New Things
Almost Like Christmas
My sister
reminds me that bad things always come in threes. I don't keep track of such
things with the same proficiency as Sarah does, so I'll accept her observation
as probable, since it's not hard to tie a series of bad things together even
if the only common thread is "bad." I should ask her if there's a similar
pattern for good things, because the month of June brought a flood of good
things my way. My boss commented on my good fortune saying, "Christmas came
early."
I wrote about getting a new car last month, and I alluded to other new things
that landed on my doorsteps, or were about to at the time. My list included,
a new grill for Father's Day, and a new laptop computer provided by SUPERVALU,
but I had not considered that a new cell phone would be in the works. By
my count, the car, grill, computer, and phone tally up as four good things,
which is okay for me, since I'd like to think that good things in life always
outnumber the bad things.
Jason on behalf of himself and Rayanne presented me with a Weber charcoal
grill for Father's Day. My old and much larger grill was made from an oil
drum by my former brother-in-law, Jerry Brown. When the bottom rusted out
a year or so ago, I patched it with a liner of aluminum flashing, but that
finally gave way this spring. Around Memorial Day, I removed the old liner
and replaced it with new flashing, but not before pointing out to family
members my need for a new grill. The old grill still works fine for slow
cooking as it's big enough to have the meat and the fire at opposite ends,
but because it's not airtight, the charcoal keeps burning until only an ash
residue remains. Thus, it's a charcoal waster.
Even though I have an excellent gas grill, I occasionally get a craving for
a genuine, charcoal-broiled burger. Folks will tell you the charcoal doesn't
flavor the meat, and they're correct, but they fail to note that most charcoal
grills do a better job of circulating smoke around the meat than do gas grills.
Smoke is created when juices in the meat drop onto the coals and burn. If
too much oxygen is present, the result is flame instead of smoke. A gas grill
must have oxygen to operate properly and cannot produce as smoky an environment
as a charcoal grill. The Webber grill is just right for routine grilling,
and since the air supply can be closed after cooking, any unburned charcoal
will be available for reuse.
I'm more excited about my new grill than in getting a new computer.
At least
with the grill, I had some input, but with the computer, I was merely told
what to expect. It seems that with each new laptop SUPERVALU provides for
me, there's a steep learning curve. For computers, technology has exploded
within the past decade, and, with my brain approaching full capacity, it
takes a while for me to learn all the new features and how to use them.
My new laptop has a combination DVD player and a CD burner, which means I
can watch a movie on my computer or create a CD of backed up data files or
programs. I'm amazed that manufacturers can produce ever more powerful computers
while keeping the price relatively unchanged. The basic specifications of
the Hewlett Packard (HP) laptop include a 55 GB hard drive, 769 MB RAM, and
a 1.6 GB processor. Five years ago, such specifications were mind boggling,
but even with more storage capacity and faster processors, personal computers
are still slow "out of the gate." It took about three minutes for my old
computer to start up, and for all the bells and whistles of my new one, it's
not much faster.
Perhaps, the one feature of my new laptop that I will enjoy most is it's
wireless connectivity to the Internet. Historically speaking, connecting
to the Internet meant hooking to a phone line for a dial connection, or attaching
a cable in order to link to a local area network (LAN). However, wireless
means greater independence from paraphernalia. Many motels are migrating
to wireless in order to provide a better service to their business clientele.
Jason and I run a wireless network between our two houses, so now I can use
my laptop to connect to the Internet from any room in my house. And, if I
want to, I can sit in the backyard or walk the circle and "surf the net."
I actually tried the latter, and it works quite well.
On the Thursday before the Miss Mississippi Pageant in Vicksburg, MS, my
company-supplied cell phone died. For weeks, it would shut down within thirty
seconds of warning me the battery was low. So, when the warning tone sounded
while I was in the middle of a conversation, I hastened to plug the battery
charger into the base of the phone. Seconds later, the phone shut itself
off for a final time. It would not charge, and it would not turn on again.
The next morning, I was in an AT&T Wireless store in Jackson, MS, minutes
after the store opened, waiting to speak to an employee. Ahead of me were
two individuals, one hoping to get a phone activated and one screaming about
charges on her bill. Needing more information, the screamer left the store,
and I was soon describing my problem to a salesman. Rather than make an attempt
to repair the old phone, he told me I was eligible for an upgrade.
