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Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bald Eagle who wrote (7209)	7/26/1999 1:36:00 AM
From: B.K.Myers	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9818

Bald Eagle, I have had some success by telling people that I expect gas and oil price to double, triple or quadruple next year. Most people find this easier to palate than some of the disaster scenarios. It also gets their attention. They can also quickly relate an oil price increase with a direct influence on their lives. Then as I start to explain some of the reasons for the expected rise in prices, they start to see some of the interconnections and possible repercussions. My wife understood the potentially serious consequences early. I kept her up to date on all the Y2K news that I thought was important. She gradually started talking to other people about it and found that there are some people who understand the problem. It was very helpful that her father was aware of the problem and making his preparations. We have decided that rather than having one plan, we are planning for 3 different scenarios. If it looks like a worst case scenario is going to develop, we will get on our sailboat and head for the islands. Actually, this isn't a drastic step for us; we take four to six month sailing trip on our boat every two or three years. If it looks like there is going to be some social unrest, we live near Washington DC, or other localized serious problems, we well going to one of our parents. Both live in small towns and have been or are currently making preparation. Finally, if things don't get too bad, we will simply stay put and live off of our preparations. Maybe we can even help out if our other family members or neighbors need some additional assistance. I also find that being actively involved in preparation seems to remove some of the fear. Buying preparations can be fun, or at least not an unpleasant chore. Although, I admit carrying a couple of cases of food from the car to the basement isn't a lot of fun. Splitting firewood is a chore but I think of it as exercise (so I keep telling myself). We try to buy provisions when they are on sale. My wife watches for the sales and collects coupons for items on our provision list. We then go shopping for them together. My wife seems to take it more seriously when we shop together. She really enjoyed shopping for a battery power light. We ending up buying a little book-reading light for her as well as a Coleman battery powered light. These lights come in real handy when we take our sailing trips. One other item that we found useful on our sailing trips is a sun shower. A sun shower is a plastic bag that holds a couple of gallons of water. One side of the bag is clear, the other side is dark colored. If you leave it in direct sunlight, the water can get very hot. A hot shower on a cold day is one of those little pleasures that seem to make your day that much brighter. I hope you and your wife can come to some common agreement about your plans. Remember, “United we stand, divided we fall”, will apply, especially after 1/1/2000. Find a common ground and work toward it. B.K.