Posted 10 years ago
MisterEsot…
(25 items)
I was in 4th grade in 1987 and I was about to start being an Altar Boy at the Catholic grade school I attended in Whittier, CA. My maternal Grandfather, whom I had always called "Papa" decided to give me what he called his "Sunday Watch" for me to wear when serving on the Altar. He got it as a gift from his wife (my Grandmother) in 1975. She says she bought it at Sears in Downtown Los Angeles.
My grandparents did not ever have a lot of money. They were certainly not "well to do". My grandfather was a retired fireman and my grandmother was a seamstress that mainly stayed at home, raising her three kids up until her own retirement.
They were relics of a time gone by. Both smoked, drank, and went on to celebrate their 55th Wedding anniversary before my grandmother (whom I always called "Gunny" as I was unable to pronounce "Granny" in my toddler years) passed away from breast cancer in 1989. They were married in 1934.
My grandfather was a character, no doubt about it. When he gave me his "Sunday" watch when I officially became an Altar Boy, you could tell he was proud. He was a 100% Irish Catholic (his last name was even Murphy), and seeing his only grandson donning his Sunday watch on the Altar truly made him proud.
The watch itself is a simple Seiko, Date Only. Manufactured in August of 1975, according to the Serial Number lookup I found online. It is two tone in color, and has 17 Jewels printed on the face.
I took it to a jeweler a few years ago to have the face cleaned and to have the movement cleaned, as the plastic crystal was cracked and allowed moisture to get in and oxidized the faceplate and it ran about 5 minutes fast. Unfortunately, upon pickup, the jeweler informed me that it was a lost cause and he went ahead and replaced the face with another face from the same model, but made about a year or two later, so it had a different font in the name. He did this without asking me and when I saw it, I nearly flipped out. I asked where the original face was and to my absolute horror he said he had thrown it away.
Even though the oxidation had made about half the old face solid black, it was still my original grandfather's watch. Now, though it is still the original case, band, and movement, it is still not original as I remember it. To add icing to this depressing cake, the watch still ran fast. Oy Vey. Lesson learned. I am certainly not returning to that jeweler again. :(
Well, I have gotten accustomed to the new face, and with the exception of the font of the Seiko name, the faceplate is indeed identical to the original. It is automatic, and it usually stops if not shaken for about 24 hours or so. I wear it pretty much every day except when I am donning a waistcoat, and thus must wear my non-family heirloom Waltham Pocket Watch (story behind that timepiece of mine can be found here:
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/143180-my-trusty-waltham-hunter-pocket-watch-fr?in=user )
If anyone would like to see the original point that was on the faceplate, check out the bottom off the band in the 3rd picture above.
My grandfather passed away in 1994 at the age of 84. Cigarette in his hand, and a can of Coors on the hospital side table. His wife of 55 years passed away 5 years earlier. He was a great man, and I will always cherish his Sunday watch, even though I stopped being an Altar boy many moons ago. I would take this over a Rolex President any day. I just have had to get used to being 5 minutes early to everything. :)
Thanks for reading everyone! I left out my usual esotericsm in this post. I figured the memory lane nostalgia and family connection was more than enough. Plus, Papa was a pretty simple man, and this post hopefully lived up to the kind of man he was. Simple, straightforward, and genuine in every way.
Rest in Peach, John Emmet Murphy AKA "Papa" 1910-1994.
![Vintage Seiko Watch 6309-729A [F1]](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Qq8AAOSwonVmvTXo/s-l225.jpg)
Sweet story Mr E! And I like the watch as well. I bought a seiko Eco drive. Good watches :)
Thanks Jewels! I have no idea what this model is even called. I could research it and probably find out. It is only labeled Water Resistant and 17 Jewels. Just a cursory lookup of the Serial Number online gave me the manufacturing date. Amazing how far technology has come. No wonder our kids are so damn lazy.
They should spend two weeks living like it is 1985. Where you had to go to the LIBRARY to look something up in the ENCYCLOPEDIA and WRITE IT DOWN.
Lazy Asses.
Sorry for the tangent. Thanks again for the love and the kind words!
