You Know You Are Old When

[Oaktree]

But over the years since then, as we've hit various other McDonalds restaurants in our travels, we've come to realize no... McDonalds is still terrible. It's just "our" McDonalds that's an anomaly, it must be the local franchise owner/manager.

I'd always thought of Wendy's as being a step above McD's/BK, etc. but the only one anywhere nearby (Newport, Vt.) is beyond dreadful. They don't have much of a presence around here.

My landline was overpriced and the service stunk. Consolidated Communications has that reputation pretty much statewide. I save about 50$/month by going with AT&T. The service still sucks but I can drive up into my field if I need good phone or internet service.

Wife has a cellphone that's on her son's plan, and is ATT. Coverage around here is really spotty compared to Verizon.

Consolidated is beginning to offer fiber internet under the Fidium Fiber subsidiary. About 2/3 the price we're paying for Spectrum cable now, and allegedly 3x the speed. Haven't really had any experience with them since they were Fairpoint. All new infrastructure so there shouldn't be service issues.
Spectrum's OK as far as service goes, but the rates go up 10-15%/yr, and you have to call and threaten to cancel in order to get a better price.

I think Discover is US based call centers?

That's what they advertise, and any time I've ever had to deal with a rep they sounded American, though a couple times I've gotten reps with a very heavy southern accent I found hard to understand.

 

[steve tym]

Hey oaktree, Pittsburg finally got a cell tower.

 

[masscity]

My cousin and his wife have Spectrum cell service, but wanted to switch to Verizon. When they were at Verizon and tried to download everything from their Spectrum phones to the new one, Spectrum locked up their phones.

Then they had to drive 100 miles to fix their Spectrum phone to get them to work.

 

[orezok]

 

[Sigarms]

I had a couple Mennonite kids work for me on the farm years ago.
They said their mother had 23 kids... that lived.
They ate their meals in shifts.
The adults and those old enough to work got the first shift and choice and the rest had the leftovers.

Mom was like #11 of 12 and dad was like 11 of 11 (both being close to the babies of the family.

Both parents born in the early 1930's.

Kids worked back then, if not dropping out of school, at least working part time to bring money in for the family.

Dad would tell me stories that he was the guy who would lay the dynamite in the illegal coal mine because he was the smallest and could fit where his bigger brothers couldn't.

One grandfather died in the 30's in the mine, the other grandfather in the 40's due to working for the mines. One grandmother died of a tooth extraction (that apparently took some time due to infection).

Life wasn't easy back then, and no clue where OSHA was at LOL

Personally with all the crap going on in today's world along with electronics, I'd want a small family.

 

[WinterDeere]

I'd always thought of Wendy's as being a step above McD's/BK, etc. but the only one anywhere nearby (Newport, Vt.) is beyond dreadful. They don't have much of a presence around here.

Not that I'm any afficionado on fast food, I actually rarely eat it. But I remember when Dave Thomas was still running Wendy's, and yes... their whole marketing and image was based on being better quality than McD's or BK. It seems the current management has lost track of what gave them that early success, after Dave Thomas passed away.

 

[Oaktree]

Hey oaktree, Pittsburg finally got a cell tower.

I'm a ways south of Pittsburg, but they've had cell service for a couple years now. Friend of mine has a camp there, called to tell me because now he could.

My cousin and his wife have Spectrum cell service, but wanted to switch to Verizon. When they were at Verizon and tried to download everything from their Spectrum phones to the new one, Spectrum locked up their phones.

I thought Spectrum used Verizon's network, they were just a reseller. Of course that's been an issue all along with cell providers that give you a "free" phone with service...it's tied to that provider and they may or may not release your phone.
Last time I called their customer service they went into high pressure sales mode to get me to sign on to their wireless plan.

Dad would tell me stories that he was the guy who would lay the dynamite in the illegal coal mine because he was the smallest and could fit where his bigger brothers couldn't.

I feel bad for the "little guy" in any trade who has to be the one to crawl into all the nasty places no one else can fit into.

