This week it’s all about gadgets! I would like to know what gadgets you can’t live without and those you could get rid of. It doesn’t matter what part of your life or house they dwell in, whether it’s the kitchen, your desk, shed or any other place but what works well for you and what doesn’t?
I've never thought of myself as a gadgety kind of person, but this challenge got me thinking....
I was a hold out. I swore I would never own a cell phone. Who wants to be gettable 24 hours a day? I need my quiet time. I need time I know will not be disturbed.
Then I got a cell phone and discovered that I couldn't live without it.
I have a kid - one who is getting old enough to be home alone for short periods of time. He has the dogs and locks on the door and strict instructions to never answer the door when home alone. But he still gets scared sometimes and we both feel better knowing he can call me when he needs to.
I also use that phone to talk to my mom almost every day. I call her and we chat on my way to work. I can keep track of how she's doing, but really, on occasion, we have some very deep and personal conversations during that half-hour drive. We talked about what it felt like when I left home. Things that happened when she was growing up. Her frustrations. Her hopes. Sometimes, I think that if it weren't for the cell phone, we'd have never had these particular conversations. Hard to have face to face, but nearly impossible from home (kid, dogs, always something or someone wanting attention - especially when I'm on the phone) or at work when I should... well, be working.
I call to let the family know when I've left work and find out if here is anything I need to pick up on the way home.
It's invaluable on trips. I can call my regular numbers at no extra charge - even if I'm somewhere else. I can get directions if I'm lost. And the safety factor of having a cell phone handy is immeasurable.
I don't need my phone to be a computer or a camera (though apparently you can't buy one without the camera these days), but I do need it to be a phone. The phone I have fits my needs and I dread the day I need to turn it in or buy another one.
There are other gadgets I have that I love: Microwave oven, toaster oven, crock pot. This computer. My blood glucose monitor.
Gadgets I could live without? I don't have many of those (because I live without them), but the major one that comes to mind? My TV. I rarely watch TV anymore. I record one show, and various movies on occasion. I watch the weather channel - but that's about it. I could probably get by with my computer and a TV with a DVD hooked up to it so I could rent movies if I wanted to - but I spend most of my time doing other things. Reading. Cleaning. Painting. Walking. Cooking. Almost anything but watching TV (except on the rare day when I don't feel well - then I lie on the couch and watch TV because it's easy and requires little effort from me).
Go visit Wendishness and see what other participants can and can't live without.
16 comments:
I agree with you Sayre - I too cannot live without my cell phone. Whenever I leave the house without it (by mistake), I feel naked! Just as if I were to leave the house without my undies! The cell phone is a must have gadget!!
Hi Sayre, love your post.... HATE cell phones........ as I'm nearing 70 (from the other side) "doing" things is becoming less of an option, that said, I don't watch TV a lot its the thing of not being able to thats irks!!!
I can't stand any phones--just the ring upset the peace in my hermit home. I do understand about how easy they are for keeping in contact with those who depend on you. Talking with my sister is not as frustrating as on the regular phone for some reason.
Watching Netflix DVDs on the computer is a wonderful pastime. Need to borrow some of your energy though and do other things. Will you allow The Boy to have a cell phone?
I do like having a cell phone but mine is horrible, I just want a phone to be a phone so I can sms and call and be called, I can ignore the camera but I don't want all the online extras. Whatever happened to standard phones when life was simpler LOL. Though in your case, definitely handy with your kid at home etc..
thanks for playing...oh and I don't watch tv at all, that's something I could live without.
I agree with the cell phone giving you peace of mind when your out and about. I just had to switch cell phones and I am still trying to figure out the features...I can do without the camera part of it. Still prefer a land line...old school! Thanks for sharing Sayre and Happy FM
I absolutely HATE my cell phone but like you, have kids and need to be available if they need me.
I found out a while back that my microwave would be pretty hard to live without. I don't actually cook in it but it seems that someone is always reheating something. When the microwave broke I realized real fast that reheating a bowl of soup or a plate of food takes a lot longer and makes a bigger mess on the stove or in the oven.
It only took about a week after my microwave broke for me to realize how much I love it.
I still don't remember to take my phone with me. I started putting it in my jeans pocket -- and of course washed and ruined one.
I'm getting more attuned to it however. It is a requirement anymore, isn't it!
Your conversations with your mother is such sweet sorrow... I miss mine still.
my cell phone is a necessary evil. i also hate that you cant get them without cameras and all the other fancy stuff anymore. I just want to be able to talk when necessary!
I love my iPhone, but I do wish I could find a cell phone that was just a phone and didn't come with a dishwasher attached.
I rarely use my cell phone but always carry it. I bought a new one after my daughter said mine came from the ark(it did weighed a ton and was like a brick haha). The new one does have a camera and I was so glad to have it when my camera packed up when I was on holiday. It also takes videos so is very useful.
Yeah, I'm with you about that phone thing.
Except that I'm not really a phone talker, and I'm SO NOT a texter.
But I'm a compulsive worrier, so I have to have it "just in case".
I'm pathetic.
You ROCK!!
sometimes cellphones even safe lives. I don't need one which you can use as a vacuum cleaner a razor or a camera, I only need it as a phone. As simple as possible. Of course the camera is always in now, but I didn't use it so far, I always have my little camera with me anyway. And the microwave is one of the best inventions of the last years !!
Hey Sayre, did not get to play, was playing student, I think a cell phone is a life saver. I could not live without my ipod. I washed my first one and whined for so many days, my hubby bought me another. nice post.
grace
Call Ripleys, but I didn't get my first cell phone until 2 years ago at age 51! The first time it went off, I just sat there wondering whose phone that was. Now I have a ringtone to alert me. Still sooo slow at texting.
I don't like talking on the cell because there is a couple second delay, and I feel like I am always interrupting when I think there is a pause in the convo. Not a good thing when I am a poor listener already!
I love having a blue tooth connection in my car, tho -- for hands free talking! Amazing all the things these phones do nowadays -- who would have thought?
(If you like to read, I have a book blog, too -- Chapter Chit Chat)
How I miss those phone conversations with mom on my drive home from work.........cherish them.
cellphones are really important just to keep track of your loved ones. Like you, i cant live w/o my cellphone...
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