Ten Minute Missive

Do you ever look around and wonder just how you got where you are?  Was there a navigator or even a map involved?  Just what turn of events was pivotal, or is it even possible to pin it all on one key moment?  This is how I ponder when I’m flipping pancakes or having other quiet moments.  And since my daughter requested pancakes this morning, I had some ponder time.  Just how the hell did I turn into a nearly 42-year old mother of 3, flipping pancakes while checking Twitter, Facebook, email and the weather forecast on my iPhone while successfully managing to answer my land-line?

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Two comments made in my world this week have brought my mind to rest upon the role of the technological age in my life.  First, a man near and dear to my heart stated: “Some people’s parents shouldn’t be allowed on Facebook” and then a woman I know via preschool stated that “Facebook is my water cooler.” (Apologies to Jak and Katie if I’ve misquoted you.)  My reaction?  Holey moley, how our world has changed!

See if you can remember the precise moment when the following imprecise list of words had meaning for you:  WYSIWYG, personal computer, internet, email, Google, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, DM, IM, chat, blog, Skype, jpeg, 3G, html, Hulu, Netflix, BlueRay, cell phone, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Pandora, OLPC…. I could go on and on.  But let’s start first with this Mile Marker:  The Information Superhighway.

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There are times when being married to a “techno-daddy” has its real perks.  Like when my computer gets the blue screen of death and nothing I’ve tried fixes it.  And he’s bang-up with a power drill, he really is.  But there are times when it certainly has its drawbacks, and I’m not just talking about when he actually answers my query:  ”So, how was work today, honey?”  You know how they usually just say, “Fine” and then leave the room?  But every once in a while – you must have a particularly fetching outfit on or something – and then they actually start doing precisely what you want them to do:  sharing about their day.  Which is fantastic until all the techno-jargon starts tumbling out of his mouth and you suddenly feel like your decoder-ring has gone on the fritz.  I jokingly told my sister-in-law that when her techno-daddy does this, she should just offer up a quick marital moment to get him to stop talking.  I believe it may be up for consideration.  

But my sweet techno-daddy is good for lots of obscure cultural bits that I would never find on my own due to my aversion to reading magazines and ezines that focus solely on the technological world.  (Although I have to give Gizmag props for being a great compendium of interesting things for normal folk too!)  He is responsible for my recent, “You have got to be kidding me!” moment:  the amazing USB Boob Warmer.

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