BOB and the ball

BOB and the ball


The question is - 

If a bat and a ball together cost $1.10 and the bat costs $1.00 more than the ball –
how much does the ball cost?


The answer is - 

Five cents.

The ball costs five cents.
The bat costs one dollar and five cents.
The bat costs one dollar more than the ball.
Together they cost one dollar and ten cents.

That’s OK –

BOB got it wrong, too.

BOB was taught to show your work –

SO she will give you two methods to solve this problem -

METHOD #1 – Algebra – 

BOB LOVES ALGEBRA –
IT’S SO LOGICAL -
BUT IT IS THE LONG WAY –
AND most people HATE Algebra -
So -
BOB won’t use “X” –
Instead - she will just use (BALL) –
Maybe that will make more sense to those of you who are math-challenged.

We want to know the cost of the ball – so that’s - (BALL)

Ball = (BALL)

The BAT costs one dollar more than the ball –

Bat = (BALL + $1.00)

Together they cost ($1.00 + $.10)

So –

Ball + Bat = ($1.00 + $.10)

Substitute for Ball and Bat -
(BALL) + (BALL + $1.00) = ($1.00 + $.10)

Simplify – get rid of the parentheses -
BALL + BALL + $1.00 = $1.00 + $.10

Add the balls together -
2 BALLS + $1.00 = $1.00 + $.10

Get rid of the dollar on each side - 
Leaves us with -
2 BALLS = $.10

So –
1 BALL = $.05


METHOD #2 - Talk it out -
The short way -

Together the ball and bat cost one dollar and ten cents.
If the bat costs one dollar more than the ball –
The dollar belongs to the bat.
That leaves the ten cents.
Except for the dollar - the bat and ball cost the same.
The bat is half of the ten cents – the ball is the other half.
Half of ten cents is five cents.
The ball costs five cents.
The bat costs one dollar and five cents.
Together they cost one dollar and ten cents.


Any problem is easy – if you know the answer.  ;))

BOB has an appointment next Wednesday

BOB has an appointment next Wednesday

BOB got a call from the doctor’s office earlier this week –

It went something like this –

She – twenty/thirty-something female clerk –
I’m calling to reschedule your appointment this Thursday.

BOB –
I don’t have an appointment this Thursday.  My appointment is next Wednesday.

She –
Next Wednesday?  Oh, you’re right.  I see it here on the computer.

BOB –
And the reason I don’t have an appointment this Thursday is that you called me last week and you rescheduled it for next Wednesday.  You put it on Wednesday but you forgot to take it off Thursday, didn’t you?

She –
Oh.

=====

This is a STUPID story.

Back in the “old” days – we wrote tax appointments on a piece of paper with a pen -

When someone called to reschedule – we crossed it off one day and wrote it in on the other day – with a note on the "old" date that it had been rescheduled to the "new" date - simple.

Nowadays – "The computer does it."

But the computer ONLY does what the user tells it to do!

The user has to “use” some brains and do BOTH steps.

You can "ADD" the appointment to the NEW date –

but you also have to "DELETE" it from the OLD date.

The computer can’t DO it unless you tell it to!!

This “adventure” ranks right up there with the phone calls BOB gets the night before to remind her that she has an appointment the next morning.

AND THEN THEY SAY that if BOB wants/needs to cancel the appointment that she must give them 24 hours notice!!

How the hell is she supposed to do that when they barely give her 12!!

When she complained – all she got was “Oh, the computer does that!”

What - the computer programs itself?

How does the computer know to call me?

How does the computer know when I have an appointment?

Doesn't SOMEONE have to tell it?

Idiots. 

To them I say - 

Get your shit together -

The baby boomers are coming –

and, Bob, for one, is getting tired of dealing with stupidity and incompetence.



But then again – it’s probably just me.

BOB and FedEx

BOB and FedEx


Sept. 4, 2001 – BOB placed an order online

Sept. 4, 2001 – 9:24AM – BOB received an Order confirmation

Sept. 6, 2011 - 7:00AM – Shipment information sent to FedEx

Sept. 6, 2011 – 3:58PM – Picked up – Amarillo, TX

Sept. 6, 2011 – 4:26PM – Arrived at FedEx location – Amarillo TX

Sept. 6, 2011 – 8:19PM – Left FedEx origin facility – Amarillo, TX

Sept. 7, 2011 – 12:04AM – In transit – Wichita Falls, TX

Sept. 7, 2011 – 6:07AM – Arrived at FedEx location – Fort Worth, TX

Sept. 7, 2011 – 9:14AM – Departed FedEx location – Fort Worth, TX

Sept. 8, 2011 – 3:16PM – Arrived at FedEx location – Lewisberry, PA

Huh??  BOB lives in California - NOT Pennsylvania.

Sept. 9, 2011 – 1:04PM – Departed FedEx location – Lewisberry, PA

Sept. 13, 2011 – 4:54PM – Arrived at FedEx location – Bloomington, CA

Sept. 13, 2011 – 11:30PM – Departed FedEx location – Bloomington, CA

Sept. 14, 2011 – 7:14AM – At FedEx facility – my town

Sept. 14, 2011 – 8:06AM – On FedEx vehicle for delivery

=====

Could have had it sooner if it didn’t have to go to Pennsylvania first.

So what’s in Pennsylvania that it had to go see??

And why didn’t someone at FedEx notice that to get to California from Texas –

You go WEST – not EAST??



But then again – it’s probably just me.

BOB and the new century

BOB and the new century


The question is - 

What was the date (MM/DD/YY) of the first day of this new century?

The answer is - 

01/01/01

January 1, 2001

What else would it be?

I know – some of you think it was January 1, 2000 –

01/01/00

But - you must admit - that doesn’t even LOOK right - 

It amazes BOB that something that should be so obvious has to be explained.

And then to have people - intelligent people - argue with you – simply amazing!!

BOB found a link to a website that I think explains it pretty well – here -

BOB is going to use that - no use trying to re-invent the wheel, right??

Assuming anyone will read BOB - or even care...

=====

Then - just for fun –

BOB asked three of her grandsons the same question –

Grandson #1 (age 16) said - January 1, 2000

Grandson #2 (age 14) said - January 1, 2001

Grandson #3 (age 12) said - Tuesday**

BOB thinks that one out of three is pretty bad -


But then again – it’s probably just me.


**Note - 01/01/01 was a Monday - in case you were wondering.

BOB had another copay - Part 2

BOB had another copay - Part 2 - 


On my last post – I forgot one part –

I forgot to tell the part where she called me - "HONEY".

When I gave the twenty-something female clerk the twenty-dollar bill –

She actually said - "HONEY, do you have a ten?"

That pissed BOB OFF!!
(BOB is usually a very nice lady - until she gets pissed off!)

That’s why I called her - “SWEETIE”.
(BOB isn't usually so rude and demeaning as to call someone "Sweetie".)

Just because I have white hair –

Doesn't mean that I'm old and stupid –

AND –

IT SURE AS HELL DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN CALL ME - “HONEY”!!

AND –

Next time –

Just for fun –

I’ll be sure to take another twenty.  ;))



But then again – it’s probably just me.