When Was The Last Time You...

[LizzieMaine]

Interesting responses! So many of the things I mentioned, my friend at work had only vague memories of doing, or had never done -- she's 25, and I'm not, and it was making me feel very elderly.

My answers to my own questions --

1. Watched Over-The-Air television?
About a year ago, when the cable company cut me off. Took me a couple months to get reconnected, and I was going thru terrible TCM withdrawal.

2. Used a Rotary Phone?
All the time -- I have two, one in the living room and one in my office.

3. Listened to AM radio?
Right now. For some reason the Sox game is blacked out tonight on by my cable system, so I'm listening on the local AM station and realizing just how bad the current announcers are.

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle?
Someone gave me a case of Coke in 6 1/2 ounce bottles about fifteen years ago, and I savored each one. It's the only soda I drink, and nobody around here sells it in glass anymore.

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key?
Opened a can of enchilada sauce with one while making supper tonight. Mine's a Ballantine Beer giveaway c. 1950, with a bottle popper on one end and a can puncher on the other.

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink?
When I was in the hospital in Canada three years ago, and was without any internet access for two weeks.

7. Received or sent a telegram?
I got one on my wedding day in 1988, congratulations from a friend. It was tossed across the desk by the hotel clerk in a desultory manner, and I was very disappointed that it wasn't brought to my room by a boy in a snappy uniform.

8. Figured your bank balance without a calculator?
Um, never, actually. My secret shame is that I'm functionally illiterate when it comes to math. I can add and subtract -- slowly and laboriously, like a third grader -- but I don't trust the results.

9. Wound a clock?
Every night before bed -- I've been using a Baby Ben since I was 10.

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop?
Summer, 1985, on a trip to Montreal. I used to use a box Brownie with 120 film, but the drugstore where I was getting it developed closed, and I had to give it up. Somewhere around here I've still got the last roll of film I shot, and I have no idea what's on it.

11. Used a typewriter?
The last day I worked in radio, September 11, 1997. It was mine -- a Royal upright -- and I took it with me when I left. I've used it occasionally since then, but that was the last time I used it as a regular daily thing.

12. Connected phone handset to modem?
I never did this -- although I knew a guy back in the '80s who tried very hard to impress me by demonstrating how it's done.

13. Taken more than three flights of stairs?
Last week when I went to the doctor for my annual checkup -- I ran three flights up the stairs just to prove I was following his advice to exercise.

14. Made something from scratch?
Last week -- made a custard pie! And ate the whole thing. My doctor wasn't happy with me for that...

 

[LizzieMaine]

13. Watched a film on a reel (real) projector?

7th grade.

Hey, I do this for a living!

 

[panamag8or]

http://www.retro-gram.com/

I love these!

That is kinda cool. I bet I could make something like that on my computer.

 

[Kimberly]

When Was The Last Time You....

1. Watched Over-The-Air television?

I can't remember

2. Used a Rotary Phone?

Two days ago. I own one.

3. Listened to AM radio?

Today, I listen to WBZ while driving into work

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle?
I can't remember. I don't drink soda that often

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key?
Never

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink?
Never

7. Received or sent a telegram?
Never

8. Figured your bank balance without a calculator?
Last Week. I use Excel so much that sometimes I like to do math the old fashioned way.

9. Wound a clock?
Last Month

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop?
Two years ago.

11. Used a typewriter?
Last year at work

12. Connected phone handset to modem?
Early 90's when Bulletin boards were popular

13. Taken more than three flights of stairs?
Two weeks ago. The elevators at work were down

14. Made something from scratch?
This past Sunday

 

[pigeon toe]

That would be Galco's Soda Pop Stop in Highland Park......

and thats not really all -that- ghetto of an area.....there is way way worse in South LA

It's not a store, just a bunch of stands in a parking lot in a residential/industrial area, so I don't think we are talking about the same place. But maybe? The pupusas are AMAZING where we go.

But yet, South LA is the worst! My boyfriend lives in a "ghetto" (Inglewood), but I love it there. South LA, not so much.

 

[woodyinnyc]

1. Watched Over-The-Air television?

Two weeks ago at my brothers house. The don't have cable so the kids aren't tempted to sit in front of the TV all day.