 

[Jstpssng]

Not that I'm any afficionado on fast food, I actually rarely eat it. But I remember when Dave Thomas was still running Wendy's, and yes... their whole marketing and image was based on being better quality than McD's or BK. It seems the current management has lost track of what gave them that early success, after Dave Thomas passed away.

I believe that they are now owned by Burger King.

I agree that their food isn't what it used to be. What I have always gone there for though is their baked potato. It isn't fantastic, but certainly a lot healthier than fries or onion rings.

 

[Sigarms]

I feel bad for the "little guy" in any trade who has to be the one to crawl into all the nasty places no one else can fit into.

Keep in mind, my father wasn't in any "trade".

His family was dirt poor and he did what he had to do to help his family survive.

We are getting to the point in the "rich" United States that we want people to do the grunt and dangerous work, and we forget what it's like to be poor and have to do anything to make a buck to do exactly that same work.

My wife and I live a comfortable life because we worked hard all our lives, but we were afforded our "breaks" due to our family and things they never thought possible by working for their families future by giving up things themselves.

 

[ultrarunner]

Agree that family values can contribute immeasurably to one’s futuree.

My grandmother was the one that made the Depression and hard times very real to s young kid when she pointed at homes lost when hard times hit… and they would have done anything to hold on but simply out of options

 

[stuckmotor]

You know you're old when, you remember how proud you were that your radio had "six" transistors.

 

[stuckmotor]

I'm a ways south of Pittsburg, but they've had cell service for a couple years now. Friend of mine has a camp there, called to tell me because now he could.

I thought Spectrum used Verizon's network, they were just a reseller. Of course that's been an issue all along with cell providers that give you a "free" phone with service...it's tied to that provider and they may or may not release your phone.
Last time I called their customer service they went into high pressure sales mode to get me to sign on to their wireless plan.

I feel bad for the "little guy" in any trade who has to be the one to crawl into all the nasty places no one else can fit into.

During the war, I saw a news feature about the little guys who had to crawl into the booby trapped tunnels in Vietnam. They were called tunnel rats.

 

[Jstpssng]

I saw a news feature about the little guys who had to crawl into the booby trapped tunnels in Vietnam. They were called tunnel rats.

They were men. There's no way you'd catch me crawling in there even without someone between me and the other end wanting to kill me.

 

[Jstpssng]

You know that you are old when you remember AnyWho and White Pages as viable information sources.

 

[Oaktree]

I believe that they are now owned by Burger King.

From what I was able to determine from a Google search, Wendys is an independent company. There was some connection between them and Arbys in the 00s, but that ended in 2011.

Wendy's largest shareholder proposes to buy company

Trian Partners and billionaire owner Nelson Peltz told the chain's board of directors Tuesday that Trian would explore an acquisition, merger or other transaction in which it would own the company.

www.restaurantdive.com

 

[stuckmotor]

You know that you are old when you remember AnyWho and White Pages as viable information sources.

The Sears farm catalogs were good references for technical knowledge.

 

[stuckmotor]

From what I was able to determine from a Google search, Wendys is an independent company. There was some connection between them and Arbys in the 00s, but that ended in 2011.

Wendy's largest shareholder proposes to buy company

Trian Partners and billionaire owner Nelson Peltz told the chain's board of directors Tuesday that Trian would explore an acquisition, merger or other transaction in which it would own the company.

www.restaurantdive.com

I usually go to Hardee's these days.
Why?
The lines are much shorter.

 

[Jstpssng]

I usually go to Hardee's these days.
Why?
The lines are much shorter.

It would be a bit of a drive for me... about 1400 miles.

Since this is (one of) the nostalgia thread...
Before McDs came to town my parents would treat us to another chain with a clown for a mascot. Howdie Doodie?
It was something like that. This would have been 1968- early '70s.

Any suggestions?

 

[newbury]

You know you're old when, you remember how proud you were that your radio had "six" transistors.

I still have a memory of my Dad showing me his first "pocket" transistor radio, circa 1958.

 

[BravoXray]

Not ancient history on a human scale, but how many of us were blown away with the speed you could get logging onto a dial-up BBS at 1200bps?
My first computer was a Radio Shack Model 1, with a 300 baud modem.
An now people whine like babies if they can get gigabit fiber connections.