69 Trips Around The Sun
I’m in my 69th year on the earth, and it’s been quite a life !
Being born in the 1950’s, and life was good, in my part of the world.
Comments now say the 1950’s was a peak of prosperity for the average North American.
The Transistor Radio !
My earliest recollection of using modern technology was being downtown with an older cousin who had a small transistor radio, around 1965. He let me carry it, and I held it on my shoulder close to my ear, as we walked down Portage Avenue listening to music. Wow, music while you walk.
Woodstock – 1969
I remember listening to the Woodstock album for hours, and the artists who rose to fame from their performance there. Santana is the band I enjoyed the most from the Woodstock concert.
While Woodstock did not boast any new technology, it was a huge social experiment putting that many people together for a rock concert. In the end, it was mixed results. The kids who were there loved it, and their parents disliked it.
1970 Manitoba Centennial
I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1970, I attended my first rock concert in Winnipeg as part of the 100th anniversary of the province. There I saw Iron Butterfly, Ides of March, and Led Zepplin was the headliner.
Not sure why, but music was our thing.
Sony Walkman
Years later, in the 1980’s, our son asked for a Sony Walkman, and we got him one. It was a neat music player that played cassette tapes and had ear buds for privacy. He used it a lot.
Disco Fever
We loved the disco music in the late 1970’s. We loved to dance, and I had an afro hair style for a while too.
1980’s Fax Machine
As a young businessman, I remember buying a fax machine, and being delighted at the amount of time it saved me, because I did not have to drive across town to pick up a document. They just faxed it to me !
1985 – My First Computer
I remember buying my first computer with 2 floppy drives, for about $600. in 1985. I did not get my first hard drives till a year or so later.
Change Continues
I not sure how many computers I have had in the last 39 years, but I have spent many hours on them for business and personal reasons.
What’s that old saying – The only thing for certain is change. We have experienced that in our lifetime.
We were all in fear of Y2K, but it was a dud.
Then we had to live thru 9/11, and the fallout from that.
I have often thought, the amount of change that has happened in my lifetime is faster than at any other time in history.
And it does not seem to be slowing down. It seems to be getting faster, in part because technology keeps progressing faster.
Song – 69 Trips Around The Sun
So I wrote the song – 69 Trips Around The Sun, that encompasses these major changes that have happened in the lifetime of my generation. You’ll find the lyrics reference some of the major changes noted above.
Take a listen, I hope you like it. Watch for the video coming soon too.
Richard Lepinsky