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Writer’s Workshop — Overt Agism

Fandango3 Comments

For his Writer’s Workshop this week, John Holton gives us six writing prompts and we are tasked with choosing one of the prompts (or as many as we want) and writing a post that addresses that prompt (or those prompts). I am responding to three of the prompts this week:

  1. Write a post inspired by the word expire.
  2. Write a post in exactly nine (9) sentences.
  3. Write about when you learned to drive (or at least how old I was).

My driver’s license was about to expire, so I logged on to the Department of Motor Vehicles website to renew my license, as I have done ever since the DMV launched its website and began offering online renewals for driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations.

I typed in my name, address, and driver’s licence number, as I usually do, but the next screen that showed up shocked me.

It said that because of my age — 80 — I can no longer renew online and instead, have to go to the DMV in person, take the written “rules of the road” exam, a vision test, and a road test.

I wasn’t worried about the written test or the vision test, but taking an actual road test where I have to demonstrate that I can parallel park my car?

I haven’t taken a road test since I first got my driver’s license when I was 16 years old, 64 years ago!

This is an outrage!

It’s a blatant case of age discrimination, pure and simple.

I am calling my lawyer and telling him to sue the state DMV for overtly practicing agism.

After all, while my driver’s license is about to expire, I am not.


Badge by Patty, http://anothercookieplease.com

Image conjured using ideogram.ai.

WDP — Online Communications

Fandango5 Comments
Daily writing prompt
In what ways do you communicate online?
View all responses

We haven’t had a telephone landline in our home since around 2010. Instead, we rely on our smartphones. My iPhone is my all purpose communications device and I use it for almost all of my communications, online or otherwise. About the only time I don’t use online communications is when I’m speaking face-to-face with others.

When I want to reach out to someone, I use my iPhone’s Wi-Fi or cellular service to connect with them. When I want to find out what my adult kids are up to, I look at their Facebook and Instagram pages. When I want to talk with them about something, I text them or send them an email. That is their preference and it’s fine with me. Our family has shared online messaging via Slack and SMS messaging.

I bank online, pay my bills online. I use chat if I have a question about a product or service, as most sellers and service companies these days offer chat help functionality. I buy most of the things I need online at Amazon, eBay, and retailers with an online presents (i.e, pretty much all retailers), or directly from sellers. I even order most of my groceries online.

Most of my health care providers offer online video chat, so unless they need to examine this old body of mine in person, the majority of my communications with doctors is via text or online video calls. Of course, dentists and eye doctors are the exception.

And of course, there’s WordPress, where literally all communications between members of our community is online.

So, in what ways do I communicate online? In most cases, it’s via my iPhone, of course.

Writer’s Workshop — Facebook

Fandango13 Comments

For his Writer’s Workshop this week, John Holton gives us six writing prompts and we are tasked with choosing one of the prompts (or as many as we want) and writing a post that addresses that (or those) prompts. The prompt I chose this week is #1 — Write a post based on the word Facebook.

I don’t remember exactly when it was that my kids introduced me to Facebook. Maybe it was in 2005 or 2006, so in the grand scheme of things, not that long ago.

My son said, “Hey Dad, have you heard about Facebook? It’s the latest thing in Social Media.”

“What’s social media?” I asked.

“You’re such a luddite, Dad,” my daughter said. “It’s where people form online communities and share their lives and what they are up to with their friends and family. Facebook is far superior to MySpace.”

“MySpace?”

“Don’t you know anything about the online world?” my son asked.

I had to bite my tongue because I had spent my entire career developing proprietary online, real-time systems for large employers and health insurance companies. “I know a thing or two about online communities,” I said. “I’ve been blogging since 2005.”

“Blogs are so twentieth century,” my daughter said. “With Facebook you can check in at restaurants to let your friends know where you are.”

“And you can take photos with your smartphone of your meals and the people you’re with and post them so they can be tagged and everyone will know where you are, who you’re with, and what you ordered or bought or saw,” my son added.

“Why would I want to do that?” I asked. I’m a very private person. Even my blog is anonymous. I don’t want everyone up in my business.”

My son ultimately persuaded my wife and me to give him our smartphones so he could install the Facebook app on them. Then he “friended” us and invited us to friend him and our daughter.

After that, I started to get calls from my son complaining about what I was posting on Facebook. “Dad, take down that post you put up with a photo of us two kids and Mom in that small inflatable pool when we lived in New Jersey.”

“Why? It’s a cute photo.”

You’re embarrassing us.”

Or “Dad, remove that photo of the $300 grocery receipt from Whole Foods Market.”

“Why? I was shocked that a week’s worth of groceries cost more than $300. That’s why I posted it. I thought it was interesting.”

“You’re coming across like you’re bragging that you can afford to spend that much money for groceries. It’s just not appropriate.”

“You never told me about all if these unpublished Facebook rules,” I said.

Fast forward to today

I still have a Facebook account, but I never post anything to it. I only have it to see the photos that my kids post, including photos of my grandkids.


Badge by Patty,  http://anothercookieplease.com

More Than One-Liner Wednesday — Farting Around

Fandango7 Comments

I once told my wife I was going out to buy an envelope. “Oh,” she said, “Well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet?”

