Goodbye Paper Checks?
The other day I voted in the Post’s “Do you still write checks?” poll (for the record, I do) and I came across an interesting comment below the poll that mentioned how the Federal Reserve was trying to shift away from paper checks, in the same way the U.S. has shifted away from the penny.
I did some digging and it’s true.
The government has already stopped mailing paper checks to people, and I guess the next logical step is for them to stop paper checks in general. A lot of people have already stopped writing checks (especially younger people), opting instead to use credit cards, debit cards, direct deposit, digital autopayments, and even (gah) crypto.
Much like cash and my landline phone, I’m not going to stop using paper checks. I just won’t! Until I have to, of course. And I know many people feel the same way. I refuse to live in a world where every single transaction is digital and on a screen. I like the tradition and ritual of writing out checks and keeping a checkbook. And I think there’s something practical about it, even if it isn’t faster than the alternatives.
Talk to my landlord. He still requires a paper check.
Mr. Potato Head Is Moving to Boston
And it’s not just because Massachusetts was just named the best state to raise a family (though I hear Mrs. Potato Head wants to move there to be closer to relatives).
No, Potato is on the move because Hasbro is moving its headquarters from Pawtucket, Rhode Island to Boston. The move is rankling some, including lawmakers in Rhode Island who want to get rid of the Mr. Potato Head license plates that are currently given out to drivers.
Here’s a commercial for the original version. You had to use real potatoes! (Though mashed wouldn’t have worked.)
Uploaded to YouTube by VintageTVCommercials
The Man with 1,531 Pairs of Socks
Nobody knows this about me, but I collect socks. Well, not “collect,” as if I go out of my way to buy various socks to add to some formal “collection.” But I do like dress socks with different designs, and I’ve started to buy more of them. I’m trying to change from being the white-socks-all-the-time guy I’ve always been.
But I’ll never amass the collection of socks that retired Philadelphia news anchor Jim Donovan has. He has 1,531 pairs, a new official Guinness World Record.
If you do the math, that’s 3062 individual socks. My God, where does he keep them all?
Twinkie Update!
Ten years ago, in this very column, I told you about the world’s oldest Twinkie, which had just turned 40. I’m happy to report that the Twinkie still exists and this year turns 50!
It’s unwrapped and housed in a homemade box at a high school in Blue Hill, Maine. Why at a high school? Here’s the story.
RIP Valentino, Claudette Colvin, Leonard Jacoby, Mark Jones, Roger Allers, and Rebecca Kilgore
Valentino Garavani was a legendary fashion designer. He died this week at the age of 93.
Claudette Colvin refused to give her bus seat to a white woman in March of 1955, several months before Rosa Parks made her stand in the same city. She died last week at the age of 86.
Leonard Jacoby was half of the famous Jacoby and Meyers legal team. He died last week at the age of 83.
Mark Jones was the director and writer of the cult horror film Leprechaun and wrote episodes of Superboy, The A-Team, Riptide, and many animated shows. He died last week at the age of 72.
Roger Allers was the co-director The Lion King and worked on many other Disney films. He died Saturday at the age of 76.
Rebecca Kilgore was an acclaimed jazz singer. She died earlier this month at the age of 76.
This Week in History
First Appearance of Popeye (January 17, 1929)
He first appeared in E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theater comic strip.
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson Born (January 21, 1824)
Do you know how the Confederate general got his name? Well, Jackson was his father’s last name.
Oh, you’re wondering about “Stonewall?” He was given that nickname by fellow Confederate General Barnard E. Bee, who compared him to a “stone wall” after fending off Union troops at the First Battle of Bull Run.
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Missing the Dance” by Norman Rockwell (January 23, 1937)
There are a lot of people sick in bed these days.
January Is National Hot Tea Month
Tea is the official drink to have when you’re sick. And when I say “official,” I mean I just made it up. But it’s probably true, right?
I’m a big tea drinker. I add milk and sugar to my tea, and when you do that you need a hearty tea that can stand up to it. If you use a wimpy tea and add milk and sugar then you’re just tasting milk and sugar. I drink Twinings Irish Breakfast. I also like vanilla chai, and I find the best is by Big Train.
But if you want to make your own, here’s recipe for Homemade Vanilla Chai Mix from Real Housemoms. Here’s a recipe for Hot Spiced Tea from Allrecipes, here’s one for Hot Honey Apple Tea from Luzianne Tea, and Food.com has a guide to making the Perfect Cup of British-Style Tea.
I thought about highlighting Twinkie recipes but decided against it.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
NFL Conference Championships (January 25)
The New England Patriots will play the Denver Broncos at 3 p.m. on CBS, followed by the Los Angeles Rams vs. the Seattle Seahawks at 6:30 p.m. on Fox.
National Puzzle Day (January 29)
Of all of the New York Times games, I think Connections is my favorite.
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Comments
Well, I use checks occasionally, here and there. They should be kept and not eliminated. We’ll see. The Honey Apple Tea you mention sounds really good, Bob.
The really big news this week was the accurate, blistering tongue lashing the POTUS trolling, drunk failure Newsom got from the Treasury Secretary appropriately comparing him to the Sparkle Beach Ken doll, and Patrick Bateman from ‘American Psycho’. Absolutely NO business being in Davos, at all. Lots of great footage for later though, not that there isn’t a lot already with plenty more to come.
Great Post cover from ’37. I’m trying to figure out what’s in the foreground. The medicine bottle kind of looks liquor-like, but it can’t be, right? Finally getting over a cold myself, but being really careful as we’re only one full month into winter.
Looks like we all need to stock up on Twinkies until the end of the current administration.
None of the banks that I have done business with return cancelled checks anymore.
I am with you on paper checks. My snow removal person is not set up to receive online payments. Nor is my mower man!
What I want to know is when did Olive Oyl make her first appearance? She is my favorite!
In rural areas where cell phone coverage is spotty at best the landline home phone is still Thr most dependable source of quick communications. I have landline service with four extensions (phones) hooked up to jacks throughout the house. No outages, always dependable, with service provided by my local telecommunications cooperative. I will NEVER NOT have a landline home phone. It is my primary source of communications. Period. Same with paper checks. I do not like automated bank drafts. You lose control of stopping the payment if something is wrong on the bill and negotiations for adjustments. It’s just not practical for me to quit using checks altogether. I’m not going to fall into the all digital trap dependent on various networks or systems that can fail at any time or worse be inaccurate each month. I still send orders by regular mail with a completed order form with a paper check payment. I make a copy of the completed order form before I seal it up in the envelope and put my first class stamp to mail from my local post office. Yeah, it might be less convenient with more overhead and not near as efficient as it would be by other electronic means. But for me having that cancelled paper check as my receipt is a plus for when I have to call any business if my order is incorrect or have further questions. I still am paid with paper checks too for many things. So no, paper checks will never go away for me whether I make a payment or receive a payment. You might be able to live without them in urban areas, but not in rural areas.