What a difference time makes

OK, so this is cheating.

Mark Wineka, who sits just beyond my cubicle wall, doesn’t cheat.

I do.

Sometimes it’s necessary. I need a column, and there isn’t one at hand except by mining e-mail. Not that I want to promote chain letters, much less spam (if I understand correctly that spam is all those jokes and warnings that float around forever in cyberspace).

But sometimes ...

Mark received it and shared it with me. I figured it needed passing on its way.

“Gonna use it?” I asked.

“No,” he said, brief and to the point.

Subliminally I heard, ”Of course not. When I write a column, I write the column.”

“May I?”

Permission was granted.

So here’s another one of those e-mails that, so to speak, make the world go round. It was titled, “What a difference time makes”:

1970: Long hair

2000: Longing for hair

1970: The perfect high

2000: The perfect high-yield mutual fund

1970: Acid rock

2000: Acid reflux

1970: Moving to California because it’s cool

2000: Moving to California because it’s warm

1970: Growing pot

2000: Growing pot belly

1970: Watching John Glenn’s historic space flight with your parents

2000: Watching John Glenn’s historic space flight with your children

1970: Trying to look like Marlon Brando or Elizabeth Taylor

2000: Trying not to look like Marlon Brando or Elizabeth Taylor

1970: Seeds and stems

2000: Roughage

1970: Popping pills, smoking joints

2000: Popping joints

1970: Our president’s struggle with Fidel

2000: Our president’s struggle with fidelity

1970: Killer weed

2000: Weed killer

1970: The grateful dead

2000: Dr. Kevorkian

1970: Getting out to a new hip joint

2000: Getting a new hip joint

1970: Rolling Stones

2000: Kidney stones

1970: Being called to the principal’s office

2000: Calling the principal’s office

1970: Screw the system

2000: Upgrade the system

1970: Peace sign

2000: Mercedes logo

1970: Parents beg you to get a haircut

2000: Children beg you to get their heads shaved

1970: Passing the driver’s test

2000: Passing the vision test

1970: “Whatever”

2000: “Depends”

Contact Rose Post at 704-797-4251 or rpost@salisburypost.com .