So, in an effort to make easier the lives of community college students in the Northwest Ohio area, Owens has decided to be open for four days during Spring break. I am scheduled for shifts during three of these days, today being one of them. I think it's great we're finally doing this for our students, and I'm glad to have the hours to make the break a little less detrimental to my pocketbook. The drawback, however, is that it's basically dead in here.
I'm not sure that as many students really knew that we would be open. Thus, we have had few students take advantage. Good for me and my general love of laziness. Bad for me and my general love of being entertained.
As a result, I have been good friends with the Internet today. I have tweeted excessively. I have returned e-mails. I have updated Facebook status messages and posted links. I have commented, commented, commented on other people's thoughts, links, statuses, etc. I checked out the new Post Secret updates. I checked out Failblog. I caught up on the blogs that I follow. I watched an episode of Community on NBC's website. (Of course, just as I was putting my headphones away from watching it is when the boss comes out of her office to take a peek at how many students are in the room. And, of course, I end up looking like the cat who ate the canary because I'm caught in the act of putting my headphones away! I realize we weren't busy and she may not have cared, but I hate looking guilty. I only had one headphone in and we had no students! I was paying attention!)
Of course, all of this gives me a new appreciation for modern technology. What would I have done if not for my laptop? I'd have been bored off my rocker! I'd have had to resort to doodling or scribbling a stupid story or something. I mean, odds are fair that I would have been prepared and had a book or something, but the point is that the potential for even more boredom was on my mind. I can hardly imagine what people used to do before a few seconds and clicks unlocked the world at their fingertips.
Think back. Do you remember when studying relied on actual books, and you had to use the card system at the library? I do. I wonder what it will be like when I have to explain that, once upon a time, not everything was available on a computer to my children. Will they understand that? Will the concept of paper books and calling cards and the Dewey decimal system be as obscure a set of concepts to them as the idea of records are to some members of my generation? Will sending a letter in the post be as foreign to them as lacking air conditioning or heating is to me? (Truly, I cannot imagine a life without heating in the winter. I mean, air condition I've lived with out, but heat?! What did people do?!--and don't say they lit fires thinking you're witty. I can at least form that thought all by my lonesome.)
I realize that many other bloggers have probably already thrown out this old song and dance, but it's a concept that still amazes me. We're such a digital world these days. I'm 24 and sometimes it's difficult for me to keep up with technology when you consider the speed with which it is updated or released these days. I can't imagine how out of the loop I'll feel in 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. You know, most of my generation finds it annoying to be asked to set the clock on Grandma's out-of-date VCR, but I sort of get why people are resistant to that kind of change. After a while, I think you just get burned out. It's so much work to keep up with all of that stuff!! At some point, I think you have to decide that you've had enough of trying to keep up with it all and just live with what you have.
I'm pretty sure that, someday, I'll be the grandmother asking her poor, sighing grandchild to show her how to use that new-fangled computer/cell phone/fax/printer/copier/PDA/kitchen sink. And, when that happens, I'll explain to that grandchild that, once upon a time, I was a trendy blogger with a cool phone and a sweet new laptop--even though I'm sure they won't believe me. Worse, I'm sure that blogging will be passe and laptops a thing of the past. My current coolness will be uncool in its obscurity. It's enough to make me want to quit keeping up right now! Too bad I know that I can't be competitive in the job market if I don't know what I'm doing on the technological front.
At least I had cool stuff once...
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