Does anyone have change?

"I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone, baby it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two?"

I read online about the class of 2016 and what they have experienced and what they really know little or nothing about. They have probably never seen an airline ticket, lived without hundreds of networks on their TV, and for sure, they likely have never used a payphone. If they have, it’s because they lost their cell phone.

Roughly 20 years ago I got my first cell phone. In these days of smart phones dominating our everyday lives, back then these were not smart phones, they were portable talking pieces. They were also expensive if you talked too long to friends, family, and everyone in between; I remember a business associate of mine who took our company phone on the road. He used an 800 number thinking that because it was an 800 number there would be no charge. He was wrong---$200-plus wrong. Who was he talking to? His folks.

As I look around the train car I am in, I see iphone, ipads, and computers placed in hands, laps and attached to their ears. It’s the ones who are talking that are the most disturbing. I should have sat in the quiet car; kind of funny that we can no longer be social without disrupting people and taking them away from their electronics is now viewed as offensive. (I have overheard some great conversations---whether they wanted them heard or not.)

The word on the street is that Apple will soon be launching its latest version of the iphone. As people line up the days before they are unveiled, I will be looking on line to see what benefits they have in comparison with the model I have now. The difference between myself and the others who view this as a “must have”…I really don’t care as long as mine has an ability to talk, listen to music, take photos, record notes, go on the internet and provide directions and apps so I can pass the time. I need nothing more than all of these options---well unless it can make breakfast.

The photo above was taken a few years ago. I was really kind of amazed when I saw two payphones that still appeared to be in working order. Of course they were in pretty good shape as they stood waiting for someone to pick up a receiver and place a call;that moment didn’t arrive. Perhaps it’s because a call is now 50 cents---when I was a kid, and yes that was long before we had even a cordless phone, it was a dime. Now I know the reason why kids don’t use payphones, there’s no place to slide a debit card.

Thanks for stopping by.