Huh.
And the kids see that
and, uh, they know that they can earn several hundred dollars in a day where, uh, you know, running for, uh, drug dealers if,
Definitely that area, that, that's big time.
|
Uh-huh.
Big time there, sure is.
It surely is.
I don't think I'd go to work without a bulletproof vest on myself .
Well, I'm careful.
that's the worst neighborhood in the whole area.
Yeah,
it's, uh, a little scary sometimes
and, uh, I manage the,
Well, credit cards
Yeah.
I'll tell you what, I, I can't say a whole lot about credit cards because I, uh, tore mine up.
Is that right?
I, I know I know some other people that have done that.
Yeah,
uh, I got in some problems with, uh, financial problems because of credit cards
so I, uh, basically just got rid of all of them.
Um.
I, I have a, a couple.
I have a, uh, gas card that I, that I use just for gas and you know, uh, one that I use just for emergencies
|
Uh-huh
but,
Uh-huh,
yeah,
I I have, we have some, some friends that did the, exactly the same thing.
They, uh, you know, they kind of overextended and borrowed and borrowed
and finally they realized that they were, they were abusing them and weren't going to get out of the hole
and they just cut them all up except for, for one they kept for emergencies
and they're still paying away to get out of debt.
Yeah.
I know it.
But, no,
I did just the opposite.
I, I guess I, I sort of followed in my, uh, parents' footsteps.
I have quite a few of them.
I use them continually,
Uh-huh.
but I, uh, I basically never charge anything I don't have the money in the bank to pay for.
And, uh, and I always pay them off totally every month.
Oh, is that right?
|
Yeah.
That's a, that's a good policy.
Yeah,
and it, you know, I mean, they, they're just a convenience for me.
I don't have to get cash out of the bank,
and I don't have to to be writing checks
and and, uh,
Yeah.
Yeah,
uh, sometimes I wish I had them,
but in most cases, I'm glad I don't because I, you know, unfortunately I, I, I don't have the control you have
Uh-huh.
I wish I did,
but but I don't.
Yeah.
Uh, and it, you know, it,
I just don't want to get into that situation again,
so we'll,
Uh-huh.
Yeah,
|
I mean, it, it's easy,
I mean, you don't have anything transferring, just a little signature,
so what, you know
Oh, that's it.
See, and that's,
even with my gas card you know, I find that I'll go in to get some gas
Uh-huh.
and I'll end up buying, you know, candy and drinks and you know, sweets and whatever,
Right.
and then at the end of the month I, you know, I get a bill
and I'm thinking what did I get, that costs so much.
Surprising.
Yeah.
And,
Well, you know, but the,
I mean, there are sort some inherent limits there,
you're not going to, you're not going to run up a few thousand dollars for that,
right.
Yeah,
that, that's true,
|
but I can, I can certainly understand where
Now I,
You know,
the thing that probably helps me most doing that is really, you know, uh, not so much discipline,
I mean, well, I mean, you have sort of a discipline in general about finances,
but, but I hate their, their rates so badly, I mean their interest rates so badly that I,
Oh, yeah.
Isn't it,
that's unbelievable.
How,
let me ask you this.
How, how old are you?
I'm, uh, thirty-three.
Thirty-three?
Thirty-two,
excuse me.
Okay.
You'll be thirty-three this year?
Yeah.
You want to be thirty-two as long as you can, huh.
|
It's coming.
Uh-huh.
Yeah,
I, I know what you mean about the interest rates. It's, uh, it's unbelievable.
You know, I just, that just irritates me so much that, that I refuse to pay them interest
and, and my wife recently, uh, decided she had to go to Brazil and was going to take off
and, she's from there and and, uh, didn't really have the money,
Uh-huh.
but, you know, she could pay it off,
and so I, sort of reluctantly let her put it on credit cards,
but she's paying it,
and, uh, I just won't do it.
I mean, she's paying, I don't know, I don't know what per month, you know, forty, fifty dollars per month in interest
Oh, jeez.
and I just, you know, I just refuse to give it to them.
If I need to borrow that kind of money, I'll go to the bank
and, uh,
Yeah,
and then, you bet.
You know.
|
That's,
uh, yeah,
I, in fact, I've, I've even, uh, heard some people that have applied for credit cards with much less, uh rates and have paid off their, you know higher interest rate, uh cards and just sent them back, you know.
Income.
Oh, yeah.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
And I, I guess there's some, there's, uh, uh, some negotiating there, too,
because I heard, uh,
on one of the local talk shows here, they had somebody on and, and said, what you can do is, uh, call, you know,
if you've got a pretty good rating, uh, credit rating you can call your you know, your, your card, wherever you got your card from and tell them, hey, either drop my rates or drop my, you know, uh annual fees or I'll just go to somewhere else.
Uh-huh.
Right.
High,
I might,
You know, and if you've got, if you've got a pretty good uh, uh, history with them they're more than willing to do that.
Um.
Right.
Um, I might try that because I, I have one card that I've had for about, uh, I don't know, nine or ten years.
|
Yeah,
in fact, that's, that's what this guy,
you know, he wrote a book on it
and he says that's, you know, he's tried it with several of his cards
Uh-huh.
and he's just told them, you know, I, I can get this card from this bank at this rate
and yours is at, you know, eighteen or nineteen percent.
Right.
It does not make sense for me to do that
and if you won't drop my rates, I'll just go ahead and send you back your card
and I'll go somewhere else and get it.
