NO SERVICE??

Here's some fun for the day…...

TRIVIA:  What is the only bird that flies backwards?

BRAIN RIDDLE:
I'm part of the bird that's not in the sky.  I can swim in the ocean and yet remain dry.  What am I?

JOKE:
Q:  There are 5 flies in the kitchen.  Which one is the football player?
A:  The one in the sugar bowl.



COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
Experiencing hardships can make us more compassionate.  We feel what others feel & it gives us credibility when we reach out to others.

NO CELL SERVICE

Recently, I've been on a couple of trips where I didn't have cell service.  Part of this was because of location and the other part was due to Sprint appearing to have less and less coverage these days.   When I'm without service, it's a good look into the past and the way things used to be.   I've lived just as much life without a cell phone as with, in fact more without.   I don't remember when I got my first cell phone, but I'm going to guess it was in my 30's.   

So I've lived that life….so…..why do I get so impatient when I don't have service?

This last trip I pondered that question a lot and compared the difference from my past to now.   

Life had a slower pace without cell phones.  There was a chance to 'get away' and escape work and such.  There's pros and cons to that.  It's nice to get away from it all and be 'away from the office'.  However, some people are able to get away more often because they can be in contact with work.   So that's good.  But….if you are at the beach and on a computer or phone….are you really getting away?

The other thing I thought of was the convenience of texting.   On a recent trip to Florida, we were unable to use are phones in our hotel.  This I feel was a Sprint thing as West Palm Beach is not exactly a remote igloo in the arctic.   When I wanted to check with my mom about possible dinner plans, I had to go find where she was and ask in person.   As I was doing that I thought to myself….. 'oh how tough'.  Then I said to myself…'now wait a minute missy, that's what you used to do growing up…you need to be getting over it'.  ( I talk to myself a lot.  These days using Mrs. Hughes voice from Downton Abbey.  Don't know why I'm using her voice, but I do).  The 'finding family in person to talk to them and ask a question' deal in Palm Beach enlightened me to the slower pace that the no cell phone days allotted and I thought "…that's really not too bad" (comforting to say that to myself too in the voice of Mrs. Hughes)

The part of cell phones I do really like is to be able to reached in an emergency.  It is a comforting feeling.   I also prefer it when traveling in a car.   As a kid I was always a stressor when we would drive somewhere.  I'd be wondering if we broke down or ran out of gas how long we would be stranded.   An extra worry on Sundays back in the day when gas stations weren't open on Sundays.  (which I think is pretty cool & wish were still the case.  Hey, we survived it back then, we could now too)   I like the feeling that we can call for help if stranded.  

Being a parent has made me like cell phones.   I haven't experienced parenthood without one.   I'm sure it was much more worrisome raising a child without one as far as being able to reach them and them reach you.  I like knowing our daughter can reach us whenever she needs to for whatever reason.  However, it adds worries too.  The general access they have to them and texting and driving and such.

People are much more disengaged with cell phones.  I can't help but crack up when I look at a family at a restaurant having dinner and they are all looking at their phones.  Or when you look around a room full of people watching tv and they are looking down at their phones.  There's something to be said for good ole conversation and board games and such.

After my last trips of no-tech land, I realize I can live without lots of the random stuff I check online (i.e.  who 'liked' Wal-Mart for a free Saran Wrap offer)  but at the same time, it's like I don't know what's happening with anyone if I'm not looking at social media.   So then I feel like an insensitive goof when I run into someone at the grocery story and say 'hey, I keep meaning to tell you that you have a really cool house' and then it turns out it burned to the ground the day before but I didn't know it.  (may be insensitive here because I haven't look at social media as much lately and maybe that really happened to someone so sorry to whoever if it did)  

During my no-tech stays I have gotten into the world of needlepoint since I can't 'look' at stuff, and I'm finding it quite relaxing.   ( The Needlepoint store might be in cahoots with Sprint….it's giving them lots more money these days to have me off my phone)  The Needlepoint store would like to add that me not having service is a pro and not a con.

Something I do miss a lot when I can't get online is….google.   I'm a nut for checking random facts and wanting answers to various questions I have.   Google is also good for stopping various debates people have on facts.   I thought back to what I used to do if I wanted to know a randomness.  I pretty much either looked in up in an Encyclopedia or called someone or went to the library.  Again…..another way no-tech life added to a slower pace of things, so pros and cons all the way around I guess.  

There's a random look at life without service.  I think there's advantages and disadvantages to the world of cell phones.  But, they are here to stay, it is what it is….life changes…..and we just roll with the punches. 

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TRIVIA ANSWER:
Hummingbird

BRAIN TEASER ANSWER:
Shadow

Until next time…..

EVOLUTION OF PHONE = LESS PATIENCE?? (Yep)

Here’s some fun for the day.....

TRIVIA: (Answer below)

What is an airlines home base called?

JOKE:

Mandy:  Too bad you flunked the test.  How far were you from the right answer?

Sue:  Two seats!

QUOTE:

If at first you don’t succeed, find out if the loser gets anything

(William Lyon Phelps)

TRICIA’S TWEET OF THE DAY:

If God was small enough for us to understand, He wouldn’t be big enough for us to worship.

RANDOM OBSERVATION:

In a previous post, I talked about how the TV remote control led to our short attention spans.   I started thinking about other advances & what they may have led to.    The first thing that came to mind was the advancements in phones.    I believe this has led to an increased impatience in people.    I was thinking back to the ole' rotary dial phones that we had when I was a kid.   In my opinion, they fostered patience.  

You basically had 2 forms of communication then.   You either wrote a letter or called someone on the phone.    When you called, it wasn’t a quick process like today.    You had to dial.  This definitely took more time then it does today.   Today, all I would have
to do is tell Siri on my iPhone to call ‘so-&-so’ & within seconds the number is being reached.  Back in the rotary phone days you’d dial each number to the right & then the dial would move back to the left.   The ‘2‘s weren’t too bad, but if someone had a lot of the higher numbers in their phone #, you had to wait even longer.   Especially those 0’s & 9’s.   I think this helped with our patience.   Not only waiting for the dial to move, but also the fact that we couldn’t move.   The receiver was connected to the phone by a cord, so there wasn’t a lot of moving around.   Imagine having to actually stay still while talking on the phone.   That helped with patience.   I remember when we got the extra long phone cord.  Wow!  I could get something out of my closet while talking on the phone.  Quite a treat.

Along came push button phones & our ‘dialing’ process speeded up.   

Then we got portable phones.  No cords!   We could walk around the house & do anything while we talked on the phone.    

Then....car phones.   (ugly, clunky ones)  we could talk while on our way to a destination.   

And now with cellphones/iPhones, we can talk anywhere.   Not only that, we can’t ever escape.   Wherever we are someone can reach us.   Emails, texts.  No escape from business issues, no escape from anything.   Everything you need to know or need to do is right there in an instant.    So when I think back to talking on a rotary dial phone, I feel like I was more patient.  ( I was also a kid, so maybe that was the reason)

Pros & cons can be found in just about everything.   There are lots of things I love about my iPhone, but every now & then, I’d like to slow down and stop and smell the roses......or in other words......sit down and dial the number.    

TRIVIA ANSWER:

Hub

Until next time.....