Foo - My Mom and the dark ages...

I'm visiting my mom and I'm just amazed by the lack of the technology (and other things) in this place. I do thank the heavens for the neighbor who leaved his wifi opened, at least I can connect my laptop.... but here's the list so far:

Lack of sufficient power outlets:
There is only ONE plug in the whole living room / kitchen / dining area.

Insufficient lighting:
All bulbs are incandescent 40 & 25 watts.

Air Conditioning:
non-existent, not even a window unit, nothing. And it gets to 90 degrees during the day, during winter.

Telecommunications:
Mom has no cellphone, no home phone, no pager.

Audiovisual:
There is only one TV, 13 inches that can only tune ONE channel... the local government station.

Audio:
There are no radios in this place, no cd, no tape player, no 8-track, nothing.

Kitchen Equipment:
There is no microwave, no fryer, no dishwasher, no toaster or toaster over.

And plain strange things:
There is a fridge, but there is no butter in it? WTF?

And there is a Walmart at 0.4 miles from here... and many other big/good stores. I'm gonna buy her a microwave tomorrow, and some butter. According to my sis, Mom is 78yo ATM.

Sounds like my kind of people! :love:

Good for her. I aspire to achieve the same level of elegance. jim

Maybe your mom is just fine and dandy without those things?

Why should she set up her house just to make you happy?

What if she is comfortable, content, and satisfied? More stuff doesn't make everyone happier.

Here's a thought: maybe your mom, you know, reads?

How about spending some time with you mom, and not worrying about what she doesn't have around her house? And, WTF? You don't know how old your mom is?

Good lord man! how did your mother manage to make it for 78 years without a cell phone! and she doesn't have a computer! how in the hell does she manage? bet your going nuts there what with not being able to play Wii games or watch that big screen HDTV while your popcorn is popping in the microwave! man if I were you i'd set her straight!

Seriously it sounds like a place i'd hang in a heartbeat...you know maybe without all of those distractions you could actually sit and visit with your mother...I lost my mom many years ago and would sit in an empty refrigerator box in the landfill to visit with her!


Sounds to me like your the one with the problem not your mom...but just think how nice it'll be to get back to the real world...your rather pathetic...

If you're going to buy her something, buy a window A/C unit. That will make her life much more comfortable than a microwave, which she might not want anyway. Or she might forget and put something metal in it. Would that short the whole apartment out?

Or just ask her what she wants.

Sounds like my house in VT. Except for the phone and the walmart thing.

It is very relaxing after the 1/2 day adjustment period.

Maybe your mom is just fine and dandy without those things?

Why should she set up her house just to make you happy?

What if she is comfortable, content, and satisfied? More stuff doesn't make everyone happier.

Here's a thought: maybe your mom, you know, reads?

How about spending some time with you mom, and not worrying about what she doesn't have around her house? And, WTF? You don't know how old your mom is?


I agree with all but the highlighted areas. Just plain rude.

If you're going to buy her something, buy a window A/C unit. That will make her life much more comfortable than a microwave, which she might not want anyway. Or she might forget and put something metal in it. Would that short the whole apartment out?

Or just ask her what she wants.

Most older hispanic people dont mind the heat as they lived most if not all of their lives in it :thumb: although it wouldnt hurt to see if she would like the cooler temps in the house :) I think a microwave would be a bad idea :(

hehe - almost sounds like my Mom, except my brother bought her a cell phone and while it took her nearly 3 months to use it - she can now make calls on it AND LISTEN TO MESSAGES!

No computer though - especially when it comes to customer service areas - she'll wait for a rep rather than have to sit down at a terminal.

And you should see her operate a remote for her TV and DVD (another brother made her can the old partially working VCR and bought her a DVD for Christmas) ---- her pointer finger wavers over the button for many long indecisive seconds like she's afraid she'll break it.

:)

Now talk cleaning products or pots & pans and she's on the cutting edge of technology. Things that involve electronics - not so much.