Yeah,
for me the big thing, you know, is the, uh, uh, is the annual fee
and I just refuse,
I won't get any card now,
I've, I've got a good rating
and I've got, you know,
Uh-huh.
And I'm not going, I'm not going to pay an annual fee.
The only one I actually pay on is this one that I, that, the very first,
|
Hello.
Hello.
Hi,
my name is Dolphene.
I live in Texas.
Hi,
my name is Pat Johnson
and I live in Texas too.
Okay,
I work for T I,
do, do you also?
No.
Okay.
No,
I live in Dallas.
I work for the Dallas school system.
Oh, okay.
uh, you ready to begin?
We might as well.
Oh, okay.
|
Okay.
I understand we are doing care of the elderly, right?
Yes.
And how do you feel about putting someone in the nursing home?
Well, I don't think that uh, any of my relatives would really like to go there.
I, I believe, if I, am in a position, uh, like when my mother gets to a point where she needs special care that I will be able to just bring her into my home and my father also, and uh, or have someone go into their home, you know and uh, and look after them.
Uh-huh.
That way.
Yes,
I would find it very difficult, uh, to, uh, place my father or my step-mother uh, in a place like that. Particularly, since I know how they feel about it.
Uh-huh.
Right,
it's basically, it's more how they feel about it.
Yes.
And it is like they feel, they are, uh, the way my mother would put it like somebody had thrown them away You know?
Yes.
I do think that there are some significant kinds of things to to look for, you know, if you are faced with placing someone. In a place like that, uh, you know, aside from the cleanliness and the medical care that is offered and such
Right.
Uh-huh.
but attitude of staff makes such a tremendous difference.
|
And I have a a friend who is partly paralyzed and is in a nursing home and has no family who, you know, could care for her.
Uh-huh.
And, uh, I know that the cheerful pleasant people who treat her kindly make all the difference in the world in how she feels about, uh, her situation.
Uh-huh.
And another thing to think about, uh, on the positive side of the nursing homes here,
I use to work in one of the offices in a nursing home
Uh-huh.
and I got to see a lot of the things that they did
Uh-huh.
they, uh, they had a lot of crafts
Yes.
and they had a lot of games
and, uh, they, get together and just do, they they do all sorts of things
and then there
some, some of the, uh, the people that are in there are real, you know, very nice and friendly to everybody
Uh-huh.
and, uh, then there are others that are,
uh, it is just a job
and they just you know want to go in and do what they have to do and get out go home.
Yeah.
|
Uh-huh.
Uh, the, the attitude of the staff as you said is really very very important.
Uh-huh.
I think it would matter too, uh, kinds of, uh, disabilities that the nursing home accepts. Because there are some, uh, who poor things, you know, don't have, uh, any real grasp on reality any longer.
Right.
Right.
And they may be ambulatory,
but they tend to behave like children, small children
Yeah.
and that would be very difficult I think for an adult who wasn't in that situation to to have to deal with on a daily basis.
Yeah.
Uh.
Well, it is like, the one that I worked in, uh, you would see some of them just like in wheelchairs all day,
they would just roll themselves around all over the place
and and they would enjoy enjoy themselves with activities
Yes.
and then you would see see some of the others that are were like distant from the other group
and they they just didn't like participate together with the others because they had some some, uh, I guess, uh, slight mental disabilities and things like that.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
|
Yes.
What, what do you call Alzheimer disease and stuff like that
Yes,
Alzheimer,
yes.
and they don't, don't, uh, they weren't really together with the rest of them, when they got together for such activities.
Yes
and that can,
Okay.
So Frank, what, uh, type of, uh, budget do you or your family have?
Well, uh I don't know that we really have a budget.
I have a set amount that I, that I save.
Actually, well actually there is a, a way,
budget our money apparently.
The,
uh, my wife, uh, has so much, uh, gets so much to do shopping with every couple of weeks
and, uh, we allot each of us so much money per week for our personal stuff, gas, and things like that
and besides that I, uh, you know, I have a set amount that I save every month.
Right.
That's, uh, sounds like probably a tighter controlled budget than what I have
|
Uh-huh.
I am single,
so. I guess, I don't know if that's an excuse for not having a tight budget,
Uh-huh.
but I basically,
Really don't need to.
Right,
I don't need to.
I am the only that I have to keep track of
so it makes it a little bit easier.
That's right.
Uh, and also I, you know, I try to save a certain amount each month as well
Uh-huh.
and, uh, I try to, try to have an idea of what my expenses are
and I am pretty consistent from month to month
Uh-huh.
and, uh, whenever, uh, I need to, uh, whenever that changes I am pretty well aware of it without actually having to maintain a budget for it.
Right.
Well, I found that, uh, you know, things, as I have gotten older,
I am in my fifties now,
|
but before we use to have, to have to have a very strict budget,
I had four kids
and, uh, you know we planned out how much we were going to spend for food and how much for, for this and for that.
Kind of anticipate how much things were going to be.
Uh, I guess one interesting aspect of the budgeting I do now is that I set aside, uh, I kind of fence off areas of my check book.
For instance, there are certain things that I know come up, uh, every so often.
Every six months I have to pay car insurance.
Uh, every six months I have to pay my taxes.
So I take a set amount.
Uh-huh.
I've got a money market account that I do a lot of uh, uh, saving in
and I also have got a checking account besides that,
but, what I do on my money market account, my taxes for instance which amount to an average of two hundred and twenty dollars a month. I will just take two hundred and twenty out
and I put it in parenthesis.
