My iPhone is a Child of the 80's

I always promised myself I would not apologize for a lack of posting on the blog, and so I won't.  But I have been extremely busy taking about 4,000 photographs since the last post.  Lots of family Christmas card photography business to be about.  I have missed writing.

I do not want to let too much time go by without announcing the arrival of my very own cell phone.  After more than a decade of everyone else having one, I've decided to join the 21st century and have my own personal phone number.  (If you want to get technical, I have had a phone before but I'm not counting carrying around an emergency phone in a bag under the front seat of my car in college.)

I have held out for as long as possible, wanting technology to catch up to my phone standards.  I got an iPhone and it has not disappointed.  It is, essentially, a toy for grown up children.  I have not gotten a toy in a really long time.  It is pretty fun.

What I have found very interesting is how much it reminds me of my childhood.  And of things that I remember from the 1980's and early 90's when I was growing up.

In the 80's, we got cordless phones.  You could even walk into your driveway sometimes and still get reception.  With your iPhone, you get reception in the remotest of locations.

In the 80's, we got the Walkman.  You could actually put batteries in a small contraption and play your Janet Jackson tape while you walked around wearing your headphones with the adjustable silver head band.  The iPhone comes with ear buds.  You are expected to listen to it.

In the 80's, Polaroid cameras were all the rage.  And so were double prints.  You could instantly see you and your friends memories.  Or hand them out after developing your film.  On your iPhone, you have Instagram and photo sharing apps.

In the 80's, we passed notes in class or put a note in someone's locker.  Now we text.  It's really the same thing.  You don't know exactly how they will interpret it.  You don't know if they've read it yet or not.  You write back and forth using juvenile abbreviations that somehow give you a cheap thrill.

In the 80's, we played board games and card games.  The iPhone comes with games we would have been thrilled to get in a box as kids.

In the 80's we gave day timers as gifts.  Now our entire brain gets deposited into our phone.

So the technology is there, but the needs the phone meets are the same.

Appreciating the work of Steve Jobs, I relished the moment when I opened the box the encased my phone.  Do you know what the box said to me?  It said, "Hello."  The same thing the first Macintosh computer said in 1984.

Hello, iPhone.  Welcome to the future.  Welcome to the past.  Hello, indeed.

Happy All Saints' Day

The kids costumes yesterday were as usual fun and cute and creative.  I enjoy coming up with and helping them come up with ideas and how to execute them.  Creativity is, after all, much about the process itself.

Jackson, leading the pack in costume creativity, was a Blue Man.  From the famous performing art trio, The Blue Man Group.  He has wanted to be this in years past but we finally pulled it off.  And pulled it off he did...as soon as I finished painting him he did not speak, as the Blue Men are mute.  Not speaking is totally out of character for Jackson so we were all impressed at his ability to stay in character.  He didn't even say "Trick or Treat" or "Thank You."  He'd just make his eyes real big and stare at people.  Super. Cool.

Libby was an artist.  This is quite the stretch for me and Libby.  We have nothing that resembles art materials around here anywhere.  EXCEPT NOT AT ALL!  Libby decided on an artist months ago and has been worried about my lack of preparation but I knew it would be easy to make her look like the wonderful artist she is.

Cash is Steve, from Mine Craft.  This needs no explanation.  Either you know the game or you don't.  But if you do, you know that Cash was and is, awesome in this costume.  Although he couldn't see really at all and had to be led around by Jimmy or I as if we were seeing eye dogs.



Penelope was a kitty cat.  She is wearing a cat head and tail I think sewn by someone in my family but I can't remember who gave me the costume!  Thank you whoever made it!  I put together the rest and painted her little whiskers and she was off.  Although she ended up in the stroller much of the time.  Cats need their rest.

Juliet wasn't really into it.  She was fighting a cold and cried every time she saw the Blue Man.  Or the Mine Craft head.  She didn't like her tights or angel costume at first but obediently sat in the stroller all through the neighborhood and enjoyed a lollipop and some Smarties.

All in all I learned two things:
#1-  If I want to shut Jackson up all I have to do is paint his face blue...
#2-  Trick or Treating isn't easy with a blind 6 year old who already screams your name on a regular basis and now has an excuse to do it even more and even louder...

Happy All Saints' Day!