And so I pretend not to hear her. And went out to get an envelope because I’m going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And I’ll ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don’t know.

The moral of the story is, we’re here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And what the computer people don’t realize, or they don’t care, is we’re dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And it’s like we’re not supposed to dance at all anymore.

Kurt Vonnegut, American author known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels.

I apologize for breaking the prime directive of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt, but I came across this quote shortly after ordering a couple of items on Amazon yesterday and it struck me that Vonnegut was right, life is meant for enjoying and “farting around.” I’m going to try to remember this quote the next time I need to buy something. Maybe I’ll choose to go dancing instead of being overly consumed by technology and routine.

Written for Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt.

Writer’s Workshop — Online Obsession

Fandango8 Comments

For his Writer’s Workshop this week, John Holton gives us six writing prompts and we are tasked with choosing one of the prompts (or as many as we want) and writing a post that addresses that (or those) prompts. I chose two prompts for this week: (1) Write a post based on the word “shopping,” and (2) Write a post in exactly 10 sentences.

Photo credit: iStockphoto.com

I have an online shopping obsession
At a world of wonders for sale at a digital store
Just a click away I can find a galaxy of goodies
I can go on a shopping spree via a midnight flight
No driving and looking for a place to park my car
No crowded malls, no endless queues
A treasure trove at my fingertips, a dazzling sight
From my comfy chair in my living room
My cart is full, and with a single touch
A box arrives the next day with my new acquisitions


Badge by Patty,  http://anothercookieplease.com

Sunday Poser — Clicks or Bricks

Fandango10 Comments

For today’s Sunday Poser, Sadje wants to know:

What would entice you to buy something/anything online? Is online shopping your preferred way to buy things or do you want to buy things in person?

Other than groceries and prescription drugs, I buy everything online. Clothes, shoes, household goods, whatever. I don’t have to be enticed. It’s too convenient to resist.

Most online shopping apps offer free delivery. Most offer overnight or 2-3 day delivery. Most offer free and easy returns for almost any reason within 30 days. And all of this can be done from your own home at the tap of a finger or a click on the mouse.

So for most things I want or need to buy, why get in my car, drive to bricks and mortar store, look for a place to park my car, walk into store, hope to find what I’m looking for, walk back to my car schlepping my purchases in shopping bags, and drive back home?

Then, if it doesn’t fit when I try it on or it doesn’t work as expected, I have to get in my car and schlep it back to the store for a refund or an exchange. Fuhgeddaboudit.

It’s almost always clicks over bricks for me.

WDP — Online Communications

Fandango2 Comments
Bloganuary writing prompt
In what ways do you communicate online?
View all responses

My iPhone is the ultimate communications device and I use it for almost all of my online communications. When I want to each out to someone, I use my iPhone’s Wi-Fi or cellular service to connect with them. Nearly all of my communications are online. When I want to find out what my adult kids are up to, I look at their Facebook and Instagram pages. When I want to talk with them, I text them or send them an email. Our family has shared online messaging via Slack and SMS messaging.

I bank online, pay my bills online. I use chat if I have a question about a product or service, as many sellers these days offer chat help functionality. I buy most of the things I need online at Amazon or eBay or directly from sellers.

And of course, there’s WordPress, where literally all communications between members of our community is online.

About the only time I don’t use online communications is when I’m face-to-face with others.

So, in what ways do I communicate online? In most ways…via my iPhone, of course.

Truthful Tuesday — Online Vs Brick & Mortor

Fandango7 Comments

Frank, aka PCGuyIV, is our host for Truthful Tuesday. The idea behind this prompt is for us to respond to the question (or questions) Frank asks and to be 100% truthful in our responses. No glib answers, no funny business, no fibs. Just raw honesty.

This week, Frank is leveraging yesterday’s Share Your World prompt from Di at Pensitivity101, which was all about grocery shopping. Frank is asking about our more generalized shopping patterns. Frank wants to know…

Do you prefer shopping online or do you prefer to go to a store?

I definitely prefer shopping online to going to a store, except, as I said in my response to Di’s SYW prompt, when it comes to fresh, organic produce, meat, poultry, and seafood.

What is the reason for your preference, and is there anything that might change your mind?

Convenience. It’s easy to go to a website like Amazon, view a wide variety of product offerings, and make your purchase. Most items are delivered either the next day or the day after that. There’s usually no charge for shipping, and returns are simple.

I don’t have to get in the car and drive to a store (or stores) hoping to find what I want. I honestly can’t see a reason to change my preference for online shopping.

If you do shop online, are there things that you will only buy online?

If it’s available online, I will buy it online.

Are there things you will never buy online?

There’s very little that I can think of that I would never buy online. I buy clothing, shoes, underwear, and jackets online. I buy electronics and technology online (except for major appliances, which are relatively rare purchases). Frank also mentioned vehicles and real estate, and I agree that I would not purchase those exclusively online, but I don’t buy vehicles and real estate very often.

So as I said earlier, if I want or need something and it’s available online, I will buy it online.