Shrinking World
Contributed by: Tom Liles
Ok, we’ve all heard ad nauseam how technology has made the world smaller. The Internet, cell phones and satellite broadcasts bring us instantaneous information from around the world, and even from space. Don’t get me wrong, I love Gore’s Information Superhighway but I don’t need digital pundits to show me the shrinking world. It’s happened to me.
As a new college graduate in the ‘70’s with great job, my first apartment materialized with a bedroom, balcony, living room and kitchen. I bought a big TV, loud stereo with humongous speakers and a new mattress. A giant but used beanbag couch from my brother’s basement (only a little musty), and lawn furniture (on sale in the off-season) completed the living room comfort arrangements. Art-like rock’n’roll posters taped to the bedroom wall. Hendrix under black lights. Very Austin Powers’ cool. It was my vision of nirvana, and I owned it all. I was styling. Long hair, cool t-shirts, and occasionally I enticed some wary young lady to visit. A well planned but cheesy bachelor spider web.
Then along came my soulmate, Christine, marriage and a new house. A grown-up couch, and love seat appeared in the living room with matching end tables with lamps and coasters. We put up new decorative paintings on the walls – fields of flowers in cute pastels. The colors matched I was told. My sister-in-laws thought it cute. As compensation, I made a basement den of my own. Moved the rock’n’roll posters, black lights, stereo and TV below ground. My motorcycle posters stayed in the guest bedroom with a desk as the pretense for my office. Played the stereo as loud as I wanted down in my concrete and knotty pine cave. My soulmate smiled benevolently at us when my mates and I surfaced for more drinks and pizza. Somehow, her smile contained the knowledge that a grown-up future was stalking me.
We moved to a larger house and a child blessed us. Bedroom office became a nursery. Moved the motorcycle pictures to the basement. It was a little damp, dark and cool but the old beanbag couch, worn TV, motorcycle picture and still too-loud stereo made it mine. Another little one blessed us. Basement den became a playroom filled with pedal cars, legos and dollhouses. The TV covered with Disney tapes. The stereo was hidden a living room cabinet with dog-chewed headphones for rocking out. The rock’n’roll tribute posters, motorcycle pictures and black lights seemed to have disappeared.
Life moves on. The stereo with torn speakers went to charity. An antique desk and beautiful old furniture covered with crystal and ceramic knick-knacks became the home’s essence. I owned only the untidy workbench in garage that was covered greasy tools and hunted for plumbing parts for under harsh fluorescent light. Kids grew strong and healthy with bright futures yet to be.
Cornered in that partially heated garage, I came to realization that it is now time to re-conquer my empire and re-discover my soul. Downloaded I-tunes and bought kick-ass speakers for the PC. The Stones, Animals and old blues singers are again rattling the windows. I enthusiastically sing lyrics to the dog when the mood strikes me. A facebook page where I can be as unconventional and immature as I want. I again own my own space in cyber space. Well, that is, as long as my wife isn’t home.
Tom Liles
Retired and Retread
BSEE – Trine University 1973
41 years as the “Best” bureaucrat ever. In box empty, Out box full. An expert at taking credit for team projects while distancing myself in case something goes wrong.