Say Cheese!

Is it just me? Or has anyone else noticed how much time we devote to “photography” these days?

Our society seems to be preoccupied with capturing every moment of our lives in some sort of freeze frame...digital, video, jpg, img. and whatever else is out there. We record it all.

So when exactly did every move we make become so memorable?

When I was growing up picture taking was a more sacred event. First there had to be some sort of occasion. Birthday, prom, wedding, vacation etc. Then there was the set up.

Batteries... check, flashbulbs....check, hair combed...check. Okay, everyone in place? Don’t move,

“Say Cheese”!

This whole procedure was followed by the essential “do over”. So that when the pictures were finally developed, we had a choice between the lesser of two evils.

Fast forward to the 21st century...

Today’s technology gives picture taking a whole new meaning. As easily as we can pick up a phone, we can take a picture.

At the mall?...take a picture, at a bar? ....take a picture. You know where I am going with this.

And as a result of this technology, even the most inept can produce a good photo.

Click, view, delete.... repeat until image has reached desired affect. Anyone can do it!

Add “editing” capabilities and we are all experts!

Yes, preserving “great moments” these days is a snap! And with this new hi tech intervention, these great moments can seem even better than they actually were! For example.....

Didn’t Uncle Harold have a cigarette in his hand in this shot? (must have brushed it out) And didn’t cousin Cindy have on pants 2 sizes too small? (must have cropped them off) And thank goodness someone had the decency to delete the shot altogether of Aunt Joyce getting frisky with that waiter!!

But technology does have a downside. It’s called the Internet. Because once you are snapped, you are “out there”.... to infinity and beyond. You can be unwillingly captured by a digital camera, or cell phone, and within seconds be transported to the likes of You tube, facebook, or just about any other internet site before a whimper of protest can escape your throat. Technology shows no mercy.

I’m not complaining. Not really. In fact this whole hi tech thing has really worked to my advantage. Only in this day and age does a grandparent have the capability to light up the “screens” of 20 of their closest friends with the latest images of their adorable grandchildren. And they in turn can retaliate, (I mean respond), in seconds with pictures of their own!

Something that bothers me though....Is posterity now at the mercy of technology?

Fewer photo albums are adorning our coffee tables. Refrigerators seem a little less decorative.

And what happens to all these images? Are they trapped in Cyber Space forever? It just seems cruel somehow.

Oh well. I guess we just have to chalk it up to progress! Can’t really dwell on how it was “back in the day”. Progress is a good thing, right?

Now if I can just find that little 2x3 black and white of me as a kid....

Great, here it is.

Ahh, now that’s a cute picture! Wait, what was that? Did I just hear a “click”?

Hey, not fair!....you could have at least have said, “Say Cheese" !

My Train of Thought is a Few Cars Short!

Okay, I just turned 60 and my memory is not what it used to be. Should I be worried? I know we all forget things sometimes. But lately “sometimes” is occupying more space than it should.

Forgetting names, birthdays and appointments is everyday stuff. We all do it. But when I am in my car driving down the road, and it takes me 15 seconds to remember where I am going....now that is not good.

Last week my husband explained to me (for the 10th time) how to upload a photo on our computer to another application. I really did think it was pretty straight forward, but when I went to do it today......I forgot!

Immediately I got down on my hands and knees and thanked God I am retired. If I can’t remember the smallest of tasks, how could I manage going to work everyday??

I have a system. I make a list. It is divided into two sections, the To Do side and the To Buy side. When I leave the house, I grab my list and go! When I need to refer to my list, I rummage through my purse to retrieve it.

After successfully finding the piece of familiar tablet paper, I realize it is last week’s list!

I start to panic. Did I mail back my movies? And did I really pay the house taxes??

So much for the list.

I’m told that as we get older our “long term” memory starts to kick in. But what if we don’t want it to?? I have spent half my adult life trying to forget some of the stupid things I have said and done in the past. How do we stop this? Can I trade it for something else? Let’s say “long term” memory for the ability to spell again? Now that would be useful!

Well, I have to trust that God knew what he was doing when he created the guidelines for memory. After all, how many of us women would have had a second child if we indeed had “total recall” of the first experience?

So, these days I am trying to accept living in ignorant bliss.

Hopefully, I will forget that I ever had a jawline or a waistline, and drive by the jogging park completely forgetting that is where I was headed!

And as long as I don’t forget where I hid the chocolate...... I can live with it!!