Senior Tip - If you do not ask, you do not get, so always ask.
My wife and I are going to New York for a few days in September. I have some business there so my wife is going to join me and we are planning on attending the US Open. It is a tennis tournament to the uninformed. My business contact booked my hotel. It was more than $550 per night. It was New York so I assumed it was New York rates. However, since we would have to pay for the non-business related nights, my wife did a bit of exploring on her own.
After a few calls to friends of hers who are seasoned US Open attendees, she discovered that hotels have a special rate for USTA (United States Tennis Association) "members" that are attending the Open. If you play club tennis, you are most likely USTA members and we are. Walla! We called the Grand Hyatt hotel and armed with this information our hotel rate was reduced to $300 per night. I should mention also, with respect to my last senior tip regarding calling more than one person, that the first person I called told me - no Open discount unless you are a USTA "employee." We are USTA members, but not employees. The second person gave us the discount easily.
I was a bit chagrined. I should have known there was a special rate because my travel mantra is no one pays full retail. There is always a discount: senior, special events, AAA, AARP, Costco and so on. But if you do not ask, the reservation person, with the exception of a very nice one, is under no obligation to ask if you are a member of an organization that qualifies for a discount.
Ask and you might receive. Otherwise you shall pay full retail.
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
Friday, August 28, 2015
Thursday, August 27, 2015
People, despite the old saying, are not created equal, some are more equal and helpful than others.
For example, my senior fishing buddy described his recent experience with Blue Cross on a health insurance issue. After enrolling in a new plan, Blue Cross canceled his policy for non-payment. Blue Cross had not even sent out a bill yet -- that takes 30 days. But new plans, even though my buddy has had BC for many years -- new plans must be paid in 15 days, hence the timing problem.
A call to BC resulted in a BC customer service person explaining that under the new rules, and after a lengthy discussion, because his policy was canceled, it must now be referred to another organization in the health insurance chain of approvals. In the meantime, he had no insurance. He hung up and called BC the next day.
The next BC person reinstated his policy over the phone. The person made the difference. What one person unequivocally claims can not be done, another person can do with a few key strokes.
Keep calling until you get the person that knows how to do it. People, despite the old saying, are not created equal, some are more equal and indisputably more helpful than others.
FYI--It is at least a 7 pound bass, or more, caught from a farm pond in Ottawa, Kansas.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Map me. Yelp it. Critical travel terms for seniors.
I have missed a few days for tips. I have been on a road trip with my wife to Dallas and San Antonio. But the trip gave me a few ideas for senior travel tips.
First, when you check into a hotel, even the upscale ones, do not unpack your bags ( ours were heavy) and hang your clothes until you have checked all the critical appurtenances, such as the TV, AC and the toilette. Why? Because if they do not work, you can still change your room without packing again. I did not apply this tip, at my recent Marriott stay, and we changed rooms twice.
Second, I suggest you do not ask directions of hotel staff, map everything with your smartphone and drop pins accordingly. Most hotel staff are typically courteous, but can be directionally challenged.
Third, do not eat anywhere with less than 50 reviews on Yelp.
Webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
First, when you check into a hotel, even the upscale ones, do not unpack your bags ( ours were heavy) and hang your clothes until you have checked all the critical appurtenances, such as the TV, AC and the toilette. Why? Because if they do not work, you can still change your room without packing again. I did not apply this tip, at my recent Marriott stay, and we changed rooms twice.
Second, I suggest you do not ask directions of hotel staff, map everything with your smartphone and drop pins accordingly. Most hotel staff are typically courteous, but can be directionally challenged.
Third, do not eat anywhere with less than 50 reviews on Yelp.
Webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
Friday, August 14, 2015
Who takes French at age plus 73?
Senior tip - Learn a new language or brush up on an older one. This senior, who is older than I am, still takes educational courses to keep up on his French. I am inspired.
Recently I received the following comment from a senior reader. The comment referenced my blog on Osher educational programs for seniors.
"Bob, we don’t happen to have an Osher supported OLLI program right near us (I think KU is the closest), but our local University (Missouri Western State U.) offers a no-tuition option for seniors 65 & older.
We’ve taken advantage of regular university courses in French to try to keep up our skills in that language.
Lots of other options in virtually all fields. You have to pay the student fees, but no tuition and you can take the courses for credit or audit them which we have done. Your blog readers likely have access to local universities or community colleges that offer similar deals for seniors. Not only do you learn, but you get to meet some great folks in the teaching profession and spend class time with some pretty cool younger folks as well."
