Sunday Stroke Survival: Confessions of a Former Techie

Jo Murphey
The Murphey Saga

Sunday, December 7, 2014

I was a techie. There I said it, but notice the first four words in the picture. If it was new tech, I had to get it. I got one of the first hard drive on my computer (2 meg). I was hot stuff in my computer programming classes. Everyone was so envious.

Car phones? I was the first one to get a bag phone with its own battery. Microwave ovens, 25 inch computer monitors, satellite radios, solar power panels, and the list goes on and on.

Then came the advent of cell phones. Not the big bulky ones but the small flip phones. Technology was growing so fast my pocketbook couldn't keep up. I refused to buy a tiny, blasted flip phone. Why? Because Momma/Grandma like to be out of touch sometimes. I liked it that way.

That was until I started traveling hither and yon with my company and with my hubby to his various doctors all over the country. I still had teenage children at home that needed to be monitored. Also during this time, I swore for Christmas I was going to have the home phone surgically removed from their ears too. Yeah, it was a corded phone too. That way I could always find the receiver. I didn't buy a cordless one until they all were grown and left my house much to their dismay.


I finally broke down and bought a snazzy flip phone called a Razor in navy blue. My kids were jealous at the time. It was the hottest thing on the market at that time. But within six months another phone was the hottest. The turn around on tech these days is that as soon as you buy it, it's obsolete. Matter of fact when it finally broke after my stroke, they could not pull the data off it and transfer it to my new phone. I had to pay for texting so I rarely did it.

I had the choice when I bought my new cell phone of getting a Smart phone or one like I had for free with an extension of my contract. I chose the flip phone like I had before. I didn't need access to the internet. That's why I have a router at home for with the computers.

Why? Because I was comfortable with my old phone. I really hate texting so the phone with a keyboard was of no interest to me. Don't get me wrong. I do send and receive text messages, but I hate them. Meanwhile, my children and grandchildren all have the latest touch Smart phones.

I watch them zip through this or that application or screen. Thumbs flying across a miniature keyboard and I go, "Huh?"

Now I'm for a simpler life. Who really needs all those bells and whistles to make a call? After all isn't that the original purpose of a phone? I'll continue to use my simple flip phone to take the occasional picture, or answer a text by pushing each of the 12 keys a certain number of times to get the right letter. If it ain't broke--don't fix it. And, I'm old or at least older. Texting gives a whole new meaning to reach out and touch someone.

Will I never get with the times and get a Smart phone? My momma use to say "never say never because one day you might." She's right. But just as soon as I buy a Smart phone wit its fancy keyboard for texting and aps, something newer and better will come on the market, and I'll still be hearing my grandchildren say, "Ah, come on Grandma. Get with the times." I still say telephones are for talking not texting. In the time I could type out a response to your question, I could call you with the answer.

Texting gives a whole new meaning to being all thumbs.

Nothing is impossible with determination...

but keeping up with the next new tech gadget might be.

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Sunday Stroke Survival: Confessions of a Former Techie

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The Murphey Saga