Lack of sufficient power outlets:
There is only ONE plug in the whole living room / kitchen / dining area.

. . .

I'm gonna buy her a microwave tomorrow, and some butter.

Where are you planning on plugging that microwave in?


I don't know your mother, but I kinda agree with the others; if she's happy, what's the problem?

Someday when you're 78 and you've gotten all comfortable in your home, will you want one of your kids to come in and muck everything about?

That's how my mom's house was too. I used to go a little stir crazy there sometimes. Also she never wanted to fix or maintain anything and there were various safety hazards (electrical thingies arcing all over the place, rotting animals, etc.:eek:) waiting for me whenever I went out there. Which I did weekly.

Mom's in FL now, and ailing...my sister took her to the ER last night, and they admitted her ... kinda sucks getting all this info long distance. :(

I'm visiting my mom and I'm just amazed by the lack of the technology blah blah blah
So?

Seriously it sounds like a place i'd hang in a heartbeat...
Me, too.


I lost my mom many years ago and would sit in an empty refrigerator box in the landfill to visit with her!
Me, too.

you never know what people get used to.

she could be happy living like that... or she could really have no idea of what is out there.

I only wanted to get Mom a microwave. I'm used to the microwave for heating up the baby's milk... is a PIA without it, takes much longer.

I bought my mom a DVD player for Christmas this year. She doesn't have cable but she likes to watch movies (she can borrow DVDs from the library across the street for free). But first I had to show her how it works. That wasn't much fun. She likes the idea of technology but doesn't feel confident around it. Everytime I go over to her place I have to reset the universal remote for her tv, and show her how to retrive her cell phone messages. She's talked about getting Internet access and a computer so we've discussed ISPs, Macbooks, email and Skype (that excited her). So maybe this year I can arrange it for her.

But if your mom is not interested then don't worry about it. Although getting g her a window air conditioner is an excellent idea. Consider it a health and safety issue.

Well,I talked with my sister tonight. She gave Mom an AC unit last year, Mom sold it a week later. I guess it's gonna have to remain the way it is.

I only wanted to get Mom a microwave. I'm used to the microwave for heating up the baby's milk... is a PIA without it, takes much longer.
Sit on it. :) Microwaving baby milk is kinda scary. We just heat up water and stick the container in the water and shake it really, really well to avoid hotspots.

well if she does read i have no idea how, with lighting like that...what DOES she do with her time??? I have to wonder....

my sister isn't an old lady but refuses to shop online...i can understand credit vconcerns but really! You give your credit card to waiters, gas stations....and she's never been robbed.

Ruben, leave her alone.... Visit with her, love her, and enjoy her.

She won't last forever.

p.s. we warmed up bottles in hot water long before microwaves were invented....... I'll bet your mom did the same.....

maybe she's too busy riding her bike to hang about watching tv and suchlike

Ruben, leave her alone.... Visit with her, love her, and enjoy her.

She won't last forever.

p.s. we warmed up bottles in hot water long before microwaves were invented....... I'll bet your mom did the same.....


That is right. Enjoy her and love her. Those of us who have lost our Mothers see only your elementary foolishness at such trivial things. One day that is yet to come will be the last time you ever see her alive. You will not know that time is the last. But you can live like each visit with her is your last. For years and years I never told my mom how much I loved her. I thought I was a big boy and did not need to tell her. I wish I could have one precious second back of her life to tell her.

I remember getting my mom a cell phone and the time we had trying to make sure she did understand "send" and that the "off" key was really the "on" key as well.

I still have her voice saved on some messages. I listen to her occasionally as I wipe away the tears.

BTW, my parents are the exact opposite. They try very hard to be current and up to date with technology but, bless their hearts, they just can't integrate well with a lot of those things. :D And as they try to stay current, they really just end up with a lot of frustration and headaches. For example, they can't believe that my brother and I don't watch television, yet they constantly have problems with theirs working right (even more so now with HD). :o

My father has a great love for über cheep electronics.
I'm ready to stomp his cordless phones into the ground.
One has a sticking "talk" button. I've been trying to convince him to throw it out, instead he is in the basement oiling it with WD40.
The man is hard headed, stingy, and now has a greasy ear.