2. Used a Rotary Phone?

Years ago, can't really remember

3. Listened to AM radio?

Everyday I take a taxi I am subjected to AM radio

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle?

No idea, not much of a soda drinker. Does beer count?

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key?

a few years ago

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink?

Last week. I love to write letters, unfortunately very few people reply in kind.

7. Received or sent a telegram?

I sent a friend a telegram on her wedding day in 199something. At that time you could actually pick the time of delivery so I had it delivered during the reception. She still has it and carries it in her purse (?) even though she isn't married anymore. I tried to send one a few years ago and was saddened to hear that they don't send telegram but they will send someone an email or call them for you. I ask you, is that a necessary service?

8. Figured your bank balance without a calculator?

I have no idea what you are talking about?

9. Wound a clock?
It's been a while, but soon. I just took possession of my grandparents old mantle clock and it's in being repaired. i can't wait for it! Love the sound.

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop?

No idea

11. Used a typewriter?

see above

12. Connected phone handset to modem?

never

13. Taken more than three flights of stairs?

daily in my apartment building

14. Made something from scratch?


Yesterday, chicken parmagiana from scratch

 

[Feng_Li]

1. Watched Over-The-Air television?
No reception where I live.

2. Used a Rotary Phone?
Never, but I have two I'm trying to fix up.

3. Listened to AM radio?
Saturday morning, waiting for a weather report.

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle?
About a month ago.

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key?
Never.

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink?
Yesterday. I've discovered I really enjoy this.

7. Received or sent a telegram?
Never.

8. Figured your bank balance without a calculator?
Never. I keep a mental record of what I've spent.

9. Wound a clock?
Does a wristwatch count?

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop?
November, when I visited my friend in Alaska and forgot my digicam.

11. Used a typewriter?
Many years ago, when the church office had one, and I liked to play with it.

12. Connected phone handset to modem?
Two weeks ago when a gopher chewed through the high-speed cable.

13. Taken more than three flights of stairs?
Every time I went to the department office at university.

14. Made something from scratch?
Biscuits on Sunday.

 

[goldwyn girl]

2. Used a Rotary Phone?
I play with them all the time at the antique malls, does that count???

3. Listened to AM radio?
A couple of weeks ago while stuck in traffic in LA.

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle?
A week ago.

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key?
Last night.

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink?
Every few weeks to a friend in Germany and Australia.

9. Wound a clock?
I have to wind my watch, it's sort of a clock.

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop?
Continually, I prefer the quality of film to digital and only use digital for ebay, plus I have no memory card for the camera so I think it only holds 20 photos.

12. Connected phone handset to modem?
4 years ago.

14. Made something from scratch?
Almost every day.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

When Was The Last Time You....

1. Watched Over-The-Air television? Almost every day at work. The boss likes Family Fued and Millionaire, so I get to watch them when I finish my work.

2. Used a Rotary Phone? Even longer than OTA TV.

3. Listened to AM radio? Daily.Talk radio on AM.

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle? Maybe three years ago. My sister gave me 24 bottles of specialty soda for Christmas last year - all in glass. I haven't opened any of them, yet.

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key? Including condensed milk? Last winter. I made mac and cheese.

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink? Do greeting cards count? If so, a few months ago.

7. Received or sent a telegram? Honestly, never. But it's something I'd like to do, someday.. . . If possible.

8. Figured your bank balance without a calculator? Figured what? Me and numbers don't get along well, so I just check my balance at the ATM or online a couple times a week.

9. Wound a clock? A couple years ago. I found an art deco-era Ingraham Eight Day Broadcast alarm clock at a yard sale a few years back. The alarm bells are inside. Actual bells.

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop? May 5 of this year. Car show and Jay Leno. Camera has been reloaded. I used to do a lot of photography, and I developed all my own B/W film and prints. Still have a complete darkroom, but it's in storage.


Lee

 

[Mike in Seattle]

The Last Time I....

1. Watched Over-The-Air television? Last December, after our windstorm, with the power out - used my 20 year old Sony "Watchman" but I end up having that on every now & then at my desk.