I take it out of the right line total and put it in parenthesis in there and let it build up.
Uh-huh.
Every month I add two hundred and twenty dollars to it.
Then when the tax bill comes in I've got that much set aside.
Right.
And I guess that's a way of budgeting.
|
Yeah.
That's,
I guess I kind of do a similar thing. More, uh, medium or longer range.
I just have a maybe a targeted amount that I will save for.
Like I am,
probably within a year I would like to buy a new car.
Uh-huh.
So, I kind of have a, an amount in my mind
and I am making every effort to, to put a little bit away and increase the amount that I need for a down payment or whatever.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
Uh, cars are definitely something that you have to figure into your budget. Not only for buying them, but for keeping them on the road too.
Right.
Uh, you know, we've got two cars.
My wife has a car
and I like to drive pick up truck.
So, we are on a schedule where I try every, uh, three or four years to, to buy a new one.
And you know I am constantly making car payments,
but I figure that's got to be the story of my life anyway, is making car payments.
Uh-huh.
|
So, uh, you know, I get one paid for
and, uh, actually I am saving up for another one besides
so it's you know, it's kind of a never ending thing,
Huh. Right.
but you try to, you try to schedule those things so that, uh, you only, you're not paying for two of at the same time I guess is what I am saying.
Right.
Have you thought about, uh, leasing?
Well, uh, I have thought about it,
but leasing wouldn't,
you know, I don't use it for my business.
I see.
My wife uses hers just for pleasure
and I use mine just to go back and forth to work which is only ten miles away
Right.
so.
But if you are rolling it over every three years, it might be advantageous to do that.
Yeah,
I guess.
Uh,
You know, typically, you, if you purchase your own car you tend to make, uh, the best returns after you pay it off.
|
Uh-huh.
Of course, the longer you keep it beyond that point, the more profitable it is to own it yourself.
Right.
Yeah,
you're right.
Uh, I have, uh, been know to keep trucks or cars for oh, ten or twelve years,
but I find that after about four years they kind of start going down hill
and you got to put put stuff in them you know.
That's right.
Yeah,
mine's, uh, seven years old
and I think last year was, that was a rough year for it.
I had a number of expenses
Uh-huh.
But, uh, I am hoping that most of them were just kind of,
uh, you know the,
as you get to a certain number of miles, you have to get everything replaced, brakes, shocks and all that.
So, I just went through that whole set last year.
Uh-huh.
I hope that I only have a slow period before I do that again
|
Those things can really upset your budget when they, when they come in.
Uh, you know, it's nice to have a little bit set aside for the, for the unexpected shall we say. So that it doesn't, uh, kill you all in one month.
Right.
Right.
What line of work are you in?
Your turn.
Oh, I, I start.
Okay.
Well, uh, we keep a budget to an extent.
Uh, and really, we were really forced into keeping a budget because I'm, I'm paid once a month which sort of, sort of forces some, uh, uh, restrictions
and you need to make sure all your bills are paid.
Uh, about yourself?
Well, I have to say I really don't have a budget.
Both my wife and I, uh, grew up in, uh, families of rather modest means
and, uh, our family income, at this point, is comfortable. Upper middle class I guess you might say.
And, uh, we're both so, uh, frugal that, uh, we really don't need a budget, you know.
We just sort of invest the money and go on vacations and always never seem to have any money problems which I guess is a comfortable thing.
Yeah.
Well I guess that really is sort of, uh, keeping a budget,
you know. You stay within your, uh within your means.
|
Well we stay within our means
but we don't do it, uh, by conscious effort.
It just sort of happens automatically.
Yeah.
Although we just moved to California
and, uh, the cost of living here in California is, uh, I would say rather pathological
Yes
Uh, housing prices are, you know, like from four to ten times more expensive than, uh, uh, they were where I came from in, uh, Dallas.
Oh, you moved from Dallas to San Francisco.
Yeah.
So, uh uh, that presents a, a real shock
That is a hugh difference.
Yeah.
actually our standard of living has gone down somewhat since we've moved to California
but,
But you have good sour dough
and it's a beautiful place to live
Yeah.
It's God's country.
Yeah.
|
Uh, and one way you know that is that only God can afford it
Uh, so budget is not a problem for us.
Uh, at least it hasn't been.
It may, may be at this point.
But, uh, up until this point it really hasn't been
When I, uh, was in, uh, undergraduate school a long, long time ago, I, uh, noted that the monthly salary, starting average monthly salary salary for engineers that, you know, in my discipline, was like oh, six hundred ten dollars a month or something like that.
And, uh, I noted at that point that I was, you know, if that's what my salary was that I drew then I would be making almost twice as much as my father made during his best year ever.
So I stopped worrying about money.
Yeah.
And it,
never have worried about money since then.
Well, that, that's a system too.
Sometimes, uh, it's a bit of a, a problem, you know, because I guess I don't really manage my money the way I should.
But, uh, I suppose I've lost money on not taking good advantage of, of, uh, investments
but,
Well then again, you know, you said you, you are able to take trips.
And you do, obviously, have enough to live on
so I guess you're indirectly budgeting. Uh, just bye-bye the fact that you said you're both very frugal, uh, in spending the money.
Uh-huh.
So, I mean that's, that's a form of budgeting I would think
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It's, it's kind of a strange topic to, to try to, for two people who don't really have a budget to talk about budgeting and how they manage their money.
