Piece of Mind - A tribute to 25 years

Today, I turn 25 years old. (Oh.. thank you. You are too kind. Stop, please...)

As a tribute to myself and the changing world, this week I like to provide an overview of some of the ways our world has changed in the past quarter century.

1. The StairMaster: Every day fools like you and me no longer have to just pine after the bodies of people like Arnold Schwarzenegger (specifically, his body in Pumping Iron). We can have our own hot bod by doing Real Work with Real Results, thanks to the StairMaster 4000 PT introduced in Nashville, TN in 1986.

2. Purell Hand Sanitizer: Sure we were scared of germs before, but one of the lesser known facts is that the market took off after 9/11 during national fears of avian flu. Thanks Gojo in Akron, Ohio.

3. Drivers License: I learned to drive a car in 2002. During Drivers Ed, we drove all around town looking for two cars that were close enough together to practice parallel parking. Finally, Mr. Bauman gave up and had us bretend there were two cars. Wisdom since then: why didn't we just use cones??

4. Disposable Contacts: (which I am wearing right now as I write this...) This slick, invisible invention hit the US in 1995. Since I was behind the times until last year, I still have fond memories of Jr. High basketball games and yelling stop, No one move! when either my glasses or rigid-gas-permeable contacts (what eye doctors would now call the dinosaurs of contact lenses) flew off my face or out of my eyes. This typically ended in 10 awkward girls shuffling on their hands and knees across the floor, parents returning from the bathroom and wondering what the heck was going on, and one bored referee, just thankful he was getting paid.

5. High-Tech Footwear: White canvas Keds, youare a thing of the past. In 1985, Nike launched Air Jordans, followed by Reeboks The Pump. We have been stylin ever since. I proud to say that I too owned Nike Womens Air Swoopes, in honor of WMBA star Sheryl Swoopes.

6. Writing: Okay, obviously not invented after 1986. However, I learned to love writing in my 6th grade Science Class. If you have enjoyed any of my columns, you can thank Mrs. Stone.

7. PowerPoint: Can't remember the first time you had to sit through a boring text-filled slide show... well, now you know. PowerPoint was invented by Forethought and released in 1987. Windows unveiled its version in 1990 and changed the game of public speaking. Sidenote: You can buy books on how to Make Your PowerPoint Presentation More Interesting. I only know this because an ex-boyfriend checked one out from the library and would read it in the evenings. Thats what is known as a real breaker.

8. Lettuce in a bag: Fresh Express out of Salinas, CA introduced a high tech plastic bag in 1989 to keep our iceberg lettuces super-fresh. That was only the beginning of bagged/pre-packaged/individualized food. My personal favorite is suction wrapped cucumbers. On my more pessimistic days, I associate them with the american Dream.

9. iPods: You know the story.

10. Birth: I was born, thanks to some chilly night of passion and procreation in early 1986.

So, as you eat bagged lettuce with your sterilized hands and pump your muscles hard on the StairMaster, be thankful for all the things known and unknown that make this world a little better, or at least amusing to live in.

Now, wheres my cake.