Haha! Times have changed for sure! I want kids to understand what it was like to have to be home to get a phone call! :) Oh, I keep missing you on a question...do you know your mbti personality? It is something I study, was wondering yours...you might have one of the rare ones
I have no idea what MBTI personality is. I will Google it, because I, too am a technology spoiled lazy ass.
I will say this, yesterday was my last day with the company I have been working for since 2011. When I submitted my two week notice of resignation, it was 3 pages long and over 1500 words. Yikes.
Starting with a new company in January and now just enjoying two weeks off of paid vacation during the most wonderful time of the year. Andy Williams, eat your heart out. :)
:) good fortune on your new endeavor Mr E! And enjoy your 2 weeks! Yes, take the mbti, it never fails, I'm great at guessing. I will write down what I believe yours to be. There is so much truth to the mbti. I took it like 20 yrs ago, didn't think much of it, took it again about 6 yrs ago, obsessed! :)
Wow. Very cool. I actually minored in Psychology in College, but that was quite a bit ago, and I think I pretty much coasted through the minor anyway. The major was Public Administration. Fast forward 15 years and I am in Banking and play poker. Go figure.
I will take the test and let you know!
Awesome! I have a psych degree and it is my passion, besides collecting junk :) Okay, your major, job choice, and poker playing all lend clues to my guess :) Thanks for taking it! Looking forward to the results. This is my poker ;)
Is there one online that you can recommend that is free?
Sorry I'm a cheapskate. ??
Thanks again, Jewels! Long live the junk collecting!
Hey! I use a book called Please Understand Me II, which includes the test--Try this link, I know someone who used this and said it was accurate. Don't overthink the answers, initial thought kind of thing :) http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
Never mind! Not accurate! I took it! Let me look around a bit...brb
Terrible link...totally inaccurate! I can't find anything accurate online...The book is only $20 I believe...here is a simplistic test, that can give a partial view, but it is kind of just for fun, although it is fairly accurate :): draw a triangle, square, circle, and a squiggly line, without thinking too hard, which are you most drawn?
Eye, this isn't some I am what I am and that's all that I am thing, is it? : P
Ha! Yes, I recall I accurately called yours. I know Mr E's as well...he is rare type and so are you :)
Don't read any further Mr E! We don't want to influence his choice. Okay, there are 4 different personality types: SJ, SP, NT, and NF. In a simplistic nutshell, the SJ's are the rule enforcers, the law makers, etc., the SP's are the hands on types, mechanics, artists...the NT's are the logical, smart thinkers, think professors at the extreme learner of knowledge...the NF's are the kind hearted advocates. There are variations based on extrovert/introvert, feeling/thinking, structured/free spirit, etc. depending on the type. S types are sensory based, more concrete thinkers; whereas N types are intuitive thinkers. N's are more "quirky"
You, based on your choice, are an NT--not sure on the introversion/extroversion, the structured/free spirit. If I had to guess, I will say INTP. Just a guess, without having met you in person
Introvert (doesn't mean shy) intuitive, tough-minded thinker, and free spirited :)
I would say you can read a book and be content, you expend energy in large groups of people (not gather energy), you think with reason more than emotion, and your a free spirit. You are a bit quirky...that is a compliment! I am an ENFP so I understand quirky :)
*you're--sorry Mr E! He is getting all these notifications to his phone, but if I'm correct about his personality, he doesn't mind ;)
You chose the triangle--never fails, that simple test! It is weird!
Triangle represents the NT, circle NF, square SJ, squiggly line SP
I can spot an NT from a mile away :)
NT (#26 very predictable question from an NT who can get a little frustrated with the NF's "cute" answers, and they do love the NF's :)
Well, Im not exactly sure why, but NT's love triangles, so your choice of triangle leads you to the NT path:) I bet you love Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, etc :)
You people are a hoot and a holler.
I skipped most of the recent posts after Jewels told me to stop reading.
So, is there a link or something that I can click on to take this test?
I cannot find a good link mr e. Totally disappointed. Consider getting the book...? 20 bucks, not too bad...:)
$20?!?! That's like 23 pairs of swap meet cufflinks!
Or 80 paperback books.
Or 5 Jim Beam Decanters.
Or 3 cases of expired Spam.
Or 12 Previously Viewed DVD movies.
