Dear Readers,
It has been a long, hectic couple of weeks and I've been remiss at keeping my blog current. Moving offices, moving my son outta the dorms, offsite retreats and other out-of-the-office (aka OOO) activities, capped off by a shopping spree at IKEA to set my son up for his off-campus housing...well, it's enough for even the best of us to tap out.
I popped by my office for a couple of hours this week to try and unpack my stuff, only to be greeted - and mind you this was Wednesday afternoon - by 458 unread e-mails waiting in my inbox...and that is AFTER I'd been keeping up via my trusted handheld device, the Blackberry!
You probably agree that being OOO sometimes is more stressful than just being there...but at least with a Blackberry, you are keeping on top of things, so most of those hundreds of e-mails can probably just get deleted. For those of you who don't own a handheld device, get one. I just can't remember life before my Blackberry. How did I keep in constant touch? How did I manage to not sweep my e-mails every 15 minutes to find the pressing needs and deal with them? And how did I ever survive not being able to chat with others in the same lecture hall, without passing notes?!
My Blackberry has become a tether, a lifeline and in a sick kinda way, a companion. I mean, what else to do when I am otherwise unoccupied? I check my messages...What else to do while I am waiting for someone? I check my messages...Or waiting for the gas tank to fill?...What else do I do when I am with my friends, in a group setting, who also share my handheld addiction, and need to slip them a quick joke? I tap on the trusted tiny keys of the little device, knowing that in just mere seconds, they are receiving my words, chuckling at the absurdities they're reading and writing in return. I can talk with anyone. Any time. Anywhere. And that is amazing.
I have also learned to be quite adept at walking and typing on my little device. I have a sweet spot for it in my purse so that I can flick it out at a moment's notice. And the charger has a special place in my kitchen, lest the batteries die and I remain disconnected. I do draw the line, however, at typing and driving - although the thought has indeed crossed my mind. It doesn't mean that there aren't times, at traffic lights, that the little device doesn't beg to be handled...
So here's to you, my trusted Blackberry, for keeping me sane and connected during my travels...until I can get back to that desktop and clear the rest of the stuff out...
--C.L.C.
