Remembering the Mix Tape

See anything unusual about this photo? If you're under 30, you might not recognize the device under the radio.  It's called a "Tape Player" or a Cassette Player if you want to get technical about it. It used to be how people listened to music, before the invention of CDs. Before mp3 files and iPods. Before streaming.

I bought my mini-van (don't laugh) in 2004 and even then, cassette tapes were on their way out. I don't think I've ever played a tape in this machine.  I drive this car every day and somehow never really noticed this device... until I was sitting at a red light the other day and glanced over to see what time it was and noticed the button that said "Tape". And then I looked right above that and saw the cassette player itself.

It flashed me back to my junior high school days, sitting in my room, listening to the radio, waiting hours for my favorite song to come on and the second it did I would slam down the "Record" button on my tape player to record the song (but no one could say a word or it would pick up their voices and it would be ruined).

So funny, what we had to do to be able to play a song on demand.  Today songs, movies and TV shows are at available on-demand. But, I wouldn't trade those hours in front of my radio for anything.