Was that always there

"Was that always there?" Is going to be the title of my memoir. If I ever write one. Perhaps this might be something I would write about. I’m just going to go with it and see where this blog ends up.

I was just thinking about the fact that I have only used social media for a year. I know for most people that seems strange but I have never been good with what is trending.

Social media to be honest has always made me a little leery. Which is not a surprise, and maybe I will date myself here a bit. But in the late 90s when I was in high school, the year I graduated our school library got two brand new computers. There was this kid who I had several classes with who knew how to use it. None of us really even knew its existence. Or, maybe just did not pay attention. I ain’t going to lie to you, he knew how to get on line and most of us did not.

It was not for me. I was happy with the card catalog, thank you. I don’t mean on the computer. I am talking old school, where you had to know the subject, title, or author. I miss that, where you looked up a subject then it would lead you to the title and author. Then you had to write down the call number. Those were the times when if a book was not on the shelf then it mean someone checked it out. You could not really ask the librarian do you know if someone checked out the book because back in my day kids, the librarian did not have a computer to look that up right away. Instead the librarian would have to look through the library check out cards. Most the time I did not bother because I did not want to have the librarian go through all the trouble.

Yep that’s how it was. When you were ready to check out a book, the librarian would pull out the library card write your name with the due date. The card would have the title of the book and the author. Then the librarian would stamp the library card holder with the due date.

When we wanted to write notes to our friends we did not have cell phones. There was no such thing as texting, we had to use paper and pen. Gee wiz, we still had microfilm in the school library! Kids for those of you who are not familiar with microfilm this was google before google. When we wanted to look up older newspaper articles and such we would have to look everything up on a film that was kind of like a photo negative. That’s usually how I describe it.

That just got me thinking when high school we still had typing classes! By my last year of school we did have computers in the class room. We would do all our typing assignments on the computer then print them out.

I know that computers were around, but where I grew up only people who could afford it had computers. Most of what I learned about computers I did not learn until I got to college. Which was two years before the whole Y2K thing. It was strange as I would sit there and print things from the college’s computer I could always tell who had more experience with computers.

In the early 2000s we finally got our own computer. My brother was in high school by then. So you can pretty much imagine, he is the one who taught me most of the other things I have learned about computers.

The moral of the story is it’s okay. Well in my humble opinion, it’s okay to ask for help. You don’t have to know everything in the world. The point is to always want to learn and develop when you can.

…. Given today’s topics, maybe I should call my memoir …. Kids, ask your parents.

Random thoughts on the internet?

My husband said something that inspired me to write something that has been on my mind. “Trolls gonna troll.” It was right after reading comments on a video we saw online. (Side note to self, I really do have to stop reading the comments.) Normally neither one of us are negative on our blogs. And my initiation for this blog is not to be negative. It’s something to express that we don’t understand why people are the way they are, or say what they say.

I always think when you express yourself in words there is always a fine line because written words cannot always express our tone or our imitations. As mentioned my goal here is not be negative. There is enough of that in the internet. My goal which I hope to achieve is just to express my thoughts, and my feelings with no offense.

Many people know by now that Becky Hammon has been hired by the San Antonio Spurs. And with that of course came the comments about her being a girl. Whether that was on her looks or that it was a PR stunt. What amazed me was when a person made the comment about her and Tony Parker. I think in any work environment it is naturally for people to joke and form friendships. I am not sure why there are certain people who think when a man and woman joke there is something more going on. While I admit I am old fashion about certain things, for example as a married woman I would not be alone in a car with a guy. (Now that I think about that I am not sure if old fashion is the right word, perhaps personal preference. It’s just how I am, out of respect for my husband and my marriage.)To joke in friendship or comradery is okay.

My husband drops me off at work. The reason I mention this is because he drops me off at work, I often run across comments such as I am not sure if she knows how to drive, or other things about a how my world revolves around my husband in a negative connotation. Which I do not understand. In truth, financially it works out because his work is about 15 minutes away from where I work and he goes in after I do and gets off before me. Most importantly, I enjoy spending time with my best friend and it’s awesomely wonderful to see him after a long day of work and just drive in that comfortable silence. Just to give some background on that, if you read my other blog about a friend asking me how my husband and I have a good relationship. I mentioned that he was deployed a couple of months after we were married. So yes I do like spending time with my husband. Life is too short not to spend it with someone you love when you are lucky enough to have been given that chance.

I was watching a TedTalks video the other day. It was an amazing video, however I will not mention the speakers name out of respect because I do not want to add to that type of environment. The first comment I saw was about the way she looked. (?) That ? mark is the expression I probably had on my face. It reminds me of this (and I really wish I could remember because I feel like I am not going to do it justice) it was a video or article I read about how as women often are careful in what they do and say. For example, when a woman is assertive and confident she may be perceived as “bossy” or if she expresses how she feels she may be perceived as “emotional”, etc.

There will be a lot of things I am unsure about as I write this. Because to understand why someone will say harmful things about another person is beyond me. As humans we want to try and figure it out because, well that’s who we are, always seeking for meaning and understanding. I just hope one day we get there.  

Press play

I miss cassette tapes. The other day I mentioned in a tweet that I told my husband that I was going to make a mix tape. Even though I really meant mix CD because it is hard to find cassette tapes, not to mention purchasing a stereo with a cassette player that does not have an ebay price attached to it. Then we both got sad because we miss tapes. (Side note: when my husband knew that I meant mix tape. I was like oh yeah, drift compatible)

Don’t get me wrong I love iTunes and being able to purchase a song whenever I want to. But I truly do miss tapes because it is a dying art. Okay, perhaps some would think that is a bit dramatic. But there is something wonderfully, beautiful about making a mix tape. I feel it is an art form because it’s an expression of who you are and what you want to say

It’s like Rob Gordon from the movie High Fidelity says, the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many dos and donts. First of all you are using some else’s poetry to express how you feel, this is a very delicate thing.

Side note: Okay this is the scene where he is making a tape for a girl who is not his girlfriend. But that’s besides beside the point, what he says is true. Which is why, I would sit there all day with all my cassette tapes and the few CDs that I had, and look at each one to decide the song selections.

Speaking of looking over cassette tapes and CDs, I miss that too. I miss being able to walk into a store and picking up a tape and looking at the art work and then the songs. It’s not just the same when you look an album it on a computer. Buying my first cassette tape, is like when I first saw Heart Shaped Box (music video). Three words, blew my mind. I miss music videos as well, now I have to go to YouTube to watch a video.

As the kids say vinyl is better. But today I talked about cassette tapes and CDs because that is what I grew up with. Yes, the idea of being able to save music on your phone, and going online to YouTube is very convenient. But it’s just not the same, if that makes sense.