If anyone is hanging on my every word (I jest), like that great beer commercial ("even the prepositions..."), they've been disappointed in my inability to post anything, except in bursts. There are a number of reasons for this, all of them bad and flimsy. The truth is, those years of facing a deadline have made me a wimp.Or, would you believe, I've been sneezing for the past month?
Every once in while, I have an epiphany, usually when I'm soaking my aching bones. One occurred a week ago, when I was not in the hot tub, but attending a staff training day for the High Plains Library District here in Greeley. We had informative speakers, at least of couple of them on the new ebook craze that is sure to affect libraries. There seem to be more than a few experts who see the ultimate demise of the library in this new ability to download entire armies of books onto small handheld devices that are similar to my Zune music MP3. Seemingly, this is an upgrade over books ...
I'm not sure that is the case, but then again, you're hearing this from a person who was pretty late getting started on a computer, and who only has a cell phone because his wife forced him to. Some of these devices are pretty worthless in my hands; even a small child could give me lessons. Yes, I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the future, or present.
My daughter is a student in journalism at the University of Minnesota and she has asked me if I would come to her class sometime to speak to students. This is a harrowing idea for someone with a fear of public speaking, but if I did, I would stress to these students that all the technology in the world won't write your stories for you. They are only aids. It still takes a notebook and pen to do your job. Even a tape recorder, while it can ensure quality quotes, takes time to transcribe (or has something else been invented?). Students in journalism should, along with their other classes, take one in shorthand!!
The staff training day always gives me a start when young whippersnappers stand in front of the group and work the crowd with techno-speak that goes WAAAY over my head. I guess this why us 50- or 60-somethings are fading out. We've had our day. When did I get so old?
CONNECTING WITH OLD FRIENDS
I got on the horn in the past two weeks and decided I would make contact with some old friends. I called an old college buddy in Huron, S.D. and we chatted for more than an hour. Then this week, an old friend called me out of the blue and we wound up making plans for him to visit in August to see a Rockies baseball series.
It's exciting to make contact with old friends. Yes, we all have moved on and are living lives with our families and watching children or grandchildren grow. But to connect with old friends is special, and certainly brings up old memories.