Recently I received the following comment from a senior reader. The comment referenced my blog on Osher educational programs for seniors.
"Bob, we don’t happen to have an Osher supported OLLI program right near us (I think KU is the closest), but our local University (Missouri Western State U.) offers a no-tuition option for seniors 65 & older.
We’ve taken advantage of regular university courses in French to try to keep up our skills in that language.
Lots of other options in virtually all fields. You have to pay the student fees, but no tuition and you can take the courses for credit or audit them which we have done. Your blog readers likely have access to local universities or community colleges that offer similar deals for seniors. Not only do you learn, but you get to meet some great folks in the teaching profession and spend class time with some pretty cool younger folks as well."
Do you have similar experiences you wish to share?
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
No homework. No tests. No Pressure. Just learning for the fun of it.
Senior Tip -- Take a look at Osher.
In my search for new resources and activities for seniors, I came across the Osher Institute at the University of Kansas. Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes offer noncredit courses with no assignments or grades to “seasoned” adults over age 50. Since 2001 philanthropist Bernard Osher has made grants from his foundation to launch OLLI programs at over 120 universities and colleges in 49 states and the District of Columbia.
The University of Kansas recently received a $1 million dollar grant and now offers 53 courses, at 21 sites in 10 cities across Kansas. The Kansas courses include local history, state wide excursions, art, music, famous politicians and the Frank Sinatra story. In other words, a wide range of subject matter. I am going to sign up for one of the courses in the fall on Winston Churchill.
Check it out in your state. Try this link.
http://www.osherfoundation.org/index.php?olli
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
In my search for new resources and activities for seniors, I came across the Osher Institute at the University of Kansas. Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes offer noncredit courses with no assignments or grades to “seasoned” adults over age 50. Since 2001 philanthropist Bernard Osher has made grants from his foundation to launch OLLI programs at over 120 universities and colleges in 49 states and the District of Columbia.
The University of Kansas recently received a $1 million dollar grant and now offers 53 courses, at 21 sites in 10 cities across Kansas. The Kansas courses include local history, state wide excursions, art, music, famous politicians and the Frank Sinatra story. In other words, a wide range of subject matter. I am going to sign up for one of the courses in the fall on Winston Churchill.
Check it out in your state. Try this link.
http://www.osherfoundation.org/index.php?olli
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Your grandchild, looks you in the eye, and says "You went to college didn't you papa?" "Yes, I did," you reply.
Senior Tip-- Get refreshed to answer any question from your grandchildren at Khan Academy.
Your grandchild, looks you in the eye, and says "You went to college didn't you papa?" "Yes, I did," you reply. At which point your grandchild asks, "Can you tell me the difference between the mean, the median and the mode?" Or what is barometric pressure? Or what is the Pythagorean theorem? Or what is an adverb? Or what is the difference between an isosceles triangle and a right triangle? And so on and so on.
If you have not been stumped by your grandchild, then your memory is truly fading. Of course, more than likely you knew the answers to these questions at some point in the past, but because you do not use these terms everyday you are not sure of their meaning.
What do you do? Ask your child to come back to you in 15 minutes. Then you jump on your computer and go the Khan Academy website, type in the question and a ten minute video will answer the question. With your memory refreshed, you can now respond to your grandchild in an intelligent manner. Khan academy is the best educational website for 10 minute refresher videos on just about every subject taught in school. It is the new college?
Go to www.khanacademy.com and take a look. It is amazing.
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
Your grandchild, looks you in the eye, and says "You went to college didn't you papa?" "Yes, I did," you reply. At which point your grandchild asks, "Can you tell me the difference between the mean, the median and the mode?" Or what is barometric pressure? Or what is the Pythagorean theorem? Or what is an adverb? Or what is the difference between an isosceles triangle and a right triangle? And so on and so on.
If you have not been stumped by your grandchild, then your memory is truly fading. Of course, more than likely you knew the answers to these questions at some point in the past, but because you do not use these terms everyday you are not sure of their meaning.
What do you do? Ask your child to come back to you in 15 minutes. Then you jump on your computer and go the Khan Academy website, type in the question and a ten minute video will answer the question. With your memory refreshed, you can now respond to your grandchild in an intelligent manner. Khan academy is the best educational website for 10 minute refresher videos on just about every subject taught in school. It is the new college?
Go to www.khanacademy.com and take a look. It is amazing.
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
Saturday, August 8, 2015
The point is go take a course in a subject that has always interested you - photography, explosive device manufacture.
