Cleaning Up My E-mail account

Yesterday, during my memoir writing class, I discovered that my instructor also had an AOL e-mail account.  I asked her "How do you keep up with it?"  She said "I clean it out everyday."  I told her that like her, I've had my AOL e-mail account so long that over the years I've accumulated a lot of junk mail.  I do have spam filters but I still get way more junk e-mail than "real" e-mails.  When she told me that she kept current on her AOL e-mail account I felt guilty.  Time to clean out my AOL account!

So since yesterday I've been seated at my computer for hours, reviewing every one of my 1,789 backlogged e-mails.  About 20% of the e-mails are "legitimate".  I apologize to one and all who have sent me one of those legitimate e-mails that I have failed to respond to.  The other 80% e-mails are from companies that I've ordered products from like J. C. Penney and political donation requests.  Tip:  donate to one political campaign and you'll get on at least ten other mailing lists.  If you want to stop those e-mails you have to scroll all the way to the bottom and look for the very small print to unsubscribe (they don't make it easy).

I do have a tendency to accumulate things.  In my closet, in my drawers and in my e-mails.  I still have a room full of unpacked boxes in my basement media room from my move of six years ago from our home in Pennsylvania.  One of these days I'll attack that monster.

So it's time for me to get back to cleaning out the remaining 351 e-mails in my AOL account while listening to the MSNBC pundits commiserate over President Obama's dismal performance in the presidential debate last night.  Anything to take my mind off of that disaster.

I'm Tweeting!

Do you Tweet?  I do!

I finally got the hang of Tweeting yesterday.  Last night, during the presidential debate I was Tweeting up a storm.  Incidentally, I heard where a new Tweet record was set last night for the most Tweets during a political event.  10.3 million tweets!

The first presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney last night broke Twitter records - thanks in part to a big yellow bird.

Users set a new Twitter record for U.S. politics as more than 10 million tweets hit the micro-blogging service with real-time comments on pundits, platforms, and fellow voters.

The most popular topics of the night, according to Twitter: Moderator Jim Lehrer's "Let's not" quip when Gov. Mitt Romney requested a topic, President Barack Obama's "I had five seconds" comment when Lehrer provided a time limit, and discussion about Medicare and vouchers.

Live-tweeting from the comfort of their living rooms, viewers did their best to fact check the statistics and promises made by the candidates.

Obama and Romney weren't the only focus of the event, though. PBS's Lehrer earned himself a parody account (Silent Jim Lehrer) and hundreds of thousands of messages assessing his moderator abilities. Meanwhile, the breakout star of the night was not one of the candidates or even the host, but rather a certain tall yellow resident of Sesame Street.

During a discussion on government spending, Romney promised to cut federal funding for Lehrer's employer, PBS, though he declared that he liked Big Bird, who also calls PBS home. That declaration prompted a quarter million tweets about the Muppet.

SnappyTV also followed the Twitter frenzy, noting that, aside from "Big Bird," the most popular debate topics were taxes, the economy, and healthcare - particularly the Obamacare moniker.

The president has a habit of overloading the Internet when he takes center stage, earning a grand total of 52,756 Obama-related tweets per minute following September's DNC nomination speech. The convention garnered more than 9.5 million tweets overall, more than the 4 million pulled in by the GOP convention days before.

According to the Twitter Political Index daily gauge, which was updated Wednesday, Romney is leading the microblog's polls by one point, though still lags behind Obama with 1.2 million followers, compared to the incumbent's 10 millon-plus followers.

I was among those 10 million tweets folks.  And it was fun!

From as long as I can remember I've written letters to the editor, my congressman, and sent e-mails to various and sundry folks to whom I wished to express my opinion.  

Now I can sit in the comfort of my own home, glued to the TV and send an instant brain fart to someone I see on TV.  I love it!

Do you Tweet?

Ron's Twitter Home Page

"Have You Ever Had a Gay Experience?"

A fun video to watch after last night's disastrous (for me) presidential debate.  God knows I need to laugh about something after watching that road kill.

Jim Lehrer Biggest Loser In Denver Debate

"Where Am I?"

Did anyone happen to get the plate number of that truck that ran over the presidential debate moderator Jim Lehrer last night?  It had a Massachusetts plate.

Jim Lehrer, the 78 year old executive editor of "PBS Newhour" lost control of the debate early on when Mitt Romney decided that he was going to have the last word in every exchange.  For an analysis of the "road kill" that was Jim Lehrer's performance last night see here.

Of course I'm not blaming President Obama's passive performance last night on Lehrer.  Obama could have challenged Romney on many of his inconsistencies but for whatever reason Obama decided to play "presidential."  Maybe President Obama has been in the presidential bubble too long to know how to react to Romney's hyperactive performance last night.  I'm sure no one has ever talked to Obama in the past four years like Romney talked to him last night.  Maybe Obama was in shock.

