13 Modern Conveniences that I would hate to do without. I will try to do it by order daily use.
1. ATM card- how did I ever survive without this simple little card! I fondly remember my first one senior year in college, yep spent my loan and ended up owing the hospital where I did my clinical.
2. Microwave- Used mostly for thawing, not so much for cooking. I love the convenience of popcorn. Plus, since I don't have an electric blanket, it comes in handy for heating up my heat bags for my bed.
3. Laptop Computer- I first bought an Ibook when I started teaching 5 years ago, I am now on my second and every evening, here I sit, my husband watching tv and I am off playing games at POGO (janmcwb2 is my screen name)
4. PDA - I am on my second palm pda and now have a Tungsten T|X. Now I don't miss appointments, I always have phone information for family, friends, doctors and businesses. I can sync with my calendar at work, play Bubblet while waiting for kids and listen to music. I need to take the time to learn how to download and watch movies. It came in handy on my trip to Denmark when I used it for currency conversions and as an alarm clock.
5. Wireless mouse- It's my favorite pet and I bring it to work every day! If you don't have one, it's well worth the cost.
6. Cell phone- Not that I am on it arguing with my kids while shopping, but it is nice to call home and find out if we need cat food or litter while at the store. We live six miles away from the grocery store. My two oldest just got phones this year and I like being able to talk to them when I need to.
7. Ipod- Not at the top of the list, but a good middle. I am still on my first 30 gb photo Ipod, but it's been a tough couple of years. The screen cracked when my son brought it on a trip, through no fault of him, it just cracked when he plugged it in to charge. The apple warranty was then void, so I found a great repair shop, Powerbook Medic and it got fixed for what I thought was a reasonable price. However, there is something loose in it and I occasionally have to slap it to get it to work. ( not recommended, but check out google, there are a lot of Ipod slappers out there) My birthday wish is for a nano so I can work out without worrying about a hard drive.
8. Cable Television- Back in my day, we had 4 channels and an antenna on the roof and we liked it. Now I can't imagine, not having the choices. I am more of a reader than watcher, but my husband loves his sports and old movies. Oh gee, another James Bond movie......
9. Remote locks - So I am a blonde and can't always remember if I locked the doors. I also like the automatic back door opener on my mini van.
10. Mini vans- I think I am one of the few people who can claim to love their mini vans. I grew up driving a ford econoline van that my dad had fixed up, so I like my cars roomy.
11. Instant Messaging - It comes in handy when travelling and for communicating to my son in college.
12. Wireless Internet - One printer and multiple computers/laptops and I got it to work. Also used for the pda, if someone had told me about this 10 years ago, I wouldn't have believed.
13. Technology- I guess this should be first, but just thinking about how we used to file and distribute results in the lab over 20 years ago with limited instrumentation, it is amazing to see how much more can be available to doctors and patients 24/7.
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