the future starts now

and so does the past. we took nicholas roller skating this morning at a tiny tot session. the roller rink, king's skate country, been around for a long time. anna and i used to skate there when we were children. and we both have not put on roller skates for 25+ years. other than the carpeting which looks like it was redone in the '80s, the place looks just the same including the menu board at the snack bar and the large mural of a few cowboys around a dayglo campfire that itself is chipped and fading from these long years.

what a flashback. a great pleasure it was right down to the disco balls and some of the same old disco songs played on the p.a. time seemed to fold upon itself where anna and i got used to having these heavy rented skates strapped to our feet as we re-learned the art of rolling upright. we didn't fall on our asses and nicholas i think had a blast too.

but then okay, the past is now available too as digital downloads. you can now download movies at the exploitation video outfit something weird video. i think that downloading movies will become more common in the near-future. something weird started this decade with fabulous dvd releases of serious sleaze. these discs were packed with extras such as trailers, radio spots, posters, and oddball shorts. however, the market has changed and something weird switched to cheaply produced dv-r's and a deal with the cable tv company comcast. now they offer very cheap downloads.

i'd never thought that we would be satisfied with digital media in lieu of a physical product. are we satisfied with it, or can we simply get used to that nothing we can't hold, that doesn't take up any physical space, but which is still music, movies and books? perhaps the trend started 20 years ago with the advent of the cd. what compact discs offered in cleaner sounds and smaller packaging could not make up for the loss of a large physical space for artwork and the warmer sounds of vinyl.

still, i can't help to mourn the loss should we go straight to digital in everything. i love walking thru my house with its shelves of books and dvds. on my desk at work are 4 tall stacks of cds. they give me a pleasure that cannot be measured. i need something to hold in my hands, that have physical weight, and that i can read the spines and covers and admire the artwork. if this is our world i'll have to adjust i guess. i love my laptop and read most poetry zines online. and i get rather irked when poets refuse to do email or publish a blog. when i get a crush on a writer i will google his/her name. whenever i want to look something up whether it be a word or an actor i go to the infoweb. i'm trying to become a 21st century boy.