Well, I guess we're both lucky in that regard then.
Yeah.
How big is your family?
Uh, well we're, we have one on the way.
I see.
Uh, my wife,
and then, we're, we're having one on the way in, uh, in, uh, September.
So how,
you, once you get ten children though, you may have,
No
I think it's just going to be one.
Oh, all right
How about yourself?
I have two kids.
Uh, one nine and one thirteen
Oh.
and they are beginning to be a budget problem but, uh, have not been really up until this, up to this point.
Do they budget at all?
I mean do you have them on an allowance?
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I give them a, I give them an allowance
and they, uh,
I basically give my son ten dollars a week
and I put half of it in the bank
and I give, give him the other half in cold cash.
Yeah.
And, uh, he has a teller card so he can, uh, do what he do what he wishes with the money that I put in the bank.
But, at least, it isn't, you know, burning a hole in his pocket.
Yeah.
If he wants to use it, he has to go get it
and that usually
Capital punishment, uh, I guess, out in California is, has had a lot of, uh, a lot of, you know, discourse in the paper.
Uh, apparently, you know, there's, they haven't, uh, executed anybody since nineteen sixty-seven, I believe.
Uh, yeah.
That's, that's as far back as I can remember
Well, that's before my time actually.
Yeah,
they,
Well, I, we were, we, uh, we just started, we lived in Redwood City when we were out there.
Uh-huh.
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And, uh, and we found that, uh you know, it was a very liberal kind of community.
But the, uh, I, I really feel that, that the law enforcement community, uh, you know, puts these people behind bars
and then they, they, uh, uh, you know, lawyers, these lawyer groups get together
and they, uh, they, I think, extend beyond the normal, uh, appeal process. Uh, you know, and just drag these, this guy, uh, his, his, uh, ultimate, uh, demise out for ten or fifteen years.
Uh, and I, I think that, uh, that there's something that has to be changed in the system to, to do that.
I think capital punishment, uh, uh, was or probably stringent enough
but I think the appeal process is really getting in the way.
Uh-huh.
Do, do you feel as though there should be, uh, more, uh, was or, or more, uh, you might say transgressions that would be enforceable by, uh, by, uh, uh, capital punishment?
Well I think that currently the way the law stands isn't so much that the laws are enforceable or not,
it's more they're not enforcing the death penalty itself.
It's at that point where they're saying like here you're, you're going on death row
but you'll stay there for twenty years.
Uh-huh.
And nothing is being done about it.
Uh, the laws exist and are frequently upheld in, in, uh, in Appeals Court just because of technicalities and because of maybe small little holes that their defending attorney can find.
And it's, it's really getting out of hand in many states.
Well, the term technicality .
The law enforcement community, uh, uh, you know, has to, has to separate the difference between somebody who is being set up in which, uh, grievous acts are done to, uh, to, you know, to get somebody into a, a situation where they're going to be guilty of, of a crime.
Or whether, uh, and whether the rights of that individual are been, have been, you know, impuned.
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Uh, but or whether there's just, you know, a policeman has just made a, uh, a, you know, a non, a noncritical error, though be it not the right way to do it
but, but, you know, the, the merits of the case in terms of, you know, the guy was a law breaker, as being supportive.
Now, I, I'm, at this juncture
I, you know, I'm, I'm not sure, you know, what constitutes a, a technicality.
You know, that, that's what all these, these hearings are about
and that's what all these, you know, court cases are about.
I mean our, uh, our, our glorious, uh, you know, mayor here in Washington is six days away from getting out of, out of the can
and, uh, you know, he, he tried to appeal his conviction. Uh,
and, you know, it didn't work.
But be that as it may, everybody who got enough money will pump the appeal process dry.
Uh, in, in the old days, you know, and say round about times of battle of Hastings, you know, and the villages if you were a transgressor, they, they either, you know, drove you out in the woods or you became a ward of somebody
and he, you were his slave.
And if he didn't like what you did, he killed you.
And that has, that's pretty effective.
Uh, you know, it's not good for civil rights, I guess,
but it's pretty effective in that, you know, you've got to get along in the community
and if you don't you'll perish. Either by the hand of your, your, your master or by being pushed out in the woods.
So, I, I, I mean as, as man has gotten more complicated so all of the, uh, imaginations to, uh, you know, protect him from, from being, uh, dumped on by, uh, civilian authority in, in in criminal actions, especially, you know, murder cases and that sort of thing.
Well, it seems like well it, it seems as if in the past typically there have been a lot of cases of people being wrongly tried or wrongly punished,
and the whole idea behind the current criminal process system is to protect those who actually didn't the crimes, albeit it seems that we are failing in that, in that ultimate goal because there are times when people who are guilty are getting off.
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Um, for instance, um there's a case a few years back where, uh, someone, uh, someone who's being convicted for, was under a was going to trial for murder, was let off because of a technicality in that. The the arresting officer, uh, did not read the defendant their rights.
Uh-huh.
And where his, old evidence was there, the witnesses were there, the, everything was conclusively pointing to this individual yet
Uh, a lot of companies now are, are using, uh, drug testing paraphernalia and drug testing situations to, to root out the, the either, uh, elementary or intermediate or advanced, uh, drug users.
Uh-huh.
And, uh, I know the, the government is, uh, you know, gives drug tests to all new entrants, all new applicants coming into government.
