It's been, um, eventful

I might be off by a few years, but I think my generation has seen more substantial change than any generation that preceded it. People who lived through the Industrial Revolution might quibble with that assertion, but they’re all dead now, so hah hah on them.

Certainly, my grandchildren will be amazed at the stories I can tell them about the ancient and shrouded past when I…

• Had to let the phone ring at least 10 times because nobody had voice mail and their phones were wired to the wall at the other end of their apartments.
• Had to watch television shows on a specific device, and only at a specific time.
• Waited in line at the Post Office with hundreds of other kids to receive the new polio vaccine.
• Actually went to a Post Office. Of course, I will have to explain what a Post Office is.
• Coded a computer with punch cards.
• Developed photos in a dark room, using film!!!
• Gapped spark plugs.
• Made copies with a mimeograph machine.
• Replaced vacuum tubes from our television set.
• Dialed a rotary phone.
• Turned over a three-minute egg timer every time we had a long-distance call.
• Knew what a long-distance call was.
• Boarded a flight with no i.d. and no inspections.
• Saw the first murder ever aired live on television.
• Had to go to the basement to change fuses.
• Had fuses.
• Made a call from a phone booth.
• Stood in the hallway of our school, facing the lockers, during an air raid drill.

 
​Of course, I’ll also have to tell my grandkids about all the ways the world has let me down since I was a lad. I still don’t travel by jetpack, my phone calls aren’t holograms, and I am still waiting for a response to my job application at U.N.C.L.E. (I keep calling about it, but they won’t let me open Channel D.)
 
I’d add the Coronavirus to the list, but that’s an experience that my grandkids will share. How will that change them, change me, change our relationships? The ink isn’t dry yet, so we’ll have to wait on that one.
 
In the meantime, I think I’ll focus on the strange-but-true stories from the past. The present isn’t nearly as much fun.
 
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