When our laptop died a few years back, I switched over to my smart phone for pretty much everything. I take pictures and troll Facebook and google everything and stay in constant touch with throngs of people and keep my calendar. Like you do. But the underbelly of this decision for me was that communication and correspondence with everyone has grown abbreviated and truncated. Efficient maybe, but lacking. Indeed with the immediacy of texting, transactional communication is a breeze. So helpful with quick questions, flight times and numbers, check ins, and don't even get me started on my love for Bitmoji. But I'm actually terrible at this efficient style of communication even when the subject is transactional. I wander wildly off course and it becomes defeating for everyone when I send fifty texts to the other person's one:
Ally: What are the last four of Dad's SS# Need for work form
Me: X-X-X-X. How are you?
Me: Today was a hard day, I really missed Nana for some reason, I wonder why?
Me: How is your weather? How is Billy?
Me: Have you seen Hidden Figures? So good!
Ally: Um im at work ttyl
I am pretty sure that the Do Not Disturb function on iPhones was invented by guys and gals to block chatty moms.
The one thing that is really impossible to do from a smart phone is write a paragraph. And sometimes I have a paragraph I really need to get out. The smart world is good for a tweet, a text, a meme, a petition, a list, and anonymity around true motive and being drawn in to a deeper conversation. It is so easy to disappear into the ether if the conversation gets complicated, yes I'm talking to you. I guess I'm also tired of the uncertainty of being understood in 140 characters, of being pushed around by a PUSH notification existence and a growing unsocial media. Now I'm not a FB quitter, no sir. I will never be the person who is left behind on the most current American cultural reference and if you suggest something like that, well you can..."Cassshh me ousside, how 'bout dat?" But in a somewhat regressive move, I bought another laptop. I am moving my own conversation back to a more appropriate platform for getting out all my feelings and probing for deeper understanding and communion with my fellow person. I think the occasional blog comment is more life affirming than a hundred likes on Facebook and imagine all the space in everyone's text feeds with me gone! You're welcome, Ally and Liv.
As for my photography, the iPhone camera technology has sadly kicked my camera's ass to the curb. Filters and editing compliment my slacker ways. I have a bit of artistry in me when it comes to seeing the shot, but meh, not so interested in learning how to technically make the shot. Let's leave that to the geniuses at Apple shall we? My real camera sits in a bag and I'm not even sure where. I had my problems with focus and light with my traditional camera, never made better because of my resistance to RTFMD*. The word manual implies labor which immediately makes me sleepy. It is a marital issue as much as anything and Chip finally agreed that I bring several other strengths to the marriage so we just let this one go.
I will try to find my new muse in the Inland Northwest and to find the funny. The Midwest was so dang easy for material that I'm not sure I can top it but I'll try.
*read the fucking manual, darling
