Old-Fashioned Girl... That's me

I am an old-fashioned-kind of girl. Twitter, texting, and alerts by cell phone are just not in my chosen way of communicating. Okay, I know by now that whoever is reading this blog post might leave, but please wait and hear me out.


Last year for Mother's Day the Darling Husband, kids and grand-darlings gave me an Ipad. How I do love that little piece of technology! It allows me to do all manner of things in nano seconds. Wow! I can also indulge my love of words by playing "Words with Friends" and "Scramble", on it, somewhat obsessively, I might add. I call it "keeping my brain sharp", but the DH is asking himself why he ever gave me the darn thing! I had to turn the sound off because the constant dinging drove him nuts. In all honesty, it wasn't a long drive (heehee). The dinging signifies friends playing the games. It is an alert of sorts, so I don't detest all alerts. Right? Another nice touch is the Ibooks. Using the Ipad to read downloaded books instead of lugging books along when I travel is a plus. 


For Christmas he gave me an shiny new Iphone! My old cell phone had a crack right through its middle, but I could still get and make calls on it. The fact that I could take pictures with it didn't occur to me until I'd had it for at least two years. At the ripe old age of five years the damn thing wouldn't hold a charge for more than four or five hours, so a new cell phone was certainly welcome. I'm getting used to the new phone, slowly. My very tech-savvy daughter "synched" it with the afore-mentioned IPad so that they "share aps". That, by the way, is super-cool. I can even check e-mail on it;that is if my new bifocals are handy. The gadget takes fabulous pictures too. Two weeks ago I even took a picture of myself while trying to figure out how to flip it so that I could capture my grand-daughter dancing with her Papa. The music ended before I got the shot.   Sometimes I get text messages. Great? Not so much. Just yesterday I sent a text message to a friend that read 'us'. Don't I love auto-correct? My fingers hit the wrong buttons because I meant to answer 'yes' to her question. Damn. I can't type well either. 


Now that I've got these super gadgets, I'd like to explain my aversion to texting. First of all, I have to get my bifocals out of wherever I've left them to read the message or at the very least tap the little screen to enlarge the words in order to read them. Then there is the reply which means that my once-nimble fingers are called into action. Yikes! Second, texting is the way the young people in my life communicate, so I miss the sound of their voices. Since when did a cryptic message take the place of the human voice? Kids, I'd rather hear your laugh than read an LOL or see a colon with half a parentheses indicating a smile. Actually, I love "seeing" your smiling face up close and personal. Ditto to friends. Texting to me is just another separation by degrees. Like an used muscle that atrophies; will you loose your voice due to constant texting? Probably not but why take the chance? Just kidding! The upside of texting is that the younger generation has more finely developed thumbs than my generation. I read that recently in a doctor's office waiting room. How appropriate! The study said that our ape-like ancestors used their thumbs to cling to tree branches and for feeding themselves. How heart-warming that is to me. Imagine my sheer delight knowing that my great-grand-darlings will be able to swing from branch to branch without missing a single text! Makes a granny proud. 


I've said it before but it bears repeating; I love the printed word whether it is in newspapers, books or billboards. A cup of coffee in a favorite mug with the morning newspaper ( no matter how liberal) is how I roll. Curling up with a good book in my semi-dark bedroom on a rainy afternoon is a pleasure I can't resist. Answering the "real" phone and hearing a beloved voice on the other end is about as good as it gets. As you can guess, I am a people person not an introvert in any way. Needy? Yes, if that means that instead of a cold, "how r u", I get a live stream "hello"." Live stream" may not be the right term but I needed to fit in a tech-savvy phrase to keep the kids reading this. 


In short; text if you must. I will attempt to send you an intelligent response but please, drop in anytime or call me on the telephone. Seeing a friendly face or hearing the smile in your voice is precious to me. Snicker as you send a tweet. Giggle as you text. Smile as you read this. Is silence golden? Only time will tell. Oh and don't forget to swing to the end of the branch. That is where the fruit can be found! LOL


Love and kisses (xoxoxo),
Mom


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