Uh-huh.
And, and I quite frankly, don't see anything wrong with it.
I, I'm, I guess I'm not a good civil libertarian.
And, and I, I feel as though, uh, that, uh, uh, you know, that if you, you're a drug user you have a hidden agenda that's difficult unless you really go into a deep background.
Of course, we're, we're,
being involved in my organization, uh, we, we have deep background checks
and and so, uh, but, but, sometimes, you know, drug use can, can escape that.
Sure,
sure.
And, uh, I have absolutely no compunction about, uh, using any and all means to, to, uh, uh, you know, work out, figure out who has a drug program or who has a drug problem and, uh, and putting that guy into, into therapy to, whatever it is to, to, you know, break this, uh, activity.
Huh.
Uh-huh.
Of course, if he's fallen in love with drugs
and there isn't anything
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but getting stoned or high is, is the only thing in life that seems to be meaningful, then maybe there is no hope
Yeah.
What's your, uh, feeling?
Uh, well I guess I, I guess I'm probably a little more to, toward the other direction.
Uh, well I guess, mainly because, uh, it's, I, well,
like there's two sides to it I guess.
Uh, one is that, uh, if you're coming to work under the influence of any sort of drug, alcohol, whatever, or, you know, even if it's smoking, inhibits, you know, your ability to function, then I, I think that, that, you know, I don't have any problem at all with testing that individual, you know, on the spot.
Uh, but I guess I feel more like whatever you're doing in your own private life is your own private business.
Uh, and I guess part of the reason there is because of the fact that, uh, things like drug laws seem to come and go.
You know, we had prohibition for awhile
and then we didn't have prohibition.
Uh, you know, we've had, I guess, laws against, uh, you know, various other forms of drugs for the last what sixty or seventy years, I guess.
Uh-huh.
Maybe a little longer.
Well I think, uh, the the laws on, uh, uh, uh, the first morphine laws were, were like ninety, or nineteen ten or nineteen five, something like that.
Yeah.
So, eighty years or so.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Uh, so I,
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you know, it's, it's hard to, I guess, for me to justify what seems like, you know, basically a breach of the First you know, freedom from, uh, search and seizure, you know, uh, on something that may or may not stand as a law, you know, fifty years from now or even twenty or ten,
who knows.
Well, the thing of it is the, the, that, that is, uh, uh, in, in many respects, uh, uh, you know, just, just, I think, an over simplification.
I mean, prohibition certainly didn't last.
I, I think there, there's so much criminal activity, uh, that people go into to, to support drug habits.
Well, but you got to look at prohibition though.
You had the same problems there, right?
Yeah.
You know, they, they support drug habits with, uh, with, uh, you know, with things like, uh, you know, burglary or, or prostitution or stuff like that,
yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Sure.
Well it goes back to that, again,
if you look at prohibition. I mean because it's illegal, it costs more.
If it was legal,
I mean, face it you can buy pharmaceutical grade cocaine for what, ten or twenty dollars an ounce.
I, I I must admit that,
And clearly if you're into coke and all you want to do is, you know, snort your brains out all day long, if it was legal, you could do it real cheap
and, you know, you'd be a menace to nobody but yourself as long as you stayed at home and did it.
Yeah.
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But, yeah,
get, uh,
Yeah.
I, I must admit that the production costs of, of these drugs are, are zippo compared to the street market costs and, and the costs to society,
yeah.
Oh, yeah,
well that's why there's, you know, people dealing it because there's money in it, you know.
There's ridiculous amounts of money.
But I, I, I, I think that, that the, that, you know, the, being in law enforcement, you know, they, I, I probably have a kind of a draconian, Philistine attitude toward it.
And, but, but the, uh, uh, I, I really feel as though the interdiction effort is, is,
as soon as you, you get rid of one goon that's, that's, that's involved in drugs and
Oh yeah,
interdiction's hopeless.
I mean
Yeah,
and then another, another one will jump up.
there's no way you're ever going to win that.
But we, we see,
The tighter you squeeze, the more the price goes up, the more incentive there is.
I mean that's a losing fight .
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Yeah.
as soon as we wind up, uh, uh, you know, for,
well if we can just destroy the market by destroying the demand
but, but people want to, get, get stoned
Yeah,
yeah.
and I, I don't see that,
Well, yeah.
It goes back to, you know, what right, what can society impose on people.
I mean, can you force somebody to be a good productive citizen?
Yeah.
I don't think you can.
I mean, you know, I'm, you know, was raised with being a very strong Bible work ethic
so, you know, I'm one of these, you know, ten, twelve, fifteen, twenty hour a day type people.
Uh-huh.
So, you know, yeah,
I can really relate to
yeah,
everybody ought to do their own share,
you know. I don't have any, you know, love lost for people who are on the public dole just because they're too lazy to get a job or that kind of stuff.
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Uh-huh.
But, you know,
See, when you're with a big company or a big organization, a lot of times, uh, you know, the benefits are good
and, and, you know, the pay is regular
but, uh, you know, sometimes you don't get tuned in to what's going on.
And I, I think the biggest benefit or the biggest benefit other than wages that, that, uh, that anybody could get in, in dealing with a large company is to be in a situation where you, you get to know what's going on.
And maybe that's, that's probably the toughest thing in the whole world to, to do.
What's, what's your feeling about benefits?
What sort of benefits would you like to get from a big company.
