Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Transistor Sister

Had a flashback, a memory of my little sister when she was perhaps twelve years of age.  So I wrote a little note to her.

Dear Ilene,
Having the MusicChoice tuned to classic country, as is my wont, the play cycle brought around Charly McClain’s “She’s Got a Radio Heart.”  And somehow whenever I hear this song, I picture you as a child on South Hackley Street.  It seems to me that at some point in your life you won a “transistor radio” from a local station.  Is this not true? Or is my memory really as faulty as I sometimes fear?  These thoughts, of course, led me through the technological progress of the dissemination of music to the young set of the distaff gender.  The transistor started it all, and it paralleled the “45” in the bedroom.  So time passes, and we have the tape players, and the accompanying “boom boxes” which were truly too bulky and unwieldy for the girls, so soon enough we saw the young males (gasp!) toting them around.
These soon enough, or at least eventually, gave way to the digital reproduction of music and miniaturization.  Voila! the MP3 and its ilk overtook us.  Or took us over.  And now.  And now we have the ubiquitous bastardization of all communications technologies, the “smart phone” with which not only is every young girl equipped, but with which everyone is equipped.  Except me, of course.
So did I dream this? I do know that I just woke up from a dozing eye-closed state.
It’s a noisy world!
Love you,
David

Thinking about this a bit more, I seem to recall that the "project" which won her the radio was to count the number of times the letter "e" appeared in a certain section of the local newspaper.  But again, a long time ago, in a land far away.

Ilene with her newest grandchild, and first granddaughter. ------>

Shortly after posting this, I received this response which indicates that my memory was only half faulty:

I did indeed win a transistor radio for writing Sunshine Bakers as many times as possible on a postcard.  I think the grand prize was something bigger, a record player or some such. But I won the radio with Dad's help. We worked hard on that post card, using a magnifying glass and sharpening the pencil over and over.  I have progressed through the various technological cycles and now have a smart phone. I like it almost as much as did my transistor, but the sentiment is not there. Ah sweet memories!
Much Love,

Ilene  


8 comments:

Vee said...

You do have space in your brain to store lots of information! I don't recall the transistor radio win.

You might consider getting an iPhone. I've found that it's nice to have something hanging around the house that is smarter than the average bear. A smart phone would challenge your thinking, keep you sharp, provide you with many opportunities to vent, and, best of all, you would look hip. What more could you possibly want?

Shelly said...

What a great invention transistor radios were, and what perseverance it took her to count all those e's to win one! I gave up a while back on keeping pace with techhnology.

Grace said...

I had a portable radio when I was 10, a transistor radio shortly after and of course our small, portable record players with a matching tote box for 45's...we had music wherever we went...pretty much like today, just a tad larger...I would love to have a smart phone but alas I have no need for one - perhaps I am sadder about the fact that I don't need one than the fact I don't have one...

vanilla said...

Vee, I have often noted that my mind holds a wealth of useless information. As for the smartphone:
1)challenge my thinking? It requires all the power my brain cells can generate simply to get me through the motions of survival; 2) Opportunities to vent? There exist sufficient holes in my head to keep the pressure down; and 3) look hip? Looking hip is possibly the very last ambition on my bucket list. Smartphone? No, thanks.

Shelly, I placed an addendum to the post after getting an email from Ilene this morning. Apparently the task was a bit more labor intensive than simply counting letters!

Grace, so well put: Sadder that you don't need one than that you don't have one. I completely understand that. Gee, if only I needed one!

Ilene said...

:) Thanks for reviving an old memory. Love you bro.

vanilla said...

Ilene, reviewing this memory was fun for me. I can picture Dad honing the point of that pencil with his ultra-sharp pocketknife! Love you too.

Sharkbytes said...

Since I've never needed portable music to drown out my preferred quiet state I do not relate. But I do have my Mr. Pid. (Mr. Stu Pid)

vanilla said...

Shark, I am sorta with you. About the only reason I need a radio in the car is so that the vehicle will be marketable when I go to sell it.