I love the string story..I thought my grandmother-in-law was the only one who did that! My dad called my mom “the undisputed queen of the two-tablespoon leftover”……all those little jars of…uh…something….. There’s a store two counties away…big city…called the Record Player Store and I’m going to have to hunt ‘em up so I can play LPs again…..You just can’t get that kind of “peanut butter in the grooves” sound from a YouTube flashback.. What else? Rolidex with cards that fall out without human prompting…Thirty year old address book held together with duct tape….I’m still pretty much amazed by how a flashlight works…. Got no tivo, Got no ‘pod. Still I think I’m a lucky clod….(I’ve got the sun in the morning and the moon at night…)

The last of the 78 rpms were jesttisoned in one of many nomadic family moments….Just too heavy and fragile..They were always referred to as “shellacs”…. Woooo..the way back machine has got me…!

georgia, now all you need is peabody to go with that way back machine.

WOW… a fax machine is considered “traditional” technology already?

I have resisted hi tech devices. Back in the early 80’s, my ex had a car phone installed in our cars, and I remember being LIVID!! I hated it. At that time, my life was a juggling act. I stayed active in numerous community, county, and business organizations. I wrote columns in county news journals and other news letters and journals. I participated in various capacities at my childrens’ schools (PTA President, School Liaison, activities director, room mother, etc. And, I accompanied my ex on business trips. The last thing I wanted or needed, was to be interrupted by a telephone while driving my car. When my ex caught on that I refused to answer the car phone, he purchased me a beeper. Ha! I didn’t use that either. It took me 25 years to relent to new ‘mobile’ telephone technology. I now use the cell phone, which my (third) son purchased three years ago, and INSISTED I should have. But even now, I use my cell phone sparingly. I either accept a call or make a call when I’m not at home. I never text, take pictures, or use the internet on my cell. I believe Marjorie and a few others have mentioned that they still use a VCR for their video tape collection. I also have a large video collection (mostly classic movies), and I bought a newer Sony DVD/VCR player a year ago. The truth is, I prefer videos rather than DVDs. I’m hoping that the VCR technology will not become obsolete. (I’m not sure why, but I do not use the DVR.) Ha! While I don’t use a rotary phone, I still own two corded touch tone telephones. Both are programmable and have ample LED display information. I also own two cordless telephones. My (third) son advised me to upgrade to the higher digital GHz phones. The truth is that my two newer (hi-tech) cordless (landlines) do not work as well as the older cordless telephones, which I recently got rid of. Yet, despite all the features (and the outrageous expense), these newer phones are not made as well as the older models. And often, despite the programming options, there are flaws. Also, I have a home office, and I still use my 10 year old, small HP office computer system (although the CPU is newer), which includes a multifunction Laser Jet (3100 series) printer, fax, copier, scanner. Actually, it works better than the newer Laser Jet printer system, which my sister owns. She also owns a Hewlett Packard computer system. Ah! I’m also a bit ‘out of date’ respective to how I listen to music. I don’t own an IPOD. Instead, I listen to music on my old BOSE CD player/radio. (I never liked using earphones.) My one regret is that I sold our ‘top line’ stereo console (complete with the old fashioned reel to reel tapes) to a antique dealer prior my divorce. It was purchased by my ex before we married in 1969. (Revenge is NEVER “sweet”.) Regrettably, I think I’m still stuck in a traditional technology mindset. Yet, I do try to understand the technology I need for everyday use - for example, my computer. I’m not sure but perhaps I feel intimidated by too much of the new hi tech devises. For example, I want to share an incident, which happened as a result of my hi-tech ineptness. On my last visit to see my grandchildren, I was driving my (second eldest) son’s new model BMW convertible, which was equipped with a sophisticated ‘smart screen’. I had my grandchildren in the car with me. The windows were up, but the top was down. It was a beautiful day to ride/drive a convertible. Then it began to rain. Well, I must have looked like an idiot when the rain became intense and I didn’t know what icon to press so that the top would go up and cover us from the downpour. Keep in mind that I’ve used a navigation screen before, but this was a hi tech ‘smart screen’, which was the ‘brain center’ for the car. Not knowing what code to enter, I opted to get wet rather than risk an accident trying to figure out the software. My granddaughter still reminds me that I need to learn how to ‘operate’ her dad’s car. I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t ‘figure out’ the ‘smart screen’ software, and I chose to use my son’s SUV for the remainder of my stay. I think I might be ‘challenged’ when it comes to high tech gadgets. Sh! This past summer, prior a trip to a family reunion in North Carolina, my eldest son - the technology wiz - sent me a Dell Axim PDA. It is still in the box. The reason I don’t use it is because I can do everything I need to do on my computer in my home office. While I realize that eventually, most things will be wireless, I’m hanging on to the traditional way of doing things. At least, for now.

Pen and Paper! Nothing feels as good as a handwritten letter delivered through the U.S. Postal Service! Journal entries and short story writing still done by hand, too…just for the soul connection!

I still use my old address book and my Daytimer to enter my appointments instead of an ipod. And, I still love to hand write notes instead of emails for every thing. I wish I still remembered how to use my old twin lens reflex Miniolta and Rolliflex cameras because there is still nothing better than old style photographs.