So... what did we do before the Internet?

I'm sitting at my laptop, on-line via my cell phone. Satellite TV on in the background, coming from the living room. Sounds of the Wii float through the air from the kids playing down the hall.

Last Thursday a storm took out our router box, used for our high speed Internet connection. The box exploded into pieces - thanks to a summer storm, complete with show stopping lightening. We used a box from our Marshfield office over the weekend, but that box had to go back this morning, so business could resume after the holiday. UPS has yet to bring us our new box for our home. (Read: so our four computers can be connected to the world via the WORLD WIDE WEB)

Sitting here, I have to wonder - what did we do with our time before the Internet? before satellite TV? before the Wii, PS2 and Nintendo DS games of the world?

My kids have no idea what a pay phone is - I have trouble even remembering the last time I saw one.

My kids have no idea what a "calling card" would be for - a game of Pokemon perhaps?

A typewriter? You've got to be kidding! A word processor? What was that used for?

A Polaroid camera? How cool!

I've heard the stories, from the "old timers" of selling real estate without fax machines - writing listing information using graphite paper (which my kids I am certain have never seen!), hand delivering the pages and calling each other on the rotary phone to set an appointment. Maybe even mailing a contract through the US Post Office. {collective gasp!}

My husband and I bought our first desk top computer in the early 1990's - AOL was our first forlay into the wide world of the web. I remember using a book, similiar to the yellow pages to find web sites.

And, yet I still wonder, how did I survive before becoming addicted being introduced to the Internet? And will I live yet another day if the UPS man doesn't bring me my box! Darn these postal holidays!