Remember when you used to have to...
Remember when you used to have to...
Gen-X? No. Millenial? Not really...
Crystal had a birthday recently; I have one coming up. (wasn't I young like two seconds ago?) I had also seen an article saying that people born from like 1978-83 are a micro-generation. This is because we were kids before the internet, and teenagers / young adults when it rolled around. Us falling into that category and with birthdays on the mind led me to think. How bout an old web-log in the cyberspace where we explain how a simple task was rather complicated by today's standards. I mean just listing the steps to perhaps; see a movie, or get your talent out there, it seems pretty ridiculous today. In that spirit;
Remember when you used to have to?
4th of July Edition
It's anytime between the 80's and maybe 1996. You would like to have a friend over for a 4th of July BBQ and go to the park to see fireworks. Sounds easy enough, right? WRONG!
First, invite your friend. This involves finding your personal phonebook. Don't have the friends name and number written down? They might be listed in the giant 4 inch thick, five-pound object stashed away somewhere by the phone. (note I said "the" phone. There might be multiple phones in the house, but they are all on the same line, so basically, there's one landline for everyone to share.) That great book was known as a phonebook, or white pages. (chillax, it's cause the pages are white for home listings.) Not in there? Too bad. You have to wait until the next time you see them in person to get it.
So you finally have the number. Is this your awkward teenage years? Hope you like talking to your significant other's parents. Hopefully, they are there if not, you wonder if they are really "using the bathroom."
Friend successfully invited, its BBQ day. Your friend calls to say they on their way and it should take X amount of time to get to your house. This is important because if it starts to take too long, you start worrying. There's no way for them to say we got stuck in traffic or stopped to take a leak or something. If they never show, you had to assume they died or were in an accident or something. You couldn't "flake" unless you didn't mind a 1000 different, frantic phone calls and possibly a search party for you.
Your friend arrives safe and sound though, and your bbq is great. You are excited for fireworks at the park, but what time do they start? Hopefully, you have a local paper at hand with the info. No? Get the phonebook and call the City Hall. Hopefully, they at least have a recording saying what time. No? You either call more friends and take their word for it, or go out and get that local paper. You find out fireworks are later than you thought, so you have time for a movie.
You better also have a copy of the most recent Sunday paper calendar section saved. If not, gotta find the phonebook this time the yellow pages, call the movie theater and listen carefully to a recording list every movie showing and showtimes. Miss it? Gotta call back and listen all over again. Is it sold out? Who knows? Gotta just get there.
Awesome movie over, you head to the park. Fireworks are dazzling and you snap some of the 24 pictures thinking of all the neat fireworks pics on postcards. You remember to use the on camera flash for portraits, it's dark. You go to take one more great shot and wrrrr, the camera starts rewinding its film. Or you started clicking the manual dial on a disposable camera.
A beautiful day over, you head home and wait for your friend to call and say they didn't die on the way back. After they do, you fall asleep wishing you could tell your friends how fun it was somehow and wondering how your pictures look.
Happy July 4th, 2017 everyone!
