Michael's Musings

May 18, 2011

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.
 
The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."
 
The clerk responded, "That's our problem today.  The former  generation did not care enough to save our environment."
 
He was right.  That generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store.  The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled,  so it could use the same bottles over and over.

So, they really were recycled.
 
But they didn't have the green thing back in that customer's day.
 
In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building.  They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.
 
But she was right.  They didn't have the green thing in her day.
 
Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind.  They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.  Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right.  They didn't have the green thing back in her day.
 
Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the  house - not a TV in every room.  And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana.

In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you.

When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
 
Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power.

They exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
 
But she's right.  They didn't have the green thing back then.
 
They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water.

They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
 
But they didn't have the green thing back then.
 
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service.

They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.  And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out  in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
 
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

You have a creative day.

Michael

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May 17, 2011

Yesterday, I received the final layout proof from the publisher for my forthcoming book, DRACULA MEETS JACK THE RIPPER And Other Revisionist Histories.

Sandy and I will both copy edit it over the next several days while awaiting to see the book's cover. 

I've also been sending out flyers for The Hollywood Legends plays to virtually every theater in the country.  I've found a website that lists the theaters by state, so I'm taking it one state at a time.  Slow process.

Now, here's a joke I was sent:

A woman went to the doctor's office where she was seen by one of the younger doctors.

After about four minutes in the examination room, she burst out  screaming as she ran down the hall.

An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him her story.

After listening, he had her sit down and relax in another room.

The older doctor marched down the hallway back to where the young doctor
was writing on his clipboard.

"What is the matter with you?!" the older doctor demanded.  "Mrs. Terry is 71 years old, has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?"

The younger doctor continued writing and without looking up said, "Does she still have the hiccups?"


You have a creative day.

Michael

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May 16, 2001

My cousin, Moses Druxman, has just been elected to the School Board in his home town of Azle, TX, which (I believe) is somewhere around Fort Worth.

He received 44% of the vote in a field of four.  His opponents included a businessman, a financial analyst and a former School Board member.

Yet, what's truly amazing about Moses is that he is 18-years-old and still in high school.

Moses is the grandson on my late first cousin, Cal,  and I'm not quite sure what degree of cousins that would make us.

I really have just become acquainted with him in the last two years after we moved to Texas.  He's a very impressive young man and I would not be a bit surprised if, in the next 20-25 years, he ran for a MAJOR national office.

Currently, I am awaiting delivery of the first proof on the typeset version of DRACULA MEETS JACK THE RIPPER And Other Revisionist Histories.  It was supposed to be here Friday, but the layout artist is down with a cold or something.

I shall keep you informed.

Have a creative day and I'll be back tomorrow.

Michael

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