Combine years of owning computers with librarian-type tendencies, and you've got me figured out. Of course, I've been thinking lots about my father lately. I had him involved in email at the beginning of the millennium but then the hotmail interface changed and he sort of got lost.During the majority of my years abroad, there was no Internet. In order to send words, we struggled by post. At the present time that era seems a bit romantic. If the mail had no disruptions, it'd take more than two weeks to get to North America from the Middle East. The response time was similar; therefore, there was at least a month turn-around time. Because phone calls could be prohibitively expensive, I was forced to get into the habit of corresponding by letter. Here's a note I sent to my father just about twenty years ago. I found it saved on an old CD entitled, 'Archives'.
January 21, 1987
Taif, Saudi Arabia
Dear Dad,
Greetings! As you may be able to tell, I am now using a different word processor. So much of what makes this program great can't be seen on the typed page. It allows you to look through a whole disk worth of files to match an exact word. If I want to know the first letter that I mentioned "AUCTION" in, then all I do is type that word, and it'll search through all 70 odd letters I've got on my correspondence disk! It's really amazing!
As you might be able to tell, I am practicing as much with this letter, as sending useful or important information. You might even say you're my first guinea pig!
Oh, before I forget, I wanted to tell you that you won't be getting anymore bills from Keene State College. I have written and had my address changed so my student loan statements come here. I have to plan so that it'll be paid off by this summer. I might as well send the check from here. Speaking about student loans, you haven't been getting any statements from Sugar River Savings bank, have you? My payments are forwarded there automatically by my Seattle Bank. However, I've told the Newport bank that I want monthly statements SENT HERE. They screwed up my account several months ago and I haven't heard anything since. Give 'em hell, if need be.
I just got your letter today explaining that you are "really getting it" as far as snow is concerned. Great! Wish I were there to play in it.
Things here are O.K. Today ended another hectic week at school. Today some classes had their "student day". So, all the teachers were off, except me. Oh, I work soooo hard!
How is everything in Wendell? It sure is a shame to hear that you're back to work with no chance for vacation for a while. (If you could see me, I'd be frowning.)
I've got my vacation time all planned. In March I do go to Rome from the 19th to the 27th. I might also see Venice with all the canals and such. Anyway, around May 26th, I will be flying back to New York. I get a ticket from the company to Seattle (my point of hire). But I want to spend two weeks with you. Get ready to stock up the refrigerator: I eat like a horse! I'll have to be back at work here at the end of June.
Oops, I'm running out of room. So that's all for now. Take care and be good, etc. I love you.