Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
Welcome Guest Blogger Kimberly Van Meter!
When Spam Was Just Meat
Time marches on -- this is not news -- but when it's placing its little footprints all over you, it feels sometimes like you're being left behind as well as stepped on.
I used to laugh at my parents whenever they'd start a sentence with, "I remember when..." or "when I was a kid...." Uttering any semblance to those sentences begged a smart-ass, precocious response on my part about them being old and of course, this played well into my need to feel like I knew more than my parents at any given moment.
And now that I'm the mother of two teens (and a toddler) I've found myself on the receiving end of such conversations from the older ones and suddenly I'm the dinosaur instead of the hip, young cat who, just 20 years ago, knew everything just like them.
To illustrate this point, I came across a web article in Wired ezine entitled,
"100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About” by Nathan Berry that quite nicely lists all the things that my children will never do, understand, or utilize in their lives unless they acquire a fondness for antiquities.
Just to spread the misery, I’ve decided to post my personal top 10 but I invite you to check out the entire list if you’d really like to see how quickly time and technology have changed in a short span of time.
1). Inserting a VHS tape into a VCR to watch a movie or to record something.
My kids have seen VHS tapes and know what they are but…it’s been a long time. My daughter will never know what this is like.
2). Playing music on an audiotape using a personal stereo.
Quizzical laughter follows when we show our kids our old Walkman players. (Yes, I think we do have one in a box somewhere!)
3). Rotary dial televisions with no remote control. You know, the ones where the kids were the remote control.
I remember the days when I had to stand by the television and flip the through the channels for my dad and how annoyed it used to make me when he couldn’t make up his mind. My kids will never go through this rite of passage.
4). Computer screens being just green (or orange) on black.
Yeah, I can only imagine my kids trying to play Halo 3 with this kind of set-up.
5). Filling out an order form by hand, putting it in an envelope and posting it.
Um…I don’t think my kids even know how to mail a letter.
6). Correct spelling of phrases.
Text-talk. The bane of every writer’s existence and yet, to my shame, I use it, too.
7). Finding out information from an encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia? What’s that?
8). Pay phones.
9). Starbuck being the name of a man.
This would totally stump them. Funny thing…my dog was named Starbuck…and yes, he was named after the Starbuck because my mom was a fan.
10). Remembering someone’s phone number.
Our brains have turned to mush without our cell phones. My kids will never have to memorize a set of digits.
Do you recognize something on this list that makes you groan? Let’s commiserate. One lucky poster will receive an autographed copy of my July book, KIDS ON THE DOORSTEP, published by Harlequin Superromance. Readers must be registered at Cigars to be eligible to win.
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Welcome Kim!
Very happy to have you by today, and what a great cover -- the book looks terrific. :)
I loved your topic -- what a funny list. Dh and I were talking about rotary dial phones the other day. And probably people can't imagine not having a mobile phone anymore.
I'm with you on the spelling, etc -- sometimes in modern communication, quality really is sacrificed for quantity -- as much as I enjoy Twitter, FB, etc I wonder if we're just not talking more and saying less. I also think this leads to less listening, a lost art, because we are too busy keeping track of all the messages coming in from everywhere. I think it's good to step away from the technology and have a real conversation with people.
I was cleaning out my burr coffee grinder and thinking about how my parents used to use pre-ground Maxwell house and a perk coffee pot that we put on the stove to make coffee. I read that this is still the best way to brew a real expresso, and almost picked one up on eBay, but also read that a lot of those old coffee pots are made of aluminum, and so have health hazards as well. But I bet some young folks would look at one of those pots and not know what to do with it, LOL.
Fun topic -- look forward to hearing others. :)
Sam
Ah yes...
Hey Sam, thanks for having me here at Cigars. It's one of my favorite blogs so I'm excited to guest here today. I totally agree with your comment about talking more and listening less. I swear my kids don't actually hear a word I say unless I text it to them. My grandparents used a perk coffee pot all through my childhood and when we used to go camping, my parents always busted out the old percolator. They always loved that first cup in the brisk morning. Myself, I hate coffee, so I never understood the allure.
It was fun to see all the different things on the list.
Kim
I agree : Great Cover !!!
My oldest son being almost 9 y.o I totally understand what you mean !!
Your list made me grin, especially number 4 and 6 (shame on me... I use text-talk too!)
