Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Slaves To Fashion
A teenager came into the hardware store yesterday asking if we sold lighters. I took him to the BBQ section where we have assorted BBQ lighters as well as a standard Bic lighter. He chose the Bic and as I followed him to the front desk, I observed his attire. He had on the classic baggy jean and oversized shirt. I don't know how they can walk in those things. When I rang up his sale and told him the amount due, he proceded to search through his pants pockets for money. He was practically reaching down to his ankles to find the bottom of his pockets. He dug and dug and dug some more until he finally came up with a few crumpled dollars bills mixed with other stuff he probably hadn't seen in days. He then said he guessed he no longer needed the lighter as he had finally found his matches.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Forgotten (almost) Sounds of the Past
Today at the hardware store one of the guys was putting together a push lawnmower. The old ones had a long wooden shaft with cross piece handle bars and blades that whirled when you pushed it. They were sometimes a pain in the neck if you didn't keep the blades well oiled or got a branch stuck in them, but oh what a sound! I loved that soft clicking whirl.
Another wonderful yet vanishing sound is from the engine of a vintage Volkswagen. It was so sad when the new Bug came out with a revamped engine that sounded just like every other car engine. Whenever I encounter a vintage bug on the road, I'll roll down my window to catch the sound.
Remember the old sensor hose at the gas station (service stations at the time)? When you ran over it with your car, a bell would ring alerting the attendent that you needed service. As a young girl I would go the the service station with my dad. He would always tell the attendent to give him ten gallons. As the attendent filled his tank, washed the windows, and offered to check under the hood, the gas pump would ding after each gallon. The attendent could just count the dings and needed only to go back to the pump after the 9th ring in order to cut off the flow at 10 gallons.
Another wonderful yet vanishing sound is from the engine of a vintage Volkswagen. It was so sad when the new Bug came out with a revamped engine that sounded just like every other car engine. Whenever I encounter a vintage bug on the road, I'll roll down my window to catch the sound.
Remember the old sensor hose at the gas station (service stations at the time)? When you ran over it with your car, a bell would ring alerting the attendent that you needed service. As a young girl I would go the the service station with my dad. He would always tell the attendent to give him ten gallons. As the attendent filled his tank, washed the windows, and offered to check under the hood, the gas pump would ding after each gallon. The attendent could just count the dings and needed only to go back to the pump after the 9th ring in order to cut off the flow at 10 gallons.
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