Cabin life is nice when I can get it, but Marilyn Armstrong’s wonky SERENDIPITY sense of reality (SCROLL DOWN) did it again this morning. It brought me to my senses with a chuckle.
Author David McCullough at manual typewriter
Only David McCullough with his manual typewriter is exempt. David does all his writing from his trusty manual typewriter. No word processor cutting, pasting, erasing.
I’m no David McCullough! Neither is Marilyn. But only one of us is forthright about the computer addiction.
Marilyn and I have never met face-to-face. We became “friends” through the blogosphere. But I did meet David McCullough years ago while hosting him as Moderator of the Westminster Town Hall Forum. Wise. Genuinely self-effacing. Humble. And wise in an “old-fashioned” sort of way.
Enjoy Marilyn’s lovely post,
Gordon
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH
You see stuff online — Facebook mostly — about “could you live in this lovely (log cabin) house (in the middle of really nowhere) without WiFi? And everyone says “Oh sure! I could live in that great little house — in the middle of a huge woods by a cold lake where the nearest shopping center is 50 miles on dirt roads — forever without so much as a VOIP phone.
Sure you could. NOT.
I know I couldn’t and wouldn’t even want to try. Because that’s not life or at least not my life.
There was a time when I could imagine a life without computers. I think that was before I owned a computer, before every house everywhere had one or many computers. Before every single thing in the house got “connected” and computerized in some way. Before your toilet got so smart you have to argue with…
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Views from the Edge 
I have a pacemaker in my chest. I shudder to think how many minutes i would live without it!
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Ouch! See how much I don’t know! Did you see the updated re-blog with David McCullough reference?
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Yes and he is a favorite author for me, too. But even if he types it … for that matter, even if he wrote it all in long hand (remember long hand?) … it would STILL have to go to his publisher who would then convert it to computer language so it can become a Kindle and an audiobook and anything else in print … because ALL of that is done by computer. You can’t escape it.
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I do remember long hand. Was and am terrible at it. But I do admire artistic penmanship that flows effortlessly. David has a great publisher and, you’re spot on. His books and audio books would never reach the airwaves and his narrations on PBS documentaries would never have blessed our ears. Great voice as well as writer. BTW, David is a life-long Presbyterian, a member of Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. It’s nice to have one public figure whose denominational kinship makes be proud to still be a member of a shrinking church. membership makes me proud.
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Garry holds dear to his Lutheran upbringing. However, there is no Lutheran church locally, so we went with Dutch Reformed (which is Lutheran Lite, basically) and he was okay with that. He doesn’t go to church anymore. If they would make the service in the afternoon — LATE in the afternoon — he might go, but NOTHING gets him up early anymore. It’s a retirement thing.
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I’m with Garry on the late afternoon thing — LATE — after a long nap. Dutch Reformed is like Lutheran, as you say, but it’s heavy! Not so much into forgiveness as Garry’s Lutheran tradition. And…Apartheid was a creation of the Dutch Reformed, who couldn’t “forgive” anyone for not being Dutch or White! Two more reasons for Garry not to go anymore. 😱 Although there were and are exceptions, like Alan Boesak.
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They are really working on that these days. They are trying very hard to be more diverse, to include non-white people as Deacons — which isn’t easy since there aren’t many non-white people in this area to begin with but we DO have one and she is a sweetie pie. Yes, they are working at it. Some people are working harder at it than others. A few aren’t working at it at all.
They keep sending us surveys about what we’d like to see.
A LOT less rigidity would be nice. A lot more KINDNESS to newcomers who aren’t family member of oldcomers. I suspect we could find a much friendlier place if we looked, but since Garry won’t get up for THIS church, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t get up for a different one, either and at least this way, the church actually HAS one non-white member. And a Jew.
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