Crazy...or what?

[Walker]

Last night, on ebay, I started bidding on a typewriter and before I knew it the dust had settled and I was the proud new owner of a speedwriter portable typewriter. It's a cool blue colour and in mint shape. The seller lives near me and is dropping it off on saturday to save on shipping costs.
I was initially going to try for a Royal Ultra Quiet, circa 1950, but I couldn't let the speedwriter pass. There's plenty of the older Royal, Underwood, Remington, etc., brands out there, so adding to my new collection won't be hard when the time comes.

Does anyone here use a typewriter? I plan to use it for first drafts and just plain screwing around with. I'm hopeful it will help to improve my typing, which isn't too bad but could be better. Am I crazy...or what??

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Not crazy, perhaps a bit nostalgic though. I had a giant, heavy one in high school. I still have documents filed that I used it upon. I even recall typing lyrics into cassette sleeves that didn't show them. At this point, it will have been almost 20 years since I've really used one.

In addition to improving your typing accuracy, it may strengthen your fingers/hands depending on whether it is powered or not. From the description, it would seem it is. In any case, congrats and enjoy. 

[JoyceCarter]

If you feel like playing around, why not?  I quite agree on the business of strengthening the fingers (though the mechanical ones are the boys for that).  It's ages since I tried.  I know my speed on the computer keyboard is about a third faster than what it used to be on my mechanical one, though I bet I couldn't go as fast now.

[Ed]

There's something magical about old technology, but yes - you're mad

[Walker]

In addition to improving your typing accuracy, it may strengthen your fingers/hands depending on whether it is powered or not. From the description, it would seem it is.

No, actually it's a manual typewriter, but it's small and looks to be pretty light-weight. I wanted something to take with me on holidays, etc., that didn't require any hydro to operate.

Blunt, you're right on both counts...

[santhere]

Oh I would love to have a typewriter, alas I think I would be even slower than I am on this laptop..
I am basically a zo sloth at typing, writing as well
maybe that's why I only write poems nowadays

[JoyceCarter]

There's probably at least one member of your family that has one stowed away in the loft, Santhere!

Can you actually still buy typewriter ribbons?  I wouldn't know where to ask these days.

[canadian]

No, actually it's a manual typewriter, but it's small and looks to be pretty light-weight. I wanted something to take with me on holidays, etc., that didn't require any hydro to operate.

Blunt, you're right on both counts...

Ummm, actually, Walker, I think you're quite smart. When the lights go out and the rest of us are reduced to slogging away with charcoal & birch bark ... you'll be miles ahead!

I learned to type on a manual machine (groan ... yeah ... I'm OLD!). Progressed through all of the subsequent technology (including magnetic card machines & very early TI computers) and can smugly announce that I type upwards of 135 words per minute. Sure helps when my fingers can keep up to my brain!

[JoyceCarter]

Ditto some of that, Donna (judging by your pic, bet I'm older), but NO WAY can I go that fast.  Watch out for the state of your carpal tunnels!  (And of course my brain works MUCH faster than that... )

[canadian]

Dunno if you're older than me, Joyce ...

I've changed my display pic just for you! The old one was a Cafe Doom-provided shot of the actress Denise Richards, certainly not one of myself!

[JoyceCarter]

There was I thinking you were one of those lucky golden-oldy ladies...  My illusions are shattered!

[Ed]

Welcome back, Joyce   How was your trip?

[JoyceCarter]

Thanks!  The trip was lively and exhausting, as they always are.  (I've been chaperoning performing children.)  We had four HORRIBLES (out of 29), which meant that life was provocative at times.  The artistic team on this project were not actually very good, and certainly didn't co-operate with us.  On the plus side, the rest of the pastoral care team are lovely people - I've worked with two before, but two were new to me - and that made the whole thing better than bearable.  Also, I've stayed at that venue before, it's a beautiful place, the onsite staff are great, and we get well fed.  I also managed to get quite a lot of writing done, before the lack of sleep began to bite too hard.  All in all, once I've caught up on my sleep, I'll be fine!

Quotes.

12-year-old passing along a passage with doors labelled 'Sick Bay Toilet', 'Sick Bay Bathroom', 'Sick Bay Treatment Room' etc.:  Why do they have a sick baby here?

Another time, a 13-year-old boy was dancing round me, singing, the last part rising to the highest note on 'nip':  You should come and see the little goblin in my room.  He is very small and beautiful and he keeps jumping up and squeezing my nip-ples.

[SharonBell]

LOL! All good material for your writing! 

[JoyceCarter]

Oh, yes.  All human life is there!

There was also a day when something or other in the diet had made almost everyone liable to fart often and odiferously.   We were having hysterics!  By the end of the morning, even the chaperones were having raspberry-blowing contests (the children started it).  We noticed that some people tighten both lips and force air through the middle, some wrap the lower lip over the upper one, and some wrap the upper lip over the lower one.  You get a different sound quality from each technique.  There's also some variation to be had from difference in breath pressure - with three of us having done drama/singing voice-training, a) it was a really good performance, and b) this was all (of course) undertaken in a spirit of scientific experiment! 

[Ed]

Good to see you had a fun time, Joyce   Those kids sound kinda weird though

[JoyceCarter]

Weird?  Weird?  We say in our family, 'All the best people are weird.'    Quite a lot of performing children are just barking! 

[SharonBell]

In our family, we say we put the FUN in dysfunctional!