Techno Pooped

I owe a lot to the advancements in technology that have taken place during my lifetime. And I'm grateful.

Old faithful (public domain photo)

Truly, I am.

When I started out, I was tickling the keys of a Selectric typewriter, making copies on a machine that printed on rolls of stinky paper and answering phones using a switchboard.

As my work life progressed, I learned to code spreadsheets on a word processor, operate a personal computer, design small jobs using Quark (with a lot of help from Chris and Kim), build a site map for the first website my company ever had, populate that website with content, write copy for emails, help coordinate email scheduling and production, write a gazillion product descriptions and web pages, then supervise others who did. Thanks to Axel, I learned how to convert video tapes to DVD and MP4 formats. And now I create SEO content for web pages and blog articles. 

That's a lot of technological advances in a relatively short time. 

Over the past two weeks, we replaced our 10 (maybe 15?)-year-old phones and bought a new (used) computer for Mr. Ginley. And, I have to admit, there's been a whole lot of cursing going on. 

Alas, the genie has left the bottle, and there's no going back to life as our parents knew it. Still, I find that I'm scrolling Facebook less and less. I tend to get DVDs from the library rather than trying to stream programs or watch TV. I enjoy reading. And I'm doing jigsaw puzzles again. 

In other words, I'm scaling back on my own, not because I'm forced to, but because I'm a little exhausted by life in the techno lane.

Mr. Ginley is forever telling me to slow down, and I know he's right. I'm trying, I really am. Can this Type A personality kick it down a notch or two and cruise?

Time will tell, I suppose.

In the meantime, will someone please tell me how to stop getting Gmail notifications on my phone?

Handle Me With Care

May 7, 1988 was a big day for the Ginleys. We tied the knot on that auspicious date. What we didn't know at the time was on that very same day, the Traveling Wilburys were born.

At the library recently, I took out The True History of the Traveling Wilburys, a 3-disc set that included a documentary about the forming of the band. Although I'm a big Beatles fan – be they together or apart – I hadn't seen this documentary before. And it was definitely worth a watch.

For those who aren't familiar with The Traveling Wilburys, it was initiated by George Harrison, whose original intention was to noodle around with his mates and create a song for the B-side of one of his solo tunes. It went so well, he suggested the group put an album together. 

The members of the original Wilburys were:

Nelson Wilbury: George Harrison

Otis Wilbury: Jeff Lynne

Lefty Wilbury: Roy Orbison

Charlie T. Jr.: Tom Petty

Lucky Wilbury: Bob Dylan

Plus Buster Sidebury (Jim Keltner, session drummer)

Having watched the making of Let It Be, it was interesting how similar the Wilburys documentary was, although at 25 minutes, it was far more succinct than the Beatles' extravaganza. 

The upshot of the Wilburys biopic was, a bunch of very talented musicians (aka rock legends) got together to write and record some amazing tunes at Dave Stewart's* house. The album was recorded over the course of six weeks. 

Watching the film, there's no sense of friction at all, no clashing egos. Just a bunch of guys getting together to create music. There's Roy Orbison, strumming away in the corner, creating You're Not Alone. When he and his golden throat got behind the microphone, I felt the tears coming. Orbison had a heart attack and passed away just six weeks after the album's release. 

A second Traveling Wilburys album came followed two years later. The Wilburys changed personas:

Spike: George Harrison

Clayton: Jeff Lynne

Muddy: Tom Petty

Boo:  Bob Dylan

Only two of the remaining members remain. George Harrison died in 2001 and Tom Petty in 2017. 

The likes of the Wilburys will never be seen again. 

If you're interested, you can watch the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUQ_gj-biIc

*If you're like me, you didn't know that Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics) provided the setting for the original Wilbury recordings. George was living at Stewart's house in Encino, California at the time, and it had a small recording studio the band used to capture their music.

Her Majesty (Was) a Pretty Nice Girl

My mom used to enjoy drawing parallels between her life and that of England's Queen Elizabeth.

No, my mother didn't put on airs or wear a crown around the house as she did the laundry. But they were contemporaries, and I think in some fundamental ways, Mom related to QE2.

First off, they were born the same year. They'd come through the other side after World War II, got married to the loves of their lives less than one year apart and had a number of heirs. Mom won on that score, out-heiring the Queen by two. 

The Queen's offspring did come close in age to me and some of my siblings.  Charles was born in 1948, Anne in 1950, Andrew in 1960 and Edward in 1964. 

The Queen bested Mom in the end, outlasting her by living to the ripe age of 96. And she did it with all her wits about her, which is huge. My mother wasn't so fortunate.

I have this weird picture in my head of Mom welcoming Lilibet to the party, giving her a big hug. It just seems like something she would do. 

"Come over here and have a piece of cake and a cup of tea. You're going to love it here."

Rest well, ladies. You've earned it.

Photo of Queen Elizabeth is in the public domain.

Not the Vlasic Kind

This morning's newsletter from the New York Times focused on pickleball.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons*

Unlike the author of the article, we never played pickleball in school, so I had no idea what it was all about, other than the fact that I've seen some Facebook posts recently about people who were playing it.

If you, like me, have been curious as to all the hullabaloo about this new sensation, read on. 

Pickleball is defined as a cross between badminton, tennis and ping pong. Like many popular sports, it can be played by young and old alike, but experienced players have discovered secret squirrel strategies that they employ to best their opponents.

You can enjoy this sport indoors or outdoors on a pickleball court, which is the same size as a badminton court but with a different net. The tools of the trade include a paddle that looks like the kind you play ping pong with and a plastic whiffle-like ball. As with tennis, you can play singles or doubles.

I was surprised (as you may well be, too) to discover that pickleball has been around since 1965. Not surprisingly, it was created by three dads in Seattle who were trying to entertain their bored offspring. (I suppose this would account for the ping pong paddle and whiffle ball used in play.) Pickleball is touted as a popular sport in the US and Canada, although it's apparently gaining traction in European and Asian countries, too.

Another fun fact...a person who plays pickleball is called a pickler. In fact there is a whole special vocabulary for picklers. 

When I told Mr. Ginley what I was writing about, he asked why. "Who wants to run around with a raquet whacking gherkins? he inquired, then added, "Don't get any ideas. I'm not playing f-ing pickleball. It's for old people." 

As for Mr. Ginley, I imagine the only pickling he is interested in involves a brew or two as he watches the Ohio State game this evening. 

*Photo credit: TheVillagesFL, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons