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One Typewriter, Please!
I am willing to admit that I was one of the last holdouts in using a computer. I said that I really had no need for one. Why would I have to research anything on the world wide web when I had a set of encyclopedias and a good thick dictionary?
As yearbook advisor at Stafford Middle School, I would retype teachers' names and headlines year after year, redoing tasks that a computer would have saved for me. Some of my colleagues would kid me about all the extra work I was doing, sitting at a typewriter for hours after school. I give a lot of credit to Gale Carroll, John Haubner and Dick Rabideau for being the most active friends at urging me to "put that stuff on a computer."
Finally, a half-day workshop for the SMS computer holdouts turned my life around. I tried it and I liked it. Some program called "spread sheet" could help me categorize all my baseball memorabilia collection. You could categorize by name, year, company, team or any other way you wanted. I became a born-again computer guy.
I mention this as a way of saying since then I have tossed out my old typewriter, even the outstanding electric typewriter that I had received for a Christmas present so many years ago. I now spend hours a day at my computer, selling on eBay, researching baseball information and e-mailing friends and business associates.
My SMS colleagues must chuckle now that the old computer holdout writes an internet blog for the local newspaper. I guess it's never too late to learn something new. But there are moments when I wish I still used a typewriter.
Like today, for example. A typerwriter would have saved me from some of the distress that I've gone through today. You see, around nine o'clock this morning I sat at my computer and started writing a blog titled "Three Men and a Lunch." It's the tale of my second lunch visit to the Senior Citizens Center. This time I was accompanied by Skip Zatonski and Jim Carr, who were going there for the first time.
I told about our quiet arrival, which took me by surprise. I would have figured that if three of the North Country's most eligible bachelors walked into the room there might have been a little buzz among the ladies. No such thing. The only buzzing I heard was from one of the band's amplifiers. I told a few anecdotes about how Skip met a guy that he used to work with at Channel 5 back in the Sixties and how Jim brought a book from the 1930s that had newsletters from Mount Assumption Institute.
I told about the music performed that day by Frank Cody and the RSVP Kitchen Band. Frank, Ruth, Earl and Reggie entertained just before lunch and several seniors were up on the floor dancing. We three Blogoteers didn't dance, but I did notice Skip tapping his foot to one of Reggie's fiddle tunes.
Anyway, my blog was almost complete this morning, including a full description of the great meatloaf dinner we enjoyed for just $2.25, when I received a phone call. A friend needed a ride to work because her car wouldn't start. Always willing to give a friend a helping hand, especially around the holiday season, I left my story unfinished and hurried off to her rescue.
When I returned thirty minutes later, my computer screen was black. I clicked the mouse, I jiggled the mouse, I talked to the mouse. I moved my monitor. I tried the "escape" button on my computer. I tried the space bar. I lost my patience.
I knew that to restart the computer would mean that "Three Men and a Lunch" would be lost forever. And that's what has happened. I never even got to the part of getting a big container of Jim Carr's famous turkey and rice soup.
If you've ever tried to re-write something, you know oh-too-well how it never comes out the same the second time. There will never be a "Three Men and a Lunch" blog. Had I written the blog on my typewriter, aha! I could have left the typewriter for days. Upon my return, blog as is! No black screen on a typewriter. No falling asleep forever on a typewriter. No disappearing act by typewriter stories.
I wonder what my friends Gale and John and Dick have to say about that!
Comments
Foxy,
How did we make it without a computer in the 50's, 60's, and 70's? It has made life much easier, banking, self diagnosis of illnesses, etc........etc....
On the other hand, I have to agree with Tom-A-Hawk, it has brought corruption, especially to our children and grandchildren. What has happened to the pen, when those teachers in grade school would crucify you for one error made while attempting that elusive (long hand) paper.
Fortunately or unfortunately, change will occur long after we depart!!
Posted by: Juan | December 3, 2007 10:48 AM
Foxy, I too was a holdout about converting to the computer and the world wide web, and didn't convert until around 1997. I was kind of forced into the situation. An organization I was a member of decided to go more internet, and less paper, so I did some trading with a fellow member of the organization, and got my first computer. I have upgraded a few times, to keep up with the technology, and I never got any training on this thing, so there is lots of stuff this machine can do, but haven't an idea how to do it! I wanted you to know, you missed another member of the kitchen band, as he was at hunting camp, instead of touring with Frank, Ruth, and the rest of the band. My Dad, Don. He is a usual added feature of the band, but like I said the lure of the 4 legged deer was too great!! Sorry, but I'm not ashamed to let people know, I have been his biggest fan, for over 50 years, as I grew up watching him playing music, even on TV back in the 50's. I am sure you will see him there at another time. By the way, he feels there is no need for a computer, and will never own one.
Posted by: sparcat | December 2, 2007 9:38 AM
Foxy,
Back in 1993 when I contracted my severe vertigo condition, I was literally laid up on the couch for well over a year or more. John, in his infinite wisdon, bought me an used Tandy computer with 250,000 kb memory - the end all in computer technology! He literally saved my sanity. I began doing my family's history and worked on it for almost 8 years until I reached burnout.
After my disability settlement, I went Mac ... and, never went back! I know the world is all PC but believe me, for creative types out there, Mac CS Suite is user friendly and idiot proof.
And, yes, do push the save key - you'll lose your temper - and, material - less!
PS: If all works out, we MAY be back in the area in July for a short visit. Well, one can hope!
Lynda
Posted by: Lynda (Bouyea) Bevins | December 1, 2007 12:37 PM
If the pen is mightier than the sword, and the typewriter took over for the pen, where does that put the computer? I expect it is more powerful than the bomb with My-Space, Foxy's blog, U-tube, et.al. There's no wonder we live in such a corrupt society, maybe we should go back to the pen (another thought I could work into my campaign!)......TBI
Posted by: Tom-A-Hawk | December 1, 2007 10:15 AM
Three words of advice.....Open Apple Save
Posted by: rubble | November 30, 2007 10:47 PM
Did your dog eat your homework too? I think the second half-day training session (that you missed) talked about "saving" the file before composing and continually saving during. We still look at you as our "model" convert from being a Luddite.
Great story!
(Foxy's note: Nice to hear from one of my original computer gurus!)
Posted by: john | November 30, 2007 3:31 PM