How Times Have Changed

I was at the office supply store today (one of my favorite places in the universe to shop) and I was enjoying looking at the numerous personal journals that were for sale. I was remembering that when I was a freshman in high school, I went out to buy a diary that didn’t say “My Diary” on the front and come with a key. The only plain lined paper book I could find other than a black and white Composition notebook was a red book labeled Journal on the front, that was for recording finances. Seriously, it had the columns and everything, but it was plain lined paper so it filled the bill for what I needed. Today, the choices are all different shapes and sizes with beautiful lined paper and embossed covers in leather or with prints that have amazing color. The sad part is I want them all. I just cleaned off my desk (yes I can see the top again) and I filled a box with empty notebooks I’ve bought. There were at least 8 of them. I’m one of those people who loves the smell of a new textbook and the smell of mimeograph paper. Remember those purple pages coming off the drum. How far we’ve come!

One of my favorite shows is NCIS, and I was reading another person’s blog, and she said she was dismayed to find out that Ducky was also Illya Kuryakin from the series The Man from Uncle in the 1960’s. (She meant she was bummed he was old). I realize her point, and maybe the first week or two felt the same. But I gotta tell you, after a couple of years of watching the show, I love him now just as much. He has a quirky sense of humor and is one of my favorite characters on the show. They even had a show where he had a picture of himself when he was younger at his house and when someone said, “who’s this?” Mark Harmon replies “Illya Kuryakin.” It was so cool. Hey we’re all older, right? I wish I had the Illya scrapbook I made when I was a kid. The one thing I didn’t keep!!