Randoms, conspiracies, and follow throughs.

First, I feel obligated to update you on my good friend Fernando. I recently received my latest Nissan bill (see post called Nissan Calling) and wouldn't you know it, it only took Fernando two months to get the errant charges removed from my bill. Fernando is my hero. To give him even more credit, last month bill was most likely already printed when we spoke so the very next new bill was correct. Fernando did what all of Nissan America could not, he took care of me. When I look for our next car I will have to have the dealership call Fernando to inform him of his success. I will call him myself this week to thank him for his diligents. It is a wise idea to stay on the good side of someone as powerful as Fernando. All hail the Fernando the Great. All hail.

Okay, enough of that. On to the conspiracy. Today I made a long overdue observation. Something is missing. Something terrible has happened. Some time, some place, some one took something from us. The truly sad thing is that no one seemed to notice. It was a small thing, an easily overlooked thing, an infrequently used item even, but now its gone. I had no idea it was missing, but upon further review, it has been gone for a very long time and I just know noticed its absents. Somebody decided I wasn't using it, so they took it from me, but not just from me they took it from you as well. It was stolen right out from under us and we didn't even feel its absence, until now. I am writing this as a call to arms, a call to write your senator, a call to write your congressman, a call to boycott somebody (I just don't know who yet) Today I was typing a little note that included a price. I typed it first as $12.12 but that was not emphatic enough to make my point, so I changed it to $12 dollars and .12 cents.

Observe.

$12 dollars

a symbol followed by a number followed by a word.

.12 cents

a number followed by a word.

something is amiss.

I quickly corrected it to read $0.12 cents,

but this is also not correct.

ah, I need the cents symbol which should be right over here next to..........

where are my glasses, I don't see my cents.

I don't see it because it is gone, taken from me without my consent. I did not sign anything allowing somebody to take my cents away. I want my cents back. Put it back in its proper place and I mean right now. I went online shopping for a keyboard that was complete and had my cents included but its not for sale out there anyplace. I can by a keyboard with Yiddish subscripts and I can buy a keyboard with the Spanish tilde, but I cant buy one with any cents. Who took my cents and why did they do it. I want to know who thought I could just do without cents and thought I would never notice. Granted, I have done without cents for a long time, but sometimes you just have to have cents and now is one of those times. I demand and inquiry, I want to have somebody to blame, I want my cents back. What happened, did they figure there was not enough room with all the other things on the keyboard? I don't buy that, look over the number 6 and what do you see? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^that's what, what the heck is it and who uses a ^^^^^^^^^ for anything. I could live with things changing, or ostensibly improving, but to make off with my cents is just not right. More important, when did this happen and how long have I been without my cents. I know I am getting older, almost 40 and all, but really. I remember LP's that played at 33,45, and even 78. I remember reel to reel and then 8 track and then cassette, I even remember cassingles. We are now transitioning from CD to Ipod technology as we speak the CD is dying. But, as I look back fondly on my LP of Tone Loc I can appreciate the advancement of modern technology. The trick is that as the old items left the knew items came in, bigger, better, faster, cheaper. The Beta gave way to the VHS and then to the DVD. AM and FM gave way to Satellite. Each has its day. I even remember those old glass coke bottles that have been replaced by plastic with twist off lids. My child will grow up never having seen these things. Gracie will never know vinyl LP.s, glass coke bottles, rotary phones, or cassette tapes. This is sad indeed, but its progress. What exactly will replace cents. That is the question. Somebody took it from us and I want them to put it back, if not for me for my little girl. I cant bear to think of a world in which she grows up never having cents.