Everything Old...

I have this old typewriter that my friends gave me. It's a Corona and I think it's around 70 years old. I like to bang out letters on it to friends or family occasionally. I get a kick out of it. I like the feel of the key stroke and the cheerful "ding" sound it makes when you near the end of a line. Advancing to the next line requires pulling the return lever to the right which I find much more gratifying than hitting the "return" button on today's computer key boards. Spell check is out of course, so careful typing is a must (I need to get some of that correction tape).

The comedian Louis C. K. jokes about how everything is amazing but nobody is happy. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk) He uses the example of air travel. He talks about people complaining about lines and delays yet they're experiencing the miracle of flight sitting in a chair in the sky! It used to take years to go from New York to California now it takes five hours. His point isn't lost on me. We're so spoiled it's a little ridiculous. Especially kids. Almost every kid at the many schools where I've subbed has either a cell phone or an ipod or both. If they don't get the newest model or, God forbid, it gets taken away, they throw a fit. My dad bathed in a galvanized tub until he was 10 and these kids bitch and moan because they can't get a cell phone. Unbelievable.

Keeping a link to our past and how things used to be makes us appreciate all the incredible things we take for granted. Like banging away on that old Corona of mine. It just feels right.