Well, the older I get the more I fear I will turn into my mother…not physically…just in the kinds of things that run willy-nilly through my little pea-brain!

Yesterday was the Fourth Annual Choose Austin First Fest, and I’m sorry you missed it.  I am assuming you missed it because I did not see you there.  I expect there were probably 1,500 persons thta attended the event, and it was really fun.  You paid your $10 admission (which was for the benefit of Fisher House) and then everything was free, except for those really important items like beer and water.  There were lots of local restaurants being represented, and all you could care to eat was gratis.

So, in addition to schmoozing with lots of nice folks, those who did not have time to schmooze were schmoozing with someone on their cellular telephones.  This was no easy feat…there were several bands that were entertaining the masses, and it was LOUD.  (Another instance of turning into my mother.  When the music stopped, I was awed by the quiet.)

Anyway…what the heck is so darn important?  Why are we calling everyone we know just because we can?  I got my first cell phone (back then they were called ‘mobile’ phones [I’m not sure why, because they were anything but mobile]), and it was pretty much bolted into my car, and it was really expensive to use.  That is one of the places the term ‘drinkin’ and dialin’ ‘ originated (but that is another story).  I can remember when home telephones had a limit to the numbers of calls you could make/receive in a month.

As we were leaving the festival, I determined that we are all just calling each other…”What are you doing?”  “Nothing, what are you doing?”  “Nothing.”  Ad-infinitum.

 Okay, so can we all just hang up and pay attention?  I am not sure.

And don’t even get me started talking about kids in restaurants.  “When I was a kid…”