I’m too cynical to use Facebook despite the recent pressure on the company by Canada’s privacy commissioner. I can’t see the value in Twitter. Who gives a damn about what You’re doing as You’re doing it? I never texted and frankly can’t be bothered learning.
Cripes, I’m starting to sound like that old codger Andy Rooney. I guess I just remember how it used to be. Nostalgia aside, how it used to be wasn’t all bad. There is no turning back the clock. Scholars and historians will judge the long-term implications of all this.
I guess there needs to be balance. A cherry-picking of the best features of the best technology. A rejection of the stuff that is mindless or risky or a substitute for better behaviours.
Some days I’m not even so sure about email, though I use it daily. A lot of crap still slips through despite firewalls and virus protection programs. It can be an insidious waste of time, especially in the workplace. It has been the undoing of some people’s careers or political aspirations.
You can’t beat it as a low-cost, efficient way of staying in touch with colleagues, family, and friends. You can send or reply at your convenience, whether That’s 6:00 a.m. or 11:30 p.m. You can organize your thoughts and your message. You have a paper trail, so to speak, of who said what when.
It’s through email that I’ve kept in touch with a dear friend who moved away eight years ago. At its worst, communication was no more than forwarding some funny or sentimental piece that ended up in either inbox. At its best, we recently used a flurry of emails to plan a rendezvous in Red Deer. She drove from Airdrie. I did my drive in two legs so I wouldn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn.
The other day we met downtown for the deluxe spa pedicure. With lowered lights, soothing music, and a private room Shelly and I were pampered. Scented exfoliation (I picked citrus, Shelly chose lavender) followed the whirlpool soak. A foot and leg massage was invigorating. And who doesn’t love a paraffin wrap while sipping vanilla chai tea? Finally I emerged with a deep, deep almost brown burgundy polish That’s great for the fall. Shelly chose the very popular deep purple. Now let’s hope there’s some sandal weather left in September.
With the aestheticians present Shelly and I used this time to catch up on lighter topics like kids and vacations. A two-and-a-half hour lunch at Original Joes afforded the privacy to exchange gifts and talk about more delicate matters like surgeries, past and impending. To talk about those issues closer to the heart.
What a gift to see an old friend and pick up exactly where we left off. Email helped make it happen. Email will help us stay in more meaningful touch until next time. And that, my lovelies, is a good thing, from where I sit.
