CCL and I were talking today about how life with out internet access is not a life worth living. Well...we didn't say that in so many words, but we were just talking about how inconvenient it is and how helpless you feel with out it. It made me realize just how much things have changed from back in the day and how different things are for kids today. I can't believe I'm saying phrases like "kids today" and "back in the day"...but I guess it's officially official...I. AM. OLD.
So, I decided to discuss a few ways that life has changed over the past 3 decades of my life...
1. Phone books...They're not completely obsolete. I still see them on my doorstep occasionally. I either toss it, or store it under my couch for safe keeping. But, I can't remember the last time I've used one! Actually I take that back...they used to have coupons for a free drink with lunch at Mazzios, so me and the BOC girls would round up all the yellow pages before we went to lunch. =) But, as for seeking a phone number...it's been aeons!
2. Actually...the word "aeons" brings me to my next one...dictionaries! I had no idea how to spell that word...so just googled it with how I thought it would be spelled "eons"...and learned that it had a silent "a." I remember "back in the day"...we had to buy these $25 dictionaries for school. My English teacher always demanded we look up the words we couldn't spell...which I found very annoying...I mean how do you look up a word when you can't spell it? It's no wonder that it took me forever to figure out that the word outfit was not spelled a-l-p-h-e-t.
3. "Kids today" think they have it tough when they have to write papers. Uh, yah right...try having to go to the library to do research in actual books and journals that you actually have to flip the pages of. And try typing your paper and using correction fluid when you screw up instead of hitting backspace! I have no pity for any of you!!
4. Emails/Webcam...If these things were invented when I was a kid, it would have saved me from so much trouble! I would have never gotten in trouble for calling my cousins too much and hiking up the phonebill...nor would I have had to write my cousins letters on paper and watch out for snail mail to avoid our letters being intercepted and read by our nosy brothers.
5. Cell phones. Why on God's green earth was there that in between stage with pagers?!? Pagers were really retarded...basically you'd be calling someone's pager device to tell them to call you. Why couldn't you just call the person directly? I remember my pager code (instead of my phone #) (because it wasn't cool to put your phone #) was 500....or "soo"...or sue (in my clever little mind). A few weeks ago, I was driving home from Dallas...alone...and was completely FREAKED OUT when I realized that my phone had no range for like 2 hours of my 3 hour trip. Although I used to drive like that all the time "back in the day"...and it never phased me then. But even with cell phones, there is a hierachy. I'm ashamed to say, that my sweet munchkin, Madison operates her mom's cell phone with ease...however, I don't even know how to answer it when it rings. And when she sees my phone, she looks at me like "Where's all the apps, Sueny?? Moses called and he wants his cell phone back!"
6. GPS...need I go on? I mean, I've gotten lost in my neighborhood before. This is obviously vitally essential for someone like me. I don't even know how I survived "back in the day." I used to drive to Dallas and get directions from CCL, and then get directions from CCL on how to get from Dallas to Houston. Once I was in Houston, I'd ask Mikey how to get back to Dallas, and then in Dallas, ask CCL how to get to OKC. Confused? I was too! That's why I kept getting lost!!!
7. Straight Iron. "Kids today" think they have problems with bullying? Try being a frizzy haired brown girl in a predominately white, cowboy/cowgirl school!!! When I think about how different my life could have been if only the straight iron was invented ten years earlier...it brings real tears to my eyes!!!!
8. DVR...this has been the one new invention in my time that has impacted my life the most. I don't know how I functioned before and will never go back to a life without it. I mean watching my TV shows without dealing with commercials is better than candy!
I could go on forever...but I will end here. Sometimes...I wonder what's next! I just hope to see the day when I can shift my car into fly mode!
So, I decided to discuss a few ways that life has changed over the past 3 decades of my life...
1. Phone books...They're not completely obsolete. I still see them on my doorstep occasionally. I either toss it, or store it under my couch for safe keeping. But, I can't remember the last time I've used one! Actually I take that back...they used to have coupons for a free drink with lunch at Mazzios, so me and the BOC girls would round up all the yellow pages before we went to lunch. =) But, as for seeking a phone number...it's been aeons!
2. Actually...the word "aeons" brings me to my next one...dictionaries! I had no idea how to spell that word...so just googled it with how I thought it would be spelled "eons"...and learned that it had a silent "a." I remember "back in the day"...we had to buy these $25 dictionaries for school. My English teacher always demanded we look up the words we couldn't spell...which I found very annoying...I mean how do you look up a word when you can't spell it? It's no wonder that it took me forever to figure out that the word outfit was not spelled a-l-p-h-e-t.
3. "Kids today" think they have it tough when they have to write papers. Uh, yah right...try having to go to the library to do research in actual books and journals that you actually have to flip the pages of. And try typing your paper and using correction fluid when you screw up instead of hitting backspace! I have no pity for any of you!!
4. Emails/Webcam...If these things were invented when I was a kid, it would have saved me from so much trouble! I would have never gotten in trouble for calling my cousins too much and hiking up the phonebill...nor would I have had to write my cousins letters on paper and watch out for snail mail to avoid our letters being intercepted and read by our nosy brothers.
5. Cell phones. Why on God's green earth was there that in between stage with pagers?!? Pagers were really retarded...basically you'd be calling someone's pager device to tell them to call you. Why couldn't you just call the person directly? I remember my pager code (instead of my phone #) (because it wasn't cool to put your phone #) was 500....or "soo"...or sue (in my clever little mind). A few weeks ago, I was driving home from Dallas...alone...and was completely FREAKED OUT when I realized that my phone had no range for like 2 hours of my 3 hour trip. Although I used to drive like that all the time "back in the day"...and it never phased me then. But even with cell phones, there is a hierachy. I'm ashamed to say, that my sweet munchkin, Madison operates her mom's cell phone with ease...however, I don't even know how to answer it when it rings. And when she sees my phone, she looks at me like "Where's all the apps, Sueny?? Moses called and he wants his cell phone back!"
6. GPS...need I go on? I mean, I've gotten lost in my neighborhood before. This is obviously vitally essential for someone like me. I don't even know how I survived "back in the day." I used to drive to Dallas and get directions from CCL, and then get directions from CCL on how to get from Dallas to Houston. Once I was in Houston, I'd ask Mikey how to get back to Dallas, and then in Dallas, ask CCL how to get to OKC. Confused? I was too! That's why I kept getting lost!!!
7. Straight Iron. "Kids today" think they have problems with bullying? Try being a frizzy haired brown girl in a predominately white, cowboy/cowgirl school!!! When I think about how different my life could have been if only the straight iron was invented ten years earlier...it brings real tears to my eyes!!!!
8. DVR...this has been the one new invention in my time that has impacted my life the most. I don't know how I functioned before and will never go back to a life without it. I mean watching my TV shows without dealing with commercials is better than candy!
I could go on forever...but I will end here. Sometimes...I wonder what's next! I just hope to see the day when I can shift my car into fly mode!
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