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Before Color: We Imagined It
I was grateful that my view of the world was of poles: north & south, moral & immoral, boy & girl, black & white. A visceral/visual memory of childhood for me was the assassination of President Kennedy. That image of him being shot would have been too much to bear in color. -
Spinning Mom's 78's, and Dad's 33 and a thirds
Personal music was introduced to our family by my mom and dad.
Mom had boxes of old american jazz, rhythm and blues and baudy 78's. Dad had the Big records, large brassy jazz from South America, and female singers who crooned in other languages. This was all we listened to. Then, Shazaam! We got a radio. We kids could have our own tunes, of our generation. Probably the equivalent of getting the internet. -
Like I Owned the Music
I was so proud of my first record album. At $5.00, it represented 10 hours of pulling weeds. When I set the needle down on the vinyl, I felt connected to the singer, the band, the world of listeners who sang along as I did. -
A Generosity that Lasted 13 years
My parents, children of the depression, owned almost nothing in their youth. They surprised me with a stereo for my 17th birthday. I felt the gift was them seeing me for who I was in my time. It was a modest Montgomery Wards model with buttons and dials that I had to learn how to use. This lasted until my 30th birthday, when I bought myself a shiny new system.I felt that their gift had to last me a VERY long time, since they had spent more on that than any present before. -
Working Girl's Prop
This Sony alarm clock was a symbol of my entry in the adult world: getting to work on time. It has never missed a day of annoying me, soothing me, saving me from embarassment and connecting me to the world. It's my sidekick, bringing me presents: NPR, The Moth Radio Hour, the Morning California Report. Memorable broadcasts have come through it: Al "Jazzbeau" Collins, memorializing my mother, Walter Kronkhite, the Beatles, the first black American president. I listen. I work. I arrive on time. -
Heavier than a Billy Goat
And harder to carry up the stairs! My Apple computer monitor was not portable. Which is why teachers liked it. It was hard for students to break. I was so proud to receive my Teacher's Discount in purchasing it. I mostly previewed class programs on it, like Oregon Trail and used it as a word processor. -
Email, She-mail
When I moved out of state for the first time, email was my lifeline to my friends. My computer became a vehicle for loving communications, pictures, poetry, and hormonal self-indulgence. -
A Laptop and a Toaster
The HP laptop and the toaster were my two vital purchases after I left my husband. I had to learn WORD, OUTLOOK, EXCEL, STARTING OVER. I become a PC convert because it was affordable. I typed resumes and cover letters. I stopped emailing; I was too busy. The toaster and the laptop sat on the kitchen counter where my daughter couldn't reach. I didn't have any furniture. -
Hiding from my Cell Phone
The cell phone was only for family emergencies and work. I had opened my own business and felt the need to be "available" at all times. I rarely let my daughter talk on it, for fear of the poor SAR ratings. I felt ungrounded when talking on it. I hated being as annoying in public as other cell phone users, I resented being "found" wherever I went. Eventually, I left it at home. -
Turkey with a Side of Cell Phones
All the kids seemed to have grown so attached to their cell phones that the Thanksgiving dinner table conversation was a cacaphony of beeps, chirps, chimes and "what up?" and "Yo".
The history of Thanksgiving as I had known it had ended. What good was hours of chopping and cooking if it was trumped by teens distracted by what I thought was trivia? I felt ambushed, forgotten, outdated, and BORED. Our family ancestors were rolling in their graves. -
iphone after all
I resisted. I did not want to be an Apple phone user, showing off my expensive gadget. When my flip phone finally broke, I bought the iphone2 for $50. All I wanted was to make a call and get a call. My daughter wanted to text, take photos, type, take messages, get email, etc., wherever we were. After awhile, I did too. The cell phone became a useful business tool. It was humbling; Steve Jobs was amazing, just like they had said. -
Online Meditation Class? Never!
I could see my fellow classmates in little boxes on the screen, like the old TV show "Hollywood Squares." The teacher guided us through meditation techniques . We practiced, right then. Click click, she divided us into more boxes, called chat rooms. We talked on the screen about how it felt. The teacher taught more meditation techniques. Click, click, into chat room boxes. After 6 weeks of this process, it became normal enough. Meditating in front of a screen? "Never say never." -
Keeping Up with the Updates
I should know better than to be sucked into updating when I don't feel ready. Like pushing the buzzer before you have the answer or kissing people when you don't know their last name. Not good.
But I felt I was in the stream, somewhat swimming, so I updated to ios7. ARGH. Back to 1995. Feeling lost, dizzy. At least I know, from being "connected" as I am, that others feel the same.
