TAKE OFF YOUR VEIL
HOME WRITING PROJECTS LINKS IMAGES RAMBLINGS CONTACT
RAMBLINGS
Warning: I really don't update this Web site anymore, except for the Writing page, so these ramblings are hopelessly out of date. Please excuse the references to things that happened so long ago.
I'm getting overwhelmed by technology. It's not just because I'm getting older, either. I've never really felt all that connected to the electronic medium. I was the last person to get a cd player, the last person to get rid of dial-up, the last person to get a cell phone. I'm not one to jump on the hip, new technology bandwagon. I think texting is incredibly rude and just hearing the word "twitter" makes my skin crawl. Maybe I'm antisocial or I value my personal space too much, but I don't want people to expect me to be at their beck and call at any moment. I don't want people to know what I'm doing 24/7. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for progress. Not all technology offends me as much at texting and twittering. I'm just feeling overwhelmed by it all. I feel like I'm constantly on the computer, on the internet, watching tv or listening to the radio. I don't have anything against those things, really. I've just been feeling the strain.
Last week, I made a conscious effort to limit my computer, television, and radio activity and, I have to say, I did feel calmer. Things were quieter, literally and figuratively. Unfortunately, it's difficult to avoid those things on a regular basis, especially the internet. It makes life easier, but, boy, is it a time sucker. Sometimes, I just wish it, and all other electronic distractions, would just go away, for an hour or a day, maybe two.
Yesterday, I was at Jcrew,
buying a baby gift for a friend. I love looking at baby junk. Not because I have
baby fever, but just because it's all sooo damn cute! Seriously, the only time I
think about having kids is when I go into a baby store. Fortunately, I'm smart
enough to know that I should not have a child simply so I can shop at Pottery
Barn kids.
Anyway, I entered the store and made a beeline for the sale section. Believe me,
I'm not one of those people that spends sixty dollars on a shirt for a infant.
Talk about a waste of money. Really, How often is the kid going to where that
shirt before he/she outgrows it? Luckily, there were some great items on sale
and I found the cutest little pink cardigan with a little brown horse on the
chest. Adorable! Seriously, if they had it in a bigger size, I would have bought
one for myself!
All smiles, I head over to the cash register, pink cardigan in hand. Whenever I
make a purchase, at any store, I always make sure to tell the clerk that I don't
need tissue paper and, if I already have a shopping bag or the item that is
small enough to fit in my purse, I veto the bag as well. This day isn't any
different. When I tell the checkout clerk that I don't need any tissue paper, he
gives me one of those "no tissue paper?" comments, which is scarily uncommon, as
if no one has ever suggested to him that tissue paper is a completely
unnecessary and wasteful item. I kindly explain that I'm trying to conserve and
he goes about the business of swiping my credit card. Then, before I have a
chance to stop him, he takes my receipt and sticks it in an envelope. You know,
the kind at the counter that people use for gift cards. Then he throws the
receipt-filled card into my bag. What the hell just happened? Now my receipt
needs to be wrapped?? When did a bag stop being enough?
Later, when I told my sister about how, apparently, now our receipts need
protecting, she said that she was at Saks or Neiman's or one of those fancy
department stores and they put her receipt in a box. They put the receipt in a
box. I don't think anything else needs to be said.