Last night, after a long day at work, I came home, opened the fridge and searched for a snack (a habit I sadly have not been able to kick since Grade School). I came across a big bag of grapes, both purple and green, poured a large portion of them into a bowl and sat on the couch. From there I began flipping through the channels, first clicking through all of my favorites: VH1, MTV, Travel Channel, Disney, ABC, FOX; nothing was on. Fortunately for me, I have HBO, which basically always guarantees that there will be SOMETHING worth watching.
Suddenly, Johnny Depp appears on the screen, and not as a pirate, a mad hatter, Mr. Wonka, a man with scissors for hands or a tearful teenager. No, he was a detective, and a dashing one at that. Immediately I was intrigued, just as anyone else would have been. The story took place in Victorian Era London, and he was searching for a homicidal maniac by the name of Jack the Ripper. Depp left the shot and I was suddenly watching a masked man lure in what appeared to be an adult entertainer with a handful of grapes. Unfortunately for her, she took them (this must be where the phrase “don’t take candy from strangers” came into play), and after gulping down the delicious snack she was cut to ribbons.
Suddenly my grapes didn’t seem to appealing. I looked down at the bowl to push them away but became intrigued with a thought. Here I was eating what felt like a pound worth of grapes as if they were as common as eggs in a hen house. And there was Jack the Ripper, enticing pretty young girls with a handful of grapes, which would ultimately end in their demise. It is so interesting to think what a grape meant to them as opposed to what it means to me today. There are so many different things in this world that are like that. For example, purple used to be the color of power and wealth during Roman times, and now its worn by the Kansas State Wildcats (I’m a KU fan, please take no offense to rivalry humor).
In the 1950’s to own one television set was a big accomplishment for a household, and now we’ve crammed them into cars, hot tubs, ceilings and just about anywhere else that we can think of. Kids used to wait all weekend to go to an arcade, but now a full arcade can fit onto your phone. But of all of the devices that were once unobtainable commodities, the one that interests me the most is the elevator.
Remember how fascinated you were the first time you stepped into an elevator? You walked in, pushed a button, and when the doors re-opened you were somewhere completely different. Half the fun of ever entering an office building was having the chance to ride from floor to floor. You thought to yourself, “Wouldn’t it be incredible if I had one of these in my house?” Suddenly, celebrities were buying them. It became the new hot trend for the wealthy to have elevators, almost to the point that you knew you hit the big-time once you could forgo the stairs.
But now, it doesn’t need to be that way, not by a long shot. With some of the great products we have here at ThyssenKrupp Access you could go from the basic LEV II with standard features to the Volant with 2-speed doors. The options are endless and a perfect luxury item for any and every home on the block. Residential elevators have been called the next big “must have” luxury item and for good reason. An elevator makes your life easier, moving heavy items more convenient, increases the value of your home and makes it possible for you to retire in the house you worked so hard to build.
It’s true when you hear people say, “Things sure aren’t what they used to be.” Things are better than what they used to be. We continually work to make luxurious items an everyday commodity, thus simplifying the lives of people today. Grapes are an afternoon snack, not a murderer’s weapon of choice. Grape is a pretty color that can be seen in weddings or a little girl’s bedroom, not just on Caesar’s sash. But above all, elevators are now for everyone, not just mile high office buildings. Take advantage of the times and live in luxury, you’ll be glad you did.
