My first two automobiles were a Corvair and a Pinto. Back then, cars were purchased by paying the "base price" for the pure vanilla version, and then adding extras like power windows, door locks, radio, air conditioning, etc.
Back then, I didn't think I could afford any extras, so I leaned across the front seat to open the other windows and unlock the doors; sang to myself in lieu of listening to real music; and sweated up a storm as I motored in the summer months.
Eventually, of course, I caught up with everyone else and began enjoying the modern creature comforts of a happy motorist.
Then, when CB radios became all the rage, I was the last in my group of friends to get one. I guess I submitted to peer pressure because I was the butt of many a joke for not being up-to-date. As it turned out, I got rid of the thing after only a few "good buddies" and "10-4s". The CB radio craze turned out to be a fad. Good riddance.
My reluctance to be up-to-date helped me avoid the rush to get a pager. Back in the 1980s and early 90s, it seemed everyone had one of those thingies hangin' from their belt---except me. Frankly, I was in sales and didn't WANT anyone to be able to access me.
Yes, before I could be pressured into getting a pager, cell phones came along. I was the last to get one of those, also---I couldn't afford one. It cost something like $.20 a minute, and God forbid I should get into a long conversation.
Of course, nowadays, you can't live without one, and I have the latest and greatest model that does everything except digest my food. But oh my!---remember those early models? They were about the size of a quart bottle of milk and about as heavy, too.
I was also last in my group to get a large screen TV. I'm glad I waited on that one, because by the time I got one earlier this year, the prices had come down and the quality had gone up. So, you see, there can be something said for being slow to change.
English humorist and poet Alexander Pope once said "Be not the first to try the new; nor the last to lay the old aside."
Good advice, I'd say.
Call these the music, poetry, fact and fiction of a dreamer....Call this LYRICS of LOVE and LORE.
Sometimes (most of the time) it's hard to make changes in our lives. I love the Alexanader Pope quote, I had not read it before. As we are aware, one constant in our lives is cHaNgE!
ReplyDeleteI really wish they would still put manual window rollers in cars with the automatic. If you ever had a dead battery or lost your keys, it sure makes waiting in you car much easier if you can roll down the window.
ReplyDeleteVery wise advice. My kids didn't think it funny when my husband and I told them we were 40 when we got our first cell phones and they could probably wait that long, too.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm with you..we wait and wait and sometimes we miss a gadget as we waited so long... Right now we only have a cell phone ...pay as you go...we use just in emergencies:) (Forget the constant checking emails and texting that drives me crazy when I'm around the younger generation:)
ReplyDeletemy first car was a pinto too. :)
ReplyDeleteMy first car was a VW Beetle, 13 years old but it took me everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThe Time runs and so does the progress...
Greetings my friend and take care
Most enjoyable to read Clint, those CB Radios certainly brought back fond memories of my late husband who loved having one. Thanks for the memories.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Don't own a microwave, haven't had one since the first one broke in 1999, don't intend to replace it either. Love your post today, Clint. :)
ReplyDeleteits a practical approach, to wait and see how it works out for everyone else before you give it a try.=)
ReplyDeletethe expenses on these gadgets outweigh the benefit of having them, is what it comes down to for me. work harder just to have cable, the lastest in technology and a fancy car that stores all my personal data? no thank you!
I still have my first car, a 1973 two-door Honda Civic. And my current latest car is a 1996 Mazda MPV.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you - prices come down after awhile. I have a dianosaur phone and we do not have a wide screen tv - $$$ - if it't not broken we are going to wait! sandie
ReplyDeleteI still have to reach across the seat for door locks and hand crank the windows in my 2003 vehicle. It does make me think twice about drive throughs so I guess it is good.
ReplyDeleteOne of the loves of my life had a Corvair. Did you know they float?
Arkansas Patti
Well at least you got things when you decided you wanted them.
ReplyDeletePhones, oh my they were expensive to buy and use, but fun.
Cars, well as we get new ones they come with more bells and whistles.
Good thing you waited for a big TV, cheaper.
Have fun.
I don't have a pager, a cell phone or a watch. When I retired in 2007, I retired. I have this computer and it keeps me entertained in my spare time. I blog. I teach Sunday School. My church is very important to me. My wife and I have been wed for 45 years. I enjoy reading your blog. God bless you.
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