Day One Hundred sixty-eight: Evening of January 17th 2010

I don’t think that I’m all that into computer technology. I mean, I occasionally get hook by game, but that is only for a few hours a day, due to household duties. I only check my email twice a day. I prefer to check other friends’ and relatives’ status on Facebook, rather than post updates about me. I check Twitter a couple a times week, and that’s usually an afterthought. I don’t feel uncomfortable using things technological, and I recognize their importance.

Yesterday evening and this morning was Christmas tree removal day. The new lights are far superior to the old monstrous bulbs. The personal memories associated with some of the ornaments are not stored on a flash or hard drive, and I wonder if they were, would it make a difference. I enjoyed the interaction with my wife as we disassembled the tree. I even controlled my orneriness. I didn’t think that stereotypical behavior of mine (grumpy old man) really was appropriate any more. When I was finished with this task, I went upstairs and took a nap, while everyone else scanned the Internet searching for stories about current events or Facebook activity. While I was watching the football playoffs (and falling asleep again) everyone else was still on the Internet. Later, I thought I would hit the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3 and play a few rounds of something, but didn’t feel like it. When I returned, it was nice to see that I wasn’t the only person who needed a nap. But, once the individuals went vertically, the laptops flipped open and more electronic interactions took place, including ordering dinner.

There are times when I feel out of sync with current technology. This really becomes apparent when I watch others busily engaged in the electronic environments made available by the computer. I feel in sync now because we are all using our laptops, but that will change shortly, once I quit typing this post.

As I closed yesterday and the day before, please check out a good organization that’s providing aid in Haiti and make whatever kind of contribution that you can afford.