I do not have a cell phone but if I had one I would have a dumb one.
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My father was an engineer. Poor man, he died before they invented telephones that could take pictures.
He would have loved all this stuff.
Basically I do not enjoy gadgets. My relationship to the mechanical/tech world has always been vexed.
I adapt only on an as-needed basis.
Thus, I have an ipod with over 4000 songs on it and a Kindle with over 250 books and two laptops, all of which I am dependent on as though they were faithful, highly efficient, selfless servants I can take for granted.
I’m really not interested in them for their own sake.
Any more than most men are interested in what women have to say.
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I consider Technology, like Money itself to be a good servant and a terrible master.
I am on a rant, I realize. And a good or even half-baked shrink would go “Aha! Unresolved Father Issues”.
Well, who doesn’t?
My father was a red-green color-blind engineer with anger management issues. He expected to be the adored center of attention, and threw hissy fits when he was not.
I have been trying to write a Memphis Earlene blog post for six months now so every time I go off on a rant I think “What would Memphis Earlene say?”
Memphis Earlene doesn’t like to weigh in unless she has something to say that needs to be said. At least that’s been her excuse.
Aha! She’s awake.
She speaks!
“There’s enough words loose in the world that no one’s paying attention to and most things worth saying can probably be said better with music,”says Memphis Earlene, who’s listening to the 80 new songs I just downloaded on my Ipod.
Miles Davis, Billie Holliday, and some fabulous gospel infused/jazzy piano by Abdullah Ibraham, who’s from Africa and was discovered by Duke Ellington.
I would love to be able to play piano like Abdullah Ibraham even a little bit.
If I listen long enough the music will get into my brain and find its way into my fingers.
Music is a good master, one of the best.
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Memphis Earlene 
So happy to see you and Earlene sharing your thoughts! I am a little bit in love with technology. A reminder to retain my role as Master of my gadgets and tools is a good one. Could I live without my smart phone? I’m sure I could, but don’t wanna! It’s such a clever little guy!