# Random Thoughts **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** reactions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393 "2020-09-28T16:41:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 371
**Author:** ![Cooke](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/cooke/32/15467_2.png) [@Cooke](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Cooke)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7475 "2026-10-22T21:24:18Z")
> [@PatientZombie](#): > > Used it to call my daughter when she did a semester in Kenya ( could only talk, not enough bandwidth for visual) Good for your daughter! My oldest daughter took a year off university (1997/98) and backpacked through Asia. I wish we had had an easy way to call her as she only infrequently contacted us from internet cafes. It was hard to for weeks at time without hearing from her. ---
**Author:** ![PatientZombie](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/patientzombie/32/391_2.png) [@PatientZombie](https://community.goactuary.com/u/PatientZombie)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7476 "2026-10-22T21:30:02Z")
I vaguely remember buying something like an AT&T calling card, that you could use to reduce the fees and not need coins or reverse charges. ---
**Author:** ![Cooke](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/cooke/32/15467_2.png) [@Cooke](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Cooke)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:43pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7477 "2026-10-22T21:43:10Z")
We just had our daughter make collect calls. There were hotmail accounts by 1997 but you needed a computer to access them. That meant going to an internet cafe. As you know there were no iPads nor iPhones in those days to make life easier. ---
**Author:** ![Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/maphistos_sidekick/32/84973_2.png) [@Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Maphistos_Sidekick)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7478 "2026-10-22T23:10:39Z")
> [@PatientZombie](#): > > I vaguely remember buying something like an AT&T calling card, that you could use to reduce the fees and not need coins or reverse charges. Before my wife (then only my fiancée) and I went to Paris in 1999, we left a message on her mom’s answering machine that we had news about our wedding (we had picked a date) that we would tell her when we got back from Paris. When we did an obligatory quick calling-card call from a phone booth on the Champs Elysees, to let her know that we made it over OK, that turned into a long, expensive phone call. She was convinced that we were eloping and she didn’t care how damned expensive the phone call was, she wanted to make extremely clear that we were NOT allowed to get married where she and her friends couldn’t attend. (We did intend our message to be a tease, but we hadn’t quite expected that reaction.) ---
**Author:** ![PatientZombie](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/patientzombie/32/391_2.png) [@PatientZombie](https://community.goactuary.com/u/PatientZombie)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7479 "2026-10-22T23:14:42Z")
couldn’t you make a person to person call from Mary Nextjune? which she would decline ---
**Author:** ![Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/maphistos_sidekick/32/84973_2.png) [@Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Maphistos_Sidekick)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7480 "2026-10-22T23:20:35Z")
We were young, stupid, and jetlagged. ---
**Author:** ![vjvj](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/vjvj/32/406_2.png) [@vjvj](https://community.goactuary.com/u/vjvj)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 7:38am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7481 "2026-10-23T07:38:42Z")
When I log into one of my accounts, I get that one-time number texted to me that I need to enter to login. Every single time, that one-time number has the same first digit. What’s the deal with that? ---
**Author:** ![SteveWhite](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@SteveWhite](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SteveWhite)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 1:43pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7482 "2026-10-23T13:43:11Z")
> [@vjvj](#): > > What’s the deal with that? That’s a standard algorithm. Message me your most used credit card number, associated expiration date, zip code and 3 or 4 digit code, and I’ll tell you what that first digit is. To be absolutely certain, include the name on the card. ---
**Author:** ![ArthurItas](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/arthuritas/32/63_2.png) [@ArthurItas](https://community.goactuary.com/u/ArthurItas)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7483 "2026-10-27T01:01:20Z")
Just saw a TV commercial promoting “do your holiday shopping now” and they definitely weren’t talking about Halloween. Come on man ---
**Author:** ![Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/maphistos_sidekick/32/84973_2.png) [@Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Maphistos_Sidekick)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 1:24am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7484 "2026-10-27T01:24:42Z")
I saw a couple of stores at the mall today that were decorated for Christmas. (The mall had cleared center court, and laid down the faux-turf in what I assume is the initial stage of setting up for Santa. However, the mall hadn’t done anything blatantly holiday-ish.) ---
**Author:** ![OldTimer](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@OldTimer](https://community.goactuary.com/u/OldTimer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 1:56am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7485 "2026-10-27T01:56:37Z")
Which mall? ---
**Author:** ![vjvj](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/vjvj/32/406_2.png) [@vjvj](https://community.goactuary.com/u/vjvj)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 5:19am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7486 "2026-10-27T05:19:11Z")
I was at the Museum of Science and Industry on Sunday and every time I’d turn, a new Christmas tree would be popping up. It confused me a couple times (that tree wasn’t there just a minute ago, was it?), until I saw the stands had dollies underneath them and they were wheeling in completely-decorated trees one by one. ---
**Author:** ![Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/maphistos_sidekick/32/84973_2.png) [@Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Maphistos_Sidekick)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 10:51am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7487 "2026-10-27T10:51:27Z")
> [@OldTimer](#): > > Which mall? Westfarms, outside Hartford CT. (The healthier of the two surviving malls in the area…although saying that Buckland Hills is “surviving” may be a bit optimistic.) ---
**Author:** ![OldTimer](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@OldTimer](https://community.goactuary.com/u/OldTimer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7488 "2026-10-27T17:09:28Z")
Well Barnes and Nobel moved into Westfarms. Their old store down the road will house a swim School. ---
**Author:** ![Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/maphistos_sidekick/32/84973_2.png) [@Maphistos\_Sidekick](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Maphistos_Sidekick)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7489 "2026-10-27T18:04:30Z")
I remember seeing signs outside one of the jewelry stores saying that in a couple of weeks they’re moving to the site of one of the old bookstores down the road. I thought it was B&N, but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![SpaceLobster](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/spacelobster/32/38216_2.png) [@SpaceLobster](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SpaceLobster)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7490 "2026-10-27T18:33:17Z")
My wife has a particular set of mugs she really really likes, and we only have one of. I’ve been watching costco for when they come back in stock, figured I’d pick up a set for a future gift. Well they came back in stock, and they picked up a set lol. Guess I better come up with another idea for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![SteveGrondin](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/stevegrondin/32/3257_2.png) [@SteveGrondin](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SteveGrondin)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7491 "2026-10-27T19:04:33Z")
Or “accidentally” break a few. ---
**Author:** ![NerdAlert](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/nerdalert/32/683_2.png) [@NerdAlert](https://community.goactuary.com/u/NerdAlert)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7492 "2026-10-27T20:37:54Z")
I’m smart enough, interesting enough, and knowledgeable enough to present at ImpACT - maybe I should consider doing that next year. ---
**Author:** ![PatientZombie](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/patientzombie/32/391_2.png) [@PatientZombie](https://community.goactuary.com/u/PatientZombie)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/random-thoughts/393/7493 "2026-10-27T21:11:53Z")
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