DO you remember the time where we had to reheat the food in the pan and everything just stuck in the bottom...grrrr you have to admit the micro-wave is one of the best inventions of the last 20 years !!
I cannot live without my microwave
Emmanuelle, I'd be totally lost without my microwave. My kids would probably starve. Text-talk is so lazy but it does save time when you're in a mad dash to do something else and you just have to get a message to someone. Thanks for visiting my blog today!
Remember
These don't exactly fit the category but----
Do you remember roller skates that had keys and you had to wear your own shoes??? Or how about record players where you had to place a record on a turntable and actually put the needle on the record??
PS don't enter me in the draw as I already have your book.
#6!!!
#6 drives me batty!!!! Even when I'm texting, I use full spelling and sentences. This does drive a few of my friends nuts, when they have to read what I've written on their tiny little phone screens, I admit. How are these kids ever going to write an essay? Or is writing essays one of those things that's gone by the wayside?
Thanks for the list, Kimberly! I'm certainly not "old" yet, he he, but I can relate to many on that list.
Cathy
You're right!
Cathy, we're certainly not old and I remind myself that everyday but this list, boy, it does remind us that time does not stand still nor does innovation stop just because we've been too busy to take stock of what's happening around us. As for the essay issue...you're so right again! My boys have a terrible time putting together a full essay. The moaning and the groaning...but they'll text their friends all day long.
Ellen, thanks for stopping by! I don't remember key skates (but where I lived there were no sidewalks so skates would've just remained in the closet) but I remember my mom used to tell me stories of how she and her sisters would curl their hair using old soup cans. Ick.
Kim
soup cans & skates
Heck we just skated out in the street--of course it wasn't a major street. And using soup cans to curl your hair -- oh yes I remember friends doing that but I didn't need my hair curled as it was too curly to start with.
My Niece texts like a demon
But God help you understand what she types. *shakes head* I tease her constantly because she loves to tell me how smart she is and how she can do anything she wants.
"Yeah, so how come you can't spell "congratulations"?"
She laughs, but...well, I don't think she can. She's a smart kid, but none of the kids I talk to anymore place any value on writing or schoolwork. Or if they do, not the quality of the work. It's gonna be a scary place in 10 years, lol.
I haven't gotten to the list yet, but I'm pretty sure my kids will never know the joys of waiting for the film to be developed to see how the picture looks, lol. Or, geez, Polaroids. :)
Oy, man, I dooo feel old now.
Dee
ah film
Dee, I feel your pain. I love the way film looks as opposed to digital but I confess my Canon Rebel that I use for work is my favorite camera. There is something about film though and our kids will likely never experience it unless they want to learn about a lost art. What a tragedy.
Kim
I've told this story before but
it goes along with the topic. When The Child (almost 18 now) was about 6, we were talking about records. My husband turned to him and asked him if he even knew what a record was.
The Child smiled sagely and said, "Yes, they're those REALLY BIG CDs."
Of course, he thinks CDs are now older than dinosaur bones!
ani
I recognize everything on
I recognize everything on your listand can go back even further.
Vinly records--45's and 33 1/3 rpm's
Party lines for the telephone
No computers
8 tracks instead of casettes or cd's
Hi Kim!
Hi Kim!!
My kids had a very nice first-grade teacher who always brought a record player in during the first week of school to show the kids this "antique" technology. She played a record of the ABC song.
When my younger son was in her class (remember, this is the first week of school), he came home and said she'd played the song and asked the class to sing along. I had been concerned that maybe this kid hadn't quite grasped the ABC's so I was thrilled...until he added, "She said she didn't mind if I burped it instead."
Oy.
Everyone has their talents--for some it's memorizing the building blocks of our language and for others it's multi-syllabic burping. If that son is not the social chair of his fraternity, I will die of amazement.
;-)
Love your cover. I got an up close look at it today in my basket at Target!!
Good ol' vinyl
Estella: I have such fond memories of my little record player. My mom bought a 45 of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) and Queen for my listening pleasure. I think I wore them out. And there is something to the sound of the needle scratching against the vinyl that will always live on in my heart. :-)
My husband thought of a good one to add to the list: Jiffy Pop that you had to roast over the burner! We could never afford that fancy stuff but I was always so envious of my friends who had it in their cupboards. And of course, I was always encouraging them to bust it out so we could eat it!