Well, since I'm kind of on the, the older side, you know, I, I, I just feel like, uh, when I start talking about benefits, I talk about, I'm concerned about medical benefits
Uh, my, uh, my husband works for McDonald Douglas
and so his benefits, his medical benefits are so excellent, you know,
that's really great.
Uh-huh.
You know, I work for, uh, a bank, Western Financial.
Uh-huh.
And, uh, they don't let me know really about anything that's going on.
Even some of the immediate things that I need to know, I don't know it until the next hour
and all of a sudden we know we've got changes made.
We're changing departments.
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We're changing policies.
We're changing doing other kinds of things. Which to me is, is disturbing
I mean, I feel like if, I, I don't necessarily need to, uh, be involved since I'm pretty much on a low level,
you are, you are right there.
You know, I'm pretty much on a low level as far as, uh, the company is concerned.
But I, I do kind of like to know what's going on and what's happening
and I think I can be a better and more effective employee if, if I had a little bit more information along that line.
Well,
I I well I work for the government
and, uh, actually I work for the F B I.
Oh, my gosh.
And, uh, and so, you know, we, we don't, there's lots of things that we don't get told. For good reason.
But, uh, but basically, uh, there's lots of things that, that we should know about projects.
I'm an engineer. You know.
Uh-huh.
I'm, I'm a COTR.
And
and I, I worked in the same lab with a guy
and we didn't really know that much about each other's projects for two years.
And we should have,
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you know, we're, we're now collaborating.
Oh.
And
And it, it ,
for two years we didn't. And, we, which was a, kind of stupid.
But, uh, but our organization is doing something else on Monday.
Uh, we're having a, for all unclassified programs, we're, we're having little tables put up in front of lab in the hallways
and every, all the other employees are going to come around and see what sort of things we do. Which I thought was kind of interesting and, But, uh, but that, that sort, sort of thing.
Yeah,
that is interesting.
But, if you, I think you can tolerate a lot of problems if you understand what's going on.
Exactly.
And, and, but of course most time, most of the time management has a hard time distributing or getting the word out to the people who must know.
And, you know, if you don't really count. If you're not part of the program you might not get told for months.
Or you might, you know, if it doesn't impact you directly. Or if your management doesn't think that.
But, but regard to benefits. You know, most companies have, most big organizations have decent, you know, benefits like retirement and that sort of thing.
In the private sector I would think that one of the major, uh, situations, especially when you reach, you know, the, the mid-fifties, is keeping a job until you retire.
right.
And engineers are, uh, are baggage to most, uh, uh, as they get older, to, to most companies.
And, uh, it's very much like the military,
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it windows out.
You know, you, you think well, boy, I'm getting more money
and I'm getting more responsibility,
I'm doing this.
But as you climb up that tree, pretty soon you're, the, the branches get smaller on the top of the tree
Uh-huh.
and pretty soon somebody falls off.
I, I've fallen off twice in the private sector.
Oh.
And, uh, and, you know, I can get up,
I know.
It, it seems to be, be kind of, kind of scary, you know. Because you think of,
uh, see my son's eighteen right now
and he, he's, uh, he wants to go into engineering.
And the, the, the branches of engineering that he wants to go into is now kind of open
and he's interested in, basically, three different areas.
But, uh, it's difficult for me to try to give him any kind of advice or to advise him or anything like that.
He needs to do his own course of investigation and, and see what he can do because who knows what's going to happen in another thirty years.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
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And in thirty years it becomes pretty critical.
I mean, my, uh, brother-in-law is like, uh, I mean he's sixty.
He's not ready to retire
but his company is, is, uh, is, uh, closing up.
Uh-huh.
And because of the defense cutbacks and all that kind of stuff. And all the nuclear and stuff which is what he, what he was working on. He's getting cut back
and he's not ready to retire
Yeah,
he may be retired.
Budgeting activity in our household I, has is, uh, uh, kind of an informal kind of situation.
We, we, you know, put,
actually what happens is, uh, is, my check gets automatically deposited.
I don't even have the glories of bringing home my check anymore.
It just gets deposited.
And, and, and my, my wife, you know, you know, looks at all those bills that come in
and, you know, and all those people are counting on me to have my wife pay them. You see,
and so our, our budgeting,
we really don't have a formal budgeting situation.
Every time I've ever tried one, it's, uh, I've just got wrapped in my inertia.
And, uh, I've just decided not to pursue it.
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Uh, what, what's your budget situation?
Well, actually, uh, I've, I've had a couple of different situations.
My current one has been the most successful.
Uh, at a certain point in life
my husband, my ex-husband was an alcoholic.
And we got divorced back in the mid-seventies
and that left me with three teenagers.
You know, well actually that kind of situation is just wonderful for budgets. Isn't it?
It certainly is
But at any rate, what happened was that I, I just absolutely put away all the credit cards.
I didn't rip them up.
I didn't send them back.
Nothing.
I just put them away.
Because there was one that it was really handy to have.
If I absolutely had to have something, I could go use it.
Uh-huh.
But, uh, mostly we just spent cash. Whatever we had.
And if we didn't have it, we absolutely didn't spend it.
But then, as things improved, you know.
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Once, once I got them all through college, uh, it came to the point where, uh,
my parents came through the depression.
I'm not sure how old you are.
Well, my, you know, my, my parents too.
You, you you were born in, in the, in the late thirties or early forties.
But my,
Late thirties,
yeah.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
And, uh, my mother hardly ever spent anything on herself or on the house.
