i was flipping through this article on the Top 25 Things Vanishing from America (thought it's parts one and two, so it ultimately comes out to the top fifty), and was thinking about the items listed. some i would miss if they really did become extinct, while others? meh. probably wouldn't even notice.
25. Pit Toilets - yeah, see, i am a BIG fan of indoor plumbing. (see also: girl who refuses to go camping. ever.)
24. Yellow Pages - i cannot even tell you the last time i used a phone book. i just look it up online.
23. Classified Ads - i don't know that i would miss them, per se. i didn't have much luck with them the last time i was job-hunting. seems everyone down here uses a temp agency these days.
22. Movie Rental Stores - now these i miss a little. i don't like to pay for a subscription fee for Netflix when i barely ever rent movies. usually i end up renting a movie on a whim--like when a baseball game gets rained out & there's nothing on tv.
21. Dial-up Internet Access - does *anyone* miss this?! it's been ten years since i went high-speed and i've never looked back.
20. Phone Landlines - i still have a landline. i actually don't like talking on my cell a whole lot. it's not terribly comfortable. plus, it's cheaper to have the cell plan i have and the landline that comes with my cable bundle with unlimited long distance than to make my cell plan unlimited.
19. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs - while i cannot say that i will personally miss them, it makes me sad that we've overfished them to the point where they could be gone. especially when i think how many of them likely go to waste.
18. VCRs - i still have a couple of movies on VCR tapes, but mostly all DVDs. i have a VCR/DVD combo so at whatever point it stops working, i will just replace the few tapes i have left. what really bugs me is that everything is going Blu-Ray now. i can't afford to keep replacing everything i own every five years for something that costs even more! and i have a lot of tv show series in DVD--not cheap!
17. Ash Trees - i would miss ash trees. we don't even have them here (i don't think) but my grandparents had one in their yard & i would be sad thinking they were all gone, forever. i can still clearly remember sifting through their bright yellow leaves at the bottom of the driveway while i waited for the school bus in the morning.
16. Ham Radio
15. The Swimming Hole
14. Answering Machines - while i do have a landline, i use the digital voicemail system that my service provider includes. one fewer thing to plug in is fine by me.
13. Cameras That Use Film - i am torn on this. i don't want one for myself, mostly because i like the immediate ability to see if the photo came out, and it's cheaper than developing a bunch of photos that didn't come out. (i'm also not one of those people who allows her photos to live on her camera indefinitely though. they're just too vulnerable there.) however, i love admiring the photos that others take with film cameras. they just have a different "feel" to them.
12. Incandescent Bulbs - i would miss them less if the new energy saver bulbs a) didn't take so long to actually come on and b) they didn't have such an obnoxious fluorescent glow. i like a softer, warmer light, and that just isn't as widely available in the newer bulbs--especially in the three-way bulbs which i like in my lamps. all in good time though, i'm sure!
11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys
10. The Milkman - i have to be honest. i didn't even know this was still a service being offered.
9. Hand-Written Letters - i really need to make a conscious effort to do my part in keeping this alive. there's just something about getting a real piece of mail that someone took the time to sit down & hand write, just for you.
8. Wild Horses - this makes me sad.
7. Personal Checks - not everything is available to be paid online. until it is, i would prefer to NOT have to pay for a money order, so i will be keeping my checks. (and balancing my checkbook by hand. you never know when having that information in black & white might prove useful!)
6. Drive-in Theaters - i have never been to a drive-in...
5. Mumps & Measles
4. Honey Bees - this is not good. not at all. i hope we can find a way to reverse this one.
3. News Magazines and TV News - the former, meh. the latter, despite the degree which they annoy me with their drama, i would miss being able to watch & listen to the news in the evening. sometimes a girl needs a break from reading all the live long day.
2. Analog TV - i've been a cable tv girl most of my life.
1. The Family Farm - i grew up on a family farm. no animals but plenty of fruits & vegetables in the garden & the orchard. i can't imagine small farms ceasing to exist. i wish i could find a good pick-your-own or truly *local* vegetable stand near me. around here, they all sell bananas which makes me distrustful of the source of all their produce.
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25. Professional Typists
24. Catholic Schools - since i am pretty sure they are including all parochial schools under the Catholic school umbrella here, i would absolutely miss them. i had a great education at a parochial school. i am sure people rethink paying a tuition when the public school option is free, but public schools get more scary by the minute. i liked having a small class in a safe environment. i would choose the same for my potential future children if at all possible.
23. Cash Registers That Make a Ka-Ching Sound - the last time i saw one of these was on It's A Wonderful Life (Get me! I'm givin' out wings!) but in a store? not even in my lifetime.
22. Wild Salmon - i refer you back to the one about the Blue Crabs.
21. Alleys - i don't frequent alleys. and i am ok with that.
20. Charcoal
19. Neighborhood Kids Who Will Do Odd Jobs - i think this is a combination of parents not feeling safe allowing their children to offer said service and the fact that kids seem to get lazier with each generation. both make me sad.
18. Trader Pits at the Stock Exchange
17. Cars With Manual Shifts - all cars should be automatic. i wish mine came with a chauffeur.
16. Homes Without Cable - i admire their resolve to be tv-free (which is pretty much your only option now that all tv signals have gone digital). i cannot make that commitment.
15. 401(k) Matches
14. Dental Coverage
13. Butcher Shops
12. Shade Tree Mechanics
11. No-Down-Payment Home Loans
10. 0% Balance Transfers
9. Customer Service - do not even get me started on this one. lack of customer service is one of my greatest pet peeves. to the point that i will choose a slightly more expensive service provider if they also offer good customer service. and yes, i do take the time to thank those providers for their good service whenever i have the opportunity. i also spread the word--in either case.
8. Known Toxins in Children's Products
7. Maple Syrup - NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
6. Sidewalks - i don't see them in the subdivisions but i do see them getting put in around town in various places! not having sidewalks would be a sad sad thing.
5. Fax Machines - i would not be sorry to see the one here at the office go. like, today.
4. Your Net Worth
3. 10 PM Drama on Network TV - speak for yourselves. i still have plenty of 10pm drama to keep my DVR working double-time! just because NBC made a regrettable mistake in that time slot doesn't mean all the networks jumped aboard!
2. The Daily Newspaper - i have only ever bought the Sunday paper. long as that one keeps going, there will be no complaints issued here. take it away, however...
1. Community Banks - my community bank appears just fine. in fact, i would think that with all the fallout associated with The Banks Too Big to Fail, the little banks have thrived. i know quite a few people who pulled out of The Big Banks & went small community bank. more secure, because they couldn't afford to make the mistake The Big Banks did, and *way* better customer service. in fact, if you don't use a small bank, i strongly urge you to check one out. i *love* my little bank.
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