Nostalgia

Here’s a bit of nostalgia for you. Young people today live in a totally different reality from the one you and I had a few decades ago. It’s not their fault they can’t relate, or ours!
Jack


Hey Dad," one of my kids asked the other day, "What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?"

"We didn't have fast food when I was growing up," I informed him. "All the food was slow."

"C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?"

"It was a place called 'at home,'" I explained. "Grandma cooked every day and when Grandpa got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it."

By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table. But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it:


Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore Levis, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of the country or had a credit card. In their later years they had something called a revolving charge card. The card was good only at Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears AND Roebuck. Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.

My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly because we never had heard of soccer. I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow). We didn't have a television in our house until I was 11, but my grandparents had one before that. It was, of course, black and white, but they bought a piece of colored plastic to cover the screen. The top third was blue, like the sky, and the bottom third was green, like grass. The middle third was red. It was perfect for programs that had scenes of fire trucks riding across someone's lawn on a sunny day. Some people had a lens taped to the front of the TV to make the picture look larger.

I was 13 before I tasted my first pizza, it was called "pizza pie." When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It's still the best pizza I ever had.

We didn't have a car until I was 15. Before that, the only car in our family was my grandfather's Ford. He called it a "machine."



I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home. But milk was.

All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers. I delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which I got to keep 2 cents. I had to get up at 4 AM every morning. On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my customers. My favorite customers were the ones who gave me 50 cents and told me to keep the change. My least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.

Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies. Touching someone else's tongue with yours was called French kissing and they didn't do that in movies. I don't know what they did in French movies. French movies were dirty and we weren't allowed to see them.

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren.

Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.



Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?



MEMORIES from a friend:

My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to "sprinkle" clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.

This concludes the message I received today from a friend. I didn’t write any of it, but I certainly can relate to just about every line of it. Change is not of itself bad. But not all change is good either, is it?

I have a feeling that not too many of our grandchildren have ever actually used an iron…steam or otherwise. They will probably do ok without that experience.

Newer homes are being designed around the lifestyles of today’s families. There is no “dining room”, since most meals are taken in front of the TV. And driveways have to be wider to accommodate all the cars. Very few homes get by with just one TV, or even one computer. As for phones, soon everyone will have one blinking in their ear 24/7, maybe even implanted if we don’t soon come to our senses. And I just read a few weeks ago that BMW now has a car without a steering wheel. It is controlled by a joystick. So all the whiz kid game players will soon have a head start when it comes to driving skills. Scary thought, isn’t it?

Jack

Help Reduce Consumerism!!

(Whatever THAT means!)
Who can deny that those of us in North America tend to buy too much "stuff" we don't really need? Then we tire of it very quickly and go buy some more "stuff". George Carlin got a lot of laughs by pointing that out, but it is a sad situation really. Here's one very easy way you can help counter-balance this, and it is totally FREE. In your web browser type the words
freecycle network. Then join a group in your general area. I even found one in Victor Harbor, Australia (I have some friends there). Once you join, read the rules. Basically, everything you OFFER must be FREE. Before you can list something you WANT, you must OFFER something.
The site will be moderated. Instead of throwing away something you no longer want or need, offer it to someone else who might get some use out of it. It's very simple. I passed along a box of books and a few other items and I'm still looking for a few things we need, like an old (but working) sewing machine. Try it out. And then come back here and let us know what you think.

New Link - Try it out!

Here's a link to a handy wage calculator, and you can use it for US currency or UK. On the left side you can click on whether you want to enter an hourly wage to base your calculations on or calculate your take home pay based on an annual salary. Enter your filing status and deductions and you can quickly see a good estimate of what taxes you will have withheld and what your daily, weekly, monthly take home will be. I have added this link to the "favorite links" at the bottom of the blog so you can come back and use it any time. Let me know if you have other links we might all find useful.

http://us.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/hourly.php

Your Input?

It costs nothing, but it can be very worthwhile to a lot of people you may never meet. Often people push and shove to give their opinion even when no one really wants it. Others are quick to give an opinion about things they have very little knowledge of. But right here, right now is your chance to give your opinion about the articles posted here, to people who want to know what YOU think. I hope that my articles hit on a topic or two that might be helpful to you, and adding your personal experiences, whether in support of what I've written or to correct some lack on my part, is very welcome. You may have noticed that I'm not selling any products, thought the site is supported by ads. I have nothing to sell. But I check reports that indicate just how many visitors have been here, and I am always amazed that so many people can have so little to say. I've been told that only a very tiny percentage of folks who read a blog will ever bother to make a comment. Maybe that's a good thing. I can't say. For myself, the only way I know that you like what you read, and maybe even benefit from the information in some way, is if you just say so. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, what you want to know more about, or what YOU know from your personal experience. This was not intended as my soapbox, but as a forum for ideas that might benefit all of us as we work our way thru issues that are common to baby boomers. You might save someone else from the mistakes you have already discovered, or avoid problems you already have successfully dealt with. Maybe you can just offer a word of encouragement, or a bit of preventative medicine. Share this blog address with friends and family. There are many articles here and surely something will hit their funny bone or spark some interest. So please, take a minute and either drop me an e-mail (just hit the button provided all the way at the bottom of the last page) or enter a comment here. I KNOW you are out there!! I can hear you breathing.

Older, but not necessarily wiser

Just because we have logged a few miles, that's no guarantee of wisdom. We should avoid a superior attitude and a condescending approach to young people. In fact, once in awhile a really bright one comes along.