2. Used a Rotary Phone? Yesterday - a repro candlestick from the 70's. Seemed like a nifty idea when talking to my nearly 101 year old aunt.

3. Listened to AM radio? Yesterday in the car out marketing & running errands.

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle? About a month ago - a Coke. Haven't replenished my supply of late.

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key? Within the last week - a can of juice.

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink? This morning - and with a fountain pen to boot.

7. Received or sent a telegram? April 1977 - friends in my French class went to Paris for spring break and I thought that would be a nifty way to wish one happy birthday upon their arrival. Was going to go myself but a too-good-to-pass-up deal came along on my first car.

8. Figured your bank balance without a calculator? Last week. If you'd asked "a bank balance" not "your" - it would've been late this afternoon for one of my bookkeeping clients.

9. Wound a clock? Sunday evening - grandfather clock in the entryway of my house.

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop? Been a couple years...

11. Used a typewriter? About three weeks ago - loaned the old manual from the 30's as a theatrical prop and showed it was still in perfect operating condition. Typed out something along the line of "If you break my typewriter, your body parts will never be found."

12. Connected phone handset to modem? Never - I came into computers after that point - external serial modem running at a whopping 1200 baud, I think it was...

13. Taken more than three flights of stairs? Saturday.

14. Made something from scratch? Breakfast - bacon & eggs & biscuits from scratch. And come to think of it - tonight's Martini, if that counts.

__________________

 

[Flivver]

When Was The Last Time You....

1. Watched Over-The-Air television?

Today...I have never had cable. From my location in central MA I can get stations from Providence RI to Portland ME with a rooftop antenna. TCM would be nice, though!

2. Used a Rotary Phone?

Last week...one of my extensions is a rotary.

3. Listened to AM radio?

Today...WBZ AM1030 on the way to work.

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle?

Probably about 20 years ago before they disappeared completely around here. Still have bottle openers.

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key?

On Spam, before they switched to the miserable pop top.

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink?

Last week.

7. Received or sent a telegram?

The last one I received was in the early 80s from a company I was seeking employment with. I have never sent one.

8. Figured your bank balance without a calculator?

Last week. I do this often.

9. Wound a clock?

Last week...a tall case clock. I also wear a mechanical watch that I wind daily.

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop?

About two years ago. When I was in high school in the late 60s I regularly used a Brownie box camera from the teens that used 116 rollfilm. And I did my own developing.

11. Used a typewriter?

Back in the early 80s in grad school to type papers. Used LOTS of whiteout!

12. Connected a headset to a modem?

About 10 years ago at work.

13. Climbed more than 3 flights of stairs?

About 10 years ago at work...several times daily.

14. Made something from scratch?

I fabricate things from scratch for projects all the time. Back in college, I built several vacuum tubes from scratch...and they actually worked! That was fun.

I was talking at lunch yesterday with several 23 year olds I work with. They agreed that their first memory of a national event was the Gulf War in 1991. They had never heard of Jack Benny or Dinah Shore. But one of them told me he bought a fedora over the weekend!

 

[KittyT]

When Was The Last Time You....

1. Watched Over-The-Air television?

What is Over-The-Air? In any case, I don't really watch TV, unless it's History Channel or some On-Demand Stuff.

2. Used a Rotary Phone?

Probably 18 years ago. We had them when I was growing up.

3. Listened to AM radio?

Nope. Don't do radio.

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle?

I do cans only. I like the taste better. That said, there's a place near my office that sells Diet Coke in bottles, so maybe 6 months ago.

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key?

Well I had to do some research on what "church key" actually refers to....

That said, I'm not sure when, but sometime while camping with my parents as a kid.

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink?

January. They were Christmas thank you letters.

7. Received or sent a telegram?

Can you still do that these days?

8. Figured your bank balance without a calculator?

I don't figure my bank balance at all

9. Wound a clock?

Never

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop?

During my trip to Nicaragua about 5 years ago.

11. Used a typewriter of any kind?

A week or so ago. I use an electric typewriter at work to do the random mailing label. And I'm in the IT Department - people always look at me like I'm crazy not doing it on the computer!

 

[warbird]

13. Watched a film on a reel (real) projector?

7th grade.