Ani: My kids have never owned a CD and now that their phones can store so much music their iShuffle is nearly obsolete. *sigh*
Ellen: Bless your heart! Thank you! I do love that cover. Especially when it's 105 outside; looking at that cover is so soothing with the snowy scene. Burping the alphabet? Wow. I wonder if my boys can do that? My younger son is a little...um...gassy but it's the other end. God love him.
Vinyl!
I had a Mickey Mouse record player! It played 78s, too!
I'm feeling old
I thought you were going to say rotary phones.
I remember the first remote TVs. We called the remote the clicker. My much younger brother finally asked why we called it a clicker. The early TV remotes actually clicked and we kept the name.
My 16 year old cousin posted a link to "We are the world" on Facebook. I told her I had that song on 45. Her response: "Damn, you're old".
Oh, I remember the monochromatic computer screens and back when computers didn't have a mouse. Those are now called dumb terminals. We had a Commodore 64 and I learned to program in Basic. Our neighbors had an Apple IIe. The screen was about 6 inches across.
Good discussion
It was fun traveling down Memory Lane, reminiscing about the stuff that has been left by the wayside.
Thank you to everyone who posted. I will pick a winner tonight and let Sam know who the lucky poster was who will receive a copy of my latest book.
Thanks again! This was a great cyber pitstop (as always!)
#'s 3, 4 and 10, oh my
#'s 3, 4 and 10, oh my goodness. Before rotary phones we had the old one where you ring and the operator answered and then put you through.
Just pushing a number or button to get someone on the phone instead of having to remember or memorize the phone #- one gets lazy and the brain almost goes to mush not having to remember, lol.
What an awesome list.
Oh Boy Do I Remember
No showing my age or anything but:
1: VHS tapes? I remember Beta tapes.
2: Walkman? How about 8 track tapes, and I still use my walkman on occassion.
3: I not only remember dial TV's but black and white only TV's with round screens.
4: We didn't have a computer, we used electric typewriters.
5: I still fill out order forms and mail them. Sometimes I think it's safer and more secure that way.
6: Not only have today's kids forgotten how to spell but, their grammar is sadly in need of repair too.
7: My gosh on occasion, I still use an encyclopedia, and have found things in there that I couldn't find on the internet.
8:I don't even own a cell phone. We don't get reception in my neck of the woods. Not even 1 bar.
9: Oh yes, the days of Starbuck and Apollo. Brings back great memories.
10: My kids love my phone. It doesn't have number storage, nor, a hold button, nor, call waiting, nor, caller ID. It's just a plain old instrument used for communicating with other human beings by use of something called dialogue.
I love your list. Thanks for the memories. I remember all of them and then some. Have a great weekend. Mads:)
Great list
My kids also have no concept of looking forward to, and getting up early for, Saturday morning cartoons. Why would you do that? There's a whole channel dedicated to cartoons all day, every day.
And what about making popcorn on Saturday night by heating oil in a pan on top of the stove till it's hot enough to put the kernels in, watch them spin a little, then putting a lid on and shaking, shaking, shaking that pan till your arms hurt and the popping finally started? Nothing like it.
Great post. Thanks for sharing memories with us.
Maps!
My kids totally don't get why I like a paper map when we have a perfectly good GPS.
But why oh why won't some things go away? My son has a PSP (portable play station) that he can't live without. But he's living without it because it's broken and I can't find the paper receipt. Why is everything electronic but my darn receipt? Grrrr.....
(I'm not only old, I'm grumpy!)
Oh my goodness! What a trip
Oh my goodness! What a trip down memory lane! I do think kids shouldn't rely on spell check.
Hi Kim! Wonderful list. My
Hi Kim!
Wonderful list. My kids are familar with VCRs, since we still use one for the old stuff we haven't yet bought on DVD, but so much of the other stuff applies to them.
When I show my students an "older" educational video and tell them it's frm the '90s, they immediately ask if it's in black and white. They are fascinated with black and white.
I have a collection of cell phones, moving from the "suitcase phone" (it was actually called that and was huge) through the first analog flip phones to our present razor. I don't why I kept them, but having had a cell since 1993 due to where I live, I think I have a museum worthy collection, lol.
Great post!
Winner!
Sorry this is late, guys, I thought Kim had posted her winner (yes, I'm blaming you, Kim, LOL), but the winner of Kim's book is Cheryl S! Congrats! Send your mailing info to me, and I will forward it on to Kim...
Thanks everyone!
Sam