Growing Up Without A Cellphone

2010-06-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

My daughter in-law sent an email that took me down memory lane, and may do the same with you.. I promise you, that it will make you smile and brighten your day...

"When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot... BOTH ways yadda, yadda, yadda And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in Utopia! And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to whip us! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3's or Napsters or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and screw it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car.. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig?

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it!

There weren't any cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends". OH MY!!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are.

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, the collection agent... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen... Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your couch and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?!

There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-finks!

And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that!

And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores!

And car seats - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were lucky, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place!

See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or any time before!"

Thought I should this, and I hope it brought a smile on your face.

Much hugs,

Autumn

At an early age of ten, my Great Grandma E introduced me to the world of creativity. Believe it or not, it started with crocheting, then it evolved into cross stitching, quilting, ceramic, etc. I have always enjoyed photography and Fine Art. Between my Great Grandma E and Grandma A, I discovered my love for colors.

As I directed my studies towards photography and Fine Art in college I learned many perspectives. For example in photography you're painting an image with light. In Fine Art you're painting with many shades of color. However, as a child I always admired the natural beauty in rocks and minerals. Rocks and minerals have a variety of vibrant colors, as seen in these photo samples by Richard Weston.

When I came across beads and creating jewelry I finally found my niche. It allowed me to capture that beauty and then transfer it into personal expression in the form of jewelry.

I enjoy browsing over semi-precious and precious stones, pearls, crystals, and unique clasps. For me it's like I'm a child going to a candy shop

and selecting which candy looks yummy to purchase. My husband is so patient with me when I find a bead shop when we travel. I first started creating pieces for myself then for family as gifts and now my pieces are available for everyone at http://autumnraycreations.etsy.com

I would say the best thing about making jewelry is when a customer enjoys a piece as much as I do. It truly is hard to part with my one of a kind creations, but I get so excited when I hear from customers who are so pleased with their new wearable art pieces.

My number one concern is creating quality original designs and giving memorable service.

Many of my ideas come from my adventures within the United States, I thought I should discover my own backyard before traveling abroad. Most of my inspirations come from mother Earth herself. Colors from the amazing Sequoia's to the breath taking sunsets.

The blue lakes, snow covered purple hills and all of this magnificent creation. Now to combine all this beauty into something that each one of us can possess. That can be worn on your own magnificent body. To have with you always and of such quality that it can be handed down to your loved ones for generations to come. It is my sincere desire that you delight in each of my loving handcrafted pieces, and that they find a place in your heart for generations to come.

Check back to see what I'm up to in this adventurous world!

Sending you many warm hugs,

Autumn Ray

Autumn Ray Creations

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Growing Up Without A Cellphone

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