Treachery of Technology

Remember those days when you didn’t drop down in front of your computer first thing in the morning? Or all day through.
Heck, I remember not even owning a computer. I remember when a computer took up a whole room the size of a large walk in closet and punch cards were required.

Being linked in, hooked up, on line, skypeing, face-booking, tweeting, blogging, always connected has its ups and downs. Mostly it's an incredible time drain.
Although the blogging for some reason, even if no one is reading it, I really enjoy. For me blogging is cathartic.

Facebook is like a voyeuristic indulgence. I get to peak into peoples lives, look at their pages and pictures when they don’t know it. It feels incredibly naughty to me. Of course if you are FB friends, you expect that people will look at your pictures and words etc. But still sometimes I feel like I am eavesdropping, like some of the conversation(if you can call it that) is personal and really not meant for my ears.

Twitter, is like stream of consciousness on steroids. I have enough problem with saying just what I think at the wrong time, who needs a place to broadcast it. A new way to piss more people off that’s what twitter would be for me! I do have a twitter account but I avoid it.

Like most of you though, I am addicted.

I can’t help just jumping onto the FB newsfeed as I walk by the computer bringing lunch to the kids. I jump on, read quick and jump off, not wanting anyone to catch me, lest I get caught up chatting and then the kids would be on to what I am doing. OK I know you can block the chat box, but that seems like lying so quickly getting on and off somehow makes me feel better. Hey I’m not hiding, catch me if you can! Didn’t I just tell a friend the other day, “I never have time to get on Facebook anymore”, there was some truth in that. If your not caught on Facebook doesn’t that mean your not on Facebook?

I need to blog. I can’t seem to write in sound bites. I like words, always have since I used to browse the dictionary as a kid. Trying out new words like most girls try on shoes. I want to blog everyday but believe it or not by the end of some days I have very little to say. Not sure how it would come out any way when I am that exhausted.

I still like email. Oh but the dangers of email. One day you send a funny email to a friend about their funny looking hat they wore and the next day they send you a ‘you don’t understand me’ email back. They read your email with a tone in their voice you couldn’t and wouldn’t have. They made your email vile, when it was meant to be light if not a bit cajoling. So you spend your day emailing and then calling to convince them it was a misunderstanding and you didn’t mean to hurt their feelings. What a gimboid! you think but keep it to yourself.

Not fully on to Skype but it is soon to take hold in this household I am sure. Especially when Max is in college. Then I can chastise him about his messy room on line in real time over the internets! He’ll be moving his computer where the backdrop is a blank wall.

What would we do without all the ways we have now a days to keep connected. Some days I want to go trekking deep into the woods, hole up in a little cabin with books to read, writing material and plenty of canned food. But then I would get lonely and need my computer.
It was because of all this connectedness (computer) that I learned to type. I was a hopeless hunt and pecker until it became imperative that I be able to create a quick email. It took me a while but now I don’t have to look at the keys anymore and I couldn’t live without it. Or at least I don’t think I could!