Imagine if you will, the changes civilization has witnessed over the last century or so. I guess it was probably more than 20 years ago when I first heard someone say that their grandparents had been witness to more change over their lifetime than any other generation in the history of man.

I suspect you could make an argument going forward that the statement could apply to each succeeding generation, though some of the changes might not be as dramatic.

Let’s turn the clock back to Y2K. Remember how everyone was so afraid of what might happen as we entered a new millennium.

There were folks who were turning 100 years old who had been brought into this world before automobiles, before airplanes, before a lot of people had telephones, (Bell was granted his patent in 1876), long before television, long before the Golden Arches.

I’ll be turning ?? in October and, shoot, the changes I’ve seen are nothing short of phenomenal.

I can remember playing Little League baseball at Jefferson Village right off U.S. 50 in Northern Virginia, and if we won the game, our manager, Shorty Leavitt, would treat the whole team to a burger, fries and drink at the McDonald’s right across the highway. Each player could get a cheeseburger, fries and coke for less than a dollar. He could feed the whole team for less than a $20 bill.

Bet he couldn’t do that today. I was at the drive-through of a different fast food place earlier this week and ordered a cheeseburger (hold the pickle and tomato) and small shake and the nice young lady at the other end of the drive-through said it was $7 and change.

For one cheeseburger and a SMALL milkshake!

When I was playing Little League there was no such thing as a drive-through, either, much less a double drive-through to make you think you’re getting served quicker only to recall that you’re going to funnel back into one line to pick up the order.

I was sitting there idling away the gas that I had just paid $4.09 a gallon for.

That’s something else that has changed pretty dramatically.

When I was a toddler, and I promise you I was a toddler at one point years ago, I can very vividly remember my father pulling up to the gas station and asking the attendant for $3 worth. I don’t EVER remember him asking for anything else.

A couple of things to note there. Back in the day it really was a gas station, not a convenience store. Secondly, you actually had an employee come out a fill your car up for you, check the oil and water. When was the last time that happened to you? While he was filling up your car, and $3 would just about do it, you could walk inside and MAYBE purchase a package of cheese crackers or peanuts at the counter. There was typically a soft drink machine inside where a quarter would get you a Coke or Pepsi.

That same soft drink can run you $1.79 now when you pull it out from the myriad of beverages available in the coolers at modern convenience stores.

I filled up Tuesday for $45 and had to wait to pay until the person in front of me took forever to decide which lottery ticket to play.

Speaking of my dad, he would roll over in his grave if he were to discover that I am paying more than $200 a month for cable television (and internet). Heck, I turn over on the couch multiple times every night when I think about how much I’m paying.

I have some friends in Rome who do not have cable television and I will confess that I’m extremely envious. I suspect not having cable would at least promote additional family time, which I think is probably a good thing. It might also promote more reading, which is probably another good thing. It might require some level of creative thinking to come up with ways to pass some free time; another good thing.

Alas, I doubt that I’ll ditch the cable any time soon.

Then there’s all this electronic voodoo that are computers.

My first real job in journalism came at the Northern Virginia Sun. I worked on Friday nights taking phone calls from the area high schools after football games and typing recaps for the Saturday paper. A dude named George Brantner was the sports editor and after a few weeks he just handed the whole Saturday sports section to me.

Can you imagine me doing that on an old Royal or Underwood typewriter? They weren’t even electric back then. You hit the wrong key and you had to get out one of those typewriter eraser strips. White-Out had not even been invented then.

Now I’m typing along on a keyboard that will finish the rest of a word before I even type it. Actually my PC doesn’t do that, but my smartphone does.

Yeah Dad, I’m sitting home at night, generally flopped back in my recliner, typing into my phone and it’s spelling the words for me!!

I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Doug Walker is the former associate editor at the Rome News-Tribune and now works as a public information officer at the City of Rome.

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