There was a young man who wanted very much to enter a particular university. The interviewer, an older man, for some reason took pride in how tough he was, and how few managed to get past him. Well, the young man had passed the GED and SAT tests and his scores were impressive, but the old man was determined to show him how little he really knew.
"Young man, you have done quite well, but now I want to give you a very important choice. You choose whether I shall ask you one very difficult question to conclude this interview, or ten fairly easy questions." The young man's future hinged on his decision. "I'd like you to ask me just one very hard question, sir." "Aha!", thought the old man, "I've got him cornered now!"

"Ok, young man. Which comes first, DAY or NIGHT?" The lad thought about it for a few minutes and then confidently replied "Day comes first." "How do you know that?" shouted the old man. "Oh no, sir!" the lad said with a small smile. "You said you would ask only ONE hard question!"

There is a lesson somewhere in that.

Soy Protein or Whey Protein?

So much research is being done about protein supplement shakes, especially since so many diet and weight loss books advocate it. Hard to be sure just which is better. And whether one is better for men and the other for women. The "experts" can't seem to agree totally, but I'm beginning to think that if you follow almost any of the information far enough, someone is making a buck or two off of whatever they have written. In one sense, soy protein might be better for men AND women, but then you come across someone who says just the opposite. My opinion, having considered a ton of writing on the subject, is use either one, unless you have a lactose intolerance. Just use it in moderation, like everything else. Too much protein is very hard on the kidneys and liver. If you are using either one for weight loss, add a healthy dose of exercise to it, or you will be disappointed with whichever one you choose. If you are using protein shakes as a supplement to food sources of protein in order to GAIN weight and build muscle mass, don't overdo it. All the hype is just that, hype!

Well? How Am I Supposed To Lose It?

Funny how at that "certain age" we wake up, look in the mirror and say "How did this happen?" The wrinkles come on very slowly, so we don't really notice. The pounds and inches seem to add up at an even slower pace for many of us. But now you've taken a good hard look in the mirror and you want to finally DO something about the extra pounds. First, if you believe nothing else you read today, especially from this site, believe this: effort and commitment are required. If you think otherwise, stop reading here please. Go browze thru some of my other articles. I hope you will find something there you like. For those of you who are still reading, I'd like to share a few little tips with you. With just a little regular effort, and with little positive changes, and with a little daily commitment to improve your health, you can easily lose ten pounds this month. And by the way, I don't play April Fools jokes. Now you might be thinking, "Ten pounds is hardly worth it. I need to lose fifty pounds!" Well, by the end of August you could be there, but not if you keep making excuses. Just start. NOW!
First, if you are in otherwise good health, you should still consult your medical practitioner before you make any changes in your diet or exercise level. I am not a doctor of anything, and I do not give health advice. I am just passing along some information.
Here are just a few tips. You may have heard them all before. If so, then apparently you didn't put them to good use, or you wouldn't be reading about losing weight, right?
1. NEVER skip breakfast. Ideally, eat a little solid protein in the morning. Leftover skinless chicken or fish, or maybe some peanut butter. Missing breakfast triggers a survival response in your system. You don't want that.
2. Do not connect weight loss with diet. With eating habits, yes. Diets, NO.
3. Do not assume you have to spend money to lose weight.
4. If you are able to walk to the end of your street, go NOW. If it is raining, take an umbrella.
Don't make excuses. If it is not safe to walk in your neighborhood, make a guess about how long it would take to walk to the end of your street, and walk around your house or apartment for that long. If you have some stairs, use them too. If you walk only five minutes today, GREAT!
Tomorrow, walk at least that far or that long again. Eventually you want to increase both the time and the distance walked. Set a goal in 30 days of 30 minutes a day. If you simply cannot do that, keep at it until you can. You can walk in place in your bathroom for 30 minutes if you can't do anything else.
5. Shake up your eating habits. Learn to like fresh fruit. Skip the bagel and cream cheese in the morning and eat a banana or a few strawberries. Eat them very slowly. Enjoy.
6. Do not drink water or anything else with your meals. Wait at least an hour after eating to drink. Never eat anything until at least 1/2 hour has passed after you have anything to drink.
7. If you doctor approves, pick one day each week to eat solid protein and drink extra water. No carbs. A little chicken in the morning, maybe some fish for lunch. You get the idea. No veggies, no pasta. Just protein and water. You will need extra water.
8. Two days each week plan at least six small meals. SMALL meals. 1/2 portions. Consider a portion to be about the size of your palm. 1/2 portion of pasta or potato or rice, 1/2 portion of veggies, 1/2 portion of lean meat. Use seasonings to make it tasty and interesting. Chew slowly.
Do not snack between meals. Plan your meal times so that your last meal of the day is at least three hours before bedtime.
9. Never allow yourself to go hungry. That sends the wrong signals to your body to start storing fat.
10. Weigh yourself no more than once a week.
11. Whether you like it or not, lean muscle burns calories, fat does not. Weight bearing exercise is essential for maintenance of healthy bone structure and density, and you don't have to be a body builder. Just use fairly light weights if you like, but use them to increase the intensity of your walks, and to tone your muscles while you are watching TV.
12. Make the TV your timekeeper. Each time a commercial break comes up, do one set of some type of exercise, and walk around the room or around the house until the commercials are over. Do this at least three evenings each week. You will find that the later into a program or movie, the longer the commercial breaks get. You aren't interested in them anyway, so why not invest the time in your health?

Well, that's an even dozen ideas. There are many more. If you would like to share some here, let me know. The fact is, you can take control of your weight with just a little discipline, and small changes in your daily habits. Too often, we see a little hill and convince ourselves it is a mountain. Don't defeat yourself. And maybe one evening a week, treat yourself to something you've been craving all week. Have a small bowl of ice cream or a piece of pie. Good eating habits the other 167.5 hours or so every week should earn you a little reward!