Last week, the FedEx person delivered my new manual typewriter. I had sold my old one years ago when I was broke, bummed and not writing. This new acquisition had been lovingly packed and even had an instruction book.
Soon, I was mesmerized by the comforting clack of the keystrokes and the dulcet clunk of the tab and shift key functions. Yes, it had a bell, but the sound was faint and lacked that certain perkiness. Instead of consulting an audiologist, I preferred to accuse the manufacturer of shoddy workmanship. Altogether, though, I was pleased.
After an hour of typing, I felt rivulets of good, honest sweat dripping down my armpits. This was not the cold, corporate brow sweat produced by techno-terror. A writer’s cardio workout was in progress.
I will keep this machine and wallow in old-school bliss. No longer will I have to listen to Leroy Anderson’s “Typewriter Song” online to evoke nostalgia. I can avoid the ticking of that infernal desktop keyboard for a while. It always reminds me of a mouse frolicking in my kitchen cabinet.
Max, I’ll let you enjoy your extreme typing sport; as a 77 year-old, give me a mostly silent Mac keyboard any day.
Mr. Badger, What a wonderful “30 Second Read”. Your “read” brought back some old memories for me. In less than 2 months I’ll be 72 yrs. o age’ My typing career also began manual typewriters, the electric typewriter. In fact, my senior year of high school I Started dating this girl I met in typing class. After dating that year and four more of college this August we’ll celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.(By the way, I could type better and faster than she could.) In fact, sometimes in college she tell me she couldn’t go out because she had a paper she needed to type for a class. Like a hooked fish being reeled in, I would offer to type it for her after we went out. Several times I had to go to the student government office (had a key as treasurer of NSU student govt.) There I typed until her paper was finished, usually all night long. Before I went off on my tangent of typing, I was wanting to ask you if typewriter ribbons were still available. Thanks for the memories, you old timer.