From Tracie: Embrace the Tape

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Embrace the Tape

I found the best t-shirt at the store the other day. It made me smile. It made me remember all those hours spent listening to the radio for the perfect song to come on so I could push the record button. It made Thomas remember all the hours he spent calling the local DJ requesting songs so he could hit the record button. He also says that those hours were worth it, because eventually the DJ got to know him, and he got quite a few free concert tickets out of that relationship.

As we were marveling over this great find, Katarina looked up at it and crushed my heart just as bit as she said, "What are those things all over that shirt?"


What are those things? Cassette tapes. Mix Tapes to be exact. Bringing back all those memories of recording songs off the radio to make just the right mix for every occasion. Calculating how many minutes were left on each side so I could fill it up without loosing part of a song. How can my daughter not realize what they are?

During my teenage years, I eventually moved away from the cassette and onto the cd. It was a good move.  I don't own a cassette tape anymore, or even a stereo that could play one. It's no wonder she doesn't know what they are. But there, in that moment, I realized that she really is in a whole different generation.  


When I asked her to take this picture for me, she was excited to use the camera the way she always is, but she didn't hesitate to say, "I'll take the picture, but I don't think anyone else will know what those things are either!"

I may not own a cassette tape any more, but I do own this shirt, and I am going to enjoy embracing those memories. Even if my kid thinks I am crazy. She is probably supposed to feel that way about the older generation.

22 comments:

  1. Very funny. I had the same sort of experience when I took my daughter to a record store.

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  2. Rock that shirt! It's awesome.

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  3. That is a great shirt I want it. I remember those and I still have some of them come to think of it.

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  4. I remember cassette tapes and pulling music off the radio ------ ahhhh, those were the days.

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  5. OMGOSH! Too funny! I totally LOVE that shirt and can remember those days sitting by the radio!
    My sister and I always laugh about the summer of "Come on Eileen"...where we waited HOURS to tape it so we could listen to it over and over and over again on a long road trip. LOL

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  6. When I started to put a record on my record player a number of years ago, a child in my class said "That is the biggest CD I have ever seen." Boy, did I feel old. lol

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  7. Cute!! Brings back memories of sitting on my bedroom floor waiting for THAT song to record!

    Stopping by from SITS.

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  8. I so remember those tapes. You've got a classic there on your shirt!

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  9. Thats hilarious she said no one will know what they are!

    Oh my - I spent many a heart broken night after a split with a boyfriend sitting with my tape recorder by the radio to make some depressing mixed tapes.. haha!!!

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  10. Now I really feel like an old grandma, lol ! I started with these big records 78 tours, then came the 45 and then the tape and then ....

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  11. That shirt is awesome! And I so remember sitting there listening to entire countdowns on the weekends to record my favorite songs...lol

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  12. Hey, now, wait a minute! I still use my cassettes. The kids know what they are, even if they don't use any. Um... then again, they know about my vinyl too.

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  13. Wow! I haven't seen a cassette in a long time. Remember trying to find a song on a cassette tape and having to fast forward and rewind? That was a trip!

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  14. Oh, that's funny! You could really confuse her buy telling her about record players. One day I was trying trying to explain to my five year old what film is for a camera. He's never seen anything but a digital camera.

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  15. Oh mixed tapes...

    Oh childhood...

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  16. I totally need one of those shirts. TOTALLY.

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  17. I remember those days...they were so fun! There was nothing like wearing out a good mix tape, either!

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  18. I have dozens and dozens of cassettes, I have LPs and even some 45s.

    Yeah, I'm old.

    Thanks for visiting my blog and getting the button.

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  19. long live the mixed tape.. now they swap i-pod playlists... oh well... my dad still has an old 8track and a reel to reel in the basement at home...

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  20. I always feel a little sad when I think of the technologies that we've left behind in our race to be uber-modern. I was staring at some old floppy disks earlier this week...our youngest son had no idea what they were. Which was just as well, as we have no computers anymore that actually have disk drives!

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  21. Ha! My daughter has a purse with cassettes all over it. She also had a little phone charm for awhile that matched, but it broke.

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  22. LoL!!!! We are so alike :-) I still have at least 20 mixed cassette tapes of songs I recorded off the radio :-D Thanks for the post, brought back good memories and a smile :-D

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