{"id":3031,"date":"1977-12-23T00:01:50","date_gmt":"1977-12-23T08:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/?p=3031"},"modified":"2024-03-10T12:34:12","modified_gmt":"2024-03-10T19:34:12","slug":"1977-december-23-letters-from-peter-and-marcy-to-gh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/1977\/12\/23\/1977-december-23-letters-from-peter-and-marcy-to-gh\/","title":{"rendered":"1977, December 23: Letters from Peter and Marcy to G&#038;H"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>These are a pair of letters dated a couple of weeks apart, but I suspect that they were both mailed in the same envelope.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<style>\r\npre {\r\n  color: #000000;\r\n  background-color: #ffffff;\r\n  border: 0;\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"force-indent\">The first one is a one-page typed note from Peter, written on paper that bears the logo and address of the computer center of the San Francisco school district, where Peter had what I think was his second computer job. (In a couple of previous letters, he referred to a job that I thought was this one, but now I think that that previous job had been some kind of training in how to use computers.)<\/p>\r\n<p>The second letter is three pages handwritten by Marcy, on lined tractor-feed paper (the computer-printer paper with holes down the sides, though in this case the area where the holes are isn\u2019t detachable).<\/p>\r\n<p>The envelope is addressed to George and Helen \u201cc\/o Olness\u201d at an address in Naples, Florida. The Olnesses were cousins of Helen\u2019s, and I assume that George and Helen were visiting them during G&H\u2019s trip across the country.<\/p>\r\n<p>Content warning for (in Marcy\u2019s letter) casual use of a racial term that\u2019s more widely understood to be a slur now than it was then. Also, unrelatedly, for description of the death of a child.<\/p>\r\n<p>Peter\u2019s letter:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_3072\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 160px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/1977\/12\/edp-logo.jpg\"><img src=\"http:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/1977\/12\/edp-logo-150x134.jpg\" alt=\"Computer center logo, showing a stylized computer tape drive and a stylized punch card.\" width=\"150\" height=\"134\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-3072\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Computer center logo, showing a stylized computer tape drive and a stylized punch card.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p class=\"text-center\">edp computer center<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"text-center\">SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"text-center\"><span class=\"jed-note\">Address and phone number removed by Jed<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"text-center\">SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94102<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"text-right\">December 23, 1977<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Memorandum:<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">This is to advise all parents of George Peter Hartman that he is employed here in a straight job, as a computer programmer-analyst. The job is only funded for a year through CETA, but his work has received the commendation of his supervisors, and he has been told that when the CETA funding expires, the school district will pick up the tab and employ him in a permanent capacity, at a higher pay rate of course. His starting pay is<\/p>\r\n<pre class=\"text-center\">********************************************************************<\/pre>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"text-center\">$ 2 8 5 . 0 0 per week<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<pre class=\"text-center\">!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<\/pre>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Princely, eh? Quite munificent for entry-level position, I'd say&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. Well I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner (I've been working a couple of weeks now), but I've been inanely busy,both at work and at home. Marcy is also working, she's being trained to be a counter-lady in the California State Tax Franchise Board in Santa Rosa. She gets $3.<strike>60<\/strike>14 per hour, and works about twenty hours a week. It's very boring work, but it's good that it's part time. Anyway, we are all well, and of course delighted to have two steady incomes, plus our financial diversification business that we've mentioned. (We'd love to show it to you when you're next in California.) Hope you're enjoying life in sunny Florida&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">We've been getting drenched here for a week or so -- enough that the reservoirs are up to pre-drought levels again, hooray! Anyway, I'd better get back to work now .&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. .&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. Love,<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"text-right\">Guess Who<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>Marcy\u2019s letter:<\/p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"text-right\">Jan. 11<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Hi, folks.<\/p>\r\n<p>Sending some pkgs (two, to be exact) to G D, Perry, & hoping this reaches you at Naples.<\/p>\r\n<p>The paper is real, live computer print-out, salvaged from the recycling pile at the S&nbsp;F school Dist.<\/p>\r\n<p>We are beaverishly busy, try to take time to sleep but it\u2019s generally vitamins instead of shuteye. Have to be up at 5, Peter leaves at 6, Jed wants to be up at 7 usually, to finish his homework, Quin wakes up at 6:30 or so if he\u2019s gotten to bed on time; they leave for school at 9:15 (walking in opposite directions) and I have to be at work (x3\/week) at 10, mostly. Except when it\u2019s 9.