Wednesday, June 4, 2014

iWhatchamacallit

As I look around me, sitting on the couch, I appear to have entirely too much technology. In my lap sits my Mac, beside me my iPhone, iPad mini, while I watch the Vizio TV hooked up to my AppleTV. It must be nice to be the financial beneficiaries of Apple. Who doesn't have (at least) one piece of Apple technology near them at this very moment. Look around you...probably look in your hand. You are reading this with an iSomethingorother. If you aren't there is something within reaching distance.
Unless you are of the anti-Apple crew. I respect that. I was going to be one of those, but I was weak. I gave in. And once you go to the Apple side there isn't any turning back. It all connects too easily.

I'm addicted to the apps and the little (...) thing telling me a fellow iPhone person is in the process of texting me back. It's neat. I am always looking at the thing to see what's new. It's distracting. Everybody is so distracted. We go out with our spouse, friends, kids, parents, everyone so we can spend some quality time checking Facebook and the news constantly alerts us of whatever is going on. Usually something not very newsworthy, but we gotta check it out real quick. It's ridiculous how dependent we are.

I'm not even confident enough in my own addiction to have "no technology" time at our house. Sometimes I look at us all sitting in the living room and the Milkman is on the iPad, I'm on the Mac, the oldest Milkmaid is on her iPod, and the littlest Milkmaid is using her sister's Kindle or my iPhone, because I'm a a mean enough momma to not have gotten the 2 year old her own technology. She just borrows one of our many pieces. Lets not forget the TV going in the background. But if I banned our use of technology for a period of time, what would we do?!? We would have to talk to each other! And look at each other! And acknowledge that we are all in the same house. Who wants that?!?!

Well I am putting all the dirty laundry out there, aren't I? Don't judge...you know you have it all too. Maybe you do have "technology free" time, but there is something, somewhere that distracts you. No judging. I just sound like mom of the year up here on the hill. I should really try to figure out how to implement something. I probably won't like it, the Milkmaids won't, but since I'm the mom they wouldn't have a choice, and the Milkman....he would be the most difficult one. During the day he'd like to throw his phone out the window, but if I told him he couldn't have it he'd probably have withdrawals. Wonder what the symptoms of technology withdrawal consist of?

Honestly the Milkmaids are in bed and the Milkman, for the first time in a couple of months, is out coon slaying...or whatever he wants to call it. Chasing dogs in the woods is what I see it as. That isn't my idea of fun. Don't worry though, he isn't without his phone. He may not answer it, but it's there, in his pocket.

Do you remember a time before all this in your face everything? When we got to leave work at work and school at school? When that drama that haunted you all day went away because it stayed put? You sat down at 6 and 10 because that was when you could get the day's news and the weather. If you missed it you were out of luck until the next morning.

I remember a time before cell phones. My parents had a "bag phone" in the car. We were threatened within an inch of our lives if we so much as touched it. It might as well been a grenade. Then when I turned 16 I got a notorious Nokia that was "just for emergencies." I was to keep it turned off unless there was a good reason to make a call and under no circumstance was there an emergency where I should call my friends. When text messaging became popular I had my life threatened, yet again, if I so much as texted an SOS... Those were really expensive. Before the Nokia I had a pager. I was very up on the technology back then. I even remember going from a pager that just received a number to call back to one that received messages. That was a huge deal. Really cool.

Our school banned any pager/cell phone and called it "drug paraphernalia." They would call the cops and the K-9 unit to sniff out your locker and/or car. It was quite humorous. Looking back its exceptionally ridiculous, but they were being proactive. We could still carry a firearm (well sort of) but NOBODY should have the dreaded Nokia. Nokia/pager = drug dealer.

We have come a long way in the technology world. We see abducted children found, thieves caught, and amazing YouTube videos almost daily. But it was so nice to not have the stimulation of constant news updates, whatever happened at school was left behind, mom didn't see everything in a tagged picture, and texting/driving accidents were unheard of. With the good, clearly comes the bad.

I don't know what's best for everyone. I know we are proving that so much technology may have its good points, but it causes at least as many problems as it solves. We all need some time away from the screens, but actually doing it is a whole other story. Maybe I will try it. It would probably be easier if I wasn't surrounded by all my iEverythings. I should get a basket for it. The iBasket.

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