Phones, Gays, Etc.

 We don't have an answering machine, or a smart phone either.  Nothing against them, but we use our phone so little that we don't see the need for added features that we will never use.  I liked it better before the answering machines came along anyway.  If you called someone and there was no answer, you knew you had to call them back.  With the machines, you don't know if they didn't get the message or if they just don't want to talk to you.  If they don't call you back, then you need to call them again.  But how long should you wait before you do that?  I suppose one advantage might be that you could let the machine handle all the spammers and scammers.  But what fun would that be?  Then again, it's not as much fun now since I have resolved not to abuse them with obscene ethnical insults.  Maybe I should rethink this matter.  

I had a credit card once, but they cancelled it after I had it for a year and never used it.  Many years later, I got a debit card because they wouldn't sell me satellite service without one.  I didn't think I would ever use it, but I did and still do.  It's no more trouble that writing a check, and lots of places seem to prefer it.  

All other factors being equal, I am not inclined to vote for a gay or trans person, although I might consider it if there was another important issue involved.  I don't think that gays should be persecuted or anything like that, but that doesn't mean I have to vote for them.  Tolerance is not the same thing as approval. 

We gave all our old vinyl records to my daughter and granddaughter since they already had collections of them.  We had an old rickety portable phonograph, and we gave that away too.  We would like to find a good home for our VHS collection as well, but we don't know anybody who has a working player.  Ours died and they stopped making them some years ago.  I understand you can still find used ones on the market, but they want too much for them and you can't find parts for them or anybody who wants to service or repair them.  We could use the extra space to store our CDs and DVDs, but it seems a shame to just throw those old tapes away.