It’s hard to believe how much technology has changed our everyday lives. When I was growing up in the 1960s, my family had one TV and one telephone — you needed parental permission to turn on the TV and you had to stay in one place to talk on the phone. How rich we felt as we graduated to more TVs — I had one of my own! In my room!!! — and more phones. I remember a Christmas when my brother and I were thrilled with our granddad’s gift to us: A reel-to-reel tape recorder. Talk about state-of-the art! Then, in the 1980s, it got harder to keep up with each newest thing — as soon as we got it, whatever “it” was, Version 2.1 came out. Changes kept coming, rapid-fire fast. It took me forever to remember to walk around and talk on cordless phones without being tethered to one spot — how amazing was it that you could take the phone into another room while you were talking? I used my paycheck from working at our church’s Mother’s Day Out program to buy one of those newfangled VCR things, and the delight my daughters found in watching Disney’s “Cinderella” over and over never diminished. Around that time, my then-husband laughingly dismissed a friend’s question wondering if we’d ever be able to play CDs in our cars, but of course, he’s also the one who shook his head in the mid 1990s at the preposterous idea of buying things over the Internet when I excitedly told him I could access the Simplicity sewing company and check out their patterns online — “That’s crazy. It’ll never work. Who’d want to do that?” he said. But, to be fair, he wasn’t the only skeptic. Weren’t we all, really? I mean, who would have thought years ago we’d have phones with us at all times and that we could watch movies and TV and listen to music anywhere we wanted? And who could have predicted I’d start every morning accepting virtual agricultural gifts and sharing my meandering thoughts with thousands of people I’ve never met? I love technology! And I love my now-husband, too — our relationship has spanned the range of communication from good ol’-fashioned e-mail to texting and tweeting. After, where would marriage be if we couldn’t keep up with our spouses 24/7? Read more at my weekly newspaper column at http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20091204/ARTICLES/912045004.
Coffee with Cathy
Pour a cup & take a break
Coffee with Cathy 
You and I grew up in the same era. I remember when office phones didn’t have multiple lines, and busy signals were often. No call waiting. It really is amazing how technology flew at the speed of light, or almost. 🙂
We must be channeling each other because I was thinking this same thing this morning as I was texting my son.
Did you see the idiot in Maryland that changed his ‘facebook’ relationship status during his wedding.
D***yankee.
Back in the old days there were always pencils and paper next to the phone. Now even finding a phone is a challenge, much less finding something to take notes on.
Much to the chagrin of some friends and family members, I refuse to have a Face Book page, join anyone else’s, or follow any Tweeters. I enjoy blogging and especially reading other blogs, but I refuse to spend more time at the computer.
BTW: My browser wouldn’t connect me to your column (which I always enjoy). I’ll try later.
I even remember when microwave ovens replaced the need to bake our Swanson TV Dinners in the oven!! And oh I remember the days when I would have to talk with my high school friends in the kitchen in front of my mom or dad!!!
I would love to follow you if you twitter! Please send me a tweet @ijoffret if you do!!!
Well done, honey.
Yes, technology is amazing!! But I find myself on tech overload sometimes. Since I am on FB I decided to end my time on Twitter. It was just too much!! I am sad that I don’t spend as much time just reading anymore. And don’t get me started on how computer games are addictive!!
I was just having a conversation on this topic at a party last night! We (who grew up in the 90s) were reminiscing about the first time we ever saw a car phone, a mobile phone, an answering machine, a portable CD player … I’ll never forget being about 9 years old and hearing on TV about this thing called the internet, and I remember thinking “What on earth?!” and of course now I cannot imagine my life without it!! Thanks for this Cathy! (This is Sara-Ashley, by the way!) =)
Carolyn — Sorry that you’re having problems. Stupid technology!!!
And thanks, all, for adding to the discussion and sharing your thoughts. Much appreciated.