Random Thoughts

I have not written in a while, and I am tired of the political and election stuff - SO, here are some random thoughts. (if this seems disjointed a bit, I did it over two days - sorry) I was thinking about the differences in everyday life today versus when I was a teenager. (yeah, old people reminisce more - it's that rear-view mirror line again) I mentioned in an earlier post about the "tub-o-soda" I get for lunch most days. That is one BIG (pun intended) change. When I was starting out my working career, I was in fast food management - Burger King, McDonald's, Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips, and Hardee's to be precise. Even Hardee's (which was the last and latest), who helped pioneer the "tub" size drinks with 7-11 (Moose cup and Big Gulp respectively) only had a 20 oz drink as a large. At BK, McD, and AT we only had a 16 oz as a large. That is a small now! I understand why (partially due to my training at Whopper College and Hamburger University!), the drink costs less than the cup and the labor for most soft drinks. So, they can sell you twenty more ounces of drink for more money = more profit. But, even though I get these things often, I know they are ridiculous! (don't even get me started on the cup holder vs cup battle that rages in industrial design studios around the world!) But, even though they represent the greatest profit for the seller, they represent the greatest value to us, the consumers. Bring on the "tub-o-soda"! Can I get some wheels with that? Another HUGE change is in communication. Cellphones, text messaging, computers, email, and IMs have revolutionized the interaction and dialogue (or lack thereof) between people. Now, although an improvement from my mother's days where if the person you wanted to talk to did not live in the cave next door or the signal fire wood was wet, you couldn't communicate with them until they came by - we did have phones.....period. They were black rotary dial devices with CORDS (shudder) that we had to be tethered to while we tried to reach another similarly tethered individual at a specific location. No voice mail or even answering machines (WHAT!!), if they were not there you left a message with the evil younger sibling that promptly forgot you called (possibly on purpose if they did not like you); or you had to talk to their Mom for twenty minutes about how school was or how your last doctor visit went. We all had meeting places. That took the place of cellphone/text message communication. If your friend was not home, there were two or three places you had to drive to. In our town it was the Tastee-Freeze first, or the drug store (afternoons). Now, people expect to be able to communicate with anyone they know anywhere, anytime. During the summer when I was young, we would frequently go months without talking to or communicating with a good friend. When you said goodbye on the last day of school, for a lot of those people it was literally goodbye until school cranked up again in the fall. Now, I can be in Denver and take a call someone in Virginia or Florida that has no idea where I am. My daughter sometimes feels offended when she sends a text message to a friend and does not get an answer in twenty seconds! Speaking of communicating - how about the handwritten (or even typed) letter? Even I, in my day, wrote letters to people. Now we do what I am doing - type on a computer and hit "send". I remember getting out paper (we would even buy stationery to write on!) and pen, sitting at my desk and writing people. I cannot remember the last time I wrote a handwritten letter and mailed it. When I need to contact people now I email them or call them (expecting an immediate pickup). Senators, businesses, friends, etc. all get emails now. The post office is reduced to junk mail, periodicals, and bills. (a sub-plot of this one is stamps - no stamp lickum anymore!?!) As I was afraid, I lost my train of thought here on the second sitting. I will return to this subject at a later date. Remember, if you vote for a democrat for a national office this election - you are an idiot! If that offends anyone - at least I hope it makes you research and think about what you are doing. Peace and Love. (used to end letters that way in the day)