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B.T. -- Before Technology
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thatliardesmond, When was the last time you:
1. Used a pay phone?
Calling Cyd from the pay phone in the Quarry House Tavern (yes, one of them neighborhood taverns) in Silver Spring, wondering where the hell she was and how I could get her un-lost...
2. Washed all your dishes by hand?
My apartment in Burke, with a broken dishwasher, feb or mar 2002.
3. Rode public transportation that wasn't a subway (i.e. the bus)?
While working ISX. I would take the bus from Tysons as a shuttle to get to the EFC Metro.
4. Made popcorn not in a microwave? And what device did you use?
me, an air popper in 1991. popcorn I ate, my brother this past christmas got one of them fancy mini-poppers that work like movie theaters' makers.
5. Played an LP? Bought an LP? Saw an LP?
Played: when i digitized some stuff into my laptop 'cause I knew the CD for it would never come out, 2002.
Bought: Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells picture disk, at the now gone Phantasmagora in Wheaton, when seeing The Gathering, 1999. only cost about $10, probably worth about $100.
Saw: I keep my collection on display in my A/V room.
6. Used a rotary phone? Saw a rotary phone?
Can't recall the details.
7. Changed channels without a remote?
It happens. I don't recall details.
8. Had a watch that actually required winding?
Sometime in the 70s. I don't keep watches for long (lose them or they break, usually), and aside from my trip to Canada in 1997, I haven't worn one since I first started working Faire, 1995.
9. Had a gas station attendant pump your gas (Note: saphyne and suburbangenius, this one should be pretty easy...)?
We visit Cyd's parents regularly, and get gas in Jersey at a couple of truck stops 'cause dammit, its cheap up there.
10. Used an electric typewriter? A manual one? Saw a manual one?
Electric: filling out a form sheet I couldn't scan in. 1996, I think.
Manual: Sometime in the mid-80s. My parents have one.
Saw a Manual: That same one, out of its case in the mid-80s, in its case, probably 1993 before I moved out.
On a side note, the Quarry House Tavern is suffering financially for different reasons from what was discussed in my earlier entry about neighborhood taverns and all that. It seems the No Smoking rule in Montgomery County is having a drastic effect on tavern and bar business, and their revenue is down from last year on an order of thousands of dollars. And they're not alone in this. A suit to reverse the law is being organized, and even though I'm not a smoker, I'm in favor of it.
The whole idea that if smoking was banned more non-smokers would go to such places, was unfounded and turned out to be utterly wrong in every way. Businesses all over the county are suffering loss of income due to this regulation, where old customers are leaving, but its not bringing in new customers the way the supporters of the bill promised.
If it were my tavern, I'd want a head on a pike.
thatliardesmond, When was the last time you:1. Used a pay phone?
Calling Cyd from the pay phone in the Quarry House Tavern (yes, one of them neighborhood taverns) in Silver Spring, wondering where the hell she was and how I could get her un-lost...
2. Washed all your dishes by hand?
My apartment in Burke, with a broken dishwasher, feb or mar 2002.
3. Rode public transportation that wasn't a subway (i.e. the bus)?
While working ISX. I would take the bus from Tysons as a shuttle to get to the EFC Metro.
4. Made popcorn not in a microwave? And what device did you use?
me, an air popper in 1991. popcorn I ate, my brother this past christmas got one of them fancy mini-poppers that work like movie theaters' makers.
5. Played an LP? Bought an LP? Saw an LP?
Played: when i digitized some stuff into my laptop 'cause I knew the CD for it would never come out, 2002.
Bought: Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells picture disk, at the now gone Phantasmagora in Wheaton, when seeing The Gathering, 1999. only cost about $10, probably worth about $100.
Saw: I keep my collection on display in my A/V room.
6. Used a rotary phone? Saw a rotary phone?
Can't recall the details.
7. Changed channels without a remote?
It happens. I don't recall details.
8. Had a watch that actually required winding?
Sometime in the 70s. I don't keep watches for long (lose them or they break, usually), and aside from my trip to Canada in 1997, I haven't worn one since I first started working Faire, 1995.
9. Had a gas station attendant pump your gas (Note: saphyne and suburbangenius, this one should be pretty easy...)?
We visit Cyd's parents regularly, and get gas in Jersey at a couple of truck stops 'cause dammit, its cheap up there.
10. Used an electric typewriter? A manual one? Saw a manual one?
Electric: filling out a form sheet I couldn't scan in. 1996, I think.
Manual: Sometime in the mid-80s. My parents have one.
Saw a Manual: That same one, out of its case in the mid-80s, in its case, probably 1993 before I moved out.
On a side note, the Quarry House Tavern is suffering financially for different reasons from what was discussed in my earlier entry about neighborhood taverns and all that. It seems the No Smoking rule in Montgomery County is having a drastic effect on tavern and bar business, and their revenue is down from last year on an order of thousands of dollars. And they're not alone in this. A suit to reverse the law is being organized, and even though I'm not a smoker, I'm in favor of it.
The whole idea that if smoking was banned more non-smokers would go to such places, was unfounded and turned out to be utterly wrong in every way. Businesses all over the county are suffering loss of income due to this regulation, where old customers are leaving, but its not bringing in new customers the way the supporters of the bill promised.
If it were my tavern, I'd want a head on a pike.
no subject
no subject
but that doesn't change the fact that the non-smoking business isn't making up for it, in spite of being 4 times the population. even smokers that go to their old hang-outs don't stay for long, especially in the wintertime, where smoking outside this past week, 20-25 degrees after 9pm, and snowing or freezing rain quite a bit, leads one to just give up and go home.
no subject
no subject
If non-smoking and smoking populations have similar incidence of casual drinking, however, then it may take a bit of time for non-smokers to discover places they have been avoiding due to smoke. A short-term drop in revenue would be expected while this "discovery phase" takes place, it's just a question of whether businesses have the resources to weather the storm. If this is the case, perhaps "weather the storm" funds could be provided by the county in the meantime, since the government's argument for such a law was unjustified.
Without such a survey, though, how could one know?
no subject
And where are the "weather the storm" funds going to come from when the county itself is losing its own tax income by the loss of business.
The loss of tax revenue to the county (which can only be made up for by raising taxes elsewhere, like over all restaurants, or yet another increase in gas tax for the county) is one of the justifications for getting rid of the ban.
Montgomery county has this rediculous nack for wanting people to go elsewhere for their services. They have the highest gas tax of any county in the DC area, they have among the highest restaurant taxes in the area...everything they do seems to lead people on the borders or willing to drive to go elsewhere like Howard, PG, and Fairfax counties...which is killing the businesses at those borders on the Montgomery side.
One would think the most populous county in the area would collect enough in real-estate taxes to not have to do that to its business core.
As i ask in VA, for all that tax revenue, where the hell is the money going?
no subject
As for where the taxes are going, I imagine that because of the higher cost of living in Mont.Cty., expenses for education, police and emergency services, construction and upkeep of government buildings/land, etc., are all much higher. If Mont.Cty. paid their officials the same as, say, St. Mary's County, the reps wouldn't be able to live in Montgomery, eh? Besides, bribes are probably higher in Montgomery, too...