Senior Tip - Take that community college course in ancient Egyptian artifacts that you only dreamed about when you were working every day.
I do take my own advice-sometimes. I flunked third semester English at Kansas University and I have wanted my revenge ever since. A few years ago, I took an on-line writing course and then I hired an expert writer to tutor me.
I did learn why I flunked college English. Why? Because I did not work hard enough and of course I did not have spell check or grammar check to make sure I followed most of the writing rules. In college, I always ended a sentence with a preposition only to learn later that "ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put." And comma placement was subjective. I have written a few books since I took the writing course, none of which have been best sellers, but they have all been fun.
The point is go take a course in a subject that has always interested you - photography, explosive device manufacture, brain surgery, biology, Iranian culture, nuclear physics, baking cookies, computer science, -- I have a friend who went back to school very late in life and became a Perl programmer just so he could understand what goes on in complex programs.
The more bizarre the subject the better. It will shock your brain into submission. Invest some time in yourself learning a new skill or discovering a new subject, after all you may live a lot longer than you think.
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
I do take my own advice-sometimes. I flunked third semester English at Kansas University and I have wanted my revenge ever since. A few years ago, I took an on-line writing course and then I hired an expert writer to tutor me.
I did learn why I flunked college English. Why? Because I did not work hard enough and of course I did not have spell check or grammar check to make sure I followed most of the writing rules. In college, I always ended a sentence with a preposition only to learn later that "ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put." And comma placement was subjective. I have written a few books since I took the writing course, none of which have been best sellers, but they have all been fun.
The point is go take a course in a subject that has always interested you - photography, explosive device manufacture, brain surgery, biology, Iranian culture, nuclear physics, baking cookies, computer science, -- I have a friend who went back to school very late in life and became a Perl programmer just so he could understand what goes on in complex programs.
The more bizarre the subject the better. It will shock your brain into submission. Invest some time in yourself learning a new skill or discovering a new subject, after all you may live a lot longer than you think.
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
Friday, August 7, 2015
Stop making a video of your pets and start making videos of you doing something interesting.
Senior Tip - Make a video doing something you know how to do and post it on YouTube.
I was with a senior friend of mine at an up-scale Scottsdale restaurant. After dinner, I ordered an espresso coffee. Since I lived in Paris, I have always enjoyed an after dinner espresso and I believe it helps metabolize the food.
The waitress delivered the espresso with a slice of lemon on the plate. I asked what do I do with the lemon? She replied she did not know, but that most people rub the lemon slice on the edge of the cup. My friend explained that this was not correct use of the lemon slice and that the juice in the lemon takes the edge off of the sour espresso, but for that to happen the lemon slice must be handled in a special way. I asked what way is so special? He started to explain, then I cut him off, took out my smartphone, scrolled to video and proceeded to record and to video his explanation and demonstration.
He explained that the lemon slice must be held between the finger and the thumb in a certain way, then twisted to allow the juice to be extracted and dropped into the espresso. He demonstrated this technique over a candle that was at the table so we could see tiny drops of lemon juice hit the candle and cause it to flicker. I posted the video to YouTube. What fun we had just doing it and now I know the secret to properly extracting the juice from a lemon slice into my espresso. It is a legacy to a lemon slice.
Senior video possibilities- Correct lure fastening for fishing, baking a pie, grilling a chicken breast with a rotisserie, fixing a leaking toilet, putting, washing your car, frying an egg, painting a door, grilling a steak, a quick morning exercise and so on.
If you are interested, drop me an email and I will send you the lemon slice link.
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
I was with a senior friend of mine at an up-scale Scottsdale restaurant. After dinner, I ordered an espresso coffee. Since I lived in Paris, I have always enjoyed an after dinner espresso and I believe it helps metabolize the food.
The waitress delivered the espresso with a slice of lemon on the plate. I asked what do I do with the lemon? She replied she did not know, but that most people rub the lemon slice on the edge of the cup. My friend explained that this was not correct use of the lemon slice and that the juice in the lemon takes the edge off of the sour espresso, but for that to happen the lemon slice must be handled in a special way. I asked what way is so special? He started to explain, then I cut him off, took out my smartphone, scrolled to video and proceeded to record and to video his explanation and demonstration.
He explained that the lemon slice must be held between the finger and the thumb in a certain way, then twisted to allow the juice to be extracted and dropped into the espresso. He demonstrated this technique over a candle that was at the table so we could see tiny drops of lemon juice hit the candle and cause it to flicker. I posted the video to YouTube. What fun we had just doing it and now I know the secret to properly extracting the juice from a lemon slice into my espresso. It is a legacy to a lemon slice.
