...and this is a test of the emergency broadcast system

Chances are if you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably already heard about my unconventional Sunday afternoon workouts. On this cherished day of rest before the hell of the workweek, I typically have a pretty solid routine.  I usually get up early, have some coffee and work a bit on the computer. Then, I go for a long run with my wife, before coming home to make breakfast (it’s the one meal I cook every week). After that…I settle in to do some chores before knocking off about 2pm to do my Sunday afternoon workout.

The most important part of the ritual is tuning in public radio station WPFW and DJ Donnie McKethan on the American made Meritone Hi-Fi stereo my dad bought me in the late 1960s (it’s still set up in the garage). McKethan hosts a show each week on Sundays from 2pm -4pm  called the “American Song Book” where he plays a myriad of standards that you don’t normally hear on the radio anymore. For two hours, the DJ spins classics by people like the Mills Brothers, Nat King Cole, Ella, Johnny Hartman Julie London and of course, Francis Albert Sinatra.

Meriton Stereo System

While listening, I usually knock out a couple of sets on the speed bag, do a few chin-ups on the pull-up bar and jump a little rope. While that may not sound that unconventional, I work in these exercises between sets of cigar puffs and sips of red wine. Actually, it's been a couple of months since I included the wine component (switched to non-alcoholic beer instead)...but when I do...it is pretty cool.

While there are a lot of things to like about the American Songbook Sunday show, the best thing about it is the variety of old-school songs and artists that are no longer in the mainstream. To be honest, the preponderance of the artists featured on the show are no longer alive. It is the quintessential throw back, and while listening between sets of the speed bag and smoke rings, I often find myself thinking about the way things used to be…and the litany of things that are no longer here.

When I was a kid, the TV Guide was a big deal. It would come with the newspaper on Sundays as I recall, and it would always be a big deal to pull it out of the inserts and look ahead to see what would be on during the week. They’d list all the upcoming movies too…and actually provide short descriptions of the shows. You would actually look at the menu of shows, make a selection, and then sit there for the duration of the program without getting up and changing the channel. Not sure what happened to the TV Guide or how folks know what’s on now…actually, I just sit with the remote and wildly flip channels to see what can grab my attention for any given 30 seconds.

The phone book used to be a fairly big deal too. There was hardly a day when you wouldn’t pull it out to get the number of a restaurant, or to look for the number of a good plumber. You could actually use it to look up the number of a friend too, and it seemed like you would get these magical books (both white and yellow) delivered about once a month. Can’t remember the last time I even saw phone book…but when I did, I think it was used to prop up a computer monitor or something...not as a source of providing phone numbers. Come to think of it…I’m not sure a whole lot of people have an actual land-line phone anymore. These were a staple in my youth, and I can actually vaguely remember partly lines and a time when the numbers began with names…like Richmond 9 - 5171  or Beachwood 4 -5789 or Pennsylvania 6-5000. The phones back then had an added feature…you actually had to dial them.

8 track tapes were the bomb for a while…and so were the quadraphonic stereo systems that played them. The 1972 Olds Regency Ninety Eight my parents owned had one of those early killer decks…and I used to sit in the back seat on the black velour upholstery and listen as the crystal clear music turned that vehicle into a virtual sound studio. Sometimes there were clicks in the middle of songs as the tape trasitioned to the next track...but that was little price to pay. The 8 tracks were replaced by cassettes which had a much longer run…I’m not 100% sure, but  I think my last vehicle may have even still had the option of playing cassettes.

Milk actually used to be delivered by a cat dressed in white (he usually had a hat on too) and it was in glass bottles. It was always a trip to come home and see those bottles of ice-cold milk sitting in a metal crate on the steps of the back porch. I hear they're are making a comeback...but I certainly haven't seen a milkman delivering milk anytime recently. I guess if people are willing to stand in line to buy food at inflated prices from a roach coach...anything is possible.

There are a lot of lame things about this blog, but aside from the lousy righting, pour grammar and all the mispellings, one of the real charms is that the associated song usually has nothing to do with the story. In the spirit of consistency, today is no different. Enjoy...

It's probably hard to believe, but not too long ago people used to be able to hold an actual conversation without looking at their mobile device. Actually, it's bigger than that. People actually possessed the requisite skills to have a face-to-face conversation, and they could effectively convey thoughts without having to send a text instead. Not that long ago, you could walk down the street, sit on a beach, or be in some majestic setting like the Grand Canyon, and people would actually be looking around...taking it all in, instead of staring like zombies at their smartphones.

So, just about the time I’m starting to feel melancholy about all the things that are different now, the WPFW music stops and I’m instantaneously reminded that one thing hasn’t changed. For as long as I can remember, this specific sound has been EXACTLY the same. All of the sudden, the peace of the moment was interrupted by the unmistakable tone of the Emergency Broadcast System. Admit it…you know the annoying sound I mean.

The EAS sound effect

It’s odd too, because if ever there was an area for progress, this is it. Can’t they change that to a Sinatra tune or maybe even some rendition of Ave Maria? This literally has to be the same noise they played when Sputnik was orbiting. I mean really, we can do open heart surgery with a cell phone app (you know it’s coming) but we can’t upgrade this nails-on-a-chalkboard emergency alert. Sure…I know they’re trying to get people’s attention with some highly annoying noise…but seems to me they could just play Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber or about anything composed 1980.

So, while somewhat nostalgic, the never changing EAS signal was yet another reminder that not all from the past is worth hanging on to. Change is good…but I still miss that '72 Olds.

 Ruby...