My Foolish Technology and I

Hey kids. It's been a while, sorry. I have fully and completely neglected my PWR209 duties for about...a little over a month. Not sure why, it certainly wasn't a conscious decision. I just find the Fully Online class difficult to immerse myself in.

It isn't something I thought out and reached a decisions about, to not enjoy this style of class. Well, that's not even true. I do enjoy the class. Making the podcasts was quite a bit of fun. I'm looking forward to making a vidcast with my group. I still glance through Smart Mobs whenever I feel like getting fired up about the God Damn Japanese. It's just that I think I find it difficult to really take it as immediately seriously as my other classes.

The reason, as far as I can tell, is that I access the course from my own bedroom. I'm sitting here in mesh shorts, drinking a Yuengling (Black&Tan $8.99 for a 12 pack of bottles, Price Chopper) and also multitasking with AIM, my phone, two other websites, and a stereo. It's just not the educational environment that one expects to be in when taking a course.

When I go to the Doctor, I expect a white coat, professionalism, and a cold waiting room where I read 4 year-old issues of Highlights for Children. That's what I've been taught (as a Westerner) to not only expect, but need from my experience. I just wouldn't feel comfortable with a Doctor who came into the room in a flannel shirt and sweatpants.

So I suppose this Online experiment may be a bit of the same. I've come to expect some things from a class, even if I don't like all of those things or even support them. This experience is so radically different that it's hard to treat it the same. But I'm going to get better at trying (right here towards the end, uselessly enough).

But, to give you an update on my relationship with Technology, my cell phone finally failed me. I had the same shitty camera-less phone for about 5 years. I had lost it, found it again, dropped it, kicked it, and thrown it, and it was still working. Most people would have updated quite a while ago but to be honest I hate cell phones (telephones in general, actually) and never bothered. But the other day the ear piece stopped working. I couldn't hear a fucking word.

So I went into Verizon to get another. Despite how much I hate cell phones, I felt a bit fond of my old one, considering how much I had done to it. So I decided that the new one should have some sort of novelty value right off the bat, in order to replace this sentimental connection.

So now I have a bright cotton candy pink phone I have named Charlene.