No, it's not a real miracle like the Toasted Elvis, or even the Corn Flake that looks like Indiana, or anything really astounding like that.
Well, maybe it's not a miracle after all. But, it is well worth noting that a significant event in the history of telecommunications has taken place today!
Y'all are gonna laugh...
The last living adult American under the age of 83 has finally got hisself a cellular telephone. Yep!
I have resisted getting a cellular telephone all these years for several reasons. One being that The Mrs. has one, and we never go anywhere without the other...oh, maybe running errands and such. But we've worked together in our business for so many years, and always travel together, so there just really didn't seem to be much of a need.
Another reason is that my land line has a US/Canada Toll-free number attached to it that my customers can use to place orders, or make inquiries. That is a big part of my business, so I needed to keep that in place, and couldn't justify the expense of another telephone I'd likely not use much, or at all.
But, we are in a real time of transition here at Andy's Place. Our business, and work situation is changing, and I'm not going to be around the office all the time to field calls. Plus, I'll be needing to stay in touch with The Mrs. while I'm "out."
So, I got the bright idea of calling my long distance provider, and asking how much trouble it would be to transfer my incoming toll-free number from my current land line to a cellular telephone. The answer was, "No problem, Andy! I can do it for you right now."
Now, that was easy, huh?
It's weird. I got my first "place of my own" in the Fall of 1978, and for those 32 years, there has never been a time that there was not a hard-wired land line hooked up to Andy's Place. Except for a few days, or a couple of weeks while we were in between houses, there has always been a solid hook-up. So, it felt pretty funny talking to the nice lady at AT&T the other day, and telling her that Andy's Place no longer had need of their service.
It felt funny. But, at the same time, it felt kinda good. Liberating. Like "Thoroughly Modern Millie Andy," or something.
I would write down my new number for y'all, but I read things about not putting out too much info on the worldwide computer, so I won't. But some of my non-virtual friends won't be able to call me on the old line, so if you want it, G-mail me at justandysplace@gmail.com, and I'll shoot it to you.
Anyway, let's just suffice it to say that I feel very 90's!
Dang, there's a lot of buttons on this little thing...
Man, you're in touch with the world! Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteI too am slow to adapt to new technology until it becomes entrenched in society and all the bugs are worked out, it becomes affordable, and I absolutely can't do without it anymore. Only the past few years have I gotten a cellphone, gotten high-speed internet (and I thought DSL was the cat's ass until I went to cable. Wow!), upgraded from Windows 2000 to Windows XP (just in time for Vista to be released), to name a few. Maybe in another five years I'll get myself an iPhone.
ReplyDeleteOn my cell phone, I couldn't figger out how to fit the coin in the coin slot. It looks like it should fit, but it just won't go. Stupid phone.
ReplyDeleteJim: Pffffft!
ReplyDeleteDave: I know exactly what you mean. I'm not a "gotta have the new" guy myself. But, mostly out of not really needing it. I certainly do understand folks whose jobs/careers rely on staying ahead of the curve in tech for being out front with new stuff.
And, as to cable being something like 7 million times better than DSL. AMEN! Best tech decision I ever made was to drop DSL for cable.
Inno: It must have been a Canadian coin...these nickels fit just fine in this Nokia.
Hey Andy, you planning on texting anybody?
ReplyDeleteI just don't understand why texting's such a rage among young people especially. I spent 40 years or so trying to get them to write and now they're writing while they're driving and doing who knows what else!
Dan, actually I'm not planning on texting. But, I wasn't planning on getting a mobile phone, either.
ReplyDeleteSo, who knows. Man, my sons and their ladies rarely speak to any of their friends...all texts. It is fascinating to watch. They will be speaking with you face to face quite intelligently about some subject, and texting back and forth with a friend at the same time.
How do they do that???
The last living adult American under the age of 83 has finally got hisself a cellular telephone. Yep!
ReplyDeleteNope. The Second Mrs. Pennington refuses to join the 21st century, so there's at least one more out there.
I haven't had a land-line since 1999. That would have been kinda hard to do while living in an RV.
But how will you know when the power's back on after you evacuate for a hurricane? You have to call the answering machine, you know!
ReplyDeleteOh.
Never mind.
Welcome to the 20th century!