What really surprises me that President Obama never brought up the "47%", Bain Capital or his support of the Medicare voucher plan that Romney supports.

Next up is the vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan.  I predict that Joe Biden will wipe up the floor with Ryan.

The week after is the second presidential debate.  I'm making no predictions.  I just hope Obama wakes up and challenges Romney.

A sad Big Bird - Romney's going to "Bain" you

Und Gut!

Something fun to watch and listen to, Oktoberfest.

Enjoy!

Memoir Writing Class

Fay Jacobs conducting memoir writing class this morning

Watch out folks!  I just returned from my first memoir writing class!  Expect to see future posts at this location much improved.  Promise!

This memoir writing class was conducted by Fay Jacobs, writer and publisher of local and national renown.  This is the first writing class I've taken in my life.  The reason I didn't take one before was that I didn't want to get all hung up on all the dangling participles and never ending sentences in prepositions.  However, when I saw that Fay was giving this class, I knew I was going to learn something about writing that was practical and usable and be entertained as well.  I wasn't disappointed.

"It was a dark and stormy night..................."

Nicknames

"Ron"  - 1962 - after the transformation from "Ronnie"

Ronald Walter Tipton

That's my name, don't wear it out.

Like many of you I have several nicknames that I have accumulated over the past three score and ten years (that's 70 for those of you who don't know the Gettysburg Address reference).

"Little Ronnie" - 1948

My given name these days is "Ron."  However, I wasn't always a "Ron."  In fact I gave myself that nickname after I joined the Army in 1960, when I was 18 years old.  Prior to me leaving home, I was always known as "Ronnie" (which I didn't like) or "Ronald" (usually called that by teachers and my Mother when I was in trouble.)

"Ronnie" - 1952

The first few months when I was in the Army I was known by my last name only "Tipton" as were almost all of my fellow trainees.  Oh yes, during the eight weeks of basic training my name was "F__cking Trainee" as were almost all of my fellow recruits. 

Transformation complete - now "Ron" - 1962

After basic training I was sent to Army Security Agency training school in Fort Devens, Massachusetts.  While there I continued to be known by one name "Tipton."  Then, as I began forming close friendships I was asked my my first name was.  I decided then and there to make a BIG CHANGE.  This was my opportunity to get rid of the hated "Ronnie" which to me always sounded like a girl's name (short for Veronica of "Archie" comic book fame).  Heretofore I was to be known as "RON". 

"Ron" at First Financial Bank - 2000

During my three years in the Army I met a lot of people, made many friends and when I left the service in January of 1963 I was probably known by more people as "RON" than "Ronnie."  However, once I returned home I was called "Ronnie." 

"Ron" - 1976

In the ensuing years friends from my Army days and subsequent civilian job years overlapped with my pre-Army days.  Each side was somewhat amused when I was called either "Ron" or "Ronnie." 

"Ronald" - 1959 - shortly before I joined the Army and before the change to "Ron"

Yesterday I attended my 53rd annual high school class reunion.  Most people referred to me as "Ronnie".  A few, who have known me over the years now call me "Ron."

"Ron" - 1968

Now for my other nicknames.  My two younger brothers have a special nickname for me that they have called me for years.  I don't know the origin of this nickname but I suspect that it contains a bit of tinge of sarcasm because I am the older, smarter, and better looking brother which I find I have to constantly remind them of this fact.  Are you ready?  Their preferred nickname for me is:  "Buck".  Yep, Buck.  And they always say it with a special emphasis on the last syllable "ck."  Uh huh.  They sort of spit it out if you knoow what I mean.  I always suspected there was an undercurrent of disrespect in their tone.  I don't think they quite bought into my first born superiority over them.

Brothers Isaac, John and "Buck" - July 25, 1956

I have some other nicknames out there that are unique to one person.  One long time friend usually calls me "Tipper" or "Tip."  That is a common nickname for us of the Tipton family.  Not much original there.  In fact, my brother calls his wife "Tipper" and she's not even a blood Tipton so go figure.

"Ron" - 1984

One of my co-workers at the Philadelphia bank where I worked in a previous life always called me "Handsome" and "Good-looking", which I didn't mind AT ALL.  I don't think he ever called me by my given name, first or last.  I really liked that guy.  He always made me smile.

Mellon Bank Days - 1982 "Handsome/Goodlooking" days (thank you)

Now for the pet names. The main one My Bill uses is "Pots."  Where does that come from?  Very simple.  He used to call me "Sweetie Pie" which evolved into "Sweetie Pots" and eventually he shortened over the years to "Pots."  Embarrassing isn't it?

"Ron" today (2012)