Dialing In
How did I ever survive the rotary phone?
Was there really time when I put my index finger in a hole, dragged the wheel around seven times before I reached the party to whom I was speaking?
And did I actually use typewriters for many years—along with Liquid Paper and White Out? And how did I ever get by without a DVR and only a handful of TV channels?
I also remember when people smoked on airplanes—actually they smoked just about anywhere they wanted.
These and other pressing issues rolled through my head the other night after I attended a Meetup event in Manhattan. I’m trying to keep that New Year’s resolution about getting out more so I signed up for a group that sounded pretty cool and had a nice time.
I figured I’d be the oldest in the room, which is something I’m getting used to, but I did run into one other guy who seemed to be in my age bracket.
We were sitting at a table with a young man and this geezer kept up bringing up all the ancient equipment from my childhood.
“You don’t remember rotary phones, do you?” he asked our young companion. “Or typewriters?”
The younger fellow, of course, didn’t remember these things probably for the same reason I don’t remember buggy whips and spats—they were obsolete by the time I showed up.
It seems like our devices are becoming obsolete at a faster pace. Or maybe that’s me just feeling old. My niece, Victoria, likes to remind of the passing years whenever I speak with her.
Of course, I suppose I’m partially to blame for this as I do give her straight lines that she quickly turns into weapons of mass derision.
Wheat and See
During a Christmas Day phone call last month, she mentioned that she had cooked dinner for my brother and his wife.
“Hey,” I said, “the next time I come out to Denver, I want you to cook dinner for me.”
“Sure,” she replied in perfect smart-ass English. “I’ll have Cream of Wheat and prunes…”
Yes, Victoria knows how to press my buttons—or dial my number. She told that she may be in New York in late May and when I mentioned that my birthday occurs at that time of the year, she promptly got the date wrong.
“I would’ve hoped you had that memorized,” I said, mildly miffed.
“Maybe you got it wrong,” she said “You are getting on, you know.”
“Stop making wisecracks about my age!”
“I’m helping you transition to the next stage of life,” she explained.
“I’m gonna transition my foot to your ass in about two seconds, kid!”
All, I might’ve sounded a bit grumpy in my response, but as my mother used to say, “I was provoked!”
At the end of the meetup I bid my companions a good night, checked my smart phone and saw that the X27 bus back to Brooklyn would be coming my way in 15 minutes.
On the ride home, I did some net surfing before heading up to my apartment to work on my home computer. We didn’t have this stuff back in my day, but I’m not going to give them up.
And now it’s time for some Cream of Wheat and prunes.
Was there really time when I put my index finger in a hole, dragged the wheel around seven times before I reached the party to whom I was speaking?
And did I actually use typewriters for many years—along with Liquid Paper and White Out? And how did I ever get by without a DVR and only a handful of TV channels?
I also remember when people smoked on airplanes—actually they smoked just about anywhere they wanted.
These and other pressing issues rolled through my head the other night after I attended a Meetup event in Manhattan. I’m trying to keep that New Year’s resolution about getting out more so I signed up for a group that sounded pretty cool and had a nice time.
I figured I’d be the oldest in the room, which is something I’m getting used to, but I did run into one other guy who seemed to be in my age bracket.
We were sitting at a table with a young man and this geezer kept up bringing up all the ancient equipment from my childhood.
“You don’t remember rotary phones, do you?” he asked our young companion. “Or typewriters?”
The younger fellow, of course, didn’t remember these things probably for the same reason I don’t remember buggy whips and spats—they were obsolete by the time I showed up.
It seems like our devices are becoming obsolete at a faster pace. Or maybe that’s me just feeling old. My niece, Victoria, likes to remind of the passing years whenever I speak with her.
Of course, I suppose I’m partially to blame for this as I do give her straight lines that she quickly turns into weapons of mass derision.
Wheat and See
During a Christmas Day phone call last month, she mentioned that she had cooked dinner for my brother and his wife.
“Hey,” I said, “the next time I come out to Denver, I want you to cook dinner for me.”
“Sure,” she replied in perfect smart-ass English. “I’ll have Cream of Wheat and prunes…”
Yes, Victoria knows how to press my buttons—or dial my number. She told that she may be in New York in late May and when I mentioned that my birthday occurs at that time of the year, she promptly got the date wrong.
“I would’ve hoped you had that memorized,” I said, mildly miffed.
“Maybe you got it wrong,” she said “You are getting on, you know.”
“Stop making wisecracks about my age!”
“I’m helping you transition to the next stage of life,” she explained.
“I’m gonna transition my foot to your ass in about two seconds, kid!”
All, I might’ve sounded a bit grumpy in my response, but as my mother used to say, “I was provoked!”
At the end of the meetup I bid my companions a good night, checked my smart phone and saw that the X27 bus back to Brooklyn would be coming my way in 15 minutes.
On the ride home, I did some net surfing before heading up to my apartment to work on my home computer. We didn’t have this stuff back in my day, but I’m not going to give them up.
And now it’s time for some Cream of Wheat and prunes.
Comments
Born in the last century--I love it! I'll try that one on my niece!
OMG...I was just talking to a coworker last week about the rotary phone and she looked at me like I was from another planet - HA! And speaking of typewriters, do you remember Typing Class in High School? We had just gotten "electric" typewriters and thought that they were so high-tech and fancy. We had IBM typewriters that had the little metal ball with all the letters on it that would spin around as you typed. And we had to use tiny sheets of White-Out Paper whenever we needed to erase a mistake.
" We didn’t have this stuff back in my day, but I’m not going to give them up."
You're right, I'm not going to give them up either. However, I'm so glad I grew up without them because it makes me appreciate them much more.
Have a grrrrreat week, buddy!
Hey, Ron, how's it going?
Excellent point about growing up with all these devices. We do appreciate them more and I think we could survive without them--at least for a little while--unlike a lot of younger people who would probably be lost without their smartphones.
I remember taking typing class in high school and there was one typewriter that was out of whack. We used to race to class to make sure we didn't get stuck with the crappy one!
Thanks so much for stopping by, buddy! Take care!