Before Laptop Computers, This Movable Typewriter Was All The Rage

October 30, 2012May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 15 Comments

[A bit of background: Cheri at Naples Girl Blog went on a trip to Cuba a few weeks ago. Since then she has been writing about what she saw and including photos in her posts. When I read her post, Hemingway and Cuba, I knew that it was a sign for me to write the following. You see, Hemingway had a typewriter just like the one that I inherited from my Dad’s side of the family. Kind of cool, eh?]

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My grandfather was a shoe salesman who travelled around a three state region. This is a photograph of his Corona typewriter that he used for work.

This particular model of typewriter folds shut making it portable. It was referred to by Corona as The Personal Writing Machine. Over a 30 year period of time, 700,000 of this model were made.

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I did some research online and found a copy of the original instruction manual: How To Use CORONA, The Personal Writing Machine. The last page of the manual says the following… which seems as applicable to today’s portable technology as it did back in 1920 when this manual was written.

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I like this little typewriter. It’s a fun example of something practical + quirky from the past– favored by Hemingway, used by traveling businessmen. And I think that it’s kind of cute– in a WALL•E sort of way.

The Naming Of Crickets Is An Easy Matter

September 7, 2012May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 14 Comments

[This is a random post if there ever was one. H/T to T. S. Eliot for the inspiration for the title.]

When I think of crickets, I think of three things.

1. The Big Bang Theory. There’s a cricket in our basement. The cricket in our basement is noisy. At about 10:00 p.m. each evening our little cricket friend ramps up his chirping. I think that he is a he– and that he is trying to attract any lady crickets who might be around.

Of course I could be wrong about our little cricket friend’s motive because I learned most of what I know about crickets from an episode of The Big Bang Theory. That’s how I got edumacated on this subject.

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2. Jiminy Cricket. Once I realized that our little cricket friend was living with us inside our house, I named him for Disney’s famous cartoon cricket, Jiminy Cricket. Then I set out to find a video with Jiminy.

The video I found features Jiminy as host and is about “How To Have Fun Safely.” I remember seeing this cartoon when I was a kid. Jiminy wants me to live to be 83. And to not be a fool. And other assorted things that I may or may not have done throughout my lifetime.

Somehow, after viewing this video, I get the feeling that Jiminy would not be the sort of cricket who, now that I’m an adult, would meet me for a cocktail. He seems a bit judgmental and uptight to me. Just a little bit too know-it-all-y.

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3. Buddy Holly and the Crickets. I remember once upon a time, in the early years of our marriage, we received a housewarming gift that was a good luck brass cricket for our hearth. I felt that the cricket was a cute, whimsical gift with wonderful symbolism; I majored in English Lit. Zen-Den, an Econ/Business major, thought it was dumb.

I don’t remember who gave us that gift because it was a long time ago. Although not as long ago as when there were “Rock and Roll Specialists” singing about a girl named Peggy Sue. Which, now that I think about it, is the name that I’d give the cricket in the basement if I thought he was a she.

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So, Can You Do This?

August 28, 2012May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 17 Comments

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When I read the article that included The 20 Most Commonly Used Words, I knew what was required of me. [5]

Obviously, it was a challenge to use these words in one succinct blog post– just for the fun of it. [6]

He who wrote this article might not have envisioned my response, but those of you who know and love me will understand immediately. [6]

This is one of those activities that anyone, with a bit of gumption, can do on his or her blog; so I did it. [3]

[Source of inspiration for this little foray into nerdy silliness is an interesting article: “Your Use of Pronouns Reveals Your Personality” by James W. Pennebaker in the Harvard Business Review, December, 2011. Click here.]