"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

I had an eye exam today. The reading glasses I started needing 1.5 years ago are graduating to computer glasses and a fresh new pair of stronger readers are on order. But, that's not what had me feeling old.

My eye doctor asked me if I had any new hobbies and I told her I'd taken up whittling since the last time I'd seen her. We chatted about that a bit and then her college-age summer intern joined us in the exam room.

"I bet people her age don't even know what that is," she said as she turned to the young woman and asked her: "Do you know what whittling is?"

"No, what's that?"

I was floored.
 
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WhittlinAway said:
I had an eye exam today. The reading glasses I started needing 1.5 years ago are graduating to computer glasses and a fresh new pair of stronger readers are on order. But, that's not what had me feeling old.

My eye doctor asked me if I had any new hobbies and I told her I'd taken up whittling since the last time I'd seen her. We chatted about that a bit and then her college-age summer intern joined us in the exam room.

"I bet people her age don't even know what that is," she said as she turned to the young woman and asked her: "Do you know what whittling is?"

"No, what's that?"

I was floored.
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Haha! I remember an anecdote that a friend told me once when he had asked someone if they whittled and they replied; 'you mean whistle? Yeah all the time'
 
Credit card fraud.

What a PITA!!!!

Karen and I just had a ssh to Maryland and back for a family friends surprise birthday party. Old old friend. We left Gerogtown Texas for Gaithersburg maryland in the morning and made it to Maryland in 27 hours. One of us drove the other slept or tried to. For some mad reason, we just wanted to see it we could still do it. We did, and it took a day and a half to recuperate. :eek:

Had a great time, stayed at son John's apartment in his spare bedroom, and left after a few days of catching up withhold friends. The birthday party was a huge sucsess and he was genuinely shocked. Took a reasonable sedate two days to drive back to the new homestead in Georgetown Texas.

Now the kicker; because of the cost of moving and setting up the new home this past winter, I was striving to not use my credit card at all if possible. Trying to pay it down to zero by mid summer, so all trip expenses were paid cash. Gas for the Toyota, sandwich makings and bottled drinks for on the road. Some groceries for John's apartment where we stayed. Just one time it was used. On the way home we stopped for the night at a Comfort Inn in Birmingham Alabama. Home the next day by dinner. I get an email two days later about charges at a Pizza Hut, and other restaurants we never even saw. Of course the credit card company says I'm not libel for the charges and knocked them off our bill. But jeezz, just one time and it's swiped and stolen. All the charges were in the local of the Alabama Comfort Inn we stayed, so I suspect an employee, as does the credit card investigator who called me.

Can't trust anyone these days!:grumpy:
 
I feel your pain/frustration, Carl. :( We've had to get new credit cards at least 3 times in the past 10 years because of fraudulent charges.
Now, as a change of pace, the IRS notified me last week that someone using my name and SSN had filed a fraudulent income tax return! :mad:
A guy at work told me today that HR at work has been keeping a list and he claimed at least 60 people (out of maybe 500 to 600) where I work have had the same problem; sounds to me like at least some part of our database has been hacked. I have no clue about how much of a pain this will be, who I have to contact, how to stop the moron from trying to start drawing my Social Security benefits, etc.

I yearn for a simpler life! :o

- GT
 
Don't lose heart Carl there are a still loads of good people left.
I had my card scammed a few years ago. Made a purchase at a Game store for the kids. One that I had never been to before but part of a large chain. Nek minit cc company calls to ask about an unusual purchase online that I'd made. I wasn't liable and it was easy for them to track it back to that store.
On my trip to England a few years ago I was using a card that the signature had pretty much rubbed off and was totally illegible. I used it everywhere and no one batted an eyelid.
 
jackknife said:
Credit card fraud.

What a PITA!!!!

Karen and I just had a ssh to Maryland and back for a family friends surprise birthday party. Old old friend. We left Gerogtown Texas for Gaithersburg maryland in the morning and made it to Maryland in 27 hours. One of us drove the other slept or tried to. For some mad reason, we just wanted to see it we could still do it. We did, and it took a day and a half to recuperate. :eek:

Had a great time, stayed at son John's apartment in his spare bedroom, and left after a few days of catching up withhold friends. The birthday party was a huge sucsess and he was genuinely shocked. Took a reasonable sedate two days to drive back to the new homestead in Georgetown Texas.

