My daughter Miranda, Buck Wheat for those who know, is part hippy.
Born in 1998, her own era never suited her. Having more in common with a flower-child of the 1970’s than she does with most of her millennial compatriots, Buck sees the romance of time gone by.
Posters and other artifacts of the past decorate THE Buck’s one-bedroom apartment in Austin, Texas. But little from the past gets more of Buck’s attention than music. With a taste for classic rock and a preference for vinyl, Buck spends much of her free time cruising the thrift shops of Austin. In search of a nostalgic tune, served on a platter.
I'm not sure where Buck's love for the past comes from. Having been raised in the 1970’s I have a decidedly less romantic view of the era than she does.
And I never understood the love for vinyl. "Why take up all the space on the shelves?" has always been my view. For $9.99 per month Apple Music will put every song ever published in your pocket. And much less effort when you move! At each transition, as vinyl became CD’s and CD’s became digital, I was an early adopter.
Go put a record on a turntable and say, “Hey Siri, change the song!” and you’ll understand my preference.
But, how the Buck takes in her music is up to THE Buck. However she listens, she’s got great taste! Here’s a sampling of what you can get for a Buck or $2 in the thrift shops of Austin.
I owned the two on the right myself, before vinyl lost the war. I never bought any Allman Brothers. I heard enough through the bedroom wall I shared with my sister, Marci.
Out With the New and In With the Old
Buying vinyl is not the only way a Buck can forswear modern life.
Last week in an Austin Verizon store, Buck let nostalgia get the better of her. Needing a new phone due to gravity (because it was not her fault), and despite 23-years of experience on this planet my daughter Buck chose form, with no regard for function.
A flip phone!
There was more at play here than just nostalgia. Four straight months of me saying, "It's time for you to pay for your own shit!" had her walking into the Verizon store with a clear sense that she was (finally) going to have to pay for her own shit.
Clutching her wallet tightly, Buck connected with the simple beauty of a “flip” design. Not being particularly geeky compared to her generation, Buck was pulled in by the flip phone's plain elegance. When the salesman told her, “Just flip it opened to accept a call” she was transported back in time. To the era of her soul, give or take a decade.
At a time when Buck should have been thinking, "this is sweet, I'll take a picture of it with my iPhone and post it on Instagram." she was thinking, "SHIT! If I get another iPhone I can't go out this weekend!"
At least for a moment, as she pushed through the glass door of the Verizon store chin-up, I'm sure she felt confident.
And remained confident in her selection. To the stop sign where her plan to use tech as they did in the good old days, turned to dust.
With the front wheels of the car sitting at the intersection of Dreams and Realities, Buck looked to her flip phone for directions home.
Siri?
For the first time in what would be their week-long relationship, Buck’s flip phone flipped her off!
She had made it all the way to the stop sign before her poor choice was exposed. If she had called me 30-minutes earlier and said, “Dad, I’m thinking about buying a flip phone” I’m sure I would have said, “You won’t be able to find your way to your car!”
So I guess, I'm proud.
THE Revolution
Making progress again last week were the first web and e-commerce sites of my revolution. With Townlinepaint.com, Andriots.com and PaintColumbia.com all live and starting to get visitors, it’s time they got a final visit from me, and the development team.
Brought live as soon as they were “minimally viable,” the three sites currently only sell paint from Benjamin Moore and C2, and sundries. In the coming week, we’ll put the pieces in place to add wallpaper, flooring, THE Big Green Egg, Farrow & Ball, décor and a few straggling categories.
"Hey Siri! Where can a paint dealer go to get web and e-commerce sites built for them?"
