Today's "When I Was Your Age, I Used to Walk Ten Miles to School in the Snow" Observation

Way before the days of the Internet, DVDs, and iPods, some of us used to dream about the latest and greatest in media technology - the portable t.v. For me, one of the lucky ones, this dream became a reality when I was able to stockpile enough of my babysitting money to purchase a Casio version of this fantastic device from our local showroom merchandise store, Foland's. My beloved Casio was black and white and had a 1 1/2 inch screen. The image transmitted was reflected in a little mirror when you flipped open the top of the t.v. It cost me $50. And I was proud. Oh so proud. What they didn't tell me is that the reception would be terrible, and nearly impossible when my family ventured sixteen hours in our GMC Safari from Michigan to Maine for vacation. I thought I would be able to kill one of those hours by watching "Days of Our Lives" on my new gadget. I was wrong. Oh so wrong. Jennifer and Frankie faded in and out of view. I would never know whether they would get together (okay, I would know - but I had to wait three weeks until we returned to our real t.v.).

I can tell you, however, that my little Casio (which I still own, btw) was useful in one, and only one, instance. On October 3, 1995, a number of my sorority sisters and I anxiously awaited the verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial. There was one problem: we had classes that day. Sure, a number simply skipped classes to hang out in the rec room and see this historic moment live. Not I. I carted my trusty Casio to English History and proudly announced to my class that I was equipped to tell them the verdict as soon as it was rendered. And true to my word, the trusty little Casio delivered. I intently listed to the scratchy audio, heard what I needed to, and clapped the t.v. shut. "Not Guilty," I announced to the class.

Sadly, an opportunity for such classroom glory would not exist today.