Old Fashioned

I learned something new about teenagers recently. Many of them no longer know how to read or write in cursive!

In the computer era we have managed to completely obliterate the art of hand-written communication. While watching MK open her Bat Mitzvah loot, I was astonished that as she opened each card and we asked, "Who is it from MK? What did they write?" She repeatedly responded, (in a wail), "I don't know! I can't read it!" It wasn't that the handwriting was particularly hard to read, it was that it was written in cursive.

She can only read PRINT!

It's official. The age of email and text messages has taken us one step further toward being unable to communicate without technology.

I had come to terms with the fact that as the years go by I will receive fewer and fewer letters in the mail, and I will send fewer and fewer myself. Email and I are friends, and I'm a fast typist, so even when I was writing letters, I often typed them and printed from the computer. But I also appreciated the beauty of cursive and often selected a font that looked like handwriting to personalize my messages.

But no longer. Now I must print. In ugly block letters.

I predict soon all fonts will have to be sans serif - removing all remnants of artistry in case it actually makes it too difficult for our next generation to read. Italics will be permanently banned as totally unreadable. And forget seeing calligraphy on your wedding invitations any longer. It is already the norm to see computer address labels on them. Next you will receive e-vites with an rsvp to an email account.

In discussing this travesty with friends, they talked of how no generation in the future will find ribbon-bound letters in a trunk and be able to slowly read their grandparent's love story. Items like these will be relegated to museums and future generations will think- how odd it was to have to use a pen and paper to send messages. You'll need a PhD to interpret the beautiful cursive handwritten notes and museum display cases will include electronic translations of the message.

How strange life is. How quickly it moves.

So, bye-bye fountain pen.

Hello arthritic thumbs and texting.

Damn. I feel so old fashioned.

Progress

So, I was reading my goals in this post, and thought I'd give myself a progress report. I think this may also have been brought on by the slightly nostalgic and often disheartening review of my high school yearbook this weekend and all of my high school report cards (yes, I still have them, don't ask me why.)

1. Get to work earlier and leave earlier. Not too bad here, I'm proud to say. I've not been great about getting in a lot earlier, but my late nights have radically decreased. They seemed to spike again just recently, but that was the post vacation deadline-induced workload and I think it is settling down again. I'd like to claim this as a new habit...but I'll wait until a little more time has gone by.
   
   GRADE: B+
   
   
2. Eat better. This was a really slow starter...I kept putting it off and I am a huge stress eater and work has been a bit stressful, so the vending machine was my best friend. That being said, the last two weeks have been diet central at home and Hubby and I are on track for a good Autumn season of weight loss (fingers crossed). At the very least, we are eating much healthier, including oatmeal breakfasts, light lunches, and light dinners. And sugar free jello and jello pudding are our favorite treats to get us through the long evenings without snacks.
   
   GRADE: C (but potential for improvement)
   
   
3. Swim every night. I did really well with this for about 2.5 weeks, but I haven't been in the pool now since the 1st week of August We had a short cold spell and I used it as an excuse to break the habit...maybe next year.
   
   GRADE: C-
   
   
4. Be more efficient with time. So-So here. I find what I have been doing is prioritizing, but sometimes procrastinating too. I've been better at work, and probably worse at home. All those Honey-Do projects are just hanging out there. The good news is, no home improvements means less money spent - and that is a goal too!
   
   GRADE: B-
   
   
5. Make time for friends. I've definitely done that - going for dinners/movies with friends, a spa weekend, our vacation, some BBQs and other gatherings. Although I don't feel as guilty as I used to if a week goes by without some interaction with friends. I've noticed that if I don't instigate it, it usually doesn't happen, so I guess everyone is busy. My friends are very important to me though, so I'll keep on top of this.
   
   GRADE: A
   
   
6. Enjoy minor victories. I think my mind has been ready to accept the smaller victories, but I don't think I've paid much attention to working toward any. At least not on the home front. School is back in session now though, work is crazy, but the Fall/Winter always brings a greater focus on those indoor projects and chores, so this could be coming.
   
   GRADE: I (incomplete)

Yup. This pretty much sums up my high school grades too. Kind of all over the place. Those areas I prioritized or had some selfish interest in went well...those others...not so well.

In the coming months, I'm going to stay focused on these (except exchange the swimming item for walking or some other form of exercise). One thing I've learned the hard way is too many goals just sets you up for disappointment. Keep it simple stupid.

In the Airline Industry, Time is Relative

Once again, I'm in airport hell. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to fly if it's dangerous. I just wish there was a way to get a definitive answer on WHAT TIME???? I love the - "A friendly announcement: We have a 2 hour delay, but DON'T LEAVE THE GATE because we could change it at any moment, load the plane and take off without you. "

Great.

I've been getting automated calls/emails from Continental that keeps conflicting with info I'm getting at gate...which one do you trust? I think it is a concerted effort to keep us all unbalanced so we don't rush the desk. All I really want to rush is the airport bar or cafe, but I CAN'T LEAVE THE GATE!

Basically, I keep re-learning this lesson:
When it comes to air travel and the air industry as a whole,
time is relative.

Good News: There are actually timepieces out there
for the people who live on relative time.

Watch #1: Time is Relative Watch

On line ad promotion: "This watch spits in the face of convention. It grabs hold of the norm and flushes it down the toilet of conformity. And it tells time, too. Unlike every other timepiece ever made, this watch has numbers that are in constant motion. The hands of the watch reflect the actual time of day, but the numbers march to their own drummer. (We haven't opened a watch yet, but we're pretty sure a miniature drummer is inside there.)

The Relativity Watch comes in an attractively normal gift box. It has a genuine leather band and an accurate Japanese quartz movement. (If you ever held a piece of Japanese quartz, you know how accurate it is.)

Surely, by this time, we've convinced you to purchase a Relativity Watch. You don't even realize it, but this is the 29th time you have read this page. You're caught in an endless time warp that loops you back to the moment you pressed the button that took you to this page.

The only way to break the cycle is to purchase a Relativity Watch. If you don't you're doomed to read this ridiculous page for the rest of eternity. Sure, you laugh. Just like you did the previous 28 times you read this."

Watch #2: The NOW Watch.

Signals Catalog item description: "Look no hands. A watch for those who live in the moment, this is a manifesto, not a timepiece. Wheels, pins, pivots, and jewels have been replaced with sand and a stone etched "NOW." The battery never needs replacing because there isn't one."

Watch #3: Einstein Time Is Relative Watch

I have no photo of this...it no longer seems to be available. But I purchased it once for a friend who was notorious about time management. He would leave for a quick errand to the corner store and come home 4 hours later. No calls, no apologies, no clue. We bought this watch because we laughed hysterically when we saw the face which said 1ish, 2ish, 3ish and thought immediately of this friend. He opened the gift on Christmas Eve...and was totally puzzled, "I don't get it." We laughed even harder.

So, gentle readers, if you know of any road warriors in your life, you might want to consider one of these watches as a timely holiday gift. It may help them decipher the airline schedule a little better.

But just so you know. The Relative Time Watch is out of stock. They anticipate getting it back in on the 25th...or maybe the 29th...or maybe after first of year...(I think we need a relative calendar too).