How old you are...

Edited... on second thought.

(Ok, from a PM I've decided to post what I edited... maybe it will bring this thread back to life about job experiences being it's drifted to jobs and the old days.)


Every Monday morning I had to submit an itinerary for the week ahead. (This was for those who weren’t permanently affixed to a desk.)

This used to fascinate me. Sometime Friday afternoon or over the weekend I had to “create” one. Either hand it in (if I was in town) or call it in. At the top I always started with “Maybe.”

I’d be some place and I’d get a call I really need to attend a meeting someplace else.. tomorrow. I’d get to the airport, walk up to the counter, buy a ticket on the company credit card, run down to the gate. (Back in the day when a scheduled flight left even if there were empty seats. Today they delay the flight.) Or weather would shut down a project for a day or more.

So much for that itinerary I submitted Monday morning.

Expense accounts. Remember, this was back in the day where they put your credit card in a swipe machine and you got one copy of three.

Back then expense accounts were almost the “Honor System” compared to today.
My company was a good company when it came to that. But… everybody gamed
expense accounts a little bit. Heard it called “job justice” by a few.

One time they asked me why I stayed at the Inter-Continental Hotel when I was in Miami. It was a little pricey. I told them, “Last year I spent two nights at the Holiday Inn in Miami… the first night someone got shot in the parking lot across the street and the second night three cars got broken into in the parking lot.
That was Miami back in those days.

One more tickle… There’d be a week or two where I’d be in the office, some days I’d be there until 6:30 or even 7 o’clock. The girls and guys in the office had cleared the parking lot by 5:04. One morning I walked in an hour late…several stopped and looked at their watches with eye brows raised as I walked in.

Anywhooo… itineraries, expense accounts and jobs back in the old days. Ok, who didn’t game the expense account just a little back then?

I'll confess.

When I moved from upstate NY to Daytona Beach I was really broke. I had my car, my bicycle, not many clothes and lived in a small apartment with just a card table and a mattress. No phone and no TV! I lived paycheck-to-paycheck for several years. Fortunately, the bank gave the women uniforms and had free breakfasts and lunches that only cost $1. I stayed for 6 years because they paid for my first two years of college, including books and a good portion of my BS degree.

We got paid every Friday. Since I didn't go to school on Friday nights, I always treated myself to a hot fudge sundae and sometimes a burger at Howard Johnson's.

I worked the desk to open new savings accounts and IRAs. I didn't have an expense account but I also sold stamps at the desk so I had a cash fund of around $20. One Friday, rent was due, and I came up short for my "big night out." I took $10 to get my food/ice cream fix! I had to pay it back quickly because it was reconciled once a month.

Fast forward 10 years and I was Director of Auditing at another bank. I had an expense account and flew a lot from audit to audit. I never went another workday without a very good meal followed by the most decadent dessert of my choice.

As an auditor I had to keep track of my time in increments of 15 minutes. All my time, except for an hour a day had to be charged to other departments at the bank. Same for all my staff. I answered only to the Board of Directors. Fortunately, by then, Lotus 123 was out and I at least has a spreadsheet for time tracking.

Kim, as you wrote...

"I had an expense account and flew a lot from audit to audit. I never went another workday without a very good meal followed by the most decadent dessert of my choice."

The value and joy of a good expense account.

My company even covered a few pricey bar tabs for me. (If I noted the names of a few key people we were doing business with.)

PS. I always checked to make sure the hotel/motel had a bar and a pool. (Weather depending on the pool part. The bar part was a must.)

You guys are why, why above me, I still have my grandkids show me how to play games on my cell phone. I pre date pagers by about ten years.
Al

There's certainly a lot of talent here! Going to waste. Like us!

Ok, so based on responses of people in this thread along with other clues, here’s my guess as to how old y’all are:

Clearwater Al: early 70’s
Greg: Mid 60’s
Chincoteaguer: mid-70’s
Shiftkicker: mid-40’s
Kim: 62
mpnatx: mid-60’s
Romeo: 70ish
Mark: 63
Firefighter: 70ish
Me? 57

KarenNWendyn said:

Ok, so based on responses of people in this thread along with other clues, here’s my guess as to how old y’all are:

Clearwater Al: early 70’s
Greg: Mid 60’s
Chincoteaguer: mid-70’s
Shiftkicker: mid-40’s
Kim: 62
mpnatx: mid-60’s
Romeo: 70ish
Mark: 63
Firefighter: 70ish
Me? 57

Click to expand...

You cheated on my age!

Sorry bigmark1954. It was obvious

Well Karen, you guessed my age. I had my 74th yesterday. And thank you for a late "happy birthday"

Caregiver was here so I went to my favorite pool room and played 2 hours of one pocket.

If you never heard of the game "one pocket" it is the chess of pocket billiards and played by old men.

The guy I played with is 84.

Beat the crap out of me.

Just realized I'm the senior senior citizen in this group. Wow! Another threshold.

A little aside: there is a radio commercial that asks the question: "Is anyone in your house getting older". I want to crawl into the radio and squeeze his throat.

While I'm here, there is another commercial that asks: "Do you wake up to go to the bathroom?" My answer: No I just wet the bed. But of course this is a bad question for us ALS connected folks and I hope I have not offended anyone.

Oh well

Heeeey, belated happy birthday! If you wouldn't constantly remind us of your dirt-like age I'd never guess from your youthful posts.

No spring chicken myself at 37 you guys make me feel like a kid listening in at the cool aunts and uncles shooting the breeze.

Karen, very good! I'll be 68 this year.
Ernie, we had a pool table when I was a kid. Used to play one pocket with my dad. He taught me how to play. Happy belated birthday!
Hope you all have a nice day!

Happy birthday Ernie!

Wow, am I ever experiencing "Jan Brady" syndrome! How weird for an only child. (I'll be 47 in July)

Angie

mpnatx said:

Karen, very good! I'll be 68 this year.
Ernie, we had a pool table when I was a kid. Used to play one pocket with my dad. He taught me how to play. Happy belated birthday!
Hope you all have a nice day!

Click to expand...

Wholley Sheep Dip Marty.... I thot you were younger than me! You project yourself as much younger. I will treat you with more respect from here on out!

I used to think 70 was over the hill...but I will never get to know if it is true. It has been my observation of late that age is a relative dynamic.

The president of the motorcycle club I ride with (on my tike and very occasionally now days) is 73 and still riding on 2 wheels. There are several other that are 65-70 and still riding. 10 years ago we were badA$$es.