Or Two hand made Nativity sets with your choice of white, Mexican, or black baby Jesus.
Or 1 knock off Louis Vuitton Clutch
Or 1 Sterling Silver Candelabra that the seller thinks is just metal.
Sorry. I have swap meet on the brain. :)
Laugh out loud!
All of that list is 100% accurate, to the dollar.
The Sterling Silver candelabra was my best Vegas swap meet find of all time. Almost 5 pounds of pure sterling from the 1940s.
The expired spam, though...:/ haha! You were raised partially in Hawaii :)
Spam is delicious. One of the most underrated things you can only find in Hawaii is Spam Musubi at every local gas station convenience store.
That and the McDonald's breakfast meal of Portuguese Sausage, Eggs, & Rice. ????
Ignore those damn "????"
Hi mr e! Ha! Yes, the Spam Musubi trucks all over the place! There was a Thai food truck at the north shore that was delicious! A truck! I went there once a week :)
Super jelly. ??
:))))) confession: never ate the spam, just saw it everywhere...Unlike that piña colada song...I am into health food, but I have half a brain :)
Ah!!! Stop hugging a tree and eating organic crap like quinoa for a day and indulge in one if America's greatest indulgences.
Look at it this way, here in Vegas, you can get deep fried Twinkies and Oreos Downtown at Mermainds casino. Suddenly, Spam ain't that bad sounding, huh? ????
Laughing! Quinoa is delicious if prepared right! :) Deep fried twinkies and Oreos!? O.O We eat Newman-O's! Lol
Back when Fresh & Easy had a daly clearance section, my wife and I would go and raid it daily. They always did their final markdowns right about an hour before closing. At one point, they literally had 25 pre-made salads and sandwiches for like $0.20 each. I bought a Quinoa salad. I eagerly tasted it for the first time a little bit later.
I wanted my $0.20 back.
Haha! It wasn't prepared right! :D
Sure. That's what they all say. Spam Fried Rice FTW!
Bhaha! Greek yogurt, with berries, granola, honey, and pee pollen FTW! :DDD
*BEE! BEE pollen!
I think you had it righty he first time. ????????????
Ahahah! I thought you might think that! :D
I have FINALLY figured out the ??????? that conclude my posts when I post from my iPhone. It is the EMOJI! Whenever I end a post with an emoticon (which I often do), it translates that into ???? because this website does not recognize the emoji. Finally it makes sense!
For the first time in over about 3 months, I missed the swap meet last weekend. We took a family weekend trip to Big Bear Mountain in SoCal so the kids could play in the snow and we could relax before I started with a new company on January 5th.
I told my usual vendors last weekend that I would be skipping a week so they knew to hold any new finds for me. I am looking forward to returning this weekend after a two week hiatus!
:)
Hope your new job is going well mr e and good luck at the flea market this weekend! :)
Thanks Jewels! I just got back from an all night poker session. Work starts in about 2.5 hours. I'm used to it. ;)
Where are you located? The pics of your house look beautiful! Midwest somewhere?
Omgosh mr e! Maybe you can power nap! :) Virginia, but I'm from the Midwest, Cincinnati, Ohio specifically
And yes, I really like my new job and company. :)
Plus, it's only about 13 minutes from my house, which is a HUGE plus. :) :) :)
It's the little things in life, ya know?
I am looking forward to the swap meet for sure! I am having withdrawals!
Virginia! Very nice. I have been there when I attended Georgetown for a semester many many moons ago.
My mom was from Akron, Ohio. I mainly know Ohio from the movie Christmas Story and Higbees Department Store.
Oh yes! It is the little things for sure :) Someone recently posted a huge cufflink collection here, did you see it?
Yes, I am pretty sure I was one of the first comments on it. Real nice corporate logo cufflink collection.
On topic: I wear my grandfather's watch, a Timex Electronic, probably from the 70s. I've owned some nice little trendy watches in my life, nothing fancy, Guess, Fossil, Gloria Vanderbilt, but this is by far my favorite. Miss my Dad.
Thanks for posting katherine! I miss my Papa too.
You can probably precisely date that Timex with the serial number and google. That was how I researched my Seiko and Waltham.