And that's kind of the way I was raised.
And so I'm not a very demanding person in, in that aspect.
So for quite a period of time, I just flat didn't spend any money.
Um.
Now, meanwhile, I got, had a, a building bank balance.
And my intent was that whenever something went on sale that I really had to have, I would have the cash to buy it right then and there. And not ever have to spend any money on interest.
Uh-huh.
Well, that, that's good.
And that, that's the way I've operated ever since then.
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It,
and you know, if, if something goes on sale and I don't have the money, I still don't buy it.
Well, we, we buy what, well,
we just got through buying a twenty-five foot refrigerator, a new ceramic top stove, and a new dishwasher.
Oh my
And, and we put twenty-eight hundred dollars on the charge. Along with my trip to Japan which was, was fourteen or fifteen hundred dollars
Oh my!
and you know.
Oh my.
Right.
I mean, we just, we got a monster, you know, bill coming in.
But, but we also have zero interest being paid.
And we pay it off as, as it goes.
Uh-huh.
And that's the way I do my credit cards now.
Yeah.
So we never really get that much over, uh, over extended.
Yeah.
I do almost all my purchasing on credit cards.
Huh.
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But it's the fact that I have enough of a, of a cushion in the bank so that when they come, I can pay them in full.
Yeah.
We're, we're doing that.
We have, you know, uh,
this is our, our, our big, uh,
we did redecorating.
Two, you know, two new pieces in the in the family room and new carpet.
I mean we just uh, we've just been spending, spending, spending.
Oh my.
I'm envious
Well I,
but we haven't really done anything for a long time because we've, we've had two kids in college that just have graduated in the past year.
Uh-huh.
So we're, you know, we don't have that.
It's time for you to do these things then. Right?
Yeah,
it's, uh, it's about time that we did that.
and it all looks still pretty good to me.
Why, why we need to replace it?
But, but, unfortunately my, my, my wife really feels as though it's, it's just been an inappropriate, uh, thing to, to, I mean
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that rug is thirteen years old,
why not replace it.
I mean, uh, I say it might go for another thirteen
but, uh, too late, we'll never find that out.
This is so funny.
That's wonderful.
But you're lucky to have her because if you're like me and you have difficulty spending money, you need somebody to help you spend it.
And,
I mean, certain things really do need to be done whether or not you think they should, be or not
You know, I, I, I don't spend that much money.
I just, uh, we just sort of have had, uh, you know, too many obligations to, you know,
we sort of take care of the kids when they were school and they, they got through school.
And that was the major, you know, decade of expenses, you know.
So we, we feel as, uh,
but as far as any formal budgeting, uh, you know, I, I, we just apparently have been very fortunate.
When we went, want to go out to eat, we go out to eat.
We never really, you know, have to program money for that or make choices, you know.
But, uh, we don't have that uproarious a, a lifestyle.
After all, we're,
Okay, um.
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How has it been this week for you?
Weather-wise, or otherwise?
Weather-wise.
Weather-wise.
Damp, cold, warm
Oh, no,
damp.
We have, we have gone through, what might be called the four seasons, uh, in the last week.
Uh-huh.
We have had highs of seventy-two, lows in the twenties.
My goodness.
Well, I don't even want to tell you what ours has been like then.
It was ninety-six yesterday,
I heard about that.
and we set a record yesterday. And, uh, very windy,
but then today the wind has dropped off, and also, the temperature, so, very cool, uh,
I think right now it's like sixty-nine,
Um
and that's cool for
or it feels cool compared to yesterday, but very pleasant,
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no rain in the last month, I don't think.
The ground's very dry
and our yard work, everything is in bloom,
so our yard work is pretty tough, the ground being dry,
but I guess it also, uh, brings about allergies,
we're having a lot of allergies down here right now.
Uh-huh.
Everything blooming,
and, and the weather.
Uh-huh.
And, uh, I think a lot of people have contracted, uh, spring fever too,
so. Had a lot of people out at work, you know, for fishing, and, and uh, and golfing, reasons and things like that.
The blue flu,
Yeah.
yeah,
the blue flu, or the white collar flu, depending on where you work, I guess.
Yes.
Oh, we have had, uh, as I've said, we have had variable weather. Uh,
Um.
It has been untypically wet for this time of year,
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Um.
and, also, we have a lot of green, you know,
the grass has been growing
and if you look outside, you would like to go out and mow your lawn, if you could go out and buy a new spark plug, or something along those lines,
Uh.
but fortunately it rains
and you, uh, do not have to go out and buy the spark plug, you know.
Yeah.
But, we've had an unusually, uh, uh, warm spring,
and, well I guess we're still in winter,
and, uh, we have had no snow.
Uh-huh.
No snow?
To speak of, to speak of.
Um.
We usually average, oh, anywhere from six to twelve inches during the winter
and this year, as well as last year, we have had less than four inches total accumulation.
Um.
So, it's been inordinately warm, uh, here, for, uh, for this time of year.
Um.
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So, uh, in that regard, it's fine,
but, uh, I envy you your ninety-four degrees.
Uh-huh.
I thought I heard this morning that in San Antonio it was in the nineties yesterday.
Yes,
yes
it is.
Down in the more southern and western areas.
And, of course we are, um, about two hours from the northern border, straight south,
Yeah.
and, and, uh, very windy.
It's amazing to me
because I have only lived in Dallas for three years,
and I cannot believe that the wind blows all the time.
