Two Pieces of News This Week

First, I think I will address the subject that made the headlines just a few days ago. Michele Obama was seen in the Grand Canyon (in Arizona - I tell this for a reason) in, gasp, SHORTS! Is it really such a slow news day that multiple media outlets need to devote space and time to this subject? Really? First of all, anyone who has been to the Grand Canyon IN ARIZONA (I have so I know exactly what I'm talking about) knows that it is HOT. It would be really bizarre for the First Lady to go hiking in the Grand Canyon in a business suit and stylish 3-inch pumps. The woman was going hiking, for crying out loud people! Furthermore, the Grand Canyon is not paved. It is rocky terrain - hence that's why it's called a canyon. IN ARIZONA!

In addition to my geographical tirade, I wish to remind certain Puritanical prudes that Mrs. Obama has pretty nice looking legs. My legs used to look that good, but the varicose and spider veins have taken over and, well, let's say Burmuda shorts and skimmers are my style now. Along with the shapely legs comes another reminder - we no longer live in Victorian-era USA. This is the 21st century, people, and a woman's exposed legs are hardly shocking any more. Please get over it. By the way, whose legs would you rather see hiking the Grand Canyon, Mrs. Obama's or John McCain's? Think about it.

The second article is about obsolete technology. I so love this subject. I love blowing my kids' minds with recollections of the days before remote controlled television, microwaves, and cell phones. The author talks about all the technology and I actually remember and that's really scary. We still have a VCR, but it's a VCR/DVD combo. We still have VHS tapes but they are getting brittle with age and we are slowly replacing them with DVDs. Trouble is, the Blue Ray thingy is coming out and making the DVD obsolete. We can't win!

Yes, I was reminded of the C prompt - amazing how I forgot it at all. I guess it was such a pain that I didn't really miss it.

The paragraph on TV reception brought a bit of an argument from me. I don't like the digital signals. Not because I'm against the technology, but we can't get a good signal. We never had this problem with classic analog broadcast. Now whenever there's a storm in the area, you can forget watching anything (even the severe weather warnings) on the TV. The way the system is set up now, the only way I'll know if a tornado is in the area is when my roof flies off my house. Not a good feeling.

My 87-year-old mother nearly keeled over in a heart attack when I told her I no longer remember how to operate a typewriter. Now, keep in mind, I learned how to type on a manual typewriter when Jimmy Carter was in the White House. Selectric typewriters were quickly becoming the latest technology and when I graduated from Kirkwood High School in 1980, memory writers were becoming the latest and greatest. Now that my PC does everything for me, a typewriter gathers dust on the shelf. Actually, I don't even own one, but my mother did until she gave it away to her 88-year-old sister. I think typewriters won't completely go away just yet. Some forms need to be filled in by type, although this is quickly being replaced with Adobe's features that allow the user to fill in the blanks and print the form.

Even as you read this, something technological is being advanced or killed off. Such is the evolution of our modern world.