Life, actually…
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REEL LIFE IN THE 1950s
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The shiny new Silvertone reel to reel tape recorder hums idling in my darkened childhood bedroom. I am preparing to audio-record a radio show, and it is two minutes till air time.
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The time is 1959, when my world is still young and ladened with hope.
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I just purchased this metallic time machine, agreeing to make monthly payments till all debt is settled. My fevered dreams are invested in the craft of making time repeat itself at my leisure.
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The needle volume gauge awaits the push of a button. The motor rumbles and vibrates. The pristine rheostat knobs beg at the starting gate.
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And now, the radio station ID spoken, the daily comedy show begins and the reels start spinning. The left-hand reel moves counter-clockwise, feeding a brown plastic ribbon past magnetized cubes, the right hand reel neatly spools the now-recorded sound.
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Within minutes I will have my own repeatable archived recording of the Bob and Ray Presents the CBS Radio Network show.
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Once I’ve pressed the STOP button, I push REWIND and watch the left-hand reel re-claim the fresh recording.
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Later tonight, just before sleepville, I will re-load the program, push PLAY and slowly fall asleep grinning to the improvised shenanigans of the two funniest comedians of my lifetime.
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How could life feel any more satisfying than it feels right now?
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This is as good as it gets, at least for this crystal-clear one-of-a-kind moment in time
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Jim Reed © 2021 A.D.
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Weekly Podcast: REDCLAYDIARY