It does,
I, I
very seldom, if any,
I can't remember, you know, a day that I walked out and the wind wasn't blowing.
Uh-huh
Well, I spent six years in graduate school at, in Indiana. In the flatlands,
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and it was that way every day.
Um.
Rarely a day went by when the wind was less than fifteen or twenty miles an hour. Summer and winter,
Um.
so, that, uh,
you, you became accustomed to it, I guess.
Uh-huh.
But, uh, otherwise as I said, we have had, uh, a relatively mild winter, speaking for this area of the country.
Uh-huh.
Oh, where did you go to school in Indiana?
Purdue.
Purdue.
I have a brother that lives in, uh, uh, South Bend, Indiana.
Oh, yes.
And, I had to always,
I've lived there for eight years myself.
I'd always said I was going to go back to school and go to Notre Dame.
But, I didn't. Uh.
Well, you are not from that area originally, I can tell.
No,
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originally I'm from New Mexico.
Oh, okay.
I was born in New Mexico
and we lived in, uh, South Bend for eighty, eight years, and, uh, then moved to, uh, Tennessee actually.
Uh-huh.
And, uh,
Well, I thought I heard a little Tennessee in there somewhere.
Very much,
very much,
cause I, I spent thirteen years there. And, uh, then moved to Dallas about three years ago.
Uh-huh.
So,
Gee,
you've moved almost, moved around as much as I have
Yeah, uh,
my father was in the Air Force,
so,
Oh, I see.
Uh-huh.
Well, I worked for the government,
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so I, I moved, uh, much more frequently than I had intended for sixteen years,
Uh-huh.
but, uh, I guess the, uh, this is my first conversation in this, uh, uh, series.
Oh, uh-huh.
I, I received a call last night because of the, uh,
I had not received my, uh, personal identification number.
Right.
So, I had to call Jack Godfrey today to ask him what it was, because I, I had to abort the call last evening because I couldn't get on the line.
Yeah
So, uh, is there any,
I'm not sure how long we're supposed to talk.
It's, um, it's just as long as you want to.
Oh.
I mean it's just, uh, as long as you want to, and just, you know, a reasonable lengthy conversation.
Uh, do you work for Texas Instruments?
No,
I do not.
I work for G T E.
Oh, okay.
And, I, uh, of course, was, I was sent a, uh, an application from, uh, from Jack.
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Uh-huh.
I've known Jack for some time.
I'm in the speech processing business, and have been for a number of years,
Oh, okay.
so I was very much interested, in, in being a speaker for this
Yeah.
Well, actually, I, I work for Texas Instruments,
and, uh, I'm an a, I'm an environmental engineer,
Oh, I see.
and, uh, they just published this internally, you know, getting people involved.
Uh-huh.
So, that, that's really strange.
I, I was wondering why we had somebody from Maryland though.
I was saying, God, do we have a TI in Maryland
or,
I'm sure you have a representative somewhere in the area. If just nothing more than a business representative or government services representative,
Uh-huh.
and, um, but I have, uh, I have been a speaker in other, uh, similar type of activities.
Uh-huh.
And, I know the reason why this is, why the, uh, this is being gathered and the program and so forth,
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so, I was interested as I said, I was interested in being a speaker.
Uh-huh.
We haven't talked much about the weather
Oh, well.
I know that's what we're supposed to do.
Yeah,
yeah.
Well, really it, uh, the letter just says, um,
let's see, I can't,
I was looking at it,
I was trying to find out speedy short cuts,
and I always thought it's not necessary to measure your time, just to go ahead and enjoy the conversation, and, and, end it when needed.
So.
Uh-huh.
In environmental engineering, uh,
Uh-huh.
is that with regard to work place engineering, or just, you know, the work place environment
or,
Uh, well, it's actually, um, waste water.
Oh, I see.
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Taking, taking care of uh,
I'm actually in the air division,
and we monitor, um, anything that comes out of a stack, or out of a building,
or, um, we do have customers that, um, their concerns are in the work place
and we take care of that,
but , within our department. We take care of everything. Waste water, uh, solid waste, and recycling, and, and air and
Uh-huh.
Well, I had
my, the, the call last evening was supposed to be about, uh, concerning recycling in the community.
Oh, uh-huh.
The call I received,
and so, I had, uh, I had thought a little bit about it, um, before hand.
Uh-huh.
Oh, uh-huh.
So, I,
but that, that's interesting.
I have a, uh, uh, friend who is a planner. Uh, a city planner.
Oh, uh-huh.
And, one of his,
and he models, uh, city districts, and so forth, uh, does computer modeling.
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Uh-huh.
Yeah.
And, one of the, uh,
he has inputs, or gets inputs from, uh, an environmental engineer. .
Uh-huh.
Yeah,
we actually, our division is corporate wide,
and we take care of just the Dallas area.
Uh-huh.
Of course we have several plants here,
but, um, we do air modeling also.
Oh, I see.
And, and, yeah, I take care of all the air modeling, specifically for the Dallas area.
What we do, we have a weather station, that we get all of this information, you know, temperature, wind speed, wind direction,
and, uh, we have a huge chemical data base.
Well, that's interesting.
And, uh, our, our chemical data base, so that we know every chemical on site
and, and, um, its concentration,
and if, if anything ever happened, God forbid, you know, a building explosion or something we'd be able to track chemicals from that building with our weather station.
Okay, um, well,
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