Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.
-Mark Twain

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

The demise of the dark age

As you may have noticed, I've blogged on more than one occasion about the frivlous accessory called the cell phone. I touted my life in the dark age of land lines and good old answering machines, but I am no longer among the disconnected community. As of a couple weeks ago, I got a cell phone (25 minutes before my friend's wedding was going to start!)

I lost the battle for a few reasons. One of the big ones being that I got lost in rural South Dakota just a few days prior, and I didn't hear the end of it from my relatives.

The funny part has been everyone's reaction. Here is a sample of the responses:

"What? You're joking!"

"Finally! Gosh, I thought you were never going to get one."

"That's nice. What's your number?"

"Ha ha ha.. you finally broke down, huh?"

"No way! I'm so excited! Now we will actually be able to get ahold of you!"

"No. I don't believe you. You're lying. No way, you did not get a cell phone. I won't believe you until I see it. Then, maybe I'll believe you."

The last one was my favorite. She seriously didn't believe me, and then when I showed her she was still skeptical. hehe!

Haiku!

Ever since I started posting haiku, friends and family have joined in the fun with haiku of their own. I love it! They're hysterical. I got this message from my sister today and I thought I should share it.

I first need to preface the Haiku's with the story behind them.

Derin (my old mngr.) was suddenly awakened Monday morning with the harsh sound of something slamming into his bedroom window. He jumped out of bed to see what the noise was. He looked out the window and saw a poor little yellow finch that looked in a daze or perhaps even dead. He rushed outside to check on the bird. The bird looked like it was possibly alive. He went to the garage to get a cage so no cats or other animals could get the bird. As he shut the garage door behind him, he realized that it had been locked and he had just locked himself out of the house. Here he stands in his backyard with a bird cage, and nothing but a bathrobe and slippers on. He went to the next door neighbors to see if anyone was home to help. No luck. After
peering into numerous neighbors windows he knew he had to make the trip on foot 5 blocks away to a friend's house that had a spare key. So, here is Derin, bathrobe and slippers walking down the street around 8am. Suddenly, he remembers it is the first day of school. There are children on every street corner, some with parents. He thought - this looks really bad. So, he started walking through people's backyards and hiding behind bushes before finally reaching his friend's house. Needless to say, Derin had a bad day. We were all laughing hysterically at the thought of this site. JT wrote a Haiku and then Derin returned the favor of writing one back. Read below:

-------------------------------
Bird versus window
Bathrobe refugee wanders
Avoiding children.

-------------------------------
Many people laugh
Noble rescue gone quite wrong
Now key lives outside


I read this and I busted out laughing!

Please send me your haiku! They're great!

I will post some more later this week.

First.. an apology

Yes, yes, I know I haven't blogged in quite sometime and I apologize. I think that it is, in a way, representative of my life the last few weeks. Let me explain...

When I first moved into my apartment, I turned into a hermit. I didn't leave my apartment for days because I was unpacking. Then when I got hooked up to phone, internet, and digital CABLE WITH DVR, I was like a little baby watching a Baby Einstein video. I was so mezmorized by the power of DVR that I found myself recording movie after movie. You can imagine how busy I was watching everything I had taped after that. Then only a week later, I started getting busy with pre-school activities. Now I'm realizing that I totally overbooked myself, so I guess we'll see how it all goes after a month or so. Also, I attended a couple weddings this month and visited my sister in the twin cities.

so, there you go. I apologize.. let the blogging begin!

Friday, August 05, 2005

I love my new apartment!

I love my new apartment!!

The process of unpacking is way more appealing to me than packing. So, since I finished the whole pack-everything-and-clean part of moving, I've been enjoying the unpack and decorate part the last few days. My mom unpacked the kitchen for me which was super helpful, I finished the bathroom, and I am basically done with the living room. I'm really pleased with the way everything has turned out. Although it's kind of a bummer to be living alone, I think there will be some definite pluses. No compromising. Everything goes the way I want it to and it's my stuff. Any dishes, and garbage floating around-it's mine and I need to take care of it. (I'm hoping this will help me keep things cleaner!) And now I have a phone line, internet connection, and cable. I'm finally reconnected!

Next on my list: unpack my bedroom!

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

A fight to the bitter end..

So I was out with a few friends last night, and my cell free lifestyle was a hot topic of the evening. I have to say, the discussion that ensued was a little like harassing Tom Daschle supporters the week after he lost the election this fall - cruel. I am currently without phone service until Thursday, so the 5 people that ganged up on me were without mercy. Yes, I understand that it is a huge hassle for everyone else that I haven't followed the herd down the path of the big cellular phone companies' fabricated image of a society that is in need of such immediate and constant communication. To me they are sending the message that you, yes YOU are so important that the here and now... is just not good enough. I know, I know.. but it's not like that at all you say. Yeah, sure.. maybe to you it's not that way, but you're the one getting whisked away into a conversation with someone, so it's no different to you. I dunno.. I suppose at some point I should really get a cell phone, and I say that partly because I'm sick of hearing it from others. I guess the problem is just this: I don't feel that unspoken sense of self-importance that would give me the cause to just do it. (plus, it's still cheaper for me to have a land line)

Monday, August 01, 2005

Alexander Graham who?

I was watching 60 minutes last night and Andy Rooney did a piece on inventions that have really changed our world. For instance the telephone, and in even more recent history, the celluar telephone.

Since I have been and will still be out of telephone service until Thursday, his diatribe was especially irritating. He went on and on about how cell phones have changed how we work and communicate with others. He goes on to describe all the different places and ways we use phones. All the while I'm getting more and more annoyed because I can't even use one in my own home right now!!

But it's OK. I will get phone service on Thursday, and in the mean time I will be creative in finding ways to communicate with my family and friends until then.

And before you say it, no. This has not changed my mind about getting a cell phone. I will stick to the dark ages of communication... circa 1985.