madshutterbug | (no subject)

I am feeling curmudgeonly today. So much so that I don't care if that isn't a word.

Yesterday I took Herself over to Super Wally World. She likes to go, and specifically wanted to look for a kitchen ~~toy~~ tool. Mary Kitty is so old she is mostly toothless; perhaps one tooth in there. I don't go prying. So she eats the soft food. However, she's also somewhat picky about some of the soft food she's offered; that's mostly shredded things, chunky things. Herself wanted a small food processor, so she can try pureeing those particular types to see if Mary will then eat them.

I'm willing to buy Herself kitchen ~~toys~~ tools. In the long run, good always comes of this. And I like Mary Kitty. We've known her her whole life, she's only lived with us the past year or two. She seems to like living in the country which isn't as big a leap as it sounds. Houdini may call where Mary Kitty lived the Big City, but Houdini hasn't seen a true Big City. Where Mary lived is a lot more like Suburbia, fairly high-scale suburbia as the lots are all fairly large.

So off we went, anyway, to the Super Wally World in C-land. There we found the small food processor. We also priced microwave ovens, as the one I bought her (what, two years ago?) is Non Compos Mentos at the moment. Herself says she wants to see if she can find an appliance place to work on it. Based on prices for microwaves observed yesterday? It's probably a throw-away. Disposable.

Lately, I've been wondering about the little point and shoot Nikon digital we use. Mind you, in the two years we've owned it, we've made a lot of photographs with it. Still, it's acted up a couple times recently which is attention getting. Cleaned it up at that point, all external (nothing much internal to get at on this thing) and it seems to of ceased demonstrating the odd behaviors. Still, I got curious.

Besides, there's a sideline reason to get curious about cameras. Some of y'all have met

popperaussie. Most of y'all who've met him interact with him pretty much the same as all of his cohort. Which is good, and fun, and in one sense much like a live, interactive puppet show these days. One of the characteristics of

popperaussie is, he's a photographer. On multiple occasions he's even been fitted out with an old 35mm point-and-shoot I've got about. In the catagory of 'toy camera' for those to whom that matters.

Turns out, there are digital cameras in a price range I'd consider spending for this particular 'art' concept, photos taken from

popperaussie's point of view. Which means, truly, that if I were to take that Nikon point-and-shoot in for servicing (even routine cleaning type servicing), I'll likely be laughed at. Disposable.

Disposable.

I'm showing my age. Mind you, even as a kid, I knew things wore out and needed to be replaced. But part of that process included doing repairs to lots of things. Ovens. Washing machines and dryers. Telephones... no, actually, telephones didn't wear out. Ma Bell was Ma Bell, and Ma Bell didn't make money from selling you telephones (they technically belonged to Ma Bell) so they Just. Didn't. Wear. Out.

Now... every damn thing wears out. Soon. Yup, we've become the Consumer Society, and everything is Disposable.

Seems to me, that attitude's flowing over onto a lot of things other than just, well, Things. Flowing over into Relationships (divorce rate, anyone?). Jobs.

Maybe I'm feeling this way because I've got relatively little time to go before I can tell Hospital, 'It's been grand, but now pay me not to come here anymore.' Maybe I'm just tired.

But whatever the reason, I'm feeling curmudgeonly and so I might or might not do that meme I got tagged about. After all, everythings disposable.

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Yep. Baby, if you're showing your age then so am I. Got a new microwave about a year ago. Fairly high end model, with the programmed cook times and all that noise. And of course a built in turntable. Replaced a microwave I got in 1985 which still worked. It just was a bit anemic. Took forever (meaning 3 or 4 minutes) to boil a cup of water for coffee. Popcorn tended to scorch before all the kernels popped. But it still worked, so it was hard for me to replace it. But I did. Now the new one's turntable is already starting to squeak.

My old washer just died - I'd given it to someone else when the roomie moved in, since she had a newer one, with more bells and whistles. Old washer was over 20 years old. Cost more in parts to replace it than it was worth. But the repairman took it and was going to work on it to use as a teaching project at the junior college where he teaches appliance repair - because it's so solidly built and straightforward.

I think the rate of technological change is part of it. Everyone wants the latest thing. Look at the ridiculous fuss over iPhones. Want to bet the price drops 30 to 40% in the next year? Why make things to last when they'll be obselete in 3 years?

I'm like you. I wonder if this disposable culture is bleeding over onto relationships. I can't tell you how many times I was "encouraged" to trade Charlie in for a newer model, with all working parts. The idea that "in sickness and in health" means exactly what it says? Totally foreign to them.

The idea that "in sickness and in health" means exactly what it says? Totally foreign to them.

*sigh* I know a couple of people whose health took a sudden turn for the kinda-scary and their spouses suddenly felt the need to be elsewhere. It's a stupid and rotten way to behave. (But it's a plot twist in some pretty old novels, so I don't think it's entirely driven by technology...)

Hi, Lolleeroberts! Nice to meet you. And I love the idea that your old washer is now a teaching project.