I Heart Modern Technology

Today my roommate dropped her cell phone in the toilet. That's right, friends. Cellular telephone. Toilet. Not a good combo. When she got home, there were actually tears in her eyes as she discussed this event. Let me tell you, she is not an emotional girl. I have learned a fair amount about her in these few weeks, and she's pretty much a tough cookie. (She credits this to her gymastic instructors, who were basically militant drill sergeants who took no issue with making little girls cry - and for every spilled tear, they could add more onto their exercise for the day. Thus, she learned not to cry.) She, meanwhile, has probably seen me cry fifteen times since we've lived together, since all it takes for me these days is a commercial about something like a lost puppy. Definitely any show where anyone: a) reunites with anyone else, b) gets something they deserve, or c) discovers something meaningful in their life, is guaranteed to push me over the edge. I haven't dared to watch Extreme Home Makeover in Erin's presence yet. Anyway, the point of all this is to say that, Erin's emotion over her injured cell phone made me ponder (yet again) how much we all rely on technology. And this made me remember a blog entry I wrote on myspace (the only one, in fact), so I thought I would include it here, since people actually read this blog (well, at least a few do.) It was almost exactly 3 years ago that I wrote it, but a lot of it (sadly) is still true in my life. If you happened to have read it before, feel free to stop reading now. :)

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"I Heart Modern Technology"
February 8, 2006
I realized today just how ridiculous is my relationship with my cell phone. (Whose name, by the way, is Atticus Steptoe.) And yes, it is a relationship. There is love, trust, not to mention ringtones. About halfway through my 9am class this morning, I checked in my backpack in fear that I had forgotten to put Atticus on silent. Then... to my great horror and chagrin... Atticus was nowhere to be found! So what did I do? I spent my hour break between class and work (when I should have been eating breakfast and studying) driving home to get Attie. I spent 20 minutes looking for parking, because there is next to none at this school, got to work 20 minutes late, running on very low blood sugar, only to discover the 2-year-olds that I work with akin to bumble bees on crack. Who's brilliant idea must it have been to remodel the structure in the yard, so that every day at the children's center is like a rainy day (because all the kids are stuck inside and have nowhere to run around)? So I spent four hours saying in my loudest indoor voice "Stop smacking Suzie upside the head!" and "Put down the razor blade!" (Ok, I'm exaggerating a little bit, but I do have bite marks on my arm as evidence of the horror of it all.) After all this, I had to trek up to the ends of the universe where I illegally parked my car in the freshman dorm lot, (thankfully discovering it without a ticket) and moved it across campus to a different lot, luckily making it in time to grab a snack before my 3:00 class. All this, because I could not go 12 hours without my cell phone. If I am ever as needy toward a person as I am toward my cell phone, somebody kill me please.

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Yep, good times. And for the record, I do believe there is such a thing as healthy dependency, with technology and with other humans. I also think if there is something or someone that you can't get through 12 hours without, it just might be cause for concern.

Speaking of 12 hours... that was how long I worked today. Not fun! I wish I could share funny stories about the kids I work with now, but the events and quotes that stick out in my mind at the end of the day aren't necessarily appropriate for all audiences. Ha. I'm still enjoying it though. Just preferably in smaller chunks than 12 hours. I'll leave you with a quote from my professor: "If life gives you lemons, it gives you lemons. No one said anything about sugar, so how are you supposed to make lemonade? I say, if life gives you lemons, just don't squeeze them in your eyes." :)