So, how have you been doing since 1974?

Silence is golden in home movies, and how many spatulas do you need to make a PB&J? We tackle the explosive issues no other blog dares to touch…

1. The most disappointing news I’ve received over the past few months is that I am not a productive member of society. Actually, I knew that already, but I was hoping to keep it a secret.
   
   
2. Suddenly, I’m connecting to people I haven’t seen since graduating from college 45 years ago, which is giving me a weird case of deja non vu. They’ve all had lives, careers, scars and joy since we met last, but we’re engaging as if nothing has transpired. Very comfortable and very strange.
   
   
3. Hmm…when the grandkids are with me, they find video screens mesmerizing, but when I call them on FaceTime, not so much. Clearly, I need to up my game.
   
   
4. There’s nothing like cooking at home to make you appreciate restaurants. I need six pans, twelve spatulas and a six iron to make lunch for Jill and me, and it still tastes like peanut butter and jelly.
   
   
5. And another reason to appreciate restaurants: If I order it medium rare and it comes well done, I can send it back. When that happens at home, TFB.
   
   
6. The home movies my dad took had no sound, which actually made everyone seem more mysterious and interesting. Now that I’m finally editing my old videos and I can hear the conversations, I realize how dull we were. Some days, I hate progress.
   
   
7. I miss phone calls. Dial a number, talk to a person, hang up. What could be easier? Now, every conversation requires that I download an app and give one more company access to my browser history. Some days, I hate progress.
   
   
8. Speaking of phone calls, I also miss landlines that plugged into the wall and were available to everyone in the household. After I finished talking to a friend recently, I asked to speak to her husband. Instead of passing the phone to him, she had me call his phone. Some days, I hate progress.

 
Of course, there are many forms of progress that I like, including the simplicity of subscribing to Dad Writes by merely clicking here. No apps to download, no passwords required…what could be simpler?
 

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