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Katherine Connolly to me
show details 1:02 PM (6 minutes ago)
So I experienced a strange series of electronic events recently, and it changed my life.
About a month ago, my computer crashed. Upon booting up, I'd get The Black Screen of Death and then it would shut off. But lucky for me, I had a Blackberry! I'd be able to stay connected and keep up without my computer, and could put off spending a lot of money to fix it or get a new one. Perfect.
Except about 2 weeks ago, my Blackberry broke. I would charge and charge it, but the charging port was broken and the phone eventually died. Now I had a broken phone and a broken computer. Aside from being freakishly disconnected from the world, how was I going to get anything done online with no line to be on? I had friends to see, I had bills to pay!
This is terrible. This is unacceptable. This is treason!
Okay. Calm down, spoiled brat. Maybe this isn't so bad. Maybe this is an opportunity to become more like the Amish, or adopt some Buddhist/Minimalist traditions in life. This could be a good thing! I grew up before the Age of Instant Technology and I came out fine, I could surely do it again. Besides, if people wanted to get in touch with me, a little digital dilemma shouldn't stop them.
I'd memorize phone numbers and appointments again. I'd spend less time checking inane status updates on Facebook. I'd be forced to do something else with myself in totally awkward situations besides pretending I was very interested in text messaging. I'd spend more time doing productive things, like reading all the books I never finish. I'd help the environment. I'd reduce the level of cell phone radiation. I'd be one less annoying person in the world of constant-phone-checkers. I'd support one less major corporation. I'd save money! I would travel with all the money I saved. I would do everything the old school way. I would make a statement, start a revolution! I would even make friends and get dates the old school way, by initiating conversation with complete strangers!
...WHAT!?
With a broken computer and a broken phone, I decided I had to make some moves immediately. So I went to Verizon and was able to get a free replacement. I got a brand new... no, scratch that... refurbished phone and was once again blessed by the God of Electronics.
With all the good luck I was having I figured I would try to turn my computer on. So I did, and sure enough, it booted up! I was then able to fix it so it wasn't totally dead, only sporadically dead. (I'm halfway to nerdhood, but not quite there yet.) I decided if I never turn it off, it will never NOT be able to turn on again. So far, so good.
Now I had a working phone and computer again, and I was in business!
Except the other night, my newly obtained refurbished Blackberry was stolen by a 17 year old kid named Hector. It turns out I am quite the DIY Detective when it comes to finding thieves. Apparently, I'm also good at coercing mini-thug highschoolers into giving me information about the jerk who stole my phone. Needless to say, I never got my phone back because Hector is one wily son of a gun. But not so smart. I'm still on it.
Anyway, now I am back to using my old, totally outdated phone from a few years ago. You know, the Original Flip Phone that's about 2 inches thick with a 1 inch screen where you can actually see each of the 1 millimeter sized pixels and have to apply some sort of science to come up with the correct words while typing? Yep, that's the one!
But it's all good. I am slowly adapting while becoming more supportive of this process of disconnection from the digital world. I have also accepted that I break things. I break things and lose things all the time. And I suppose I've also come to the conclusion that I'm a total accident-prone person. Or that my life is sometimes like a 24/7 trainwreck waiting to happen.
No, I know what it is. It's more like I'm a magnet for involuntary object destruction. My phones break, my computers break, my iPods break, my cameras break, my glasses break... I even got into 3 recent car accidents in the course of approximately 6 months, each progressively worse than the last, and none were my fault!
So I just have one question. Are you good with your hands?
- a short story by Kat, that I know all too well.
welcome her.
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