THE OLD MAN AND THE WORLD: In a recent conversation with my son I asked the question "What is an I-Pod?--Silence, a snicker, disbelief then Ah! Was the response. Son, you were speaking to a man who as a boy had a telephone that we had to share with another person, not a relative, but a neighbor. 1 ring yours, 2 rings a neighbor, 3 rings another neighbor. If the phone was in use and you wanted to use the phone you simply picked up the phone, interrupted the conversation and asked "may I make a call please. The party line sharer usually ended their phone call and allowed you to make your call. Interesting concept icon it? Neighbors actually got along together. It was also a time when you had to ask an operator (a real person) to connect you to another person who also had a "Party Line". Phone numbers usually consisted of a word followed by a number, again speaking to a real live person. As a young lad I have been known to use animal parts to watch a black and white TV (Rabbit Ears). Color TV consisted of a light blue shade pulled down over the screen creating (Color TV) As a young man I had to start an automobile by pressing down on big button on the floorboard and stepping on the gas peddle with the same foot. A very agile young man. How many of your Blog readers know what a clothes line is, or clothes pins? What is an ice box, or a wash board? As a youth we had Ice Men, men who delivered ice to your house. Milk Men who delivered milk (in glass bottles ) with about 2 inches of cream on top. Rag Pickers who bought old rags, shoes, or just plain "junk". CAE Men who delivered bags of coal for your furnace and Fruit vendors with push carts who guess what, actually sold fresh fruit. We even had Ice Cream men who sold ice cream from a truck. The Good Humor man. Entertainment was build yourself a crystal radio and listen to 1 radio station only at certain times of the day. Today I probably would have been considered a Nerd because of that activity. Other entertainment available was listening to mono Hi Fi records 33 1/3's, 45's and 78's so when I ask, "What an I-Pod is" think about where that question came from. In closing I can say that event will happen to you some day and a young person will react just as you did. That reaction is not comming from disrespect it is comming from not realizing that the world moves on, and soon you'll have stories to relate to others and you'll ask a question that will stun some one with disbelieve. "Memories are made of this" In ending I say "I wish I knew then what I know now. I wouldn't change a thing. Except knowing where the rocks were in the ocean of life. And that's what I see FROM MY SIDE OF THE ROOM. Charlie