Miscellanea

There's nothing like cat poop to bring out the beauty in your car.

We took Jarue to the airport on Saturday, after a nice visit. Unfortunately, she returned home sick, having picked up an annoying and painful case of strep throat. Cristina went with her to her gate, so I dropped them off and drove home and waited for Cristina's call (we live just 5-10 minutes from the airport). When I was leaving to pick up Cristina about an hour later, one of our cats, Ling Ling, walked up to me, meowing, as I got in the car. She isn't usually quite that verbal, so figuring that she was feeling unusally friendly, I patted my lap and invited her to go for a ride. She got in the car and we took off. Compared to Vivien, she enjoyed the ride. She looked out the window, she sat in my lap, and just before Cristina got in, she had curled up in the passenger seat.

On the way home, however, an all-too familiar smell came from the backseat. "Ling Ling, that better be gas," I said, but I was pretty sure it wasn't. When we got home, I saw that she had pooped on the floorboard.

If you remember, faithful blog readers, Ling Ling is the one who pooped in her carrier the first time I went to the low-cost animal clinic. She doesn't seem nervous, but I think riding in cars may just give her the runs.

In my Subaru, the floors are covered with carpet remnants to protect the original upholstery (a practice I'd recommend to anyone with young kids) so it wasn't that big of a deal. I just pulled out the carpet and hosed off the poop. But in doing so, I took the opportunity to vacuum out my car, something I hadn't done in years.

It's amazing how nice the car looks now. For those misguided souls who think I'm a neat-freak, a look in my car (before Saturday) would have quickly dispelled that myth.

Some of the things we pulled out from under the seats had been there since we lived in Florida. That's probably 5 years ago. Or more.

Cristina even went so far as to clean the dashboard and gearshift. I made the comment that it felt like a car again and I could imagine actually going somewhere as a family in this car now. I would not be embarrassed to give someone a ride.

Obsolescence

One of the best Twilight Zone episodes is called "The Obsolete Man." Set in a future totalitarian society where books have been banned, librarian Romney Wordsworth is put on trial for the crime of being obsolete. The concept of things becoming obsolete made me think about how things we used just a few years ago are now obsolete.

A few days ago, in writing to a friend I mentioned how Cristina and I are probably the last people in this country who still use a VCR. We don't watch movies with it anymore, but Cristina tapes her Oprah shows and watches them in the evenings. We haven't gone the DVR route yet, though I'd like to.

Here are some other things that are still around, but at least for us, have become obsolete.

Maps - Sure, we have them in our cars. But we rarely use them. Why mess with a big cumbersome piece of paper when you have a GPS? If my GPS broke or got stolen, I probably wouldn't even use a map then. If I was lost, I'd call someone who I knew was at a computer and have them guide me. I hold no nostalgia for maps.

Phone books - We have one. Jarue asked to use it and I had to blow the dust bunnies off of it. It's about 7 inches thick. I could probably find 10 phone numbers online in the time it took me to find one in that bohemoth.

Stationery sets - Sets of coordinated paper and envelopes? Puh-leeze. Who writes longhand letters anymore? Well, my aunt and uncle do. But we sure don't. Even if I mailed a letter to someone (like with an envelope and a stamp) I would more than likely type it and print it. And just because I choose to type letters or use email doesn' t mean the art of letter-writing has vanished. I still try to craft a well-written letter. I don't resort to "texting jargon" just because I'm typing. In fact, I probably write longer, more meaningful, carefully-constructed letters when I type than when I write longhand.

Pay phones - Have you noticed that these are harder and harder to come by? Why bother when almost everyone has a cell phone? A couple of years ago I ran out of gas on the way home and for some reason I did not have my cell phone with me. I had to walk about a mile to get to a gas station. There was not a pay phone along the way. There was one at the gas station, but I had a gas can in my car, so there was no point in calling anyone. Besides, the gas pump took my debit card, and the pay phone didn't. Since I rarely carry cash, the pay phone wouldn't have done me much good even if I'd wanted to use it.

What other things do you think have become obsolete? Mention them in a comment.

Comfort in Routines

I love lazy weekend mornings as much as anyone, but there is something satisfying about getting ready for work in the morning, everyone packing their lunch, and then heading off to school and work on time, hot cup of coffee in hand, fresh day ahead. I think part of it is the comfort in knowing that everyone is in a good place and happy with their school or job. And with the economy so bad, it's also comforting to have a job. But it's also got something to do with the feeling of productivity that comes from getting up early and getting showered and dressed.

Long sleepy mornings are nice, but they sometimes give the whole day a certain sluggishness. We all hate alarm clocks, but there is a bright side to starting your day with purpose.