Its been three months since my mom passed away. One of the consequences of someone dying unexpectedly is that special possessions aren’t given to loved ones, or even given much thought. Ten years ago when my grandmother (mom’s mom) passed away, she had already put names on the back of many of her favourite things. Seeing her do that or at least knowing she had been assigning her possessions to that family was at the same time upsetting and comforting. When she was gone, we appreciated that much more.
With dad surviving mom, there is no rush to give things away or dispose of what we can’t give away. That said, my dad is intent upon purging the house. He’s not doing it in an unreasonable way- but is a reminder of how deeply her loss must have hit his own sense of mortality.
So, anyway, one of the things of my mom’s that I really wanted to have was her typewriter. Its a manual Brother Portable and my guess is that she bought it at some point between 1965 and 1970.
Here it is (now at our house):
So, I’m trying to study for a job interview… I can’t believe I used to study full-time. Even to someone whose job involves a lot of assessment and reflection, that seems strange… and a long time ago.
B.
I did it! A few months ago, I bought a used first generation iPod Nano on E-Bay for a a grand total of 10 bucks + about 15 bucks shipping. As advertised, it came with the older model Apple ear buds (which I prefer to the newer ones), a USB cord, a wall charger and a case. Its overall condition was great with no scratches on the screen at all. Unfortunately, the battery would hold a charge for only about two-three hours.
Not wanting to shy away from a challenge, I bought a replacement battery for $5 (including shipping and handling). I borrowed a soldering iron from my dad and proceeded to replace the old worn battery. The pictures tell the story:
Yep, it works and holds a much better charge.
B.