This makes me think of being handed work or tests from the teacher which had been run off by the mimeograph machine. Remember those?

My mother was a teacher and at one time she taught in the school where I was going. She would have me go to the office and run copies off on that thing. Messy and man the smell would get you high.

And that terrible blue color which usually didn't work great and words were cut off. Copiers are much better.

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

This makes me think of being handed work or tests from the teacher which had been run off by the mimeograph machine. Remember those?

My mother was a teacher and at one time she taught in the school where I was going. She would have me go to the office and run copies off on that thing. Messy and man the smell would get you high.

And that terrible blue color which usually didn't work great and words were cut off. Copiers are much better.

Wow! I do remember those, but vaguely .. when I was in 4th grade I was asked to make copies on several occasions and used one of those, with purpleish ink right? I was so awestruck by being allowed in the teacher's lounge that I never paid attention to what I was doing .. How funny to be rminded of those. Remember the vision/hearing tests they used to do in a portable trailer every 6 months? "Raise your hand on the side in which you see the light/hear the tone" .. lol They always smelled strange and had stripey autumn toned carpets on the trailer floor ..

From the projector, I remember watching "Free To Be You and Me" in the cafeteria.

 

[Mr. Rover]

When Was The Last Time You....


4. Drank soda from a glass bottle?
A coke from my local hamburger joint (not chain)

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key?
A can of corn beef when making breakfast a few weeks ago

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink?
Do "thank you" notes and birthday cards count?

9. Wound a clock?
Pocket watches count?

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop?
I used to take pictures using my mom's old 35mm using b/w 100 speed film for a class and developed my own film and made my own prints. That was about 2 years ago. I have some beautiful photos of England and Taipei from that class.

 

[Senator Jack]

The three odors I can still smell from elementary school:

1) Duplicating fluid (They warned us about the dangers of sniffing glue and then handed out history tests that got you stoned.[huh] )

2) Whatever that cleaning agent was that dried vomit.

3) 10,000 bars of World's Finest Chocolate that wafted through the halls on the first day of the sale. (At .50 a bar, that was pretty bold claim)

Along with the hearing and sight tests, did you used to have the telephone guy come in to instruct you on manners? He'd bring a live two-phone system and we had to go through mock coversations.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Dutch McCoy]

1. Watched Over-The-Air television?
A few months ago before I finally broke down and got cable.

2. Used a Rotary Phone?
Growning up we had a rotary but the last time I used it was at least 10 years ago.

3. Listened to AM radio?
This morning.

4. Drank soda from a glass bottle?
For lunch today.

5. Opened a can -- any kind of can -- with a church key?
About two nights ago.

6. Wrote a letter with pen and ink?
This one I am not sure I have ever done.

7. Received or sent a telegram?
Never.

8. Figured your bank balance without a calculator?
Last Friday.

9. Wound a clock?
A long time ago.

10. Took pictures using film you had to develop?
We just bought a few digital camera last year but up until then, it was all film.

11. Used a typewriter?
I used one today at work. We use one for typing labels.

12. Connected phone handset to modem?
Not for a few years.

13. Taken more than three flights of stairs?
Not since I graduated College. I do not miss those days.

14. Made something from scratch?
I do not believe I have ever made anything from scratch. That is just sad.

 

[pretty faythe]

1. Watched Over-The-Air television?


14. Made something from scratch?


Yesterday, chicken parmagiana from scratch

yuuummmmm

 

[pretty faythe]

I missed these ones

13. Taken more than three flights of stairs?
going up and down stairs, last summer working construction on the very very very very extremely hot Trump Towers...if we were going less than 4 flights then we weren't allowed to take the manlift, they only had too working and it would back up traffic unless moving materials...
going down....all the time, hate waiting for elevators here they take too long, people forget where they park.

14. Made something from scratch?
I make from scratch all the time, I create, does it always turn out like I think it should, no but it's till edible.

 

[CharlieH.]

The ones I missed-

Last time I took more than 3 flights of stairs was when I climbed up to a rooftop in high school.

As for building something from scratch, that would be a railroad crossing shanty... I sure miss working on the railroad!