Technology is not the be all and end all. Enjoy the simplicity. Enjoy the time with your Mom!
Read Thoreau!

Don't worry about your mom's simple lifestyle, enjoy it! My mom (now deceased) had a clothesline in her backyard that she used religiously. She would only use the clothes dryer to get wrinkles out of clothes (every generation's always hated ironing, haven't they?). I remember my friends commenting on it when I was back in school, and how I'd say "its our small part to reduce pollution." Now guess who has clotheslines in their back yards - yep, me and my brother! Hard to find in the USA, but they work great here in sunny So Calif.

i don't think anything's wrong with the simple life, but i keep wondering what the poor woman DOES? no tv, nothing...doesn't she get bored and lonely? nothing wrong with wanting to brighten her life a bit with a few gadgets.

My father is also like that, AllenG...he's a total stinge. He had this old phone for YEARS and finally replaced it with a decent cordless. He still won't get call waiting though, god forbid he shells out 5 bucks a month. He had this ancient decrepit tv for years, until it totally died. That's how he is...he keeps things until they totally fall apart and he has to replace them by absolute necessity. It sounds very cute and James Thurberish but it's not, because his cheapness actually endangers his life...but that's another story.

I would have a tough time choosing between AC and tunes where I able to choose only one.

i don't think anything's wrong with the simple life, but i keep wondering what the poor woman DOES? no tv, nothing...

Maybe she reads or has other hobbies. :p

Mom's hobbies? Listening to religious radio stations. She use to love gardening but current health does not allow anymore.

If you're going to get your mom anything, buy her some compact fluorescent lightbulbs. She will use them, and they will save her money.

I strive to someday live so simply.
To walk to the edge of the ocean and toss this stupid cell phone into the deep blue.
To wake up and the only worry is when will the coffee be ready.
To put on a pair of shorts and go to the beach in winter.
Breakfast would be an orange right off the tree in my back yard.
Lunch? Who cares..I'll be at the beach.

that's not living simply...that's the Cask of Amontillado!!!
poor woman...

If you're going to get your mom anything, buy her some compact fluorescent lightbulbs. She will use them, and they will save her money.

I am convinced those things are a scam. Out of the 8 or so I've installed, four have gone dead within a year. They're supposed to last 10x as long as incandescent but I don't think they're meant to be turned on and off, something is seriously wrong.

Mental stimulation is important for everyone. People need something that makes them think. If it's not computers, it's TV shows, contact with friends via phones or email, reading, etc.

I am convinced those things are a scam. Out of the 8 or so I've installed, four have gone dead within a year. They're supposed to last 10x as long as incandescent but I don't think they're meant to be turned on and off, something is seriously wrong.
Plus, isn't the disposal of them supposed to be very dangerous? Or am I buying into a myth?

Plus, isn't the disposal of them supposed to be very dangerous? Or am I buying into a myth?

Its not a myth. They contain mercury. Don't ever go deliberately breaking them.

RubenX, stop using a microwave to warm your children's milk. Microwave ovens seriously deplete the nutrient value of anything heated in them. Find another way.

Anthony

I am convinced those things are a scam. Out of the 8 or so I've installed, four have gone dead within a year. They're supposed to last 10x as long as incandescent but I don't think they're meant to be turned on and off, something is seriously wrong.

You've had seriously back luck. I've been using for a little over a year. My electric bill has gone down about 25%, largely because of them.

you've had seriously back luck. I've been using for a little over a year. My electric bill has gone down about 25%, largely because of them.

+1

Mental stimulation is important for everyone. People need something that makes them think. If it's not computers, it's TV shows, contact with friends via phones or email, reading, etc.

It's not tv. Studies show that when you are glued to the tv brain activity does all but stop.