From: Jim Hampton on Aug 26, 7:58 pm

wrote in message
roups.com...

Hello, Len

I hope you'll excuse me. I landed a permanent job at almost 4 times what I
was making. Due to the shift in jobs, I wasn't to be paid for a few weeks.
I wanted to ensure enough funding for gasoline (quite expensive of late) as
well as food, cigarettes (yep, I'm one of *them* - gasp) and so didn't pay
the phone bill until last week. They shut off the DSL for a week until they
were certain the check cleared. Due to that unfortunate fact, I was unable
to fairly compete with the various whiners in the group. The good news is
that the DSL was upgraded and I'm running 3 to 7 megabaud so I should be
able to whine quite loudly in the future

Good on that, Jim! Been close to your situation in the past, done
that, have the old T-shirt, etc. Know the feeling.

However, not since 1963 have I EVER taken out a loan, had any lien
on anything since 1983 when I finished paying that mortgage. Takes
some belt-tightening to get into that debt-free condition but it's
been worth it.

In late 1960 a former girl friend talked me into getting a new
Chevy Impala convertible (didn't like my lil '53 Austin-Healey two-
seater scarf-wagon). Got a Ramo-Wooldridge Corp. Credit Union
loan for 3.5% annual interest. Then I was "downsized" from Ramo.
Credit Union loan was independent of that. I got a new job soon
after but girl friend went to another guy with more money right
after. :-( When the two-year Credit Union loan was paid, I kept
paying myself the same amount each month. That built up personal
funding even though the savings account rate was only 3% annual;
it paid ME rather than me paying anyone else. Never took out any
loan for a new car since ('67, '70, '82 and now 2005).

Might I be credited with a few extra posts, or must I wait until next month
to see if I can whine as loudly as some of the other folks?

Google did the numbers, Jim. I just copied them off the Google
newsgroup main message listing (through the "About" link at the
top of the page). You (and anyone else) has to REALLY hump to
get the 17 thousand plus messages that Cecil Moore (W5DXP, ex-
W6RCA) did! :-) Cecil Moore is listed under two separate
accounts at Google: he relocated to Texas and got a W5 call and
also changed ISPs, had a slight pause in the rrap postings while
he did that.

p.s. - I think Ed Hare got tired of the same junk going on, but not
positive.

Yes, he did. His last rrap posting was 18 October 2003 according
to Google archives. Cecil stopped posting here for the same
reason. Reasons were stated in public, BTW.