Now the kicker; because of the cost of moving and setting up the new home this past winter, I was striving to not use my credit card at all if possible. Trying to pay it down to zero by mid summer, so all trip expenses were paid cash. Gas for the Toyota, sandwich makings and bottled drinks for on the road. Some groceries for John's apartment where we stayed. Just one time it was used. On the way home we stopped for the night at a Comfort Inn in Birmingham Alabama. Home the next day by dinner. I get an email two days later about charges at a Pizza Hut, and other restaurants we never even saw. Of course the credit card company says I'm not libel for the charges and knocked them off our bill. But jeezz, just one time and it's swiped and stolen. All the charges were in the local of the Alabama Comfort Inn we stayed, so I suspect an employee, as does the credit card investigator who called me.

Can't trust anyone these days!:grumpy:
Click to expand...

Best thing you can do is to freeze your credit with all three agencies, it's easily unfrozen temporarily if you need to apply for new credit.
 
Carl, I'm sorry you're having to deal with that. At least it sounds like you had a spectacular trip and this didn't intrude mid-festivities!
 
Sorry to hear about it, Carl.

I'm now on my third card from my primary bank in 3 years. The first time, they called me and were adamant that someone had stolen my card. I expressed the requisite surprise about the situation that you might expect from anyone who reached into his wallet and plucked the card out while on the phone. Suffice it to say the rep either didn't believe me or had gone too far to turn back, so I had to cut that card up and wait nearly a week for the bank to mail me a new one. In an increasingly-digital world, trying to balance walking around with cash but not TOO much cash for a whole week is a real hassle.

The second card lasted a little while. About a week ago I start getting "Unknown Caller" calls on my phone. Naturally, being someone who has no desire to talk to offshore telemarketers or phone pranksters, I let the calls go to voicemail. Nobody left a message. Then I get a call from a North Carolina number which I also naturally send to voicemail. 30 seconds of silence, nothing else on the message. Yesterday, I received an envelope from my bank and tossed it on the counter. For the rest of the day, I'm bouncing from place to place having my card rejected like some sort of destitute vagrant. I checked online banking and find plenty of digits in my balance, so I'm puzzled. I call my bank and they tell me my card was cancelled, and they sent a replacement (3-5 business days!)

So, fortunately for me, the envelope was the replacement card. Now I only have to go through the rigamarole of changing all my saved/registered cards with knife dealers, bill auto-pay, etc. etc. etc.

Oh, and for the record? Never once had a disputed charge on my account. :o
 
So I had memorable day with some important knifes
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Tyler
 
Congratulations, Tyler! Good choices in cutlery to accompany you to get your diploma, too. :thumbup:

Can't believe I graduated high school 23 years ago this month... :eek:
 
Carl sorry you got ripped off but glad you got it resolved.

Tyler job well done congratulations. :thumbup:

Tsar if only to be as young as you. I graduated from college 40 years ago this May. :nightmare:
 
A great warrior left us. He succumbed to the same disease as my Ma'. Saw him fighting in Kin'. So long Mr Cassius Clay!
Ali-Foreman.jpg
 
Jolipapa, I hope all is well with you and yours. I have been watching the news on the increasing flooding of the Seine and how it's even a threat now to the Louvre and the art works on the lower level.


It seems like the weather all over the world is going nuts. It's been a record rainy season here in Texas as well, with flooding in Houston. Our niece had to evacuate her neighborhood. Should we be building boats?:eek:
 
I think we need to be building reservoirs to save the flood water for the droughts.

Ali was certainly the greatest in his day, and I think since. Boxing hasn't been as great since.
 
The weather has been wonderful where I live in SW Tennessee. It has been a much cooler spring, and while rainier than normal, there have been no really severe storms and it has been more the "spring showers" variety. I sit here today with the back porch door open with a high of 80 expected where in many years we would already be into highs in the 90s by this time, with the sun coming peeking out now and then after some light early morning rain.

Looks like the forecast has the normal heat showing up by next weekend, though so I'll try to enjoy it while it lasts.
 
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