Senior video possibilities- Correct lure fastening for fishing, baking a pie, grilling a chicken breast with a rotisserie, fixing a leaking toilet, putting, washing your car, frying an egg, painting a door, grilling a steak, a quick morning exercise and so on.
If you are interested, drop me an email and I will send you the lemon slice link.
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Show these young whippersnappers how to do it.
Senior Tip- Start a new business and show these young whippersnappers how to do it.
I have been scouring the net for good advice for seniors. For the most part the advice is like vanilla ice cream, it tastes good the first time, but gets bland quickly.
Most of the advice on the net is on combating loneliness, slowing down the aging process, traveling with friends, visiting senior dating sites and selecting retirement housing. Frankly, this advice just annoys me to tears. It relegates being a senior to waiting around to be called upstairs. What about not going gently into that good night? Passion for business or for other things in life is not the exclusive pursuit of the young.
A senior friend of mine is diabetic and has had severe pains in his feet and hands. He explained to me that he found a lotion that helped him. After some research, he discovered the patent on the lotion had expired. I suggested he make it and sell it. He now has a business that sells his lotion to other people. No, he has not gotten rich yet, but the lotion has helped many people and he gets up in the morning with a passion to launch his lotion into new markets and check his Website for the latest sales. He has learned a lot about selling products over the Internet at his website. What fun?
What business have you always wished you had the time to start? Guess what? You now do? Your own business is the last tax shelter left for traveling to Hawaii for research for your new business venture.
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
I have been scouring the net for good advice for seniors. For the most part the advice is like vanilla ice cream, it tastes good the first time, but gets bland quickly.
Most of the advice on the net is on combating loneliness, slowing down the aging process, traveling with friends, visiting senior dating sites and selecting retirement housing. Frankly, this advice just annoys me to tears. It relegates being a senior to waiting around to be called upstairs. What about not going gently into that good night? Passion for business or for other things in life is not the exclusive pursuit of the young.
A senior friend of mine is diabetic and has had severe pains in his feet and hands. He explained to me that he found a lotion that helped him. After some research, he discovered the patent on the lotion had expired. I suggested he make it and sell it. He now has a business that sells his lotion to other people. No, he has not gotten rich yet, but the lotion has helped many people and he gets up in the morning with a passion to launch his lotion into new markets and check his Website for the latest sales. He has learned a lot about selling products over the Internet at his website. What fun?
What business have you always wished you had the time to start? Guess what? You now do? Your own business is the last tax shelter left for traveling to Hawaii for research for your new business venture.
webtalkwithbob@gmail.com
Monday, August 3, 2015
You can live without your phone.
Senior Tip-- Do not worry, we can live without our phones.
It happened to me yesterday. My phone would not charge. I tried different cables, various usb connectors, different A/C outlets, googled the issue and had critical discussions with trusted friends. Nothing worked. Then, I took a taxi to the Apple store. I explained to the scheduler that my phone would not work. I was in Baltimore when it happened.
There I was in a large mall with no phone. I was nervous. I could feel my blood pressure rising. I appealed to the Apple store manager who explained the next available genius was 2 hours away. He asked for my phone number so he could call me. I smiled and he understood.
So here I sit in the Apple store using their computer to write this blog. No one is calling me as far as I know and I do not need to call anyone, yet I still feel helpless, a victim of electronic malfunction. I have settled my nerves by recalling there were many years of my life when I had no phone in my pocket and I was just as happy as I am now.
So I can wait and I can do without. And no doubt you can too.
It happened to me yesterday. My phone would not charge. I tried different cables, various usb connectors, different A/C outlets, googled the issue and had critical discussions with trusted friends. Nothing worked. Then, I took a taxi to the Apple store. I explained to the scheduler that my phone would not work. I was in Baltimore when it happened.
There I was in a large mall with no phone. I was nervous. I could feel my blood pressure rising. I appealed to the Apple store manager who explained the next available genius was 2 hours away. He asked for my phone number so he could call me. I smiled and he understood.
So here I sit in the Apple store using their computer to write this blog. No one is calling me as far as I know and I do not need to call anyone, yet I still feel helpless, a victim of electronic malfunction. I have settled my nerves by recalling there were many years of my life when I had no phone in my pocket and I was just as happy as I am now.
So I can wait and I can do without. And no doubt you can too.
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