"A new phone won't cost you anything after rebates when you renew your contract
with AT&T," he commented in the matter-of-fact tone folks seem to develop,
who repeat the same phrases all day long. "Let me show you a couple of options."
"I don't need anything fancy," I insisted.
But, of course, the option that suited me wasn't free, but then it was not
as bad as the pricey option that would have cost me close to $150.00 after
rebates.
I'm kind of a middle-of-the-road guy, so I chose a phone that matched my
wants and my needs in a middle-of-the-road sort of way, i.e., not too cheap
and not too expensive. I selected a Nokia 3560 phone, largely because I already
have a few accessories such as chargers for home and automobile use that
will work on any Nokia phone, a savings for SUPERVALU in that I won't have
to purchase new accessories.
I've stored most all my business contacts in the new phone, but as late as
today, I found myself looking for a phone number that I forgot to add to
the phonebook in the new phone. As with my old cell phone, my new phone has
features I'll never use, such as text messaging, voice activation, an organizer,
and several games. I suppose those features appeal to a lot of folks, but
I only need a cell phone for talking to someone else on a telephone.
A new car, a new grill, a new computer, and a new phone complete my list
of new things for the moment. Obsolesce is built into most products available
today, and it's a sure bet all of these new things will wear out and need
to be replaced, just like the shoes on my feet, which, incidentally, are
worn out and new ones are needed.
Your
Invitation To The RRN Party
Invitations to our fish fry on July 31st, are being mailed at
the same time as this newsletter. We would love to have every person who
reads our newsletter attend, but realistically, we know that’s unlikely
to happen. We are simply too far away for many of our out-of-state readers
to travel for one evening of fellowship and food. And it’s not possible
for every in-state reader to be here, either.
We want to assure our readers that each individual is welcome to attend our
celebration even if he or she does not receive an invitation separate from
this newsletter. We are asking those planning to attend the fish fry to let
us know by Saturday, July 24th.
Persons who receive an invitation are asked to let us know (RSVP) whether
or not they will attend. Persons who do not receive a separate invitation,
need only respond in the event they plan to attend.
Many individuals ask, "What can I bring?"
Our family plans to provide all the fish, hushpuppies, freedom fries, slaw,
and beverages, but we will appreciate any type of dessert. We anticipate
several freezers of ice cream and numerous cakes. However, any dessert will
be acceptable. There are plenty of local friends to supply our dessert needs,
so that persons traveling a long distance need not worry with bringing anything.
Persons who wish to help with a dessert may let us know when they respond
to our invitation.
We look forward to visiting with everyone at the fish fry. Please remember
that it’s an outdoor party, and we might see some rain. So, watch the
weather forecast and plan accordingly.
Bodock Beau Do
You Remember When
There's never been a part of my life that I want to relive, but I'm sure
I would do a few things differently were I to have the chance to do it over
again. However, the following, shared by Lisa Bennett Rolik, offers many
of us a chance to remember how life used to be.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN...
All the girls had ugly gym uniforms?
It took five minutes for the TV warm up?
Nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids got home from school?
Nobody owned a purebred dog?
When a quarter was a decent allowance?
You'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny?
Your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces?
All your male teachers wore neckties and female teachers had their hair done
every day and wore high heels?
You got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking,
all for free, every time? And you didn't pay for air? And, you got trading
stamps to boot?
Laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box?
It was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real
restaurant with your parents?
They threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed, and they did?
When a '57 Chevy was everyone's dream car...to cruise, peel out, lay rubber
or watch submarine races, and people went steady?
No one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the
car, in the ignition, and the doors were never locked?
Lying on your back in the grass with your friends and saying things like,
"That cloud looks like a .." and playing baseball with no adults to help
kids with the rules of the game?
Stuff from the store came without safety caps and hermetic seals because
no one had yet tried to poison a perfect stranger?
And with all our progress, don't you just wish, just once, you could slip
back in time and savor the slower pace, and share it with the children of
today?
When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate
that awaited the student at home?
Basically we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by
shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger
threat! But we survived because their love was greater than the threat.
Didn't that feel good to remember and say, "Yeah, I remember that"?
Share this article with a friend.
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