My own personal Paleolithic

When I whip out my cell-phone these days, the expressions of horror on people's faces is almost too much to handle. They stare at it, with a mixture of awe and disgust, and they say, "What is that?" The question itself is silly; Alexander Graham Bell set up the first telephone exchange in 1878 and surely, even for late adopters, everyone must know what a telephone is by now, yes? However, my cell phone is a novelty, because it's a model from 1999 and (gasp!), I'm still using it!

Add to that that I don't own a digital camera (or heck, any camera at all), my stereo is over a decade old -- high school graduation present -- and my television is getting close to that age (21st birthday present). I do have a fairly nifty DVD player, but that's because of my brother, but my VCR is also from the last century. I still listen to tapes, I don't own an IPod or a scanner, nor do I have any intentions of getting either. I don't have a nifty plug-in hard drive, or 80 gazillion CDs. I still record on VHS because I don't have TIVO, nor do I have digital cable; only the networks play at Casa Seema. No high-speed internet either here -- I'm proud to say I've been on dial-up since 1991. Go me!

The thing is, the fact that I choose not to upgrade myself is a personal decision. Why spend $200 on a new phone when the one from the previous century still works? Seriously. Call me. You'll see that I'll pick up. The phone works great. I find that the Kodak disposable cameras coupled with SnapFish solves the digital camera problem (a problem I was actually unaware I had until someone informed me that I was so behind) and as for the high-speed internet, well, maybe it's the right choice for you, not for me. I'm happy for you, and you should be happy for me.

I think it's cool some people like to go out and buy new stuff and constantly upgrade. I like that they have that confidence and desire. I don't. I'm very much of the opinion if that it works fine, then there's no need to replace it. Also, if I've gone without for a while, I don't ever see the need. Except for the ironing board -- I went without for quite a while and finally, I had had it; push came to shove, the wrinkles weren't coming out, and I needed an ironing board like no one's business. I love me my IKEA ironing board, because I genuinely needed the board and I use it almost every morning.

I like to keep life simple and uncluttered. I don't want to be out there getting the latest Blackberry or worrying that my phone just isn't cool enough. So I download something 30 minutes slower than someone else -- heck, I was going to be online anyways for that amount of time, so what's the difference? So don't worry about me, sitting here typing away on a 'slow' connection. I'm doing just fine. As long as one has the basics, the Stone Age can be a very nice place to be.