Flavors of the Day

A new day dawns ... during which I don't tweet, I don't twitter, I don't text.  I don't do Facebook.  I don't have a tablet or a kindle.  I don't have a BlackBerry, and I don't do Bluetooth or Blu-ray.  I don't have a smart phone or a smart meter for the electric company to instantly monitor my needs. I don't buy smart beef or smart hot dogs.  I don't even know what they are.  It's not that I'm against these things; I prefer the simple life.  There's too much to try and figure as it is.  Any mail with my name on it to shred, any account numbers, any old bills.  Passwords to remember where to look up, batteries to recharge, computer to defragment, old emails to clean up, internet history to delete.  (Yes, I do have a desktop computer plus a laptop for when I'm traveling. I also have a land line ... and a cell phone for emergencies.)

Then I'm supposed to quantify my satisfaction based on a one-to-five scale as to how well the service crew last changed my oil ... or how well the new compost program is doing ... or if I'd recommend my car dealership to anyone wanting to buy a new car.  Or how much pain I'm in on a scale of one to ten (that is, if I happen to be in pain).  Speaking of which:  we now have to follow increased medical red tape to satisfy their need for numbers: weight, blood pressure, code numbers, then see a doctor who keeps his/her eyes on the computer screen, not on you, as well as update your meds, re-read their privacy policy, and fill out yet another questionnaire determining just which insurance will pay for the visit.  Never-ending paper work to stick in your paper recyclables--as opposed to your approved-plastic and glass recyclables, your yucky non-recyclables (yellow bag if small, purple if large), and your specially purchased natural fiber "Bag to Earth" for food-waste composting.  

Since I'm starting to feel worn out, except for my book club, I pretty much stay away from regular commitments.  I don't want to find that I have to go out in inclement weather.  I no longer feel comfortable driving at night.  I also feel "I've done all that ... time to let others take over."  Every time I signed up for yoga, I then had to go see a chiropractor.  Whenever I joined a chorus, the music flooded my head later when I was trying to sleep.  Going to evening events, I could find myself out in the boonies (lots of boonies around here) having to get home in the dark.  (And now realizing there's not necessarily cell reception in the event of an emergency.)  It's much simpler staying home and reading a good book.

A good book because I watch very little TV.  Some Masterpiece Theatre but not all including the new Indian Summers.  (To my mind, filming it in Malaysia instead of India is like setting a Colorado story in Florida though that isn't why I'm not watching.)  The Great British Baking Show is fun, sappy, and sweet.  Of course, I'll finish out Downton Abbey.  Week-end C-SPAN is okay, especially their coverage of literary festivals and first-Sunday-of-the-month In Depth interviews.  Sometimes I watch a house renovation program with sledgehammers ripping out walls to create "an open concept," as they call it--an important feature these days so that the cook in the family isn't stuck off in the kitchen while the rest of the party is having a good time elsewhere. One program featured Tiny Houses--with the same square footage some people insist on having for their walk-in closets.  (I've also noticed a tendency for women, when viewing a potential house with a large walk-in closet, to turn to their husbands and say, "This is going to be my closet; I don't know where you're going to put your things."  Some are joking but some aren't.  Easy solution:  toss half the stuff.)

Finally, I also don't watch anything to do with the upcoming (still a year away!!) election.  You'd be surprised how soothing something like that can be.