In the past I’ve used Spice, RT, Jira at work. Freshdesk free works for home. Also a simple bullet list in Google docs.

My father’s death was one of the best things that happened to me.

Three is a magic number

1990s Plymouth Caravan

Well, some places found that scanning the originals and providing them online not only saved money storing them, but also improved access. For other places, it’s a matter of going to the town clerk (or equivalent), filling out some forms, and waiting - sometimes months.

I’ve been doing genealogy for my family and friends for a few years. Can I ask what part of the world your ancestors lived in? I find there is almost always some online documentation for any given person (after 1800 or so - depending on the location), but finding it is a complex acquired skillset that can take quite a while to learn. It seems likely you have the opposite of beginners luck - aka a steep curve. Of course, some more rural parts of the world can lag in documentation, and language issues are always a problem. You may really have invisible ancestors. Without more info, it’s hard to give more advice.

Also, there is a significant difference between paid and free accounts on Ancestry. FamilySearch can be hard to use. WikiTree has no research tools, but does have a large tree and a supportive user community. There are a lot of sites, some completely free, and some with tiered membership. Finally, a DNA test (not 23&Me) can be a huge boost to what you are able to find.

Recently, I have been contemplating going pro and charging folks. If you are interested, I can look into yours for free, to see if (1) I’m good enough, and (2) I’m not just lucky in that I’ve only had easy challenges up to now. Assuming that this is a place where the documentation would be in English. So far my experience is US, Canada, UK, and some Italy. Drop me a PM. I work in financial IT - confidentiality has been critical my whole life.

It looks like there is a lever that will spread open for access to the plug. ?Squeeze or twist? Those tabs might slide out of the way and then grip the cord once it’s connected.

I live in a county that is very strongly divided on several issues. Nextdoor has to constantly remove posts for excess intensity. A discord would rapidly devolve into death threats.

I do believe that there will be violence. Probably some bombs in buildings. Probably some rogue shooters. Disappointed zealots taking revenge. Certainly assassination attempts.

Dhalgren?

Usenet?

Very helpful. Excellent methodology and presentation.

Me too.

I was at this concert:

https://youtu.be/WY2p1gSOk3c?feature=shared

Info that allows me to break through any of the “brick walls” in my genealogy research.

I was a staff studio photographer doing jewelery work in the late 1980s. In NYC. If you are old enough to remember the Service Merchandise jewelery section, that was me. Lots of other upscale catalogs too. “Successful” in the business.

There were hundreds of people willing to do my job for free. Many were talented. So the pay was minimal. Tried other careers, landed in computer work in the early 90s. Got lucky with the rising tide. Rode it until now.

DO NOT REGRET. Photography is a lousy business. Now I own a house in the suburbs. Wife, kid, dog, car, 401k. Bills are on autopay.

My father always used to say:

“Last thing I remember, I was 18 years old, standing on a streetcorner with my friends. This morning I woke up with a wife, 3 kids and a mortgage.”

• Dragonslayer
• Excalibur
• Time Bandits

…drilled over 4,000ft into the earth’s mantle…

No, they didn’t.

Thank you for seeing me. Some days, the worst is the feeling that all of the struggle is not only insignificant in the end, but also invisible. I think of all of the rest that are in situations like me and that I’ll never know them.

Rough patch.

My wife is going through chemo for colon cancer. Prognosis looks good. But the treatment is hell. Halfway through next week.

Her aunt lives with us. She has Parkinsons. Starting to really slide. Needs bathroom help every 2 hours - 24x7x365. No one sleeps much here. She’ll need to go into assisted living real soon now. Will she live longer than her money? Maybe.

My kid is 14. Good kid. Smart. Well-intentioned. But 14 is hard. And he’s a total slacker.

My mom just had gallbladder surgery at 80. She’s recovering well. But lives on her own and needs extra attention. We all worry she will need to go into assisted living, too. But she’s mostly broke. Not good.

The place I work was bought out a few months ago. My job is likely safe through the end of the year. But after that… well, we all know how it usually goes. At least my wife’s chemo will be covered until then.

I’m over 60 and overweight with HBP. No heart attack… yet. But that can’t be too far off.

So… plenty of pressure all around. But I manage to keep to the Stoics’ philosophy and accept the world as it is. Be patient and kind and let things happen as they happen. I keep trying to loose weight.

Either we get through this, or we don’t. But I can easily accept that we all did our best.