Skip to main content

Comparisons

 At my age, I can tell all of those old folk's stories, such as a pack of Luckies was 25 cents and gas was 35 cents a gallon. But let's condense the story a little bit. Last week I had a video conversation with my son and another with a friend. My son lives in Barcelona, Spain and my friend, Larry, lives in Lisbon, Portugal.

We made contact without using an operator. I can't remember exactly when we had to place a long-distance call with an operator. But I remember in the nineteen sixties placing local calls with an operator. 

There are no charges for these international calls, and we could have added a third party if we wished. I vaguely remember when Skype was a big thing, but few of us used it. Now we have several choices. WhatsApp,  Facebook, FaceTime,  Messenger and Zoom all have video call features. And I'm sure there's more.

Frankly, technology is getting to be like trying to keep up with the latest music groups. If they win an award or have a hit song, I have to ask my grandchildren who the hell they are. With the latest app, the questions are, do I need it and how does it work?

The world is all a Twitter.

While we are discussing technology, Twitter now belongs to Elon Musk. Musk dug into the seat cushion of his sofa and found enough money to buy the platform. I have a suggestion for all of you. If you feel like I do, quit Twitter and any other social media platform that upsets you. My problem with Twitter was the toxicity of the content.

Two years ago, (tongue in cheek), I gave up Twitter for Lent. I never went back. I didn't cancel my account then, I just never checked it.

 My acid reflux went away. I didn't crack any computer screens because I threw the mouse at it. Most of all, I  still had things to talk about with friends. It's just that I wasn't spitting while I was speaking, nor was I destroying one of those squeeze balls used for channeling frustration.

The next sound you hear is my final click to cancel my Twitter account.

Yesterday was National Cat Day

This is an oil painting, 9 x12, and a total ripoff of a Pastel by Carol Rohde Curley.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diversity

As we look forward to celebrating the Pride we have in our Gay population, (Yeah, I couldn't resist the pun.) I'm pleased to report that diversity in the mix of our residents here in the Fox River Valley continues to surprise me. Example: As my wife and I waited for friends, in the lobby of the Marcus Hollywood Theater on the west side of Appleton, I witnessed three AfricanAmericann ladies buying snacks. Behind them was a Latino couple. At the end of the line, behind was an Asian fellow with three kids. We represented the WASP's. This is in a community that when I first visited in the nineteen sixties, if a black man walked down the street, he more than likely played football for Green Bay. After that, there was a rather pronounced immigration of Hmong and quieter arrival of Latino's. For a while, the worst keep secret was that the new Italian restaurant was actually owned by Mexican's. Since returning to the Valley, I've grown use...
Post a Comment
Read more

A rustle in the hustings

I am trying to stay away from politics on my blog. I know that some of my intended readers do not share my feelings. As well, I don't entice dialogue. Occasionally my readers will address something I've written about. For the most part, they are merely saying something like, "Oh yeah, I felt that way too," regarding some experience, that I related. However, I have to share these particular feelings about the new Ryan Healthcare proposal that is sailing through the House of Representatives. Market-driven healthcare provision: This concept proposes that if put on the free market health care insurance will become more affordable. The theory is there will be competition among insurers to gain market share and lowering the prices will be a possible outcome. None of the insurers want customers who are old people or people with a pre-existing health problem ( heart disease, cancer, etc...) Older people, who are not on medicare, have more health care ne...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ring The Bell

 It appears there is a tradition in the radiology department at Ascension Hospital that patients, upon completing their course of treatment, ring a bell. ( We know not for whom this bell tolls.) Ring the Bell with My Sweetheart Jeanne. Jeanne drove me to all but two of the appointments. Pam Frautchi took me to the other two. Today, after being zapped thirty-two times, I rang the bell. This begins a roughly one-month recovery period where the effects of the radiation abate and, I'm assured, a return to normalcy occurs. In my case, I anticipate more energy and greater awareness. Books, Books, & More Books I am simultaneously celebrating the end of the third year of volunteering for the All Saints Hunger Book Sale. Next week, we will wrap up the preparation for the sale and open our doors on August 3 for the public. I ran into this humourous but quite accurate cartoon on a T-Shirt that shows most of the volunteer's sentiments at this point. If you think the printed and bound p...
Post a Comment
Read more