Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Through this looking glass screen...

I have peered into a distorted world of imagination and perspective that was not available to my forefathers and mothers.

I have become so far removed from verbal communication that I feel like a night out takes a few hours just to warm up and most times too much energy to even bother with. When it comes to conversing with people for pleasure, outside of my little family, and when I am not wearing my worker bee hat, I am out of practice.

I have no cellular phone that tethers me to the world all hours of the day and night. I have an answering machine with a warped tape so I can hear people as they try to reach me through a garbled line, but I do not reach back. I send them text instead.

I had a cell phone but I killed it by letting the battery die and then "misplacing" the adapter that would resuscitate it, twice.
When I am gone, I am unavailable even if this seems irresponsible to some. In reality I am never any place where I could not be reached. I am a creature of comfort and habit that can be reached if just a little thought were put into it. My time is always accounted for and I am rarely alone (as in by myself) I am certain in any form of emergency, I could probably be located.

I do not message instantly because that is only another form of having a conversation, just as fast with mad typing skills and no room for sarcasm. When you have IM on, people have the ability to reach out and tap you on the cyber shoulder when you are anywhere near a keyboard. Then you are faced with either interacting with them or shutting down your IM before you respond which slams a tiny cyber door in their face.

I have friends who voices I have never heard but who lives I feel invested in since I read their journals every day. I get excited for them when they are happy and I get sad for them when they write that they are hurt. We send "vibes" for luck and cyber-hugs for comfort.

What a strange world this is.

3 comments:

moz said...

I don't have a cell phone either and I know what you mean about having to sometimes prep yourself for real life interaction. I have actually caught myself air typing what I'm saying on an air keyboard while I am having a "face to face" conversation..... I need to get out more.

Michelle Auer said...

I know exactly what you mean! I have done that before too!

Unknown said...

I always vowed to never get a cellphone until I met a Ukranian girl at a Posies gig who when she went back to Kiev insisted that I should be able to message her at weekends.

Whilst she wasn't around for long, the phone is still with me.

So now when anybody asks me how come I got a cell phone, I tell them it's the Posies' fault!

 

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