Extra social security monies

 When my husband retired and called about beginning social security, the gal on the phone was great. 

Since he was retiring later than the required date at that time, she said he could take the slightly higher monthly amount for the rest of his life, or he could take the original amount and GET the extra money he would have gotten as one chunk of money. Knowing that he was dying (and should have died 5 years earlier, but he's stubborn and also had a grandchild to raise) he asked for the chunk. Which we immediately shoved into savings and used for years to help pay grandchild expenses. 

Yes, he died a year and a half after retiring, (and I had retired a year ago to take care of him), so grandchild and I were able to use that money to move closer to my other children (across the country) plus other expenses. 

Thank heavens for that a very nice SS lady. (I hear that nowadays they're not allowed to tell you about these various choices.)

Know that you'd be good at the job

 In grad school, I knew we needed part time jobs to get through this course of study, so when I noticed that a downtown department store was expanding, I marched right into the HR and told them that I could see that they needed workers and that I was an experienced department store worker -- had worked several Christmases at one. It kind of took her aback, but she hired me.  

When I asked about a job for my husband, (he didn't have sales experience but did have warehouse experience) she also hired him to work behind the scenes - maintenance and other stuff. By our second year , they promoted him to be head of a team of workers. Why? Because this was Kentucky in the 1960s and the other workers on his team were black, so they put the white guy in charge. In charge of much older, experienced men. Luckily, he was good at his job so the men already respected him, plus he was a good organizer and had been taking management courses so he was a good manager.  

(After we graduated, in just a few years he became a branch manager and when computers were introduced he organized the first IT department there.)

Pi Day -- March 14

 Yummy --   Pie

How I began working my way through school (and college)

 In the 1950s high school meals were made in large batches from scratch, so when I knew they'd be serving my favorite meals, I'd join the volunteer students who helped serve and then I could eat as much of my favorite food as possible for free. (me- on the Academic track - got to know a lot of the kids on the commercial track that way. 🙂  

They also pointed out that I could skip the last weeks of school before Christmas by joining their training classes that trained kids to work in stores during the Christmas rush. What's not to like? I got paid plus got the store discount to buy presents for my family. And I had a large family.)

And I used that training to work part time all throughout my college years, even in grad school.

Since I had a year of secretarial training my first year of college, I then had the skill to part-time join a typing pool and then was promoted to operate the very first IBM word processor - the MT/ST Machine. 

 MT/ST (Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter), which connected the Selectric typewriter with a separate magnetic tape drive. Magnetic tape was the first reusable storage medium for typed information.

Driving while unborn

 I have a traffic ticket. I happened to turn right on red -- which is legal in California - but got caught with a traffic camera.  

Two things. The beginning of the pictures they captured showed me turning at 0 seconds, which means it was still yellow (also legal in California) AND the actual ticket sent to me showed NO money owed -- because it put my birth date at 2026. In other words, I was driving a car but I hadn't been born yet.  

The person at the courthouse gave me my ticket back and told me that, if California hadn't contacted me with a bill in a year, I was home free.  

(that year ends in a week - and I'm still waiting for a bill)

Using spreadsheets and other things

 I was forced to take a secretarial course after high school. The only way my parents would let me to away to college (a Junior College/ now called community college) was if I promised to take something that I could use to get a JOB! So I did. Typing. shorthand. accounting and spreadsheets. (and chemistry, believe it or not- the male teacher hated having 'girls' in his chemistry class.)  

Although I transferred to an academic track my second year there (without telling my parents), you know what? I've Always used those secretarial things. (except shorthand. forgot most of it) 

Got a part time job working my way through college as a typist and also typed other student's papers. 

Have used the accounting and spreadsheet knowledge all my life. Very helpful during the times I have to figure out IRS Income Tax reporting. (got my spreadsheets up on my computer right now, calculating my deductions and expenses because of being a writer)

Secondary character takes over the story

 And there I was, writing away, and suddenly a super talkative secondary character appeared. Now, I'm quiet and shy. 

How was I going to write this 'different' character? 

(first readers loved this character more than my they did my main character, so I did him right. But obviously the main character needed more work. How was she going to sparkle with that annoying secondary character around?)