<\/p>\r\n<p>I get off at 3 (20 min by car, 45-75 by bus, including a wonderful 10-minute walk to downtown Cotati), Quin gets home at 3:15 and Jed at 3:30; Peter gets here at 6:20 and we eat and go to bed. Meanwhile nursing the car, which needs a new engine and just got a new battery (largely installed by <u>me<\/u>! what a high that was! Had to have help to lift it, tho.) and freaking out over the dog catcher, who is after <span class=\"jed-note\">our dog\u2019s name<\/span>, having seen her without a leash but couldn\u2019t catch her. He\u2019s also after the cat lady down the street, harasses her & kidnaps her cats and acts like a general \u26e4$#\u263e\u2609\ufe0e!!!<\/p>\r\n<p>Look about you for a town named <u>Grant<\/u> on the Indian River. The oldest sister of one of my dearest friends is Postmistress there. I\u2019m sure she\u2019d be glad of a friendly wave. My friend is Carol; her sister, Frankie; last name <span class=\"jed-note\">elided by Jed<\/span>. Carol is the one in Maine who I went to see this summer, whose little girl was killed in a tragic traffic accident. Frankie was - and remains - a real tower of strength for Carol. Their father died this summer; he was rather aged & his death was expected. I would love to know Frankie - I do, really, through Carol\u2019s eyes, and can\u2019t help loving her.<\/p>\r\n<p>J & J recieved the walkie-talkies this week & were very excited. They already had a pair, but had broken the antennae, and had had poor reception to start with. These are much better, & compatible w\/ older ones. We can hear CB\u2019ers from the freeway, but it always seems pretty dumb stuff they say.<\/p>\r\n<p>On Monday evening, we are having a little ceremony to dedicate a shrine for our ancestors. Meishu Sama taught that it was important to honor their spirits, which we have tried to do, but this is a special way to do so. We\u2019re pretty excited. Peter hopes the table he made in H.S. (??) is still around somewhere, and (if not in use) could you send it to us to hold this shrine? Or maybe we\u2019ll come up to get it next summer - sounds pretty hard to ship a piece of furniture. expensive, probably. Meanwhile, we\u2019ll make do with something-or-another.<\/p>\r\n<p>I have loved every <strike>xxx<\/strike> line of your letters and cards. Travel is very close to my heart, but I\u2019ve never been able to do so in style & comfort, like a turtle. So I love to hear about it, and about the American Gypsies.....<\/p>\r\n<p>About the presents: The tree print was purchased from the artist (with several others). I bought the half-rounds, cut & stained \u2019em (with leather dye. If you\u2019d ever like to spend an exciting day, try spilling leather dye on linoleum & then cleaning it up. I had this thing sitting in dry bleach (wettened) for 3 days and you can still see it) and pasted \u2019em on.<\/p>\r\n<p>The paper \u201ccut out\u201d is from Mainland China. Makes a great window or lamp shade decoration.<\/p>\r\n<p>Joaquin\u2019s \u201ctraveling van\u201d speaks for itself - or tries to. Or I tried to speak for it - or something. Please note his new spelling for his name (optional - he\u2019s fond of it). The book (under separate cover) seemed hornblower-vintage from the cover; hope it really is.<\/p>\r\n<p>I\u2019m writing these last lines waiting for the bus (more car trouble) and had better get them into the envelope. Happy trails to you & love from all,<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"text-right\">Marcy<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<h2>Notes<\/h2>\r\n<dl>\r\n  <dt>CETA<\/dt>\r\n  <dd>Presumably the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Comprehensive_Employment_and_Training_Act\">Comprehensive Employment and Training Act<\/a>.<\/dd>\r\n  <dt>Salaries\/pay<\/dt>\r\n  <dd>In 2024 dollars, $285 is about $1,500; an annual salary of around $75k in modern money. Almost certainly far more money than Peter had ever previously made. Meanwhile, Marcy\u2019s $3.14 an hour was about $16\/hour in today\u2019s money; at 20 hours\/week, that comes to about $17k\/year in today\u2019s money.<\/dd>\r\n  <dt>\u201cour financial diversification business\u201d<\/dt>\r\n  <dd>This is presumably the business that Peter had mentioned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/1977\/06\/01\/1977-june-letter-from-peter-to-gh\/\">a few months previous<\/a>. I still don\u2019t know what it was, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s ever mentioned again. Also, it would not surprise me if the phrase \u201cfinancial diversification\u201d in this context was a euphemism for something at least semi-shady\/scammy, like chain letters or something.<\/dd>\r\n  <dt>\u201cG D, Perry\u201d<\/dt>\r\n  <dd>I don\u2019t know what that refers to.<\/dd>\r\n  <dt>\u201cJed wants to be up at 7 usually\u201d<\/dt>\r\n  <dd>!!! This may suggest that I was replaced with a changeling at some point (possibly when my hair went from blondish to dark brown), because these days I cannot <em>imagine<\/em> wanting to be up at 7 usually.<\/dd>\r\n  <dt>moon symbol<\/dt>\r\n  <dd>Marcy drew the moon symbol as the mirror-image of that, with the horns pointing to the left, but I figured better to use the official Unicode character.<\/dd>\r\n  <dt>Carol<\/dt>\r\n  <dd>Carol is the one who, years after Marcy\u2019s death, married Peter, and then got pregnant, and then left Peter and dropped out of contact for years afterward. Long story. Carol\u2019s daughter who died had been about my age, I think.<\/dd>\r\n  <dt>\u201cfrom the freeway\u201d<\/dt>\r\n  <dd>Our house in Cotati was right next to the freeway.<\/dd>\r\n<\/dl>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Peter has a new job; Marcy sends a life update. \u201cTravel is very close to my heart, but I\u2019ve never been able to do so in style &#038; comfort, like a turtle.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-from-marcy","category-from-peter","category-cotati"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3031"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3073,"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3031\/revisions\/3073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}