Welcome to Modernity

Some times it is really nice to know I live in the post modern world where technology is constantly improving. But more often than not, I find that I am lagging behind. A few weeks ago we were in the midst of a big freeze and my daughter came to ask, "mommy, can we turn on the heater?" No. Then I looked in her eyes. Well, just this once. I turned my heater on. At first it was set at 60, but like a dictator starting a purge, it didn't take long for me to crank that sucker up to 70. There it stayed for 2 whole days. That's right. I even forgot to turn it off when we left the house. The thing about being cold is... freezing temperatures make it impossible to really do anything. I just want to curl up on the couch and huddle under a blanket. As much fun as that is at first, it does get old. You will be happy to know that I have now turned the heater OFF again. Its 70 degrees outside today.

Yes, in this time of modern American life we have machines that heat your house with a simple turn of the dial. Everyone is on to HDTVs, Blue Ray players, iPods and iPhones and I am still using the TV my friend bought when he was in college and the VCR my sister had in her bedroom when we were growing up. But sometimes, yes sometimes its nice to step out of the dark ages and join the rest of the American middle class. This weekend, I invited broadband internet service into my home. Its not that I dislike the internet in anyway, I am quite found of it as a matter of fact. Just knowing its out there makes me chuckle when I think about the old Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movie Desk Set. Still, until this last week I could not escape the fact that the internet does not come cheap, but I do. But then there is Alex and her school projects. And my sister with her friendly hints If you had internet you could look up the movie times yourself! If you had internet you could look up substitutes for buttermilk. If you had internet you could find your own directions. Okay. Point taken. Cyberspace is now mine!

So what's left? What more could I possibly need? Well, on Friday I learned how to sew with a machine. I know, its a lot to take in in just one weekend, but sometimes these progressive moments just start to snowball. I really do enjoy sewing. This Christmas I sewed quite a few things as part of my homemade gift challenge. It was all a lot of fun, but it was also extremely time consuming. If only there were a machine that could make it all go a bit faster. I never sat and watched my mother sew. I was born in the age of Chinese sweat shops and child labor. The cost of a ready made shirt is a fraction of the price of a yard of fabric. So with no experience with sewing machines and no one to show me, I did the only thing a clueless middle class person could. I asked my sister to get me an introductory lesson at the local sewing studio for Christmas. It was a good solid classes with a wonderful teacher and I have to say I learned a lot. I can't tread the machine blindfolded or sew in a straight line, but I know how to turn the thing on. The clutch purse I made had a lot of character, but Alex loved it anyway. It was a good first step in a new direction.