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.

ebooks or books?

Hello my name is Melissa, and I am addicted to buying books.

With anything there are pros and cons. I will not go into a full list, as I’m sure it will vary from person to person. These are my pros and cons, not a rant, and sprinkled with some of me getting sidetracked.

Pros to ebooks: it saves space, and you can buy them at any time of day.

Cons of ebooks: you need to make sure the battery of your electronic device does not die, and don’t forget to blink.

Sidetrack: Blink? In this case, Whovians, blinking is good. At my work, we spend eight hours a day on the computer, and often people forget to rest their eyes and blink after starring at a computer screen too long.

Pros to books: you can fall asleep with a book and not have to worry about breaking it, maybe just bending the pages a little. You need not worry about getting books recommendations via email, or your online account.

Another pro, the amazing feeling you get when you find a book you have been looking for. *Cue in the background music. Perhaps a Bear McCreary piece that begins with a decrescendo.*

Con, depending on the book it may add some weight to your handbag or backpack.

As a book buying addict, and someone who has ebooks on their phone, I would have to say I prefer books. I just love the feeling you get when you order books online and they come to your house - it’s like an early birthday present. Or, when you’re in your local library and you pass by the new book section and something catches your eye.

Sidetrack: Visit your local library folks. If you are on a budget and do not have cable, libraries do get awesome tv series on DVD like Doctor Who, or BSG (Battlestar Galactica).

Another wonderful thing about books, they can easily be shared with loved ones. It’s like a handwritten letter, while email is quick and efficient, nothing compares to holding onto something from a loved on.

ebooks or books? The important thing is we read to learn, have adventures, and simply fall in love with the stories and their characters.