Re: Brand new 19BII; they don't make 'em like they used to! Message #7 Posted by Michael Meyer on 15 Aug 2002, 8:48 p.m., in response to message #6 by Scuba Diver
"Who knows where this will end!!!"
I'm not positive... but I have an idea where it will end...
It won't! I'm afraid you may have been bitten by the HP collecting bug. I've been ill with it for over three years, now.
You DO have my sympathy. It seems that few people who aren't ill with this same condition have any understanding of the symptoms.
Some of the symptoms I've observed include:
Desire to handle and learn to use more and more of the models, both modern and "classic".
Sudden and progressive desire to have at least one, if not more, of the calculators you could only dream about having when you were younger (if you're of Mid-Life-Crisis age), or a progressive desire to collect the antiques of yesteryear (if you're still young).
Development of a "spiritual" admiration of the more amazing models, which for me, is each one in succession...but more so with very special models (HP-35, HP-67, HP-19C, HP-25, etc.)
Symptoms of addiction can develop, including intense highs upon experiencing a new calculator... and withdrawal if you haven't had a chance to partake recently.
Slow but insidious draining of your bank account as each machine is a "HAVE TO" have... especially at "that price"... After awhile, when you have the machines you desire the most, you find yourself saying, "I might as well fill in the holes with the other models to make my collection more complete..." (I've heard that some very afflicted individuals even start over once they've assembled a complete set!!)
And if you do your own repair and restoration, the disappearance of many hours on the clock without explanation. "Wow. How did it get to be 3 a.m.?!"
There are many other symptoms. Many of these symptoms have specific numbers attached to their descriptions, such as: "65" and "15C" and even "42S".
Though I haven't yet found a cure, I am working on a treatment. I'll let you know about it, but first I have to go clean up and learn to use the HP-21 I finally added to my collection today. (Can you believe I've never had one before!) It's going to be beautiful once the feet are cleaned, the contacts polished, and the batteries rebuilt.
Oh, what was I saying?
The good new is: you're not alone.
Michael
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