It was 25 years ago Monday, on Jan. 3, 1986, that I began as a regular Post columnist. Before that, I had sold occasional pieces to Chuck Green, the editorial page editor, and finally I worked up the gumption to inquire about a regular slot.
I wasn’t real optimistic about the prospects. For one thing, Chuck had been city editor and I had on several occasions tried to get him to hire me as a reporter, to no avail. For another, back then the logistics of regularly sending text over a phone line from 140 miles away were rather daunting.
But to my pleasant surprise, Chuck agreed, even though he hadn’t wanted me as a reporter. Years later, he explained that “I wanted your writing in the paper, but I didn’t really want you in the office.” He somehow knew that I’m a foul-tempered slob who should work by himself.
It seems natural to ponder how things have changed in the past quarter of a century, so here goes.
1986: We lived in a house built in 1880, so it was 106 years old.
2011: We live in a house mostly built in 1905, making it 106 years old.
1986: The family car was a 1965 Dodge Dart. It was 21 years old and did not like to run when it was wet outside.
2011: The family car is a 1990 Geo Prizm. It is 21 years old and does not like to run when it is wet outside.
1986: It took four or five hours to research, write and transmit a column, using reference books and an 8-bit Osborne CP/M computer with floppy disks and a 300-bps modem.
2011: It takes four or five hours to research, write and transmit a column, using the resources of the World Wide Web on a quad-core 64-bit home-built Linux computer with a broadband Internet connection.
1986: When I was busy writing, our house cat Hector would demand attention by rubbing against my ankles, and when that didn’t work, he’d jump up and stretch across my keyboard. If I grabbed him and set him down, he’d try to bite me.
2011: When I am busy writing, the Cat Formerly Known As Princess will demand attention by rubbing against my ankles, then jumping up to sprawl across my keyboard. If I grab her and set her down, she often coughs up a hairball.
1986: Writing columns for The Post was an enjoyable pursuit, but I still needed to take on a lot of other work, from computer programming to ghost-writing, as well as other freelance writing.
2011: Writing columns for the Post is an enjoyable pursuit, but I still need to hustle other work.
1986: Kirby Perschabacher and I closed all three Salida bars that were open one January night.
2011: Kirby Perschabacher and I stayed up till 10 one recent evening.
1986: My two wonderful daughters often came in to my home office to talk about their days.
2011: My two wonderful daughters often call from their homes in Oregon to chat about their days. And one of them has provided a grandson who has just started to chat about his days.
1986: Friends would drop by to borrow or return books and tools.
2011: Dave Ward just came by to borrow two pipe wrenches. I mentioned what I was writing and how little some things had changed, and he said, “Well, at least you’re holding your own.”
Given everything else that’s happened in the past 25 years, from hard times for print media to terrorist attacks and mortgage meltdowns, stasis now seems like something to celebrate. So may we all enjoy a placid and uneventful 2011.
Ed Quillen (ekquillen@gmail.com) of Salida is a regular contributor to The Denver Post.
